Contributor: Seasonal Wisdom is delighted to provide this summer Feng Shui advice from NY-based consultant Ann Bingley Gallops of Open Spaces Feng Shui.  You may remember her Feng Shui advice about fall, winter and spring already.

Learn how you can use the timeless lessons of Feng Shui to enjoy this season to the fullest. Here’s what Ann has to say … Photo courtesy of mgstanton/Flickr

 Photo courtesy of **Mary**/Flickr

Summertime brings us into the “Fire” season in Feng Shui.  It’s the pinnacle of the yearly cycle – the season of sunshine, high heat and Yang energy. Consider this advice for celebrating this Fire season with summer Feng Shui.

From a Feng Shui point of view, Fire’s essence comes through in the color red, triangular or pointed shapes, and by beautiful, warm lighting. 

Add Fire-y elements like red flowers or brilliant lighting to your home or garden this summer to get year-round benefits from this powerful element.

Here’s a look at some “specifics” of Fire, with summer Feng Shui tips for each to help you make the most of this peak season.

 Photo courtesy of PinkMoose/Flickr

1. Fire is the element of your inner light and of your Fame & Reputation. 

• Take a few moments to contemplate the way you wish to be seen in the world, and to bring any underappreciated talents and abilities into the light before fall activities kick back into gear.

Photo courtesy of Aff/Flickr

2. Fire is also an expansive, social and emotional element. 

• If you’re feeling shy or have trouble expressing yourself, take advantage of the season to create meaningful connections with friends and family during the summer social season. The heat you generate now will carry you right through the rest of the year.

Photo courtesy of Wirralwater/Flickr

3. If you’re already feeling a bit overheated, balance your Fire element with cool, clear Water.  Dive right in whenever you have the chance.

• Fire’s power also cools off a bit when you’re close to the Earth, one of many good reasons to dig deep into your garden this summer!

Summer Feng Shui offers you so many ways to bring yourself into the kind of balance and harmony that’s found in nature.  I hope it will help you enjoy all the riches of this abundant season.

About the Author:  Ann Bingley Gallops is a Feng Shui consultant and speaker in New York City.  Her company Open Spaces Feng Shui offers on-site and long-distance Feng Shui consultations, space-clearing and blessing ceremonies, and modern, practical Feng Shui design for homes and offices.

Ann practices Feng Shui with an MBA from Columbia University, a Practitioner’s Certificate from the Western School of Feng Shui, and Red Ribbon Professional membership in the International Feng Shui Guild.

Follow Ann on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and on her blog, Feng Shui Tips & Insights.

Contributor: As another New Year begins, it’s interesting to consider the traditional Chinese solar calendar, which featured 24 mini-seasons closely tied to what was happening in the natural world.  These 24 solar terms helped farmers remember their way through nature’s growing cycles.

This sounded like a topic we had to explore further at Seasonal Wisdom, so we asked Ann Bingley Gallops of NY-based Open Spaces Feng Shui to provide a quick overview of these fascinating 24 solar terms that make up the Chinese solar calendar.  It’s little wonder why these nature-oriented calendar terms still ring true to us today. Come take a peek.  All photos  courtesy of Jeriff Cheng on Flickr.

Seasonal Wisdom readers may remember these helpful winter, spring, summer and  fall Feng Shui tips for your home from Ann Bingley Gallops of NY-based Open Spaces Feng Shui.

Here’s what she had to say about the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese solar calendar:

As a Feng Shui consultant I am exposed to many fascinating aspects of ancient Chinese culture and how these ideas can benefit us in the world today.

A primary concern that drove the foundation of Feng Shui and many other East Asian concepts was the need for farmers to protect their crops under challenging circumstances ranging from armed attacks to a vague understanding of when to plant and harvest crops.

Feng Shui branched off to create ideas such as the Commanding Position, helping farmers decide on the best locations to place their farms for safety and abundant growth.

The crucial need to know how to manage their farms for the greatest health and profit caused them to invent an annual calendar called the Solar Term, in which the year is divided into 24 narrowly-defined “seasons,” which told farmers what to expect from the climate as the year went by.

The divisions were created using the traditional Chinese solar calendar, according to the point at which the sun reaches 24 equally-spaced points along the ecliptic longitude.

Many, many centuries later, these 24 seasons still have relevance today.   

Some of the seasons define annual solar events, such as the Spring and Fall Equinoxes and Summer and Winter Solstices.

