THE INNER GARDEN
"As a woman, I see myself as a garden, and I see myself as the gardener of myself.
I see myself forming and pruning and watering and nourishing all the flowers and trees and vines and leaves in me."
- C. JoyBell C. -
SPENDING SACRED ME-TIME
WRITING PROMPTS​
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A MIND SET FREE
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In a spiritual sense this means a transformation from a limited, material focus mind to one centered on the divine, fostering inner peace and liberation from earthly desires and negative thought patterns. It involves cultivating a mindset that aligns with one's spiritual values and aspirations, allowing for emotional flexibility, a deeper connection to God or a higher power, and a life guided by grace rather than external striving.
In connection to the heart as the soil of our life it refers to a concept found in Christian teachings, particularly in the Parable of the Sower, where the heart is seen as the fertile "soil" in which the "seed" of God's Word can take root, grow, and bear fruit.
God or Divine or Universe... please feel into your truth for SOURCE.
For the mind to be set free, and the heart to function as "good soil" (like representing faith, understanding, a deep connection to spiritual truth), one is asked to actively cultivate their heart through for example prayer, scripture study or other spiritual wisdom study, and nurturing spiritual growth, preventing worldly distractions and doubts from hindering spiritual productivity.
Creativity is a mind set free... "All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness", so Eckhart Tolle.
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Have you ever heard about a so called '5 Year Journal/ Diary"? It is easy to make, actually. Take a blank book and begin by dividing each of the pages in 5 sections. Begin with the first page and the first section, note the date and write something in it. In our case this journal could be called "5 Year Journal for The Heart, my Garden". Focus each day (in the first section on each page) on something nurturing, flourishing, your mood, or anything related to the theme of this Course. After one year start at the first page in the second section and continue your journey of your garden... the interior and the land beyond. Of course it can be just one year or 2 or 3 or... And you can also be creative and draw in it etc. I think it might be nice later in life to read it and in retrospect see how wonderfully growth has happened.
SPENDING TIME IN THE STUDIO
MINDFUL EXERCISE
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BELONGING...​
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A space of the unknown... a territory of unexpectedness, of uncertainty, of spontaneity and raw emotions.
Our Inner Wilderness refers to the deep, unknown, and uncultivated territories within one's own mind, heart, and spirit.
It is a metaphorical space that invites self-exploration, a process of self-discovery - where one can tap into their authentic core, intuition, creativity, and a profound connection with the universe.
Practicing deep listening, nature immersion, creative expression, and mindfulness to uncover the essential self beyond.
The Inner Wilderness offers an invitation to resist soul-shrinking roles and reclaim the wild, complex, and richer aspects of the inner self. ​
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Collect natural items like leaves, pine cones, pebbles, and twigs from a walk in nature, being mindful to respect the environment.
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You can bring it into your home and decorate your surroundings with the natural things, you could also leave them in their original wilderness... by creating fleeting land-art: Use these natural items to create for example a mandala from it (directly in the garden, the forest, wherever you've found it). Come back a week later and see if it's still there. Sometimes it is gone (like in the true meaning of a mandala, just there for the present moment), sometimes something other wonderful might happen: another person walked by, picked up the idea and added something to your land-art and co-created it, helped it to keep going and growing, for however long. While doing this, feel your connectedness to the outer and inner wilderness, seek for where you belong. There's no right or wrong belonging, it can change all the time and place. How alive do you feel with your 'wild emotions'?
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Create a color wheel of your emotions. Draw a circle and divide it in equally sized sections (as many as you like, perhaps 6 to 12). In each section write an emotion at the outer edge of the circle and then begin to color each section - what color for what emotion comes up? All is good. You can also draw in the sections, perhaps shapes and lines in various colors that represent the emotions for you. If you want you can create a real wheel with an inner circle of the colors and shapes and such and an outer circle with the names for the emotions - then you can turn the wheel and decide how any emotion feels and looks in the present moment... it can change all the time. I am not in the mood for every color every day and also my emotions do not align with the same color/shape/etc. all the time. Notice how you feel by going through the emotion, what it does to your body and how you feel by 'doing color therapy'... so many creative explorations are possible.​​
FIND YOUR SUNSHINE​​... WATER YOUR SEEDS​
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To cultivate an "inner water garden," you must tend to your well-being through mindful self-care and inner work, focusing on nurturing positive thoughts, emotions, and physical health, much like tending a literal garden. This involves setting aside time for yourself, journaling, practicing meditation, eating well, engaging in self-care activities like walking in nature, and surrounding yourself with supportive people. By "weeding out" negative thoughts, "planting" positive intentions, and "watering" your seedlings with self-care and good nourishment, you can foster a resilient inner state of peace and growth.
Sunlight affects us and exposing ourselves to it (in small doses) influences our mood and so much more. Without neglecting what is we can cultivate an attitude of sunshine within us... our inner garden needs inner water and inner sunshine and... When real sunlight can lighten our mood we could think of thoughts that lighten our mood - helping the mind-heart-connection to have a well-balanced communication and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
"The air, the air is everywhere
Breathe deep while you sleep, breathe deep."
- Gerome Ragni and James Rado / 'Air' from the Musical Hair -
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Document your personal 'seeds' and how you nurture them with 'sunshine' (positive energy, self-care).
Outline the idea of a seed and then use writing or drawing to express different aspects of your life or feelings you want to grow. A collage work is also possible and efficient.
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Let the seed grow... over time... whenever you fee like having the need to: for example give the seed (and all the following ones) a name and tend it... Over time the seeds will have developed into a blooming garden - you can do this in a journal and like the morning pages give attention to the seed(s).
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