Gifts Are Multiplied In Relationship
April days are longer, the sun is warmer, and for those of us who garden, our hearts turn to the feel of soil in our hands and preparing our beds for planting.
We celebrate Earth Day April 22nd this year, and I have the pleasure of attending Me As Tree, We As Forest, an eco-arts healing retreat that weekend.
Our theme in Sunday classes this month is Walking Softly On The Earth and With Each Other. We begin with a classic from Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass.
We begin with the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash.
“There are layers upon layers of reciprocity in a Three Sisters garden. The beauty of the partnership is that each plant does what it does to increase its own growth.
When the individuals flourish, so does the whole. The most important thing each of us can know is our own unique gift and how to use it in the world.
Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction so they can be shared with others.” Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
What can we learn from the Three Sisters?
What is my unique gift to share? What holds me back? How can I step forward in strength and confidence? How can I support the gifts of others in reciprocal relationship?
“Modern agriculture shows a story about people who value uniformity and the efficiency it yields, a story in which the land is shaped for the convenience of machines and the demands of a market. The long ranks of corn in the conventional fields seem like a different being altogether.
Indigenous agriculture modifies the plants to fit the land and have many varieties of domesticated corn, adapted to grow in many different places.
The relationships disappear and individuals are lost in anonymity.
After the companionship of a Three Sisters garden, I wonder if they’re lonely.”
How have I been conditioned and molded into uniformity for efficiency?
What are some ways to honor my unique individuality and be in relationship with others without needing them to conform to what I need? Or without pressure from them for me to conform?
“The Three Sisters have all brought their gifts to this table, but they’ve not done it alone. The planter is also an essential partner. She turns the soil, scares away the crows, pushes seeds into the soil. We are midwives to their gifts. Corn, beans and squash are fully domesticated; they rely on us to create the conditions under which they can grow. We too are part of the reciprocity.
The gifts of each are more fully expressed when they are nurtured together than alone.”
What are some steps I can take to nurture my gifts and of those around me? What could I stop, like shaming? How can I nurture and support abundant growth?
Growth and healing happen in relationship. Join us to explore together in our Sunday free community class at 10AM Eastern.
