Page 22 - Summer 12

© www.andrewdunnphoto.com
Summer is a comin’ in Jane Keogh, BAHVS Junior Vice President
By the time you are reading this the Summer Solstice will have passed and we will no doubt be heading for the beginning of August, harvesting and the festival of Lammas.
However as I write the corn is still green – and very wet and the feel- ing of Midsummer approaching is strong. Everywhere there is a sense lush abundance.
The Summer Solstice is the second great turning point of the solar year, when the sun enters the sign of Cancer. In our Northern hemisphere it is the longest day. From this time on the days will shorten, though hope- fully it will be a while before we recognise the drawing in of days, and often the best of the summer is yet to come. The seasons are turning and it is time to transition into a new cycle. The Solstice marks the return of the Dark cycle, when we start to go within and reflect once more.
All around the land is still vibrant and with all the rain in the past few weeks it is green and lush. Yet the solstice represents the peak of this growth and slowly the land will move towards harvest time and a gradual drawing in of energy. This is also the peak of your expressive and expan- sive self. A time to celebrate all you have achieved and manifested, to enjoy what you have and who you are. A time to celebrate your uniqueness.
Yet be aware of the transformation taking place as the year turns. Your achievements will start to develop on an inner level, growing within and bringing a strength and awareness to all you have manifested. As the energy of the outer realms wane, so the energy of the inner realms expands in the endless cycle that each year brings.
As you read this the conference will, I hope, be a happy memory. It will also have been the perfect opportunity to celebrate what we as a small community have achieved and manifested this year. A growing international community, with a strong, passionate membership; the work on the research website and Materia medica that goes along with that, and our increased communication with the public and a growing defiance and determination to stand up to our detractors. In addition, I hope that once again our annual gathering has reminded us all of the joy of spend- ing time with like minded souls and the power of the support that we pro- vide for each other. Those who have not been to a conference recently might seriously consider treating themselves to a few days of this magical energy next year.
We will each have our personal achievements to celebrate at this time
of transition as well. The external realisation of all we dreamed of earlier in the year, probably a work in progress for most of us.
Yet for all of us, individually and as a group, as the year turns towards late summer it will be a time to start considering on an inner level what we have manifested externally. We must change from outward-looking expansive energy to taking a reflective look at ourselves. As harvest time and the festival of Lammas approaches, so we too will start to harvest the fruits of what we have sown. As we return to the inner spiritual world with the turning of the seasons, we can reflect and gain a deeper understand- ing of ourselves and our actions.
It is also a time to give thanks for all that has manifest in the first half of the year, when we can enjoy the harvest of our thoughts and actions since the first major turning of the solar year at the Winter Solstice. Soon enough we will have time for quiet reflection and planning for the next cycle of seasonal energy.
The act of gratitude changes our vibrational frequency. Many authors have documented the value of starting each day with a moment to list the things we are grateful for. They argue that the shift in energy thus created brings more of what we are grateful for into our lives.
Perhaps at this time, when traditionally we give thanks for the har- vest, we should also pause to consider and celebrate our personal achievements thus far. Like the ripples on a pond, the raised vibration of each of us as individuals will spread outwards and who knows what we as a community could achieve then?
So enjoy the late summer fruitfulness. Celebrate your achievements thus far. Remember that each one of us is a unique being in our own right travelling our own path in the company of soul friends.
And if you do nothing else this summer, take off your shoes and dance barefoot on the land.
20