Midsummer Ritual Themes & Tips

Join me for a midsummer self love pause ✨where we explore the themes of midsummer 🌻 like abundance, growth and self celebration.

I'll also share practical rituals and altar-building tips to connect with your heart chakra and embody the season's energies. This is your invitation to embrace the power of creation, release fear, and create a seasonal altar with elements like flowers, candles, and crystals.

Tune in for a transformative journey into the heart of midsummer.

Join me for the next 🖼️ Art of Ritual 🕯️

Want to connect? Find me on houseofzayas.com or Instagram

Have a question or topic request?  I love answering your burning questions and discussing what you're passionate about. Think of me as your "down to talk about anything" in-house executive coach.

Send all questions and topic requests to thehouseofzayas@gmail.com

Transcript

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Jessie Anne Zayas 0:01
Hello and welcome. This is Jesse and science with self love stories. And I'm so excited to be coming through your sound waves today to be dropping in for a beautiful mid summer season ritual. Now, you might have heard in past episodes, and if you've been following me on social or have attended any one of my workshops or events, I've been really passionate about sharing more about the seasons more about Nietzsche because it really shows us a beautiful reflection of our own lives and the ways that we can live a more full, deep, soulful, nourishing life. And for example, I've noticed that seasonally, and not literally in the season, so not, you know, literally winter times are hard for me or literally fall times are hard for me. But if we think about the essence of fall and winter, where let's just look at winter, winter is a time of rest, winter is a time of dying off. Winter is a time of letting go. The themes of winter are still challenging for me and the themes of winter, I'm still learning how to honor and cultivate in my life. And yes, we are in summer. And this is why I want to kind of bring us back into these summer moments and energies and words to really allow us to be present and to really allow us to cultivate all the juicy self love that is present to us during the summer season. But I share that note about the energetics of season because, in essence, if we can learn to connect with the seasons, while we're in it, really feel them embody them, I think that might be the most important part right there, embody them, then when we start looking at the different seasons of our life, because, you know, even though sometimes we're in summer, I even have a dear friend that's going through a winter moment right now going through a moment of loss in grief and death. And so if we can tune in to the actual energetics of the seasons that we're in, then it allows us when we are in a different season, both physically and or energetically in our life, we can find that balance, we can cultivate that balance. So this is a loving practice to connect to the summer season of your life both literally and energetically as well. And so for this series, and for today, we're going to talk specifically about the themes of mid summer because that's where we are, we're in mid summer, and it's so beautiful. So you're probably witnessing, depending on the area that you're in, or the hemisphere that you're in. I'm over here coming through your sound waves from Los Angeles so I can tell you what I'm witnessing. And that is everything in full bloom if not starting to show small little little signs of fall. And what I mean by that is the pomegranates are almost in like full fruit in the backyard. My lemon trees are almost I mean, they were at peak but I think there was call out out there lemons, but they were a abundant. I have some calm quads that are still trickling in that are fully ripe right now. And like for example, my roses in my backyard are a little like even though they're bloomed like they're a little like tattered from the sun, they've kind of been roasting up there, right? They're starting to like, we're still here, but it might be our time to disappear here soon. And so I'm starting to witness the changing of Belize a little bit again, that sun that's been really coming through in that in this beautiful summer abundance time. So take note of what this season looks like to you right now. Go for a walk outside today. Go witness what nature looks like and maybe sit with, have you seen it change? Are you witnessing it change and come back to it next week and the week after it's so beautiful and important for us to tune into the rhythms of nature because they remind us how important it is for us to tune in to our own natural rhythms and where we are at and not to force ourselves to be in full bloom when we really need some rest or we really need some alone time even. So all that to say Go experience this mid summer, go experience it, go witness it, go feel it. And if you all are curious about what exactly is midsummer or where does this hit in the calendar year, we usually say mid summer is around July 23 through August 20 seconds. So this is going to be a nice like, roughly four week period that we can kind of play with and be in this mid summer season, this true sacred season for abundance, because that's what we're witnessing right now. So if you're going to your farmers markets, you're probably getting an overflow of all the beautiful fruits and vegetables and flowers that were in season. So go experience it and go take up those last few weeks of midsummer, because we're definitely going to be in for a change after August 22. A few things to also note for this mid summer season is we have two important moon cycles. We have a Leo New Moon that's happening Sunday, August 4, I will be sharing a podcast