The Sacred Garden

Linda Heron Wind

I have always loved gardening. The miracle of asparagus roots that send out their shoots at just the right time each spring! Tiny seeds that contain all the information to create a beautiful plant! Tending the outer garden, watching it grow, and savoring its fruits is a great delight. It is also a great metaphor for the inner garden.

Inside we all have a sacred garden. There we plant the seeds of our visions and dreams. We tend this garden with our thoughts, feelings, and actions. The ground must be clear and fertile for the seeds to grow. What are some of the seeds that you planted over the winter that are now putting up new shoots? What old dried up material do you need to clear away to make room for the new growth?

The seeds can be such things as creating more discipline in your life or taking more time to feed your soul. The most important seeds are not about the big things that you hope to do but the little things each day that make your life richer and more vibrant. Simple things like remembering to appreciate the people in your daily life - who they are and what they do. Of course, appreciating yourself and all that you are and do is just as important. Perhaps you are growing in your garden the qualities of peace or joy. Whatever seeds you have planted, use your imagination to see what the flowers and fruits might look like as they continue to grow in your life.

If the seeds you have planted, for instance, are those of appreciation, you would need to see what stands in the way of your giving appreciation to those you see everyday. Is it forgetfulness, criticalness, or just unfamiliarity that holds you back? Look for creative solutions to let go of these old patterns that prevent your intentions from growing. If you forget, try to appreciate one person with each meal that you eat, or keep score on a calendar how many "appreciations" you gave out that day. If the seeds are peace, look for what disturbs your peace on a daily basis. Perhaps it is judgment or needing to be right. If so, make an agreement with yourself to not judge or to withhold your opinion for a week and see if your peace has increased.

Once you have cleared away the old patterns then allow yourself to imagine going through your day appreciating everything and everyone. What does that feel like? Or imagine going through your day totally peaceful, even when unexpected things happen or people are angry around you. What does that feel like? Set your intentions each morning to focus your thoughts on finding things to appreciate or the inner peace that is always present. Then take actions that are consistent with those intentions. Track you progress, so you get a sense of your growing awareness as well as how the seeds you planted are now sprouting and flowering. It won't be long before you will be harvesting the fruits of your intentions. Like the outer garden, the inner garden must be tended if you expect to get a harvest.

Each seed that you sow, tend, and then harvest in the inner garden, is critical at this time. The Earth needs us to grow new patterns of being that will be in harmony with the web of life. There is nothing more important that each of us can do than plant the inner garden of peace, love, gratitude, appreciation, and joy. All of humanity, Earth and all beings upon it will be nurtured by the harvest.

A sacred garden
Deep within awaits my love
To grow in beauty

If you have comments on this article or ideas for future topics, call Linda Heron Wind at (585) 924-5620 or send e-mail to LHWind@aol.com.

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