🌼 Summer in the Sonoran Desert 🌞🏜️✨ Existential Philosophy, Jungian Psychology, and Parts Work (Internal Family Systems)
- tbarghamadi13
- 5 days ago
- 14 min read
June 8, 2025
As summer sets in the Sonoran Desert 🏜️🌞✨, I am being called to listen to a lesson that feels ancient to my soul, “grow where you are planted.” 🌞🌱
I have many parts of me that are averse to the 100-120 degree weather, validly so, I would say.
It’s hot ‘round these parts. 🌵🏜️
And yet, my inner knowing, my Self, or my Essence- maybe even my desert Soul- has a yearning to learn from the summer heat.
To grow where I am planted in this moment.
To radically accept where I am, and see what lessons I can learn from the powerful force that is the desert.
🏜️ The desert is an honest place- not many bells and whistles.
Its bare, its reflective, and its a wonderful place to sit with your soul/spirit/self/'insert whatever word works for you here.'
I am working to channel curiosity, openness, softening and humility towards this powerful season 🌞.
I may have more of an 🍁autumnal soul🍂🕯️, but I am humble enough to understand that there are gifts and treasures in embracing the whole of Mother Nature✨.
I know there are infinite lessons nestled here that I dont quite understand yet.
✨When i s l o w down and connect with myself, I notice that the desert has taught me so much during my time in it. 🌞 One of these lessons is that, even in the burning heat and lack of natural resources, there is still:
There is life 🌱
There are always sprouts
There is always growth 🌱🥺
Symbolically:
There is enough 🌼
There are options 🏜️
There is a way 🏹
What a powerful and deeply intuitive lesson.
This really speaks to me✨
Out of almost nothing, there is still life 🌱
The beauty of the desert is that it ✨alchemizes✨ what little resources exist, and makes it enough.
It is persistent, it doesnt give up. 🏹
The trees here are different, they have evolved to not need as much water. Their leaves are different than rainy climates. The trees made a way. It feels to me like they could have given up, but they adapted to their circumstances and became even more powerful & unbreakable. 🌱🌵
This has me pondering about how as humans, we have seasons of drought. Of wandering the desert. 🏜️ Dark nights of the soul 🌌 .
How beautiful to take this lesson from the desert- even when it feels like there is no way we can make a way- the desert shows us that we can.
That we an be persistent. Resilient. Resourceful. ✨🏜️🌱🕯️🌞🏹🌼
When we hold on to even the tiniest ounce of hope, it can sprout 🌱. It can even blossom some day 🥺🌞✨
Seeing the little wildflowers and dandelions grow through the concrete imbues me with this hope.
I wonder if those little flowers had to hold hope too? 🌱
I wonder if they doubted themselves? Felt dehydrated? Scared? Hopeless?
I wonder if when they were under the dirt, they too felt suffocated?
And yet, they persevered and leaned into growth.
And they share their beauty to generously with us passerby's🌞.
It feels right with my soul to acknowledge them & their efforts 🌼.
My discomfort with the summer heat has also led me to seek support- asking my dear sister for summer climate tips. It was comforting to gain this support from her. 🌼
I alchemized my fear and discomfort of summer into connecting with somebody I love. That itself feels like a gift from the desert 🏜️. And Im grateful for that.
And let’s be honest, the sunsets here are unparalleled to any other climate 🌅. The wildflowers? 🌼 there is something about the boldness and warmth of the desert that feels like a warm hug.
It also feels to me like a lesson on boundaries. The heat can feel like a warm hug.
But, if you don't know your limits, it can be suffocating embrace.
This is a lesson on knowing your personal boundaries, limits, and taking care of yourself rather than putting your needs into someone else's hands.
It’s about honoring your well-being while still allowing yourself to lean on others when support is needed — because self-care isn’t about doing everything alone, but about making sure your you know your needs & you are communicating them.
In this case, the sun cannot just leave, but you have the autonomy to seek refuge from it when it becomes too much. 🌞
Another avenue I am channeling is cultural remedies 🍶🍵🫖.
Im learning so many herbs 🌿, elixirs, and magical concoctions that have kept my ancestors thriving in the desert. 🏜️ (my favorite are 1. hibiscus tea & lime 2. & Persian khaksheer w/ rose water & lime, but consult a doctor before adding anything new to your diet).
There is something so ancient and alluring to me about understanding how the earth can sustain us with its flowers, roots, and magic 🪄🌿✨.
