Midsummer Light, Capitalist Haze
Nature knows when to grow, when to compost, and when to sleep. Can we?
Summer Solstice is here. Midsummer’s night. (Shakespeare reference intended.) I live in the Pacific Northwest, and where we sit on this planet, the sun sets close to 9pm. I grew up in Michigan, so it is close to 9:30pm or 10pm this time of year. The days are long. And, it feels like we can accomplish anything. It’s warmer. Afternoon naps can be the best thing. With these long days and warm evenings, we are invited to pause and to reflect.
So, what is happening right now with the sun and the planets? Solstice happens twice per year. This marks the occasion when the peak of daylight arrives, or the light begins to recede. It can feel like the light just got here - midsummer after all - and now the seasons carry on. As such, this is a great time to pause, to reflect, and to breathe. I love referencing the wheel of the year here.
The Time of Light begins with Beltaine, May 1st. The Summer Solstice is in the middle of the Time of Light (midsummer), directly opposite Yule, the Winter Solstice. We may feel disconnected from this rhythm of halfway because our patriarchal, capitalistic culture rushes through the seasons. School just got out, how can it be the middle of summer? This is where our culture clashes with nature’s rhythms. The school year, about 9 months out of the year, begins just after the Time of Harvest and ends just into the Time of Light. We think we have a long break before the next “productive cycle”, and it’s really only about 8 weeks. And, nature is being productive this whole time, blooming. Our rest periods are asynchronous to nature. Meaning, we are productive all the time, but we have our biggest rest when nature is most productive. And, we rest the least when nature hibernates.
We have an obsession with maximizing everything, eking out productivity like trying to get blood out of a turnip. This is a great time to reflect on when we pause. When do we take breaks to honor the flow of nature’s rhythms? Nature blooms and dies, or composts. Bears hibernate in the winter. We’ve been productive during the rest periods; now we’ve time for fun and sun, and we’re still managing to maintain productivity. I get curious - what happens to you if you don’t have to be on all of the time?
I began to notice this when my son was in elementary school, and I noticed it around Thanksgiving. The nights were very short, and we had a long list of weekly events to attend. Likewise, in the summer, school is out, and no city I know of has childcare infrastructure for families. Meaning - there aren’t enough summer programs for families. Children used to be occupied during the day with school; now, families have to piece together support for their children while they work in the summer months.
Then there are all the swim lessons and sports for our children, and when do we go to the beach? In the name of relaxation, we continue to pile on all these extra activities.
When do we actually relax?
My son asked me the other day, “When do you take breaks?” It’s a legit question, and I didn’t have an answer for him. Research tells us we are more productive if we split up work, take breaks, and rest, and yet, how many of us actually do this?1 Even when we are in movement work, where we should theoretically know better!
This last season of light, I have been reflecting on things I am missing - lazy water time in off hours. Granted, this season has been unique, as our son graduated from high school, coinciding with a major work event (did you hear about a Day Without Child Care?). So, we had a lot to plan. And, in all that planning, all I’m craving is rest - lazy beach days, soaking up the beautiful light, reading, and playing in water.
So, I invite you to consider a few things. What are you noticing? Have you had time to pause? What is the light exposing for you?
The light is diminishing. This is a lesson for us. Soon, the colors around us will change from bright lime greens and vibrant pale blue skies to honing a more amber tone as we enter the Time of Harvest. We will have visual reminders every day to show us that nothing lasts forever, as crops are harvested and leaves fall off trees.
Nature grows, then dies. So, why do we hustle all the time, insisting that we are always on? There is a time for growth, and there is a time for death (rest). Nature has a plan for it. We could plan for it, too. But, we currently don’t, as we are stuck on the hamster wheel of late-stage capitalism. This is our invitation to write the story we want to tell. Let’s get off the hamster wheel and really consider what we are planting and harvesting.
As we move towards the Time of Harvest, consider what you are growing. Is it ripe yet? Are there things that are ready to let go, like how the leaves will soon fall off the trees? To introduce the third way, we must reconcile the idea that growth can occur at different speeds during different seasons - it doesn’t have to be constant, and it doesn’t have to be explosive. And, we must make intentional time for rest, where sometimes work just doesn’t get done, especially if there is only one person to do it.
Since we are at midsummer, let’s take a look around us at what is blooming, like the petunia basket my husband got me for Mother’s Day. This basket requires regular watering, access to sunlight, and pruning of dead blossoms to continue blooming. As you look around, write about it, ask yourself: what’s blooming in your life? What needs nurturing? What needs pruning? Where do you need to rest? What light can you honor and carry forward as the natural light diminishes? A great way to honor the seasons is simply to go outside.
Seasons remind us that nothing lasts forever. Seasons remind us that there is always something to look forward to. So, on this Summer Solstice, let us rejoice in the long, bright days we have had. Let us be intentional about welcoming in the dark.
Take my survey on values. This is a great way for us to root in the things that are important to us, so we can bring in a shared third way together.
I know - I just said, vaguely, “Research tells us,” and I am failing to provide a good footnote. I will encourage you to check out Tricia Hersey’s work on radical rest and the nap ministry.