Finding The River by Sally Topham

Chapter 15

Fire and Abundance

Our ancestors heralded the coming of summer by celebrating the fire festival of Beltane. These festivities were performed in honour of Bel, the Celtic god of light, and took place in the middle of spring when the sun was midpoint in the sky, halfway between the date of the Vernal Equinox (around March 21st) and the Summer Solstice (around June 21st). Fire played an important part in ancient summer rituals because of its kinship to the sun and its symbolism of purification. So at Beltane, bonfires were built to cleanse and rejuvenate the land and its people, and rituals were performed to ensure the sun’s life-giving beams would continue to shine down and encourage the fertility of the earth.

Summer

The ancient Celts understood that the sun was crucial for the continuation of life. It melted the ice and brought fresh water gushing forth. It warmed the soil, energised the seeds, ripened the produce and provided them with the food they needed to survive through the coming months. Anticipation was high in expectation of the abundance that summer would bring.

These days, we look forward to the growing heat of the sun for different reasons. Summer conjures thoughts of al fresco dining, of outdoor activities like swimming, surfing, sailing and sunbathing, of holidays and cool drinks by the pool and gentle breezes on warm summer nights. Nowadays we celebrate summer as a season of relaxation and play and we spend more time outdoors during both the day and the night than at any other time of the year.

Exercise 43 is a lovely EmoTrance exercise to help you open up to the energising and healing vibrations of Nature and the Earth at the beginning and end of each day.

Exercise 43: Greeting the Day, Greeting the Night

Greeting the Day

Go outside (if you can) as soon as possible after waking. You don’t have to be in nature. You can stand outside in the street, or just stick your head out of a window if needs be. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining or whether the sun is out or not. Just get yourself outside.

Now, take a big breath in and say,

“Day, I greet you!”

Hold in your mind the intention of opening yourself up to the qualities of the day, knowing that you’re feeling the unique energies of Nature. Allow yourself to receive these energies into your subtle energy system and to move through you.

Be mindful of any physical responses you may have as you’re doing this. Be aware of any emotions arising. If anything comes up for you, notice where you feel it in your body. Place your hands there and stroke and soften the area. Keep doing this until your feelings of discomfort or any sense of rejecting the day have dissipated. Imagine the energy of day moving through you like a river and allow it to flow right through you and out again. Keep allowing this for as long as you like.

Repeat the words: “Day I greet you!” and stay with this openness for a moment or two longer, thanking the day for the lessons and special energies you’ve received. Then go back into your home and continue with your daily life.

Greeting the Night

Go outside once night has fallen. Breathe in its atmosphere and allow that to help you become more centred and still inside.

Now take a big breath and say,

“Night, I greet you!”

Notice any areas where this makes you feel uncomfortable. Put your hands on this place and soften and flow the energy until it runs smoothly. Be particularly aware of any stuck energies which may have accumulated during the day. As the night flows through you, allow it to wash away tension and stress until any discomfort has dissolved. Let the night take away whatever you no longer need and absorb it into itself.

Thank the night very sincerely for its help and assistance and any lessons it may have given you, then return indoors and continue with your evening activities.

Absorbing the energies of the day and night in this way is very healing, soothing, balancing and energizing. You may notice after doing this even just a few times, that your ability to drink in the day and release whatever energies you don’t want or need to the night is easier and that your own energy is feeling clearer. If you can do this exercise every day for a week, you’ll really start noticing the difference, and be much more in tune with the wonderful, supportive energies of Nature!

Exercise 43 is an EmoTrance exercise by Silvia Hartmann.

Summer Energies

In summer we tend to focus a great deal on the sun and there are two aspects to its power. On the one hand, there are the positive qualities—purification, cleansing, revitalising and energizing. And on the other hand, there are all the destructive qualities—the fierce heat that cause the rivers to dry, the earth to become parched and barren and the brittle grasses to become vulnerable to bush and forest fires. And let’s not forget that with the increase in global warming, we also have to face the dangers of the sun’s rays to our skin.

So how can we tune into this paradox and use it to help ourselves?

