Solar panels to solar plexus
What does the sun mean to you?
Happy Summer Solstice to all my friends in the Northern Hemisphere 🌞 This is the time when we on Earth are closest to the Sun. The sun that is always with us.
The other day I was on the beach watching the sunset, and with me came many other people to sit or stand near the water line and watch. It was quiet. No one was really doing anything. We didn't talk to each other. But we were enjoying together the last hour of the sun that day. And all the beauty of its colors across the sea, sand and sky. I imagined that this was something we had been doing from the beginning.
The word solstice comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). The sun has played an important role in my career, with all the solar panels I've sold and celebrated in the Netherlands. Solstice is a significant moment in my life to pause and reflect on what the presence (or absence) of the sun means to me. What meaning does the sun have for you?
Solar Celebration
Just last Friday, I attended a celebration in The Hague where a special solar installation was inaugurated. The solar cells are integrated into the petals of a flower and rotate with the sun during the day to generate electricity.
Last year, as part of my job with the municipality of The Hague, I had the pleasure of overseeing and supporting this project. I provided the team with access to the municipality's network, funding, and a small amount of project management. The team of local citizens was determined: these eco-plants would come to town, create collaborations, and spark conversations about our local energy transition.
And that's exactly what they did. Although they had many hurdles to overcome, they managed to achieve results and mobilize an inspiring collective in the city:
three citizens initiated the project Sollude
and received funding from The Hague municipality
they connected with the supplier of the solution: Ecoplant
Started a collaboration with education: Sterk Techniekonderwijs Haaglanden (STOHA) and ROC Mondriaan
students from ROC Mondriaan assembled the hardware (see video)
Nursing/elderly home Cardia Landscheiding became the first location
Elektro Actief and Bouwactief secured the connection to technical support
Follow the links to news items on partner websites (in Dutch).
I'm impressed by this achievement. And the power that lies in our ability to connect. Around this one eco-plant that will generate electricity for a 4-person household, dozens of people came together to be inspired, educated and find new ways to work together.
It was a happy group of people. They were contributing to something bigger than themselves or the organizations they worked for. That's where societal transitions happen. And that's me in my happy place too, can you tell?
Would you like to participate in or initiate such a project in The Hague? Take a look at our program. Or contact me directly.
Solar plexus
The duality of the sun in all its size and unimaginable vastness on the one hand and its proximity and vital role in life on earth on the other. Can you comprehend the sun? Can you comprehend its importance for you? For your life? Perhaps too far away and too close for most.
In our bodies, we have a place called the solar plexus. It's a complex system of radiating nerves and ganglia. It's located in the pit of the stomach in front of the aorta. It's part of the sympathetic nervous system. It plays an important role in the function of the stomach, kidneys, liver and adrenal glands. Very tangible. Very vital.
And also connected to deeper levels of your being. The third of the seven main chakras. Representing confidence, self-esteem, and personal power. Has to do with emotions, your own or those of others, followingHuman Design. In my experience, these are great worlds to explore with the tools of yoga. I can't leave you without yoga because June 21 is also International Yoga Day.
I practice my sun salutation on Mondays with my friends. You're welcome to join us sometime. Yoga is a great way to get together.
Here are some other solstice rituals and I’m glad to see many pop up in my feeds. How do you celebrate your connection with the sun? Alone or together with others?
Check out this Celtic-inspired ritual from The Spirited Garden you can do on your own tonight.
And this group gathering from Rebirth with Neha
And if too short notice for you this year, I encourage you to check out their profiles and their work. They are two very powerful women to follow. Guiding you into two pretty powerful worlds to familiarize yourself with.
Last but nog least, I want to send out a warm, if not hot, shout out to our friends in the southern hemisphere, sun’s coming your way from today onward! Hold on! 🌞
Would you like to continue this conversation? Or start this conversation with your audience or team? Book me as a facilitator or speaker for your event or meeting. Send me a message at marleen@minimalmass.earth to receive the full brochure.