Harnessing the Transitive Energy of Summer
Contributor: Monica Dubé
Photographer: Sarah Shreves
Summer has come to represent the life phase of passing from adolescence to early adulthood, becoming a sacred source of vitality. As this season’s warmth gives us time to indulge and play, it can also be a time of remarkable transformation. When applied to your life in practical ways, you can take advantage of this transitive energy and fully enrich your mind, body, and soul.
Visualize
Before you start your day, think of this transitive energy as a golden source of light. When you do your daily meditation, imagine its warmth washing over you. Breathe in its brilliance and let it fill you with vivacity. What does it feel like? What does it look like? When visualizing, let your imagination wander and give as much detail as possible. Once you have this visual in your mind, imagine the light absorbing an image that represents resistance in your life, whether it’s emotions or personal obstacles. Get into the habit of doing this daily exercise, and you will quickly see how effective the power of visualization can be. By visualizing the healing power of this energy, it becomes something that you can experience in a visceral way, allowing you to later harness this feeling throughout your day.
Play
In addition to its life-giving quality, the energy of summer is light and playful. Invite play into your life by approaching new experiences with a childlike wonder. In doing so, you can transform negative emotions into positive ones. For example, summer is the time of barbeques, social get-togethers, and new experiences. Meeting new people and having new experiences ultimately leaves us temporarily in a place of vulnerability. Sometimes, this vulnerability can make us feel resistant or scared, and we misdirect these emotions into feelings of anger or hesitance. Think back to when you were a child, experiencing new moments and new friends without the judgments that naturally build up over time. When you approach life with this same energy, it allows you to recognize the lightness of life and keeps you positive in times of vulnerability.
Indulge
More hours of sunlight and warmth means more time to revel in the bounty of life. Summer is a time to indulge and tap into a vibrant season of vitality. It is the culmination of everything that colors our lives, including romance, creativity, and leisure, but as your social calendar fills up, be sure to set aside some time for personal indulgences. This can mean spending time within the serenity of nature, finally working on that painting you’ve been meaning to finish, or taking a romantic trip with your significant other. With summer comes the ability to truly treat yourself spiritually, so whatever is important to you, be sure to allow yourself time to enjoy it and recharge for the coming fall. By allowing a healthy amount of personal indulgence, you will restore your spirit and let go of resentments or negative energy. We are all radiant beings, and we can cultivate this radiance with the abundant energy of summer.