Mindfulness Garden Games
by Joann Calabrese
author of Growing Mindful

A Path through the Dark Times

Greetings at the New Moon – December 1, 2024 Finding a Path Forward in the Darkest of Times It is winter in the northern hemisphere, and daylight morphs into darkness earlier and earlier. Sunset here in Denver is around 4:30 PM. Winter always brings less light, but this year the darkness is more than the … Read more

Poppies & Recognition of Beauty

Happy New Moon – June 6, 2024 Poppies & Beauty The poppies in my garden have just begun to unfold. They are shockingly beautiful. No, seriously, I almost forget each year how breathtaking they are. The petals look like they are created from tissue paper and the markings in the center form a beautiful mandala. … Read more

Cultivating Wonder and Joy

Greetings on the Last Full Moon of the Year – December 26, 2023 It is easy to get lost in day to day responsibilities and the stream of difficult news, but mystics and seers have always tapped into wonder and joy even when things around them were dark. Tuning into wonder does not mean ignoring … Read more

Ancestor Altars

Rosemary for Remembrance

Full Moon Blessings – October 28, 2023 Creating an ancestor altar – a place of remembrance for those who have passed on – could take place anytime during the year. However many spiritual traditions align their remembrance with the end of October and beginning of November. These include the Celtic festival of Samhain resurrected by … Read more

Quirkiness of Corn

Full Moon Greetings – September 29, 2023 Corn’s Quirky Nature You might not think much about corn (Zea mays or Maize) in your garden or on your plate, but it has fascinating and distinct characteristics from most other plants you grow. First of all, corn is a grain. (The grain family includes plants like wheat, … Read more

Attempting Figs in Zone 5

Happy New Moon – September 14, 2023 Ancient Figs Figs and fig trees show up in many myths and origin stories. The Egyptian goddess Hathor sometimes embodied a fig tree as she nourished and guided souls after death. In the bible story, Adam and Eve clothe themselves in fig leaves, which I always thought odd … Read more

Garden Enlightenment

What of enlightenment? When I began meditating many moons ago, the workshops and books I was immersed in promoted a concept of enlightenment. They weren’t referring to The Enlightenment with a capital E that happened in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, but instead a spiritual shift in perspective. Since meditation has become mainstream, the … Read more

Gifts of Comfrey

Full Moon Greetings – June 3, 2023 Gifts of Comfrey Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) has just begun to bloom in my garden. But the delicate bluish-purple flowers are easy to miss. Tiny bell shapes hang in clusters under the leaves. You have to look closely to admire them because they are dwarfed by the rest of … Read more

Garden Experiments

Garden Experiments - Stinging Nettles

New Moon Greetings – May 19, 2023 Garden Evolution  Garden Experiments are about pushing the boundaries of what you ordinarily grow. When my children were young, I focused my garden efforts exclusively on edible plants and healing herbs. Feeding people and having plants to make my own teas, tinctures, and salves was the top priority. … Read more

New Moon & Equinox Energy

Happy New Moon, March 21, 2023 Weaving Together the Energy of Spring Equinox & New Moon This day holds an abundance of new moon & equinox energy. The new moon occurs today, March 21st, and the vernal equinox took place yesterday, March 20th.  Each of these events hold powerful imagery and energy that we can … Read more

error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)