Master Gardening
AN EXCERPT FROM MY JOURNALING:
| I am beginning to explore gardening as a metaphor for my life. I imagine that we are all gardeners and we all have been allotted a little plot of ground. Everything that I call ‘my life’ represents my garden. I see that I have been inclined to grow turnips because they are a sure thing and because often times I choose to live up to other peoples' expectations instead of be true to myself. I see that what I really love are cucumbers; it's just that I don’t have the courage to risk being true to myself. I see that my soil is depleted and littered with the garbage of my past. I see that I can get started on creating something new and wonderful in my garden, but it’s hard for new plantings to grow to maturity in a garden with so much crap that is hidden just under the surface. I see that my garden has an atmosphere that is volatile. Sometimes days are sunny, but storms blow up quite frequently and have devastating effects that I then have to recover from. It seems like just when I'm on the verge of moving forward, I'm forced to take three steps back. I see that I have poorly defined boundaries. My garden is affected by the encroachment of weeds and the frequent upheavals of stormy weather from those that I am surrounded by. I see that I am often forgetful and leave my garden gate open. I see that I am easily distracted from my gardening chores. Instead of doing my own work, I like to turn on the tv or pick up some 'news' source and indulge in judging other peoples' gardens. I also get distracted from my work when I feel justified leaving my own responsibilites to go help other people in their gardens. I see that birds of a feather tend to flock together. Hmmm… |
MY PERSPECTIVE TODAY
| I see that we are all Gardeners. We are all experiencing this great classroom called Life on Earth and we all have the option of evolving and growing into Master Gardeners. We are the creators of our lives. The life that I perceive is a reflection of mySelf. If I want to change my experience in the Garden, I must take responsibility for changing the Gardener. I look at the aspects of a garden and then see them in myself: Soil – it can depleted and plagued with old garbage that blocks rootedness or it can be rich and fertile ground that is pure allowing for roots to grow strong and deep. Seeds – the thoughts that we put faith in, our beliefs, are the seeds of potential for our gardens. Conditions – our state of being is the atmosphere that either supports growth or stifles growth in our garden. Boundaries – we get to choose whether our garden is surrounded by fences with gates or whether we’ve gone without awareness of boundaries for so long that property lines have been long forgotten. Our desire to Live Beautifully in the garden of our dreams requires the work of tending to the gardener. It is a shift to focusing our efforts first within and then without. |
| Tending to the Soil Our physical earthly bodies are the soil. Many of us carry an accumulation of the past. Our fearful beliefs and emotions get stored in our body in the form of energetic blockages. To be a Master Gardener we must go through the process of cleaning up our bodies by becoming aware of what we carry in the form of energies from emotions and beliefs. As we do the work of releasing what no longer serves us, we are able to become grounded and experience physical health and vitality.  Tending to Seed Selection Our thoughts are seeds of possibility. The thoughts that we put faith in, our beliefs, become what grows in our garden. A healthy mind is still and is an opening for Inspired thoughts to come through. An unhealthy mind is plagued by fearful thinking and plays on and on like a broken tape recorder, seldom allowing for the peace that supports receiving the Inspired thoughts that come from out of the Blue. It is our responsibility to sift through our beliefs and decide what is worth keeping and what we choose to let go of. A person that has a belief system that is aligned with Love experiences a peaceful stillness of mind on which Inspired thoughts are seen and honored with clarity, therefore resulting in new evolutionary growth in the garden. A person that has a belief system that is aligned with fear experiences a mind that is a whirlwind of repetitive thoughts that keep one stuck in a cycle of sowing the seeds of the past.  Tending to Favorable Conditions Our state of being contributes to the atmospheric conditions in our garden. It is up to us to choose. We can choose to believe that we are justified in remaining worried, anxious and tense or we can choose to believe that we are able to exercise our free will and choose to be peaceful, kind and optimistic regardless of what we see in our collective garden experience.  Tending to Respectful Boundaries Gardeners get to choose whether their gardens have boundaries. We must decide what we will affect and what we will be affected by. We must examine whether we are creating for others with pure love, honor & respect or whether we are taking control of other’s gardens out of fear that they are incapable or out of fear of having to live with the consequences of their choices. We must become discerning as to whether our choices are truly a blessing for others or if we are interfering with other gardener's personal development. We must become discerning of whether our choice of state of being is a blessing to our neighbors or a curse. A state of being that is of worry, resentment and anxiety will be carried by the winds to our neighbors. On the contrary, to choose a state of being of peacefulness, kindness and trust will be an offering of gentle rains and sunshine for our neighbors to accept if they so choose. I see that the Master Gardening metaphor represents my evolutionary process of continuously expanding my capacity to co-Create with Love in the Garden. |
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LIVE BEAUTIFULLY: A BOOK TO SIT WITH
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A TOOL FOR THE JOURNEY
EMBARKING ON THE JOURNEY
- Start the practice of consciously choosing to stop and take a look at your Garden. Carry a little item with you as a reminder to take a moment to be aware. I chose a little pewter acorn that I carry in my pocket. I also scatter acorns around my home, car, camper etc. as a reminder to shift into a state of awareness. You might choose sea shells, rocks, feathers or anything else that inspires you.
- See with new eyes your soil, your seeds, your atmosphere and how you interact with your neighbors. Put this awareness into language by journaling what you see. (Journaling is a very powerful tool. Putting your awareness into language that is then expressed on a page creates strength and stamina.)
 | With peace and love I intend to tend to my inner garden so that I might bloom to my full potential... |