Well, naturally we need to look at it from an energetic point of view! In the Five Element System of Chinese Medicine, the element of fire equates with the sun and characterises summer. Fire is associated with certain “fiery” qualities like creativity, intuition and enthusiasm, as well as with the emotions of joy and sadness. Fire also governs the heart and the small intestine as well as the Circulation–Sex Meridian (which protects the heart) and the Triple Warmer Meridian (which governs our flight or fight responses.)

We can therefore see that this element powerfully affects not only our main life support system (the heart), but also our digestion. And from an energetic level, we can interpret the word “digestion” to mean how we deal with our feelings and emotions, how we cope with the words, actions and deeds of others, and how we manage successes and setbacks. Any degree of discomfort around these issues can be seen as an energetic form of indigestion that will affect us whether we’re conscious of it or not. It’s likely to manifest in emotions like anger, hurt, resentment and frustration, etc. Add this to the widespread 21st century malaise of stress, and we can see that the fire element literally sparks off all manner of responses, from encouraging a healthy vitality, intellect and creativity, to causing us to overwork, become performance-driven and deeply stressed.

Stress Signals

Bearing all this in mind, one of the first things the arrival of summer can remind you to do is to check out where you are with your stress levels! You’ve seen from previous chapters how detrimental stress can be in terms of our health and well-being and how we need to be constantly alert to it creeping up on us. If we don’t keep an eye on it and try to nip any symptoms in the bud, it can lead to burn-out and exhaustion as well as health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease.

Here’s a short list of some of the warning signs of stress to watch out for:

• Your concentration is poor and you tend not to think straight.

• Your body is seized up with tension especially across the shoulders and neck.

• You may suffer from stomach upsets.

• You don’t sleep well or you can’t sleep.

• You’re in a constant state of nervousness.

Below is a reminder of some of the things you’ve already learnt about in this book and a few extra suggestions which can help you to either avoid or alleviate stress:

Have a look back at Exercise 10: Natural Pacing and Relaxation, Exercise 11: Basic Pacing, and Exercise 12: The Power Nap to try some of the pacing techniques.

• Laughter is amazing medicine. It relaxes you, helps you to come out of yourself and be more spontaneous, boosts the immune system and triggers endorphins. Actively seek out entertainment which makes you laugh; e.g., funny films, TV shows or books. Laughter is a wonderful antidote to stress and can help you to lighten up.

• Re-read Chapter 6 and think about setting up a meditation practise if you haven’t already done so. Try Exercise 16: Walking Meditation, the Walking Meditation, if you find it hard to sit still with the eyes closed.

• A good phrase to write out and stick up on your wall somewhere as a reminder not to wind yourself up is: Worry is like a rocking chair—it keeps you occupied but it doesn’t get you anywhere!

• Seek professional help if you need it.

Burnout Signs

Lots of people think that “burnout” is just another name for being stressed, but it’s not, and it’s important to understand the difference between the two syndromes. First of all, people who are suffering from stress usually know that they’re under too much pressure mentally, physically and emotionally and they’re able to acknowledge this, even if they don’t do anything about it! However, people suffering from burnout tend not to know when it’s happening. This is because they’re typically too overcome with feeling as though they’re being buried under a mountain of difficulty, struggle and increasing helplessness and hopelessness.

Warning signs of burnout

• Every day there’s always too much to do.

• No time to wind down or relax properly.

• Your immune system is weakened and you’re constantly getting viruses, fighting off bugs or feeling below par.

• You’re filled with self doubt and a sense of failure.

• You’re feeling tired or drained most of the time.

• You’re suffering from frequent muscle and backaches as well as headaches.

• You feel empty and devoid of motivation.

• Everything feels like a waste of time.

• You feel overwhelmed, overloaded and depressed.

If preventative action is taken when still in the “stressed” mode, this should help you to avoid burnout. Once in burnout, however, the first thing to do is to be able to accept that you’re there and decide to do something about it.

An obvious first resource would be to try EFT, using the Basic Recipe as explained in Chapter 13.

You could also add in any or all of the following:

• Use Exercise 2: Creating a Safe Place Within Yourself, Creating a Safe Place, and go to sleep in it.

• Try the Blue Mist exercise (Exercise 13: The Blue Mist).

