How to Get the Most Out of Your Summer!
It’s officially summer!
It was the 4th of July last week. We celebrated our independence with fireworks and cook outs, and it’s already, as Cole Porter would say, “too darn hot” in NYC!
From a Chinese Element Perspective, Summer represented by the element of Fire, is when nature’s energy flourishes and and comes to fruition. Fruits mature and ripen. For us, it is time to enjoy the fruits of our labor and planning so far this year.
We have more time. The days set longer, brighter and way warmer. It’s the typical time to take vacations and spend more time with family.
On an emotional level, the Fire element expresses itself as joy and manifests within us as love, laughter, and enthusiasm. During summer, the season of maturity and maximum emotional expansion, we can become aware of ourselves at our fullest, like a flower at full blossom or like fireworks exploding into vibrant colors in the night sky.
The ancient Chinese recognized Summer in our life cycle, as the fullness of maturity in which, we have the inner abundance and self-sufficiency to truly share with others, like a fully bloomed flower shares its pollen with other flowers.
From The Institute of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Inc.- 5elements.com
“Before maturity we are dependent on others. In the springtime of our lives, we depend on our parents and peers for our survival and a sense of identity. Then as our powers blossom, we move to the next phase of the cycle. As Oscar Ichazo points out in his profound book, Between Metaphysics and Protoanalysis, “Maturity, of course, arrives in our lives when we become self-sufficient, when our identity becomes determined exclusively by ourselves.” Within such fullness of maturity we can share love unconditionally. It follows that the well-being of our relationships is very much a function of the health of our Fire: When Fire is balanced within us, we are able to give as well as receive warmth and delight in the company of others.
When our Fire is low and we experience no inner “blooming,” we feel the lack of something to share – joy or compassion, for example. Though we might crave these qualities, our relationships may be fraught with anxiety and fear of rejection. We may be sexually frigid and inhibited, shy, or emotionally cold and easily hurt, or even overly dependent on our partner. Without the knowledge of who we are in the strength of our flowering, we can neither enter into relationships fully nor express our true selves. Instead, we plan and calculate our moves defensively, then present an image of ourselves that isn’t truthful, which only perpetuates the fear of eventually being “found out.”
Do you need to turn up the heat? Get in touch with what fans your fire and makes you feel fulfilled and fully alive!
In summer the energy of Fire supports you in enriching your enjoyment of life, making it easier to your relationships, be more open in your relationships, get closer, and be more receptive of others.
So to fan your fire, make it a point to
- Have fun on a regular basis; schedule your fun, if that’s what it takes. Don’t compromise. Consider fun as important to your well-being as work or anything else you do.
- Give of yourself to others. Take the time to listen. Try giving to others for the sake of giving to make you feel good.
- Live your passion, whether it be writing poetry, seeing performances, singing in the shower or watching movies. do things that turn you on and light you up this season.
- Get physical. Get into your body and out of your head. Love, exercise, dance, run, play. Get your circulation going!
Answer this question now, for instant joy!
Join the conversation on facebook, and tell us what you LOVE ABOUT YOUR LIFE NOW!
My answers are there, as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE doing this exercise!!!!!!
Gets me going! You?
