The Constant Gardener

I love gardening; it puts me in touch with Creation on a very tactile level.  As I garden I'm reminded of where I can influence Creation and where I'm powerless.  

Harvesting has always been my biggest challenge.  There is so much energy that goes into planning the garden, preparing the soil and planting the seeds.  Then the seeds need to be cared for.  Often by the time harvest time rolled around I find myself busy with new projects and summer travel; invariably I’d have fruit and vegetables literally dying on the vine.

A few years back I vowed to be a better harvester.  That year I kept at it and made sure to take the time to actually pick and process what I grew.  I put up tomatoes and pickles and froze lima beans and corn.  It was very satisfying and we enjoyed wonderful garden goodness well into the winter.  

The simple process of following through and feeding our family from what I grew put me in touch with how I might be a better harvester in my life. 

What I’m getting at in a round about way is that we are always planting seeds in our consciousness in the form of our hopes and dreams but are we nurturing them so they will be bear fruit?  And when they do bear fruit do we take the time to really integrate what we create?   

In this world we live in it seems everyone is so intend on creating I wonder about our capacity to harvest what’s been created.  Sometimes it feels like we are driven by the getting and forget to notice what we already have.

Harvesting is all about seeing things through and integrating the products of what we've created.  Sometimes what we create isn't pleasant, however by committing to being conscious we can process what we've harvested so that it feeds and sustains us.  We can always find something within the experience that is useful and helps us on the path of life - a seed if you will for our next level of growth.

And then the cycle repeats as the seed bursts open and new life begins. Our growth is a constant cycle of death and rebirth, letting go and letting Creation.  I like to think of those of us on the spiritual path as Constant Gardeners.

On this first day of fall let us all remember the sacred harvest, consciously reaping what we sow.

Namaste.