Summer Medicine
Since my days as a school boy in Minnesota, I have looked forward to the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. While sunshine and the heat share the stage with the fog of San Francisco Bay during my summers now, I still yearn for the annual “summer vacation”. It may be that the original reason for a break from school during the summer was meant to free up the children to help with work on the farm during the summer growing season. However, for me it has always been a time of warm long days and evocative nights. A time to sleep late, not wear socks, hang out with friends, visit family, go to the beach, swing in the hammock, introspect, ponder, integrate what had been and look toward what is yet to come.
In her classic book, The Four Fold Way, Angeles Arrien (www.AngelesArrien.com) describes the teachings of indigenous peoples about summer. Summer is considered a time of the East, the direction from which the sun (representing the elemental fire) rises. It is a time of light, of seeing, dreaming, reassessing, renewing, and “enlightenment”. Summer’s bright light illuminates the truth as its heat burns away impurities. Summer brings a chance to refresh and revitalize, to revisit your dreams, and to reassess the goals, passion, calling, meaning and purpose of your life.
From the perspective of indigenous peoples around the world, the East is the direction of the Visionary. To see clearly and envision requires reflection. Self-reflection demands that we slow down, get quiet, pay attention, and go inward. Without reflection we can lose our way and become disconnected from our dreams and aspirations as well as our values.
During summer, a practice encouraged by Angeles Arrien is walking meditation. A moving meditation is conducive to the weather, long days, cool nights and contemplative circumstances of summer. Walking meditation can be a time of creative problem solving. A path as formal as a labyrinth, city block, or forest trail may be helpful, but is not mandatory. The pace is yours to determine. Be safe and mindful of your surroundings, since your mental state may become “altered”. Define a suitable place and some time. Pose a question for your self, e.g. “what’s next for me?” Then let go of thoughts and distractions as you quiet your mind, breathe naturally and move. Pay attention to what comes up for you. Listen to what you hear in a non-judgmental way. Reflect upon and interpret what you learn in association with your circumstances. Consider journaling about your experience. Over time integrate your discoveries into your daily life.
Summer can give us the opening to be with ourselves without our usual roles and demands on our time. Take some of this time to listen to your self and to hear the wisdom you carry within. As you embark on your summer adventures, be sure to take the sunscreen along and to stay hydrated.
May the medicine of summer rekindle your personal creative fire.