episode that goes into a little bit more detail on how to work with that new moon, the energies of that new moon. But as a reminder, we are actually in Leo season right now, which I'll share a little bit more about that. So we got that Leo, New Moon on August 4 on Sunday. And then we also have a full moon in Aquarius happening August 19, which I will also share more in detail around that. But the reason I mentioned this during our midsummer season update slash ritual is because I would love for you to lovingly note those on your calendar, go ahead and put them into your calendar now. So that you can have a reminder in place to either do some kind of ritual journaling, just even taking a moment of silence with the new moon and with the full moon and seeing maybe what comes up from that silence. That's always beautiful just to sit in silence and ask mind Hey, mind, can you step away for a moment and just see what comes up and body. Also, we have some beautiful reflections for this mid summer season two, it's a beautiful time to reflect on what you're most grateful for in your life. You know, taking stock, what are you most grateful for in life. Also, if you did anything around the spring equinox, for example, if you made any intentions if you set any goals for yourself. And if any of you need a loving reminder on one that spring equinox was that was kind of around end of March timeframe. So think about yourself Where were you the end of March? What were you doing? What were you thinking? What were you experiencing? What scenes were you starting to plant in March that might have flowered by them might have bloomed by now. And so think back in March, just take a moment the at that end of March, maybe look at past journal promises again, why I love journaling at least once a day or just as frequently as I can. Because that allows me to flip through back and go back in time. And to see where was i Where was my mind at what was experiencing what was I feeling what was I literally creating, even seeing TAS listen to do lists are so are such a portal into that moment in time. And the reason why we want to look back and that spring equinox is as I just mentioned, with this mid summer we're at like peak abundance. So peak flowering, peak, Bloom, peak fruiting Ray, all the fruits and the berries are appearing. So what has been fruitful in your life since March the end of March? What has maybe flowered or bloom since then. And can you be grateful for that? Just take a moment to witness that. And take another moment to really sit with the gratefulness and graciousness of it as well. And so if we can combine those energies of both the spring and the summer, in, see look at look at where you were, you know in that end of March timeframe, and look at where you're you're now right so where you're at now, which depend Hang on, when you're listening to this right you, you could be listening it to this mid summer time. And so we had April, we had May, we had June. And now we're in July, almost four months later. And we're witnessing what we were planting in March, what might have been a thought, a dream, an inkling, an idea, a thought, an intention, a goal. So just take a moment and take stock of that, and see what comes up for you in terms of that spring season. And now where you're at in mid summer, what has bloomed what has grown, what has taken some fruit. And I also want to lovingly remind us, if it's if this is a challenge for some of us, if this is bringing up some, oh, I set all these intentions, and I didn't do any of them. Just think ego, thank you, ego, I hear you, I see that you've entered the chat, it's totally fine, totally fine. And I wonder if there were other things, maybe unintentional things that you ended up growing, maybe courage, maybe bravery, maybe vulnerability, maybe grace, peace, love, understanding, clarity, connection to intuition. So just take No, it doesn't have to be the thing that you actually thought you were going to do. But maybe there was a byproduct of something that was able to grow during this time. And just a loving reminder, we are in constant growth, we are in constant movement. So don't allow ego to tell you, you didn't do anything you did so much. And you created so much. And it's this time of year for you to take note of that and to take stock of that. So just take a moment, really take note of that. And give yourself a big hug, like literally hug hifi, whatever, whatever comes to you. But seriously, like witness yourself, if that's even some mirror work, which I love doing too is sitting in front of a mirror and saying all this out loud to yourself witnessing yourself literally is such beautiful work. So whatever comes to you in a way of how you want to witness yourself in these things that you've grown in these past four months, and what you really want to take note take stock of and give such loving gratitude and graciousness to him. And just a loving reminder, you know, I consider myself this, I consider a lot of my clients this, you know, as some of y'all might know, you know, part of my life was one in corporate America and being an executive in corporate America. into that point, I was around a lot of high achievers, a lot of ambition, a lot of ambitious and highly successful people. And one of the common themes that I realized is that across the board, and this isn't just corporate, but just something I witnessed even, you know, through people that quote unquote, had everything or accomplished so much was that one thing we don't do enough as humans is celebrate ourselves, celebrate ourselves, celebrate our achievements, and to really take take stock of it. And I keep on saying take stock of it. What does that mean? Taking stock means to really embrace to really sit with to really consume to really embody