Cosmic Gardener – Cultivating a Life

I believe in this Earth School that we are all alchemists. That we are born with the ability to transmute the lead of our experiences into the gold that nourishes us and grows our soul. That the people and circumstances that engage us (sometimes painfully so) are intended to remind us of our inner alchemy.

At times of overwhelm we may feel leaden, and lose sight of our magic. At those times we can refocus and return to our center by asking, What can I do to manage this situation without giving away my peace of  mind?

Miner or Alchemist?
Seeking the jewel in every person and in every circumstance…
A Miner finds the gem in every encounter.
An Alchemist transforms every encounter into riches.
~ Cosmic Gardener

Recently I heard a friend tell her daughter, “You can do hard things.”
It was wise counsel.

Learning curves come in a variety of angles and degrees.
Some lessons are more challenging than others.

Earth School
We can do hard things.

In addition to pop quizzes, Earth School includes abundant opportunities for hands on practice to use the life skills we learn along the way. Life continuously presents us with personalized experiences that give us a chance to apply our (often hard earned) lessons. A practicum of sorts. A lifelong Earth School Practicum.

In conversation recently with an activist friend it came up that social programs and agencies don’t always come to the table with a full basket. They offered breadcrumbs, I mused.

Observed on a personal level, if we are not fully present in our interactions with one another, intentionally, or out of distraction, we only bring breadcrumbs to the party.

When all we get is breadcrumbs, we come away hungry.

Breadcrumbs? Or the whole loaf?

We are most often present to the Now in times of great emotion, chaos and upheaval, or joy. Those times when what is before us is the only thing that matters.

Those times when our adrenaline kicks in and we are riveted to what lies in front of us. Or at those times when we are blissed out by the joy we are experiencing.

The practice of meditation also brings single sightedness.
Likewise, concentrating on a hobby, or a good book, invites similar focus.

There is a gift in being present to every moment, mundane or sublime.
It is a habit worth cultivating.

Monogamous to the moment.

Studying the teachings of an ancient Master, I was struck by their reflection that they had come to a point in their spiritual development that in their social interactions they were no longer distracted by the foibles of another’s human personalities. That they saw the inherent divinity in everyone, the common thread in the web of life. A simple, yet profound, and life altering concept.  An antidote, perhaps, for the extreme polarization so rampant in our world today.

It is, after all, another’s personality that generally engages us. Positively or negatively. The Master remembered that not only are we divine beings having a human experience, but that at our core, we are all connected through love.

Imagine, for a moment, a world in which at least some of us remembered our divine heritage. That we began to practice, with those nearest and dearest to us, not being distracted by their foibles. And that we began to see with new eyes.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience;
we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

No matter the extent of our sphere of influence, we can all make a positive difference.

Ask the starfish.

While reflecting on my evolution to a non-caregiving status, a friend brought me up short with the comment, “I don’t care.” At face value it seemed like a callous remark, especially given that ours is a long-term friendship, based on deep mutual caring and support. As it turned out, so was his comment. Things are not always as they seem.

Speaking as though his voice were mine, he was offering a seed to the Cosmic Gardener. An invitation to cultivate my new garden space. True to the nature of such things, it will take a while for the seeds of my new life to germinate, and for them to define the design of this new stage. In the meantime I enjoy the fruits of my friend’s green thumb.

Chief among the bounty that populates the garden of our friendship is my appreciation for its perennial nourishment, cultivated over the years in a partnership of vulnerability, trust and respect. The stuff that the most robust Life Gardens are made of.

In indigenous cultures humans are often referred to as the story telling animals. Story telling has defined and maintained Aboriginal culture across millennia. In medieval times Bards kept history and culture alive through storytelling. Lucky children learn early the magic of stories that begin, “Once upon a time.” As adults our stories are used to illustrate our values, politics, or religious beliefs.

Everyone has a story. In our deeply polarized society there is a disturbing tendency to dismiss, demean or discount another’s story. It’s time for us all to become story listeners

Everyone has a right to be heard without being attacked or vilified. Whether we agree with what they say or not. A wise friend posits that no one’s story diminishes another’s.

His story.
Her story.
My story.
Your story.
One story.
Love.

We can all stretch our hearts to make room for one more.
And one more after that.
And one more after that.

For the health of the World, we must.

Our life is our garden. We plant many seeds. It knows many seasons. Some plots are more complicated than others.

Our attention influences our harvest. Reflection and reframing are useful tools for the spadework of cultivating it.

Reflection stimulates growth. When we reflect on something we can often see a bigger picture. It is a process that offers us the opportunity to build on, or to reframe our life’s experiences.

Reframing is a bit like weeding. By asking What did I learn? our reflections can lead to (and often allow for) a rooting out of any idea, thought pattern or behavior that is no longer (if it ever was) in our best interest. Reframing a memory can also lead to transplanting it into another’s garden. For them to tend.

A garden needs attention in order to flourish. So does Life.

“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
~Socrates

We live in vexing times. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by polarity, and with the abundant evidence of its attendant discord regards everything from the pandemic to politics to economic considerations to a myriad of social issues. Factor in personal concerns that more often dominate our daily lives, and clearly there is much that warrants our attention. Worry can crush even the most resilient among us.

If you can do something about a situation, do it. Don’t worry about it.
If there’s nothing you can do about a situation, don’t worry about it.
Do something else.

Rather than default to worry, ask
~ What can I do to address this situation without giving away my peace of mind?