Others have wonderfully evocative names that embody the wonders of the changing year such as Waking of the Insects (March 5), Slight Heat (July 7), Heavy Snow (December 7) and so on.

I find myself musing on these mini-seasons as each year goes by and hope you will enjoy knowing about them too.

Here are the 24 Solar Terms of the traditional Chinese Solar Calendar:

• Spring Begins  ———-Feb. 2-5
• The Rains ——————Feb. 18-19
• Insects Awaken ———–March 5-6
• Vernal Equinox———–March 21
• Clear and Bright ———-April 5
• Grain Rain —————–April 21-22
• Summer Begins ——-May5-6
• Grain Buds —————-May 21-22
• Grain in Ear —————June 5
• Summer Solstice ———June 21-22
• Slight Heat —————-July 7-8
• Great Heat —————-July 23-24
• Autumn Begins ——Aug 8-9
• Stopping the Heat ——-Aug 23
• White Dews —————Sept. 7
• Autumn Equinox——–Sept 22-23
• Cold Dews —————-Oct 8-9
• Hoar-Frost Falls———Oct 23
• Winter Begins ——–Nov 7-8
• Light Snow —————Nov 22-23
• Heavy Snow ————-Dec 7-8
• Winter Solstice ———-Dec 21-23
• Slight Cold —————Jan 5-7
• Great Cold —————Jan 20

Source: People’s Daily Online

All photos courtesy of Jeriff Cheng on Flickr, who documents the different 24 seasons beautifully throughout the year.

About the Author: 

Ann Bingley Gallops, owner of Open Spaces Feng Shui in Brooklyn New York, is an expert Feng Shui consultant, blogger and speaker. A Feng Shui consultation with Ann helps you get unstuck, create a positive environment where you can blossom and thrive, and attract abundance in every part of your life.

Ann is the author of Map Your Space To Change Your Life: A Guide To The Feng Shui Bagua. She practices Feng Shui with an MBA from Columbia University, a Practitioner’s Certificate from the Western School of Feng Shui, and Red Ribbon Professional membership in the International Feng Shui Guild.

Follow Ann on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and on the Open Spaces Feng Shui blog.

Happy Fourth of July! As the United States grows another year older, Seasonal Wisdom thought it might be fun to celebrate the big day with some vintage Fourth of July cards, courtesy of riptheskull on Flickr. These cards all reveal a bit about past lifestyles and important cultural references.

As Mount Vernon gardens and President Washington’s rich culinary traditions have been recent topics on Seasonal Wisdom, it seemed only appropriate to begin this post with the first president’s family at his plantation on the Potomac River.  Come see other vintage Fourth of July cards …

The famous Battle of Bunker Hill is the scene of this old greeting card to celebrate the Fourth of July. Although the United States now considers Britain to be one of its closest allies, these vintage Fourth of July cards often focused on the Revolutionary War and patriotic figures.

Uncle Sam gets an exciting ride with two young ladies on this brightly colored card. I’m assuming these folks got out of the way when the fireworks started flying.

Even Uncle Sam himself participates in the firework fun. Here he is seen holding a very dangerous-looking firecracker in his bare hands.

But as these kids in 1907 demonstrated, all fireworks should be handled with extreme caution. The message on this vintage Fourth of July card is even more true 100 years later.

So, however you celebrate, please have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

All vintage Fourth of July cards courtesy of riptheskull on Flickr. 

More Vintage Cards:

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Christmas

New Years Day

St. Patrick’s Day

Easter

Happy summer solstice!  Summer begins officially. We’re celebrating another summer at Seasonal Wisdom by sharing the news you need to know about the summer solstice — particularly old facts and folklore you probably didn’t know about this important day.

Vintage photo of children with pet is courtesy of chicks57 on Flickr.

So, What is the Summer Solstice?

Glad you asked, dear readers. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. Around June 20 to June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator.  The Sun is high in the sky, and the solar rays are striking Earth — in our part of the world — at a more direct angle than in winter.

At the North Pole, there are 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle (66.5° north of the equator), and the South Pole has 24 hours of night. That means in the Southern Hemisphere, it is now the winter solstice.

The word solstice is “from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the Sun appears to stop at this time (and again at the winter solstice),” explains The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The magazine also tells why the summer solstice may be the  longest day, but not the hottest.

Vintage card of 1920s flapper among flowers, courtesy of QueenofTarts on Flickr.

