A Summer Ceremony

Celebrating summer seems fitting here in southern Ontario where our two months of summer stand out in welcome contrast to our many months of winter.

That was certainly the case early one evening when a small group of people gathered in a grassy area to express aloud our intention to be present to summer and experience it to the fullest.

As we moved around the circle together, we created a ‘walking poem’ by casting rose petals and calling out words and phrases describing first the sound, then the touch, sight and smell of summer.….”the hum of cicadas, juicy watermelon, glowing fireflies, cool water…”

There was laughter and an occasional “ah…yes” in agreement as our words popped out, some of them overlapping creating a cadence of connection.

The deep listening during our time spent in ceremony served as an anchor and over the next few weeks the memory of it will add wings to our intention.

It was delightful to come together in community for such a simple celebration!

In closing I offer to you this poem by Mary Oliver. Imagine that you are part of our ceremony and you have just knelt down to touch the cooling grass of evening.

‘The Summer Day’ by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

How are you nourishing yourself this summer? Share your comments on my blog “Creating Space”.