Tending Your Spiritual Garden by Rev. Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div. 5/3/2026

Good morning! This is Rev. Teresa. This morning I am speaking about tending your spiritual garden, the practices we use to awaken to who we truly are and our oneness with God and all that is. I will be quoting from a wonderful little book called “Mindfulness in the Garden, Zen Tools for Digging in the Dirt” by Rev. Zachiah Viveka Murray, who was a fellow student with me at Meru Seminary.  She is also a registered Landscape Architect, and member of the Order of Interbeing in the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh. She is now also an ordained minister.

Tending our spiritual garden, like tending our flower, vegetable, herb and fruit garden, requires attention to planting, watering, weeding, and controlling unwanted visitors, also known as pests. We must be continually tending our garden or the weeds and pests will take it over and the plants we want may die from lack of water, or be obscured by the weeds.

What are you planting in your spiritual garden? How are you nourishing your spiritual garden? What we want to plant are love, peace, compassion, kindness, caring, understanding, and oneness. We tend our garden through our spiritual practices of prayer, meditation, mindfulness, and  self-awareness. We want to awaken to who we truly are, One with Spirit and One with our fellow beings, and One with all that is.

Before we begin planting something new, we may first need to remove the weeds and the old, overgrown growth. Zachiah says of weeding, “We often begin in a tangle of weeds we have neglected to govern and control for several seasons, if not longer. Weeding is a mindfulness meditation, one that takes patience and love. It is our chosen task now to give guidance to and set boundaries for our weeds. Risking the tangle of our garden, we enter the terrain of our inner landscape as well. There, reflected in the tangle of our garden, lie the knotted up thoughts and feelings of our minds - stories we tell ourselves over and over causing ourselves, and others, to suffer.”

“If we are mindful about how we address the weeds in our garden, we may catch a glimpse of how we deal with our innermost emotional landscape. Are we frustrated and angry as we pull our weeds? Does our internal dialog become self-critical or defacing? Are the weeds we are pulling, and the thoughts we harbor, our enemies, or are they signposts for us to turn toward our garden and ourselves with compassion? We can allow our external garden to lead us to profound insights about the inner terrain of our emotional selves, and as our garden becomes clear, so too, do our minds have an opportunity to reclaim their innate clarity.”

“Gaining clarity means facing the tangle - that is at once our garden and ourselves - with kindness. If we are harsh with the bristly thorns of thistle, they will assuredly be biting and rash in return. Lashing back with full sting, their sharp points can penetrate easily through our gloves. However, as we learn to work with the thorns in our garden - inner and outer - we learn to embrace them without harming ourselves. Giving our full attention to the thistle’s thorns we can observe that they have a direction and a natural way of growing on the plant’s limbs. Holding them firmly, but gently at their base, we can skillfully and tenderly remove them from our garden.”

Seeing the thistle as not separate from ourselves, it symbolizes those aspects of our inner terrain that need our tending, too. By turning towards our difficult emotions and feelings as we do with our weeds, we gain insight and understanding into them - their source, their direction, and their underlying needs. In learning how to handle the thorns of our garden, we learn how to mindfully embrace our more difficult emotions such as anger, greed, and jealousy, removing their long-held roots inside of us.”

“…Weeds are wise.They know how to survive in the most grueling conditions. Even without water they tenaciously take up as much space as they are given. They’ll take over our entire garden if we do not curb their appetite for nutrients and land. Weeds can seem like intruders thwarting our well-thought-out plans and vision. But their tenacious presence, and how we deal with them, can point us to many insights about the more aggressive emotions of our inner landscape. Seeds of anger, greed, and hatred sow themselves into the fabric of our consciousness like the thistle, oxalis, and dandelions are sown into the soil of our garden.”

“If our weeds are not tended to, they have the capacity to proliferate through our thoughts, words, and actions. Our weeds cause us to suffer, and if we lack awareness, their seeds may be cast widely upon the wind allowing our weeds, in the form of suffering and harm, to grow in other people’s gardens as well. The more we know about our weeds - the more we learn how to embrace their messages - the better prepared we are to take care of our garden and ourselves.”

