One of the highlights of mid to late January is the arrival
of the seed catalog!! On a cold,
blustery day I tromp to the mailbox with my snow boots on, looking in expecting
to see the usual stack of bills and mailers…..but there it is. The official beginning of the gardeners’
year!
Pages and pages of organic vegetable, flower, medicinal herb
and native plant seeds. Each one unique with its own story to tell.
Cardinal Flower –
Native to the south and east; Roots used by First Nations people to make a love
charm; Brilliant scarlet flowers
relished by hummingbirds…….Green Towers
Romaine – columnar head that conserves space in the garden while pumping
out significant quantities of salad! Stinging Nettle – premier spring tonic
and one of the best plant sources of micronutrients and minerals….Poppy – swift growing with outrageous flowers
containing pain relieving alkaloids; general activity is soporific, inducing a
deep sleep.
Seeds are the containers of potential.
The instinct is to quickly get the order in and get ready to
plant! But it isn’t time for that yet…….. February and early March are the tail end of
winter, but they are still winter, and will clearly remind us lest we forget. And every gardener knows the pitfalls of tending
to the garden, or planting too early. Patience.
This is the time to continue tending to the inner soil. During
these cold months we have slowed down to notice exactly where we are. We nourished our bodies with warm, comforting
foods and kept our inner flame steady.
Less rush, slower movements, more sleep and fuzzy socks. The shift now is not with what we “do” but
simply with what we “see”.
February is the month to fine tune and crystallize the
vision of what you want to manifest this year. The days are getting brighter and longer…lighting
the way. No need to do anything quite
yet…just beginning to gently awaken from the winter slumber, rub the sleep from the eyes
and look forward.
This weekend we had a glimpse of spring. A big thaw and rising temperatures. And if you looked up to the trees here you could
even see the swelling of the buds. Everyone
was out – biking, walking, visiting. So
there is this temptation to jump into high gear. To start doing things.
I considered raking some of the leaves out of the beds……but
then the fragile new growth wouldn’t be protected. Maybe
I could at least reset some of the rocks that form the circle…….but it is too
muddy and we still have the real potential of more winter storms. I began to pull out some of last year’s
pokeweed growth……but realized Bunny Rabbit would have less cover and
protection.
So instead I pour through the catalogs, creating the image
of the garden I want to have this summer. Reading and re-reading. Visualizing the vibrant mix of colors, the flutter
of the butterfly wings as they land on the Zinnia, and the call of the Titmouse
as he perches patiently on the Eucalyptus tree waiting for me to throw out some
seed. Seeing myself collecting greens to
make a salad and filling a jar with chopped lemon balm to prepare a
tincture. Closing my eyes to “feel”
myself lying on my grass pod as the bees hum.
I order the seeds and when they arrive they will simply sit on my table
bringing me pleasure as I know they are the containers of potential.
Late winter is the time to see and be grateful. Being grateful now for what it is that you
intend to manifest. Thank you Universe
for the delicious kale and the smell of the lavender!
So what is it that you want?
See and be grateful….. See and be
grateful.
So today I chose to take a walk, and then pull out a beach
chair and sit in the sun. Visualizing what
I want (thinking big) and giving thanks.
Let these next couple of weeks be exactly what they are, not
wishing them away to get to spring. Embrace
the return of the cold. Feel the slow
shift of the season. Spring and summer
will be here soon enough. And what
manifests for you then will be based on your intentions today. Because we can only create the future in this
present moment.
The time will come to turn the soil and plant the
seeds. And I will be ready. But for now I am relishing the first step of
the journey.
Yes, it is coming indeed!
Friends with February,
SARAH
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