Establishing Peace in a Garden

It always feels so good to work in the garden.

I love the feel of dirt in my hands.  

The texture and smell are so enriching.

Spending time in nature is calming and energizing.

It is our ancestral first environment.

The more time we can be in touch with natural growing areas the better we feel on a deep level.

Part of the balance of life is the peace we feel participating in activities which are part of the earth.

We patiently observe the first tiny leaves and how individual they are.

And of course, there is the miracle of seeds themselves, becoming active and growing into plants.

The many different shapes and sizes of seeds and plants, the infinite variety, color, smell and patterns offer a restful and peaceful view as they harmonize in the landscape.

I am grateful for the opportunity to observe them close at hand and as I pass them down country roads.

I am glad I am learning to make my garden part of a new practice of peace.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.inspiredpractices.blogspot.com 

A Gardening Solution

I was disappointed to find out that a couple of glass panes had been broken out of my cold frame at the back of the garden.  I had been “cooking” a new compost pile during winter and would not be able to continue adding to it as planned.

I knew there was a solution for my situation and I began preparing to access it by not getting mad.  I always include the whole neighborhood when I do my spiritual work.  It includes the high school students who walk back and forth to school and home, people who drive by, anyone passing by who comes to thought.

After a visit to a nearby antique mall, I saw an old window similar to the one I used for my cold frame.  That started a train of thought where I realized I could remove the cold frame and let the composting process take its course.  In a year or two when the bacteria have fully digested the compost, I can screen it and filter out the glass.  That way, I do not have to worry about getting glass shards in my hands, nor getting glass in the compost mix.

I was grateful for the solution and for not wasting much time on frustration or anger.  I cannot control other people’s feelings or actions, but I can learn to make my own time more and more productive.  This was an opportunity to do so.

I also realized I can take care of many of the items in my garden as they exist and add the next steps to what I have.  Making a list helps me appreciate the abundance of my new starts and aware of the attention I can pay to last season’s plantings.

I can enter a new era of gardening by building on my beginner’s knowledge and adding to it.  

So many old and new friends have gardens and share their experience and plants generously.  I am grateful to be able to expand my garden again this year.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.lovedcherishedadored.blogspot.com

Staying in My Own Mind

Sorting out the confusion over the trauma of early childhood has taken some time.

Interpreting which thoughts are the ones I choose rather than the ones I was taught has taken additional effort.

I am learning that the mind I choose to cultivate as mine is happy and creative.

I am creative whether I am happy or sad, ecstatic or depressed, so I choose the positive version.

I have my own feeling of calmness, so I can notice the contrast when disruption approaches.

I have my own self-respect, so I notice the difference.

I have my own goals, which I love completing.

I love my friends who enjoy the same kinds of activities I do.

There is a consistency to me.

It is okay to be visible.

It is fun to get together and learn and share things in my many craft and homesteading skills groups.

As a matter of fact, I enjoy my life and living in my own mind.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.lovedcherishedadored.blogspot.com 

Angel Messages Come To You - Valued Feelings

Angel Messages Come To You - Beneficent Universe knows all

Redefining Peace

My new definition of peace is having the strength to pull myself back into a calm state of mind after hearing lots of disturbing news.

Since I have good standards of behavior for myself, I expect no less from other well-informed and well-educated people.

So I pull myself back into a peaceful state of mind by reminding myself how powerful good and innocence and compassion and actual, core truth are.

I remind myself that despite the egregious sense of entitlement and criminal greed, there are certainly more decent people on earth.

Most of us value our fellow man.

Most of us support public policy which allows everyone to have the tools to create a good life for themselves.

Most of us have a balanced outlook.

Most of us have compassion for each other and are willing to bring attention to unfair practices and to help remedy them.

Most of us are willing to look for creative solutions to problems instead of perpetuating them.

Most of us really do not like lies.

We can tell the difference between what is true and what is not.

