Welcome to The Nudge

Summer Solstice 2025

“This was when the whole world measured time

This is when the light would turn around

So that spring arrives, and seeds will sprout and grow

Oh, radiant sun, stretch the day, shorten night

Return earth’s darkness into light

This is where the light will turn around

And this was where the past has come undone”

Carrie Richards

Summer Solstice

Dear Friends, Kindred Spirits and Anam Chairde

Táimid as bís - we are excited to prepare our monthly care package The Nudge for you, as the Summer Solstice approaches here in the northern hemisphere. This ancient solar festival marks the longest day of the year, when light triumphs with extended daylight and shorter nights.

As the sun reaches its zenith we seem to be descending into an ever increasing spiral of chaos. It feels like we are experiencing some of humanity’s darkest days right now. These are bewildering times and it is hard not to collapse into despair. So it is vitally important to seek solace and find pockets of pleasure and joy where we can. We hope that this care package can resource you to mind yourself at this time.

Many Indigenous peoples understand Solstices as powerful turning points that provide possibility for transformation - a peak time of possibility. May we find ways to harness these energies of potential and bend ‘the arc of the moral universe’ in the direction of compassion, love and freedom.

May all beings know peace.

Beir Bua - with victory

Kathy

The Summer Solstice is one of the power gates of the Wheel of the Year. The term “solstice” means “standstill”, reflecting how the sun appears to pause in its rising and setting points for three days. The longest day holds the maximum peak of the light that began to grow in luminosity after the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year.

In Ireland, the Summer Solstice—Grianstad an tSamhraidh as Gaeilge, translates as “sunstop of Summer” and is celebrated with festivals and deep connection to nature’s rhythms. With only about four hours of darkness, the land and its creatures respond to the growing light and warmth. Like the plants flourishing all around us, we’re invited to honour abundant growth and the blossoming of seeds sown within and without.

While growth continues until Lughnasa, the Solstice represents the apex of the seasonal cycle, a turning point where light begins to gently wane. This polarity of energy is felt across hemispheres—the northern hemisphere moves toward Autumn as the southern welcomes Spring. The solstice reminds us of the harmony comhcheol between expansion and contraction, light and dark.

At this solar peak, the Summer Solstice calls us to embrace vitality, fire, and radiant energy. It’s a time to shine brightly, prioritise joy, play, and adventure. It's also a time to remember the darkness from which we come. We are invited to align with this solar power and the allyship of Áine and Lugh so we can harness the sun as a force of nature to illuminate and transform our lives.

journal prompts to inspire you:

☀️ What are you noticing within you? What’s lighting you up at this time? What fuels your passion?

☀️ What lies in the shadow that asks to be illuminated?

☀️ How can you align with the gifts of this season? How will you orient towards the light and savour the longer days? What rituals are calling you?

what's coming up at the trailblazery:

As the Great Wheel turns, we are invited to pause and remember what we have travelled through together. We are excited to let you know what the future holds for our community here at The Trailblazery.

Homecoming Retreat

We’ll soon be gathering here on the land for Homecoming, our Summer rewilding retreat taking place at the threshold of Lughnasa.

We will be in a very special part of the country on the Beara Peninsula, West Cork — one of the most mystical places in Ireland. We will be surrounded by temperate ancient Irish oakwood rainforest, rivers, waterfalls, powerful stone circles, and sacred sites. We will be joined by our dear sister songbird Ajeet, herbalist and forager Jen Doran of Naturewaves and food alchemist Hannah O’Sullivan of Wildfolk.

Homecoming is an invitation to step onto the path of your dán. Our mythical ally will be the great Lugh Samildánach (Lugh of many gifts) also known as Luke Skywaker. Just as the tribes once assembled to give thanks for a bountiful yield, this time-out-of-time experience is curated for us to harvest our gifts and taste the sweet medicine of our soul’s calling — with the support of our soul tribe.

This is a rare and powerful opportunity to be together in person — to connect with the land, share in ritual, and practice in community. If you’re feeling the call to reclaim your dúchas and source true kinship, perhaps this is the invitation for you.

We still have a few spots available—if you feel drawn to join us, we would love to welcome you - pleaser visit our website here . If you’ve heard the call and would like some support or clarity, then the perfect next step is to contact us directly at hello@thetrailblazery.com to schedule a call with Kathy with any questions you might have.

We would be honoured to welcome you to this very special gathering and dive into the dreaming with you.

3 curated resources to mind your life & nourish your senses in the days ahead:

✮ Watch: For your eyes

We have opened the vault to share a few gems from our Library of Resources with you — enjoy these bite-sized moments of seasonal wisdom from some of our luminous guides at The Hedge School. We welcomed Kerrí Ni Dochartaigh (Writer, Nature Lover, Grower) at Summer Solstice at The Hedge School and she shared this amazing nugget on the Solstice. We also had the pleasure of hosting Sophie Strand (Poet, Writer and Lecturer) who offered this powerful reflection on masculinity

✦ Smell: For your nose

In the Ogham tree calendar we are now in the season of the Oak. In folklore, this tree was regarded as sacred, embodying truth, courage, and wisdom. A great oak forest once covered a large part of the land of Éire, and in East Clare once stood the ancient oak forest known as the Forest of Suidane. Oak is often used in tinctures for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties and as a remedy for strength or neart. Oak trees also hold a special place in the hearts of perfumers worldwide, with a bittersweet and earthy scent that has a grounding and slightly sweet aroma. Dair (dar) is the Irish word for oak tree, and "daire," is an "oak grove”. Some scholars believe the word "Druid" comes from "dair" combined with an Indo-European root meaning "to know," suggesting "wise ones of the oak”. The druids harvested special summer herbs in a magical ritual to capture the maximum healing power imbued by the sun. The herbs harvested at this time include St. John’s Wort, Yarrow, Elderflower and Meadowsweet.

✦ Connect: For your soul

Our ancestors left many monuments and tombs aligned with the Sun and it appears that the Celts absorbed these celebrations and power places into their ritual calendar. Here are a few of our favourite sacred sites that are places of power at the time of Solstice.

Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. The Grange stone circle is aligned with the rising sun of the summer solstice and is the largest circle of its kind.

The Carrowkeel Cairns, Co. Sligo. This particular site is a passage tomb: at sunset on solstice day, the sun fills and illuminates this site.
The Hill of Tara, Co. Meath. These days, the solstice is celebrated all over the country but people gather on the Hill of Tara at dawn on the summer solstice to mark the festival.

Thank you for walking this path with us,

Beannachtaí,

Kathy & all at The Trailblazery

The Nudge | Summer Solstice 2025 ☀️