Planting the Buddha: Garden Blessing and Peace Ritual

Oh, Great Spirit

Earth Sun Sky and Sea

You are inside

And all around me .....


A Tuesday Apprenticeship in Photos
Week 5 Sunny and stormy 80 degrees and humid


The little people joined us today for a Garden Blessing and Peace Ritual. Who are the little people you may be wondering? They are the fourteen friends at Zoe's homeschool collaborative. It had been hot and humid all day until a few moments before their arrival when the wind whooshed and the thunder roared and the rain came down. Quickly we moved the furniture created an alter of stones, and greeted them indoors.

First we cleared the space and ourselves with a white sage smudge, most of the little people are familiar with this ritual. Brief introductions followed using a dandelion. One friend hands it to a friend as they look into his/hers eyes, and says, “Blessings (name).” The child responds by looking into the face of the one who handed it to her/him and responds. The friend who handed the dandelion off, folds arms across her/his lap. Those friends who haven’t had the dandelion kept their hands outstretched.



Once introduced one of the apprentices Christina Gabriel taught the group The Spirit of the Plants (Lisa Thiel, ©1984). This is one of my favorite songs and was timely as the apprentice group has really been focussed on finding/picking their personal green ally and homework last week was to draw the plant spirit that comes to them.


The Spirit of the plants has come to me
In the form of a beautiful dancing green woman
Her eyes filled me with peace
Her dance filled me with peace
The spirit of the plants has come to me
And has blessed me with great peace.
Her eyes filled me with peace
Her dance filled me with peace.
The spirit of the plants has come to me
In the form of a beautiful dancing green woman.

Next I read a story....my latest greatest book. Am I the last to discover this one? Our Big Home. You can't help to love this book, the simplicity of prose with detailed illustrations, typical of Elisa Kleven- a favorite illustrator of ours. Here is a PDF study guide from the illustrators website.

Next everyone drew / wrote / decorated "Blessings" onto a river stone....to be put around the Buddha......our wishes, hopes and dreams. The storm cleared and we were able to walk down to the river to collect some water to "Bless" our newly transplanted Hawthorne tree. While down by the river Christina taught the group another favorite song

My Roots Go Down
words and music by Sarah Pirtle, © 1979

Chorus:
My roots go down, down to the earth.
My roots go down, down to the earth.
My roots go down, down to the earth.
My roots go down.

Many new verses have been created:
* I am a pine tree on a mountainside.
* I am a willow swaying in a storm.
* I am a waterfall skipping home.
* I am a wildflower pushing through stones.
* I am a dolphin leaping high.
* I am white pond lily healing you.
* I am a mouth tasting life.

The wonderful Sarah Pirtle is local to us and many of our children have the opportunity to study with her at Red Gate Farm where she runs the Tree of Life School. Zoe regularly comes home with a new Sarah Pirtle song. If you are not local I recommend her children's CD's also.