MOTHER NATURE, OUR TEACHER

Amma has always told us that all our spiritual lessons can be found in Nature. It is similar to what we learn from the Native Americans and the Red Road.

I have spent many wonderful days in my garden and the flowers, the weeds and even the “pests” all have their messages for me.

Each spring I begin to feel “called” by the Dahlias, that magnificent flower that blooms in mid-summer. Suddenly, I am pulled away from daily life, drawn into the garden to deal with the slugs. Here in Washington state, I have learned that if I don’t pay full attention to the slugs, they will destroy these magnificent flowers underground, before they can even bloom.

I began to see that the slugs are just like the shadow parts that we have been working with. They hide under leaves, in the dark places and are not visible to the naked eye. One has to look very closely to even know that they exist. They do major damage in the darkness and most people would never even know why the blossoms did not appear.

I see the Dahlia tubers as our full potential, deep down in the ground where they continually expand, just begging to be discovered. Unless we pay full attention to the slugs, our shadow parts, these tubers will not flourish or even be discovered. They will just lie dormant and eventually decay without anyone ever seeing them. Tubers are different than bulbs. Bulbs give off mostly one or two flowers each year, whereas tubers expand every year and keep putting out more and more flowers.

The slugs, like our shadow parts, serve a vital purpose: they point the way to what is below the surface and mostly unknown and unseen. We have to be completely vigilant or our shadow parts will continue to flourish below the surface to prevent our true light from being discovered. As I crawl around on my hands and knees in the downpouring rain, I am paying full attention to the slugs. It is then and only then that I can insure that the tubers will continue to flourish and the flowers will truly bloom in their full magnificence. It is then and only then that the flowers are unimpeded in following their “calling” into the light.

So in order to continue to grow we must look into the depths of our darkness and confront what may be ugly, slimy and disgusting (slugs) to us. When we face and acknowledge what may be unpleasant within us, then we recognize our magnificent potential that has previously been untouched, impeded from flourishing.  We are no longer content to be split – one part living on the barren surface and the other hiding with the slugs.

Happy Gardening!

Love, Diane

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