Years ago victory gardens were planted out of necessity because of the scarcity of food during World War II. People planted and cared for a variety of vegetables as a fun family activity, to save money, to feel patriotic to the war effort, and of course as a source of sustenance. Today it is still fun, but knowing the local supermarket is down the street, most people aren’t motivated to give the time and attention a garden requires. However, there are many who experience tremendous satisfaction from growing, harvesting, sharing and consuming their own food.

The garden provides not only sustenance for our body, but if we were to use it as a vehicle for personal and spiritual insights, we would discover enormous lessons. Let’s explore a few:

1. Initially, a commitment must be made on some level that the one tending this project is dedicated to its creation, success and degree of yield. Once that silent pledge has been established, the fertile soil needs to be implemented, with the proper nutrients to grow strong and healthy plant life.When we are willing to make a commitment to ourselves that our minds require positive input for positive output, we will then become aware and prepare our “soil” with thoughts that are kind, supportive and gentle to our process. We can’t commit to another until we are ready to commit to yourself—loving all of the parts that are resisted.
2. As healthy seeds are selected and planted, make certain they are placed into the soil with thoughts of patience, sensitivity, love and with the humbling appreciation of what they will bring for your pleasure. Remember when you plant a radish seed a radish will be produced.Thoughts are seeds. What is the quality of the thoughts you plant into your mind? Are they compassionate and understanding to the challenges you may be having in your life? Or are they belittling, deflating and demeaning to your self-esteem? You will manifest the like to you through men/women you draw into your reality. Just as seeds are selected for their variety, you can choose the seeds you plant in your consciousness. Know that what you plant, you will manifest. When you know you deserve to be in a healthy and fulfilling relationship, you will create that. You are the master of the moments in your life.
3. Every garden, whether it be flower, herb or vegetable requires weeding to prevent the unwanted intruders from robbing the desired plants of their rich soil. The weeds can maneuver their way into a crop of carrots and cause havoc with the growth process. Once pulled out, the weed can resurface in a short period of time, unless, you dig deeply enough to discover the root.Our beliefs can cause havoc in our lives when they are perpetuated and allowed to run rampant in our minds. Negative and sabotaging beliefs can rob us of our peace of mind, happiness, health and dreams. Discover those pests and eradicate them from their root and start living in the fullness of your truth. There is tremendous potential for your life to unfold if you will only allow it.
4. Fertilize, feed, prune, water and protect your garden with high intention to achieve desired results. Intentionality comes from the unseen world that promotes your endeavors in ways you cannot possibly fathom.Create the intention to be open to life and all the adventure it offers you at every moment. You can choose resentment or understanding when your kids inform you they aren’t able to make it to the family reunion. Your choice brings you suffering or serenity. You will never know the great numbers of people that will be influenced by your positive attitude. When you set an intention for peace of mind, you are trusting life to evolve in the highest regard. There is an interconnectedness of the universe. It’s a magical space and you’re part of it. You’ve got to do the work, and once you tap into this wisdom just watch the beings you’ll magnetize into your reality.
5. Rough and dry skin can result from gardening, even when precautions are taken. Splinters have been known to work their way into the skin and get so deeply imbedded that they get ignored, until a particular touch in a certain way brings the realization that something is there that doesn’t belong. Skin can often grow over what the eye can’t see, but the body can feel, and it becomes a challenge to probe deeply enough until the minute fragments are revealed. Be aware and alert.Deep seeded destructive beliefs can become so much a part of life that they almost go unnoticed until something triggers you and you inappropriately explode. It’s not because of what just happened, it’s because of a much earlier experience that caused pain that you’ve resisted feeling. You also know they’re present when your goals are thwarted and patterns continue to play themselves out. Be aware. Be willing to explore and discover how you got to be who you are. The best place to start is with your parents and your childhood. Negative patterns have a way of thwarting your dreams, unless you discover and eliminate them. The girl of your dreams is out there, but until you remove the barriers to inviting her into your space, you may never know her.
6. After all the work of high intention and positive thought forms, you’re in total awe of the harvest. One single kernel of corn has manifested in a stock that has produced three and four ears of corn. One bean seed has multiplied into ten or twenty pods. The universe is indeed abundant.The millions that go hungry every day would have a different reality, if we all made it our intention to see our fellow human beings as our brothers and sisters. This starts with education, awareness and participation. As you shift your thinking to others rather than being self-absorbed in your own drama, you can be the change you want to see in the world. It starts with a desire and it starts with you. An abundant lifestyle can look like an inspiring and long-term relationship. They do exist and if it’s what you want, so be it. Co-create it and you’ll receive much more than you could ever imagine. On the flipside, you can also have an abundant lifestyle out of relationship.
7. Pure enjoyment, gratitude and a huge sense of fulfillment thrives throughout your being as you sit down to a meal of vegetables that have been grown and cared for through your body, mind and spirit. Your hands worked the soil, the thoughts of your mind influenced the quality of energy in each seed and your spirit—your passion, love and appreciation contributed to the end consequence. You experience partnership with life and you are humbled.Dr. Masaru Emoto, author and researcher (www.masaru-emoto.net),has discovered that molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words, and feelings. His research has been through the photography of frozen water from different sources, forming either beautiful crystals and distorted images.We and Mother Earth are both composed of 70% water. If it is true that your thoughts are affecting the water in your body, what would the images reveal? You can change your thoughts to create pure joy and contentment in your life.

