Leo Season Ecology: Mapping Nature, Human & Cosmic By Ann Whittaker & Allie Couch | Photography by Ann Whittaker
T
he science of ecology is a branch in biology that examines the relationships of organisms to one another and their physical surroundings. We humans are organisms relating to each other, other organisms, and our physical surroundings. Each season, we highlight the dynamics of a few relationships you are navigating day in and day out. Every day you are in relationship with nature, work (business), family, community (social), and your body. Here are ways to consider relating to each of these elements during Leo Season: NATURE: As we relax into this most leisurely time of year just as tempertures have peaked, look for all sorts of sage plants, one of our favorite heat tolerant flora. Gather some as you take a stroll in the softer morning sunlight just after the dew has dried. Tie the stems and hang in a dark spot to enjoy in the darker months, around the corner. A reminder of how easy living feels. COSMIC: Make an effort to wake before dawn this Leo Season. If you look to the eastern sky,
12
you will see Venus rising as a brilliant morning star, urgning us to act on emotion and impulse, to fogive and live a little easier. After dusk, you can see Jupiter and Mercury rising in the west skies. The best time to see the center of the Milky Way will be right at the front end of this season, close the the new moon on July 23rd. Watch the weather forecast and chose a location where you have no light polution. Look for the constellation of Sagittarius to the south (and possibly a touch west) between 10pm - 2am. BODY: In Leo Season, the heart and spine are brought into focus with our blood pulsing, now used to the warmth of the sun, yet knowing that summer’s heat has plateued. Cycles within cycles: The summer season, specifically Leo, relates to the time of the month, about 10 days after menstrtion, when we are most fertile and attractive (men & women). More revealing clothes, brighter colors, skin glimmering with dew, and softly swollen bodies seem to make life a game of attraction and courting. Summer love is in the air.