Recently I was lamenting that I had really wanted to plant a garden this year but time just got away from me. It didn't fully occur to me until yesterday that I have been tending to a garden... just not the one in my backyard. Yes, I am talking about the Garden of the Goddesses.
It's true ... as the "Garden Keeper" I have been gently loving this Garden into being, giving it all the nutrients I can, in hopes that it blossoms robustly and successfully. There are a lot of steps to making magic happen in the Garden, starting with finding the ideal location for the 2024 retreats and classes. In prior years, the events for the Garden took place at my own little property in the country (Kovar Sanctuary), but it's rented out long-term now so I had to think differently this year. It was no easy task to find a place that would meet our space needs and feel like home so that we could all be comfortable for our time together. It was also important to choose a space where our hours of relaxation felt like a little vacation. I was so blessed to find the most amazing locations for this year! I couldn't even begin to move ahead with dates for the events or even advertise until I had secured the perfect spaces. Then, of course, the planning and marketing, organizing and preparing, and all the other small but significant details that go into getting it done.
This is what the beginning of 2024 has been about for me...planting the seeds for an entire year's worth of events in only 90 days. But I did it ... and in my garden now there are plants that are already thriving bountifully. In other parts of my garden I see small plants pushing upwards, emerging from the fertile soil. I am eager to see how they will blossom. In other areas of the garden, the soil appears quiet and dormant but I know that a little deeper below the surface there is much that exists that is prepared to become. When I look at my garden this year I have both faith and satisfaction. I also see the commitment to a vision I created for myself a year ago right about now.
This time last year I set out with some lofty goals and promised myself that if I achieved them, I could get the tattoo I've been wanting. At the time, I knew that I was going to choose a sunflower design because I wanted to incorporate the birthmark on my arm into the living canvas.
It wasn't until yesterday that I realized I'd made an appointment for this permanent decision without even having looked into the symbolism and spiritual meaning of the sunflower… but certainly no surprise in learning it's in complete alignment with my life right now. The sunflower is a symbol of faith and devotion, resilience and steadfast commitment. It can be seen as a symbol of awakening and personal growth. A sunflower's bright petals and radiant energy are thought to bring positivity and joy into people's lives. Wow! Such a beautiful divine message of confirmation! And for as long as I am in this skin I will know that the tattoo gift I gave myself today represents this potent and passionate time in my life when I have been fully embracing a dream of connection and cultivation here in the Garden of the Goddesses.