{"id":1071,"date":"2014-08-01T22:59:27","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T22:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/?p=1071"},"modified":"2014-08-01T22:59:27","modified_gmt":"2014-08-01T22:59:27","slug":"clarity-in-the-garden-the-gift-of-insight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/2014\/08\/01\/clarity-in-the-garden-the-gift-of-insight\/","title":{"rendered":"Clarity in the Garden: The Gift of Insight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd this our life, exempt from public haunt,
\nFinds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
\nSermons in stones, and good in everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shakespeare, As You Like It, <\/em>2.1.15\u201417<\/p>\n

With all the superficial tasks of work and daily living, it\u2019s sometimes hard to find clarity, to gain insight about the direction of our lives.<\/p>\n

This week I learned a new practice in my meditation class: an exercise in clarity developed by Joanna Rogers Macy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple, really. You go out into nature\u2014which could be as close as your back yard\u2014and walk around slowly until you\u2019re drawn to something: perhaps a rock, a plant, a bird on a branch, a flower. Then pause to reflect on its symbolic meaning: the lesson it offers about your strengths: one you were born with, one you gained through hardship, and one you will bring forward in your life.<\/p>\n

While working to landscape a neglected corner of my garden, I noticed the small pine tree languishing in a pot. I\u2019d brought it here years ago from the patio in my old condominium. I\u2019d meant to transplant it, but it had gotten lost among the overgrown ferns and shrubs. This summer, I found it when I cleared out the overgrown corner. Remarkably, the little pine tree had lived through years of neglect, although constricted and pot-bound. Yesterday, it was the first plant I planted in my beautiful new corner garden.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0235\"<\/a>I felt a deep sense of relief as I eased the pine tree out of its pot, spread its roots, and set it into the ground, covering it with layers of soft earth and compost, then watering it well. Later I reflected on the lesson. The plant was born with vital strength: the potential to grow. It had endured, suffered through years of constricted conditions, demonstrating the strength of perseverance. Now, released to new freedom, it could flourish, realizing its full potential.<\/p>\n

I smiled as I recognized the parallel, seeing the new freedom and potential in this time of my life.<\/p>\n

You can try this meditative exercise for yourself.<\/p>\n