The invisible Zen Garden

I am back….from two Sundances, an eye-opening Mixed – Media class taught by a fantastic artist – Joan Fullerton – and a frenzy of painting time for several commissions and shows.   Yahoo!!   I know you all have missed me!!  LOL!!!

This morning, I was out in my wildflower garden, with all of the bees humming contently around me, drinking my coffee, and pulling weeds, and it occurred to me that our lives are much like a garden.    Like the garden, we have weeds – thoughts that keep us from moving forward – thoughts that, left to grow, could and would choke out all of our beauty, our flowers, our gifts.   It takes work, everyday, to pull out the thoughts that are detrimental to our spiritual selves, commitment to want to be beautiful both inside and out, and the time to work on ourselves.

Sundance was like going out and pulling weeds for a week – intense prayer – after all – what else are you to do while dancing around a tree for four days?  But, we need, like the garden, constant maintenance to continue flourishing.   It’s not just a one time “okay I’ve done my prayer time” thing.   It’s not “done and completed” all at once.   It is a commitment to the journey, a commitment to the garden, a commitment to ourselves – the beauty that is within that allows the flowers, the gifts to blossom.   Taking time to pull the weeds when we notice them, and letting them go – knowing that they don’t belong in OUR garden.   We need to take time to water, fertilize, and maintain ourselves.

And so, my lesson for the day, my desire for my lifetime, is to be a peaceful Zen garden.  Never perfect, always a work in progress, knowing that I always have the commitment to the beauty that lies within me, and within all creation.

Mitakuye Oyasin – which means in Lakota “all my relations”.

Love to all.