Recently in Garden Category

Years ago at my local Unity, I took an excellent workshop about asking for divine omens called "Signs and Wonders." Our workshop leader, Unity Minister and ball of fire, Edwene Gaines, advised us to request very specific signs within very specific time-frames.

For example, instead of saying, "If taking a trip to France next month is in alignment for me, show me a sign," you need to say, "If taking a trip to France next month is in alignment for me, then let me see 3 French flags while I'm out doing my errands today."

When you just ask for "a sign" you may not know it when you see it, or, you may wonder if the sign you think you got was really a sign at all! If you saw those 3 French flags while you were out on errands that day, you would know, without doubt, you got a "yes" answer. (Of course, if you made an effort to drive by the French Embassy on your rounds, all bets are off! That would be ego-directed, rather than Spirit-directed.)

If however, instead of being specific, you just asked for a sign--any ol' sign--and a friend invited you to go to a French restaurant that night, you might wonder if that was truly a sign or just a "coincidence." Being specific and setting a time-frame is crucial.

Sometimes we hesitate to ask for--or make demands of--the Universe to be specific because it stretches our capacity to believe in that kind of "magic"--to believe that we can, indeed, have what we desire, including clear communication from Spirit. If we don't ask for something specific, then, we reason (maybe just at an unconscious level), we can't be disappointed if it doesn't show up. Oh, we of little faith!

Being non-specific also allows you to empower something you think could be a sign and decide it is one if your ego is invested in it being so--kind of like hedging your bets. That brings up the age-old dilemma of  trying to figure out  which communication is of Spirit, and which is of ego. But if you ask Spirit for a sign and make it specific and unquestionable, you will be able to be sure who presented it to you.

Asking for a sign and being firm about the form it takes is absolutely within our rights as creators and if you have unwavering faith, you'll be amazed at the way the Universe will arrange itself to present you with the answers you seek. Don't underestimate your Spirit's ability to give you exactly what you ask for! And to trust that if you don't get it, there is something even more desirable on the way--maybe just better timing for that trip, or maybe something else altogether.

I'm going to insert a disclaimer here. It's really only the doubtful ego that would feel the need to ask for a sign. When you're aligned with your Spirit, you know, without doubt, that your heart's desires are on their way in perfect Divine Timing and you don't need the reassurance of a sign. But since we're all subject to ego's doubts and fears, it's nice to know we can request--and get--a sign that things are all lined up for our heart's desires to be delivered.

Long ago, I asked the Universe for a sign that I would actually be getting something I thought was impossible and it was very creative in responding. If you have never read my story of the "red diamond," check out this oldie but goody: The Red Diamond

I did my interview with Kala of Explore Your Spirit this evening, and though I think it went well overall, I really wish I hadn't been so all over the map. It started out with Kala asking me to talk about my time in Japan and the illness. For some reason, that always seems to derail me! There is so much to it--so much detail, that I get bogged down. I did try to skim over it, but that seems to contribute to me either not doing a thorough enough job or not saying it in the most effective way! Rick's suggestion was to write it out as an "elevator speech" so that when it comes up, I will already know exactly how much detail to include. The problem with that is that when the energy starts to move, I do not feel a lot of control over how much I say or how I say it! I think the key is to simply trust that I will always say what needs to be said. And that will create it to be so!

I got carried away by the very strong energy that came upon me. It is kind of like being a sailboat that is kind of drifting, but the wind comes along, fills the sails, and then there's no easy way to stop until the sail's direction is reversed or the wind dies. It just came over me and whooshed me away. I hardly even stopped to let her ask questions--something that seems to happen whenever I do a radio show. Fortunately, Spirit has provided very ego-less radio hosts for me to work with. Kala said she just trusts that whatever is supposed to happen will and that when the energy takes over like it did tonight, it is best to stand back and allow it to do its work. How I appreciate that!

Anyway, I believe Kala was pleased, and after the show wrapped up, we talked for a bit. She was so very encouraging and appreciative of Recreating Eden (which she read cover-to-cover as she says she does the books of all the authors she has on her show) but was most excited about the potential of what I'm up to with Easy World. Being that she is a psychic, I took that as yet another confirmation from Spirit that I am on the right track! Do check Kala's site to know when to hear my radio interview. They'll put a link up when it's edited and uploaded and ready to listen to.

On a different note, Stepdaughter #4 (15-year old) has been busy at our house yesterday and today, earning money for her Ultimate Frisbee team trip (remember that I was affirming Easy World in conjunction with having her help in the garden? It worked!) Yesterday, she did some garden work but it was so hot (high of 100), she postponed much of it till today when the high was a blessed 76. She did a fabulous job of trimming, deadheading, pruning, and cleaning up after herself, and she even helped a bit inside the house. I'm so pleased! Here is a photo looking east from my shady Happy Place which includes the results of some of her deadheading--"New Dawn" (white rose) was full of spent blooms but she was very thorough and now it looks so beautiful, don't you agree?

There is lots more going on, but nothing I'm ready to talk about right now, so we'll save it!

I told you in the last entry that I’m reading Eat Pray Love  by Elizabeth Gilbert, given to me as a belated birthday gift by my sister. It is fabulous, and I don’t think it is a gross exaggeration to say that I could be happy to do nothing but read it 24-7, 365. Of course, I would soon run out of book, but you know what I mean. If the woman chronicled every minute of her life, I would be tempted to spend mine reading it! Heaven help me if she ever starts a blog.

Eat Pray Love (as you may already know—seems I’m one of the last people on Earth to read it!) is her memoir of a year that she spent divided among Italy, India, and Indonesia, recovering from divorce. Her writing is delicious—funny, self-revelatory, insightful, light and profound at the same time, it is the perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent, like the perfect meal.

