Your Inner Garden

by Marie T. Russell

Our sub-conscious is a truly wonderful partner. It finds many ways to communicate with us. The other morning, I found myself humming "Slow down, you're going too fast..." Now, that was a clear message.

Have you ever paid attention to the songs that you find yourself humming, or whistling? In the same way, the people around you may be communicating with you through the songs they have chosen (subconsciously, probably) to hum. If your partner is humming "Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again", you might want to pay attention. Or if you find yourself singing "Yesterday, all my troubles were so far away", sounds to me like you may be going in the direction of a depression, unless you change the tune you're singing.

When you were a kid, and you were griping about something, you may have been requested to `change your tune'. `Changing your tune' is an easy and simple way to change your mood — change the song you're singing or humming (which is the equivalent of changing what you're focusing on).

Some mornings, if I don't wake up in my usual happy, `chirpy' mood, I `force' myself to sing "Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day", or some other similarly positive song. As I start singing, my mind may be inwardly making comments such as "Yeah, sure!", or "What a bunch of hogwash." But as I keep singing "Oh, what a beautiful morning", something happens... my attitude starts to change and I start to realize that it is, indeed, a beautiful morning. And after a while, I'm feeling happy and light again. Simply a question of reprogramming and changing focus.

It's what we focus on that makes something `good' or `bad'. Roses, for example, are beautiful, but they have thorns. Why do people love roses so much? Why don't they think of them as pesky flowers with thorns?

If we weren't conditioned to think of roses as wonderful, we might take it as an insult when someone hands us this plant with all these thorns on the stem... What are they trying to do? Puncture our fingers? Again, that is another example of programming — we have grown up with the cultural tendency to think roses are a symbol of love.

Which brings up another point. Maybe roses are like love. Love 'makes the world go round' not simply because it is wonderful, but because it helps us to look at ourselves and pay attention to our thorns as well. Once we see where our thorns are, we can either pop them off, or make certain that we don't inadvertently hurt ourselves, or others, by mishandling.

Another way you can look at roses is to see that we are somewhat like them. We are beautiful (inside and out), but have grown thorns that we felt we needed for protection. Perhaps we can learn more about taking care of ourselves by observing how we take care of the plants (and animals) in our lives. We too are blossoming, and we need to make sure we are providing ourselves with the things we need to ensure a beautiful harvest.

So how is your 'inner' rose? Is it fragrant and full of light? Is your soul exuding its true nature which is love, peace, acceptance, joy, vitality, etc. Have you remembered to water and nurture your rose so that it does not wilt? Have you been pruning away the dead branches of old patterns and beliefs, so that the new growth can come out strong and unencumbered by the past? Have you given yourself plenty of natural 'fertilizer' (love, gentleness, playful time, rest time, sunshine, good food, etc.) so that you radiate? Are you giving yourself plenty of space to grow? Maybe you're not happy with where you are and need to transplant yourself to some other location...

How's your inner garden? Have the weeds been allowed to overgrow and choke out the rose? Is the stress in your life such that you have not taken time to breathe and smell the rose, let alone nurture it and devote yourself to its emergence? What is the status of the crop you're raising? Does it look like the harvest will be one that you will enjoy? Are you breaking your back to cultivate money and position, when a crop of love and joy would bring you more happiness?

Since it's springtime and also the time of Easter and rebirth, this is as good a time as any to take inventory of your inner garden and growing methods, to ensure that you are planting what you want to reap, and that you are supplying yourself with all of your vital needs. We need to cultivate our inner beauty so that we can all be wandering in Gardens of Eden and living in paradise on Earth. It is there for us to rediscover. Happy gardening!

About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the publisher of InnerSelf Magazine (first published in 1985 as Mighty Natural Magazine). She produced a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1991-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our inner source of joy and creativity.

Marie's favorite book on this topic: 

"Soulwork:
Clearing the Mind, Opening the Heart, Replenishing the Spirit"
by Bettyclare Moffatt.
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Complete list of  Marie T. Russell's articles.