The Solstice recognizes and celebrates our utter dependence upon the Sun for life itself. We honor and connect to the cycles of nature. Whether we are experiencing the shortest or the longest day of the year, we can pause to make this a really hopeful, inspiring moment on the wheel of the year.
This Solstice Reading for the Collective gives us a focal point for finding meaning and cause to celebrate. Is there a big lesson that we can glean this year? Where can we source hope? What wonderful expectation can we have for this upcoming New Year?
Card 1: The Lesson: X The Wheel of Fortune
Dark Night — Toppling the Old Karmic Wheel Model
The Wheel of Fortune represents the path of destiny and fate — the ever changing cycles of life. The old model of karmic destiny resembled a ferris wheel. We 
are riding up, up, and up with the good times until we begin a downwards cycle. I can remember about eight years ago when I would become conscious of how well my life was going only to know that soon I would be entering an inevitable rough time. Are we consigned to an endless ride of ups and downs?
Once we have mastered an understanding of our karmic lessons, there is never any reason to be in a down time. We have gained a knowledge of cycles. We can navigate recognizable lessons with preparation and skill. These propel us upwards into ever more joyful times.
Our new model is that of a tree ring. Cross sections of trees reveal a circle of growth for each year. A tree trunk is ever growing upward and outward. There is a spiralling around and ever upward.
In the Redwood forest, fairy rings grow around a larger, mature tree. These daughter seedlings benefit from the collective knowledge and protection shared by the mother tree. Throughout the forest, intertwined root systems also transmit knowledge and protection. As we mature, we can positively influence and shelter those around us.
Card 2: Illumination: Nine of Pentacles
Bright Star — Redefining Luxury
A friend recently shared how she had just enjoyed the luxury of sitting with her morning coffee and playing with Tarot cards for two hours. Take joy in the pleasures of life!
The Nine of Pentacles brings us into a special space of satisfaction, peace, gain, good fortune and luxury. You are experiencing abundance in the material world and finding yourself in alignment with the natural world as well.
Maturity brings the ability to recognize and honor what your true definition of luxury is. Intropection can clarify what you do and don’t want in your ideal life. Survey your values and activities. Where are you comfortable making compromises? What things are non-negotiable? Release what no longer fits. This process of de-cluttering distills your activities and belongings into the precious few. Nurture and develop these for a deeply satisfying, luxurious life.
Card 3: New Hopes for a New Year
New Dawn — Re-Setting your Internal Clock to the Heartbeat of Mother Earth
The figure in this card is able to enjoy dancing through the vicissitudes of life by being firmly anchored and grounded. Often there is emotional turmoil in our 
background — symbolized by the ships cresting hazardous seas. By embracing positivity and trust in the Universe, even the inevitable changes will not feel that bad. The infinity sign is a reminder that this is an abundant Universe. There is always support no matter how stressful things may get.
Key to maintaining sanity and balance is an ability to consciously do and not do. Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, co-founder of the Yoga Nidra Network emphasizes the value of consciously aligning our heartbeat with that of Mother Earth through electing to simply lie on the earth to rest and deeply ground. She writes, ‘Our tired species desperately needs rest so that we make wiser choices about human life on Earth.’
Top image credit: Cosmic Collage © By Lori Menna
The Illuminated Tarot, hand painted Starlight Rainbows, by Carol Herzer, is used here by permission
