How to embrace the dog days of summer
A guide to refill your creative well with whimsy, nostalgia, and summer camp
This letter is part of Creative Contemplation—rituals and practices to help you harmonize with the energy of the season and remember your connection to spirit, nature, and each other. ✨💗🌿
Hello.
There’s something magical about the month of August. Back-to-school excitement builds while the last, lingering days of summer wax poetically nostalgic.
What were your favorite summertime activities as a kid? How did you celebrate the end of the season?
When I was younger, my sister and I would spread a picnic blanket out in the backyard and lay on our backs to watch the stars come out, one by one. We’d count them until we couldn’t anymore, the light from fireflies blinking in unison with the Heavens.
Leo season, which rules our creativity and passion, is the perfect time to indulge our childhood memories and create new ones.
Since Prasunjit is visiting family in India, I’m holding down the fort with Noah. Needing a little inspiration to get me through solo-parenting, I decided to turn the weeks he’s away into a “summer camp adventure.” Being intentional about capturing the gifts of this season while focusing on play has shifted what might otherwise be (and still is) a stressful time.
BUT. This isn’t another to-do list or reason to feel FOMO. Like all of our Creative Contemplation practices, it’s an invitation to connect to the energetic themes and take what resonates for you.
To dive into Leo season’s astrology and archetypes, check out this video or listen to intuitive messages from Spirit with this month’s New Moon Tarot reading.
The format for this month’s creative inspiration is a little different, I hope you enjoy! Take what you like and pass it on to a friend. 😊
Creative Inspiration
Watch
Rewatch some of these classic summer-camp-themed movies for inspiration to extend the season or re-live some of your favorite camp experiences.
The Parent Trap
Moonrise Kingdom
Meatballs
Spacecamp
Check out and I’s Create from the Heart Workshop💖🦁✨
We came together for a beautiful collaboration last summer to share Leo-inspired topics such as:
How can you be loyal to your inner child?
What is the difference between ego-centered creation and heart-centered creation?
How can accepting your birthright as a creator and your inherent royalty benefit others?
We’re sharing it again just for you! I’d also highly recommend Kamila’s newsletters
and . 💗Make
Host a craft night with friends and make your favorite snacks from when you were a kid. Here are some suggestions!
Ants on a log
Ritz crackers and cheese
Turtle popcorn
Swedish fish
Chicken fingers
Chocolate chip cookies
A scavenger hunt or BINGO card of summer-themed activities like these:
*Use this template and print it out or create your own here!
Find a photo booth and take pictures
Throw or go to a pool party
Sleep overnight in a tent (in your backyard or somewhere else!)
Go to a local fair
Make breakfast for dinner
Play dress up with friends (bonus if you turn it into a clothing swap!)
Join
from is hosting the second annual edition of Camp AweGust and you’re all invited! Subscribe to her newsletter to attend a real-live virtual summer camp for adults. I’ve already signed up and joined the ice cream social event. 🍦
Listen
This playlist is full of summer-time fun you can listen to with the windows down. Featuring the Beach Boys, Snoop Dogg, Lana del Ray, and more, you’ll soak up the last rays of summer with an old-school mix tape of new and past favorites. Let me know in the comments what your favorite summer-themed music is! 🎶☀️
I hope these ideas infuse your heart with a sense of playfulness and magic. I’d love to hear about your summer adventures or how Leo season is treating you!
Until next time,
All my love,
Mariah
UPCOMING WORKSHOP
Don’t forget to join us this Saturday, August 17th at 11am EST for our next virtual, pay-what-you-can, Nature Journaling Workshop, Noticing Resilience.
You don’t need to have any special supplies or experience to join and it’s ok if you haven’t been to any of our previous classes. These are a continuation of our Creative Contemplation rituals to help you connect to nature, nurture your creativity, and be in community. Join live for the fullest experience or check out the replay 📓🌿🌻
BOOK A TAROT READING WITH ME
I’m offering a limited amount of tarot and oracle card readings— from a quick 15 minutes to hour long sessions.
I’d love to be your guide as we use tarot to help you gain clarity and insight into your life! Whether it’s a relationship, career question, or another crossroads, my goal is to empower you with compassionate affirmation and sacred witnessing. 💖
There's something so powerful about approaching a stressful season with a playful spirit. I love all the summer camp ingredients you've collected. And so happy you've added Camp AweGust into your mix. Thank you for sharing!
This is really fun and inspiring! I’m definitely feeling the summertime sadness lol.