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$\"\"$ <\/a>It was warm enough to do last night\u2019s meditation outside, which is always nice. The picture shows my torches at the quarters as viewed through the crepe myrtle trees in the back yard. I\u2019ll let you decide if the \u201corbs\u201d are dust specks or something more\u2026<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t even gotten through my opening meditation when I was bombarded with thoughts on planting, the first being that planting is a lot of work. When I was growing up my father planted gardens that bordered on small-scale farming: corn, beans, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, and anything else he could think of. It was a lot of hot, dirty, sweaty work \u2013 I hated it. I love Nature, but I\u2019ll never be able to romanticize it. Real planting is a lot of work \u2013 why should we expect our metaphorical, spiritual planting to be any different?<\/p>\n

The second thought was that planting is an act of will. You don\u2019t just plant, you plant something. You have to decide whether to plant flowers or vegetables, corn or beans, grass or trees. If you\u2019re going to plant something in your life, give it at least as much research and consideration as your selection of seeds from Home Depot.<\/p>\n

The third thought was that planning is an act of faith. You make the choice, you do the work, but then you have to trust that the seeds will sprout and the plants will grow to maturity. You can water and weed and fertilize (and you\u2019d better), but the rest is out of your control. Do your part and trust that Nature, the Goddess, or the Universe will do the rest.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure how I\u2019m supposed to apply all this, but that was what I got.<\/p>\n

Tonight\u2019s meditation will be on the balance between light and dark.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"