Gardening in the Dark

Blessed Fall Equinox!

I have a new passion:  Gardening at night.

My batch of baby mustard greens, collards, chard, and cabbage starts that needed nestled into the earth before the forecasted rain. It was too hot during the day, so after class Tuesday night I put on my my camping headlamp, slipped on my gardening clogs, and planted under the stars.

Under the still covering of darkness, the world is wonderfully alien and new. The eyes of teeny tiny spiders glow in bright pairs, reflecting blue-green as I pass the beam of my flashlight over the ground. I can only focus on one thing at a time, peering through a window of illumination from the light on my forehead.

I laid out all the plants on their new beds where I thought they should live, and then dug them into the freshly turned soil, rich with compost and blood meal and cottonseed meal.

There is very, very little soil where we live, since we are up on the top of a ridge that was once under a vast sea. So two years ago we trucked soil in, and an apprentice build me beautiful stone beds. Now under the beam of my light they make a soft, smooth contrast to the dark soil.

Once the plants were tucked in I watered them deeply and sent them love for their first night of freedom. Raven slept, an owl called in the distance. Peace.

At four a.m. I woke up to the joyful sound of rain and snuck downstairs, past the sleeping dog. I put on my raincoat so I could go out and giggle with the plants and relish the rain washing everything clean, bringing life. Roots spreading down, leaves drinking in each drop.

Here are before and after pictures.... I had let the garden go completely this summer, since it was sooo hot and dry. It was surprising to see what survived: one eggplant, a few zinnias, the thai basil. When I was turning the soil I was gifted with quite a few potatoes that popped out of the depths. I made corn and potato chowder with them; so sweet! I look forward to many fresh greens in the not too distant future.

The Little Red Heart Car

About seven months ago Joe Vitale asked me in an email, "Are you ready to use your mind to attract any car you want?"

I clicked on the link http://www.attractanewcar.com/ and scrolled through the pages and pages of writings and testimonials. It felt a bit hyped up, but I recognized the solid principles behind Joe's words.

And the truth was, I really did need a car. Raven and I had been sharing our green 2000 Honda CRV for years, and it was time for us to have our own individual wheels.

As read the last I-attracted-the-car-of-my-dreams-in-one-day testimonial, I thought, "Well, I'm good at manifesting. I'll just intend to call in a new car." Manifestation is all about getting clear with the feeling state you want, so I kept building in detail about what it would feel like to have my new car. My anchor was of a driving a convertible with the wind streaming through my hair and a smile on my face. My neighbor, BillieLee, has a little rabbit convertible that I have coveted ever since I first rode in it, and I used it as my inspiration.

Another part of my intent was that it had to be no money down and very low payments. "Definitely not too likely, but why not?" I thought.

Then I let it go.

A week later my mom called and said, "I've decided I am going to give you my car." Boom. Not a convertible, but suddenly I was gifted a beautiful, reliable, silver "adult" car. Ah, with a sun roof. Perfect.

I still held my vision of a convertible, without attachment, which is one of the main secrets of the law of attraction.

About three months ago my neighbor, Zaneta, asked me, "Do you know anyone who could use a car? I really want to get that out of here." She pointed out the window to a neglected, dusty car in her yard, overgrown with weeds.

Since my mom's car was overheating and acting up a bit, and I figured I could always pass Zaneta's car on to someone else in need, I said "Yes, I would be happy to take it."

At that time I didn't realize that, you guessed it, the car was a convertible. A red convertible. She was a twenty-two year old mare who had been "ridden hard and put up wet," as they say, but she sported a white rag top.

Brian, our neighborhood's car guru, worked on her and managed to get her running after lots of lubricants and replacing the alternator. Trisha picked up the car and drove it up to my house, so when I got home from Mexico my new car was parked in front.

After unpacking and settling into my house a bit I was ready to take the red mare for a ride.

First things first; top down. After a bit of creaking, manouvering, and pushing the top nestled flat against the trunk. Good.

Key in ignition. Clutch in. Turn key counterclockwise. But I was not rewarded with any engine revving sound, only silence. Not even a click or a hum.

Dang. I took a breath, tried again. Then closed my eyes and felt into "What is wrong?"

Dead battery was the answer that arose in my brain. I looked and noticed that the lights had been left on.

Okay, that I can fix! After a few phone calls I located some jumper cables, and neighbor Laura walked them over. After searching a bit for the Lincoln's battery (it is actually in the trunk!) and calling a friend to verify which cable to put on first, I had everything hooked up.

Except I couldn't find the keys. Twenty minutes and much searching later, I retracked my steps to our RV, where I had gone initially to look for jumper cables.

Key in ignition. Clutch in. Turn key counterclockwise. And still the little red car wouldn't start.

I took a deep breath, and decided to leave everything running for a bit.

And then I did the most logical next step: I went inside and washed dishes.

For me, washing dishes is one of the ultimate mind-cleaning activities. Sudsy water and intent bubble into the crevices of the mind and dissolve crust and goo. And the dishes get clean, too! What a deal.

As I soaped and rinsed plates, I asked "What is going on here?" and shut down my internal dialogue so I could listen into the silence for an answer.

The reply: There was heavy energy around the car because Zaneta had bought it from her ex-husband. Their relationship was as tumultuously messy as a muddy, debris-filled river that overflows its banks and deposits dirt and sticks on all the nearby first-story floors.

"Ah, I can work with that," I said outloud.

So I waited. I prayed. I did ho'oponopono (a Hawaiian clearing system) http://www.zerolimits.com. And when I felt clear I rinsed the last dish, dried my hands, and went and started the car.

As I drove the little red car up and down our areas' curvaceous hills, I made a vow to help Zaneta clear her relationship "karma" whenever I drove her car. And to help all women to not compromise their strength and vision by getting into relationships that do not support their beauty and power.

Zaneta gave me the little red car because she was cleaning out her past. She died last month after a long fight against the cancer that had spread throughout her body. She never had the opportunity to clear out her stuck places and attract a mate that matched her fierce love of spirit and her bright shine.

But I have. So my final gift to Zaneta is to drive her little red car with love and use my intent, love, and prayers to clean out any unprocessed, heavy energy Zaneta, and all women, are carrying around relationships.

I know she would have done the same for me.

So this little red car is not only a manifestation of an intent I set last year. It is now a power object, a heart car, an anchor for equal, supportive, magical relationships. I love multi-tasking.

Blessings and love to Zaneta B. Matkowska. Sister, may you travel lightly. Thank you for your gifts.