Welcome, Summer! Welcome, MOTHER!
Here are 3 fascinating facts about SUMMER--which we in the northern hemisphere are entering this week!, plus some ways of honoring/celebrating the transition into the fruitful days of the Mother!
Fact #1
Summer's Sky Action. The season officially begins with the occurrence of the Summer Solstice. The word solstice comes to us via the Latin word sol=sun + the word sistre = to stand still. At the Summer Solstice, the Earth's tilt & orbital progress is such that it allows for maximum light-, aka our “longest” day (vs. the Winter Solstice when we experience maximum dark).
Fact #2
Summer's Nature Energy. In response to the abundance of solar light & heat, Mama Nature responds with her own “Summering," a high-energy, radiant reveling of all that is ripening and abundant.
Fact #3
A Woman's Seasoning. Summer is the season of the Mother. It's a time for committing to the most promising of our creative output & then working hard and making sacrifices to nurture and protect each “sprout” to its full maturity.
Setting aside a bit of time to mark each seasonal threshold is sooooo important for a bajillion reasons, but for the sake of time/space, here is a quick list:
Life gets stays busy, and then the important things get lost in the “keep on keepin' on” habits we've been running with for years
Call it shift, call it transition--the fact is, Life is constantly evolving, so intentionally ritualizing the 4 seasonal thresholds on a regular basis becomes a kind of annual, built-in practice for flexing our own ch-ch-ch-Change muscles while also supporting us in keeping our creative energy FLOWING
Marking meaningful moments imbues them with significance and helps us to embed that meaning into the cells of our bodies and brains, where it's available for us to drawn upon as we shift from Now to Next, again and again
Here are some ideas for celebrating/marking this week's seasonal threshold. Look it over and notice what happens in your body as you read each thing. Pay attention to what comes up & give it some curiosity & love. Then, pull from my list to tweak and combine or simplify--depending upon what feels right in your body/heart/brain-- to create your own Summer Welcoming.
Idea #1
Mama Nature. If I could only list ONE thing, this would be it. Spend time in Nature, looking, listening, smelling, touching--whether at the beach, walking a hiking trail, rambling through your neighborhood or community park, watching fireflies in the dusk, admiring the pinkening sunrise, listening for the peeper chorus in the night, etc. Taking time to pay attention to what is happening all around us, somehow helps us connect with what is happening within us as well. Affirm each new delight by whispering, “This. Thank you.”
Idea #2
Affirming Thresholds. Find a trellis, or a place where two trees curve together to form an arch overhead, or simply stand in the doorway of your house facing out. Place your hand on your heart and affirm, “Welcome to my nurturing and protecting and ripening energy. Welcome, Summer. Welcome, Mother.” Then, step across the threshold into the next three months of summer.
Idea #3
Journaling/reflecting. Unplug your technology. Light a candle. Smudge your space. Put on some mood music. Then, spend some time responding to one or more of these prompts:
Standing at this mid-point to the calendar year, where would I most like to focus my energy from now until the end of 2022?
When have I most felt powerful and strong and radiant? How might I recreate that in my life NOW?
What is bearing fruit in my life now? How can I nurture and protect it so that it thrives?
In this time of undiminished light, what can I see clearly now that I couldn't before?
How can I shine my light into the world?
Idea #4
Summer's weekly ritual. Institute a weekly Summer Fun Day, then keep it. Maybe it'll be your “Mini-Adventure Mondays” or your “Fantastic Fridays," filled with all that is untried and new. Or maybe you'll alternate “something new” weeks with something previously enjoyed the week after. Keep it going for at least 8 weeks.
I find that I am in need of regular reminders that this This THIS is the ONLY Summer we have--the season/time we're in, right here, right now. Let's not let it slip away uncelebrated or unnoticed. Instead, let's be Well-Seasoned. Together.
xo
