Solar Eclipse Weeding
Introducing our latest teacher - Asian Knotweed. Life Brings Odd Teachers. I grew up in the church (so did Dave) and in the Bible there’s a story I knew as the story of Balaam’s Ass. For those of you not schooled in the Jewish scriptures/Old Testament. No, this was not about a body part, but about a donkey. A donkey that spoke prophetically.
Introducing our latest teacher - Asian Knotweed.
Life Brings Odd Teachers
I grew up in the church (so did Dave) and in the Bible there’s a story I knew as the story of Balaam’s Ass.
For those of you not schooled in the Jewish scriptures/Old Testament. No, this was not about a body part, but about a donkey.
A donkey that spoke prophetically.
I don’t remember the specifics of the story, but my main takeaway was that God can use anything and anyone to share important messages.
Well, my worldview and spiritual beliefs have changed a lot since then, but my belief in this truth has expanded (along with my view of who God/Goddess/the Divine/the Universe is).
In my experience the Divine speaks through just about anything for those who wish to listen.
And you don’t even need to believe in any sort of Divine force in order to benefit from the wisdom that is all around you and inside of you.
You just need to be open to listen.
To the pain in your body that is saying please, please slow down.
To the anger that rises and lets you know it’s time to speak your truth and set a firm boundary.
To the synchronicities that show up through roadside billboards, phrases in books, the title of a podcast - all saying the same thing.
To the Nature Beings that are everywhere.
Dave and I are getting more intentional about the latter. For me it started with learning from my friend Rochelle, founder of Qoya, who said “If you think you heard something from a plant or a tree or a creek, just assume you did.”
So I started assuming that what I thought I heard I may actually have heard.
And it’s nourished my life. So I’m continuing to listen.
On the day of the solar eclipse Dave and I were in the middle of what’s become more than a week of Quarterly Planning (originally scheduled for half a day - ah well, we seem to be in that kind of phase in our life - very slow progress on the surface, but we feel the deep, valuable work happening).
I had also noticed that there were some plants growing in abundance and VERY QUICKLY in our backyard. I looked them up and found that they are a transport from Japan that has become quite invasive in the U.S.
So, we decided we’d remind ourselves of our intentions for the quarter and then head outside to weed, peaking up at the eclipse through our special glasses every few minutes.
It was like praying with our bodies -
saying no to patterns that aren’t serving us.
Creating space for what we want to grow.
In Baltimore the eclipse wasn’t full, but somewhere in the 80% range and weather was great for viewing. So it was pretty cool to be out.
——-NOTE: Some of my spiritual friends stayed inside on purpose during the eclipse - because eclipse energy can be quite powerful and unpredictable. It can shake things up - have you felt that in your life? If so, you might want to offer yourself some extra compassion as you get your feet back under you.
If you’d like support to offer yourself compassionate space, hit reply and tell me what’s up.
I’ll send a few ideas your way——-
So, we were out there with our shovels—and each other—on this warm Spring day, seeking celestial support for a new beginning, for the shifting of longheld patterns of behavior that aren’t serving us anymore. And we decided we’d see what the knotweed had to teach us.
We thought some of the messages might be for you too.
Grow strong roots. Knotweed spreads through it’s root system and it it NO JOKE. Sometimes we’d dig up this little 2 inch tall plant and the root beneath would be 2 inches thick and spreading out in all directions.
**Where and how do you can you commit to intentionally deepening your roots?**There’s power in growing in connection with others. As mentioned above, knotweed grows by spreading through it’s root system. And destroying one plant doesn’t stop the expansion of the work it’s doing. You have to get the whole community of plants out to stop the growth. And that’s really hard to do.
**How are you already connected to a community of support?**
**How can you expand that community?**Sometimes you need to move immediately or the challenges get bigger (no more procrastinating and avioiding). You can almost see these plants growing by the day. They add inches in a week’s time. Sure, we could prioritize other actions, but when we come back the job will be bigger.
**What task have you been avoiding?**
**What step can you take today or tomorrow in the direction of solving it?**With big challenges, you also need to show up consistently over time, and come at them from multiple angles. As I’ve been reading about how to address knotweed without toxic chemicals pretty much everyone talks in years. And recommends taking several actions simultaneously - digging up roots, black plastic mulch and cutting down stalks.
**We often underestimate the impact of small steps taken daily in the direction of our dreams… where are you ready to commit to consistent action?**
As for me, one of the places where I am ready to take more consistent action is in writing and sharing what I have to share with the world.
Because I really want to help create a world in which all of us are flourishing.
I’m feeling especially heartbroken that so many deeply compassionate leaders are sacrificing as a way of life — their mental and physical health, their relationships, and their joy — for the sake of the causes and people they care about.
I have spent over 10 years practicing living differently –– with joy and gentleness alongside courage and bad-assery. No more perpetual sacrifice, which only serves the current oppressive systems that run on the fuel of our lifeblood.
And sharing what I’ve learned requires consistent action.
People aren’t likely to show up on my porch asking for help rekindling their sense of wonder at being alive (though they might one day!)
So that’s my commitment. To write. To show up here, on LinkedIn. To share on podcasts and wherever else I’m led to be. (Have ideas? Send them my way!)
What’s your commitment?
I’d love to hear about it, so we can cheer each other on to keep showing up.
In the meantime, the knotweed plants will definitely keep reminding me!
Here’s to thriving and equity, joy and justice. For everyone. Including you.