Sowing Seeds, Remembering Our Roots
Gently moving between sunflowers as they sway in monsoon winds, with bees dancing around us as they too stay focused on gathering their food. We thoughtfully collect tomatoes off the vine which will be used for dinner that evening. With the aroma of basil filling the air as we rub past them reaching for the luscious fruits, this movement, this very moment, is my wildest dream.
Caring for plants that in turn care for me is a practice so much richer than I ever thought it would be. To know the delicate seed that will sprout into the determined stock, to know the water which saturates the nutrient-giving roots, and to feel the earth holding up your body as she too holds the tender plants, you become deeply intertwined with the alchemy of growth. By tuning into the plant life each day along its great cycle, there is an understanding of the cycles within oneself that become much clearer too. In seeing some days are harder than others to stand tall, in other times feeling like today is when roots will swell or flowers will bud, and then times when the stresses of life are so heavy that some extra tending to is needed. From hearing myself, listening to friends or strangers who pass by on the street, we all too know these feelings.
What could this all mean, or why is knowing that beneficial? Being present with a being’s growth through each step can mirror a depth from within and unlock a tucked away part because these actions are greater than you alone, or the plant alone. It is a grand relationship, just as the one with the love of your life may be, because you begin to influence each other and growth is inevitable at that point.
With bodies that are of the earth, which move, think & feel with nourishment supplied from the same source, it is in human’s nature to connect with the living world around us. As studies have found, with just the sight of living green plants around a person, there is increased focus & well being, which increases the opportunities for one to recover from mental stress.
In moving hands through soil, connecting to the source that has given so much to allow our bodies and world to move, we become part of a restorative process with the land and ourselves. As time working in the garden draws attention away from scattered or worried thoughts, by care taking & being present with a green space, we effortlessly construct healing mental patterns while also moving our body under the life-giving sun.
In restoring ourselves in the garden, we also take mindful moments to heal the land that carries us all without question. The calmed thoughts that flow to the hums of dear pollinators & the childhood memories that reappear from the scent of your favorite flower, are all signs of a happy earth, for without the pollinators & flowers there is no fruit for sustenance.
As one creates spaces for healing self and the land, the cycle flows on and on. With flowers you later get to reach through those vines to collect vibrant nourishment to share with your family. With fall you save seed that will bring life to your garden again next spring, and if shared it will bring that same nourishment to your neighbors as well. In each seed planted, another root system is sprouted, another pollinator fed, another person’s mind offered peace & belly offered food, all while offering the earth the much needed gift of tender care.
Over the evolution and progression of the human species, more of us than ever are growing far more disconnected from our food & its sources than before. Now the story often includes reaching through plastic bags in an intensely lite building to gather fruit, with minds racing and cellphones humming.
With a pile of soil, a handful of seeds and some water to spare, may we remember the healing gift of planting roots.