This is the power of curiosity, openness, courage, and persistence.
Our minds are so powerful. ✨🌞
What could otherwise be seen as a burning & barren hot hell, can instead be seen with more respect and discernment.
To grow where you are planted 🌱is to accept your circumstances as they are- not with judgement, but with curiosity. With acceptance. Holding an ounce of faith that maybe you were meant to learn from your current life.
To see difficulties as challenges, not punishments.
Something my mentor told me that really resonated with me was, “Any challenge that comes your way; accept it. Can you really lose if you learn from everything that comes your way? Or do you just become a more competent version of yourself? Your role is to do your best, work hard, and then learn from whatever outcome unfolds. ” ✨
This is such a powerful mindset. It has personally changed my life.
It takes you out of a victim mentality & into accepting the autonomy you innately have as a human being.
It continually gives me chills. Even in this desert heat 🌞🤭
It is a mindset that takes us from wanting to control outcomes- something we absolutely cannot do as humans- to surrendering to the lessons that come our way.
Knowing that our future self is competent. And we are on this earth to grow. 🌿✨
Realistically, if you've made it this far in life, your past self was competent, you current self is, so it would follow that your future self is competent too.
As they say, “you have made it through 100% of your worst days.”
If we live our life trying to control, predict, and brace, what do we really gain other than health issues & an even more dysregulated nervous system?
Rumination is an illusion of control, it's not actually control.
And would we genuinely be happy if we could control everything?
We often think we would be, and maybe in ways, we would.
But with extreme control, there is no passion, no wonder, no curiosity.
We would have rigidity, not necessarily the joy we assume we would have.
And this isn't to say that it is a quick and easy shift to stop trying to control & to embrace challenges - its absolutely not.
Healing is a life long journey. And it’s difficult. To me, it feels like its the most difficult thing to live each moment intentionally. It can be tiring. But also, exhilarating & empowering.
But, you survived the trauma, and thus you can survive the healing too 🌞✨.
It’s an intentional, effortful movement towards accepting what we can and cant control.
Witnessing and being aware of our self talk & mindset are crucial. And, it’s not enough.
We also need to cultivate skills to help ourselves, especially on the hard days.
Utilizing skills such as :
Reflection, journaling, and engaging in shadow work
Fiercely witnessing ourselves without judgment or shame
Treating ourselves with compassion and radical acceptance
Developing emotional regulation skills
Applying regulation practices in our most difficult moments
Cultivating meditation and stillness
Engaging in mindful, intentional movement that feels safe and nurturing to our bodies
We will fumble, we will flop, we will make mistakes, we will spiral in the middle of the night sometimes. We will always remain imperfect. There is no moment where we are ‘perfect & fully healed.’
There is no cure for being human after all. 🌌 For better and for worst, we have a wide range of feelings. From fear, regret, emptiness, soul-aching pain, hollowness, hopelessness, to joy, ecstasy, connection, nostalgia, wonder, awe.
All of these feelings are welcome.
And truthfully, you cannot selectively numb emotions, so it is worth it to bury emotions?
Maybe at first, but long term it doesn't seem worth it.
If you don’t let yourself fully feel & move through the agony and pain, you will not be able to feel joy and excitement.
And at a physical level, letting the trauma out (through trauma informed yoga, singing, humming, etc).
As my ancestor Rumi says,
“Treat all feelings as guests in your home.”
And yes, all really does mean all.
Sometimes as humans, we think that if we ignore the "bad" feelings (envy, anger, disillusionment, sadness, etc) will make them disappear.
But this isn’t true.
These feelings aren't bad. They’re simply misunderstood. They carry important signals, just like joy, excitement, or love. The problem is not the feeling itself, but what we do with it.
When suppressed, these emotions can leak out sideways—projected onto others in unexpected ways. But this is human error, rather than being the "fault" of a feeling.
When witnessed and understood, these so-called “negative” emotions can become our most powerful teachers.
If understood & helped, these feelings can actually help us develop a more intimate, deep, & meaningful relationship with ourselves. And as a result, with others too.
Think of them like children. If you ignore a child who needs attention, they don’t quietly go away—they act out. Similarly, ignored emotions grow louder, more disruptive, and harder to manage.
Welcoming all feelings—without judgment—creates space for healing, clarity, and connection. Let them be heard, and they won’t have to scream.
Here are some examples of what feelings might be trying to tell you:
Wonder
“How is this real?” Wonder brings curiosity without needing control. It invites us to witness — not fix or understand, but simply behold. It’s what keeps the child inside us alive.
