​Phil’s Reflections 

 

“I wonder as I wander (Rutter and John Jacob Niles). Do you wander and when you do so, do you wonder? Wordsworth and Coleridge were known to walk together in the Quantock Hills in Devon and to compose the verses that became the Lyrical ballads first published in 1797. Often, they would walk for 30 miles discussing and composing poetry as they wandered and it was from these walks that Coleridge’s “Ancient Mariner” was given birth.

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This week I have been reading a book called “Lost in Wonder – Rediscovering the Spiritual Art of Attentiveness”, by Esther De Waal. Combining monastic, Celtic and desert traditions, it is a practical guide to finding God through the everyday circumstances of life. Seemingly small, insignificant things then become windows through which the light of Christ can shine.

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She writes “To take time to be apart .. is not a luxury, it is essential.  The gift of space for myself seems so simple, and in a way, it is; but it is also surprisingly difficult to do so without some form of external encouragement. Many aspects of modern life can distract us: business, boredom, stress, lethargy, lack of direction. Yet Christ's invitation to each of us is, ‘Come and see’.   As she observes “If we fail to find the time to stand back, to give ourselves a break, a breathing space, we are in danger of failing to be fully alive, or to enjoy that fullness of life for which we were created.”

 

So, this last week or so I have taken to just sitting in our garden and observing what is growing and what comes into an out of it. I have 5 sunflowers planted, one that I bought at Great Shelford country market and 4 others that a neighbour on Hauxton Meadows gave to us.  The one from the country market has stopped growing and is about 4 foot tall, it was planted first, the other 4 were planted some weeks later and were spindly little things but now they are 12 feet tall and still growing!  I am reminded of the “Day of the Triffids” the 1951 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel written by English author John Wyndham.

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The plot centres on a sudden, spectacular meteor shower that leaves the vast majority of the world's population permanently blind. In the ensuing societal collapse, humanity becomes prey to "Triffids"—tall, venomous, carnivorous bio-engineered plants capable of uprooting themselves to walk and hunting humans with a deadly, 15-foot stinging whip. This led me to wander and wonder in my “mind’s eye” about our recent heatwaves, eco crisis, crop failures and rampant AI systems escaping from human control. Our recent past has seen us exploit fossil fuels that had been laid down over Millenia and now we are seeing the effects upon our climate up close and personal! From there I thought of what makes a desert – the death of fertility, creativity and life giving water and shade.

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Then I saw a hummingbird hawk moth visiting the garden to drink from the nectar in the red flowers of “Princess Diana” runner beans, and I thought “what makes an Oasis” and it came to me that is  water, shade, rest and reservoirs of tranquility.

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Three questions then for us to ponder as we tend the gardens of our soul:

 

What do we choose to water? Where do we choose to rest? Where can we wander and wonder?

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Blessings on you and your gardening. Phil

 

 

Mandy is on holiday until 24 August.