Last night I was reflecting on the similarities between cultivating the garden in my backyard and the garden of our human lives.
In the afternoon swelter, I looked through the heirloom seed packets my friend Ruth had stored in the garage. I was looking for seeds to press into the late summer soil in the two raised beds behind the house.
I felt my heart swell with love for these tiny points of life. I loosened the soil, pulled weeds, smoothed the soil, and made a pattern of tiny holes before I dropped the seeds into the soil.
As I worked, I thought about how gardening is an act of love: I am pressing these points of light and life into the soil, and in the process, I gift them with my love.
Gardening is an act of faith: I don’t know what this season will bring, for the garden or for me, yet I lovingly press these expectant seeds into the waiting Earth.
Gardening is an act of commitment: I am changing the previous balance of the Earth in this place. Research in restoration ecology shows the complex ecosystem of forest soil does not restore itself simply by allowing a cleared field to lie fallow. Once the soil has been disturbed, a (responsible) human gardener becomes entwined in the of that place.
So in this seemingly simple act of planting seeds, I am sowing my love, faith, and commitment in the soil of this place.
As I planted seeds,I also realized the whole process of creating the telesummit, Healing Body and Soul: The Power of Earth and Spirit in Healing the Body, has been like creating a garden.
I began the process in the winter, in February, while the Earth was slumbering beneath several feet of snow.
I dreamed of bringing together an inspiring group of teachers, healers and visionaries, each carrying seeds of wisdom to offer.
I saw these presenters sharing their deep lineages of wisdom, like casting seeds for all who were ready to be gifted.
In this human garden, though, the presenters are not the gardeners.Each of us makes the commitment to nurture the seeds we receive. We, the listeners, determine whether those seeds land on rocky or fertile ground. We choose which seeds to water, fertilize, nurture and shelter.
And if we are good soul gardeners, those seeds will bear fruit, set seed, and leave future points of life and light for those who follow.
So please join me in this fertile garden. Click here to register for the telesummit to join this extraordinary group of teachers, visionaries and healers.