And the perfect meal, is, indeed what she seeks in the first third of the book as she searches Rome—indeed, much of Italy over 4 months—for the ideal plate, and describes her findings in mouthwatering detail. I am willing to bet that at this very moment, there are dozens, if not hundreds, on a pilgrimage to eat the same perfect pizza she discovered in Naples.  After developing a new ability to devote every day to pure pleasure sans the guilt in Italy (gelato for breakfast is a favorite decadence), and gaining the weight to go along with it, she heads to India to spend the next 4 months in an ashram, where she shares the spiritual insights she develops in a way that, frankly, makes me deeply envious! Her way of describing her emotional and spiritual process, and, oh, by the way, revealing the secrets of the Universe, is simply masterful, and I admit to wishing desperately to have her writing style. Okay--truthfully? I found myself wishing to BE her, and reminding myself over and over about the time I wanted to be somebody else and God said something to the effect of, “But I already have a perfect (her name)—what I need is for you to be YOU because you’re the only one who can fully be that.” 

Anyway, I’m now in the last part of the book where she spends 4 months in Indonesia, and I’m already both looking forward to finishing, and wishing it would go on forever. But I have my own books to write and so it’s a blessing it doesn’t!

It was a beautiful late afternoon in the garden today, where I spent some time reading. Here is a view of the pansies with the sunlight coming through them from behind in my Happy Place:

Here in the U.S., we had a holiday weekend. For Rick and me, it was a lovely opportunity to spend extra time together and get things done that needed to be, especially in the garden. We finally got the back patio organized after the fast and furious sudden emptying of the garage in February to make way for the pool. What a relief to be able to look out the sliding glass doors and see order for a change! 

Tomorrow, Peter comes to install our EcoSmarte system that will allow us to keep the pool clean without using chlorine or other chemicals. I am really looking forward to that because even though the pool uses very little chlorine and only contains about the amount of it found in municipal tap water, that’s still too much for me! 

This Friday morning, I’m heading to North Carolina for a week of visiting. I was fortunate to get a non-stop flight, and though it cost more, it will be worth not having to deal with the plane change for all kinds of reasons. I will still avail myself of wheelchair service as my knees are just not ready for that much walking on concrete. What a blessing to be able to have that assistance. I do believe my swimming pool time has made a big difference in my knees, but I’m not going to push it more than necessary. 

I’ll be staying with my sister in Raleigh for the first few days, where I’ll be having dinner with a dear friend Saturday night, then moving to my dad’s in Thomasville for the rest of the time. I’ll use his place as my home base and will be visiting from there. I’ll spend time with my other sister and with a couple of girlfriends before heading back to Raleigh to rendezvous with another friend for lunch and then fly back here.  There is a lot to do between now and Friday, but I’ve decided to take it easy and allow it to be an Easy World adventure. I always feel resistance to leaving home, especially when the garden is going to be peaking while I’m gone, but I’m excited to be seeing my loved ones, and there will be a whole summer ahead when I get back June 8. 

Rick and I will be celebrating our 8^th anniversary on Thursday. We got married on Memorial Day of 1999. I nearly committed a treasonous act when I was planning my NC trip—I wasn’t thinking about the dates and our upcoming anniversary and almost booked the trip to span the anniversary date, but Rick reminded me in time. I’m already going to be ribbed about it for the rest of my life, but at least I didn’t actually buy the ticket! We’re going to celebrate upon my return. 

Here is another shot from the garden, taken Saturday. This one is the Luna Memorial Garden, created in memory of my dear dachshund sidekick, Luna (1988-2002), and fertilized with her ashes:

 

Had a little trouble logging in last night, so though I’m posting this Sunday at noon, keep in mind, it’s really from yesterday… 

As you may have noticed, the blog was disrupted for awhile due to some platform changes and despite Tony’s best efforts, the links within the blog to other blog entries and the links pretty much all over the Web with links to my blog entries no longer work. We’re doing our best to create redirects to the entries in question, but it will just take time. If you notice one that goes to an error message, please direct our attention to it so we can fix it! 

The pool had a hiccup this week. The heater stopped working. But I managed, with Rick’s help, to stay mostly in Easy World with it. Luckily, Peter was in town for the weekend and was able to come by this afternoon and fix it quickly and easily, thank goodness! When he was able to get it to work after only about 10 minutes, I said, “Easy World!” and he said, “No—Easy World would be it not needing to be fixed at all.” But I figure that it was EW for me, if not for him! He said he didn’t mind because it gave him a chance to see us. What a sweetie! Anyway, I decided it was my cue to skip a day of swimming to give my body recovery time (and the pool time to heat back up). I am such an addict now that it feels quite strange to skip my swim. Tomorrow! 

The garden is coming into its glory and it’s a thrill to see. After the trouble I had with my knees on uneven surfaces last summer, I really wasn’t sure I would be able to keep it up and the thought was too depressing for words! So it’s quite a relief to be doing so much better and able to do garden chores. I am so happy at how easily things have come together this year, and how well I am able to get around. Here is a sampling of today in the garden:

This is my Happy Place, where I love to sit and daydream, enjoy the garden, appreciate all the work that's been done, and try not to fixate on all that still needs to be accomplished:

   Things are just about to burst open in the Luna gardens--some more than others:    

And here is a close up of a Swallowtail Columbine bloom from the photo above: 

This flower from outer space is really an allium (onion family):

 

I'll leave you with that for now, and with promises of more garden photos to come!

Oh--remember that my next free teleseminar  is Tuesday--hope you can make it!