The Sun Standing Still: The Quiet Power of the Solstice

Twice a year, the earth seems to take a deep breath. We know these moments as the summer and winter solstice, marking the longest day and the longest night of the year. But have you ever looked at the word itself? It’s a beautiful piece of linguistic history. It comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). So, literally, solstice means “the sun stands still.” For ancient observers, looking up from the fields, the sun seemed to pause in its journey across the sky before reversing direction. It wasn’t just a date on a calendar; it was a celestial hesitation, a moment of stillness before the pendulum swung back.

I love the idea of the sun, this giant ball of fire and energy, taking a moment to stand still. It gives the word a sense of majesty and patience. In our own lives, we often rush from one phase to the next, fearing any kind of pause. But the solstice teaches us that the turning points of life—the moments where we shift from growing to harvesting, or from darkness to light—require a moment of stillness. You can’t change direction without stopping, even for a micro-second. The solstice is that pause. It’s the top of the roller coaster before the drop, or the bottom of the breath before the inhale.

Whether it’s the summer solstice, celebrating the peak of light and energy, or the winter solstice, honoring the depth of darkness and the return of hope, this word reminds us that life is cyclical. We are not moving in a straight line; we are orbiting. We have seasons of high energy and seasons of hibernation, and both hinge on these pivotal moments of “standing still.” Embracing the spirit of the solstice means giving yourself permission to pause when you reach a turning point. It means acknowledging that before you can go in a new direction, you have to stop and orient yourself. It’s about finding the power in the pause.

So, thinking about where you are in your life right now, do you feel like you are in a “summer” phase of high energy, or a “winter” phase of quiet reflection? Let me know where your internal sun is standing right now in the comments below.