Scripture ~ “The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:12
Spiritual Focus ~ “Understand the creation if you wish to know the Creator. For those who wish to know the great deep must first review the natural world.” St. Columbanus, sixth century Irish Catholic missionary and patron saint of motorcyclists
Breath Prayer ~ Inhale, love from the Creator, Exhale, love for creation
Devotion ~ A friend recently posted this story on social media: “I found a queen bumblebee laying in the hay and she didn’t look good. She climbed right up on my hand and must’ve felt comfortable because she started cleaning herself. She was hot, tired, and very hungry. I broke off a flower bud and she immediately started eating. We put her on one of our dianthus plants where she seemed quite happy.” The tender care this woman provided to an ailing queen bee is a beautiful metaphor of when the Creator and the created engage in a deep, loving relationship. This week we conclude our Sacred Soul Gardening series by looking at the role of bees, butterflies, and birds in our gardens.
Bees, butterflies, and birds are pollinators. They play a key role in the propagation of plants and contribute to sustaining our ecosystem. They are, quite literally, responsible for spreading the seed. In religious and spiritual traditions, bees, butterflies, and birds are often associated with paradise and new life. The scripture announces the arrival of flowers and birdsong as signs that the land has been transformed into paradise. God promises to deliver the Israelites to the land of milk and honey. Butterflies are often depicted as symbols of new life and transformation. And we have the story of the dove returning with an olive branch to Noah’s ark after the flood which has become a sign of hope and God’s promise of restoration.
Similarly, our soul gardens are not meant to be tended in isolation but rely on spiritual pollinators to disseminate the hope and promise of God’s presence to a greater ecosystem. How we come to know and experience the Creator is an ongoing invitation to a relationship with God in community and creation. Yogadevotion’s vision has always been and continues to be one that prepares the foundation through the practice of yoga to experience God’s presence in a variety of ways and to inspire our desire for a deeper understanding and relationship with God. A faith-integrated yoga practice brings a particular intention to a more profound experience of love that both sustains us and extends to the world around us.
