“Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger.”
– Saint Basil
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t always rain in Seattle. It’s a myth. We get plenty of nice days when the weather is perfect, the mountain is out, and everyone is singing in a harmoniously good mood. But, and this is a big but, summer doesn’t always come on time. This is especially true in June. It’s led Seattleites to coin the term, “Juneuary,” which refers to the first part of the summer when the weather hasn’t turned and a cloudy gloom of rain and drizzle permeate the city.
So welcome to Juneuary! In true Seattle form as the calendar flipped so did the weather. Now we are experiencing an atmospheric river, meaning they expect an inch and a half of rain to fall over the next 24 hours. So, what to do when there’s no desire to leave the house? Laundry? Netflix? Get back in bed and pull the covers over your head? All valid options.
Instead, try tuning into the good. Now, I’m not just talking about journaling something inspirational about how when you were a kid you used to jump into mud puddles and experience the joy of the splash. Yeah you can do that, but maybe you were a pretty rain averse kid. I know most of the time I would have rather sat inside with some hot tea and a book.
These days it’s more like hot tea and a laptop. But it got me thinking, what exactly is the upside of rain? And how can I blend that energy with the energy of a last quarter Taurus moon.
What I came up with is that it’s a time of reflection, reassessment, releasing and cleansing, as we prepare for new beginnings.
Reflection. With the moon in the last quarter, it is growing darker every day. And with its darkness comes release. It is shedding its old face and going dark to gain a new one. And in the process, it reflects on what has been.
Reassessment. Turning away from the sun, it reassesses where it’s been and weighs the pros and cons of holding on to what worked and what didn’t work in the past.
Releasing. Giving into the dark, the moon lets go of everything that has served its purpose. It lets those things pass into the void to be reborn as something else.
Cleansing. Nature has its own way of cleansing itself, and a good old-fashioned downpour is one of its favorites. Smog, dust, smoke and floating particulars fill the air when it’s clear. They dance around like little ballerinas catching flight in the mid-day sun, or until we inhale them. It can weigh you down. But rain droplets attract the little buggers, bring them back down to earth and wash them down the drain.
Stable/secure. Does what made you feel secure in the past, still make you feel secure today?. Or are you looking for something different. Before you can set your intention for new growth, you have to let go of the outdated needs of yesterday.
While gloomy looking on the outside, the Juneuary process promotes growth. Just as rain feeds the soil and the roots of plants, a good cry is good for personal growth. I mean sometimes you got to go through the rain to get to the learning opportunity on the other side.
So what are you releasing? Is there anything that you’re holding onto for security that you know you’ve outgrown? How are you going to cleanse yourself and space of old energy? Comment below.
