​Summer’s all around us in its glorious splendor. What beauty! The lush green crowns of the trees sway in a breeze while heat lightning crackles in the distance and lights up the evening sky. Gardens are bursting with the colorful gifts from the season – bright yellow squash, juicy red tomatoes, and crunchy orange carrots.  What a lovely celebration of life and growth! 

​Slowly the sunlight is beginning to fade earlier in the evening, and I even saw the first yellow leaves on a tree near my home.  It won’t be long until autumn is upon us.
 
Now, in this final exhalation of the warmth of summer, we can turn inward to see if there’s anything we need to leave behind this season as compost for Mother Earth.  It’s a perfect time, in self awareness, to realize any errors we have made and to rectify them through forgiveness.  Like the afternoon rainstorm that cleanses the dry, dusty roads and clears the thick humid air, acknowledging and releasing what we don’t need will leave us feeling crystal clear, light, and unburdened to enter into the season of autumn, the time to bring actions in the world. 

​What do you need to release? Who do you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness?  Although you may choose to speak directly to the person, it’s not always necessary or possible.  
 
“The act of forgiveness takes place in our own mind. It really has nothing to do with the other person.” Louise Hay
 
When you engage in the practice of forgiveness, it can transform hurt and anger into peace and healing. Often it’s about deciding to let go of the hurt so that you no longer feel burdened by the pain. It’s not about forgetting the past or condoning or accepting hurtful actions of another.  It’s about freeing yourself so that you can move forward in your life. 
 
Forgiveness means letting go of the suffering that we experienced and the chains that bind it to us.  It’s releasing our story that exists in our mind about it.  It’s giving ourselves an opportunity to move toward a place of greater freedom, health, and happiness.
 
Out of the work of Howard Wills, here are 2 ways to help you begin to release what you need to from your life.  Use what words make sense to you for God or the Divine in the first prayer. 
 
Personal Cleansing Prayer
 
God, please help me forgive all people and all people forgive me.
Help us all to forgive ourselves.
Thank you, God, Amen.  Thank you, God, Amen.
 
 
Forgiveness Affirmation
 
I bless this day and give thanks for my life
I forgive completely all people who have hurt me (repeat 3 times)
I ask all people I have hurt to please forgive me (repeat 3 times)
I apologize to myself for my wrongs to myself and my wrongs to others
(repeat 3 times)
I apologize for all hurts or wrongs to all life forms (repeat 3 times)
I apologize for all my hurts or wrongs to the earth and the life of the earth
(repeat 3 times)
 
With this release, freedom, peace, power, and new life, I bless all creation in the universe, and I fill the entire universe with my love
 
I love and bless the earth, all life, and all humanity
 
I love, bless, and respect the visible and the invisible
 
I rejoice and give thanks for this new life, power, and health, and give complete blessings and love to all life and all creation always 

You might want to repeat this prayer or affirmation a few times a day for the remainder of August and enter into the autumn feeling lighter and more energized, ready to bring your gifts into action in the world. 
 
 
Check out the many resources available to support you in clearing your chakras in my Free Healing Library here.  

​Awwww…. Summer.  The flowers are blossoming, bees are buzzing, and fruits are ripening. You’ve probably enjoyed the sweetness of a summer crop of strawberries or a dip in the cool water of a lake.  And the sunlight as it stays longer with us in the evenings.

​If we think back just 6 months ago, we were at the depths of the darkness of winter.  After experiencing the promise of rebirth and renewal in spring, we’re now at the height of the summer, the counter to those cold days of winter. The earth seems to be breathing outward toward the heavens even as the heavens radiate warmth and light toward us. 
 
Ancient traditions in the summer often included celebrations around a great bonfire with dance and music, honoring this time of growth, life, and purification. Nowadays, you’re probably enjoying time outdoors with family and friends at a barbeque or bonfire.  Or you venture to the water to swim, boat, or fish.  I’m sure you also experience the joy of nature through gardening or hiking or other outside activities.  

​As you expand into the warmth of the summer, midway through the year 2019, this is a good time to check-in with yourself.
 
Remember back to January of 2019 when you were contemplating what you wanted to create or birth in this new year?  How the Divine was calling you to shine forth in 2019? Was there a creative endeavor that you were being called to manifest in service to the world?
 
I often speak of the next creative endeavor in my life as my Rupertsberg, in honor of St. Hildegard. I’m always inspired by the courage and strength St. Hildegard found to bring forth her visions into the world. She helps me find my strength to keep on my path to manifest my own visions.
 
