li xia: the start of summer
the Chinese lunisolar calendar marks time differently than the Gregorian calendar we use in the Western hemisphere. it is a reminder that time is a construct. humans used celestial bodies to track time and mark the changing of seasons. but the seasons are ALWAYS changing. everything is ALWAYS in transition. in process. LIFE IS A HAPPENING THING. the world keeps turning and orbiting. rotating and revolving. and so temperature and light keep changing. hot playing with cold. dark playing with bright. and what we see in the sky and where we see it changes too. all of this helps us define time.
in one system, summer starts on the solstice, June 21-ish, when the sun is level with the Tropic of Cancer, reaching its highest points north. in the other system, summer starts around May 5 (called LiXia) and peaks on the solstice. but again, the “start” of summer is a construct. summer doesn’t just arrive in one day. it doesn’t show up out of nowhere on the last day of school or the day the sun is at its peak. it’s already showing up around us.
think about it. spring is the rising up. each of us being born out of winter, the act of opening the doors and windows, a big yawn and a stretch, saying hey, i’m here!!! birds insanely chirping early in the morning. peck-peck-pecking through their shells. the plants pushing through the soil, sprouting from seed, continuing that upward growth.
and eventually the flowers unfold. the ferns unfurl. petals expanding. leaves flush outward in every direction. the birds stop arguing and start playing. start flirting. THAT’s the beginning of summer. the spring is the rising up and out. the summer is the expansion, the radiating in every direction. and each plant, each animal, each person is on its own timeline with this. some of those plants sprouted and blossomed in february. that was three months ago! they are already living it UP in their summer, now. some of us are like this too. ready to spread out, gather the sunlight, relish in the warmth. ready to be with others. to dance, play, picnic, converse, laugh. and some of us aren’t there yet.
in the human life cycle, spring is birth and infancy. the big push out of the womb into the world. and the rapid growth from baby who must be tended to, held and fed to a crawler, a walker, a runner, a reacher, a grabber, a go-getter. and then, when we’ve gained enough independence, enough individuality, we are ready to play with others. we go to preschool. run around with reckless abandon and joyful chaos. that’s summer. the interacting.
each of us, in this season of the year, experience this “summerness” in our own way. and it all depends on how you autumned, and wintered, and springed.
how did you sprout in spring? did you have a good birth this year? was there enough oomph sending you out into the world? are you firmly rooted? do you have ideas and goals you are working toward? do you have enough resources to maintain your energy throughout the summer? did you save up and gather enough in winter? did you have a good harvest? did you integrate your experiences from last year so you show up in more alignment this year?
everything affects everything.
summer is about the expansion of energy beyond ourselves. out into the world. intermingling, mixing, exchanging, intersecting. like all the bees and all the pollen and all the flowers. classic summer energy. a glorious, chaotic mess. exchanging ideas, sharing stories. creating diversity and fostering compassion.
are you playing well with others? do you feel a part of? have you found relationships that fill you up? do you have hobbies and avocations that light you up?
when the Chinese talk about summer, its a movement. and within summer, there is a spring, summer, fall and winter. so here we are in the spring of summer. the wood season beginning to move into fire season. the wood ignites. sparks fly. we aren’t peak solstice bonfire yet. we are each, individually, striking our own matches, lighting our fires, and fanning our flames. preparing for the collective bonfire of peak summer.
by amanda briody