It is officially summer and the solstice is finally here — a season of expansion! As we leave behind the promises of springtime, now in summer the predominant emotion is joy.

This is the time to tune into your heart chakra. It’s a season of love for ourselves and others. The rituals of summer — celebrations, vacations, activities — are designed to open and expand our physical and subtle bodies while getting some flow going.

Look Forward 

In Angeles Arrien’s book “The Four-Fold Way,” she speaks about the four ways of seeing: intuition, perception, insight, and vision. And summer is the season of the visionary.

The human resource of vision opens our creative spirit and calls us to use our voices  authentically. Vision guides us to tell the truth without blame or judgment. (Isn’t this a good practice no matter what the season?)

Since we are at the halfway mark in the year, this really is the perfect time to assess where we are and where we’re going. There’s no need to fret about not doing whatever you thought you would do by this time. Instead, recommit to what you want going forward … and then release it.

The summer element is fire, and it’s associated with creativity, intuition, and action. If you can swing it, light a fire outside tonight. Take a moment for yourself to write down your new vision on a slip of paper. Then, release it into the fire.

Enjoy Yourself

I always like to mark the summer solstice by paying some special attention to the garden. Whether it’s fluffing up the plants already established or adding a few annuals to brighten things up a bit, connecting with nature is a must. This is the longest day of the year, and soon the light will begin to wane once again. So create some ambient lighting by placing candles, lamps, or LED lights around on tables or to illuminate pathways. Have a meal outside, if you can. Take pleasure in the company of  those you love.

Hopefully you managed to fit in some kind of cleanse this spring, but if not, summer is also a fine time to do one if you still want to. Fresh produce this time of year makes it so easy to make healthy food choices.

Open Up 

One of the Goddesses I like to work with now is Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of prosperity and abundance in both material and spiritual realms. She’s ready to bestow her gifts on those open to receive. (How’s your receiving muscle doing?)

Lakshmi’s sidekick is Ganesh, who is the remover of obstacles, so if you are not receiving as much as you would wish to, perhaps bringing in a small elephant to your space will help.

There’s often a tricky shadow aspect to review in ourselves when we’re visioning from our power center, and if we’re honest, it’s possible that we may have fallen victim to feeding the false-self system — that is, letting the ego rule, projecting onto others, or abandoning self. If we consistently indulge in patterns of self-abandonment, our authentic self is left waiting in the back of the room.

(BTW, did you know that many indigenous cultures sew small pieces of mirror or reflective glass into ceremonial costumes or glue them onto masks to remind us that we are all mirrors for one another? Isn’t it true that the people who annoy us the most are usually our best teachers!)

Laugh

Let the joy of summer inspire you to bring out your sparkly stuff and fill your heart with sunshine and fun. Open your heart and feel the joy of living. Laughter is such strong medicine! And, it is something that you can cultivate for everyone’s delight.

May you enjoy gorgeous laughing and sparkling health,

Gay