Vocabulary of the Garden
So much peace in the garden as I reflect on all the real-life growth and expansion during this past year. Mystic vibrations emanate in silent yet powerful collaboration. The plants thrive in their awe-inspiring stillness, unity, and cohesion, grounding any compulsive behavior that may possibly come their way. An egret moves through the stillness, flying gracefully under the garden canopy with its beautiful white wingspan. A shama bird’s playful, high-pitched chatter breaks the silence.
The stillness and silence are ever so prevalent on the surface, but when I look and listen more closely, the understory of the gardens tells a different story. Bees buzzing intently around the tulsi flowers remind me of a mother I recently witnessed gently kissing, kissing, and kissing her newborn infant.
The garden floor resonates with life, but this is equally mirrored by so much death. I am forced to surrender any sense of “knowing,” as the fruits, flowers, and seeds convey infinite possibilities. Plants, bees, birds, worms, soil, air, and water work symbiotically to thrive amongst one another. There is so much life, with absolutely no fear of death. Mortality exists all around in full acceptance, allowance, and surrender. Life and death coexist in harmony, co-creation, and community.
Fat green and orange papayas grow in abundance, shaded beneath their humungous tropical leaves. Black pepper vines climb the trunk of the soursop. Giant lilikoi engulfs the guava branches, and vanilla threads its way up the cacao tree. Finding friends in the garden to trust and lean on is critical for the community’s prosperity.
I get buzzed just looking at the gorgeous ruby-red coffee berry, juiced as I bite into a plump Surinam cherry, tantalized by the blue butterfly pea flower, mystified by the iron-rich mamaki leaves, humbled by the life force of the ashwagandha root, and balanced by the divine feminine energy resonating from the chaste berry.
No words can capture the story of this sacred land in 2025, so I won’t try. Instead, I will focus on the garden and the profound healing abundance we have manifested as a community. I am deeply grateful for the foundation and peace that the gardens embody, holding space for all of us well beyond this physical dimension. As I look forward to 2026, I can’t help but mirror the gardens and feel an easy, graceful, and prosperous way forward for us all.
- Doug Wolkon