Weeds indicate the places in our garden that we have neglected, the places where the soil has not been turned, and life has not been tended. When we struggle with emotions such as anger, we can glean from the whispers and thorns  of our weed friends that there is a place within us that has not been nurtured. Often lying below our anger is grief or sadness. In much the same way as we embrace the tangle of weeds in our garden with a firm but tender grip, we can turn toward our anger, touch it sincerely, understand it, and know the truth of it. As we water the seeds of understanding and compassion within us, our anger is alleviated and our inner garden is restored to its innate, always present wholeness.” (End of quote)

In the Bible, Ephesians 4:31-32 says: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…”.

This can be much easier said than done. Bringing awareness to our emotions is a good step to start with. We can review our day before going to sleep and see if there are emotions we engaged in that we may want to investigate, such as anger, criticism, condemnation, sarcasm, fear, anxiety or depression. What is the root of these emotions in us? Why did we react with these emotions? Is there a need in us that is not being met? Is there something that needs to be healed in us so that we can cultivate love, peace, calmness, compassion, caring and kindness? We can journal about this and bring it to prayer. Our desire to be whole is a positive step in our spiritual journey. At our core we are already whole, but at the physical level we may need emotional healing.

Zachiah reminds us,

“Breathing in, the web of life holds us as we make space in our garden for new life by removing the tangle of weeds that no longer serve us.

Breathing out we make space in our garden and in ourselves… Breathing in, we meet our weeds without judgment.

Breathing out, we are fresh.

Breathing in, we are nourished by the refreshing openness of our garden’s soil and the spaciousness created in our weeds’ absence.

Breathing out, we enjoy the fresh field of our mind.”

(End of quote)

We all have our weeds to deal with on the spiritual path. We do not have to compare ourselves with others on the path. We truly know only our own inner garden, and that is enough.

My own garden in my yard currently has gophers digging everywhere. They tunnel underground and then pop up somewhere, bringing a mound of dirt to the surface. They are like the unwanted thoughts in our minds. These thoughts also bring dirt to the surface to be examined. It is helpful to look at our unwanted thoughts.

Perhaps we have thoughts of lack and poverty. We can affirm that we are abundantly supplied by the Divine in every moment. Our needs are always met on time and in abundance. We must believe that we are supplied, allowing abundance into our consciousness. We can affirm: “My needs are always met on time and in abundance.” Write this on paper and put it somewhere you will see it, like your bathroom mirror, to remind you and let it sink into your consciousness.

Caring for ourselves physically is essential to our spiritual path. We must feed our physical body with healthy foods and give it exercise so that it stays strong and can move easily. Caring for our physical body is part of nurturing our spiritual garden.

Isaiah 58:11 says:

“And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy your soul with rich food; and strengthen your bones; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring whose water fails not. “

Reading scripture, the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, or whatever scripture you find inspiring is helpful. You can also read inspiring publications, such as the Divine Science Daily Study, or Unity’s Daily Word. The Divine Science Daily Study is available on Facebook on the Divine Science Federation International page. Reading inspiring messages waters our spiritual garden.

An important part of tending and watering our spiritual garden is our daily meditation practice.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants, nor he who waters deserves the credit; but God who gives the increase. Thus the planter and the waterer are equal; each one shall receive his own wages according to his own labor. For we work together with God; you are God’s work and God’s building.”

In our meditation practice we are working together with God. We agree to get quiet and listen, and God agrees to commune with us in the silence. Sometimes we may get actual words in meditation, but more often we receive God’s message as an intuition or a knowing that guides us if we listen. We remember that we are meditating in God. As the Bible says, “We live and move and have our being in God.” Acts 17:28

Many people have told me that they just cannot be silent for meditation. It is true that the mind is active and it takes time and discipline to train the mind to be quiet for a time. There are techniques that can help to quiet the mind and assist in letting go of thoughts and sinking into the silence of meditation.