Planting a victory garden may not be your preferred activity, but planting the seeds of self-empowerment, intention, unconditional love and happiness should be on the top of your priority list. Not only will you benefit in every area of your life, but your thought seeds will affect the entire garden of humanity. Now isn’t that a legacy worth leaving to your children and grandchildren?

One of our greatest philosophers said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The impact from the teachings of Socrates continues to be felt today as discussion groups gather to interact through the exploration of a thought-provoking question. The Socrates Café, as it is known, founded by Christopher Phillips in 1996, meets monthly throughout the nation as well as other countries. It is comprised of small groups that have a quest for looking deeper into the meaning of life. Ideas are explored and developed through a question voted on by the group. There is no consensus required, nor judgment of thought. It is merely an opportunity to gather and exchange ideas.

Why has this 5th century thinker been such a strong force today in our lives? People have a yearning to know the truth about their existence. Our questions range from, “Where did I come from?” “What am I doing here?” “Why do we die?” and “Where am I going?” Some people are acutely conscious of the search and pursue it with passion; others seek it passively, and still others are oblivious or disinterested. They have not yet awakened to the quest. One thing we do know is that their time will come. It’s not a matter of if, but when. It is the nature of the soul, our essence, the being, to know itself.

Posing a question to ourselves allows us to introspect, discover, evaluate and ponder. In other words, it’s an opportunity to get to know yourself by examining everything under the sun and beyond. It is most important to answer the questions we’ve been living with before we get to the universal questions of life, death and the other great “whys” we eventually ask. Questions like, “why do I feel so incomplete being alone? Something like an unfinished symphony. I actually need to be in relationship, but why?” Allow yourself to open the Pandora’s box of your mind and use the pick ax of your intention to chip away to the answers. Being aware that you may have a lack of self-love and self-worth closes the chasm of confusion and self-pity. Never wanting to admit that you’re yearning for another to fulfill your emptiness is big. These are the challenging questions that will ultimately bring you to a place of contentment and bliss. Questions are revealing and that’s the whole idea.

We can benefit tremendously when we recognize we are either being frightened to explore another point of view while exploring the question. We become rigid and unwilling to entertain another perspective. Especially when we have an investment at stake. We’ll do anything to maintain our righteous position. The deeper the fear the deeper in strength in grows. “I’m right, which means you must be wrong.” There’s nothing to discuss, let alone explore. Know anybody with these qualities?

Being contemplative about a question allows us to stop our incessant “doingness” and be still long enough to reflect—a worthwhile departure from our active lives. When we look more intently into questions like the following, we exercise and stimulate our brains, as well as discover how our thinking actually works. Often we discover the questions can’t be answered without inserting our own beliefs into the mix.

“What is evil?”
“When, if ever, is war justified?”
“What is normal?”

Unearthing and exposing our thoughts can be perceived as favorable, threatening or even a confusing experience. We may feel a sense of intimidation as we examine our thoughts. However, the bottom line is, we are better off to have challenged ourselves than to believe our thinking is always right. Did you know that what you think defines your beliefs and those beliefs can create happiness or misery, success or failure, confidence or low self-esteem? It’s true. Even more difficult to accept is that our thoughts have an impact on the world around us, but they do.

Self-examination is crucial to personal growth. Once you begin the process, you will never stop, as one change in thinking triggers another. Here are five steps to start the process of thought expansion in your life. Practice with it and discover that you can fall back on this method each time you come up against a challenging situation that you would rather change than live with.

