Celebrating THE LONGEST DAY

The longest day of the year landed on Sunday, June 21, with sunrise at 4:47 a.m. and sunset at 8:59 p.m. for a total of 16 hours and 11 minutes of daylight, marking the summer solstice. To celebrate, the Children of Earth Coalition hosted their first annual Solstice Healing Gathering on a parcel of land in the Kettle Falls wilderness just above the Columbia River. According to their website, the Children of Earth Coalition focuses on “bridging earth wisdom, spiritual ecology, and heart-centered community.” “We created this event as a return to grassroots ideals,” explained Kelly Rainbow Butterfly, one of the eight organizers on the planning committee. “Our group consists of a bunch of oldschool hippies, and our goal was to introduce to the public some of the things we do.” The gathering included campouts with workshops that included energy medicine, yoga, skill sharing, and flint mapping. Other workshops included “simple living,” off-grid skills, and peaceful coexistence. Festivities began the evening of June 19 and continued through the solstice on June 21. The event was free, but donations were welcomed. “The idea was for people to come and experience a connection to the solstice,” said Butterfly. “Our theme was ‘heal ourselves, heal our planet.’” There was no set schedule for the festivities. Drum circles formed every day spontaneously, and some musicians gathered to perform reggae on Friday night. Other musicians performed ambience and keyboard music. Approximately 45-50 people attended. “We are looking forward to a second Solstice Healing Gathering next summer,” said Butterfly.