Having an upright meditation posture is helpful. Having the spine straight helps the spiritual energy to move in the spine from the base chakra at the bottom of the spine to the crown chakra just above the top of the head. Lying down invites sleep because it is the posture we use for sleeping. So sitting upright is more conducive to staying awake during meditation.

Focusing the gaze of our closed eyes at the center of the forehead above the eyebrows helps to lift our thoughts into spiritual thoughts of meditation. When our eyes gaze downward in meditation we tend to go into thoughts of the material world. Keeping your gaze lifted helps to quiet the mind.

The breath is a very helpful tool for focusing us in meditation. We bring awareness to the breath, not trying to change the breath, just allowing it to be natural as we observe the breath. We notice the coolness of the in-breath coming from outside the body, and the warmth of the out-breath, now warmed by the body. We just continue to put our focus on following the breath in and out of the body, coming into the present moment through the breath, awake and aware. You can even imagine the breath coming into and out of the 3rd eye in the forehead.

We can allow the breath to sink down into the belly as we relax our body and become calm and receptive. With our gaze still held in the forehead, we simply notice the belly expanding with the in-breath and contracting with the out-breath. The breath brings us into the calm feeling of peaceful awareness.

We can call upon saints, sages, gurus, angels and enlightened ones who we are inspired by, and who can guide us inward. Christ Jesus, Ishua or Yeshua as he is also known, can be invited to join us at the beginning of our meditation. Christ Jesus is the complete Christ consciousness, the full embodiment of the highest Divinity.  And some are drawn to Buddha, Quan Yin, Babaji, and other perfected beings. It’s a personal choice. You choose what lifts your consciousness.

A mantra can be helpful to focus and quiet the mind. Choose a mantra that appeals to you. It can be a one-word mantra such as God, Om or Peace. Or it can be a two-word mantra, such as Om God, God is, Divine Love, or Divine Peace. A two-word mantra can be coordinated with the breath, thinking the first word of the phrase on the in-breath and thinking the second word of the phrase on the out-breath. “Om God” would be “Om” on the in-breath, and “God” on the out-breath. “Om Peace" would be “Om” on the in-breath and ‘Peace” on the out-breath. Think the mantra inwardly. When the mind has quieted simply let go of the mantra and sit in the silence. If the mind again becomes active you can return to inwardly thinking the mantra until the mind quiets again and then return to the silence.

You can also chant “Om” at each of the chakras, beginning at the base chakra at the base of the spine and and going up to the crown chakra above the top of the head, going up and down the spine several times and ending at the crown chakra, moving into the silence.

Having a regular time for meditation is very helpful. You will find that your body begins to anticipate your meditation at this time. You may even hear the Om vibration internally at that time and can use that as a focus to ease into your meditation, turning the mind within. A morning meditation will get your day started in a peaceful and positive direction. Even if you are squeezed for time and heading into a particularly busy day, just 5 minutes of meditation can bring focus and calm into your day.

And evening meditation is a great way to end your day in peace as you get ready to retire for the night, preparing you for a restful night’s sleep. Since the evening tends to be more spacious, as you are not rushing off to work or other commitments, you might read a short passage of scripture prior to evening meditation and ask for the deeper meaning to be revealed to you in meditation.

American mystic, Joel Goldsmith suggested trying to meditate 5 minutes of each hour during the day. While this might be challenging if you are at work, it could be something to try on the weekend. Joel said a short meditation, such as 15 minutes of focused meditation is better than a longer period of distracted and unfocused meditation. It could be 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening.

You can end your meditation by praying for others, seeing them in their highest light and seeing their highest good manifesting. And you can pray seeing the highest in your own life, affirming the Truth of who you are as a spiritual being having a human experience.

Quoting again from Zachiah’s book, she begins the section titled Beneath the Bloom with a poem:

Beneath every apple blossom

lies the hidden seed of its continuation.

Understanding the apple’s wholeness

is the fruit of our gardening.

