Preserving The Harvest

I had a request for a PDF version of the Preserving the Harvest article. So here is the revised version ready for download. This is my free gift to my loyal subscribers and those of you who are new as well.

To support my efforts, click on the link below and leave me a tip.

Meditation Garden 6

Everything you say and everything you do tells a story and speaks a truth. It speaks to the truth of what you believe in you heart of hearts. Not what you wish to be true, but what you believe to be true. The theme of the 6th meditation garden is telling the story. When you plant garden, and when you organize your life, a story is told. The placement of the plants, how they interact with each other, the environment, the climate, the insects, and the animals, all tell a story. How you interact with a garden and your environment also tells a story of what is true for you in a given time and place. How that changes in time tells a story of growth.

As you contemplate your meditation garden, what stories are you telling yourself? What is your life narrative? When you put your hand on your heart, does it feel like the narrative is truly yours? Or was it a a story given to you by others? Is the story helpful in your life? Is it limiting? What story would support your truth, purpose, and goals?

In the garden in my imagination, the path ends with elderberry and lace agate. These are elements of voice and story. Lace agate relates to finding the courage to speak your truth. Elderberry protects you inner knowing and wisdom. Elderberry reminds us that even the most sour and difficult fruit can create the most beautiful wine. Remember, experience is what you make of it. All experience can bring wisdom, growth, and joy, with the empowering story behind them.

Here are a few plants that support the empowering story teller in you.

elderberry, olive, chives, penyroyal, elm, sassafras, and willow

Transformation

I do not give you permission

To define me.

Not once have you heard

Those words from me.

Once upon a time,

I did not say NO,

For I did not even know

How to stand.

You could not see,

For it was not your

Interest to teach me.

It was up to me

To teach myself

To Stand

To Speak

To own my truth

Now I stand upright and strong

Like the Tree upon the hill

Strengthened by the winds of trial.

Now I do speak truth

With the strength of a song

For you do not define me,

You never could.

For now I live my own life,

In Harmony

With Truth

That was always there,

I am sacred

I am art

I am love

I am truth

And for a little bit more

Events

July 1 - Canada Day

July 4 - Independence Day US

July 10 - Full Moon

July 11 - National Motorcycle Day

July 14 - Bastille Day

July 24 - Amelia Earheart Day

July 24 - New Moon, Next Newsletter

Olive - Ancient Sacred Tree

One of the earliest domesticated agricultural crops was olive. This tree has been under cultivation for at least 8000 years. The best evidence suggests that it was developed from its wild cousins in Persia and Mesopotamia, or possibly Egypt. From here, olives spread throughout the Mediterranean basin, becoming a staple crops for trade and oil production throughout the region.

Olives and olive oil through time and now hold great cultural, symbolic, and religious significance for the Mediterranean region and for the world in general. The olive tree is a symbol of peace, harmony, wisdom, and truth. It is a persistent survivor with some trees living over 2000 years. It speaks of the wisdom and caring passed down through the generations. It tells a story of generations caring enough for each other to balance today’s needs with the consideration of what has passed and what is yet to come.

This is a gnarled old tree that carries its beauty like the wisdom of an old man. Unfortunately, for most of us, it is very specific in its needs to thrive. As a Mediterranean plant, it needs hot and dry summers and cool moist winters. I must have a dormancy period but it does not tolerate freezing well. If you can give it 2 months with temperatures around 35* F (2* C) at night and below 50* F (10* C) during the day, you have a good chance of getting fruit. It also needs 6 or more hours of sunlight in the winter and 8 hours or more in the summer.

For most of us, olives are a container tree. In needs to be moved into a place in the warm sun in the summer, and into a cool place in the winter. A greenhouse is a good place to grow an olive tree in my climate. You can also grow it for a time as a beautiful house plant. You might not get fruit, but you still have the medicinal leaves.

For the complete plant profile, check out The Phoenix’s Nest

Here is an article on the energetic aspects of olives at Manitu Okahas Studio.

The Story Teller

The Story Teller is one of the oldest spiritual archetypes. The Story Teller is an artist and a crafter. The Story Teller might be one of the earliest entertainers and teachers. The Story Teller is my grandfather telling his fish tales and my daughter showing me her latest discovery. The Story Teller is the new mother dreaming her infants potential into being.

The Story Teller is the ancient wisdom keeper and he keeper of the histories,crafting world and inviting the listener into them. The Story Teller is the leader that takes the listener on a journey through that world. The Master Story Teller returned the listener back to the present transformed. The Story Teller and the listener come together in a sacred dance of rhythm, timing, an connection to bring about the intention of The Master Story Teller. That purpose could be to anchor the listener into a culture, or to transform it. It could be to teach values and ethics. It could be initiate the listener into a sense of place or into a sense of adventure, or both. The Master Story Teller gently teaches while entertaining the listener.

The thing is, that each one of us is The Master Story Teller in our own lives. The story that we tell ourselves defines how we perceive the world and how we interact with the world. The story creates a tapestry upon which every aspect of our lives sits. Like the caterpillar, our world shifts and transforms as we shift and retell the story in a new way. The Butterfly emerges unrecognizable to what it was before. Such is the power and the magic of the story. The world that we see is created from the stories that we tell. Such is the power and the curse of The Story Teller.

For a longer article on The Story Teller, check out the article at Manitu Okahas Studio

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

For informational and instructional blog posts:

For complete plant profiles, check out the Phoenix’s Nest

Some one I'm following:

There are a lot of beautiful story tellers that you can tap into. Here are two that I listen to: Michael Meade, and Leah Lamb. You can find both of them on YouTube.