Two summers ago, the casual caretaker of the empty house next door had a problem with his lawnmower, so he came to the conclusion that the only way to address the overgrown vegetation in his lawn so as to not get fined by the city was to spray the entire yard with poison, I mean weed killer. It was quite an impression to see the yard die within a few days. Not much grew for the remainder of the season. On the following growing season, I noticed that his yard became carpeted with white clover, which interestingly enough was a plant that did not grow much around the neighborhood. Having heard many years ago the story of a man who recognized the value of a plant to treat burns by realizing that this plant was one of the first ones to grow upon land cleared by fire, I immediately understood that white clover must indeed provide the nutrients needed for purification.
This spring, things look quite different in his yard. Dandelions, red clover, and some grasses have taken over much of the area previously occupied by white clover, with dandelions being the main plant. You can see below two pictures of his yard - full of dandelion flowers or puffy seed heads.
This dandelion growth is actually quite localized to his yard. In our yard, which I do not disturb except for the occasional mowing, dandelions are not overbearing, neither have they increased in numbers even though I let many go to seed. Actually it would seem less are seen than before. Same with red clover. White clover is basically not available in our yard.
In my observations, this would indicate that plant growth is actually very localized based on the specific needs of the soil. In my neighbor's yard there was a significant need to cleanse poisons from the soil, thus clover and dandelions became abundant. In our yard, since we do not use any type of fertilizer or pesticide, cleansing is not a priority, therefore, plant varieties and quantities are different.
It is sort of strange to come to the understanding that people who spend hours and hours poisoning their yards to get rid of dandelions and clovers are actually creating the very conditions that brings them in greater number... Makes you sort of wonder how many self defeating actions we do everyday...
When someone accidentally ingests poison, an antidote is certainly welcomed and urgently given. It would indeed be uncommon to actually have someone prevent that person from receiving the antidote or actually figure out a way to give more poison to the person to counteract whatever antidote was taken. Yet when it comes to Mother Earth, people not only interfere with her needs to cleanse herself from the poisons that are dumped upon her, but also set themselves to eradicate the very plants that are needed for the cleansing of the soil - willingly and willfully eliminating the plants or adding more poisoning to the land. Below are two pictures of my neighbor's yard after he mowed. Can you see the desolation and famine that such measures bring?
A patch of Abundance could have made all the difference. A patch of hope where Abundance can still manifest upon the land. Can such a small deed indeed make such a difference? Look within. You liver does not occupy your entire body, yet it indeed does its part in maintaining your health. Perhaps, a patch of Abundance carries more value than meets the eye...
What would happen if you would see your garden as a representation of Earth or perhaps yourself. What would you plant at the Heart of your garden? What would you plant at the Soul of your garden? What would you plant at the Head of your garden? What about the cleansing areas or the lung areas of your garden? How would this perception change your gardening practices? Would you still use poisons to tend it? Perhaps such a perception would give gardening a new dimension of meaning and satisfaction. As you tend the Heart of your garden, you may tend your own Heart. As you tend the Soul of your garden, you may tend your own Soul. Is there some disease or pest in the Head of your garden? Then perhaps it is an indication of your need to restore balance to your head.
Life is indeed a most wonderful experience when you have the eyes to see the Mystical and Magical Life of Father Way.
05/07/10 Update: as his yard recovered from the mowing showed in the pictures above, white clover became again a dominant plant.