We’ve had a few heat waves this summer already, in New York, USA, and Europe, and there are more to come. Yes, it’s hot and humid, as it tends to be in the Northern hemisphere in July and August. The weather is pushing us to step off the fast track. Yet, we can still get the work done. One can often accomplish more when operating in a smoother groove. You don’t even need an AC. I’ve been living without the artificial conditioning of captured air for years, and I’m getting used to a built-in AC in an apartment where I live now. However, I find the fans to be much more effective to cool and circulate the air. My body became more resilient to hot and humid weather in the previous apartment with fans only, and I’m turning to be less open to heat and humidity. Is the air surrounding the Earth more difficult to endure now? We’re made to adjust to the gradual changes in temperature from season to season, but if temperature changes are more extreme, how do we face them? Our inner sensors get overwhelmed when exposed to the constant swinging from the indoor ice cubicles to the scorching outdoor environs, all in a course of a workday.

Most of the time in the past, I didn’t even realize that we were going through extreme waves until I heard people complain. Well, I now know better what the temperatures are: I check a weather website every morning on my smartphone and on my computer. Okay, it’ll be cooler or warmer today. And perhaps we’ll have some rain. I try not to react to it, or at least do my best not to. I make a mental note, and prepare. When I go out in the summer heat wherever I am, I put on flowing linen and cotton clothes. And off I go, mindfully. I tend to avoid walking in the middle of the day when it’s the hottest. Earlier in the morning and later in the day, around the sunset it’s easier. Yes, I’m enjoying the Sun and the Moon, grateful for their nourishments.

Can I expand my soul

that it unites itself

with cosmic Word received as seed?

I sense that I must find the strength

to fashion worthily my soul

as fitting raiment for the spirit.

~ Weekly Verse 18 by Rudolf Steiner from The Calendar of the Soul
(trans. Ruth & Hans Pusch)

How can I prepare

my Soul to accept

the seed of the Cosmic Word?

I must slow down,

soak in the Sun,

transform myself

into a pure vessel for the Spirit.

~ Soulful Spark 18 by Marta Stemberger

We’re at the height of Summer here in the Northern hemisphere. In the Celtic calendar, the festival of Lammas or Lughnasadh on August 2 marks the mid-point of the Sun’s path between the Summer Solstice on June 21 and the Autumn Equinox on September 23. We have observed the ripening of Nature, and soon we will be gathering the harvest. But first, let’s be still for a moment. Notice how everything tends to slow down at this transition from July to August.

Sit or lay down at your favorite spot, the one that has at least a touch of Nature surrounding it. For those living in New York City, or other big cities, this may be a challenge, but Nature envelops us even in the man-made jungle. Step out of your cubicle. Seek out a lone tree on the block; go to the river moving past the concrete piers; notice the Sun and the clouds dancing in the sky. Take a break from work; it’s called a vacation. Vacate the tight environs, and spend time outdoors.

Yes, go ahead, allow yourself to follow a gentler pace. Soak in the Sun. Let the light and warmth transform your Soul. Abandon the hectic schedule, forced upon us by the materialistic, profit-driven Western civilization. Embrace a slower flow. Breathe in the Nature in all her sumptuousness. Ah, the abundance of August: brightness, heat and humidity, harvest. Spend time by yourself. And simply be. Expand to feel in unison with the Universe. Cherish the sense that you belong to the world of Spirit. Your physical body is the center of activities in the world of matter. Your spiritual essence is the periphery that embraces you, always. Summer is the season that offers all the ingredients to nourish the space between your physical core and spiritual expansiveness. Replenish this etheric bubble—your chi energy field—with the gifts of Light, Love, Life from the Source. Dance with the Summer stars. Meditate with the bright planets.

Later, we will come together to work and celebrate in our communities. Right now, let’s relax and merge with the Sun and Light. May the humid air feed the life-sustaining waters within you. May the hot sunrays penetrate the core of your being and melt away anything that is not of pure Love.

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Over to you, dear Soulful Reader:

HOW DO YOU SOAK IN THE SUN IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER?

You are invited to contemplate, write, and draw your thoughts and impressions in your journals. And share them with Substack’s Soulful Sparks of Inspiration community.

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