• Build some regular exercise into your weekly schedule, like going to a Yoga or Tai Chi Class, that will also help you relax and centre yourself. This kind of exercise will also help you to sleep better.

• Book yourself some massage or, better still, some Reiki sessions to give you some deep energy healing. At some point, you might like to consider learning the first level of Reiki and then you’ll be able to give yourself regular self-healing at any time or place.

• If it all feels too much, seek help and support from a professional therapist.

Of course, stress isn’t something that happens only in the summer. It can happen at any time of the year. There’s no use relying on holidays to get you out of stress. That’s just a temporary solution. If you’re prone to stress, you need to keep a watchful eye on it and work consistently with techniques which help you to relax and find greater peace of mind. And summer is a great time of year to do some maintenance work!

Loving Oneself

The element of fire also relates to sexual energy and creative potential. This chimes harmoniously with old traditions linking Midsummer with passion, love and romance. The June moon became known as the Honey Moon because of the proliferation of honey in the hives, and June has long been well known as a popular month for weddings.

So if summer is stirring your sexual passion and you find yourself wishing to attract a new partner into your life, the first thing to do is to take a good, long look at how you feel about yourself. Why? Because the most important relationship you’ll ever have with anyone is with yourself!

Remember: thoughts are energy, so if you don’t like yourself in some way or another, you’re sending out negative vibrations which can put people off on a very subtle level. Think of what the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are doing to you if you’re constantly criticising yourself.

Feeling good about yourself makes you very attractive to others!

It’s really important to be aware of any critical, judgemental, or uncaring feelings towards yourself. If you have a negative attitude you’re not only cutting yourself off from your connection to your own vital energy but also to the energies around you. You’re blocking the flow of the Chi! When you do that, you’re creating difficulties for yourself on both an inner and outer level.

Learning to apply love, care and nurture towards yourself is vital for your well-being. Developing love and compassion towards yourself is part and parcel of finding the path that leads to a healthy relationship. As Rumi, the great 13th century Persian poet and mystic, said, “Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself which you have built against it.”

The books by Louise Hay are a wonderful first resource for starting to look at oneself in a more loving and understanding manner. Many, many books have been written on the problems arising about our relationships with ourselves and others, and I’ve included some authors and titles in the Further Information and Suggested Reading section at the back of the book. In addition, I highly recommend Sandra Hilawi’s EmoTrance workbook on healing and transforming your love life.

The Growth of Summer

There’s a lot of flowering and flourishing going on as the sun grows stronger, and it’s important to see how we’re ripening and blossoming along with everything else. Summer is the time when we can start to see the fruits of the seeds we planted back in the Spring.

Exercise 44 will help you determine how your inner “garden” is coming along?

Exercise 44: Counting the Buds and the Blossoms

Take a look at what personal seeds you planted in the Spring.

• Are there any which haven’t yet sprouted green shoots and shown their heads above the soil?

• What seeds are growing strongly?

• What seeds need some added TLC to help them on their way?

• What seeds are providing you with new views and attitudes?

• Which ones are bringing about fresh ideas and opportunities?

Make a list of everything you can see that is now growing—even those things which may have grown only a little.

By keeping an eye on what’s beginning to flourish you start to become more aware of what’s happening within you so little by little your growth becomes more conscious.

Don’t start beating yourself up about things which haven’t sprouted. You’re in the process of making changes within yourself and you can’t do everything at once.

Where we fall by the wayside with one thing we may be establishing something very positive and beneficial in another.

Give yourself some appreciation for what you’ve done. If you can see that some bad habits are creeping back or growing of their own accord, you can do a bit of weeding!

You’ve got plenty of aids and techniques to choose from now.

Ask yourself: what could I do to help me with (whatever)?

And then do it

Helpful Things to Do in Summer

Do pleasurable things: Go back to Exercise 6: Working with the Best Things in Your Life, Working with the Best Things in Your Life. Remind yourself about which things were really enjoyable and easily done and make a promise to yourself to do at least one of these every week.

Get some fresh air and sunlight each day: Even if the sun isn’t shining, you can still benefit from the light that will help to energise the mind. The fresh air will also clear the cobwebs and be better for your breathing.

