As the light of the Father Sun shone brightly today, I was called into our front garden space. As I have often been away from the house in recent weeks, our pathway has been free to fill as it so chose. Beautiful wildflowers have spread themselves so that the pathway was almost completely covered. It was time to tend the garden today.
I put on my straw hat — the one I had given to my father many years before which had been returned to me after his passing nearly three years ago. My side pocket held my tobacco pouch to offer gratitude for the lives that were about to be given. My pruning shears had been cleaned and sharpened, and our collection barrels were prepared to be filled.
Kneeling down, I gave thanks to all of the beautiful plant beings who had kept the pathway while I was working on other projects. I gave thanks especially for clover who has fed the lovely bees for many weeks. As the West Winds gently greeted us, I paused to reflect on the task at hand.
“One life must yield in order for another to grow.”
Words that my healer often speaks before we share a meal together now found their way onto my own lips.
“I give thanks for each of you who have tended this space, who have fed the bees and sheltered slug and snail and spider. You have lived a good life and served an important purpose. And now, it is time for your life to be given so that we can reach the water spout in the summer months for your friends.”
I offered my tobacco and set about pruning — right down to the roots. This work might be done differently by other people. Some would spread poison to kill the “weeds”. Others might use an electric or gas-powered tool to speed up the process and keep it at a distance. But as for me, I chose the pruning shears and sitting on an overturned bucket – coming face-to-face with the plant beings I was removing. This way, I had time to listen. I had the time to see each stone as it was uncovered, each slug as it scooted away, each spider as it leaped to the next bush.
I was in my Father’s Garden, doing the work of the compassionate Divine Masculine. And I received His teaching while I worked.
Today is Father’s Day – of this I am very aware. My heart aches at the knowledge of my father’s absence. I have written about some of the growth that has taken place in my life since then in the post My Father’s Song.
As I cleared the pathway, the spirits of the plants and winds brought to mind the archetypal story of the hero and healer. After experiencing a great loss, the hero/healer finds their true identity and purpose. They have to face mortality and death in order to discover themselves. I do not know why this experience of deep loss is necessary, but it does appear to be one of the rules of this realm of existence.
“One life must yield in order for another to grow.”
This is the teaching today in my Father’s Garden. On this Father’s Day, I remember my father in the work that he and I often did together along with my younger brother. We all worked together in many people’s gardens. We were always connected to the wisdom of the natural world. We always felt “at home” in the outdoors, especially when we were together.
As I worked today under the loving gaze of my Heavenly Father, feeling the roots of my Earth Mother, I noticed light shining on the pathway. My life’s path is still in the process of being revealed, just as this one is in our front yard garden. Allowing the Light in the garden to penetrate my soul, I give thanks for the process, even in the pain and letting go of the pruning process. In this Divine Mystery, I give thanks for the teaching of my Father’s Garden.
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