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Lessons from the Garden: Patience and Mindfulness

 In honor of this week’s class on the Spiritual Aspect of Herbalism, I thought I would offer the first of a three part series entitled, "Lessons from the Garden." Here are just two very important life lessons that the plants have taught me.

I have been gardening since I was 5 years old when my Dad “made” me weed his tomato beds.  We lived on Long Island in New York then and actually from that moment, my fingers fell in love with the feel of the soil.  The soil on the East Coast is what we refer to as “chocolate cake”.  It is something Central Texas gardeners aspire to, and with hard work, occasionally reach.

I have learned so very much from being in the garden over my lifetime.  I have learned most of my lessons in the past twenty years or so as I have become a more serious Herbalist, an experienced professional psychotherapist and a sincere seeker of spiritual teachings, open to philosophies and religions of all kinds.

basil seedingsOne of my Lessons has been Patience.  In my youth and young adulthood I suppose I was considered impatient, and readily admit to many anxious moments of irritation when things just didn’t go my way, right away.  When you are preparing to plant a seed in your garden, you first need to amend the soil, unless of course you already have “chocolate cake”.  You need to remain patient and wait until conditions are ready before planting these seeds.  It’s also wise to wait for a rainy day, so nature will take care of watering in the seeds for you.  After planting, you need to wait.  Wait for a seedling to emerge.  Sometimes that means waiting weeks!  Patience is emerging from your soul.  Then you need to wait some more.  Wait for the seedling to grow, mature and either flower, bear fruit or food, nutritive leaf or root, ready to be harvested and eaten, or processed into a tea or other herbal preparation.  This process teaches you patience. 

planting sunflower seedlings

 

 

We all need to learn to wait for what we want.  We need to be open to enjoying the process and not be fixated on the result. Practicing patience has brought me serenity and helped me to let go of the attachment to the outcome.  The process is what is important.  The process is what is meaningful and enjoyable. The process is where the teaching is and the outcome is the icing on the cake. Patience is truly a virtue and one of the gardener’s greatest lessons, and probably one reason we become gardeners, to acquire this peaceful attribute.

 

 

Ellen, examining a young yarrow plant.Another major lesson that I have learned from the garden is that of Mindfulness.  Mindfulness, to me, means paying attention.  It means walking through the garden and noticing what needs the plants present.  It means that we are able to give up our personal agenda, what we set out to accomplish that morning in the garden, and do what is most pressing.  Mindfulness is noticing what is needed, what is most important and then taking the appropriate action.  I believe that a person needs to have a clear head in order to be mindful.  One who is full of thoughts, anxiety or living in the past or future, is rarely mindful. A person living in the moment and experiencing the omnipresent NOW is to me, a more mindful person. The present moment is truly a gift to one’s self.  The present moment is what we have, and it is all we have.  Being in the garden has helped me to experience the NOW.  Being in the garden has helped me to give up the past, the future and the concept of time.  I often lose time while working in the garden and am always surprised when I go inside and notice how much time has passed.  I feel like I have been present with the plants.  I feel like I have been mindful of their needs and I feel a great sense of peace from practicing Mindfulness.  The garden works for me, but many other activities, places, people may help one to experience this profound and important attribute.

There are many other lessons that I have learned from my garden and I will be happy to share these with you throughout the year. I hope that you, too, will open your heart, mind and spirit wide enough to receive all the blessings the garden has to offer.