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SEASONAL NOTES - The Dao of Summer

The notes on these pages (a regular seasonal feature of this web-site) are based on the age-old teachings of oriental medicine, philosophy and culture, blended with a few of my own observations. The aim is to help place this traditional way of looking at things in the context of modern living.

Daoism (Taoism) is all about finding the right path or 'way' through life. What is meant by 'right' is a very personal thing, of course. But whether we realise it or not, the path is there, and we each have our own path to follow. During the Summer we may often feel we have arrived, that everything in the garden is just perfect - and in a sense it is! Enjoy it! But because all things move in cycles, a degree of awareness and humility is always useful at times when things seem at their zenith or peak. This is especially true of our successes and achievements. The moment we pat ourselves on the back we should also remember that at the heart of all of life there is change.

At the mid-point of Summer, around June 21st at midday, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the whole of the year. This is why the days are so long, and why the Sun sets way over beyond the West each evening. The longest day, the warmest time of the year - all these wonderful happenings indicate that things are at their peak. All of nature is busy reproducing, rearing its young, growing and maturing.

The Daoists philosophers believed that the affairs of humankind moved in cycles just like the seasons. For most of us, therefore, there are times when everything seems bright and sunny in the world, times when everything appears to be going our way. It is important to recognise and to take advantage of these times. But important to remember, too, that the temptation at these periods are many, and that when things are at their peak, they are also at their most dangerous. At such a time, there is only one way left to go, and that is downwards. Ask anybody who understands the stock market, for example, and they will confirm this brutal fact of life most readily. When there is good news on a particular stock or commodity for instance, and people buy it, its price will naturally increase. People catch on, and everyone keeps buying. But what happens at the point when everyone has finished buying that stock? This is the most dangerous time. The only direction left for the price is downwards after that. This is the time when the smart sellers come in, before it the bubble bursts as it inevitably must.

People often overextend themselves when things are going well; they expand their business, take on a bigger house, a new car. When the change comes, however, they get caught. Debt, hardship, loss of status, jobs, family, friends - all these events can cause sadness and disappointment. Pride comes before a fall, we say in the West. But the Daoist philosopher would maintain that much of this can be avoided. They would urge us to study the tai ji symbol and think about where our affairs are in relation to its course and progress. Think of the cycles. There may be many things going on in your life, all at different stages of progress or decline. But were there is increase, remember that eventually there will be decrease, and vice versa.

Enjoy the Summer in your life, but be humble in your achievements. That is what Daoism has to teach us even today in our modern sophisticated world. Observe the ways of nature and reflect always on the process of change. That way we can avoid many of the misfortunes that we might otherwise bring upon ourselves.

'A fool learns from his own experience;
A wise man learns from the experience of others'
Chinese proverb

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