Summer. Just that one simple name conjures memories of waterslides in the garden, jumping through the sprinkler, cicadas screeching and long lazy days. Bare feet and limbs, living day in and day out in your swimsuit over the school holidays. Salads and barbecues, more relaxed living, seemingly less rules and more trips out to have an ice-cream. Family road trips, sand everywhere, hair stiff from the salt water, skin tingling from the sun.
Fruit and vegetables soaking up the sun for their final growth spurt so they can burst forth their intense flavour
Summer. A party season with the sun as the host. Beating down on the Earth nourishing us all, inviting us to seize every moment and enjoy life to the full, and to be full of joy. Summer is celebrated the world over, with festivals to be found in so many countries celebrating this vibrant, joyous season.
Denmark celebrates Sankt Hans (St John's Eve) where the Danes would eat with family and friends before joining in with a neighbourhood bonfire. On top of the bonfire a witch is placed, made from old clothes stuffed with hay (although as a child I remember watching my mum making the witch and for the limbs she stuffed pantyhose with balls of newspaper. I was always scared watching the witch become lifelike!) The bonfire is lit around 10pm and the belief is that the witch would take off into the sky on her broomstick, headed for the Brocken, the highest peak in northern Germany which has always been linked to witches and devils.
And with a new season we have once joined with Toorak based kinesiologist Amanda Adey to explore the emotional and physical aspects of a new season
Amanda explains that Summer is "all about the FIRE element and giving of energy to life, passion and maturity. It is associated to the yang masculine energy. The fruits and the seeds that were planted in Spring are blossoming and expanding into potential, and it's time to enjoy them and be social, promote and share yourself fully.
Fire is all about how we manifest in the world. We need to keep a balance of our own Fire element over summer.
- What life do we create?
- Do we go with the flow or control things?
- Think back to what you planted in spring, are those seeds growing and maturing now?
Summer gives us warmth and the ability to love and be loved. Keep a balance of giving and receiving flowing so you don’t burn out and get unbalanced.
When our fire is in balance we are spontaneous and joyful. You feel in sync with yourself, nature and others."
Amanda's key lesson for Summer is to "live from the heart and allow your own innate wisdom to flow. It is by loving ourselves that we will ultimately set ourself free. How are you loving yourself this summer? Are you doing activities that bring our your passion and full potential?"
Whilst the colour for Spring is green - new life - Summer's colour is red
Have you heard of meridians? They are pathways or channels within our bodies that allow energy to flow. Each meridian corresponds to an internal organ, and there are acupuncture points along them. When the meridians are open and allowing the energy to flow freely, we are in optimal health. The fire element, Amanda explains, governs the following meridians in the kinesiology fundamentals systems:
Heart
- The Heart governs our emotional state of happiness and blood circulation and cardiovascular system
- It is the house of our spirit and the ruler of the kingdom. If this area is weak it can make the whole kingdom weak and shaky.
- Get out and exercise and get the heart pumping.
- Peak at Lunchtime 11am-1pm
- Emotions Anger or Love
Small Intestine
- This area governs the digestion and enzymatic processes
- Is the sorter of problems and gets us organised
- It helps us assimilate information and food
- Makes decisions
- Governs the right brain
- Can operate pure from impure
- We may learn discernment of what to take in and what to let go of
- Peak time 1pm - 3pm
- Emotions Sorrow or Joy
Triple warmer
- Governs the endocrine, metabolism and energy production
- And how we relate to stress and the FIGHT/FLIGHT /FREEZE system in the body
- This area deals with your inner and outer worlds and dealing with boundaries and adrenal issues
- Peak time at 9pm-11pm
- Emotions Heaviness and lightness
Circ- sex
- Governs the circulatory and reproductive/ sex hormones system
- It is the protector of the heart and the psychical protector of the flux of all the other organs and emotions
- When in balance in helps with intimacy issue and expressing feelings
- Peak time at 7pm-9pm
- Emotions of Stubbornness or relaxation
Amanda encourages us to:
Engage your senses
As summer brings with it a myriad of intense colors, sounds, and fragrances, make yourself available to the abundance all around you.
- Go outside in the grass barefooted and feel the textures that greet your feet.
- Go into the garden and listen intently to the sounds of the birds and crickets, or of children playing.
- Smell the flowers, the smells of summer, and take time to allow them in.
- Taste the fresh fruits and vegetables, and linger over their unique flavors
Trust your intuition
- The heart rules understanding and intelligence
- When we know something in our heart, we are connected to a deeper part of our being.
- Try to engage in this deeper knowing, and take the time to listen to your inner voice.
Drink lots of pure, fresh water
- The sun pulls the moisture from your pores, so it is important that you rehydrate.
- Drink eight to ten 8-oz glasses of water a day.
What are your overriding memories of Summer?
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