One of her greatest visions was when she was called to leave her home of 40 years and build her own abbey, which she named "Rupertsberg". St. Hildegard’s commitment to bring this project to fruition was fueled by the inspiring work she saw from St. Rupert in the 7th century. 

​In her words,
 
 
Feel the Living Light!
Feel the Beauty! Feel the Spark of God!
Feel the Warmth which heals.
Hear Love calling: “Peace, Peace, Peace.”
 
 
So, how’s it going right now, part way through the year?  Are there steps on your journey toward your vision that you can celebrate?  Big steps or little steps – honor each one. All are worth celebrating! 
 
Are there any adjustments that need to be made?  Additions or revisions to the vision?  That’s not unusual once you get going.  Our vision as we picture it in the ideal, often needs some adjustment to land on the earth.
 
What more needs to happen to continue forward in manifesting this vision in the second half of the year?  How can you gather the warmth, light and strength to fuel your energy in bringing forth your vision this year?  

​Do you have rituals that you enjoy in your life?  What do you honor and celebrate with intention?  Of course, you probably honor birthdays during the year and special events such as a graduation or an anniversary. 
 
You may even have a smaller ritual that you include in your week or day. Lighting a candle at dinner time. Saying a prayer with your child before bed. 
 
Rituals make sacred a special moment in our lives. We take time out of our daily rhythm to celebrate and honor this moment in a meaningful way. 
 

​A Daily Rhythm
Of course, all of us have some type of rhythm in our days that helps to provide a framework for our time and energy throughout a day. This gives us strength and even nourishment as we relax into the repetitive nature of doing these actions every day again and again.
 
After we wake up in the morning, we typically shower, get dressed, brush our teeth and do other things that prepare us for the day. During the day, we have specific times where we pause from the day to eat meals and maybe even share them with family or friends. We wash our face, brush our teeth, and prepare for bed.
 
Creating Rituals
Within your daily rhythm, you can also take time to create rituals that imbue meaning and sacredness into a moment of your life – big or small. It’s quite easy to do! 
 
Maybe you’re starting an adventure such as a new job or moving to a new house, or even embarking on a new year. Or possibly there’s something coming to completion such as a graduation, a school year, or the end of the first year of a new business. All of these are wonderful times to celebrate in a way that honors that moment.  A special verse or poem can be read. A blessing spoken or a song sung.  What’s needed in the moment will come to you, helping you to create a clear intention with a celebration that’s perfect for this time.  

Ritual in our Daily Lives
Creating rituals can also be a part of our daily rhythms.  When you do this, your days are sprinkled with moments that are infused with gratitude and awe. As you engage in them with intention and care, your energy shifts in a positive way for that moment and even for the rest of your day – bringing more joy and love into your life and to any others who participate with you. 
 
Here are 4 simple ways you can bring ritual into your daily life.

1. Set an intention for the day.  As you wake up and enter into your day, take a moment to pause and set an intention that has meaning and purpose.  A good question to ask yourself is “What will I create today?”   
Then at the end of the day, pause and ask yourself, “What did I create today?”

2. Express your gratitude.  At the end of the day, before you go to sleep, take a moment to bring awareness to at least 3 different things for which you’re grateful. Challenge yourself to not repeat anything you’ve said in the past.  Choose something new.  Spend a few minutes and bring to mind each one, filling yourself with appreciation as you think of it.  

3. Get out into nature.  Find 10 minutes in each day where you can be outside in nature.  A walk or run is great, but if that’s not easily done, then you might sit under a tree on the ground or take off your shoes and put your bare feet in the grass. As you do so, slow down your breath and breathe in deeply.  Feel gratitude for all that Mother Earth does to support you. Let your worries and thoughts from the day drift away as you experience the beauty and nurturing of nature.
4. Eat mindfully.  Before eating a bite of food, take a moment to appreciate the food that you have today and how it nourishes your body.  How Mother Nature provides the nutrients that your body needs to survive and to thrive in the world.  Appreciate the glass of fresh water you have to quench your thirst and keep your body healthy.  With this mood of gratefulness, care, and attention, enjoy your meal!

These are 4 simple ways to bring sacredness and meaning into your daily life through ritual, without a lot of planning or preparation.  It just requires your intention and attention to honor and celebrate that moment in time in your day – a new day that has been given to you today. 
 
Want a deeper dive? Check out the many resources available to support you in your spiritual practice in my Free Healing Library here.