Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Summer Solstice -- plan a PLAY DATE



The month of June celebrates Summer Solstice on the 21st.
It's the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.
The word solstice is from the Latin word "solstitium"
meaning "sun-stopping" because the point at which
the sun appears to rise and set
stops and reverses direction after that day.
  It is also symbolic of personal growth.
And a time to reflect upon the blessings
we have received in seasons past
and look toward a new growth.
Take advantage of your added energy at this point in the year.
It's a great time to start new projects
and enjoy being active.
The aura around you is bright and joyous.
Soak it up, share it around,
and keep a little stowed away for the winter.
Connecting to Mother Earth will help you feel balanced.

Summer brings visions of vacation, sunshine and fun.
So may I suggest starting a new ritual to keep
this feeling going ... a PLAY DATE.

PLAY DATE
“Always leave enough time in your life
to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous.
That has more of an effect on economic well-being
than any other single factore.”
~ Paul Hawken~
 
 Allowing ourselves time to play is like taking vitamins for your soul, nourishing and replenishing all the energy used to create your daily life of what should or needs to be done, all the that you give to yourself and others.  A cycle of out flow balanced with time out for an inflow that keeps us moving forward.

Julia Cameron talks about this in her book, THE ARTIST’S WAY(link) when she suggests to schedule an Artist’s Date to stimulate the artist within.

The idea behind establishing a weekly play date is to schedule about 2 hours and commit to using them to renew your creative process.  An excursion, pre-planned and not to be changed, cancelled or thought of as frivolous, not important but a real commitment.

This means doing something you’ve always thought about but never got around to it.  Something completely silly, not at all practical but a secret wish.  That’s the point.  It doesn’t have to cost a dime or you can make it a special splurge.  What constitutes your choices comes from what you love, so make it solely your own.  Do not choose things you “should” do, let the kid in you tell you what it wants.  Then while you’re giving the practical adult side of you a break, plan something that awakens you to your senses . . .
 The Smell of blooming roses, bread baking, incense burning, childhood smells that made you feel safe, smells that comfort you, follow the scent.  

  Sounds to lull or stimulate – make you move your body, lose yourself in it.







They say you eat with your eyes first.  Savor the sight, smell and Taste of a favorite treat, be adventurous and taste something new.  Pay attention to each mouthful, let yourself taste all the flavors . . .
a wine or tea tasting, new ethnic cuisine or comfort food to sooth your soul.  
 


Refocus your Sights on the visible, visual world around you in a new way.  Drink in the beauty.  Observe something familiar and really look at it as if for the first time, the details, color shadings, what makes it unique.
 




Touch -- to mold and shape, softness, warm, solid, strong, sleek, cooling, textured.  Connecting through Touch by knitting, bouncing a ball, preparing a meal all have a sort of rhythm that lets you get lost in the motion and touch … it becomes instinctive and allows your thoughts to wander.


 Just being in nature has a way of stimulating all the senses.    
These are all elements of magic.  You get the idea.
 The most important part of your play date is that it is for you and you alone … me, myself and I, the child, adolescent part of you should be prominent in the proceedings, forget about the clock and lose yourself in each moment and just be.  What happens is you have given yourself time to be intimate with yourself. Not everyone is comfortable with that but it is essential if you want to have a richer, deeper, more fulfilling life.  Playing opens up a conversation within you and in the middle of having fun, the most surprising, profound, miraculous thoughts and experiences are open to you.  that problem nagging you now has a solution.  You realize something needed to change, be removed or added to your life.  You gain an understanding about a relationship or you get a brilliant idea that changes everything.

There will be resistance from that critic (both the inner and outer ones) that tries to keep you in the little box.  It thinks it’s protecting you but it’s really holding you back from new, wonderful and exciting opportunities that will take your life to a whole new level.  It’s their job to keep the status quo which does not allow for growth and can keep things stagnate.  Take charge and step through that resistance and give yourself a little 2 hour adventure in the 168 hours that make a week.
So what are you waiting for?  Start planning.