Spend time with children if possible: This is a great way of loosening up and re-discovering your own sense of play and spontaneity. Children have so much energy and are able to thrill to simple things like running around on the grass barefoot, building sand castles on the beach, or creating games. Join in the fun and make contact with the child that still lives within you.

Do some Journaling: If you haven’t already started keeping a journal, try to make summer the time to start. It’s a wonderful way of becoming more aware of the growing that’s taking place within. With every encounter and experience, with every thought, with every understanding, we grow. The more we gain a sense of clarity about what’s happening to us, and where we are, the better we can see what we can do to help ourselves to find our personal rivers.

Abundance Thinking

Summer is a time of in-your-face abundance as nature bursts into a riot of vegetation and colour. We can sense abundance on an inner level, too. This feeling arises when you’re flowing and growing without any sense of struggle or effort to make it happen. We experience abundance when we have a deep feeling of stillness or when we feel the fullness of an expansive heart. We feel abundance when we’re at peace and wanting nothing.

You see, abundance doesn’t have to be about riches or wealth or possessions. It can often come most powerfully from the really simple things in life—most of which cost you absolutely nothing to have! That holiday feeling of time off from the grind of work can give you a sense of abundance, as can lying by the sea listening to the waves lapping at the shore. It can come from the warmth and love of being amongst good, dear friends or family, from receiving a sudden and unexpected smile, from being with your lover, or hearing the rain lashing against the window whilst you lie in bed, safe and warm and secure.

We live in an abundant Universe. The Earth, Nature, and the Cosmos are all filled with beautiful, benevolent wave fields. Tuning into them generates a sense of peace, calm, wonder and awe. And when we experience this feeling it’s because we’re 100% present in the moment. We’re not worrying about the future or the past. We’re just being present with what’s happening and where we are right now. We are being, not doing. Someone once said it was good to remember that we’re human beings not human doings! Present moment awareness is the best state to be in, because it keeps us in the now and makes us feel more grounded and centred.

It’s really important to acknowledge where we find abundance in every area of our lives and to develop a sense of gratitude for what we have instead of only dwelling on what we don’t have. This will remind you of the positive things in life, and by placing your focus in this direction, you’re more likely to attract further good things. This is what the Law of Attraction is all about. Basically, it’s saying that because we’re electro-magnetic creatures, we naturally attract things to us according to the vibrations we exude. “You are the creator of your own experience whether you know that you are or not. Your life experience is unfolding in precise response to the vibrations which radiate as a result of your thoughts, whether you know that it is or not.” (From Ask and It is Given, by Esther and Jerry Hicks).

The mind is very powerful. Remember: as we think, so we create. Therefore, if you spend most of your time focussing on the negative, criticising and judging yourself and others, constantly imagining worst case scenarios, always believing or expecting the worst of people—guess what? You’ll attract even more of those things into your life! Thoughts are magnetic. So watch your thoughts! Start becoming aware of how many times each day negativity is running through your mind and actively seek to change that by replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

Developing an attitude of gratitude for all the things you have rather than focussing on all the things you lack is the best way of fostering abundance in your life. So start training yourself to say thank you for everything. Yes, everything! Open yourself up to the possibility of understanding that all things and situations—even the most difficult ones—can be learning situations and be grateful for that. Remember, there’s always a purpose to a problem or an obstacle if you look for it. If you start thinking in this way, you can change your attitude towards challenges and setbacks and this automatically helps you to see them in a different light. You can then begin to deal with them in more skilful ways. Train yourself out of dreaming up negative scenarios! Think positively and you can change your whole world. (There’s loads of information on the subject of abundance in the Further Information and Suggested Reading section at the back of the book.)

Celebrate Summer

Summer’s a great time for celebrating your achievements and successes and the best occasion to do this is on the day of the Summer Solstice.

What is the Summer Solstice?

Well, during the spring and summer months the noonday sun, quite visibly, has been climbing higher and higher in the sky on each successive day. But there comes a point, on or around June 21st, when it moves imperceptibly and gives the impression of standing still in the sky. This is the day of the Summer Solstice that causes the longest day and the shortest night of the year. (The word solstice comes from two Latin words: sol, which means sun, and sistere, which means to stand still.) After the Summer Solstice, the sun immediately begins to wane. The journey towards autumn and harvest has begun and the days will slowly begin to shorten.

