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Whew! It sure has been a busy Spring. Now that social calenders are clearing, school is ending, and trunks are shipping, we are quite literally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Summer is just about here. And if you are like me you are looking forward to a change in pace and overall vibe.
"Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~Henry James
Solstice, June 21st, marks the first day of summer. It is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. In most of our minds, perhaps as a vestige of adhering to the school calendar for decades, summer means vacation, liberation from routine, and freedom. According to the Old English Dictionary this meaning is derived from Latin vacatio and entered Old English around 1395 meaning "rest and freedom of activity".
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of the water, or watch the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."~John Lubbock
Summer is also known as the growing season. It is the quieter time between preparing the ground, planting seeds and the actual harvesting. In my minds eye, I imagine the farmer sitting in a rocking chair on his/her front porch over looking the fields, just watching them grow. Of course there is constant vigilance required during the growing season as plants require tending and watering etc, but most of the hard stuff is done and what is left is primarily about the letting the innate intelligence of nature unfold, thus allowing the farmer a chance to rest, relax and reflect on the growing.
"The unexamined life is not worth living"~Socrates
I liken all of us on the path of awakening to that farmer in summer. The summer season offers us some down time as well. Perhaps we too can find a moment to snooze on the porch and also the opportunity to wake up and reflect on the sunshine, the rainfall, and what we are growing. Where are our energies going? What are we nurturing in our lives? Perhaps we are growing patience, courage, honesty, forgiveness, clarity, creativity, compassion, joy, generosity, love, or light! Surely you are growing something. Let us direct the light of summer to illuminate our hearts and minds so that we may see where our vital energies are going and continue to make conscious choices and set intentions, even if that intention is to not set an intention! In the spirit of Solstice enlighten up and see what happens!
"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment."~Lao Tzu
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