what just transpired, what just went up and just what just went on? What just happened? What just got created, like really taking note of it. And so, some journal prompts for this kind of sacred pause during the mid summer could be, you know, what are you celebrating? What are you celebrating? Maybe what has been your greatest achievement this year. In your life so far. Maybe take a moment to celebrate you. List amazing things about yourself. What you're good at what you love the most about you what only you can offer to this beautiful world just by being here. So you can think those through you can journal those write those down, but that is part Part of this, you know, living in alignment with the seasons is to take these moments of pause, to ask ourselves in theme with the season, which again, this mid summer season is about abundance, about growth, about what we were able to create through these past few months through the spring. And now we're here in this mid summer, being able to look at those seeds that we planted and witness them, looking at the leaves, looking at the flowers, looking at how the growth went. And then this is where I want you to bring into some discernment, it is totally okay, if it didn't go the way that you wanted it to go or the way that you planned. What are some things that you could have done to maybe shift, change move, maybe there's more things you wanted to call in these past four months, maybe there's things you wanted to let go of, and these past four months, so for example, it could be calling in more ease and more flow, and more spontaneity, right. Or in the summer of spontaneity, it's so beautiful. Or it could be you know, things that you're releasing stress, anxiety, fear, lack of confidence. You know, it's, it's, maybe when you're witnessing these past four months, like, I really didn't need all that fear, I didn't need that anxiety. Now that I'm able, now that I have the gift of seeing into the future, and being here witnessing it, because now this is my present, I can see maybe that fear or maybe that anxiousness didn't serve me in the best ways. And so maybe could this be a time, you know, a sacred pause, where I could also release some of that anxiety release some of that fear, so I don't bring it along with me to the end of summer and into fall. So it could be just that, what do you want to cultivate more of what do you want to release in the season. And I wouldn't be, you know, doing what I do, if I didn't send and share some things that you can do from a ritual perspective. So one of the most powerful things about the season we are kind of in the Cubs of Leo season. So there's a lot about connecting with your heart and connecting with your heart chakra. So for example, what I love to do with the seasons is to create an altar and an altar themed around the different themes and energies of the season. So if we're thinking about midsummer and we're thinking about abundance, and we're thinking about kind of the energies that we're working with, which is celebration, being grateful, you know, really feeling in abundance embodying abundance, embodying the power that comes from creation, because again, you created everything that you have up until this moment, right, this is you, you are the sole creator of your life, I would definitely look at different things that align with that. So for example, when we can look at your altar, let's think about the different elements. So let's try to hit you know, all of them earth, air, water, and fire. So for one, you can even work with the earth element by bringing in some flowers to your altar. So one flower I love to work with during this time is sunflowers. I think sunflowers are just a beautiful representation of abundance. They're a beautiful representation of summer and the full peak of the sun and also create creativity, lifeforce. Happiness, joy. So love bringing in sunflower into the altar during this time, I also love so that's kind of our earth right that we can work with. I also love to work with candles as well. So in the morning, I love to wake up walk to my altar, you know, say hello to everybody. Say hello to my angels, my ancestors, my spirit guides my highest self. So when I say thank you, and when I'm waking up in the morning actually light a candle on my altar, to really set the intention not only for the day, but the energies that I'm wanting to cultivate. So you can also bring in this fire element into your altar either through candle and through doing something similar right as lighting it to set an intention or lighting it to you know, cultivate the energies that you want to be holding on for the day. And or another way that we can kind of symbolically work with fire is the connection to crystals to so one crystal I love working with during the season is Sunstone Sunstone literally. Oh my goodness, it's just beautiful. If you haven't seen Sunstone definitely look it up. But I mean you literally look like you have the sun in your hand and to that point. It is this very fiery stone. It is great for harnessing the power of the sun, and it will absolutely bring in positive energy power confidence light into your life. So you can put that symbolically on your altar to to not only connect with the earth element, but also the fire element. Air I love actually working with through breath work. What do I mean by that? So when we are setting intentions or maybe working with an altar or doing a daily ritual, so what I love using altars for our one symbolic representation in my home of the season to cultivate presence and to remind me where I am at energetically and also seasonally, right, because even in our homes, we can kind of get lost to what's going out outside of us. And especially if, you know, some of our nervous systems are out of