The Festival of Midsummer is another Fire Festival. It represents a high point of the year and a time when a great deal of powerful energy is all around us. Many ancient buildings were aligned to the exact spot where the sun rises on the day of the Summer Solstice (the main entrance at Stonehenge is a good example of this). This was done in order to catch some of the sun’s power and fill places of worship with its energy. Traditionally celebrations on this day included the kindling of fires from the wood of oak and fir and throwing herbs into the flames. The herbs were purifying and reviving and said to drive away disease. People would feast and dance and jump over the flames of the fire for luck and fertility.

If you’d like to celebrate the Summer Solstice in your own way, Exercise 45 can serve as an example of how to do this. (Feel free to add in your own ideas about what this ritual should include.) You can, of course, celebrate it on your own, but it’s always more fun—if you’ve got some like-minded friends—to throw a Summer Solstice party and invite them to join in with the ritual. You could ask everyone to bring some food and something to drink so that all present will have contributed to the celebration.

Exercise 45: Summer Solstice—Celebrating Your Achievements

Check the date of the Summer Solstice as it varies from year to year

The night before, (Midsummer’s Eve) spend some time making a list of all your achievements this year, no matter how big or how small. Write them on a clean piece of paper, roll it up into a scroll and tie it with a ribbon or a piece of string. If you’re planning on a party, suggest to your friends who are coming that they do the same and bring their scrolls with them. Make it clear that the lists are private and don’t have to be read out—unless someone particularly wants to do so.

Make an altar and this time spread it with some yellow fabric—if you have it—for yellow is the colour of summer. Add flowers and candles and any other things which have meaning for you.

If you’ve got friends coming, ask them all to bring a candle or two in holders as well. These can be placed on the altar and other (safe) areas in the room so that when it comes to lighting them all, you’ve literally got a bank of candles burning which will look wonderful and symbolise the power of the sun.

If you have a garden, gather some flowers from there and weave them into a summer wreath. You can easily make this by bending a wire coat hanger into a circle and then winding some ivy around it to give a base through which you can weave in some flowers and herbs. If you don’t have a garden, don’t worry. A vase of flowers will do. Ask your friends if they would like to bring flowers and wreaths as well. Explain that flowers gathered from their own gardens, or picked from hedgerows and nature can be used symbolically to represent personal achievements and successes.

Set out the food and drink ready for the feasting afterwards and maybe put on some joyful music.

Place your wreath or flowers on your altar as well as your scroll of achievements. Invite any friends who are coming to do the same as and when they arrive.

When you’re ready to start, light the candles and as you do so, think about your achievements and give yourself some appreciation for your efforts.

Then find a place to sit down quietly and start meditating on abundance. Bring to mind all the things which help you to feel this way and let those feelings fill you to the brim.

After about 15 to 20 minutes, gently come out of the meditation. Place a fireproof bowl on the floor in the centre of the room together with a jug of water and one of the candles. Take your scroll of achievements and ceremoniously burn it, allowing it to turn to ashes in the fireproof bowl. (The jug of water is there to act as a fire extinguisher in case you need it!) Invite your friends to do the same if you’ve got some people with you.

You could throw some lavender or verbena into the bowl as the scrolls burn to symbolise purification and revitalisation. Later you could scatter the ashes outside your home or in your garden to evoke powers of protection and good fortune.

Afterwards, pour out a drink and toast the Summer. Then get into the music and start dancing. Enjoy the movement of your body as you swing and sway. Clap your hands, swing your arms, shake your head and flex your feet. Dancing moves your energies and opens up the channels. It’s endorphinating and it’s very beneficial!

Enjoy the party!

If we can reach out to nature and feel its vibrancy, we can strengthen and harmonise our energy systems so that we can function at more optimum levels, open our hearts to the all the summer vibrations and allow them to help us in whatever ways we need.

Above all, remember that summer is a celebration of life!

Appreciate your gifts

Celebrate your Achievements

And bless the Earth