Summer

In the same way that flowers and plants grow and mature, we too can prosper and develop.

The three months of summer are
called

prospering and
developing the flower

the Qi of Heaven
and Earth intertwine

the 10,000 beings flower
and bring forth fruit

At night, one goes to bed,
at dawn one gets up.

one does not let oneself
be overcome by sun,

exerting the will
but without violence,

Assisting the brilliance of beauty and
strength

Which thus fulfill their promise.

…Neijing Suwen, chapter 2 (C. Larre)

Summer is the season of friends, warmth, joys and pleasures. It is also a time of growth and maturity. Whereas spring brings new beginnings, summer brings prosperity and developments. In the same way that the flowers and plants around us grow and mature, we too can prosper and develop.

This is the time to reach out into the world and gather the fire all around us, to take it deep within and let it transform our innermost selves. So often in acupuncture when we speak of the seasons we talk about balance (fall) or rest (winter). Now it is the time to extend ourselves. To meet with friends, to dance, to nurture our enthusiasms for life and leave ourselves open to joy. It is time to work and play hard. The days are longer, there is more light, more warmth; yang energy (activity) is at its peak.

This offer to play and to mature may seem contradictory but it is not. Maturing lies in the realm of the heart. The heart is like a kiln. The joys and pleasures of summer are the fire that heats this kiln and together they transform us, just as a kiln can transform clay into a beautiful vase. How this works is a mystery, but it happens each hour, each day. This mystery is the gift of summer.