Anne-Marie Southcombe

• Location: Top of head, crown
• Element: Thought
• Rights: To know
• Power: Inner divinity, God/life/nature/natural law. Bliss
• Lesson: There is only this present moment – Live in the present moment
• Identity: Universal identity
• Relates to: faith, understanding, a sense of knowing, spiritual connection, oneness
• Strengths: Faith in divine inner guidance or the presence of the Divine, insight into absolute reality and insight into healing, trust in life, ability to see larger patterns, inspiration, a sense of oneness
• Fears: Fears relating to spiritual issues such as the “Dark night of the soul”; fears of spiritual abandonment, loss of identity, and loss of connection with life and people around us
• Physical areas of the body: CNS, cerebral cortex, muscles, skeleton, skin
• Physical Issues that may arise from imbalance: 
• Psychological issues that may arise from imbalance: Attachment, need to know why things happen as they do, causes you to live in the past. Depression, alienation, confusion

We’ve looked at the energy of the each season, how these energies subtly change as we move through the year, and how our own energy may correlate with what’s happening in nature. We’ve used the Celtic wheel, which is based on the cycles of nature, and used it as a guide to inform our lives and way of living. 

Flower Metaphor: 

• After the harvest you prune the perennials and clear away the plants that are finished. (releasing and letting go).
• Then you might prepare the soil by weeding, adding nourishment and maybe some protection in preparation for winter (self care).
• Afterwards, you let the soil rest and absorb the nutrients during the darkest part of winter (rest and surrender).
• As we emerge out of winter, you might think about what seeds, plants, flowers you wish to sow (visioning, dreaming).
• When the time is right, you sow the seed in the dark soil, water it in and let it rest until it is ready to germinate (possiblities & potential).
• The seed creates a root connection with the ground and then the first few shoots gently emerge from the earth, young, delicate and vulnerable (new beginnings).
• More leaves grow and the new little plant starts to get bigger but it takes time, patience and a level of care, for the plant to grow well and without a strong root, it will not survive (balance).
• Eventually a bud appears as the plant prepares to reveal its full potential (purpose & direction).
• Finally the moment arrives when the bud opens and blossoms into flower which represents the plants full and outward expression of life. This is also the outcome of your trust, care, attention and faith. (expansion, visibility & celebration)
• The plant may produce many more flowers over the course of the summer before moving into the next phase of its cycle…, the development of a seed head or fruit, the withering of the flower, a reduction in growth energy and then either death or a dormancy for winter (the cycle begins again). 

Even this basic example can be used as a guide for living… projects we take on or work we do… even the phases of our own life.

Throughout the course, we’ve also explored the feminine/yin energies of rest, care, nurture, tuning inward, receiving, creativity, intuition, emotion, forgiveness, trust, sensitivity, and sensuality. All of this is synonymous with self-care and self-acceptance. 

Now we are stepping fully into the masculine half of the year with arrival of May and the festival of Bealtaine, which is the halfway point in the Celtic Wheel of the year. 

Bealtaine is a fire festival that marks the threshold of summer and the bright half of the year. It is a celebration of fertility and the beginning of the summer. Nature is blossoming all around us. There are flowers, baby animals and an abundance of growth everywhere. The sun which represents the masculine principal is growing in strength, and will reach its peak on the Summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. 

The masculine yang energies are more dominant for this half of the year. With longer, brighter days, there is more energy, activity, and outward expression. The energy of this time of year is all about expansion. Just like nature all around us, we are invited to blossom into our full potential, to expand into our soul calling. It is time to activate our intentions, embody our true nature and manifest our dreams

We met the wise crone during the winter months; the maiden in spring and now we meet the mother or queen of summer. 

The mother archetype is the protector, the nurturer, full of unconditional love and creativity. She supports growth and has great inner strength, wisdom and energy. But she knows when to step back and let her children walk by themselves and make their own mistakes.

The queen archetype is the leader and represents sovereignty. She no longer spends all her time nurturing others but is now engaged with ruling her kingdom. She commands and delegates but takes full responsibility for her actions. She is aligned with nature and her higher self.

Quote: A queen is wise. She has earned her serenity, not having had it bestowed on her but having passed her tests. She has suffered and grown more beautiful because of it. She has proved she can hold her kingdom together. She has become its vision. She cares deeply about something bigger than herself. She rules with authentic power.”

― Marianne Williamson 

Which archetype will enable you most to blossom this summer? Will you take on the role of mothering yourself, giving yourself the support and unconditional love you need or are you ready to step into your queendom?

Masculine & Feminine

https://goop.com/wellness/spirituality/balancing-your-feminine-and-masculine-energies/

https://www.saintbelford.com.au/blogs/blog/how-masculine-and-feminine-energies-impact-relationships

Queen Archetype 

https://www.themoonschool.org/archetypes/who-is-the-queen-archetype-call-her-in/