Welcome to Xiazhi 夏至 Summer Solstice
We have reached the season of the longest day and the peak of Yang/Active energy for the entire year. This is a special time, when warmth, growth and our personal energy is expanding at its greatest rate.
In the Classical Chinese writing, this is the time of year everyone should redouble their efforts at work and productivity with the goal of producing a great surplus to be enjoyed on the solstice. In the modern world, I would reframe this to something of the opposite - taking extra time to get our homes and gardens in order, as though preparing to host guests for a great feast. Indeed this is the time for a great celebratory feast - and many cultures worldwide celebrate mid-summer with festivities of food, music, merriment and gatherings. The 4th of July in the United States occurs a little after the solstice, but very much embodies the energy that belongs at this time period - a loud, raucous, energetic spectacle where eating and leisure rule the day.
The significance of this time of year in relation to a feast day is that, right as the sun hits its zenith on summer solstice, it begins to move into decline, with the days shortening right as they hit their longest. There is just a short window of this peak of Yang energy, and moving with that great expansive energy helps to bring us into alignment with the seasonal energy. What is important is the feeling of celebration, bringing together community to make an occasion bigger than any could achieve individually and the merriment of music and socializing outdoors that could only happen in the comfortable summer heat.
The three symbolic occurrences (“Material Manifestations”) in the plant-and-animal kingdom during this time that serve to elaborate on this concept are as follows:
Lujiao jie 鹿角解 (Deer Shed Their antlers )
Deer antlers are symbolic of virile Yang power
, so the shedding of the horns symbolizes that Yang is about to begin declining, and we must make use of it while it is still strong to celebrate.
Tiao shi ming 蜩 (蟬) 始鳴 (Cicadas Begin to Sing)
Cicada songs are loud and droning, changing the entire mood of the forest and field with their music. This relates to this time as a period of great festivity and merriment, as even the insects are clamoring with noise and excitement.
Banxia sheng 半夏生 (Pinellia Grows)
Banxia is a Chinese herb that is used to treat phlegm - which is itself a heavy, Yin conglomeration. It’s ripening at the summer solstice signifies the return of Yin, and the need to begin to prepare for the coming of monsoon season in South and Southeast Asia, when the natural energy of Yang will not be strong enough on its own to rectify disease, and we must rely on lifestyle, diet and medical treatment to sustain health. So even as you feast and make merry this season, remember that when the time comes to get back to work, we have to re-invest in our well-being and practices of health.