Even though it is frustrating to watch the attempted take over of a beautiful, if imperfect,  governmental system, most of us are working toward creating a much better version of it as a result of the extreme weaknesses which have been exposed in it.

Becoming more aware can be very disturbing, but it can lead to a new, redefined peace.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.inspiredpractices.blogspot.com

Inward Listening

I am listening for my inward thoughts and guidance.

Everyone I know is listening for their inward thoughts and guidance.

Everyone I don’t even know all over the world is listening for their inward thoughts and guidance.

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Listening within always gives me a sense of peace and calm as I get quieter and quieter to hear it.

As I release the noise from outside my thoughts, I can feel peace moving in to take over the disturbed and restless sense of unease.

I can hear the guidance and comfort of my quiet inward sense.

As I breathe into these moments, I can feel a sense of what the next step should be in my quiet life.

I can get ready to take the next step without worry or fear.

The next step is within my grasp and understanding.

A I move through my day like this from step to step, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

I am no longer frustrated by the despair of politics and the economy.

I am listening for the next step.

The inward direction I receive comes from my Unlimited Source.

I can always achieve it.

It is my security.

Through my inward listening, I can trust my life.

I know all who live by this practice feel a different sense of security than one which can be taken away by the superficial life of politics and the economy.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.takethreedeepbreaths.blogspot.com 

Decent Mindfulness

Decency and mindfulness go hand in hand.

We are decent when we are aware of the needs of others.

When we help create policy which allows everyone to put together a good life for themselves, we are behaving in a normal, natural way.

It is unnatural to have such a sense of emptiness in oneself that the only way to fill it up is to take away from others.

It is natural to want to share the good we have with others.

It is unnatural to feel that we are the only ones who deserve happiness.

It is natural to realize that everyone is entitled to the chance to better their own lives.

It is unnatural to act in a totally self-centered manner which recognizes only the need to fill oneself up with more stuff and more power.

It is natural to recognize our humanness and our ability to be expressive, creative individuals.

It is unnatural to expect everyone to be the same and to have no needs for decency in their neighborhoods and in interactions with all segments of society.

It is natural to encourage growth and development, not to squash it.

It is natural to recognize and appreciate the contribution which everyone makes in a healthy society and then to set it up so everyone can make a healthy contribution.

We are evolving towards more compassion even as we see its opposite be enacted as government policy.

We are evolving toward a larger world view, even as we see our government limit itself in so many directions.

Individual growth and progress accumulates until it is an unstoppable power for good throughout the community.

It is a natural result of decency and mindfulness.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.inspiredpractices.blogspot.com

Finding the Way Without Distractions

Then we find ourselves surrounded by shallow and coarse views and practices, we can stand firm with our committed idealism.

As we put our ideals into practice, we find a firm way forward.

We attract those of like-mind who are not taken in by the manipulative and insincere negative media.

Our consistent realization of what is true and what is not continues to help us find our way.

Since we know we are not alone, we can continue through encouraging one another.

Despite the powerful forces of lying media supporting unsound and dangerous politics, we are finding effective means of reaffirming sound practices and principles.

Encouraged by teens who have faced the worst scenarios in real life, there is a powerful movement to turn the tide of institutional corruption.

Legitimate news sources continue their interviews with honest thought leaders who have integrity.

Many leaders are being brought to light who have been laying the groundwork for addressing disturbing and problematic issues for some time.

A wide sweep of amorality, greed and self-serving interests appears to be hugely magnifying itself.

However, the appearance of effective opposing measures is being felt.

Although we are racing toward elections which will begin to help combat the deep institutional corruption, it is important that we daily keep ourselves on top of the lies which are being spread.

Commit to noticing the difference between emotional media appeal and well thought out policies and the leaders who are involved.

Do not be distracted or discouraged and continue to take action in appropriate ways.

We have hit a tipping point.

© 2018 Kathryn Hardage

www.sharedglobalvision.blogspot.com