The keyword for the month of August is Trust
Who Then?, Drozda (C), Acrylic/paper, 12 x14″
The first of August is the halfway-through-summer mark. With six weeks remaining before the inward turn at Fall Equinox we might ask:
‘What would I like to have come of this?
‘What would love do now?’
Spring and summer are six months of the year to be engaged in the masculine-assertive-flow of doing. We are active. We are engaged. There is a tendency to see how much and in what direction we might be growing. As Creatives, we want to be Growing UP^.
We might ask,
‘Do I trust myself?’
‘Do I trust those that are closest to me?’
‘Am I trustworthy?’
We can imagine that for the 31 days of August we are capable of devoting 15 minutes a day to the topic of ‘Do I Trust Me?’ We enter into this as creative territory. We come into the four weeks aware that first and foremost we want to re-establish a deep trust in our choices. We release the need to be judgmental regarding what got us here and instead write a letter to our Future Self describing where we imagine heading. We do well to imagine heading toward what we want rather than getting caught in a loop of what we don’t want.
Trusting the art/life requires uncommon courage
Trusting can be tricky-sticky terrain. However, having been around the block a few times, you now have evidence of what it looks like, feels like, and sounds like when the art/life is moving in the direction of your fondest dream. You also can sense into the times that have been a miss without needing to circle back to fix anything. There is nothing to fix. You/we are not broken. The month of August/Trust supports your capacity to renew a commitment and to set an intention to move ahead. August can be sticky and yet we make a promise to ourselves not to get stuck.
A recent news story shows a morning jogger who helps release a doe that has gotten caught in a fence: TWICE: Don’t get stuck.
I Run With the Reindeer, Drozda (C), watercolor/Arches, 18 x 24″
“Here’s what I’ve learned about creativity from the world of wholehearted living and loving:
1. “I’m not very creative” doesn’t work. There’s no such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don’t. Unused creativity isn’t benign. It lives within us until it’s expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear.
2. The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity.
3. If we want to make meaning, we need to make art. Cook, write, draw, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing – it doesn’t matter. As long as we’re creating, we’re cultivating meaning.”
~Brené Brown
The circadian rhythm of the natural year brings the opportunity to consider new-renewed ideas and creative options. The beauty is that each time we approach this cross-quarter day, each time we reach mid-summer, we are different than we were a year ago. Here is a link to a look-back post from 2016.
August is the natural time to consider all the ways that increase your ability to Trust life and also to take a leap of faith and trust that you can do your level best to make choices and to express the best of your true nature. You can renew your relationship with yourself recognizing that you are truly, deeply, trustworthy.
We had our last session of the four-week-long online Explore Your Greening Force Summer Camp this week. It’s a stretch to learn new technology yet fun to see the results. Here is a slide with a glimpse of the new online format:
The summer moon/months are a natural time to create a growing relationship with trust as we find new ways to love the journey onward toward the Manifest-station.
Our motto for all of the ‘It’s About Time’ series is ‘We Grow Together.’ Join us in the next session of:
Stay tuned for upcoming details and leave a comment. What’s a word that describes your summer adventure?
Lookin’ UP^
Iona
