SUMMER SOLSTICE NEWSLETTER

June 20, 6:59pm CST, 2008

2nd half of summer (June 20 to August 5)
Element of Fire
Sharing, community, pleasure
Transformation

It hardly seems possible that the days will begin getting shorter. The record cold experienced in much of the world is a reminder that global warming is not just about the earth heating up, but that weather patterns will become more erratic and unpredictable. Much like human behavior.

June 21st marks the peak of the Summer months of Fire. And though we are in the season of Fire, I am going to talk about Wood. Because Wood is what feeds Fire. Without Wood, no Fire. Too much wood, wildfires (CA anyone??)

Our lives, our dreams, our ideas – they all begin in Metal. Metal is a time/space coordinate. Where and when you are. In this case, we are on Planet Earth, 2008 AD. There are specific rules and structures that govern our communal experience here in 3rd dimensional reality. Many of those rules we learned from our ancestral lineage; some we learned from our educators, the rest we learned from each other. Metal sets the stage for what we believe is possible. Now, here is a critical thing to know about Metal. Once we have invested ourselves into a particular belief system, it will be important that others support us. We are then pressured to teach our children, or convince those around us, that our view of the world is the correct one, and they must follow the same rules we are. Why is this a critical thing to know? Because the globalization of information has changed the rules dramatically. And it is now up for grabs, which view of “reality” will attract the most investors. The structures that entire generations have built deep foundations into – those structures are shaking and quaking and some are falling apart at the seams. It is a frightening time for many, but also a time of great hope and exhilaration. Because we are learning that our beliefs may actually be creating our world. And if this is true, it means we have great power to create something new and wonderful.

Water follows Metal. Water is the unstructured and unstructured part of ourselves. This is the realm of the higher self, not bound by time/space or short-term identity of a lifetime. This is the part of us that is connected to all potentials, all realities. Here we surf the net of possibilities, seeing how things feel as we try them on. We step outside the structures of our tribe and experiment with the things that fascinate us, and the things we have been warned against (for fear is a strong attractor, having its roots based in wonder). Water is a time when we are fluid and ever changing. The years of Water are 14-27. It is NOT a time when we should be making lifetime plans and committing to an identity – we have not yet learned enough about ourselves to make those kinds of choices. It is a time for exploring our world and discovering how we handle the unknown. Water is a time of challenging the known structures and bringing change to outdated ideas and traditions. Water is the teenager in all of us, filled with great ideas of potential and impatient with hypocrisy and settling for less.

The years of Wood kick in as we approach 27, and we glide out of them as we approach 40. Wood is a time of commitment. It is where we plant roots and say THIS is who I am, THIS is how I operate, THIS is what is true for me. THESE are the rules I operate by. THIS is what I believe. When you think of a tree, that tree has a commitment to the place it stands. It strives to thrive in exactly the place it has chosen. If resources become scarce, it doesn’t pack up and find a new location. It learns how to conserve its energy until the resources return. Sometimes the environment is not suitable to that particular species of tree, and it dies off. Trees provide shelter and food to many creatures, and transforms our waste into breath. Overall, an inspiring teacher.

I just moved across the street from a park filled with old old trees. Their presence is awe-inspiring, and I am watching them every day as they show me what the Wood element is about. I see that as our world became more global, with cheap airfare and cheap gas and the ability to travel to exotic places, we became more fluid. We moved away from our families and planted ourselves elsewhere. We challenged the structures that kept us committed – like marriage. (getting a divorce can now be done on the Internet without an attorney). We gave our roots the freedom to replant themselves elsewhere. We uprooted ourselves continuously - from our jobs, our homes, our relationships - and practiced the art of change. And this led us to understanding commitment, and what healthy roots look like.

So, what constitutes healthy wood? Looking at old trees, the things I see are this:
1. Consistent inclement weather breaks off anything that does not support the overall “plan” of the tree.
2. Trees need water regularly to stay healthy and flexible enough to weather a storm.
3. Trees need sunshine (fire) and freely share themselves with any and all life that needs them – and that sharing comes from being strongly rooted in their own expression first and foremost.
4. Trees need to rest in the winter and gather resources for the coming year.
5. Diversity in a forest provides much more vibrancy for all life. Monoculture breeds disease and is unnatural.
6. Slow growth means denser wood, which burns longer and with greater efficiency.
7. When the environment is degraded, trees lose their health.
8. Trees have a life expectancy. Some live 15-20 years and then die. Some live 100. It all depends on the tree.

Now, if I apply these eight observations to my own life, I can immediately see where my Wood element is out of balance. Since I sold my house in 1999 to move to Mexico, I have lived in 8 different houses. Obviously my roots were not planted. Consequently, my creations had a limited lifespan. I just signed a 2-year lease, and plan to stay where I am for the moment. There was nothing wrong with moving – I was in a creation mode, and Water governs creativity. Each move showed me what was strong enough to stay with the main “trunk” of my vision, and the weaker limbs fell away or were ripped off by intense pressures. Some of my visions were dead – their life expectancy was over, and I needed to use their wood to burn the fire of my current dream. So, each move saw a releasing of things no longer needed, or things that required more energy to maintain than they were contributing to the vision. I now feel that in my current environment, with my current “stuff”, I have the necessary configuration to achieve the vision I have been working on for the past 3 years.

If you were to apply the eight observations to your own life, what would you find? Where is your Wood element out of balance? In balance? Remember that wood is the energy of commitment – the desire to set down roots in a vision and stay there until the vision is fulfilled. Where could your commitments be pruned? If you pruned, which commitments could get more attention? Are you committed 25%? 50%? What exactly does 100% commitment look like? What parts of your life are dead, yet are being carried around with you still? Earlier this year I decided it was time to let go of 30 years of beads and leather and feathers that I used to make art with. It was very emotional for me to go through and price it all, and I cried the day of my sale. Yet at the end of the day, when it wasn't all sold, I was impatient that it was still there taking up space. That part of my life is over, and if I ever want to make that kind of art again, I trust I can find the right pieces and start again. So, what part of your past can you leverage to create your perfect present? Which roots are solid, and which should be pruned?

We have six weeks of Fire remaining. Fire is a time of sharing ourselves – sharing the wonders we have gathered in our journeys. We do this through storytelling; through ritual (like barbeques, picnics, weeks at the cabin with family); through giving away; through ceremony and through compassion. These acts of Fire open the door to Grace, the universal miracle of your heart’s desire manifesting. Without some healthy Wood to keep that flame burning, you might find yourself out in the cold, watching life through a glass door.

So stoke up the Fire and open your heart, and play, play, play. It is by far the best way to share yourself. Prune that dead wood that no longer serves you and set it ablaze on the shortest night of the year. And see what comes to warm itself at your fire.

Wishing you a joyous summer!!

Cat

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must give up one life to enter another."
-- Anatole France

 

 

 

 

The face of a tree spirit