*Tomatoes freshly picked from my good friend’s garden*

Focus - “Ripening/ Maturation”

Mature; "ripe, complete in natural growth or development," also, "careful, well-considered, thorough," from Latin mātūrus of persons, "having fully developed powers of body and mind."

Named for the Roman emperor Augustus (literally meaning “venerable” or “worthy of respect”) In the northern hemisphere, August is a time of maturation. The last month of summer and gateway into fall, the fruits of the spring and summer’s efforts ripen and become ready for reaping.

Following the cueing of the natural world around me, for the month of August, I channel my efforts into finalizing my various summer projects and preparing them for completion/ harvest. August is the month when I evaluate the energy put toward growth, generation and development in the varying categories of my life, and apply my attentions to the “finishing touches”.

Path - The Ipsilateral Functional Line (IFL)

The Ipsilateral Functional Line connects our upper arm bone (humerus), down the rear and side of our trunk (anterior edge of the lattisimus dorsi, end of ribs 10-12, external obilques, and ASIS - anterior superior iliac spine) to the largest of our hip flexor muscles (sartorius) and inside top portion of our larger, lower leg bone (medial tibial epicondoyle by way of the pes anserinus).

This line can be felt when hanging from a tree branch and turning your hips or when swimming while pulling the hand down through the water.

The Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system consists of a conducting network of lymphatic vessels, lymphoid organs, lymphoid tissues, and the circulating lymph. The lymphatic system has several important roles:

Collecting excess fluid from your body’s tissues and returning it to your bloodstream
Helping your body absorb fats
Protecting your body against invaders (such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi)

Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system does not have its own pump, so it relies on our bodies’ muscle movement in order to function effectively. This means that the less we move, the less well our bodies can perform the vital functions of the lymphatic system.

The Lymphatic system is yet another vital component of our being, which by design underscores the fact that we are creatures of movement.

Principle - Relativity

“It’s all relative.”

The same apple is large relative to a blueberry, and small relative to a watermelon. This principle holds true in all expressions of energy and metrics of comparison. A motorcycle is fast relative to bicycle, but relatively slow compared to a jet plane. One million dollars is a lot relative to one thousand dollars, but insignificant compared to a trillion dollars. The light and heat given off from a candle pales in comparison to a forrest fire, which in turn doesn’t “hold a candle” to the heat and light of the sun. Everything is a matter of where we are as the witness/observer, and what we are thinking, sensing and moving relative to.

One application of this principle involves viewing circumstances from various perspectives, helping us to remain centered and balanced even in relatively challenging circumstances. This helps to develop an awareness of our tendency toward comparison, and to be more honest and fair with our comparisons. Nostalgia for example, tends to be a problem of comparing something pleasing from the past with something unpleasant in the present. The principle of relativity reminds us that our perception of reality can alter our experiences, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a genuinely positive mindset and perspective.

How often do we can grow and make personal progress, but then downplay our successes when we hold them in relation to someone else’s successes? Comparing one’s self to another, no matter how similar we think we might be, is a game of comparing apples to oranges. The only truly fair comparison of one to another to make, is present self to past self. When we do this, we can much more clearly see the path we are on and know if we should feel satisfaction, or if perhaps there is some room to mature.

August (2024)