Living on our Pagan homestead, one of the things I've come to appreciate more than ever before is the changing of the seasons, and witnessing it on such an intimate level. I've only been able to discover this deeper exposure to it since our "Exodus". Well, it's no secret that the seasons are changing now that we're half way through August. The days are getting shorter, but what I notice more is that the morning shadows cover my gardens later each week. Also, some plants are beginning to die back, after having served their purpose and finally giving into the brutal drought we're experiencing.
In June, I would have to water my zucchini bed at 6a if I wanted to stay cool and out of the sun, now I can stand there at 7:30a without worry. I don't have an aversion to the sun, I just like to stay cool while working outside as long as can because I know at some point the sun is going to be beating down on me from above. With the way the weather has been around here, I'd much be standing in the pouring rain.
Other, smaller things are happening as well. Things that are just as magickal to me as watching seeds become plants in the early spring. Herbs, which were already harvested are now flowering and going to seed. It's fun to watch the bees climbing all over the flower stems of our mint and basil patches like kids at a play ground. Nature has always fascinated me in how everything has a purpose and is part of the larger picture. Taking a few moments out my workday in the garden to watch part of helps me feel even more a part of the system which so many people treat like a nuisance or something from which they're separate.
It's at those moments when I can feel the pulse of my gardens as nature breathes in and out. I try to match this perceived rhythm, just for a minute, to ground myself for the day. I think too many of us have let this kind of connection disappear from our lives, believing it either too trivial or impractical for which to make the time. It's a shame because I think we, as Pagans, have a duty of stewardship for our world. I know not everyone really feels that way, even if they pay it lip service, but more of us should. We borrow this world from our grand children, and never own the land. If we can at least promote and foster than mindset in the Pagan community, I think that more truly trivial things would fall away and allow us to progress to our individual as well as community goals.
How did you show appreciation for everything around you today?