Rest - Restore - Ground
Monday was a huge holiday in Italy. It has its origins in ancient Roman times and it was instituted by the first Roman emperor Augusto. He declared the entire month of August, which was named after him, a time to rest. It was intended as a way to celebrate the hard work of farmers, which included taking care of the crops and farm animals. This holiday is called "Ferragosto" which literally translates to 'resting days of August'. The celebration would begin on the 1st day of the month, which marked the beginning of this rest period, but the celebrations would last the entire month. One of the most important days was August 13th, the day dedicated to the beautiful goddess Diana who was the protector/patron of the land, the wildlife, the Moon, all women and who appointed sovereignty...some say based on virtue not lineage. In the Renaissance, the Church included the 15th as another important date to commemorate Mary, and since then Ferragosto is celebrated on this day.
The entire month of August is traditionally a month of rest here. You will find many businesses taking turns closing for at least two weeks, there are signs of 'closed for summer holidays' on many store windows, families go on vacation, cities become very quiet during the day, and you can hear music, games and laughter until late at night as people gather with friends and family. It's really amazing, unless you need to go to a particular store, but they're somewhere at the beach instead.... It reminds me a bit of Thanksgiving when friends and family gather....without the decorations...and a turkey. ha!
It also reminds me of how important it is to follow the cycles in Nature, since our own physical bodies are healthier when we flow with Nature. There are times when we should pause, celebrate, rest, in order to step up and out onto our next phase. As you all know, one of the most fundamental principles for good health is water up-fire down (cool head-warm belly). In Nature, the hot rays of the sun descend and heat the earth; the water vapor then rises to the sky. This cycle is how trees and plants survive and grow. When the energies of water and fire achieve good harmony all organisms are healthy. We are just like the trees, literally. Since we are still in Fire element season, this is still a time to keep focusing on accumulating as much energy in our second chakra (Dahn Jon) as possible, to a point where its self-gathering, empowering, and preparing for the next level of purification process that occurs in Autumn. Think of a warm pot of soup (minestrone) that has boiled, but now it's just stewing on low heat in order to get the most flavour and the right texture... mhmh.. yum!
When I think of rest, I get the word restore instead. In my mind and experience, rest is not just physical rest, it is entering the space of non-doing with our minds (thoughts-emotions). What is that? It's still 'doing-something' in a space where you can just be. This space is accessed when we feel grounded, when we vibrate in resonance with the qualities of Nature itself. When we restore the natural movement/flow with the elements, when we enter the pure space of joy that transformation brings, when we can recognize the in-gathering of cosmic mind energies, all potentials (yin/yang) plus the eye of the hurricane (neutrality). In energy words, these qualities are activated and nurtured in our second chakra, the healing energy of Dahn Jon can create the space to fully rest and restore.
As we practice energy sensitivity training with our entire body, we find the strength to reset, recalibrate, and become neutral, whether it's once a week or 15 times a day. Our energy system is wiser than our thought processes and knows exactly how to do this. We get to help our body upgrade and achieve this space of clarity and healing in an accelerated way through devotion to ourselves, through sincerity training and an innocent desire to connect to our true voice. The conscious mind doesn't grasp fully the key to balance, it's through presence that we can gracefully enter this space at the center of your zero point. Here the intelligence of our energy centers recognize exactly what works needs to be completed, the degree of vibration opening capable of integrating at any given time.
To truly rest our mind, we need to feel deeply connected within our body, to be grounded, not with our thinking mind (mental body), but with all of our Minds. As a result, we feel in harmony with the Earth, we can receive her wisdom and intelligent language, we recognize we are one with the cycles of Nature herself.
