Both Perelandra Garden Workbooks present the co-creative partnership within the setting of the Perelandra vegetable, flower and herb garden. Consequently, the information covers all aspects of a garden and its environment using 'gardening language.' If you wish to establish a co-creative partnership with nature for a different kind of garden, greenhouse, pond, aquarium, potted plants, house, apartment, job, hobby, sport, profession, etc.—you will still need to use these two books, but you will use them as an example for setting up your partnership and applying the terminology to your 'garden.' The very same setup and approach that has been described for vegetable gardens is used for any other garden.

Once you have decided that you wish to learn how to work with nature in a co-creative partnership, the first thing you must do is choose your garden. Pick something that is manageable in size and scope so that you won't feel overwhelmed as you go through the learning curve that is inevitable with something new.

The following is how to use the two Workbooks with your specific garden.

† † †

Perelandra Garden Workbook: It is important for 'regular gardeners' and 'soil-less gardeners' to read this book in its entirety because it gives you all the various elements that you must consider when working with nature to establish a balanced and free-flowing environment or activity. And it shows you the areas that nature considers to be part of a garden. Consequently, when working with nature, you will know what areas and kinds of situations the two of you can address together. In short, this book gives you the fundamentals for working in a successful partnership with nature.

The first thing you will need to learn is how to use kinesiology (muscle testing). This is your most important tool for communicating with nature. In other words, it is how nature 'talks to you.' The steps for learning kinesiology are in Chapter 2.

While learning kinesiology, you can begin translating the Workbook to meet your garden requirements. I recommend two approaches (I and II):

Approach I. Look at the chapter titles from Chapters 3 through 17, one title at a time, and think about how each of these chapters relates to your garden. Make a list of the areas, situations, activities and items that you feel fall into each Workbook chapter. Here are examples and some questions you can use to start figuring out how the chapters may be applied to different gardens.

3: Establishing Your Partnership. Making conscious contact with the appropriate nature intelligence and stating the intent, direction, definition and purpose of your 'garden.'

4: Breaking Ground. The best geographic location for your garden. The Deva of the Garden that is discussed in this chapter translates to the deva of your project.

5 and 6: Getting Devic Information and What Goes Where. Setting up the charts, compiling the lists and learning to ask the range of questions that you will need for testing and getting information, placement of furniture and/or equipment, establishing organizational structure/ management flow, and appropriate 'accessories' to include in your environment for balancing (interplanting).

7: Seed. The appropriate raw materials to use for achieving your goals. Special education you or your personnel will need in order to work more efficiently. Devas of the specific vegetables translate to the devas of the different elements needed for your project.

8: Transplants vs. Direct Seed Planting. Is it better for you to produce something in-house or should it be purchased from outside?

9: Soil. The foundation upon which your garden operates and grows. This can mean soil, water, raw materials, your creative input and the goals you have defined—whatever constitutes a foundation. Does your foundation match and support your intent? Does something need to be changed or clarified to better support the intent and the activity surrounding that intent? The Deva of Soil translates to the deva of your project's foundation.

10: Planting and Fertilizing Rhythms. Are there better times for you to act, develop, create or expand? What 'fertilizers' are needed to promote healthy growth in your garden? How are they best utilized?

11: Planting Process. What is the best focus and attitude for you to have for 'putting your garden in the ground' and getting it started?

12: Succession Planting. Is there a specific job, task, activity or rhythm in your garden that requires multiple 'plantings' in order for your operation to be most effective and efficient?

13: Maintenance. How do you best care for and maintain the upkeep of your garden?

14: Furred, Feathered and Winged Garden Companions. Are these kinds of companions appropriate in your garden? If so, what are the best companions for you and your garden?

15: Solstice and Equinox Cycle. How do you best link nature's cyclical rhythms with your garden's intent, goals and rhythms?

16: Harvesting. What are the best methods for bringing your garden through its final stages and receiving the end results or products?

17: Putting the Garden to Bed. How do you responsibly close down a business, end a school year, close down a completed project, etc.?

Approach II. If this feels overwhelming, look at only the first chapter (Chapter 3) and list what you feel in your garden applies to this chapter. Then read that chapter and apply the information to your garden. It is the beginning of your co-creative partnership, so start doing it. The Workbook is written so that one chapter logically leads to the next. If you address this first chapter, you will move logically to the areas that are addressed in Chapter 4 ('Breaking Ground'). In this approach, you will be translating the Workbook to your garden as you learn the fundamentals for working with nature. Take as much time as you need to feel comfortable with the information in one chapter before moving on to the next chapter. By the time you finish with Chapter 17, you will know all the areas that make up your garden environment and activity, plus how to work with nature in partnership in these areas.

The Perelandra Garden Workbook contains a number of sessions I had with nature that describe, explain and further illustrate the principles behind the processes and operating fundamentals that are included in the book. As with everything else presented in the Workbook, these underlying principles apply to all gardens, all projects. In addition, the sessions acquaint you with the depth and scope of nature's knowledge. They also help you to become acquainted with your partner.

In line with this, there is one other area of translation needed if your garden is not a vegetable garden. I list the specific vegetable gardening devas for you to work with in the individual processes, and you will need to address which of your 'gardening' devas is comparable to the ones I list for the different processes. For example, the overlighting deva of the vegetable garden will translate to the overlighting deva of your garden or project. It's an easy translation. However, if you are working with the foundation upon which your project sits, you probably shouldn't be working with the deva that is listed in the Workbook the Deva of Soil. If you can't figure out exactly what your foundation is, simply state that you would like to be connected with the deva of your 'garden's foundation.' You'll get the correct connection because nature will know what you mean. If I illustrate a problem with broccoli in the Workbook that is similar to a problem you are addressing with a computer, you don't want to work with the Deva of Broccoli. You want to work with the deva of your computer. If you haven?t a clue about which deva to connect with, simply describe what you want to focus on or point to the object and state that you wish to be connected with the deva of 'that.' As long as you give a simple definition of or point clearly to what you are addressing, you?ll be connected with the correct deva. It is a flawless system. If you can focus on it, point to it, describe it or define it, nature will automatically connect you to the appropriate deva as soon as you request it.

† † †

Perelandra Garden Workbook II: This book contains energy processes that are already set up for the full range of different gardens. Therefore, there will be less need for translating these processes into a different language for your garden. You may need to change a word here or there in something you state as part of the process to better apply to the specific project that you are working with. Although these processes are vital to gardens such as the one at Perelandra, they are just as critical for all gardens and are especially necessary for soil-less gardens. The sessions that accompany each energy process explain nature's underlying intent and approach when working with the process with us. In Workbook II, nature uses these sessions to educate us so that we may understand the processes as we work with them.

Chapter 11 describes the Troubleshooting Process, a process that incorporates all the procedures and processes in both Workbooks for the purpose of identifying how to proceed with nature to successfully address a problem. This can range from a plant becoming infested with insects to a mechanical failure to a computer problem to production problems . . . Many problems will require only the use of the energy processes for resolution. However, you may discover that an environmental consideration is needed for some problems. For this, you will need to list the environmental considerations that apply to your project, such as machine location, room temperature and humidity factors, closing off openings for insect and rodent problems and so on. Once you establish your co-creative partnership you will have many different tools to use with nature for dealing with a problem. The Troubleshooting Process is the organizational tool for discerning which processes are needed for specific problems and in what order they are to be used. It eliminates the guesswork by giving you the co-creative formula for success.

A final suggestion: To help you further with working with the full range of gardens, we have an audio tape: Applying the Workbook Principles to All Gardens and video tape 3: Working with Nature in Soil-less Gardens.