1. Your best thinking occurs where you can find a sense of peace, and that spot is different for everyone. Find a location, inside or out, that gives you the freedom to think. While we nearly always think random and scattered thoughts, regardless of where we are, we can do our best introspecting in a space that brings a sense of calm. So, find your spot.
2. Do you have something aggravating you? How about a worry or fear? Choose that as your first thought to examine. Get rid of the most prominent and aggravating thoughts first to clear the slate for bigger issues.
3. Let that thought bob right to the top of your thinking. Take that thought and run with it. It will most likely bounce from one aspect of the problem to the next attempting to escape your focus, but that’s okay. It’s a little like trying to find the starting point on a gnarly old ball of yarn. Let it run wild until you begin to see a theme.
4. Once you see that the thought tends to take you down a particular road, whether it is about how right you are, anger or fear, justification or you name it, ask yourself if that thought is serving you in any way. This sounds difficult, but the fact is, unless your thoughts support you and those around you, they are useless and will hold you back on your path to self-awareness. So, look at the thought and the feelings it arouses, and really ask yourself, “Do I want this thought? In what way does it serve me? Why am I hanging onto it?” You may discover you’ve held that thought because it might mean admitting to a mistake, saying you are sorry, or standing up for yourself is too great of a challenge. Whatever it is, once you discover it, you can change it.
5. You are a self-correcting organism. No one can make change for you but you. You can read a million books, travel to dozens of therapists, but it will always come back to you. Now that you’ve figured out what thoughts are holding you back, pick a new one. Yes, it’s as simple as that; pick a new thought. This time, choose a thought that supports you and your best friend, you and your spouse, even you and the banker whose bad hair day has left you anxious.

We can educate ourselves about ourself simply by asking a question. When we become aware of ourselves, we trigger our deepest potential for happiness, abundance and health.

Use the magic of the question to know your partner more intimately, to understand your child, or your neighbor, but mostly use it to “know thyself,” words from yet another famous Greek philosopher. When you know yourself, you will begin to know your world in a uniquely empowered way.

So you’ve made your will. You know who is to receive the platinum bordered china, the grandfather clock from Germany, the pair of diamond-studded earrings, and your most treasured Charlie Brown cartoon scrapbook. You’ve gone even further to make certain your wishes will be carried out with regard to a life support treatment. You’ve given careful thought that there is no misinterpretation. You feel confident about those who have been assigned to this information. Specifications have been made about pain medication and how you should receive it. You have demonstrated your courage by actually discussing your passing with your family, and they are clear about your requests. Details have been completely and thoroughly administered. Nothing has been left out that you can think of.

But what is it that you are really leaving behind?

For example, a young man, his parents’ only child, was killed in an accident at the age of 21. 600 people attended his memorial service. Folks came from many distant places to pay tribute to him and his family. Although he was young, he obviously made his mark.

In a second example, a crowd of 2,000 paid tribute to a man who obviously influenced many lives. How did he influence them? By his attitude. Paraphrased in the book, Personal Transformation by Kiril Sokoloff, below are the qualities exemplified by this man and eulogized at his funeral:

• He was an unconditional and true friend.
• He demonstrated joy at his friends’ success.
• He was a true gentleman.
• He had impeccable manners.
• He treated women with respect and kindness.
• He never criticized anyone.
• He faced his problems with unflinching courage.
• He never spoke a single word against a friend who disappointed him.
• He showed courage in the face of adversity.
• He was loyal to his friends.

Funerals can either be an eye-opener and a wake-up call, or another opportunity to deny life and resist the inevitable. Memorials can be occasions to evaluate and be introspective.

What about your moral legacy? What heritage will you leave behind for your family, friends, associates, acquaintances, and those you may have never met? What will your grandchildren learn about life from your example? What rituals do you treasure that will be perpetuated by your loved ones—when performed they can think of only you? What are the chances that you touched someone’s life that you never even knew because you smiled at him/her in a way that warmed his/her heart? Were you an inspiration or a dark cloud to another soul?

His holiness The Dalai Lama says, “Society change is possible through individual change. So just as when you see ripples increasing when you throw a stone into a pond, in the same manner, we can spread compassion. Make small contributions. It makes a difference.” You do influence, one way or another.

Below is a list of reflective questions meant to elicit reflective answers, if you give yourself time to engage in them:

1. What will it take for you to live your life so the minister at your funeral doesn’t have to lie?
2. What will it take to motivate you to start today by spending your 24/7 loving unconditionally?
3. Is the relationship with your children estranged? What needs to be mended?
4. Have you forgiven yourself for what you did or didn’t do?
5. Are you offering service to your community?
6. Are you consistently choosing positive rather than negative thoughts?
7. Do you enjoy peace of mind?
8. Have you adopted your gratitude attitude yet?
9. Do you take nothing for granted?
10. Are you in harmony with life?

Are you the person your dog thinks you are? Not everyone will choose to write a book, build a statue or donate a park as a symbol of love. The legacy you leave to your family, friends, and the planet is your own unique expression. It will heal like nothing else can, and that is the only gift you can really leave behind.