Life and Spirituality

Spinach mixed with Balsam flowers growing against a  boundary wall in author's home A n earlier post had described that if one had space indoors and light through windows then it is a lovely idea to grow herbs and other things indoors in pots. However, if the season is right and you have some space to garden outdoors then mixing in leafy vegetables like spinach, celery, goosefoot, lettuce etc. is a wonderful idea in flower beds. They look wonderful as shown in the picture from my garden. It shows spinach growing in with balsam flowers in a small strip against a boundary wall. Then one can go on to add small fruit trees and berry bushes in the garden too. Just a bit of a lemon tree is visible on the right of the picture. One may also include herbal bushes like basil, sage and curry leaf in the garden. I have several in mine. When there are edible things growing around the garden, then one can make any meal delightful by adding some fresh organic green things picked ri...

S ome earlier posts have mentioned that while times of peace and happiness in life are times to enjoy and appreciate life, hard times are for learning; that is when a soul may evolve most if the message is handled properly. It is lesson time at school and the students who pay attention to the teacher, in this case, Father Universe go on to excel in life. However, that is not the only way to evolve. Knowledge and wisdom may also be attained in  quiet communion with nature. That is how many saints have begun going on to deeper practices involving seclusion, renunciation and meditation. It can also be found through compassionate service to poor, children and other vulnerable life. Dear friends do spend some time alone in natural surroundings and experience the results for your self.  It is the most joyous way available for humans to evolve. If you are an urban person and have some space for a garden then one can develop natural green spots there too for a daily expos...

Outside my home just near the gate was a bougainvillea bush that produced lovely red flowers with little maintenance. However, with time, especially this monsoon it became so huge and massive that it was blocking sunlight into the garden. Fortunately Hari a village lad who comes to work in the city every now and then and gets a room from me in return for some help in the garden was around. Therefore today morning I asked him to work on clearing away the thicket down to just a couple of feet from the ground. It was a massive exercise especially because the bush has nasty thorns and it required a whole day and I had to ask Hari to stay for the day in return for a day’s wages, about three hundred rupees (six dollars). We have just finished clearing the thicket and the result was pleasant as shown in the photo. The picture has Hari in it. Lot of birds used to rest on it in the evening but they have just moved to an adjacent tree. Fortunately there were no nests in the thicket. Howeve...