Solstice Musings

I’m not gonna lie. I’m feeling a bit dispirited this Holiday Season, but I know there’s always a silver lining. There seem to be a lot of Grinches out there stealing our right to be joyful, our “pursuit of Happiness”. So where do we go to get our Spirit back? Well, I’m starting by lighting up a joint of Royal Purple as a trigger for inspiration.

 

As the Bard said, we are beset by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and the only place we can turn to is our community and to our youth. We did have a wonderful and truly joyous weekend at the Emerald Cup. It was pure exaltation to be with tens of thousands of people from all walks of life united around our love of an herb that is a veritable gift of the Divine. Cannabis is the Divine Feminine, since it is the the female plant that bestows its healing blessings upon us, and She grows out of Mother Earth.

 

Here then is the source of a new message of Hope as we move into a new world of regulated and taxed cannabis. The Divine Feminine leads the way towards the regeneration of Mother Earth by means of living soil cannabis cultivation.

 

Throughout the world it is the women who will lead us out of this impasse; it is the women who can transcend a splintered society of tiny self-interest groups.

 

Now, I do say this as a male who is a worshiper of the Goddess. Be that as it may, recently I have been meeting so many women, young and old, who are brilliant, talented, committed, dedicated and always striving to learn and do more. With the many young men turning to regenerative agriculture and spiritual pursuits, and us geezers who are learning from them, there are truly grounds for action as well as hope.

 

The younger generation is taking on the task of cleaning up the debris and pollution created by previous generations in man’s quest for dominance over nature. More and more, women are stepping forward as equals and leaders in the work to save our planet. At the same time, nurturing and maternal qualities are coming to the fore in many young men I know. Sharing our natural resources while concurrently nurturing their regeneration is something we all can participate in. The old adage is more profound than ever: Think Globally, Act Locally.

 

Right now, the action at Standing Rock is a symbol and metaphor for the power of united action by even a small group for a higher cause. Yet we must be ever vigilant. Though profound, one victory does not win the campaign. So the long term action must again be local.

 

As I learn more about regenerative agriculture and the Living Soil movement my spirits are raised. These ideas and practices are so cutting edge that they trace their origin to the primeval forests.

 

Nature feeds itself. No one fertilizes or waters the trees in the woods. Every year they drop leaves, branches, pine needles. As the earth builds up, year after year, the debris decomposes thanks to the action of microbes and macrobes, such as bacteria, fungi, worms and other organisms. By “eating and digesting” what the tree has dropped, they turn it into healthy soil rich with the very nutrients the tree needs to thrive.

 

The Living Soil approach seeks to replicate the way nature works in the woods. At Ganja Ma Gardens we have transitioned to biological, wholistic methods from just growing “organic” in the past. This coming year we will grow more alfalfa, clover, comfrey, nettles, etc. to foster a richer living layer within each mounded bed we grow our girls in. Around the sides of the Hugel mounds we will plant various companion vegetables, herbs and flowers. These provide cover from the elements, pest protection, water retention, sustenance, and generate vibrant soil.

 

So here this post has gone from “an abstract feeling” to a “get your hands in the soil” moment.

 

That is the key to creating hope and joy: Reconnect with nature and do your part to make the world better, better, better.

 

There are rhythms to nature and to human events. Our world is, as must be obvious, a world of duality. Good and Evil turn round in an eternal dance, and we humans seem to be caught up in the turmoil of transition. It is through Spirit Consciousness that we are able to transcend the play of seeming opposites, so that good and evil become complements as Yin and Yang, as Shiva and Shakti. May the Blessing of the Divine Feminine/Divine Masculine descend upon you all.
Now I’m going out to build a new worm bin.

 

Much Love,

 

Swami