She goes on to say, “Beneath every apple blossom lies the hidden seed of its fruit. Given the right care, this seed will mature into a crisp, juicy fruit. The apple not only embodies the apple tree’s flowers and houses seeds for its own continuation, it provides sustenance for our bodies in the form of carbohydrates and fiber that give us energy. Upon its consumption, our thoughts, words, and actions are energized by the nutrition of the apple. The apple is part of us.”

“All of life is interconnected in this way. Thich Nhat Hanh says, ‘The bread you hold in your hands is the body of the cosmos.’ The sun, the sky, the clouds, the earth, the minerals, the farmer’s hands, the field worker’s labor in harvesting, the baker’s skillfulness, the delivery person’s safe driving, and the grocery store’s stockers and cashiers come together to bring this bread into our hands. So many lives are inside one slice of bread, one apple, or a single flower.”

“Lying beneath the beauty of a flower is the hidden potential and life of its seed. Only in dying to its present form can the flower allow the seed to thrive. Breathing in, we honor the wisdom of the flower to surrender.”

“Carried in the flower is the seed, and carried in the seed is the continuation of the flower. Breathing out, we acknowledge the great cycle of life.”

“Seeing how the flesh of the apple feeds us, energizes our minds, and fuels our actions, we gain insight into the interbeing of all life. Breathing in, we understand that we and the apple are part of the same whole.”

“Breathing out, we know, through our understanding and insight, we are a part of all life. And like the apple, we mature into our own wholeness. This awakening is the real fruit of our gardening.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 says, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the sun: A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.”

`Our spiritual practices are important. They are the foundation of a meaningful life. Many people waste their life in material pursuits that do not feed the soul and have no permanent value. Proverbs 28:19 says, “He who tills the land shall have abundance of bread; but he who follows after vain pursuits shall have plenty of poverty." Spiritual poverty is what this proverb is speaking of.

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Truly knowing our oneness with God, and with all that is, is the culmination of faithfully tending our spiritual garden. Zachiah ends her book with a section called “Surrendering Separateness.” She begins the section with a poem:

“Holding a leaf in my hand,

I surrender my sense of separateness.

The cloud, the leaf, and I are connected.

We are, because everything else is.”

She goes on to say, “Looking deeply at a leaf, we can see there is a cloud floating in its luminescent green face. Without the cloud, there would be no rain; and without rain, there would be no tree to grow such a beautiful leaf. If the cloud is not there, the leaf cannot be there. In turn, the water that evaporates from the leaf’s surface creates moisture in the air, which returns to the sea and the clouds. The cloud and the leaf coexist and cocreate each other. “

“Looking at our hands, we can also see that the cloud and the leaf are there, too. Holding a leaf, we see it is in our hands - literally and figuratively. With lobes like our fingers and veins like the patterns in our palms, the leaf gives us oxygen to nourish our cells and allows our bodies to thrive. It is very important to us. Without water, without the cloud, both we and the leaf could not live. The cloud is very important to us, too. Looking deeply, we can see both the cloud and the leaf are in our hands.”

“Continuing to look, we can see our ancestors are also in our hands. We see them in the length and shape of our fingers and our palms. Without the cloud, without the leaf, without our ancestors, our hands could not exist. All of nature exists within our hands. In fact, we cannot look at a single leaf, flower, fruit, or insect in our garden without seeing everything - sun, warmth, sky, clouds, rain, earth, minerals, time, space - inside of it. Learning to see like this, we begin to merge our awareness with nature, and we learn to surrender our sense of separateness.”

“When we see with eyes of understanding, we become authentic gardeners.” (End of quote)

I invite you to take some time today to look at your hands with curiosity and an open heart and see the interconnectedness and oneness with all of Life. See your life and all life in those hands.

This is what we are tending in our spiritual garden, coming back to our oneness in God, becoming authentic gardeners who know the True meaning of Life. And so it is!

Just a note that Zachiah Murray’s book, "Mindfulness in the Garden,” is available on Amazon if you are interested in reading the whole book.