The Gift of Summer - July 2022

The Gift of Summer - July 2022

The heat, the waves of heat, the curl of thirsty leaves, the sun so fierce, so utterly power hungry, shines with energy so white hot, so unbound, and so fully present.

Has there ever been a gift so fierce, so fantastically useful, and yet so utterly stunning when it hits the horizon of water, like a long purple, pink, and gold dragon, or lays down softly against a backdrop of mountain tops? Have you noticed how it moves into the night as if it would never return? And yet it does.

Is it any wonder that cultures revered the sun, studying the wisdom of its cycles, and tracing its path across the sky? The sun spilling its secrets about seasons and planting, and seeds, and harvest. It just gives. We make pilgrimages to be in the romance of sunsets and rise early to catch sanguine sunrises, and it never gets old, we never tire of its brilliance.  It just gives.

The Vedic god Surya is depicted as riding in a chariot across the sky led by seven horses, representing the colors of the spectrum of light.  Although he is honored, it is also difficult to tolerate his abundant radiance.  His own wife would take refuge from his intensity, going deep into the forest for long periods of time to rest.  Eventually, Surya and his beloved came to an agreement that their love would flourish only by creating a balance.

Love flourishes in balance.  I think this is the most beautiful gift of summer.  So many times our love for another, our love for a passion, our love for something in particular begins to radiate with an intensity that casts shade on other aspects of our being.  This constant and full intensity could create an imbalance in the equanimity of our being.

When was the last time you checked in and checked up on your fiery passions? Have you taken notice of your Wheel of Life, is there an aspect of your life that has fallen into the shadows that needs to be brought into the light?

Using the Wheel of Life Worksheet, consider your satisfaction with eight areas of your life:  personal growth, fun/leisure, home environment, career, money, health, friends and family, and significant other.

Using the worksheet, rate your satisfaction from 1-10 in each of the areas, with 10 being the most satisfied.  A rating of 1 would start at the center of the wheel, whereas a 10 would be at the periphery.  Shade in the segments from the inside to the outside.

Once you have shaded each segment draw a new periphery connecting each segment to one another.  Notice any parts of the wheel that are significantly ‘flat’.  It’s not important that you are rocking all ’10’’s, that would be pretty rare, just that you are living a balanced life.

What would it take to balance your Wheel of Life?  What segments are shouting white-hot intensity?  What segments are in the shadows?

Love flourishes in balance, creating a life we love is about being fully present in the light, the dark, and everything in between.

OM & Blessings, Kate