Gardening With Nature

I’ve been wondering about whether or not to feed the birds. The owner of our rental house took care to point out to me the bird feeder hanging from a pine in our front yard, showing me how you can see it perfectly from the living room, and telling me about the joy of watching a list of species frequent the feeder.

When I ask Nature about putting something in the feeder, most of the time the answer is “no.” Occasionally, when the answer is “yes,” I’ve been led to put out tortilla chips, homemade bread, rice crackers, and tortillas. The chips were a hit with the jays, and the finches and sparrows cleaned up what fell from the feeder.

The last tortilla went untouched for several days – long enough for me to ask if Nature wanted me to throw it out. A storm passed, and the jays came for it.

Recently, I received an email from a gardener who has attracted a bunch of mice and rats who clean up what falls from her bird feeder. Although she doesn’t like having them around, they tell her they’re quite happy and feel very safe in her yard.

It seems to me that as co-creators of our gardens we’re working with Nature to establish a balance – or rather to re-establish balance. We humans are great at wrecking balance – especially in nature. What we don’t understand is that in any system, like our garden, when we touch one part, we touch all parts.

When we feed the birds, we change life for those birds; we invite creatures in to clean up; those creatures brought other creatures with them, like cats; the lives of all were changed. The bird feeder supports more birds than Nature would. Those extra birds need a place to live. All of this changes the community of birds. Nature then works to balance the imbalance we created.

I’m not saying we never will feed the birds. I am saying we need to check with our partner, Nature, before we do. Perhaps it’s a hard winter or some birds are passing through and need a boost. We may not know why Nature gives us the go-ahead to feed the birds – or why Nature says “no.”

By the way, I love the presence of birds in my garden. They bring joy and life. So when I tell Nature my desires for my garden, I always include my desire to create a safe haven for birds. I don’t need twenty million birds to feel their presence – a few will do. I like them to be around so I can see them and connect with them. And there are certain kinds of birds that seem to attract me, so I ask Nature to make sure we have some of those.

And so I find myself planting in ways that provide food and cover for birds. Working with Nature, we support the bird life I asked for and we do it in a balanced way. Nature takes care of it for me.

Here’s a treat – a wonderful 16-minute video that describes the movement to the garden. As you’re listening to the eloquent speakers and seeing the magnificent gardens created in ghettos, around schools, and in prisons, try to be in touch with your feelings.

Gardeners of the Spirit

Some time ago, Nature gave me the rules of engagement for co-creative gardening. You can find them by clicking on the link in the nav bar on your right.

Recently though, as I’ve learned more about interspecies communication and noticed my relationship with Nature changing, I’ve felt something missing. Following the rules of engagement and practicing the practices laid out in the Learning Lessons left me feeling flat. And I haven’t been happy with my relationship with Nature or with the results that show up in the plants.

Last night, I felt it was time for a breakthrough and I asked for help. Here’s what showed up: the missing rule is: “honor the purpose of each soul.”

I believe each type of plant, animal, crystal, and rock outpictures in form the intention of an individual spirit. In a similar way, my spirit manifests in form and situations, and expresses in ways such as writing this blog.

What I got last night is that the nature spirits in my life have always honored my purpose, even though I’m not always clear about that purpose myself. Ultimately, this is what Nature does, and it’s why I interact with Nature at all.

Now it’s my turn. I need to step up and honor the purpose of each soul. I now understand the plant spirits which show up as plants in my house chose me. They chose me because of the way I allow them to fulfill their purpose. It’s time for me to understand the purpose of each spirit consciously, and do the things a human can do to further their fulfilling that purpose.

Simply put, I’m not going to plant potatoes in my garden because I like the taste potatoes, or because I want to see if I can grow potatoes, or because Nature said so. I’m going to find out the purpose of the Potato Spirit and see how I can support that. Then I’ll ask Nature if we’re planting potatoes.

The feeling I got when I realized that I’m surrounded by a host of spirits all acting in support of my purpose filled me with wonder, respect, and gratitude. On the other hand, we all knew this already, didn’t we?

We’ve been living here in West Sedona for four months now, and enjoying the views, sitting in the yard when it’s now snowing, fooling around a bit in the garden, and walking the neighborhood. Pretty terrific.

And then this week, I hooked into the trail system attached to the wash that runs by across the street. Wow! I’ve been hiking almost every day and I can’t see any reason to ever stop.

Water’s been running in the wash, forming small, peaceful pools and wonderful little waterfalls. The trails are that beautiful red that reminds you you’re in Sedona. The woods are mostly pine and juniper, with some shrub oak, manzanita, desert holly, and yucca. Throw in a lush carpet of forbs, prickly pear, agave, and grasses and you’ve got a perfect foreground for the mesas and mountain formations. Oh, and did I mention the sky?!

The trails are both marked and unmarked, and form a web that follows the washes and canyons and crisscrosses the rises between them. Despite the cover, it’s always easy to tell from the sun, rock formations, and canyons where you are. Evidence of horses, mountain bikes, dogs, and other creatures tells a bit of a tale of what’s happening in the area.

When we tracked backwards from a trailhead about a mile-and-a-half away, we were able to find our neighborhood and then locate a way out onto the road. Who knew our access point was just one house down? Well, now we do, and that means that in no time at all we’re off on another adventure.

Each hike is so rich with sensations as we share nature with other creatures and humans. Each hike takes us into another world. When we return, everything at home seems strangely different.

Perhaps it is because nature has had a little time to work on us and it is we who have changed.