Gardening with the Goddess

Now that I’m unemployed, I have more time and energy for yard work, so I’ve been doing some every day.  It’s really been fantastic for me, and has helped me realize how much I’ve lost touch with the Earth by being too exhausted to properly care for my yards while I was working.  It’s also given me a “heads-up” about my lack of proper stress management.

I have tomatoes and peppers planted in the one of the beds around the border of the yard, and like the typical American a big expanse of grass that doesn’t really do anything but sit there and grow so I can walk on it.  I’m considering changing it at least in the back yard where no one sees it to criticize it or illegally seize it.  I also want to put some more beds in the front and raise edible flowers and herbs for both ritual and culinary use.

I have been working on getting the beds weed-free, but I’m plagued with Bermuda grass as well as Dallisgrass (http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/dallisgrass.html), both of which are VERY hard to get rid of.  Poisons which are bad for the environment may kill the surface, but these hardy buggers just grow back.  I consulted with a botanist about the Dallisgrass, and he said that unfortunately the most effective way to get rid of it is to rip it out by the roots.  The big, thick, ropy roots.

One thing I’ve discovered (your mileage may vary) is that if I’m focusing on spiritual matters while doing yard work the time seems to fly by.

Dallisgrass is TOUGH, and I was listening to pagan music (Welcome to Annwfn, http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hamouris) while pulling weeds and the following conversation took place in my head:

Alan:      Goddess, WHY did you make these things so bloody tough!

Goddess:             The same reason I made you strong, so who’s stronger you or the weed?

A:            I’m pulling this stuff out and it doesn’t want to budge, could you get the Earth to let it go?

G:           It builds character to do it yourself.  I already helped you with this before you were born, what did I give you?

A:            Well, I can’t telekinetically get it out by the root, my shoulder hurts, my back hurts, and the sweat is dripping into my eyes.

G:           What do you do when brute force doesn’t work?

A:            Think of another way… oh… think..

G:           Keep going..

A:            I have tools for this, don’t I?  Like about 15 feet away.

G:           Yep, try this one  (image of the long one with the fork at the end)

A:            Duh… cut the roots into smaller pieces.  What if I slice a worm with it?

G:           Then it’s meant to be, don’t fret over what you can’t see.

A:            You’re pretty awesome, you know that?

G:           You’re sweet, stop lollygagging and get back to work  (thwacks me in the third eye, conversation ends)

I love those moments of conversation with the gods, but a lot of people think having a conversation with deity should be some complicated, difficult-to-attain long involved ritual where you sit still and contemplate your navel in a hand mirror or something.  It’s not that hard, the gods are within us and in the world around us, it’s not a long-distance call.  And frankly, if you talk to them AND listen, they might help you out.  So there you have it, one example of my personal relationship with deity.

For the record, I was addressing a particular goddess by name, but in the interest of keeping SOME things private, I replaced her name with “Goddess”.