Fear
“Something doesn’t feel safe.”
Fear is trying to protect us — from danger, shame, rejection, failure. Sometimes it’s accurate, sometimes it’s overreacting. But it always wants us to stay safe. When we check in with it, we can understand what is going on, and help the part of us that feels this unsafe.
Emptiness
“I don’t feel full — something feels missing.” Emptiness isn’t always bad. It can be a pause before change, a space that invites us to ask deeper questions. Sometimes it’s grief in disguise, or a soul craving meaning, beauty, or real connection.
Grief
“I miss what was — and I don’t know how to hold what is.”
Grief isn’t just about loss; it’s about love that no longer has a place to go. Grief is the other side of Love; both sides make up the full coin. It shows up in waves — in tears, in silence, in moments that feel hollow. Grief asks for gentleness, not fixing. It’s a process of honoring what mattered and slowly learning how to live with the absence while carrying the love forward.
Hopelessness
“I can’t see the way forward.”
This emotion doesn’t mean the future is truly gone — it means you’ve lost sight of it. Hope has gone quiet. Sometimes, this emotion invites stillness, support, and care while we wait for hope to flicker again.
Regret
“I wish I could go back and do it differently.”
Regret shows us what mattered to us. It’s the mind’s way of saying: “I’ve learned something.” It stings, but beneath the sting is growth, a desire to repair, or to become more aligned with who we really want to be.
We will not be perfect and understanding or feeling our emotions. We will make mistakes or misunderstand ourselves & each other at times.
Our role isn't to 'never make mistakes' to avoid emotions- its to learn to relate to the emotions & learn the lessons along the way.
Learning from our mistakes is how we gain wisdom.
Its how we connect deeply with ourselves.
✨✨🏜️Taking it back to the desert-
There’s no disguise in the desert—only what is.
The desert summer challenges you to meet yourself honestly — no distractions, no escape, just you and the heat. 🌞✨🏜️
It strips things down to their essence, much like our own inner work.✨🌌✨
The desert, with all its harsh heat reminds us that clarity often comes when things feel the most uncomfortable — when the heat rises, when the distractions fall away, when the surface cracks just enough to let the truth peek through. 🏜️🌞✨
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you -Rumi”
Existential therapy sees life as a journey through the desert— wide, uncertain, and deeply personal journey where you question all of your believes, and arrive at deeper thought & felt sense meanings.
You’re not lost; you’re just in a place without signposts.
This is part of the journey.
Existential therapy posits that an existential crisis is like suddenly realizing the horizon stretches further than you imagined — and that you’re the one who has to choose where to walk next (i.e. the concept of autonomy).
Grief and struggle are like desert storms. 🌵
Yes, they’re harsh—but they shape us.
They carve resilience into our bones.
They teach us how to endure, how to sit with silence, and how to travel light—carrying only what truly matters. A powerful way to reflect on this is through a values sort: clarifying what you stand for, what you’re willing to carry forward.
As Nietzsche said, “He who has a Why can endure any How.”
The journey isn’t just a path to the destination—it forms the destination.
It’s not about getting there. It’s about how you’re living, moment to moment. This is the heart of presence: living with intention, anchored in what matters most.
In Jungian therapy, you might say your shadow walks beside you in that desert — not to haunt you, but to help you. It holds the parts of you you’ve buried in the sand: your fears, yes, but also your strength, your creativity, your truth.
Shadow work is a core practice in Jungian psychology—a way of bringing unconscious parts of the self into conscious awareness. These are the traits, emotions, desires, and instincts we’ve disowned or rejected, often because they didn’t fit the image we were taught to uphold.
The shadow isn’t “bad”—it’s simpy unknown.
Engaging with it, we begin to reclaim lost or hidden aspects of ourselves.
One approach involves noticing the archetypes that show up in your inner world or in your projections—those recurring patterns or figures (like the Wounded One, the Rebel, The Mystic, The Hero). These archetypes serve as mirrors, helping you witness your internal landscape without judgment.
In Jungian terms, healing comes not from perfection, but from integration—the ability to hold both light and shadow, and to relate to the whole self with honesty and compassion.
Existential therapy and Jungian thought both agree — wholeness isn’t found in escaping the desert, but in learning how to walk through it, barefoot if you must, with your shadow as a guide and your heart open to whatever the wind brings.
In parts work, you might say that different parts of you walk with you through the desert—not just one shadow, but many inner figures.
