One of the important things I learned early on is that how nature defines the reality in which you and I live and function is not the same as how we've been taught to perceive that same reality. For example, according to the dictionary, a garden is a plot of ground where plants are cultivated. And this is pretty much what we normally think of when we use the word "garden." I suspected that this didn't quite capture the reality of a garden. So one day I asked nature for its definition, and here's what it said:

From nature's perspective, a garden is any environment that is

• initiated by humans

• given its purpose and direction by humans and

• maintained with the help of humans

For nature to consider something to be a garden, we must see humans actively involved in all three of these areas. It is the human who calls for a garden to exist. Once the call is made, nature responds accordingly to support that defined call because a garden exists through the use of form.

Humans tend to look at gardens as an expression of nature. Nature looks at gardens as an expression of humans. They are initiated, defined and maintained by humans. When humans dominate all aspects and elements of the life of the garden, we consider this environment to be human dominant. We consider an environment to be "nature friendly" when humans understand that the elements used to create gardens are form, and operate best under the laws of nature and when humans have the best intentions of trying to cooperate with what they understand these laws to be. When humans understand that nature is a full partner in the design and operation of that environment — and act on this knowledge — we consider the environment to be actively moving toward a balance between involution and evolution.**

As a result, the environment with the human/nature partnership supports and adds to the overall health and balance of all it comprises and the larger whole. It also functions within the prevailing laws of nature (the laws of form) that govern all form on the planet and in its universe. In short, when a garden operates in a balance between involution and evolution, it is in step with the overall operating dynamics of the whole. The various parts that compose a garden operate optimally, and the garden as a whole operates optimally.

Nature does not consider the cultivation of a plot of land as the criteria for a garden. Nature considers a garden to exist wherever humans define, initiate and interact with form to create a specialized environment. This is the underlying intent of a garden and the reason behind the development of specialized environments such as vegetable gardens. Nature applies the word "garden" to any environment that meets these criteria. It does not have to be growing in soil.*** It only needs to be an environment that is defined, initiated and appropriately maintained by humans.

This is what nature means when it uses the word "garden." The laws and principles that nature applies in the co-creative**** vegetable garden are equally applicable to any garden, whether it is growing in soil or otherwise. In order to understand why the processes described in The Perelandra Garden Workbook apply to any garden, one must understand how nature defines a garden. The principles and processes apply across the board because all gardens are operating with the same dynamics — only the specific form elements that make up each garden have changed.

 On that note, I wish you happy gardening.

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* I access nature's intelligence in two ways: (1) using muscle testing (PKTT) and (2) using a type of inner "hearing" that I then translate into words. I find PKTT the quickest and more efficient way of getting nature's input when dealing with lists and simple yes/no questions. For all of the work outlined in The Perelandra Garden Workbook, you will be using PKTT. It's easy to learn, it's fast and it's efficient. For the longer information that is italicized throughout this book, I set up special sessions with nature and we proceed with the inner hearing and translation process. I do not hear voices in the conventional way. Instead I "hear," sense, feel or see the intent of what nature wishes to "say" and I marry the words that best convey that intent.

** INVOLUTION: Nature's dynamic. Providing balanced order, organization and life vitality for moving soul-oriented consciousness into form.
EVOLUTION: Human dynamic. Providing definition, direction and purpose.

*** Nature's typical gardens include farms, agribusiness, ranches, potted plants, forests, fisheries, ponds, lakes, oceans, aquariums and atriums. Based on nature's definition, gardens can also include homes, businesses, classrooms, professions, art, personal and professional goals and projects. For working with nature in these types of gardens, see the book, Perelandra Soil-less Garden Companion.

**** The word "co-creative" as it applies here and in all of Perelandra's publications and information refers to the conscious, working partnership between humans and nature intelligence.

From The Perelandra Garden Workbook by Machaelle Wright.
© 2012 Machaelle Small Wright. All rights reserved.