Miracles in the Garden of Spirit

Two years ago I ordered Pink Reliance grape vines along with several other shrubs for my yard. They all died. I reordered them. They never arrived. I ordered them again. They arrived this last spring, and I planted them in a new spot. I doted over them, watering, talking, praying. Grow! Please! I went about my normal gardening tasks, eying the dead-looking sticks that might one day be grapes.

Then I was called away unexpectedly when my father passed away. He was an avid gardener when I was little, and he also dreamed of homesteading. As we moved from house to house, he dug smaller and smaller garden plots. His love never waned, though, and while going through his books (we took forty boxes of books to a resale store for my mom) I was touched to see several old books on homesteading and organic gardening. Having studied for the ministry at the University of Chicago School of Divinity, he also had many books on spirituality and religion. He died with very little money, but these books and his love of Spirit and the Earth were my inheritances. Today I write earthy spiritual books.

In fact, I learned while back home helping my mom that Sacred Land has been chosen as a semi-finalist in the Independent Publishers Book Awards under the category “Most Likely to Save the Planet” as one of the “Outstanding Books of the Year.” Dad had always wanted to write, and though he did smatterings here and there, he never wrote his much-dreamed-of book. I sense that from his new perch on the Universe he is pretty proud of my accomplishment. It was he who planted the seeds that have gotten me to this point. In his way, he too helped to save the planet.

Well, I arrived home to find the Colorado soil dry dry dry, so I dragged the hose through the garden at ten o'clock at night, reacquainting myself with the plants (and weeds). In the dark I watered and talked and petted, and I discovered a small miracle. My grape vines have leafed out. I dedicate them to my dear dad: May you taste the wine of Infinite Love as you embark on this next passage of your Journey.

Blessed be.

The Path of Awakening: Identity and Power

A huge part of the path to awakening and spiritual fulfillment, not to mention everyday happiness, is about understanding our identities and the faces we put on. Our mask can be one of power, shame, fear, beauty... and noticing how our face changes as we move through life can be an important vision of self awareness.

The Beltane issue of Matrifocus, www.matrifocus.com, includes an article of mine called "Facing My Power: The Queen Mask." Check it out and pass it on. Let me know what thoughts come up as you read it.

Happy Beltane!

Gardening for Less

As a stay-at-home mom and part-time writer, I work hard to spread our resources as efficiently as possible. After groceries, bills, home maintenance, and other necessities, there is little extra to spend on the garden. Our garden is a different kind of necessity, though, providing us with food, a sense of connection with the land, and a sanctuary from life’s stresses. Instead of spending much money, I have relied heavily on ingenuity, creativity, and community to create our yard and garden.

Much of my landscaping comes from items already in our yard: stones, logs, and plants I extracted from the weedy wilderness that was our yard when we bought the house. I discovered flagstones under a half inch of dirt in the front, and dragged them into the back yard to form a path to the garden beds. I dug up many dozens of cantaloupe-sized boulders throughout the suburban property, and arranged them around my flower and veggie beds. The main vegetable beds now fill a previously sun-baked patch of dirt, and are framed by scrap lumber I got free from a neighbor. I ordered about fifteen cubic yards of free mulch from the city, and used it to create xeriscape areas where grass grew poorly. I planted these mulched beds with drought-resistant plants divided from friends’ gardens.

I grow my vegetables from organic seed. Starting plants from seed gives me a sense of accomplishment, and saves a lot of money over seedlings. I grow these in homemade compost in reused clean yogurt cups or egg containers. No food scraps or weeds go to waste in our yard, but get distributed into two piles: the main compost, and one for weeds and seeds, which I will use to make compost tea when it breaks down. I even have been known to beg grass clippings off the neighbors for my compost, and I swipe bags of coffee grounds every time I visit Starbucks. I use my homemade compost throughout the garden.

To make a water feature, I bought a wine barrel liner, which was much less expensive than an actual pond liners. Branches from old trees and pea gravel left by contractors landscape the area around our little pond. My daughter loves to play in the water, and flickers and finches often fly in for a refreshing drink. The birds also appreciate a pile of brush I built just for them near the bird feeder. Brush piles provide perches and protection from our two lazy cats. The pond, brush piles, and seed make our yard a perfect backyard habitat.

It might be easier to spend a lot of money at a garden center on fancy landscaping materials and fully mature plants, but with a little sweat, a lot of love, and some creativity, I have made a unique, fun garden for my family, our friends, and local wildlife. Every time a guest steps into our yard, he or she remarks on what a great space we have. “Did you did this yourself?” they ask. “It feels so nice here, and looks great!”