By the wake of the Moon

Morning temp: 51F
Afternoon high: 73F
Tonight's projected low: 45F
Humidity: 48%
Moon: Waxing, 2%
Wind: from the East, at 5 mph

Spring - when ecstasy seems the natural way to be, and any other out of tune with the season of soul growth. Birdsong, airy silence, a lively conversation between plants.... Spring is not so much a metaphor for a state of attunement as it IS that attunement.
-Rumi

1. We've begun to take seriously and experiment with the relationship between the cycles of the moon and our garden work. We already know that lunar cycles have an impact in what happens here, on earth. They create, for instance, tides in large bodies of water, and when the moon is full labor and delivery nurses see an increased number of births. Going back into ancient times, farmers have noted that seeds planted during the new moon germinate more quickly than those planted at other times. Perhaps this is due to gravitational forces, as horticulturist John Jeavons explains, "If you place seeds in the ground 2 days before the lunar forces are greatest [i.e., as the moon begins to wax] the seed has time to absorb water. The gravitational force exerted on the water in the seed helps create a 'tide' that helps burst the seed coat in conjunction with the seed's swelling." Jeavons also recommends that all transplanting (whether to garden plots or larger containers) be done during the Full Moon (about 14 days after the New Moon). He writes, "plants are transplanted at the full moon so they may begin their life in the growing bed during a time of stimulated root growth to compensate for the root shock that occurs during transplanting."

Of course, the most ancient spiritual traditions on the planet have a complementary explanation. According to the Old Religions, while all things and beings come from one infinite source, the divine reality tends to manifest itself to us in complementary pairs of male and female. Not opposite forms, but different forms that, when healthy, work well together. Hence, in the ancient religions we see both Gods and Goddesses. It's important to remember that ancient peoples didn't just make up their deities. Rather, ancient mystics experienced, first hand, the divine reality as two-fold: as a Great Goddess who herself appeared in myriad forms, as a young and playful woman, a warrior and protector, a queen, a priestess, a mother giving birth to the cosmos, an old crone full of wisdom and guidance for human beings; and as a God, who also manifested in many different ways, as a young and playful male, a hunter and warrior, a father, a priest, a venerable sage and teacher. This is why ancient cultures have so many different deities, both male and female, playing many different roles. You might think of it as many different paths back to the divine source. If there was really only one path, that would leave out a great many people, and an infinite intelligence would never construct such a narrow-minded universe.

Within the Old Religions, the Goddess gave birth to all things and beings, and hence we are all made up of Her, the earth, plants, animals, human beings, even the God himself is birthed into existence by the Goddess. The God, on the other hand, is the cosmic grapevine, and we are the branches. Hence, we are both made up of the Goddess just as an infant is made up of the stuff of her mother, and we have within us the living God, who flows through us like a river. Does some of this sound familiar? It should, as history unfolded and male-centered, patriarchal religions grew in dominance, one-half of the divine reality was lost, forgotten, and repressed (at least here in the West), and the other half was raised up and held to be a complete description of what the divine reality is like. This, in turn, seriously limited the kinds of spiritual experiences people could have. Fortunately, some of the fastest growing spiritual movements (or religions, if you like) in the world are those that attempt to bring the Goddess back into our understanding of, and our experience of, the divine reality and the physical world.

So what does this have to do with gardening? For us, a great deal. For if all the world is made up of the Goddess and has the God running through it, this explains how and why the trees, plants, wind, sun, rain and all elements of nature are conscious, aware, divine beings. It also explains why St. Fiacre, who is in truth just another manifestation of the God, so quickly, easily and reliably responds to our invitations. Whenever I'm working in the Garden or on any aspect of our Homesteading experiment, when I remember to stop and invite the Goddess and God within me and ask for their presence and assistance in my work, I immediately feel more peaceful, connected and aware, and the work goes smoothly and easily, and I enjoy it. Conversely, when I fail to do so, I am likely to fall into a hurried, unconscious, quickly frustrated state of mind, which I don't particularly enjoy. Indeed, I'm likely to remember old arguments and conjure up new ones in my mind, getting and reaming angry while I'm working. Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that such states of mind have become common place, that often we walk around "like ghosts", our bodies are performing various tasks (e.g., driving) but our minds are miles away, often caught in unpleasant feedback loops. Communing with the Goddess and St. Fiacre seems to rectify this situation immediately, uniting mind and body.

Planting and transplanting on the lunar cycles is, we hope, not just another way to make use of the cold, unthinking, mechanical forces that operate within the universe. Rather, like communing with St. Fiacre, the angels he brings with him, the Garden Kami, and the Goddess, planting with the lunar cycles is one way to harmonize ourselves with these divine presence in nature. I'm thinking that "powering down," reducing our consumption, increasing our self-sufficiency, and enjoying the ordinary things in life are similar in this way.