Our soul gardens

"My life on this earth is governed by principles and spiritual values. These are my roots. May my strength be based on values - spiritual values. ...The seeds we plant in the spring will be what shows up in our summer season of growth and will be the fruits that we will harvest in our fall season. We really have a lot to do with what shows up in our lives." from Meditations with Native American Elders: The Four Seasons

What is showing up in your life right now? Is your garden overgrown with troubles? Worries? Struggles with others? Chaos and unrelenting busy-ness? Cranky-ness and dissatisfaction? Or is it bursting with calm and contentment? Soulful joy? Friendship? Serenity? Faith and hope? Kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity to others? The courage to live authentically and deeply?

The good news is that there are many crops which are planted in the fall, nurtured over the winter, and ready to be harvested in the spring. Garlic, leeks, onions, radishes, lettuce, peas, potatoes, chard, spinach, rhubarb, and other leafy greens such as bok choy and kale are only a few of the many winter-hardy crops, and certainly plants that bring much depth of flavor to our spring and summer cooking while adding a beautiful green color to contrast against the winter landscape.

If you are dissatisfied with your fall harvest, it is because of what you planted and nourished in the spring and summer. Fortunately, it's not too late to plant a new garden, today; one sown with the seeds of what you want to see growing in the winter and to harvest in the spring.

If we want to reap the crops of calm and contentment, soulful joy, friendship, serenity, faith, hope, kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity to others, and the courage to live authentically and deeply, these are year round crops that will thrive in any weather, as long as we plants the seeds and nurture their growth.

We have a lot to do with what grows in our gardens and shows up in our lives. What kind of garden are we planting today? What seeds are we planting? What changes do we need to make to have a different harvest in the spring than we have this fall?

May our strength and our soul-gardening be based on spiritual values.