Summer Solstice - Full Expansion
Photo by zenad nabil
Happy Summer Solstice for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere! Welcome to the most yang, masculine, extroverted, and expansive day of the year. It is also the longest day and shortest night of the year! You may have already noticed increased activity and movement within your household, neighborhood, and city. Everyone is on the move! Even the birds and animals are frolicking about. We’ve finally reached the peak energy of the year. All the plans we set into motion last year are finally put into action. There is intensity in the air and a thrill to get outside and enjoy the abundant blooming elements around us.
It’s been a bizarre time with the pandemic and many of our habits have changed and now we’re all trying to figure out how to move and be outside again. Summer Solstice is the polar opposite energy of the Winter Solstice. Winter Solstice is the time of year where we hibernate, go inward, and recover. Summer Solstice represents play, action, and expansiveness. The urge to go outside and be with the elements is stronger than ever. We’ve been cooped up inside for so long and many of us have forgotten that we are elemental beings and we need to spend ample time outside and be with nature to recharge.
This may be a harder time for introverted and highly sensitive personalities because introverts tend to prefer quietness over commotion and rowdiness. With everyone fleeing outside, you may find more traffic, arguments, busyness, and strong energy around you. We are social beings and we need to get back to socializing, but we’ve also been out of practice with the pandemic. Everyone should be aware of their surroundings, but especially introverts should take extra precaution and ground their energy before leaving their house today and through the summer. The energy currents can easily overwhelm and sweep you away during this time.
Summer season is associated with the Heart Meridian and the Fire Element in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There is great potential for manifesting, moving homes, changing careers, starting new projects, and creative works. Wood Element of spring season is all about planning and research, whereas the Fire Element of summer season is all about action and movement. Fire Element is fueled by the Wood Element and creates energy and space, so that we can transform. The Heart Meridian energy focuses on play, rest, enjoyment, excitement, and laughter. This is the time to bring in light and break away from our daily grind. Vacations, camping, and road trips are all appropriate to help connect us with this Fire Element.
People that have dominant Fire Element characteristics are very sensitive to change. They also have an affinity towards socializing, storytelling, and laughter. They connect deeply with their Heart Meridian and find joy in everything and everyone. They tend to be the social butterflies and want to share with everyone about their life experiences. On the flip side, they can burnout quicker and hold bitterness and resentment if they’ve been burned by others. Everyone is made up of all Five Elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood) but we often have one or two more dominant elements in our personalities and lifestyles. We will all feel the shift of summer and have the ability to connect with our Fire Element side.
This is the time to start reconnecting with family, friends, and community. The Heart Meridian is the center house for relationships and our connection with people. It is also connected to the cardiovascular system, so doing activities together such as sports will be beneficial. In the next several weeks, we will begin to see glimpses of the Earth Element which controls late summer and the digestive system. Earth Element is strongly connected to community, caretaking, and nurturing aspects of our lives. Take this time to do an inventory of your support team and reach out to folks that you have not talked to in a long while. We all need support and connection to feel whole.