Rhythm & Bloom | Modern Wellness through Ancient Wisdom - Mohala Healing & Wellness Blog

May the Light Give Us Courage: A Solstice Reflection

Rain soaked the ground in Seattle this summer solstice weekend as we passed the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the transition from the tumult of spring’s new life into the full bloom of summer. And yet, even as we welcomed the season, the grayness felt fitting—an outward reflection of the collective moment we’re living through. A time when we are being asked to face our shadows in the broad light of day, so that we might be washed clean.

We are in a season of reckoning—one of generational proportions. Truth is surfacing, and for many, the pain it brings feels nearly unbearable. It’s clear there have been good reasons to delay this collective confrontation—to buffer ourselves against the raw intensity of what hurts: within our lives, our communities, and the fabric of our shared existence on this Earth.

In a time of material excess, the scale of human violence and suffering around the world is staggering. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war (Statista, 2024), and over 1 million have been killed or injured in the Russia–Ukraine war (Wall Street Journal, 2024). According to Oxfam International, as of October 2024, up to 21,000 people die each day from conflict-fueled hunger (Oxfam, 2024). Meanwhile, air pollution remains the leading external risk to human health, and in 2023, just over half of the world’s water bodies met quality standards (Statista, 2024)—signaling a global ecological crisis that touches every living being.

Here in the U.S., the wounds are no less deep. There have been 164 mass shootings in 2025 alone, leaving at least 850 people killed or injured (CNN, 2025). Nearly 37 million Americans live in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024), while more than 2 million are incarcerated—the highest per capita rate among independent democracies (Prison Policy Initiative, 2021).

Our physical and emotional health are also under immense pressure. Deaths from drug overdoses increased 3.5-fold from 2003 to 2023 (CDC, 2023), exposing an epidemic of addiction and despair. Rates of depression and anxiety continue to rise, especially among adolescents and young adults—prompting the U.S. Surgeon General to declare a youth mental health crisis in 2021. Chronic illness is widespread: in 2022, 1 in 5 deaths (over 700,000) were attributed to heart disease (CDC, 2024), a reflection of the processed foods that fill our schools and grocery stores, and the chronically overworked, overstressed lifestyles so many Americans live.

For anyone connected to their heart, these truths are heavy—and they are not abstract. We feel them, personally and collectively.

And yet, it is in the nature of the human spirit that darkness drives us toward the light. Even in the midst of pain, we are gathering strength. Even in the chaos, we are reaching for hope—and for love.

Just last week, an estimated 4 to 6 million people took to the streets across the country in largely peaceful protest—possibly the largest single-day political demonstration in U.S. history, even surpassing the Women’s March of 2017. This massive turnout is a powerful reminder that millions of people still believe in equality, compassion, and shared responsibility. A reminder that though darkness may try to cloud our vision—progress is unfolding.

Since the turn of the century, we’ve seen measurable signs of change:

As we navigate new levels of political unrest and violence, may we remember the lessons of our own nation’s history. The suffering of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II gave rise to enduring transformations: the foundation of American democracy, the abolition of slavery, and the creation of the United Nations and a new era of global cooperation.

Pain and progress, death and birth, are inextricably intertwined.

And here we are—in the midst of both.

Today, as we’ve made our way through the longest day of the year, I pray for many kinds of light. I pray for strength and courage to face what must be faced. That we may remember the power we hold—the power of community, of faith, of love. That we may root ourselves in the places we stand and offer what we can: to our own wellbeing, to our families, our neighbors, our communities. That we may reach out, rise up, and take care of each other as we walk this long, difficult, and sacred road toward a more loving way of living together on this Earth.

Citations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Heart Disease Facts & Statistics.
https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Mental Health Treatment Among Adults: United States, 2022 (Data Brief #522).
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db522.htm

CNN.
Mass Shootings in the U.S. – Fast Facts.
https://www.cnn.com/us/mass-shootings-fast-facts

Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Women in the U.S. Congress: Statistics and Trends (2023).
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL30261

Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Electric Power Monthly (March 2024).
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/

Gallup.
Support for Same-Sex Marriage in U.S. Hits New High of 71% (2023).
https://news.gallup.com/poll/506346/support-gay-marriage-stable-record-high.aspx

Oxfam International.
21,000 People Are Dying Each Day From Conflict-Fuelled Hunger Around the World.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/21000-people-are-dying-each-day-conflict-fuelled-hunger-around-world

Pew Research Center.
Amid Protests, Majorities Express Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement (2020).
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/06/12/

Prison Policy Initiative.
States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021.
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2021.html

Statista.
Environmental Pollution – Statistics & Facts.
https://www.statista.com/topics/4739/environmental-pollution/#topicOverview

Statista.
Number of Fatalities and Injuries in the Israel-Hamas War as of June 2024.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1422308/palestinian-territories-israel-number-fatalities-and-injuries-caused-by-the-israel-and-hamas-war/

U.S. Census Bureau.
Educational Attainment in the United States: 2023.
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/education-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html

U.S. Census Bureau.
Income and Poverty in the United States: 2023 (P60-283).
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-283.html

Wall Street Journal.
One Million Are Now Dead or Injured in the Russia–Ukraine War.
https://www.wsj.com/world/one-million-are-now-dead-or-injured-in-the-russia-ukraine-war-b09d04e5