Garden Therapy

Gardening has been a big part of my life since I was little. I still have fond memories of my granny's house with overflowing marigold beds, hydrangeas, and so many other flowers and shrubs. She could name them all! She should me how to propagate and nurture these wonderful gifts from the earth.

Later, it expanded to my aunt's farm where I learned about vegetables, fruits and canning. It's also where I learned where meat came from (LOL). Yes, I am still a carnivore but sometimes the truth just hurts. I like cow, chicken, pig and even rabbit. It's a fact of life and I digress in my guilt for eating the poor creatures.

Back to my gardening, it's always been something that has brought me peace and a feeling of accomplishment, all at the same time. Whatever garden I'm in, it's where I find myself talking to my higher power (God, Universe, Spirits...you do you and I'll do me) and fulfilling my life's purpose. I simply love to get dirty with hard work, take a step back, and say "I did that".

As I'm older now, I am a bit fixated on the magick of mother earth and all that she provides, especially herbs. Over the last 6 months or so, I have really been digging into herbal medicine and its magic. It boggles my mind how the healing powers of herbs has been lost to modern medicine. Of course, modern medicine has its place and is very much needed. Herbs take longer to work (because it's the nutrients that are providing the healing) and modern medicine is so much faster, reducing our suffering. But, it is fascinating that a lot of modern medicine derives from herbs and plants. Again, I digress.

My point is/was that gardening is a powerful activity to combat depression and anxiety as well as other health ailments. It's physical labor to shovel, plant, nurture and harvest a garden. It's satisfying to complete a task well. It's a sense of accomplishment when you harvest your yield...whether it's vegetables, herbs, flowers, or just an aesthetically pleasing landscape.

How does gardening affect you? Are you a newbie wanting to learn something new that may add value to your life or are you seasoned pro that just enjoys being outdoors and giving back to our Mother earth?