Summer Solstice Newsletter
June 21, 2007

Solstice Greetings! Apologies for missing the May 5 newsletter – I had one all written and ready to go, and on May 4 I received a call that my beloved Mum was in the hospital. I spent her last 4 days with her, watching her body shut down and prepare for death, and experiencing some amazing healing with the family I have known since I was 18. My mum was the grandmother of my daughter, and even though I did not marry her son, she treated me in every way like her own daughter. She taught me how to be a woman, how to keep a tidy house, and how to have fun and live life to its fullest. Having never lost anyone so important before, I did not know what to expect during the grieving process. What I have learned these past six weeks has been amazing.

I also moved the day after Mum’s funeral. “Moving and death are the two biggest stressors in one’s life” my sister told me, “and you’re doing them together”. One reason these are such big stressors is that both moving and death change the CONTAINER of our selves. Moving to a new home means having to build a new rhythmic structure, one that fits into the new home. It’s one of the reasons I like to move; I am also reminding myself that there is a several month curve as I learn the new rhythm. That curve is stressful. Death is also a breakdown of the container, as the person dying holds a specific part of the “shape” of the container. I realized after Mary died that no one else knows the things about me that she did in exactly the same way. My experience over the past 6 weeks has been one of dis-integration (dis-integrity). As the integrity of my container collapsed, guess what surfaced? All the parts of me that I still carry that are out of integrity. Some of these parts have not been seen for years, and what a surprise it was to see them show up! In particular, the white lie part of me – I was surprised to hear myself telling a white lie to a stranger recently, and said “hey, what the &^$%$% is this? We don’t lie in this reality”. It was a shock to see how unconsciously that part of me slipped into my life, but I guess it was not a surprise given as there was no container of integrity in place. So, summer being a time of transformation, it appears that I am getting an opportunity to transform those disintegrated pieces back into a coherent container.

Which brings me to the solstice energy. It is no coincidence that as more and more is being revealed about America’s role in world politics, our cultural container is buckling under the stress. Because our quality of life has been dependent on exploitation of other cultures and their natural resources, our quality of life structure is now buckling as we are realizing what our life choices cost the rest of the world. We cannot ignore the fact that our cultural container is shattering because it is so out of integrity. I highly recommend John Perkins new book, “The Secret History of the American Empire”. It may change your world view forever. In this book, we clearly see that what we have been saying to the world about democracy, fairness, equality and support has been gambled away through secret actions that are the exact opposite of our language. Our actions do not match our words. This means we are out of integrity as a culture. We are all feeling the effects of this, even if we don't know all the secrets. By reading John’s book, we can see that what is happening in our culture is also happening in our lives. Right now, what is out of integrity in our lives is asking for transformation. The hidden layers of the self are surfacing, asking for recognition, acceptance and then transformation. We cannot get rid of parts of ourselves; they only go underground if they are not accepted. If you think of terrorism and suicide bombers as metaphors, you can understand what happens when a part of the self is judged, denied and forbidden to participate in our life. Those parts may go into hiding, but they don't go away. And when we least expect it, they sabotage us.

So, if you find yourself acting in ways that are out of character; or acting in ways that are not going to take you to your dreams, it is possible your "terrorists" are showing themselves. Like a good parent, you can gently guide those aspects into taking right action. Beating yourself up, struggling to control those aspects, or medicating with addictions will only prolong the process. What they need is attention, understanding, and a container of integrity in which they are allowed to participate.

Let’s take a quick review of the cycle of the Five Harmonics™. We start in Metal with a container, or structure. This structure is composed of our beliefs; the things we say, the actions we take, and the unconscious motivators that are built into our framework. From Metal we move to Water, the creative energy of change that floods into our structure, building up pressure to take action. Water is the area where we build up and hold pressure until right timing dictates that we commit to a direction, then we take aim and let the pressure fly. Like a firehose, this pressure requires strength and a commitment to stay focused in a direction long enough to reach a conclusion. This conclusion is Fire, the energy of satisfaction, completion, celebration and a time for play. As we move through Fire, receiving the abundance that comes with a job well done, we transform our environment, making it better and more nourishing for the next cycle. When the environment changes for the better, we are able to build higher quality structures. When the environment is degraded, our structures lose integrity each time through the cycle.

Structures have integrity when what we say is matched by what we do. So, if we say something (commit with our language), then do something different (commit with our actions), our structure loses integrity. If we tell white lies because it is easier than telling the truth, we lose integrity. If we do things we don’t really want to do because we feel guilty, we lose structural integrity.

What makes a structure strong enough to withstand the pressure Water brings, and gives us the ability to make it to Fire, our joy and celebration? I recently offered a class called “Beyond the Secret”, which was an experiment in the laws of attraction. One of my sisters attended the class, and she had some extraordinary experiences. We started the class by building a vision board, which is a physical montage of our ideal life, the place we would like to be living. My sister shared this amazing nugget of information with me. “The board has helped me so much because it shows me where I am going. Before I take any action, I think about my board and ask myself if this action will take me there. If it will not, I adjust my action so that it moves me in the direction I choose to go”. I was very impressed with her clarity and articulation. (By the way, she had been looking for a job for over 2 years in her chosen field, and feeling very discouraged before beginning the class. By the end of six weeks, she had 3 competing offers, all of them jobs she would love and with companies she admired. I’m so proud of her, and happy to say she is now living part of her vision board!)

Today is the peak of Fire energy. Summer solstice, the longest day of the year, represents achieving our success at something, and the energy of summer demands relaxation, community celebration, and transformation. If you are pushing yourself to “be productive”, please stop. Get a glass of wine, or lemonade, or water; step outside your door, and feel the warmth on your skin. Listen to the sounds of laughing children, barking dogs, and all things summer. Host an impromptu barbecue with your neighbors. Walk to the end of your block and see how many flowers you can identify. Say hello to each person you see. Relax, smell the roses. Go to the farmers market for fresh veggies and connect with the people who are growing your food. Enjoy the abundance nature is providing you, and relax into the soft, gentle environment.

We now turn around and head back towards the center. We have six more weeks of summer energy ahead of us. As we close in towards Fall, the first week of August, the environment we are creating today will be what nurtures our structure in the Fall. So, if you are interested in evolving into more integrity, having more abundance, and being of value to your community, take the time to play and celebrate with friends and family now. The feelings you generate will get you further than any amount of overtime. After all, if paradise does not include laughter, love and relaxation, why would you go there?

Happy Solstice!

Cat

This picture of the sun was taken on June 21, 2006. This is the energy that sweeps through your body on the longest day of the year.

Today, your life is lit up as bright as it can be until next summer solstice. What do you see, that may be hidden the rest of the year? Use this 15+ hours of daylight to observe the secret places in yourself, and transform them with love.