Using the Four Summer Archetypal Energies in your Life

Using the Four Summer Archetypal Energies in your Life - Adam Brady

As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

The arrival of summer marks a special time in the seasonal cycles of the planet. Astronomically speaking, summer is the season in which the earth’s rotational axis is tilted more toward the sun, maximising the amount of sunlight reaching either the northern or southern hemisphere. The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and energy is abundant.

Apart from its technical definition, summer has a host of additional, more figurative qualities that give this season a unique character all its own. Summer embodies many positive emotions and connotations, and due to its special place in the cycle of the seasons, it ushers forth distinctive qualities of consciousness with which everyone can relate. Known as archetypes, or archetypal energies, these elements are deeply woven into each person at the level of the collective soul. It is from this level that you can call upon these archetypes to help you live the life of your dreams.

The following four archetypal energies are fundamental to the summer season. Become familiar with them, and use the meditations to invoke them into your life.

1. Youth and Vitality 
The summer is a time of dynamic, abundant energy. With this season, there are distinct reminders and anchors to the affluence of the Universe:

• Long days
• Fresh warm air
• Vibrant colors
• Cool waters
• Smell of flowers
• Fresh grass

Summer is a time for you to feel:

• Energised
• Vigorous
• Adventurous
• Ready to explore

The energy of Pitta Dosha predominates during the summer, so the assertive and self-confident aspects of your personality come to the surface, driving you into:

• Activity
• Fun
• Lighthearted enjoyment

Capture some of this energy by recalling the freewheeling joy of running through a sprinkler as a child or the fun of a family picnic.

Archetypal energy: Playfulness

Youth and Vitality Visualisation

• Find a quiet place to sit down comfortably and close your eyes. If you choose to meditate outside, make sure to avoid sitting in direct sunlight. 
• Bring your attention to the sensations of your breath. Do not attempt to control or manipulate your breathing; simply allow it to be natural and effortless. Spend five to seven minutes focusing on your breath and settling into stillness.
• Now, begin to call forth the youthful vitality of summer. 
• Imagine running through the grass in your bare feet.
• Smell the sunscreen on your skin as you jump into a pool of deep clear water.
• Plop down on the cool grass and enjoy a picnic lunch while the warm breeze blows through the leaves of a large tree overhead. 
• Silently repeat to yourself, “I embody the playfulness of summer. I am abundant and carefree.”

2. Coming of Age and Maturation
 Unlike the spring when new life is just coming forth, the summer is the period of full bloom. Fruit is ripe on trees, meadows are lush and sprawling, and life reaches its peak of energy and expression. The summer solstice embodies adulthood and the prime of life.

During the summer months, you tend to feel:

• Strong
• Healthy
• Full grown

Pitta further reinforces your sense of self-assuredness. You are able to draw on the energy of summer to take command and manifest your desires, expressing qualities of:

• Order
• Focus
• Assertiveness

You embody this mature strength when you:

• Don’t take things personally
• Take responsibility for yourself and your actions
• Respect another’s point of view
• Simply be “the bigger person” 

Archetypal energy: Wisdom

Coming of Age and Maturation Visualisation

• Find a quiet place to sit down comfortably and close your eyes. If you choose to meditate outside, make sure to avoid sitting in direct sunlight. 
• Bring your attention to the sensations of your breath. Do not attempt to control or manipulate your breathing; simply allow it to be natural and effortless. Spend five to seven minutes focusing on your breath and settling into stillness.
• Now, imagine sitting around a crackling campfire sharing stories and knowledge with friends and family. 
• You are the confident, mature leader of your group.
• You feel safe, strong, and experienced.
• You provide support and guidance to all who need it.
• Silently repeat to yourself, “I embody the wisdom of summer. I am mature, healthy, and strong.”

3. Romance 
Summer is the season of romance. Not the short-term burst of infatuation often associated with the spring, but a deep and abiding romantic connection. Romance embodies feelings of:

• Mystery
• Excitement
• Love

These feelings may be directed toward a significant other or partner, or they may find expression in everyday life outside of a relationship. Like waves of flowers taking root in fertile soil, romance and relationships often grow deeper during the summer months. The warmth of the weather helps to warm your heart, opening you up to deeper connections and intimacy.

You enliven the romantic within when you indulge in:

• Sentimentality
• Affection
• Acts of spontaneous generosity
• Surrender to feelings
• Willingness to be vulnerable with your beloved

Archetypal energy: Love

Romance Visualisation

• Find a quiet place to sit down comfortably and close your eyes. If you choose to meditate outside, make sure to avoid sitting in direct sunlight. 
• Bring your attention to the sensations of your breath. Do not attempt to control or manipulate your breathing; simply allow it to be natural and effortless. Spend five to seven minutes focusing on your breath and settling into stillness.
• Now, visualize yourself walking hand in hand with your beloved, your summer love. 
• Feel the sensations of opening yourself up and being radically intimate with those you love.
• Share your love, attention, and affection with your partner or spouse, and allow the sweet sentiments of deep love to fill your being. 
• Repeat to yourself, “I embody the love and romance of summer. I willingly give my attention, affection, and love to the world.

4. Light
 During the summer months, daylight is abundant. The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, giving you the greatest exposure to the sun. You can stay outside longer, enjoying the additional rays of sunlight that nourish all life on earth.

With the light of summer, you can see more clearly, both physically and spiritually. Light is a symbol of both awareness and self-illumination. The light of awareness can be used to “enlighten” your stuck spots, or those places hidden in the shadows, allowing you to grow and blossom into your true self. 

You can tap into this power whenever you embrace the gifts of the sun, allowing the following qualities to shine back into the world through you:

• Warmth
• Energy
• Light

Archetypal energy: Awareness

Light Visualisation

• Find a quiet place to sit down comfortably and close your eyes.
• Bring your attention to the sensations of your breath. Do not attempt to control or manipulate your breathing; simply allow it to be natural and effortless. Spend five to seven minutes focusing on your breath and settling into stillness.
• Now, see yourself in your mind’s eye, standing in an open field of grass, face up to the sky. 
• With your eyes closed, draw in the light of the sun so that it may illuminate the deepest levels of your being. 
• Call forth the sun’s awareness to shine wakefulness and light into every aspect of your life.
• Silently repeat to yourself, “I embody the light of awareness. I am awake, enlightened.”

Summer Gayatri Prayer and Visualization
Intentionally tapping into these archetypes through meditation will help you move in the direction of your deepest desires. After you finish meditating with the archetype you chose, finish your practice with the Gayatri prayer.  

Gayatri Prayer
You, who are the source of all power,
Whose rays illuminate the whole world,
Illuminate also my heart
So that it too can do your work. 

Visualise the sun’s rays shining into your heart and then streaming back out into the world, bringing the following elements to everything and everyone they touch:

• Peace
• Harmony
• Laughter
• Love

​Allow yourself to rest in these feelings of summer for as long as is comfortable before opening your eyes and gently returning to activity.

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