Karyn's Blogs
How Does Your Garden Grow? Tending Life's Garden - Summer Passion & Fire
If I use the words luscious, juicy, fiery, you may well wonder where I am going. They are great ones to describe the energy of a full-on succulent summer when days are long, temperatures higher and what was planted in the spring is ripening and maturing.
As a kid I remember summers seemed endless days of playing outdoors with no plan until on a whim we decided to do something then we jumped with gusto into whatever it was. Nowadays it seems kids have a breathtakingly packed summer holiday diary full of play dates, day trips, plus a holiday departing from a sardine packed airport with frazzled parents desperate for a break themselves. Cramming as much in as possible has its own appeal. It’s a season of pushing the boundaries.
(from The Summer Day by Mary Oliver)
Summer is big, juicy and often full of excess. It is also about play, laughter and just hanging out. I love the French word ‘flanerie’ which is the act of strolling, dawdling even, often in the open air. The purpose is not really to arrive anywhere but to enjoy the act of stylish idleness as I like to think of it.
I notice in the garden when I have been working in the garden Weeds seem to morph overnight with warm and wet summer weather! They choke the space around plants. Yet, when patches of earth start showing I think. Ooh, I can plant something else in that space now, too keen to add something more- gorgeous, colourful, or just plump with fresh un-munched leaves. Mostly I am smart enough to stop myself. I have become more generous with myself these last few summers. I know I work better when I rest better. Some of that means parking any anxiety about taking more free time and less work... The space around the plant helps it to flourish. The same is true for us. We need space to flourish too.
In Eastern tradition the element of Fire is associated with summer, a time of warming abundance, and flaming exuberance. Passion and sensuality are part of this season. Whether is the blowsy, erotic flush of a fully opened rose, clinching the big proposal, or something else that sparks imagination! It is connecting and reconnecting in relationship. We can get so busy with full on work schedules and projects we don’t take the time to meet with old pals, get involved in the community, be with family or getting together with the team that’s based miles away.
It is a season of playfulness. In our work-focused culture we tend to downplay pure play for play sake. When was the last time you had a really good belly laugh? Or made others laugh? Summer energy is the intoxication of full-hearted laughter and speaking from the heart.
I have decided I am going to celebrate the art of flanerie. I am going to go big on strolling and meandering. Breathing in the lusciousness of summer, dry or wet I may be the first flaneuse in my village. If you see me with my nose pressed into a rose, appearing to be in no hurry to get anywhere, please, come and join me.
The flavour of summer
- Bring a light touch and high energy
- Recall your passions go forward with vitality and joy
- Ripening and maturity – fruitful endeavours
- Investing time in joining in with others
- Pushing the boundaries
- Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and playful
Some qualities of SUMMER
- Joy
- Celebration
- Quickness
- Partnership & community
- Laughter & humour
- Passion
Here are some SUMMER questions that can be good for our clients or us:
- What are you doing when you find yourself easily laughing and playing?
- When do you experience true and deep joy in what you do in your life?
- When do you allow yourself to be vulnerable, to reveal your tender side?
- In what ways is your year and you maturing in thought or word or deed?
- What is it that captures your heart or your passion?
Summer Practices
Humour: Cultivate the habit of appreciation and the humour in the human condition. Bring a lightness of touch and gentle laughter and the wonderful release from a hearty belly laugh. Spend time with people, who make you laugh. Be daft! Boogie with your buddies or even your dog!
Joy- Take advantage of the natural enthusiasm of the season to do the things that bring you joy. This is the time to linger longer over a night sky full of stars, the sun setting on a warm night. Hold hands with someone you love and relishing the moment just for what it is. Spend time in the sunshine, recharging your Vitamin D to help you carry light and warmth of good memories as the year winds down.
Relationship- Take care of your relationships. Reach out warmly to family and friends, beyond any disagreements and old hurts. Catch up with people you have lost touch withl Extend yourself into new territories to meet new people and find out what you may have in common with those around you. Be encouraging and initiating.
Karyn Prentice