大暑 Dà Shǔ, Great Heat
July 22- August 7, 2025
We are at the tail end of summer season and in some regions, this Qi node can feel like the hottest, most dreadfully muggy time of the year. We're that moment right before Autumn begins, where the heat is great yet Yang Qi is definitely waning, burning bright, but outta fuel.
A cool, gentle breeze or a dramatic thunderstorm can break the heaviness of late summer. Its an opportunity to change perspective and let go, like ripe fruit dropping from the tree. We may..just..be..barely willing to admit the days are growing shorter, a few weeks after the solstice. We feel a change in the air, but don't know what it means. Do we continue to push forward with our agendas, or begin to scale back?
Realizing that the cycles of the seasons are beyond individual control can give us a healthy dose of humility. Qi is coasting toward autumn and winter now, and human willpower will not stop it. The seasons teach us about ourselves and our context in nature, as real as the air we breathe. In deep winter (yes it's coming), it's appropriate to identify what is essential to make it through the austere, quiet, and even lonely months.
The time of Yang's expansion and growth is over. Now is the time for bringing projects to completion, storing what is useful, and preparing for winter. Great time for reflecting on what was learned, what efficiencies can be employed next season, and appreciating what has been achieved and with whom.
Autumnal activities like sharing the harvest, storing abundance for winter, enjoying the remaining warm evenings with friends. Clear out what you don't need anymore, and give away stuff for free. Sharing material abundance is an earthy exchange that can build trust and heal fractures in relationships, it keeps Qi circulating. Like when someone gives you an unexpected gift that seems perfect for what you need at that exact moment. Without words, you know they've been thinking about you. These acts of material exchange can surprise us enough to drop grudges, and feel the truth of interconnectedness. Resentment is a very expensive form of energy usage, especially when Yang is waning. It requires a lot of fuel to keep righteousness burning red hot. How much fuel can we afford to burn? And, how does it effect our families, friends, and neighbors that are around us, short and long term? Is this a practical use of resources when winter is coming?
Perhaps we can break the impasse by throwing a big party. Sharing the abundance of the harvest, reflecting on what has been accomplished. Working side-by-side completing big projects, clearing the fields, fixing the roof, and storing food for winter, celebration of accomplishments is appropriate and joyful. The closeness and practicality of working together and feasting together strengthen the trust we feel in our guts. Not just in those the easy relationships, also those we find challenging. Because, it turns out we can agree on something, that we all need to eat and keep warm this winter.
Dropping grudges and fixed views can open up large rooms of potential energy on the inside. What was a cluttered closet of disappointment and frustration, can be flushed out with a whoosh of fresh air, a new perspective! Dry out that congested room. It feels good to have a bit more space on the inside.