Seasonal Tips
Summer
Summer is the energy of warmth, joy, relationship and maturity. It is the fire described in 5 element cosmology. What we planted in the early spring is now fully manifest, soon to be harvested. What we build is now serving us and others. Summer is a time of celebrations, weddings, the building of friendships and communities. If introverts are more comfortable with winter, extroverts exude the energy of summer.
The organs that are most reflective of the energy of summer deal with the circulation of blood and the regulation of fluids and temperature. The heart is at the center of all the organs, described as the sovereign ruler in service to the empire. So we can reflect on what is at the heart of who we are and what feeds our hearts and makes us and others happy. It is our passion, our purpose, our expression and experience of what is central to us in life. We are mostly fulfilled when we can share this, bring it to others and see our warmth reflected in the love of another. So summer is a time to pursue what we love and to show our gifts for others to enjoy. It is a time to be expansive, to make a joyful noise, to play and to love.
Update: 2024
May and June are often my favorite months. Comfortable temperature, lower humidity, greenery, blue skies or nourishing rain, birdsong, frog symphonies and lighter clothing, to name just a few gifts. I learned from Chinese philosophy that after the heavens’ manifest gifts to the earth disappear in the autumn, they return resplendent in the spring and early summer offering gifts for us all to savor and finally harvest, share and store in the late summer.
I write this to encourage us all to keep emerging, just as we see new plants come up and out, no matter their surroundings. These past few years have challenged and limited us, as well as strengthened and expanded us, in ways seen and yet to be seen. We have known fear and isolation, discouragement and courage, hope and disappointment. While we may feel that we’ve moved on, we are likely carrying yet to be fully understood consequences of the pandemic and these politically...