A journey to remembering your true nature with 7 simple tools that will cultivate a garden of inner peace

“Look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better.”  Albert Einstein

Life of a Gardener

There is a big difference between loneliness and solitude. While out in gardens, I spend a good bit of my time on my own, but I never feel alone. Every garden has its own personality and many of my acquaintances happen to be trees, and finches, and flowers. I look forward to visiting with them. Sometimes people even ask me if I am Mother Nature. I tell them no, she is just a very good friend.

Working outside everyday and witnessing nature’s abundance and enduring strength has lead me to understand that we are all part of a never-ending story. Each tender bud that emerges in springtime, followed by every jubilant blossom that awakens in summer, play their part to perfection. Each brilliant leaf dancing in autumn’s windswept ballet and every stoic oak tree that stands fast in winter’s fury contribute their own unique role. They know every line by heart. Rediscovering our place within this story will bring us back home.

We are all the gardeners of our own lives and every step of our journey plays an integral part in the process of growing. It is possible to move through the transitions of our lives with ease, in the same way that nature does not struggle or resist change. The adaptability of our planet is inspiring, with its power to recover readily and continue to grow. By aligning with her powerful example, we can cultivate a way to thrive even during the most difficult times.

There is a great deal of scientific evidence that points to human activity creating climatic change and major shifts in the ecology of our planet. Many are fearful that if we continue to poison the earth we will make it uninhabitable. I prefer to remain optimistic about the future. I am placing my bet on our ability to realign ourselves with nature and wake up to healthier systems of commerce, transportation and energy. The processes of nature contain many clues to the technologies that we seek. The earth has been functioning successfully for billions of years. It will continue to evolve, with us, or without us. This is a crossroads for humans, but not for the earth. We need to learn how to bring nature home, back into every aspect of our lives. I believe we can do this together, one garden at a time.

It would be wonderful if you and I could build an actual garden together. We could co-create a sanctuary for your spirit. A peaceful retreat from your everyday worries that would help you remember your vital connection with nature. I have helped hundreds of my clients find an enhanced sense of serenity once they experience this process of building and enjoying a garden. I wish that I could help you in the same way.

But even after all these years, I still haven’t figured out how to be in more than one place at once. For that reason, I have created this book to give you a sense of what it’s like to live with the fundamental understanding of the harmony to be found in nature. We can build a garden of imagination together. While journeying through these pages, I hope you will gain a new perspective and experience a place of serenity to come back and visit again and again. Traveling here, you will find that your life is a garden that continues to grow.

Finding The Seventh Season

It’s been my great fortune to spend most of my days outside during the last twenty years while working as a professional garden designer and coach. I have received the great benefit of experiencing, first hand, all that nature offers. It continues to be one of my greatest pleasures to help others achieve their own alignment with nature’s healing energy. Many times I have seen the difference living and learning from the lessons a garden can make in someone’s life. As my clients begin to focus on what is growing all around them, they see new growth in other areas of their lives and a positive shift in their overall point of view. This is why I wanted to write this book and share my method for cultivating a new way of looking at the landscape of our lives. Once we apply simple principles from nature to our individual circumstances, we can discover a new way to flourish.

My clients often ask me what gives me such a uniquely optimistic perspective. Although I have faced periods of extreme hardship in my life, those inevitable times of instability and turmoil, I have not run away. Even as a small child I always knew where to go to find relief. Certain that I couldn’t make some challenges disappear, I chose instead to look for something else I could appreciate. I discovered that I could go outside and watch clouds in the sky, pick leaves up off the ground, or look for something that was blooming to find a bit of serenity. Using this connection with nature as a source of fulfillment still works for me today, and it will also work for you.

The artistry of nature’s rhythms are a symphony for the soul. The beauty we witness in nature is a gateway to the supreme serenity, our true essence. Whatever we choose to call our spiritual source of comfort, there is certainly one materialized form of unbounded creativity we can all easily observe. The Earth is our most precious gift and a constant reminder of divine love. Somewhere, long ago, we may have forgotten this most essential relationship. The history of mankind is filled with disagreements and horrific battles in the name of our individual beliefs. Yet, the eloquence of nature is the one universal language we can all understand. Songs of peace are whispered in the wind. Lessons of courage are revealed to us in the mountains. Who among us cannot hear the lullaby sung as each ocean tide sweeps the shore? Within this beauty, each one of us can experience a source of enduring comfort and abiding peace. Here in the presence of nature we can discard our differences and dissolve our false sense of separation.

I can’t honestly say everything in my life has always been easy, and just like you, I’ve traveled rough roads. Sometimes I’ve even had to set up camp and live there. Even when life’s hardships made me feel as though I was completely stuck, there was one place that never stopped growing. After years of searching, I finally discovered a home in The Seventh Season. This enduring haven is available for each and everyone of us. I sincerely hope this book will become your trusted guide for finding a path to a lasting source of joy and your own prospering garden of inner peace.

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”  Frank Lloyd Wright

Always remember, goodness grows,

Heather