The fiery energy of the summer🔥
All about why this summer is life-changing, how the lady of the cauldron + the burning man are giving me power, and what it all means for my social media (I'm leaving).
Hello you,
Happy New Moon + Summer Solstice (or Winter Solstice)! Wherever you are, the sun will be standing still for just a moment in just a few days - either at the height of her fiery, bright power or in the dark, deep, quiet night ready to begin her slow return. No matter if its high summer or deep winter, this week, we all experience this quiet, often-missed or forgotten moment of pause and shift. Don’t miss it this week, though. (It’s happening on Wednesday the 21st). Carve out some intentional time to just soak in the light or sink down into the dark. Feel the shift. Notice the energy. Mark the passing of the seasons. Summer and winter. Light and dark. Heat and cold. Life and death. Perhaps take a deep breath while you try to process the balance and unfolding of it all. And know that you and I are a part of it all - connected by nature, the cosmos, love, energy.
We’re also right at the beginning of a new moon cycle. One that carries us all the way into mid-July. The new moon around the summer solstice is like a mini-mid-year holiday, I think. It is the 6th new moon of 2023 and a perfect opportunity to take some time to reflect on how this year has been unfolding and what kind of energy, intentions, goals, and hopes we have for the second half of the year that lies ahead. A time to get quiet, listen, feel, explore, and reset before shifting into the last half of 2023.
As I have been preparing this little note for you, I have done tons of reflecting and feeling a little bit at a time over the past month or so. And nothing really crystallized for me until this weekend, but now I have come to a few very personal, very deep realizations that I want to share with you in this letter.
This year has been hard. And the past month and a half, even harder. Without going too deep into all of the details, two very big things have shifted in my world. They have, in fact, changed the course of my life. These turns have left me feel an exhausting type of grief. It feels as if the grief has settled in my bones. On the one hand, there is grief that is an unwanted closure. On the other hand, there is grief that is an acceptance of the passage of time.
What I have realized lately is that the layers of different types of grief are just there now. Becoming part of me. I understand that I have changed, that I am changing, that my wrinkles and lines are deeper, but my heart is also deeper.
And not to be dramatic, but everything feels different. Everything is different. Literally.
To be honest, somewhere along the way this month, despite my best efforts to stay balanced + hopeful + positive, I ended up simply shifting into survival mode. I have just been reacting, breathing, talking, processing, sleeping, working, and trying my best to squeeze in a few moments of everyday enjoyment in the middle of it all. But, I know it’s all just survival mode now. I’m caught in the middle of 2 crises, 2 traumas, 2 life shifting experiences of loss.
And, now, summer is here with its glorious midsummer nights and bright, sunny days. Not surprisingly, I feel no excitement (ok, a little bit of excitement - that was an exaggeration) or wild, free-spirited vibes. I’m not really in the summer mood. However, I am super happy (and grateful!) to have 4 weeks off from work in a couple of weeks. I neeeeed that.
While I don’t have the same summer mood that I usually have at this time of the year, I still feel the energy of summer. I feel it deeply. And it is exactly what I need.
The energy is fiery, powerful, transformative. It is a portal into a new phase, carrying me through the grief and changes, and right into a whole new experience of life.
So, here’s what I’m going to do as I let the energy of this fiery summer heat up my soul.
I am determined to find my way back to all of those spiritual practices and moments of mysticism that fill, inspire, and balance me. I am also determined to step back into my own power + wisdom - as a mystic, as a guide, as a woman.
I have no idea how any of this looks. In fact, I have no ideas really at all. Except one.
On the day of the solstice, June 21, I will post my last photo on Instagram and then off-load the app from my phone. I’m not deleting my account, but rather taking a social media sabbath. Until September 22, the autumn equinox. At that point, I will assess how I feel, what I want, and how (and if) I want to move forward in the social media world.
I stopped using Facebook months (a year?) ago and deleted Twitter whenever Elon Musk took over. Sadly, my blog has just been laying there for most of this year, too. But, I do not feel connected to it anymore. So, I will not be blogging. And that’s it for social media. I am no where else.
Except here. On Substack. And here I will stay - and be active. How active, I honestly don’t know. I will definitely continue my seasonal, monthly letter. I have no idea if I will post more frequently than that, though, or start using notes or chat. I really want to. But, I’ll just take it as it goes. So, basically, if you want to follow me - this is the place to be. And, as always, everything I offer, write, share is for everyone. I only have free subscriptions.
What about the lady of the cauldron + the burning man, though?
Well, the other day I sat down with some of my oracle card decks and pulled a few cards for the summer ahead. What fell out were 3 cards with fire and 2 wise, animal companions. I knew immediately that there was a message of transformation and purification for me. An initiation of sorts, into a new way of living, experiencing, being in the world. A time of big changes, deep inner wisdom, and inspiration.
These two cards, the lady + the man, they seemed to make me aware that it’s not just about receiving messages and changes during this fiery summer; but that I also need to reclaim, take back, initiate a new, wilder, deeper way of inspiring others. These changes, this grief, is lifting me towards a new path that is born of my own own power + wisdom. I am being prepared to share and to offer.
But, first I need the cleansing, purifying heat and light and fire of this summer. I need to walk through it. Face it. Feel it. Let it form me. All of the grief, all of the pain, all of the tears, all of the worry. This summer is a preparation/initiation ritual. All of the shifts and changes are part of my journey, they are guiding me into the next phase of my life, into a deeper + higher way of being, and turning me into a wiser woman.
So, all I want to leave with you today is a message of beautiful, hot, bright, transformational, summery energy. May it be a season of wildness, rest, abundance, and purifying moments of change - be it welcomed or unwelcome change. It is the time of the year to soak in the light and heat from the sun. To let it warm and energize us. And to let our own free-spirited light radiate from our souls.
And, if, like me, you don’t feel free-spirited and lighthearted and energized at all, trust that there is still a fire burning within. Let the energy of summer give you the warmth + brightness you need to continue. Just lay + rest in the heat of summer, if that is all you can do. And trust that the medicine you need is all around. You are moving through this season just as you need, and life will continue to unfold. Lean back, breathe deep, and just stay present.
Sending fiery summer blessings of power + transformation to you, my friend.
xoxo. liz.