A Midsummer Invitation and why I have Selloptaped my eye shut!

As we bask in maximal daylight following the summer solstice, I am wondering, how have these long sun-filled days been for you?

Most of us enjoy the light and warmth of summer's height and who couldn't be in love with the abundance of green leaves and flowers at this time of year? This high point in the solar calendar is a time of manifestation and fulfilment and a chance to celebrate the beauty of our physical world. However, the solstice is also a turning point as now the days grow shorter and just as we reach the peak of incoming light, which is always accompanied by a peak in information flow (physics now demonstrates that photons are quantum information carriers), there emerges the invitation to take the information from the outer landscape, including our experiences of the year so far, and start to integrate it on a deeper level as we begin the 6-month journey towards the darkness of the winter solstice, a portal to our inner landscape.

Stonehenge, taken by me at sunset on the longest day this year

After 8 weeks of teaching Nurturing the Energetic Heart, various conferences and several speaking events, I have to admit I feel overloaded with information right now. As I drove home from London after the last conference, I happened to pass Stonehenge at sunset on the longest day. The skies were stunning and as I looked on in awe the magical sight sparked in me a moment of deep awareness of my current information overwhelm. I realised then how I desperately needed some quiet time to integrate all I have experienced in the last few weeks and for the first few months of this intense year. And it’s not that this was the first nudge, my body has been trying to wake me up to this for a while.

As I sit here writing this blog post, I have Sellotape keeping my left eye closed – it’s a very attractive look! This basic attempt at eye protection accompanies blue light blocking glasses and my laptop screen brightness set at minimal. I am doing all of this because my eyes, particularly the left one, just can’t cope with too much bright light, to the point that after a short time looking at a screen, they become bloodshot and painful. And although the optician reassures me nothing is wrong, just a need to rest my eyes, I know this is a deep calling, showing up in a very significant way at this midsummer point.

Having to limit time on a computer when it’s the main vehicle for your work is not easy, but I’m embracing this invitation and finding ways to rest my eyes, and crucially my mind too – when the mind is concentrating deeply with intense analytical focus, the field of vision narrows and if sustained for long periods is stressful and tiring for the eyes. Inspired by the work of Jacob Israel Liberman and his book, ‘Luminous Life’ (his other books are excellent too), I have made some important changes, some of which I have listed below.

Some of the practices I am using to rest and protect my eyes (Sellotape is not part of my long-term plan!)

• I am using an app that reduces the blue light from my screen in sync with the natural shifts in blue and red light throughout the day – f.lux - justgetflux.com

• I am giving my eyes very regular breaks from looking at the screen and in those moments, I look off into the far distance (out of my window at the trees across the valley). I do this every 15 minutes

• I am having a complete break from the computer every hour for 10 minutes

• I take moments to practice slow gentle blinking to ensure my eyes don't get too dry

• I am writing on paper and using a dictaphone rather than always on my computer

• I am practicing the palming technique recommended by Jacob Israel Liberman to rest the eyes several times throughout the day:

  • Sit comfortably and close your eyes.

  • Rub your hands together for a few seconds to warm your palms.

  • Place your palms gently over your closed eyes (without pressing on the eyeballs). Your fingers can rest across your forehead.

  • Relax your shoulders, jaw, and facial muscles.

  • Let your eyes be completely at rest in the darkness. Avoid trying to “look” at anything.

  • Breathe slowly and comfortably for 1–5 minutes.

  • Remove your hands slowly and open your eyes gently.

There is always a gift in any challenging situation, so I welcome how my eyes are communicating with me and I’m doing my best to listen to their message. The difficulty is that I am driven by a desire to share the wisdom of the heart with those who are yet to discover its truth and I very easily get caught up in new ideas and projects that require intense concentration and the absorption of ever-more information. My invitation, just like all the others I have received over the years, has as its underlying theme the call to sink from my overactive mind into the peace of my heart and in this way enter the flow of lifeforce that allows all things to unfold perfectly without any need to push or force. When we enter such a state our posture and the positioning of the body changes, as well as its behaviour. Regarding the eyes, for example, when we are relaxed the muscles around them soften and the eyes begin to move more slowly with less staring, and more natural scanning. Instead of locking onto one point as we tend to do in times of stress, the eyes move more fluidly contributing to a sense of expanded awareness.

And this is the crux of my lesson really. Whilst I may imagine that in order to pass on the gems the heart has to offer, I need to focus, concentrate and learn as much about the heart as possible, in fact, by incorporating periods of relaxation and just ‘being’ with the information I have gathered, I can access a wider and more complete perspective. As I enter a state of bodily relaxation whereby the pupils of my eyes constrict and allow less light and information to enter, my vision and whole body opens and becomes more receptive in other ways. And I put less strain on my system in the process.

Realising and incorporating this truth is my invitation at this midsummer moment, but what about you? If you take time to pause and tune in, are there any communications arising from your body, and are there any urges to do things a little differently as you move forward? I’ll leave you with those questions and in the meantime, wish you a beautiful summer, one that is a blend of fun and outward celebration, and reflection and inward integration.

Reading

1. Luminous Life- How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living by Jacob Israel Liberman, New World Library 2018