Perhaps, even, various parts of you are walking through the desert alone, and it is your task to go find them.
They are not here to sabotage you, but to protect you in the only ways they’ve known.
Some are exiled, buried deep beneath the sand—holding pain, fear, or vulnerability.
Others stand guard, protecting: the critics, the perfectionists, the overachievers—trying to keep you safe.
Even in their extremes, every part has a purpose.
Parts work invites you into a relationship with these inner selves.
Rather than pushing them away or trying to "fix" them, you learn to listen—with curiosity, not judgment.
Each part has a story to tell, a role it’s been playing, and a need it’s trying to meet.
Some carry burdens from the past. Those same parts hold your lost creativity, strength, joy, or playfulness.
Parts are not their burdens. They also have gifts.
When we unburden them, they get to lean into their gifts.
By noticing these parts—how they show up in thought, behavior, emotion—you begin to create space inside.
Space for compassion. Space for choice. Space for integration.
In this work, healing doesn’t mean erasing parts of yourself. It means making room for all of them—so that no part has to carry the burden alone.
Maybe they all gather at a table at a gathering place.
One helpful exercise is to imagine all your parts gathered together around a table in a safe, neutral space.
You can draw this scene, placing each part where it feels natural. You can try to name parts, draw them or a symbol of them.
As you do this, notice the dynamics that emerge:
Who sits close together? Are there parts that seem to support or protect one another?
Are some parts keeping their distance or even facing away?
Is there a part that seems to dominate the conversation, while others remain silent?
Are there any parts that seem to be in conflict or trying to negotiate?
This simple visualization helps you see how your inner system interacts, giving you insight into relationships that may be hidden beneath the surface—and offering a chance to bring understanding and balance.
And from that inner clarity, your true Self—the calm, curious, compassionate core of who you are—can lead the way.
🏜️The desert is not easy. But it is wise. Its real. Its deep. 🌞
It teaches us that transformation is possible even under scorching pressure.
There is so much beauty in learning & leaning into the climate that you live in, wherever that might be.
The desert asks us to be resourceful with our energy, our mindset, our emotions. 🏹 And it shows us that thriving is not always lush or picturesque — sometimes it’s a single wildflower pushing through dry earth, a stubborn little miracle 🌱🥹🌞✨
So when the sun beats down and I feel like shrinking & melting, I try instead to expand — in self-compassion, in courage, in curiosity. I ask:
🌞 What is this heat trying to teach me?
🌞 What in me needs to soften? Stop trying to control, and instead tune in?
🌞 What in me is ready to grow, even here? Especially here?
Because maybe growth isn’t always about having perfect conditions. Maybe it’s about learning to listen & accept the landscape of our life — even when it’s dry, cracked, and uncomfortable. 🏜️
The desert keeps reminding me: You are not fragile. You are evolving. You are resilient. You have more autonomy than you think. You carve your future. Nothing Is 'All or Nothing'. There Is always a choice. Not choosing it also a choice. There Is always a way. 🌿🌞🌱🏜️✨
If this post resonates with you & you want to go deeper, here are some shadow prompts ( from Jungian therapy ) to reflect on this summer.
{Disclaimer: shadow work can be intense, make sure to take care of yourself & know your limits. It can be helpful to process these after with a therapist/trusted professional}
🌱 If I knew that struggle was part of my initiation into deeper self-trust, how would I meet it differently?
🦂 What discomfort am I calling “intolerable” because it threatens the version of myself I’ve grown comfortable being?
🌞 When have I mistaken control for safety, and what has it cost me?
🏜️ What parts of me only come alive in drought — and why do they scare me?
🌿 Where am I hoping for rescue instead of rooting deeper?
🔥 What would it mean to let the heat alchemize me instead of trying to escape it?
🌼 What wisdom do I keep ignoring because it doesn’t feel gentle?
🌌 What version of me is dying in it’s current form this season — and what part of me is afraid to grieve her?
🪞 What beauty have I turned away from because I didn’t feel worthy of it?
🫖 What ancestral resilience am I resisting because it would mean letting go of the narrative that I am too fragile to grow through this?
Thanks for reading this very long blog :)!
Don't forget to hydrate 🫖, wear sunscreen 🌞, and notice your relationship to summer, I'd love to hear what It has brought up for you 🌼✨.
Also, heat exhaustion/heat stroke is very real so take extra care :).
With a warm & brave embrace,
🏜️Tara 🌞🌼✨🏹
