summer's wisdom
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." — John Lubbock
This summer, I exclaimed, is the summer I am spending hours at the beach, long walks in the woods, and long hikes that will pave the path to new joys.
SUMMER... has the wisdom to be fully awake, engaged, and open to everything around us. Summer kisses your skin and lightens your hair; it whispers sweet nothings into your ear the way a lover would after a long kiss and weaves a sense of lightness into your being that only the warm air and hot sun can do.
Summer is about being outside, slowing down, breathing deeply, funnel cakes, watermelon, ice cream, lemonade, and getting wet.
It is the season for relaxing and the pursuit of happiness (a phrase immortalized one summer – (many July Fourths ago).
Summer is when leisure swells like the tomato plants I planted until it is round, red, and ripe – Take a slow, juicy bite.
As Mary Oliver famously asked, “What will you do with this one wild precious life?” Summer moves fast, and life is precious.
I ask all my clients, “Do you know how many summers you have left?”
If 82 is the average age we begin to deteriorate or possibly fly to the other side, subtract 82 from your current period, and you will then see how many summers you have left.
It puts into perspective the reality of how we want to live and feel.
Life is precious
Summer is a state of mind; whatever our summers consist of in our few short months stays with us in our consciousness, the freedom, the food, the stars in the sky, the smells, and the feels. It is the season when many of our most profound memories are forged; it plays a starring role in our childhoods.
Good things happen between June and August!
Summer is full of simple outdoor pleasures, such as the feeling of sun and winds on your arms and legs, freshly uncovered. The season contains a kind of happiness born out of escapes. It tastes of roasted vegetables and fruit so ripe it dribbles off your chin.
It is also your heart, liver, and small intestine season. Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on summer to bring balance, integration, strength, health, and rejuvenation to the cardio system and small intestine associated with the summer season.
Our heart is the emperor of the other organs and the whole body. There are twelve major meridians attuned to the heart. It is indeed our guide. When the heart is cared for and functions well, the other organs remain more easily balanced.
The heart is considered to be the seat of consciousness and intelligence. It regulates the processing of all incoming sensory and intuitive information and the body–minds reaction to this information. When we balance and assist the heart, our intuition can be trusted. Our relationships and connection to the universe are deepened.
Our heart controls the tongue, and the tongue contains our speech. Wouldn’t it be amazing if our words to ourselves and others were kind, genuine, and positively impacted? When we develop this capacity and focus on physically, emotionally, and spiritually healing the heart, we open into love and acceptance of what is and replace judgment with discernment and compassion.
Our ideal time to nourish our heart and liver is during the summer when our diets are lighter, and exercise comes easier spent outdoors.
In Chinese Medicine, each organ has a particular time of day when it is at its peak. The heart is most active between 11 am - 1:00 pm, while the small intestine is active between 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.
AN OPEN HEART
What does it mean to have an open heart, and how do we get there?
The simplest way to describe this is to ask, “Are you living for yourself, or are you living for others while also caring for yourself?” A person with an open heart experiences as much or more joy in doing for and serving others as in fulfilling their own needs. The primary identity has shifted from “Me to We.” Yogi Bhajan expresses this in his Aquarian sutras, “If you can’t see God in All, you can’t see God at all” and “Understand through compassion, or you will misunderstand the times.” The heart intelligence recognizes that we are One consciousness expressing itself in different bodies and manifestations. We are all connected as one heart, and your suffering is my suffering; your joy is my joy. When this is our reality, we can say we have an open heart. We love unconditionally.
This task is challenging, yet many spiritual teachings guide us to this destination.
The Buddha said, “We will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.” The term metta in Buddhism refers to a benevolent, unconditional love that has no attachment or self-interest but instead is directed unselfishly towards the wellbeing of others.
St. Paul told the Corinthians, “If I speak in the tongues of men or angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to people experiencing poverty and give over my body to hardship that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.” Love is our only true refuge.
In the New Testament, the Greek word “agape” meant love. This word means charitable, selfless, generous, and unconditional love we can have for one another, including our “enemies.” This love then creates goodness in the world. Jesus’ profound piece of advice was. “
Guru Nanak said,
persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” This is a tall order, but ultimately liberating.
Love your enemies and pray for those who
“those who have loved are those who have found God,” and “Make compassion the cotton,
contentment the thread, modesty the knot and truth the twist.
then go ahead and put it on me.” 56 Guru Nanak stresses the importance of genuine compassion over any ritual of
This is the sacred thread of the soul; if you have it,
initiation, such as the Hindu ritual of wearing a sacred thread to, signify acceptance by a teacher towards a path of
knowledge.
WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF AN OPEN HEART
Many states of being, reactions, opinions, and circumstances can get in the way of living with an open heart. Others may have hurt us and closed off in defensiveness, protecting ourselves from the possibility of being hurt again. Perhaps we feel our needs still need to be met and have nothing left to give.
We may experience jealousy, envy, or hold unexpressed anger or resentment that colors our view of others. We may make a judgment about others, which blocks compassion. We may feel stressed, overwhelmed, distracted, or too busy to care. We may have become numb. We may be afraid to express love lest we are misunderstood or rejected. We may feel unworthy, inferior, or not good enough to receive love; and hence cannot entirely give it.
We may have become cynical because of witnessing so many instances of violence, betrayal, or the absence of love. We may be focused on achievement or outward success at the expense of love.
Whatever state it may be, acknowledge it within yourself without judgment, and notice the body tension, the emotional turmoil, and the self-harming thought patterns associated with these ways of reacting to others and life. What would it be like to shift from this contracted state into a space of open-heartedness? What would it do for you? What could it do for others, including your enemies?
