The Magic of a Garden

I recently gave a presentation at the ISU Winterdays Conference in Grunberg, Germany. Now, I am not a natural storyteller, rather I am an introvert. So when the opportunity to speak came to me, I reacted as if this was a vast burden. I panicked--I moaned--I
doubted myself.  But as the days went on I realized what a gift I had been given. 

We are all, at this time, learning the most intimate ways of ourselves and others we are in relationship with. Going forward, self doubt is not an option--it is a debilitating drain of energy that hinders us from being all that we can be, in and for the world. This was a lesson for me to learn. I could either move forward in a steadfast way, or.....continue on, hiding my light under a bucket as my mom always used to say. 

Instead of focusing on the terrors of public speaking I began to see that there was a way to convey a deep message to those plants-women and men who came from across Europe to participate in this horticultural conference.

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog knows that I am on a conscious path of spiritual awakening, that consumes my everyday life. And I am a gardener, self taught, with a deep love for nature. While at first I did not think I had anything to say of worth to this European group of serious plants people, I realized that the only thing I could talk about was my passion for gardening and a greater spiritual connection that could be nurtured within a garden.

My nervousness became excitement and anticipation and acceptance of the challenge: how to craft the message visually, how would it unfold over the course of an hour+, choosing words with care so that they would stimulate and not deter my connection with the audience. The best thing about the process, for me, was that I really learned I was not alone in this undertaking.

I sat in meditation many times to ask for guidance, to ask for inspiration, to implore the greater wisdom of nature to speak through me--to tell its story. I also found inspiration in the words of Michael Roads, initially through his book Conscious Gardening, and others who have mined their hearts in pursuit of a greater knowing. My presentation began to unfold, following my garden's awakening through the months, revealing what magic there was to behold in it in every seeming moment.

In very few circles, talk of communicating with plants would be accepted as a natural thing. My audience was an unknown with only one real certainty--their love for plants. I was hoping it was enough of an opening through which nature's message could flow.

In Germany, now, at the conference, my talk was scheduled for Sunday morning, a perfect time for spiritual reflection! Between high level talks on Friday and Saturday, I wandered the landscaped grounds, lost in the moist greenness of a mild European February. I was drawn to a solid weeping beech tree and stood in its embrace for a while, asking for it's help. I knew it had deep connections to that energy which I hoped to channel in my presentation.

Sunday morning arrived and I was strangely at peace. Suffice to say, the presentation was an overwhelming success-- a magical energy flooded the conference room that morning. Hearts opened wide--people hugged and laughed and there was a sense of awe that something special happened. I know that my pleas for help were heard and I was simply a portal through which "the magic" emerged. This wonderful experience has touched me deeply--has changed me in a profound way.

Here in the U.S. we have yet to emerge from the longest coldest winter I can remember. There is a momentum building within the population that I can feel--a hunger to be outside, a longing for spring. And perhaps subconsciously for many, there is a growing need for quiet communion with our planet and the realization of our fundamental connection with her. As Michael Roads says:

Nature is an expression of conscious intelligence . . . as are we! We just don't live that way anymore. We have lost our fundamental connection with Nature, with truly living life and, sadly, with our quintessential Self.

We are one body--planet earth and all who dwell on and inside of her. It is urgent that as many of us as possible realize this--NOW. Love yourself and it is easy to love all of earth. Perhaps as we emerge from this hard winter, we will be inspired to plant a garden and/or become more in tune with the MAGIC of the natural world. Let the living begin!