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Summer Solstice and all the 'Shoulds'
Only slightly late with this festival's newsletter! Sending you Summer Solstice Blessings.
I seem to be being drawn back again and again to this theme of imperfection. Perhaps it's the increased demands of parenting. The limited time and energy of doing this with a chronic illness. The witnessing of a polycrisis and genocide... but there doesn't seem to be a desire for perfections anymore.
I want to learn where my energy, resources and love are going to have the most impact. I want to learn ways to give these without burning out - and for me a big part of this is letting go of thinking there is a 'right' way.
Letting go of the 'shoulds'. I have often felt that Summer was a time of 'shoulds'. Particularly being someone who grew up in the UK, there is such pressure around 'doing something' when the weather is 'nice'. (personally I would love some cooler temperatures right now, and am struggling with the climate grief and overwhelm that comes with these increasing heat waves.)
In our most recent Community Connection Session (part of the Community Membership, with sessions on the second Saturday of the month), we explored our 'shoulds'. This lead to a very insightful and nourishing conversation, so I wanted to share the same practice with you.
The Summer Solstice Practice invitation is to engage in
The Should List
This is quite a simple practice. Check to see if it's feeling supportive, and if you feel overwhelmed then just step away and let it go. We are trying to access some curiosity with this, taking an explorative approach.
Firstly take a couple of minutes (we took three) to write down alllll the shoulds you want to write up. Don't overthink it, just let all the shoulds out on the page.
Next, take a moment. Take a breath. And invite a beginner's mind. Try looking at these with fresh eyes and curiosity. What do you notice? Any themes / patterns / anything standing out to you?
Then here are some prompts to go back through your list and use any of these that feel supportive.
Whose voice is this?
Is this in line with my values
Is this something I can let go?
Is this a should or a could?
Are there conditions when this might be appropriate?
What does your list look like now? How do you feel about it? I'd love to hear how you get on with this - you can reply to this email, or come over to the Community Space to get involved!
If you want to connect with a group of us to mark the next Celtic Wheel Festival, you can join us on the Community Membership (next Festival will be Lammas in August).
I shared Summer Solstice reflections on the podcast and I'd love to hear your responses to the prompts and/or to what I've shared in the comments - come on over to Substack.
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