There is something about getting older that draws you to the garden. It could be the solitude, the peace of mind or the joy of seeing nature do her thing!
There are so many different kinds of gardeners! Some love hard graft and maintain their gardens diligently over their lifetimes, some enjoy low maintenance gardening in pots & tubs, preferring to keep the backbreaking work to a minimum!
There are also those that simply like to enjoy the relaxation the space has to offer, and will happily go as far to remove the grass and keep planting to a minimum!
Whatever type of gardener you are, we all agree on one thing , the sacred space it affords us!
Due to my neurodivergence, my mind never stops! I’ve never been one to meditate silently as there’s 20 different television screens playing at the same time in my brain. Which as a medium is fantastic as I’m able to bring in so many spirit folk and feel so many things at once! Whereas a human, it’s very hard for me to slow down! My garden has allowed me to focus on tasks that need attention , watering , weeding, replanting and of course my favourite pastime…..the purchasing of plants & solar lights!
Another aspect of my mediumship is how spirit send certain birds to give us signs etc.
I’ve created a haven for the feathered folk in my garden and I feel a stillness within myself as I observe a family of sparrows take turns as they have a bath in my garden fountain or watch the bats in twilight swoop & dive bomb toward the evening midgies!
There have been moments where I’ve seen the energy around the plants and I know it’s because I’m in the flow state and have completed relaxed and immersed myself in the present moment.
As you’re reading this, it may resonate or for you it could be a piece of music or your favourite hobby etc.
It’s vital for us that we create a sacred space in some capacity.
You can create an altar with family photos & mementos of happy times, your bedroom with soft lighting & crisp cotton sheets, a woodland walk with your furry family member.
The list could go on…..
When was the last time you allowed yourself to quieten the noise within. Where you gave yourself permission to simply exist in a moment. Not reach for a phone. Simple be present to the wonder and beauty around you.
The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place. This is a heavy dimension to exist within. There are glimpses of the divine (whatever you interpret divine to be) in those moments.
I recall a moment after I completed my first Camino. It was a deeply personal moment for me. My life had been falling apart , the relationships around me were fragmenting & crumbling. My body was broken and as I reached the cathedral in st. James square the relief poured through me. Alongside other weary and grateful pilgrims I shuffled my way to empty seats up the front, whereby I was body blocked by an aggressive nun talking loudly in Italian on a mobile phone (in a church!!!) trying to stop us from sitting down!
Some of the pilgrims immediately got up and moved, myself and a friend (a fellow Taurean!) , sat down , blessed ourselves and started to pray. I ignored the death stare and unforgiving glare of the bossy nun , as far as I’m concerned we are all equal.
The botafuimera (the world’s largest thurible!) was swung as a tour group had paid the €500-600 donation it costs for the privilege.
I sat there as the gigantic incense burner swung over our heads, frankincense & Myrr permeating our space…….and I felt nothing.
Nada, zip!
I sat there, looking around me at all the gold. I was not moved.
I put it down to tiredness and the fact I’m not a practicing catholic etc.
I made my excuse and made my way back to the monastery that is connected to the cathedral. We were spending our last night here.
As I walked back, I noticed a small fountain with an olive tree on its own, in a secluded courtyard by the gift shop. I walked in and found it to be completely empty and sat down on a stone step. The sound of the birds happily chirping and splashing in the atrium echoed all around me.
I relaxed and without warning the olive tree appeared to glow right in front of me. The water that flowed from the fountain bounced prisms of rainbows across the ancient stone walls and I knew with every fibre of my being the divine was present.
The divine was within me.
It was never something that I had been searching for outside of myself , it had been inside me, guiding me all along.
It took this moment of stillness to make me realise how connected I was and from that moment on, nature has always been my church, my sanctuary.
It helps keep me grounded, knowing that I will return to the earth one day and I will send my loved ones a cheeky little bird to remind them that I will always be looking after them…..
Have a great month
Love
Fiona x
