The metaphor of gardening has often been used to describe the spiritual experience of women. Unlike a masculine model of spirituality, where the experience is often a linear journey striving to pierce levels of spiritual attainment and moving towards an ultimate end, women’s spiritual experience is often described as circular and organic. The female experience of the spiritual life is a garden, growing, flourishing, bearing fruit, dying back and needing to be planted again and again.
I remember so many times beating myself up for not achieving self-imposed benchmarks of my personal growth. I should have been more joyful, more generous, more compassionate, less irritable, less selfish, less anxious, et cetera, et cetera. That’s the linear approach. That’s the journey model.
Using the gardening model, now I see spiritual experience in seasons of time where there is growth, followed by barrenness. I till my spiritual garden, water it, weed it. It bears fruit. Often the cold winds of life sweep through and I dry up. But I don’t worry about it. Spring always comes.
And the fruit will be as sweet and full of juice as ever.
Text and image: Lori G. © 2007
11 Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Lori, I really like this model. It does hold true, and I am going to try to remember to apply it to my own life. It would certainly cut down on the frustration sometimes. But rather than periods of barreness, perhaps they are periods of fallowness, with the garden resting so it can bear fruit with vigor once more.
Comment by shewolfy728 October 7, 2007 @ 4:08 amI echo your thoughts Lori, spiritual growth is ever circular and always regenerating. Thank you for putting this into words so beautifully. Spring always comes is wonderful to remember as we go through our cycles of growth.
Comment by peacebird October 7, 2007 @ 11:45 amYes, it seems this is true. No matter what, the cycles come around again. Perfect nature.
Comment by imogen88 October 7, 2007 @ 1:43 pmBeautifully put, Lori. I believe, that everything in nature is circular, therefore, everything in our lives as human beings is circular because we are a small part of Nature’s whole. When we are down, if we can understand and know that the circle will come around and bringing with it the good, then the bad times are easier to bear. l
Comment by Vi October 7, 2007 @ 3:22 pmYes, very beautifully said, Lori. Keep on planting those seeds, even if we don’t see them sprout, we have to believe that some day, for some one, they will.
Comment by marimann October 7, 2007 @ 6:21 pmGosh Lori your words ring so true. And you have expressed them so succinctly and beautifully. I shall be returning to them time after time.
Comment by soulsister October 7, 2007 @ 7:57 pmI prefer the analogy that women tread the circuitous paths of a garden in all seasons as opposed to a masculine straight line through what?
Comment by traveller2006 October 7, 2007 @ 9:24 pmIf you ask a man to get from one side of a circle to another he will take the shortest route. Ask a woman to do the same and she will most definitely take the picturesque route, touching many points of the circle before reaching her destination - so much more fulfilling.
I can never go to a place by the most direct route, mine will always be circular. Even if takes a little longer it will be, to me anyway, much more interesting
Years ago when I was going through a lot with my kid I used to work my herb garden everyday.
It helped you know.
amm
Comment by Anita Marie October 10, 2007 @ 4:30 amThe garden model certainly works for me Lori. Your gardening is going to bear a rich harvest.
Comment by Heather Blakey October 14, 2007 @ 7:44 amThis is a lovely post! I used to see my path as linear also, and now I visualize it as a rose unfolding — always connected to my center, but always expanding and revealing that which was within all the time, but unrecognized. Your blog is beautiful and I will come visit it often!
Comment by carolynlboyd October 27, 2007 @ 8:25 pmThank you, Carolyn. A rose is a lovely metaphor for spiritual growth. I’m glad you were able to stop by. Lori
Comment by lorigloyd October 27, 2007 @ 8:35 pm