Summering: an Astrological Guide

Making the most out of the warmest season of the year

Jul 10, 2026

Today, I want to offer you the concept of Summering.

Summering is any devotion to enjoying the hottest, bright time of the year, no matter how small the moment.

Summering is taking the idea of a lunar win and applying it the peak time of the Sun,

It is a way of helping us (me) remember to get back down to earth amidst a season that can feel ripe with expectations and pressure.

Is it just me??

I am someone who loves the dark. Who loves to see people but has a highly variable social battery. Who likes to feel like she’s Making the Most of the passing of time without forgetting to stay present.

When relaying these hangups, and my lack of seasonal plans, to my friend Ruby, the phrase “summering” was born, making summer a thing you can continuously do, even in smaller intervals. As in, have you summered today?

This article aims to dive into the meaning of summering and how you can begin to implement your own summering protocol in the coming months.

As an astrologer, I love to look at the celestial weather of the season to give us a clue as to the building blocks of summering.

We know that each year, the Sun passes through three zodiac signs during summer in the Northern Hemisphere: Cancer, Leo and Virgo. Each of them holds a key part of the magic of summering.

Cancer Season (Late June- Middle of July)

This month starts off with the longest day of the year and then marks the days getting shorter. We are in peak Sun but Cancer is ruled by the Moon, nocturnal luminary, holder of substance, private life, the people. There is a mysterious, mundane quality to this time of year. Cancer itself is a sign of protecting what is precious, the labor of nurturing, and how to seed abundance. We see Cancer season reflected in rejuvenating activities, those that bring us to water, help us feel it all but also cool down and find comfort.

Leo Season (Late July - Middle of August)

Leo season is where things get bright and crunchy— literally. The heat has been barreling down for over a month now, so a lot of the more finicky or temperate plants have become brittle and brown while, interestingly, so many of the remaining flowers are yellow, mirroring the grand splendor of the Sun, ruler of this season. Leo exalts the true self made manifest in the form of visibility, power, glamour and generosity. This season brings a radiating quality to summer in the form of going out, making/consuming art, or simply being outside.

Virgo Season (End of August- Middle of September)

The last part of summer is a threshold— the transition from the fruiting of the season to the winnowing necessary to save the bounty so we have enough in the colder months. Ruled by Mercury, the earthy season of Virgo is concerned with the details, with the perfecting of what is always in process, and how to connect to the material world in a refined, skillful manner. The season is aligned with the nourishing aspects of summer, or whatever helps us enjoy the fruits of the earth, hone our skills and reflect on what is actually working for us.

In summary, the three main vibes of summer are rejuvenating, radiating and nourishing.

Some ways I have been summering lately:

Visited the Dave Hockney exhibit at the Portland Art Museum (radiating) and bought a sticker so I could add it to my taste journal (nourishing).

Made a slab pie from my parents’ blueberries (nourishing) which I shared with them along with fig leaf ice cream made by my mom (rejuvenating)

Regularly drinking a rose- st. John’s wort infusion (rejuvenating) and reading a new book I got for a summer read (radiating).

Letting myself have some cathartic cries (rejuvenating)

How to Summer

Of course, you are free to make a bucket list or vernal aspirations in any manner you choose.

But if you wish to use this summering framework:

Make a list (physically is preferred) with three columns, one each for Rejuvenating, Radiating, and Nourishing

For each one, listen to music that reminds you of each. Or, just listen to my zodiac sign playlists:
- Rejuvenating:
- Radiating

Nourishing:

Let yourself sink into the listening. Ideally, play the music loud enough to block out most thought, like you’re being consumed by a movie soundtrack. What memories, desires or images comes up as you listen? Could those be formed into activities or practices that feel exciting for you?

In listening to my Cancer Season playlist, for example, I come across “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” by The Stooges, one of my favorite karaoke songs. I already have a date to karaoke with my friends later in the week. Before that I listened to “No Tears Left to Cry” by Ariana Grande, a song I bumped all summer in 2019, when I would drive out to the butte on the edge of town, write poetry and cry. Maybe a long drive? Sitting outside in sunset summer heat, not doing anything in particular? And crying, of course. Room to be in water, to let it wash off rose face masks and fill jars that I empty.

Record whatever inspiration comes to you and which activities sound compelling for your particular definition of summering right now.

How do I Implement a Summering Protocol?

Sometimes, you have to be disciplined, even about pleasure. It’s so easy to squeeze the enjoyment out of life when everything feels more pressing. It’s easy for everything to feel more pressing when we implicitly act as it pleasure doesn’t matter, or is sinful, even. But remember: who actually benefits from you spending all your time accomplishing or achieving something? How many poems and fairy tales have been written about the souls who make the mistake of thinking they can take their wealth or their accolades with them?

I’m not presenting a practical solution so much as a philosophical one. What place does enjoyment hold in your life? What is the difference between what must be done in accordance with the seasons, the earth, one’s natural cycle versus what must be done according to constant busyness or “maximizing” your time ?

That also means being mindful of when we turn summering into a chore or looming to-do list. As Oliver Burkeman writes in “Four Thousand Weeks”

“There’s another sense in which treating time as something that we own and get to control seems to make life worse. Inevitably, we become obsessed with “using it well,” whereupon we discover an unfortunate truth: the more you focus on using time well, the more each day begins to feel like something you have to get through, en route to some calmer, better, more fulfilling point in the future, which never actually arrives. ”

We can do a million things but still not become relaxed or really enjoy them. That’s why, in my opinion, summering shouldn’t necessarily be an elaborate affair. Maybe summering means getting yourself a lemonade from the corner store. Maybe it means taking a walk outside or texting a picture of a flower to a friend. Regardless, it should actually be something that feels exciting to you right now, rather than something you think you “should” do this season.

When you have the urge to summer, ask yourself: do I need rejuvenating, radiating or nourishing energy right now? Consult your list for the corresponding vibe and pick whichever makes your body tingle with interest.