When July transitions into August I start to feel a bit melancholic. Soon summer will be over and these days it's quite cold and wet here in the mountains, as if autumn has already arrived. But astrologically speaking summer only ends towards the end of September, which means we are only halfway through summer. It brings me hope that there will still be some summer days left to enjoy and I want to celebrate that with some summer rituals.
Fittingly summer is associated with the element fire. The sun develops its greatest strength during this season and gifts us with abundance. Because the seeds we sowed in spring can now be harvested. Everything grows, nature is in her power and this power we can use and feel in us too. Like the plants surrounding us, we get nourished by the sun and supported by its warmth.
For me this is a time of creativity, activity, fertility. And at the same time summer invites me to be still as well, as the fruits often grow without my doing. I can lean back and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me.
to perform a cut
The abundance of light in summer illuminates our shadows. During a time in which you'd rather want to feel light and happy, it may be that you are confronted with old beliefs, critical voices and well, your shadows, namely all of which you don't want to look at. In the celtic wheel of the year Lughnasadh, the festival of the first harvest, takes place in the beginning of August. Often this is the time that the grain is cut in the fields. This cutting of the grain can be applied symbolically to your life. Where do you need a cut in your life? Reflect, meditate and contemplate if that is the case for you and your life. Then perform the cut very mindfully and turn what no longer serves you over to the fire or the water by writing down what you don't want anymore and burning this piece of paper or throwing it into a river. Another possibility would be to literally cut the piece of paper in half and to perform the cut in your life like that.
honoring summer
I like to honor each season with a little present. Mostly I create mandalas with natural materials in the forest, at "my" places or like this summer in my garden. It's my way to say thank you. Of course you can do it in your very own way. This ritual invites you to be present with nature, to call in playfulness and creativity and to enjoy a moment of flow.
observing the stars
Especially in August we are often presented with wonderful night skies and showers of shooting stars. In a clear night go outside and lie down on the ground, your gaze directed to the wideness of the sky. As we have arrived in August, the darker time of the year approaches and after those long and light days of June and July we probably need some time to adapt again. Looking into the night sky find the beauty of the darkness. Still protected by summer it may be easier to devote ourselves to the darkness because we know that the light of the day will come soon again. Transform the observing of the night and the stars into a meditation.
