In six days, we celebrate the season of summer. Twice a year the Sun, the biggest illuminary in our sky, appears to stand still. When the Earth reaches its maximum tilt toward the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere, we have a summer solstice.
The summer solstice embodies the element of fire. Fire is fuel: fuel to take action, to ignite passion, and to vent anger. When we tap into our fire, we have the energy to pursue what it is important to us. When we acknowledge our inner flame, we give ourselves permission to seek our truth.
On June 21, Shakti in the Mountains is hosting a Summer Solstice Celebration. With the exception of the evening meal, all the events are free. I hope you will join us as we honor the light within each one of us. Click here for a detailed listing of events.
Last Sunday, my partner and I drove to Atlanta to attend the Tears for Fears concert. The concert took place in an outdoor amphitheater which accommodates 12,000 people. My favorite part of the concert occurred during the song “Sowing the Seeds of Love” by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.
During this song, the majority of the audience stood and sang:
Sowing the seeds of love
Anything is possible
An end to need
And the politics of greed
Sowing the seeds of love
As I absorbed the magic of this moment, I thought of the power of music. How music so elegantly expresses major concepts in very few words, if any. How music has the power to bring 12,000 people to their feet to dance. How music invites us to reimagine our world and to dream of new beginnings.
Music, I think, is the great unifier. I love both participating in and planning events which include music. Music is a tool for healing and for playing. It can convey a world of emotions simply by finding the right combination of notes.
I invite you to turn on your favorite music and explore how your body wants to move as well as what feelings come forth. (If you want to experience the power of music with a group, then attend the Summer Solstice dance guided by Trini Sampson on June 21.)
Post concert photo
I’ll share what I experienced last Sunday: joy and hope. Joy to be with my partner dancing and singing and hope for the future. In that moment, as 12,000 people were singing about love, I found it so easy to love everyone.
I know that feeling does not last forever, but no feeling does – not even hate. Since emotions are temporary, I have a proposal. Let’s cultivate the feelings we want to spread as well as to make room for the feelings that are hard to express. Let’s give ourselves and each other permission to be with our emotions and to connect.
Let’s sow seeds of love.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Love,
Kim Bushore-Maki is a soul-driven entrepreneur who understands the undeniable urge to create a business and a life filled with meaning and purpose. Her vision of opening a center where people could heal and grow led her to open Shakti in the Mountains in Johnson City, Tennessee: a place where the creative, feminine energy is nurtured and valued.
Kim is a licensed professional counselor and a yoga teacher. She completed the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy program as well as the Shake Your Soul Yoga Dance program. Kim is very interested in somatic expressive therapy, archetypal psychology, gardening, herbalism, astrology, wisdom traditions, and regenerative economics.
Kim continues to build and to support inclusive, vibrant communities. She spends most of her time mentoring leaders, guiding healing programs, and providing mental health counseling.
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