Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Halycon August Days

Tuesday, August 13, 2013


If you are learning something new each day then you must be growing.  And if you are growing then you are somehow very alive.  I finally learned something of the origin of the term "halycon".  Alycone was the daughter of Aeolus and wife of Ceyx.  Alycone threw herself into the sea after learning her husband had died in a shipwreck.  She and her husband were later transformed into halycon birds.  Her father Aeolus helped his daughter to have a quiet time to lay her eggs by quieting the winds and waters for seven days each year.  These quiet days are known as halycon days.

I find myself very aware of my own need for halycon days.  Having lived through my first Minnesota winter (a winter that did not seem to fully relinquish its grip until May!) I have a newfound appreciation for the beauty of summer warmth and tranquility.  We haven't had much of a summer even by Minnesota standards.  Having grown up in Texas this is the time of year I can scoff at the lack of hardiness in local people when they complain when the temperature reaches 90F.  I just returned from my early morning walk.  It was so cool outside I could barely get away with wearing a tank top.  During my walk I saw one of the constellations rising in the east whose image is a harbinger of winter.  I saw Orion.  Orion marks a time when halycon days can be difficult to come by.  Winter storms here in the Midwest can lay the spirit low.

I find myself eager to get up and greet these August mornings because I am all too aware of the coming of autumn.  Halycon days of calm and bliss do not last forever.  These calm, pleasant summer mornings are a perishable gift.  In a month the winds will likely already be announcing the coming of autumn.  If we have an early autumn they may arrive even sooner.

I am grateful for this period of halycon days in my own life.  I have needed them in a very deep way.  As a way to start my day in a beautiful way I can think of all I am grateful for.

I am grateful for all my friends and family who love me.
I am grateful for the green trees, soft winds, beautiful start and blessing of calm in the early morning.
I am grateful for my health and my ability to heal.
I am grateful for my mind, my intelligence and my ability to learn anew.
I am grateful for all the gifts of my past.
I am grateful for the beautiful potential in my present moment.
I am grateful for my ability to imagine an amazing and blessed future.

Let love encircle and fill each of our hearts.  Enjoy these halycon August days.





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