THE INNER GARDEN
"The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all."
- Wendell Berry -
SPENDING SACRED ME-TIME
WRITING PROMPTS​
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DEEP WATERS & HIGH SOIL​
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Deep waters... the actual water depth that water lilies need to thrive, reaching into the pond's bottom.
High soil... the plant's growth habitat, where its roots anchor in soil beneath the water's surface to support its emergence and floating leaves and flowers above the water.
In essence... the water lily roots are anchored in the soil at the bottom of a pond or body of water, while its leaves and flowers float on or above the deep water.
There's a duality taking place and also there's a metaphor to be found.
Water Lilies show us that it is possible to remain (or return) to a state of calm - this flower grows in the mud but is not of it. Out of the mud emerges a unique and beautiful flower.
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Explore the concepts of emotional depth (deep waters) and foundational stability or groundedness (high soil) through these prompts. Try to let ease be your guide - these prompts might reach deep into your inner sphere, but it should not make you uncomfortable.
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Write about a past trauma/traumatic experience (experience with impact) or the weight of grief, using "deep waters" to describe the challenging emotions you're processing.
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Dive deep into a great fear or troubles you hold, exploring its roots and how it affects you, as if you're exploring an uncharted part of the ocean.
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Describe a moment you felt utterly alone or abandoned, using the imagery of being in deep, dark waters to capture the feeling.
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Reflect on elements that provide you with security and stability, treating them like the high, fertile soil that supports your growth.
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Write about things you are grateful for that provide a sense of grounding in your life, connecting these to the "high soil" that nourishes you.
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Identify a personal quality or strength that allows you to "grow" and write about the conditions that enable this growth.
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Journal about the tension and balance between deep, potentially unsettling emotions and the need for grounded stability. How do they influence each other in your daily life?
SPENDING TIME IN THE STUDIO
MINDFUL EXERCISE
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UNSEEN BUT PROFOUND​
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"Veins of gold" refers to a geological formation where gold, along with other minerals like quartz, is deposited in cracks and fractures within surrounding rock, often from hot, mineral-rich fluids flowing through the rock.
These veins are an important geological feature, concentrating gold into economically minable deposits.
Symbolically speaking, "Veins of gold" stand for inner richness, spiritual purity, hope, and resilience, particularly when found as a metaphor for finding one's true potential or for the beauty that emerges from brokenness, this is found in the japanese art form called Kintsugi. The symbolism is rooted in the preciousness, rarity, and durability of gold, which also represents divine attributes, enlightenment, and the strength to endure life's challenges.
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And then...
"Veins of gold" can also refer metaphorically to our blood veins/vessels. They then emphasize the preciousness, life-sustaining nature, and value of blood, comparable to gold (an existentially rare blood type is colloquially referred to as 'golden blood'). The expression 'gold veins' is rather poetic in nature, emphasizing the extraordinary significance of the human circulatory system and the fluid it transports.
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The source of the gold-bearing fluids is often originating deep within the Earth's crust or even from hydrothermal activity at the ocean floor.
The source of gold-bearing liquids is usually deep within the earth's crust or in deep waters near the seabed.
High ground refers to gold found in soil and sediments.
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GOLD VEINS... referring to the inner, often untapped creative potential.​​​​​
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Embrace discomfort: Growth happens at the edge of your comfort zone. Taking creative risks and accepting failure as a natural part of the process builds confidence and resilience. What's holding you back? How can you change this?
- Focus on inner chaos: Let this inner chaos out on paper, but then find the silence to reveal wisdom, love, and visions. Where do you avoid chaos, where do you overlook it? What do you like about it, what don't you like? Can you tolerate silence, or do you tend to run away from it? How could you balance both qualities?
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Seek stability: Practice techniques that promote inner stability so that you can remove the “downward elevator” from your mind and immerse yourself in direct experience to ground yourself in the present moment. Do you sometimes find yourself only in your head and forget that there is a connection to the ground? Or have you drifted so far away that you no longer perceive the light shaft? How can you maintain a constant interaction between the connection from below to above and from above to below? True to the motto “use it or lose it”... ​
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The divine “green power” of life, vitality, and creation, which enables new growth both in nature and in the human soul, represents life's insistence on unfolding, the inherent ability of things to heal and regenerate, and a divine power that fills all living beings with the energy to blossom into vibrant, beautiful growth, much like a flowering plant.
Viriditas embodies the vitality and vibrant renewal that can be observed in nature, especially the radiant freshness and energetic expression of beauty that are often fleeting, such as the bright green of spring or the glow of sunlight on leaves.
It should be remembered that even as the green hue fades with the arrival of fall and winter, that this life-giving elemental force does not dry up, but remains alive forever.
“Being in full bloom” is the outward expression of this inner and outer viriditas and shows life in its most vital, creative, and complete form.
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"Viriditas is the natural driving force toward healing and wholeness, the vital power that sustains all life's greenness."
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- Hildegard of Bingen -
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