Yesterday, the summer solstice (the longest day of the year), I did the ritual circumambulation of Mount Tamalpais. A group of 40 or 50 of us took about 10 hours to walk a 15-mile path around the mountain, with stops for lunch and chanting around chosen sacred points along the way. The idea was to walk silently, though people became more and more chatty by the end.
It was… long. 15 miles is a long walk for a body out of practice in walking long distances. It was also stunning. The landscape in this particular area is so varied, I felt like I had gone through several worlds by the time we made it back to Muir Woods parking lot. It was also healing. A chance to be with good friends and be silent.
By the end it seemed like my mind had walked about 3 times the distance that my feet had. I would like to get back to meditating more regularly, and this walk reminded me of that.
What a blessing to spend the solstice on a journey with people I love dearly!
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