Living and Loving Every Season
learning to be totally present
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Last Sunday, I had an intense sensation that it was summer. It was finally here, bathing the earth in a fullness that only belongs to the summer season. Technically, summer begins on or around June 23. We had a brief but intense heat wave after a long, cool, wet spring, yet even the 105-degree days didn't feel like summer; they felt freakish, to be honest. I always suspect that the feel of a season has more to do with the quality of light than anything else. Light has such an impact on how we perceive things. Light possesses its own unique attributes and abilities to affect us in various ways. Dawn and twilight, in particular, seem to possess magical properties, evoking a range of felt experiences, from hope and relief to unease and dread. Summer only feels like summer when the sun reaches a particular height in the sky and the angle of its rays falls upon the earth in a certain way, creating the distinct colors and play of shadows that belong only to this season.
The garden in July is a hive of activity. Some birds and mammals are on their second round of babies. I’m thinking of the house wrens and eastern cottontails in particular on my property. The tree swallows are done, and they are regrouping into more social flocks now that they don’t have to defend nesting sites. This gathering and grouping is the precursor to preparing themselves for fall migration. This hint at the coming autumn season seems poignant this year, as I’ve sensed autumn snapping at our heels since June. Time seems disturbed lately, as if it’s running faster than usual. I’m not certain where this feeling comes from, but it’s here nonetheless. Do you feel it too?
The hive-like activity of July comes from the amazing abundance of pollinators, especially bees of all kinds, that descend on my gardens in July. Supporting pollinators and wildlife is the primary reason I garden, with aesthetics taking a backseat, which is why you could describe my gardening style as a wild approach to planting. Just as July arrives, the bees come en masse to feast on the abundance of pollen-rich plants I grow. It’s incredibly gratifying to see that what I’m doing works when it comes to feeding the bees.
The buzzing of bees and insects, the lull of birdsong and frog chorus, coupled with bare feet on the ground and hot sun beating down, creates an experience of presence in the summer season that is remarkable and unmistakable. By the way, I love autumn the most, as I have an autumn-esque temperament. I’m already seeing ads for Halloween, fall decor, and YouTube music, and ambiance videos for autumn. I have to purposely look away lest I be prematurely drawn into that season and miss the gifts of summer. This is part of my purposeful intention to be present in every season. As a gardener of course, I love spring too, but it’s a different kind of love affair than the one I have with autumn. As a kid, summer was my favorite season: no school, the beach every day, flashlight tag at night, fireflies, ice cream, and family get-togethers made it a beloved time of year. However, as I got older, the relentless heat and humidity began to lessen my love for summer.
Some years ago, I underwent a lengthy process of learning to appreciate winter, which had always been my least favorite season, except for Christmas, of course. I found January and February brutal months to get through. Over time, with intentional work on understanding natural rhythms and making an effort to comprehend nature in winter, coupled with an appreciation for winter mythologies, I cultivated a love for winter. Now I’m happy to say that I look forward to winter and have devised many rituals and routines that have given me an appreciation, respect, and, yes, even a love for winter.
This year, I’m embarking on a journey to rediscover the joy of summer. So, yes, I need to avoid the premature autumn enticements and stay present with the season. While I’m deeply grateful for air conditioning, I’m making an effort not to retreat indoors to artificially cooled air this year as a default. I want to be with summer, fully present and, in some ways, open myself to the experience of merging with the season. For a time, I want to be summer.
What does it mean to merge with summer? This whole merging experiment is part of my desire this summer to explore natural magic. One thing I do is make time to be in my gardens early in the morning or later in the day, as the sun begins to set (both transitional times), when I sense I can be closest to the living things all around me. I want to look closely, breathe in their fragrance, listen closely, touch gently, and attune my five senses to everything around me. After some time with these intentional acts, I softly clear my mind. If you’ve ever done mindfulness meditation, or any style of eastern meditation in which you settle your body and allow thoughts to drift through your mind without them setting off a train of thoughts, but instead let them drift away as clouds through the sky, you’ll understand what I mean. A still body and a soft, clear, still mind are what I cultivate in those moments. Then, I actively allow myself to feel the season, to encourage the sensations of being infused with the energy, atmosphere, and essence of summer. I try as best I can to become summer in whatever way that is possible. Once that is established, I begin with active imagination, during which I may envision summer personified or engage in inner conversations with flowers, bees, or even the fairies, elves, and gnomes that are present and active in this season. As we move further into July and come to the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene and Leo season, I may converse with The Magdalene and the Lion as well.
The more difficult work is finding peaceful coexistence with the scorching demeanor of the Sun at this time of year. In this work, I may invoke the star Sirius, our spiritual sun, who oversees the dog days of summer, or even St. John the Baptist, whose flower St. John‘s Wort blooms to herald the summer solstice and feeds the bees all through July.
No season of the year should be shunned or stir animosity in one who is a seasonal soul—the lessons of each season are too precious to miss. The difficulties in each season and each month have many lessons to teach us if we are humble enough to receive them.
Working on your relationship to each month and each season requires you to be fully present to all aspects of those times. Some are delightful, others unpleasant or difficult. This is also true in life, and it is why I often refer to the various ages and stages we progress through and the many life experiences we have as seasons. Having made peace with winter, a challenging season for me, prepares me for difficult seasons in life, such as illness, grief, or loneliness.
Learning to manage and appreciate the excess of summer heat and humidity strengthens my capacity to navigate life's seasons filled with overwhelm and uncomfortable situations.
Being fully present in spring has taught me patience, the intoxication of anticipation, and the disappointment of late spring frosts that kill everything I’ve planted. Spring has taught me about the balance between hope and disappointment. Spring, like much in life, is beautiful but fragile.
Autumn, the season I have the most natural affinity for, is marked by both abundance and death. The life lessons held in that season have been decidedly spiritual ones for me. They have been the ones that have sustained me the most through grief and loss.
Are you feeling present to this summer season? Do you have a favorite season that you naturally feel a part of? Let’s have some seasonal discussions in the comments.
Summer blessings!
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Lean into the summer season with gusto and grace, allowing every good and perfect gift to lead you further along your soul’s path.
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Beautiful writing and photos as always! I agree with you, over time I have come to appreciate each of the seasons and winter has been the toughest one! You mentioned that it feels like time is speeding up. Astrologically, we have entered a collective time of a lot of fire and air energy—fast moving energy that brings a lot of change, disruption, and opportunities for creativity. You are feeling it!
I'm an Autumn girl too. Would love to hear about your conversation with Mary Magdalene!