Written by Nicola Callard
With the end of 2024, and the welcome dawn of 2025, I’ve been contemplating how I am going to harness the slower pace of the summer break where the days all blend together. As a mother, writer, and busy professional, the wildness and wonder of my life can whip me into a frenzy – a fun inspiring one, but exhausting none the less.
This season I’m doubling down on rest and relaxation, and harnessing the abundance of summer light, energy and vitality to recharge my body, mind and spirit. As we all make our conscious choices for how we use our precious summer holidays, I’ve curated a compilation of thoughts to consider.
Living naturally with the seasons
Down under, the new year is born right in the middle of our vibrant summer, when the days are long and nature is bursting with abundance. During the summertime era, vitality and expansion comes naturally and the seeds we planted during spring are bursting into full bloom. It’s the perfect time to harvest our hard work from the year just gone, and enjoy our fruits with some regenerative renewal so we can harness the remainder of summer’s radiance.
Unlike our northern hemisphere sisters who are enjoying the dormancy and introspection of the cold winter, we are being called to activate, energise and take aligned action. Now is our time to take a hot minute to check in with our feminine wisdom and make any shifts to bring us into more radical authentic alignment with the divine being we are born to be.
Whether you’re balancing a career, relationships, family or self-discovery, I enthusiastically encourage you to harness the energy available to you over summer, which will inspire transformation and growth if you let it!
For those wanting to dive deeper, explore how you can work with the Roman goddess Juno, who stewards transitions & new beginnings to cultivate a sense of inspired empowerment that will see you take practical steps towards the future you desire.
Practical steps to help with re-setting, refreshing and renewing
With the Norse goddess Sol (goddess of the sun) shining vitality and life on us, it’s a great time to spend conscious time outdoors, connecting with the earth’s cycles, and setting intentions. Create opportunities to allow nature to work her magic on your spirit through swimming in the sea, walking in the bush or bathing (safely) in the morning or afternoon sun. I find a quiet, solo walk in the forest or swim in the ocean is always incredibly healing and clarifying. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to experience and integrate – don’t rush this!
Channel the Hindu goddess Saraswati, goddess of wisdom and creativity to receive guidance, inspiration and aligned intentions. As feminine beings, our power lies in our capacity to cultivate fertile conditions for life to emerge spontaneously and naturally. Remain centred in your heart and flexible in your planning as you imagine the year ahead. With overpowering social expectations on new year’s resolutions and planning in general, be brave to hold your own space and allow your inspired intentions to emerge when and how they are ready without active force.
Purification rituals have been relied on for generations to remove physical and mental clutter that blocks the flow of energy and creativity in life. Take some conscious time to review your physical living space, as well as your internal mental landscape. Use the extra time over the summer to clear, cleanse and curate. I love coupling manifestation meditations with purification rituals to give me the extra energetic boost I need to let go of the old so that I can create space for the new. Don’t forget, your future dreams will be birthed from the fertile void – to cultivate fresh energy we must first clear out the old, stagnant energy that no longer serves.
Moving into 2025 with bright eyes and burning passion
As we harvest the power of vitality this summer, let us all be guided by the passion and transformative power of the Egyptian goddess Isis who will bless us with inspiration, empowerment and activation if we ask. My prayer for us all is to feel the bright and bold sunshine that burns inside each of us and that we have the courage and faith to channel our vital lifeforce energy to ignite meaningful and aligned paths of action that serve us, our loved ones, and our world.
About Nicola Callard
Nicola is a gentle guide and facilitator who believes in the power of authentic connection to heal our world. With advanced qualifications in psychology and group dynamics, she creates nurturing spaces where individuals rediscover their innate wisdom and voice. Through her mindful approach to therapy, public speaking, coaching, and group facilitation, she weaves together ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience to support others in their journey back to wholeness. Her podcast “What it means to love” and community gatherings serve as sanctuaries for meaningful conversations about conscious living and deep human connection. Find her sharing insights about slow living and sustainable wellbeing at @mindset_architect_collective.
