Mindfulness Garden Games
by Joann Calabrese
author of Growing Mindful

One Simple (or Not So Simple) Resolution

Hawthorn Berries and Crescent Moon

  The time of New Year’s Resolutions is upon us. Many people think it’s a fruitless practice, as we know most resolutions dissolve in the first few weeks of January. However, I like the idea of this intentional practice.  Resolutions embody a hopefulness and a willingness to try a little harder, do a little better, … Read more

Why Celebrate Winter Solstice?

  Happy Winter Solstice!                                                                             (arriving at 3:35 PM Mountain Time today) For us in the northern hemisphere, winter … Read more

Untapped Power – Dorothy Needed an Instruction Manual

untapped power

      My grand-daughter Sonya and I went to see the Wizard of Oz  in 3D last night at our Nature and Science Museum. This is the original 1939 version, remastered. I realized I had never seen this movie on a big screen, 3D or not. Not only are the twister and flying monkeys … Read more

The Smell of Rain – Small Wonders

wonder

Denver Rain – a Time for Wonder  Rain is an infrequent event in Denver. So Saturday, when it began, I ran outside to breathe in that earthy fresh smell of new rain. It happens just at the beginning of a storm. There’s a name for that scent. It’s petrichor. Plants and bacteria living in the … Read more

Connection – Pumpkin Essence

I feel stretched between seasons. Just a few weeks ago I could pop raspberries and tomatoes into my mouth as I walked out the door. But today it is 25 degrees with large white flakes swirling outside my window. The garden exists mostly in my memory. Mostly. Because there are seeds and dried herbs on … Read more

Butterflies & Alignment with Beauty

  Am I the only person who didn’t know that caterpillars disintegrate into a gloppy mess inside their cocoons before recreating themselves as butterflies?  I found this out only recently and realized my original ideas about the change were loosely based on whimsical children’s books.  What a surprise – they did not provide a lot … Read more

First Snow Energy – Respite

  It’s a snow globe in Denver this morning with huge white flakes swirling and floating to the ground.  I’m not happy that we have snow on October 13th, but it’s hard not to appreciate how beautiful it is. There is an energetic feel to the first snow. Beauty is an obvious part of that … Read more

Releasing – A Different View of Autumn

    Leaves are changing color, nights are chilly, the sun is lower in the sky. We are one week past the autumn equinox and it feels like Fall has settled in. Autumn has historically been a time of gathering and storing for winter. Celebrations of harvest and thanksgiving were popular. And even though many … Read more

Basil, Basilisks, & Creating Meaning

    The sweet fragrance of basil (Ocimum basilicum) is filling up my kitchen as I make some final batches of pesto before summer ends.  (Click here for my vegan pesto recipe.)  From pizza, to sauces, to pesto, most people know basil as a culinary herb.  But it has been used as a medicinal herb … Read more

Zenith as Mindfulness Focus

    It’s that time of year when the garden is a tad out of control. Pumpkin vines have invaded the apple tree and pumpkins are hanging among the apples. Amaranth is leaning against the fence because it can no longer support the huge plumes. Some of the sunflowers have fallen over in the wind, … Read more