Scripture ~ “I will pour my Spirit into your descendants and my blessing on your children. They shall sprout like grass on the prairie, like willows alongside creeks.” Isaiah 44:4 The Message
Spiritual Focus ~ “In some Native languages the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’” Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, mother, scientist, professor, member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants
Breath Prayer ~ Inhale, rooted, Exhale, I rise
Devotion ~ There are many factors that influence the choices we make when planting a garden: color preferences, plant height and depth, when a flower blooms, sunlight, and whether a plant attracts bees or butterflies. We also tend to plant or care for plants that remind us of our ancestors. My grandma loved geraniums and my grandpa was fond of marigolds. Great Grandma had a knack for growing violets that continued to bloom many years after her passing. Most likely we all know someone who loved to share the beauty and bounty of their garden. The legacy of what our ancestors planted and cared for says something about who they were and how they cared for us and others.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer describes how her ancestors survived being uprooted from their ancestral home near Lake Michigan, forced to move to Kansas and eventually landed in Oklahoma. Drawing on her background in environmental science, Native American wisdom, and the teachings of plants, she weaves the story of how her ancestors preserved their identity and survived the trauma of forced migration with their symbiotic relationship to sweetgrass. Transplanting sweetgrass, pulled up by the roots from the mud and replanted, was a sacred act of remembrance that kept them connected with their land of origin and honored their ancestors and history. In some Native American teachings, the people believed that the Creator told them to braid their intentions into a swag of sweetgrass and burn the swag to release their intentions into the wind. Kimmerer’s story of resilience, as seen in both people and plants, is beautifully laid out along the life cycle of planting, tending, picking, braiding, and burning sweetgrass.
Soul gardening, like spring gardening, shares a spiritual connection to our ancestors. When we soul garden we remember the blessings of those who have gone before us and honor their legacy of love and care. As our scripture says, God’s Spirit is poured out as an infinite blessing flowing from generation to generation.
