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| Image from Guerrilla Gardener's Blog |
The thought really burst out of the proverbial soil after we spent an evening with the Judd's imbibing spirits of all shapes and sizes, talking about the spectrum of existence, and ending the evening with how a household can find balance in the masculine and feminine, ensuring a positive upbringing for their spirited child. There were some suggestions, many settling on material surroundings, and mostly because I think there weren't any good answers at the time. It was still very much a question, which is a seed right? The conversation that Bex and I were having on the way home began with the topic of goddess worship and who is a groovy deity to begin worshipping. We settled on our physical mothers being a great place to start and that spiraled into the comparison of Gaia to Mother Earth.
I made the case that Mother Earth has been reduced to this inanimate surface we walk upon, some of us acknowledging her sacred nature, while others just refer casually to the rock as Mother Earth. Gaia, however, has the connotation of a holistic living being, encompassing the many facets that make up the whole being. Gaia is you as much as the snale as much as the seed. Words, I know, but if we are to dissect the misunderstandings and lethargy of spirit that is currently pandemic, then we've got to get to the root. Spontaneously in that moment, the reflection on twenty-nine years lived upon Gaia and all that I see before me, the people in my life, the bounty, the struggles, etc., it all just fit together into this amazing puzzle. Bang! The fruits I enjoy are literally the manifestation of the seeds I have sown throughout my life!
Moments when we are in deep communion and understanding with a friend or family member, that isn't because of some random aligning of the stars. It is because someone, or maybe many people, yourself included, had sown some seed in some time and that seed or seeds germinated. Thus, a true moment is born. If you have ever worked with kids, had kids, known a kid, then you have probably said or done something in front of them that took root and grew into a piece of them. If you smoke and drink and cuss and don't give a shit, watch that seed sprout and grow the mangled roots in those young eyes watching you. If you love, respect, praise, and give...watch that same set of young eyes grow into a caring and nurturing soul, with rocket fuel for a spirit. It's not accidental how this goes down.
A garden does not plant itself. A meadow, forest, plains, they can shift themselves over time without any help from humans, but a garden is very much a human idea and contrivance. It is a positive one, though. Mr. Rogers said "You can grow ideas in the garden of your mind." The mind/body/spirit is no different from the garden you plant outside in the dirt. If love, care and attention are put into the garden, plants with flourish and bounty will be rendered. If it is neglected and put lower on the priority list under TV and masturbating, my guess is you're going to have a rather underperforming garden.
Patience is another tenet of this philosophical wandering. Seeds don't germinate and grow into huge Ponderosa Pines overnight. They take decades, hundreds of years! So you put a beautiful idea into the world and you see nothing from it tomorrow!?! Relax. The best things take time, and who knows, maybe that idea doesn't germinate and take shape until you're dead and gone. Will that prevent you from sowing the seed? This life, yes it is for you. Yes it is about your spiritual growth and enlightenment. But the you is not you. You are merely a plant in the global garden. So let go of the ego, settle into your insignificance, and remember you were always who you were meant to be.
From the perspective of permaculture, it seems to make simple sense. Put in the work TODAY to start prepping that soil, sow the best seeds at the best times, and get that garden moving in the direction you see as beautiful. Maybe when you're old and gray, children and neighbors and friends and animals and spirits will wander into your garden to grab a bite, or maybe just catch some shade from the wild world they're living in. Seems like a better scenario than eating dust and Spam.