A History of Celebrations

The longest day of the year has been revered since the earliest times, with ancient shrines like Stonehenge built to align with the summer solstice, explains Professor Christopher Whitcombe of Sweet Briar College.

The solstice was later celebrated by all walks of life, including King Henry VIII of England, as well as all the country folk. Vintage card of little girl at beach, courtesy of chicks57 on Flickr.

As you’ll see in this Seasonal Wisdom post, the summer solstice was considered “midsummer” on many traditional calendars in the past. Not the beginning of summer, as it is now. Just ask William Shakespeare, who wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Even today, parts of Sweden, Austria and Germany still celebrate midsummer festivals around the summer solstice. Vintage greeting card of woman in meadow, courtesy of Curtis4x5 on Flickr. 

Learn more from Seasonal Wisdom about why the summer solstice was considered such a frightening time of year, and how people used flowers and plants to protect the home.  Vintage photo of early-20th century little girls, courtesy of chicks57 on Flickr.

Have Fun! However you decide to celebrate the longest day of the year, take a moment to pay tribute to Mother Nature.  Have a picnic lunch outside in the park. Buy yourself some flowers. Or pick a bouquet from your own garden.  Chase lightning bugs in the meadow. Or, prepare a feast for friends with garden-grown or farm-fresh foods.

No matter where you are, Seasonal Wisdom wishes you a wonderful summer this year. How do you intend to celebrate this day?

Vintage photo collage is courtesy of jerseygal2009 on Flickr.

Learn More:

Spring Equinox Facts

A Historical Look at May Day

Since pre-Christian times, the summer solstice has been celebrated with seasonal rituals of major importance. Here are six fun facts you might not know about the summer solstice:

• The summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. A scientific explanation.
• In earlier times, the summer solstice was called Midsummer – not the start of summer as it is now.
• The eve of summer solstice was considered among the year’s scariest days — a time when fairies and evil spirits ran amuck. “Midsummer Eve is counted or called the Witches’ Night: and still in many places … they make Fires on the Hills.” John Aubrey, Remains of Gentilism, 1688
• It was customary to build giant bonfires on the solstice. People danced around the fires, and led their livestock, sons and daughters over the flames to keep them safe. Wheels of fires were rolled down hills to represent the sun. Even King Henry VII and Henry VIII of England had solstice fires in the great halls tended by pages and grooms.

“…there were usually made bonfires in the streets,
every man bestowing wood or labour towards them:
the wealthier sort … would set out tables …
furnished with sweet bread and good drink.”
John Stow, 16th century

• The timing of the solstice (late-June) was key. As Ronald Hutton writes in The Stations of the Sun, the solstice “preceded the season at which crops would be most vulnerable to weather or blight, and livestock to their diseases. It also ushered in the months in which insects multiplied most widely and in which, therefore, humans were most likely to contract bubonic plague, typhus, and malaria. The fires . . . were therefore deployed against serious dangers, and anxieties.”
• Certain flowers and herbs were said to have protective powers. St. John’s wort, mugwort, rosemary, elder, plantain, ivy and yarrow were some plants made into garlands and hung on the door to keep the home safe.

“The virtue of St. John’s Wort is thus. If it be put in a man’s house,
there shall come no wicked sprite therein.”
Banckes Herbal, 1525

More information from Seasonal Wisdom about the summer solstice.

Learn more from the sources used for this post: The Stations of the Sun, The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, and The Oxford Book of Days

The photo was taken during the March full moon in Boise, after a recent snow storm.

The next full moon will be May 8-9, depending on your location. Traditionally, this full moon was appropriately named Flower Moon, Corn Planting Moon or Milk Moon.

“The fair maid who the first of May,

Plant Uses:  Speaking of witches and fairies, now was a particularly good time to scatter marsh mallow and primrose petals on your front steps to keep away misfortune.  Or, you might hang rowan (or mountain ash) around cows, doorways and dairy equipment to keep those areas safe from harm too.  

The plant selection for flower bouquets was particularly important in earlier times.  Rowan and hawthorn symbolized a sign of respect. But other plants conveyed other meanings. For example, a thorn meant scorn and a nut meant a slut, but a plum in bloom meant married soon.

Sounds quite nice, don’t you think?   

• The Oxford Book of Days
• The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain
• The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore

Images Credit:  These Victorian scenes came from an amazing collection belonging to T’s Altered Art on Flickr. Go check ‘em out.