WHAT SUSTAINS AN OPEN HEART?
Certain qualities sustain an open heart. Consciously cultivating these qualities makes delivering love that nurtures all beings easier. Some of these qualities are:
Authenticity – speak truthfully and kindly, honoring your feelings and beliefs. Relinquish the need to please others, to hold back, or to fit in. Be yourself.
Connection – seek meaningful interactions with others; reach out, and extend yourself with generosity.
Healthy Companionship – conquer loneliness and isolation by nurturing close long-lasting relationships with people, animals, or even plants. Who are the people who understand you and whom you would like to stay connected to for the rest of your life? Who do you feel good around? Who are you intimate with? Seek and befriend those people. Then be a loyal and caring friend.
Compassion – be kind and caring to yourself and others. Do not intentionally hurt another or speak ill of another. Practice small acts of thoughtfulness for others each day without expecting a reward. Let the tip be an excellent action.
Courage – courage is a natural quality that emanates from someone with an open heart. This may be expressed as courage to speak your truth, do the right thing, and follow the beat of your drum – your heart.
Forgiveness
When we are in a proper state of unconditional love, there is nothing to forgive. There has been no wrong action. There is only love, and we are it, accepting and embracing what is and whoever is before us. However, we may still need to arrive at this place. Sometimes the mind needs to forgive before the heart is free to love.
Giving and Receiving – sustaining relationships rely on our capacity to give and receive. Notice within your relationships if you are more often the giver or the receiver. How can you stretch yourself to create more space to be generous or accepting? What would that look like, and with whom? How can you ask for it or provide it?
Service – an open heart feels abundant love and instinctively wants to share it through service. How is your soul guiding you to serve?
Devotion – ultimately, all love is an expression of devotion – to your Higher Self, your Spirit, the Spirit in All, others, a teacher, your partner, your family, God, or the Beloved. Become aware of what you are devoted to. What speaks to your heart? How can you give yourself to that more completely?
Prayer – prayer is the glue that connects the lover to the Beloved, projected from the heart.
YOUR HEART SECRETES THE LOVE HORMONE OXYTOCIN
As well as being a glorious muscle that beats inside you for a lifetime, your heart is a gland that secretes hormones, one of these being the remarkable Oxytocin. This is the love hormone, our physiological expression of connection. Just as much Oxytocin is produced in your heart as in your brain. Interestingly, our levels of this hormone are affected by what happened to us in the past and our relationships in the present. Here’s what I mean:
• Children who were nurtured well by their parents have higher long-term oxytocin levels, while children who were abused have lower levels
• Autistic children who receive Oxytocin can more easily learn to interpret emotional signals
• Early childhood life stress and emotional suppression are associated with lower oxytocin levels.
• Release of Oxytocin is associated with positive social behaviors and reduces anxiety
• Oxytocin increases our tendency to approach and bond with others in long-term partnerships.
Researchers have shown that when people touch or are in proximate. A transference of electromagnetic energy produced by the heart occurs in others. This signal is most potent when people are in direct contact but can be detected when the two individuals are separated by a distance of up to four feet.
When we intentionally generate positive, caring emotions, we increase the electrical coherence of our field.
It has been shown that a mother’s brainwaves can synchronize with her baby’s heartbeat. When the mother focuses on the baby, she becomes more sensitive to the subtle electromagnetic signals generated by the infant’s heart. In an experiment, a baby was lying in the mother’s lap with a blanket between the mother and the baby.
Intention and attention are essential. It matters what we are thinking and feeling – others can sense it. When we give our attention to another, we receive them. We connect to the impact of their heart’s magnetic field and can respond with kindness. We can shift to greater coherence and compassion when we take responsibility for our thoughts and practice loving kindness.
As human beings, our ability to attune to another’s suffering is profound. Equally miraculous is our capacity to heal through love and to experience and share joy.
Allow yourself this Summer experiment with projecting your conscious prayers and intentions to others, sent on a beam of love. Open your heart to receive the messages you are meant to hear with exquisite sensitivity.
Trust your experience and your heart’s intelligence, and allow yourself to experience joy.
Here are a few things that can support your heart and Qi (Chi) this summer.
TurboCharger drink:
Here is a turbo-charged drink to start your day off by cleansing your small intestines,
2 inches fresh ginger root, sliced 1⁄4 inch thick, 7 cups water
juice of 2 lemons
pinch of paprika or cayenne
1⁄4 tsp cinnamon
How to make the Turbocharger:
Simmer water and ginger slices for 30 minutes, covered—strain into a glass jug, composting the ginger slices. Add lemon juice, paprika, and cinnamon. Drink hot or cold. Add ice if desired. You can store it for three days in the fridge.
An Ideal Exercise Routine for Summer
Here is an example of an ideal exercise prescription for good health. If you are not in great shape, start with a month of brisk walking for 40 minutes a day before beginning this more strenuous routine.
Three days/week, do 60-90 minutes of walking briskly, biking, swimming, skating, or practicing moderate-intensity yoga
Two days/week, do 60-90 minutes of jogging or running, spin classes, or more intense yoga
One day/week, do Interval training, exercising all out for 10-15 intervals of 30-60 seconds each and
exercising slowly in between. Wait for your heart rate to stabilize between each interval.
One day/week of rest.
May you enjoy your summer and the wisdom it gathers - I look forward to writing again at the end of August.
Much Love,
Jenn