whack or there's moments of you know, hermit phase, which is absolutely natural and totally needed. This altar is kind of my little glimpse into the outside world into the rhythms of nature. So that altar is symbolically showing me, this is what's going on in our ether all around us. And so then to that point, I love to then work with that altar every day as intention setting, as you know, daily devotional. You know, like, like I mentioned in the morning, I love to wake up and it's almost like a it's like a prayer for lack of a, you know, another expression at this moment. I use prayer, you know, cautiously because I know, you know, a lot of us have maybe had some disempowering relationships with religion and if prayer was part of it, sometimes prayer can be a little bit of a little team big T triggering word for some of us, which is totally okay. So that's why I just want to open up the space of prayer is not the word for you. That is totally fine. Prayer is just the best word that I can come up with at this moment in time to kind of express and share this sacred deep devotional practice that I have in the morning with my altar just to say things and give things to my existence to me. So being on this earth right to waking up another morning to waking up another day. And then with this other day, and with this other morning, what do I want to bring in this world? What do I want to bring in this lifetime? What do I want to bring to my life? Right? How, how can I create more meaning in my life? How can I create more intentionality in my life. So I love working with the altar again, that presents that moment to bring me back into what's happening in the collective space, and as a sacred tool for me to connect with my own intuition to connect with my own internal knowing compass, so on and so forth, to really ground me throughout the day. So going back to how I love to use breath work for air, during my morning ritual part of my morning practice, is actually connecting with my intuition. And I do that by doing seven rounds of deep inhale, and a deep exhale. So inhale through nose, and then deep exhale through mouth. And I do seven rounds of this to tap me and, and then I asked some questions to really help connect me to my intuition. So for example, when I started off in this journey, it was simple questions of what does a yes feel like in my body? What does a no feel like in my body? And as I've, you know, gone through my journey and tap More into my intuition. Now I love to ask specific questions and really feel into my body, what's going on, and I use that altar. As an anchor piece, I use that altar as a source of power and connection to all the energies around me, right, all these natural elements. So I love using my own breath, Asad, air element within that practice, and then we have water. Another beautiful way that I love to kind of play with this ritual and also play with my altar in this way, is I love to fill up the class of water at the beginning. And so at the end of my devotional time, at the end of my ritual, I end up consuming that water and I really think about even consuming those intentions that I said, consuming those energies that I said, consuming maybe for example, if I was calling in more courage or more love, or more grace, right, I'm really feeling that as I'm drinking the water. And so those are some ways that you can really incorporate the four elements into this. And my biggest invitation all this is do what feels good to you and do and incorporate what you feel called to incorporate right like don't feel like you have to, you know, go buy a bunch of tools and go buy a bunch of crystals and so on and so forth. Like literally even think about your jewelry box, even think about the different charms that you have around your home. I also want to give a loving invitation on your altar to actually put some things that represent abundance. In your life, like what did you create? What have you created? What abundance is in your life? And are there pictures, mementos, anything that could represent that for you on your altar to remind you, and again, this is midsummer, at this is the energy. So we're just having some fun with this energy and finding ways and symbols, deep symbolism that connects us to that energy. So that is my I'm trying to think of anything else I want to leave you with. But I think that I was trying to make this short and sweet. Sorry, if I talked a little too fast. I'll definitely make note of that for next time. But I wanted to keep this under 30 minutes. And I wanted to give you just a little taste of the themes of midsummer I wanted to remind you of the importance of living in rhythm with the seasons and how you know us connecting with the season at this time really helps us so for example, if there's a moment of midsummer even in winter for us, we can feel back into this abundance we can feel back into this creative lifeforce sun energy that is here for us all the time. It really is. So we're just practicing being in this moment and really feeling into this. So whenever we need it, we always can call it back into our lives. So have fun creating your altar have fun doing some ritual for yourself or this midsummer as a loving reminder the first is about to be here so get your cinnamon out and again another abundance are essential and cinnamon being that fire spice to right goes into the energy with all of this I remember to blow your cinnamon in through your door on the first to welcome in abundance prosperity unlock for the whole month and I will be coming back into your ears right before the new moon in leo on the fourth and the full moon on the night team. So sending you all so much love and joy this mid summer time. And happy Leo season.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai