Many of us enjoy gardening for a number of reasons. Growing a garden is certainly a good way we can save money, considering the high cost of store-bought produce. We can supplement our dinner tables with fresh vegetables, free from chemical pesticides and commercial fertilizers since there are natural remedies for most pests and soil types. We can garden as a productive hobby and as a way to spend time outdoors. But we should not fail to recognize and revere our spirituality as we sow, plant, tend to, and harvest our gardens. As we nurture and grow our crops, we can nurture and grow ourselves.
Our modern lives, urban living, and busy schedules create distance between us our natural surroundings. Growing a Spiritual garden can remove some of that distance by reintroducing us to the natural symbiotic relationships that we share with the Sun, Earth, Moon, and all of the elements. Air, Water, Minerals, Soil, and Insects are all willing to work with us within our gardens, connecting us ever deeper to the world on which we live.
Your garden is sacred space. Selecting it obviously requires some technical considerations. Does is receive full or partial sun and for how long each day? Are there trees whose roots may lie just beneath your space, making it hard to till? Is your space located where it can easily be watered, etc.?
In addition to those considerations, ask yourself if you are selecting a place that you love and does it please you? After all, you’re going to touch the soil (the more the better). You’re going to sweat there and heat your muscles there. Your time and your heart and your devotion will be invested there. Envision the thriving plants and the good feelings they give to you. Picture the earthworms moving beneath the surface as they go along their paths. Can you see the circling bees among your growing bounty? If so, you’re committing yourself to your spiritual garden and it will commit to its return for your efforts. You'll be working together.
We should now stop and realize that a garden will not grow itself and that there are many technical considerations to be made as to what will flourish in your particular area of the country? When should you plant? When should you water? Can you grow cucumbers or melons in your area? All of these questions and more can be answered online or, in my favorite, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
A spiritual garden differs from an everyday garden because it is a sacred place shared between you and the Earth and empowered by the Sun where each plays its role toward shared success. In a spiritual garden you should grow WITH your crops. It is a place to clear your mind of daily troubles. It’s a place to dispel negative feelings and regenerate. It is a place for you, your family, and your friends if you wish to include them. If you do include others, make sure to explain to them that your spiritual garden may be shared because the Earth holds nothing back from us, but also explain what sharing this sacred space means to you and how you wish to spend time in it.
Sincere help should always be welcomed because, gardens are a lot of work, but also because shared responsibility, love, and labor in your garden will make deeper personal connections as you share your future meals together.
Combining your love of self, one another and of Mother Nature with doing a bit of researching for vegetables that do well in your particular climate and putting in some time, love, and effort can provide you with a spiritual garden that fills your heart as well as your table.
No comments:
Post a Comment