Cultivate: to promote or improve the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention.
Cultivation: 1) a person or thing that cultivates. 2) an implement drawn between rows of growing plants to loosen the earth and destroy weeds.
Cultivation: 1) the act or art of cultivating. 2) the state of being cultivated. 3) culture; refinement.
This week’s post is coming a bit late. In working with spirit, whatever that spirit be named for each one of us, it can take a bit of time to listen. Collecting information from the ethers is like turning on the spirit computer in myself and hitting download.
This was not an easy blog to write. Within the culture I grew up I did not learn to cultivate anything. I personally had to take time to think about cultivating, what I cultivate, how do I cultivate and when do I cultivate? When I received the information that I would be writing about cultivating ( see photo of cultivator garden tool attached) I temporarily went into a place of resistance. I needed to spend some time contemplating what the word meant to me. I was generally feeling sadness inside. I had to face the fact that I am the cultivator of my life, my soil, my water and everything that exists. As I searched my inner data banks I could not recall learning much about cultivating. In the culture I live in I began to recall learning more about running from everything; cultivating was the exact opposite of how I had lived my life. When I first picked up a cultivator and used it, I could feel anger and hostility. It took me months to relate it to energy. Memories flooded me from my past that I have been out-running, pretending things never happened. I began to use cultivating to feel my resistance, notice stress and this brought me to deep breathing. Cultivating the garden became a time for me when I could focus and let go no matter what was going on around me.
Spending time, in a peaceful place, with love in your heart cultivating your crops in a physical way is also an act of creating it within. For myself this week has brought me to a place of unraveling deep energies within. I wanted to present you with the definitions of the words, the descriptions of the act of cultivating. Cultivating has become so much more as it reaches into my areas of consciousness that have not be activated.
I recently spent 2 months on a farm in which the main work was cultivating. I began to understand early on that if the soil is not cultivated regularly, it becomes solid, hard and the weeds can be a boxing match event to remove. On the other hand if the soil is constantly cultivated it is light, fluffy, easily absorbs water, increases oxygen to the root systems of your plants which are the respiratory system of every plant and the weeds, the little invaders, are brought into a sort of compliance that even a 2 year old could handle.
The physical act of cultivating is a peaceful experience, once you get the hang of it. I came to the realization that cultivating the earth was teaching me something about my life that had been dormant. The statement “quantity versus quality” would roll through my mind early in the relaxing phase of cultivating. Cultivating your garden and/or anything else forces you into the present moment. If you are not present moment, your attention is not fully on what you are doing. Cultivators have sharp edges can cut through the stem of the plant damaging and killing them for the future harvest if we are not present giving our full attention. Cultivating is a zen process, it reminds me of raking gravel into meditative designs.
I am spending time farming. I am moving towards becoming a full time farmer. My favorite tool in the shed is a cultivator. It was not that way in the beginning. I Actually hated to cultivate in the fields… it felt like it was never-ending, boring and too time consuming. Now i see it in a much bigger picture. Now when I cultivate it is meditation, I become present, giving my attention to the moment, in the now. For those of you more science based it is also a great workout, builds incredible hand and eye coordination. Highly recommend cultivating for people who have had head injuries, strokes to build new nerve passages.
The cultivator tool you can buy at any garden shop. I prefer the long-handled with the triangle edged style. When buying garden tools, be present, hold them, move them around, notice how you feel about the tools ,buy and use tools you love, you like, that feel good to you. Remember you will be using them on the earth and possible near your food source, never act aggressively towards our mother who cultivates all the plants, trees, air, water, soil, animals and us.
In conclusion I am continuing to learn that I have to focus my attention on that which I want and then I have to cultivate it. The cultivation must be done with peace, tenderness, like an act of love to a beloved. When you grow food for yourself and do it as an act of love, attention, intent you create an experience of edible bliss.
Cultivating any aspect of life is the magic, a life transforming tool, it can only truly be understood by doing it and cultivating the art and practice of it and what it means.
For those of you in Reno if you would like to hands on lesson in cultivating call COE and we can do a class (donation, and you must bring your own tool).
We need not be afraid anymore. You can cultivate anything you wish. Only you are the Cultivator of your creation.
Grow Food, Be Free & Live for a Living!
COE
http://consciousnessofeconomics.blog.com/2011/07/29/the-cultivation-of-earth-as-self/
