Happy Summer Solstice! It’s the end of the “Light Half of the Year” as the sun will shine its brightest and longest before beginning its retreat into the “Dark Half of the Year.”
The energy in the collective is buzzing, vibrant, alive, gregarious, outgoing, expressive, and expansive right now. Summer brings The Blacksmith Archetype and The Sacred Activist Archetype. Learn more about InnerSpark’s Wheel of The Mother and these eight unique archetypal energies that are your inner wisdom guides here.
How can you capitalize on these energies to ensure you’re in harmony with the rhythms for optimal health? What can you be focusing on to really reap the fruits of your labor so far this year? How to ensure you are squeezing the most out of this juicy time? Here are some lifestyle, movement, and food suggestions.
Lifestyle:
There’s an urge to be more social, to move more, to sleep less, and to travel. There may also be an urge to awaken dormant parts of ourselves and to share and express them with more vigor. Think back to the Winter Solstice and into the first few weeks of January. I love to think of the Wheel of the Year and the seasons therein as a metaphor for the phases of the moon. The Winter Solstice (the end of the Dark Half of the Year and longest night) is like a New Moon – we’re introspective, retreating, analyzing, preparing, and planting seeds. The Summer Solstice (the end of the Light Half of the Year and shortest night) is like the Full Moon – everything is clearer, illuminated, in focus, and we’re able to objectively see what’s working and what’s not working and course correct as needed.
Spend some time asking yourself the following questions: What were you really stoked to manifest this year? What were your goals? What was your main focus? How have these gone for you? What’s working and what’s not working for you?
Movement:
There’s an abundance of energy available right now and if you’re really tuned in, you’ve undoubtedly felt it! Feel free to heed the call to move more in ways that delight you. Has there been a new class or practice you’ve been interested in trying? Perhaps you’re really digging the earlier morning light this time of year and are adding movement to your mornings. However, stay very close to your body and the messages he/she is giving you and remember that if your desire to move more is coming from a place of self-punishment or wanting to “lose 10 pounds before your vacation,” you’re doing more harm than good.
Food
I don’t know about where you live, however summer can get hot. Real hot. And contrary to what the popular fare for this time of year seems to be (burgers, hot dogs, BBQ – aka all heavy, dense foods), your body doesn’t actually want all of that when it’s hot. Your body is busy working to keep you cool, so heat is being taken out of the body and this dampens your digestive fire. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s imperative for our overall health to look to our ultimate caretaker for guidance – the Earth.
Taking exquisite care of your digestive system is crucial yearlong to safeguard your health and vitality. Our digestive system’s strength waxes and wanes with the season, as well, typically finding its full power in the cold of winter.
What’s in season in abundance right now?
Fresh fruits and lighter vegetables; foods that are easier to digest and provide quick, efficient sources of energy for our use with minimal effort on the part of our digestive systems.
Using resources like What’s In Season, familiarize yourself with what’s in season in your region and endeavor to get to a Farmer’s Market, if possible, to enjoy all the tasty, seasonal eats. In addition, always remember that YOU are your BEST guide.
Listen to your body (not your head) and notice what it needs. You may be surprised to notice that a some lighter grains, lightly steamed seasonal vegetables, etc. may actually sound a lot better than that plate of ribs and potato salad at the BBQ. Endeavor to follow your body and focus on what’s natural over what’s “normal” based on those around you.
Above all, enjoy this magical time of year as the Wheel continues to turn. Challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone to express and reveal yourself, to ask for your needs to be met, to recommit to whatever it was you set out to accomplish at the start of the year. The energies support you right now, so surrender to Universal flow and smile.
The InnerSpark Method Programs
Deepen into your journey of healing and self-discovery. Learn to simplify life, live Nature’s rhythms, and uncover unshakeable resilience, vibrant health, and joy.
As the digital age surges forward, our intimate connection to these timeless rhythms is diminishing, causing our physical, emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual well being to teeter.
With a blend of modern and ancient wisdom modalities, The InnerSpark Method is a comprehensive, whole-life approach to natural thriving amidst modern living.
The InnerSpark Method draws from Nature’s timeless rhythms and incorporates tools from Integrative Health modalities such as Ayurveda, energy healing, holistic nutrition, life coaching, Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy, breathwork, meditation, and more.
Come discover a whole-person, trauma-informed system of Nature's self-care to rekindle natural cadences across all dimensions of your being.
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More Seasonal Living + Earth Wisdom:
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All About Seasonal Living
Seasonal Living is about surrendering to the flow and allowing the natural rhythms, rather than resisting them.
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