Summer is a favorite time of the year for many. It conjures up images of vacations, play, beach fun and festivities. The abundance of light allows us to also lighten up and enjoy the goodness and bounty of life. Qualities often associated with this season are joy, abundance, radiance, enthusiasm, and play. It is an expansive time of the year associated with the bright energies and power of the sun.
In the shamanic traditions I have studied, as we transition from Spring to Summer, we are moving from the direction of East to South in the medicine wheel. The South is associated with the element of fire, the brilliance of the noonday sun, the heart-centered energies of love, beauty and support. It's the time when we can come into full bloom and shine our light most brightly.
To help you take full advantage of the beautiful energies available at this time of the year, here are 5 tips based on shamanic wisdom that can assist you in having a fantastic summer:
1) Take full advantage of the expansive, light energies of this season to bring more JOY and PLAY into your life and work. We always have a choice to do things with a sense of light-heartedness and enjoyment or a sense of burden and suffering. Make a conscious decision to enjoy your life because each moment is a gift and a blessing.
2) It's natural to spend more time outdoors at this time of the year. Whether you are picnicking in the park, hiking in the mountains, or swimming in the ocean, take advantage of your time in nature to be fully present and breathe in the beautiful, healing, loving energies of creation. Say hello to the natural elements all around you and feel your heart open in CONNECTION to the Spirit in all things.
3) Focus on your HEART. Talk to it, listen to it, thank it, ask it to share its wisdom with you. We often get stuck in our heads trying to figure life out. There's a lot of wasted energy in that. Instead, drop into your heart and allow yourself to fully feel what's going on inside of you. This is a great time to heal and let go of any emotional wounds from the past in order to open your heart to what's present for you now and what it's guiding you towards for the future.
4) Take care to BALANCE the fiery energies of the sun. You can do this by drinking plenty of water and eating cooling foods, such as cucumbers, melons, and leafy greens. You can also do this by doing more intense activities early in the morning and later in the evening and allowing yourself to slow down and rest at midday. While it may be tempting to fill our calendars with fun activities, be sure to leave plenty of time for simply being, resting and relaxing.
5) Summer is a time to celebrate and open oneself to life's blessings. It presents opportunities to see things with greater clarity and move more courageously toward our essence dreams. It's a time when things grow quickly and we are full of energy and vitality. Fill your heart and mind with GRATITUDE for what is and ENTHUSIASM for what could be. A question I love to work with is, "What more beautiful magic and miracles are possible?" Let your imagination soar and allow yourself to be inspired, knowing that anything is possible.
I recently had the wonderful blessing of facilitating a ceremony to celebrate the Summer Solstice. During the evening, we focused on giving thanks, opening our hearts, allowing the light within us to expand and grow by connecting with the sun's energy, and welcoming in the abundance of blessings coming our way.
The photo above is of the offerings we made to the Earth and the Spirit of Summer. I extend the blessings from that ceremony to you all and wish you a most beautiful, joyful, heart-opening, inspiring summer. Big hugs and much love to you all.