There’s something about summer that makes it stand out from the rest of the seasons.   Maybe it’s that connection we make early in our lives - when school’s out and it’s summer vacation! Summer is the fun time. We can relax. We’re supposed to – it’s summer! We wish it would last all year long.

But of course it doesn’t – it can’t. Summer is one of four seasons and part of a year-long cycle that has been sustaining life through the millennia. The circle of our seasons is rooted in the ongoing waxing and waning of the light from the sun as our earth travels around it. 

At the winter solstice, the earth is furthest from the sun. During this season of long nights and rest, the land gathers strength and seeds prepare for their journey. Then, once closer to the sun, spring offers the first bursts of growth and new life. With the increasing fertility of summer, crops grow quickly and flowers bloom in response to the long days and warmth of the sun at its closest to the earth. Then, as we journey once again away from the great light, the days shorten and growth ends, life fades, and we ease into the shorter days of autumn, and ultimately, the darkness of winter as the cycle begins again.

Because the sun is so fundamental to life on earth, there is something deeply archetypal in our relationship to it. The earth is closest to the sun during summer, and perhaps there is something reassuring about that. Our culture has a strong affiliation with what summer brings. It is the season of light, growth, and youth. Days are long, plants grow quickly, and kids of all ages are outside playing. In many ways, these three things reflect our cultural values and preferences.

The notion of “light” as a metaphor is certainly deep and complex. In our culture, light is often equated with “good” and dark with “evil”, or at least something undesirable. The good guy is always dressed in white! A less intimidating metaphor is light as what is seen or known and dark as what cannot be seen or known. Hence, the monsters are always hidden and come from the dark. In the context of the seasons, with summer the season of the greatest light, it is easy to understand our preference for good and things seen and known. 

Light is also energy, and we certainly like having a lot of that! Many people love summer simply because the days are longer and they feel they can do so much more. This may seem strange given that there are still twenty four hours in any given day. But somehow, daylight hours feel different, and as a result, people have more energy to be active in ways they can’t seem to generate once the sun goes down. There is clearly a relationship between our energy levels and the exposure to sunlight. 

Summer is a time of fertility, when the land is most productive. Everything grows faster. Our culture places a high value on growth and productivity. Consider the extent to which we assume growth to be either desirable or inevitable in all aspects of social and economic life. Here, the concept of growth is not considered in cyclical terms, as with the seasons, which include a period of cessation of growth and time for recovery and regeneration. Instead, we value growth as a linear concept which continues into infinity. We don’t recognize or acknowledge limits or carrying capacities. We want our economies to grow, our technologies to expand, and our athletes to be faster. We want our workers and our governments to do more and more with less and less. Overall, we want more and we want it faster. This is the energy that summer seduces us with. It is the season of abundance and promise. And we want it all. But in the cycle of seasons, growth doesn’t go on forever. The sun turns past us and moves away, so we can rest up for the next season of growth.

Summer also reflects the spirit of youth. The season feels self-contained. Time is conceived as short-term, immediate, and spontaneous. The focus is on the present. Our culture’s worship of all things young and beautiful is just part of the picture. Summer is also a time when things are more casual and less serious. This is true of youth as well. Kids do not have to be accountable. Most of us have memories of a carefree summer and a simpler time. Perhaps one of the things we love about summer is that it feels like a time when we can escape from the burdens of responsibility - when we take time off and play. Perhaps our attraction to summer is about a longing to be free. 

Summer does offer us the energy of light, the abundance of growth, and the freedom of youth. For those of us who try to live our lives in rhythm with the seasons, summer is indeed a time to draw on the energy of that light - to be active and productive and make things happen. It is a time to draw on the abundance and fertility offered by the sun to synergize a powerful creativity. 

Summer is also the mid-point in the cycle of our year. It is a time for us to reflect both back and forward in the context of the circle of the seasons. Summer is the time when the visions birthed in winter and nurtured in spring, come into fruition and expand. Are we on the course we set in winter? What else needs doing? But let’s remember as well, that summer is a season for play and relaxation – a time to appreciate all you’ve done and enjoy your fulfillment. So grab your sandals and some lemonade and take a stroll through nature’s grandeur and enjoy yourself! Remember, summer is the fun time – when you can relax. It may not last forever, but it will come again…and again…