How to Grow a Garden
lunar musings │ no. 03
And just like that, we find ourselves amidst the transition into Spring + the new moon in Aries.
The Five Element Theory of Chinese Medicine (오행) teaches that water generates wood generates fire.
The rain has been pouring hard in this part of Southern California, as if the Great Mother knows to tend to her seeds a little extra this year.
The deep warm underground is making its way upward, breathing new life into all of creation — guided by wood, brought forth by water, kindling the emerging Aries fire.
The plum tree behind my house is forming its first blossoms. And stubborn composted pumpkin seeds are making their way out through the thick layer of mulched soil I laid out this Fall, demonstrating the inevitability of Spring, and of growth.
My body has been responding to the seasonal shift with deep surrender.
The beauty of change, reflected in my body’s cycles, offers a tender reminder that I move within the cosmic dance. In the mornings I rise to the sun, a little slower when the rain rolls in. Nourish. Pray. Rest. Rest. Rest.
Full moons are a time of release, but new moons are for planting our intentions. The seeds we plant during this cycle will bloom throughout the year. As they say, Spring Equinox is a time of reharmonizing.
As an offering, below is a process guided by the elements that might be of support in the act of rebalancing.
As within, so without.
Let me show you how I’ve been tending to my inner garden. Or as I’d like to call it, a creative guide to emotional alchemy.
Mulch & fertilize the landscape — tending to the body as an altar practice.
Eat to your body’s unique constitution. Because I run cold, I primarily eat warm and fully cooked food with ample warming spices to stimulate my digestion.
Anonint the body. After every bath or shower, I apply nourishing oils on my skin, followed by a womb massage & full-body gua sha. Body oiling can offer deep support to the nervous system.
Wear breathable clothes that make you feel good. I like to opt for organic cotton whenever possible and avoid restricting undergarments.
Aerate your soil — BREATHE & clear
Deep belly breaths while lying down help your body remember that it’s safe. Noticing where your breath is centered (lungs vs belly) can be a helpful indicator of your current mental/emotional state.
Taking the time to walk outside can do wonders for your circadian rhythm, even better if you can watch the sun rise (more on that below).
Meditation is such a vital practice to clear out stagnation in the mind & etheric body. If seated/eyes-closed meditations feel activating or dysregulating, I’ve found that meditating in saltwater can help. I love sitting in a warm bath and connecting to Source while the sea salt clears up any overwhelming excess energies.
Lean on our more-than-human teachers, including herbs + flowers, or go straight to Source through the channel in your own heart.
Give yourself sunshine — tend to your inner fires.
Morning & mid-day dance breaks to your favorite music.
At least 30 minutes of daily movement to nourish your internal warmth, whether it’s qi gong, yoga, or a physical workout.
10 minutes of sunshine upon rising can help improve your sleep, brain cognition, and overall wellbeing.
For those of you who run warm, maybe an ice bath + raw foods to cool that hot, hot digestion. You will never see me taking a cold shower — it can mess with my digestion for a week!
For those like me who run cold, I might recommend leaning on hot drinks + warming foods + moxabustion.
Water your body’s soil — feel your feelings.
Our emotions and intuition are the waters of our internal landscape. Find a daily practice of checking in with yourself, whether that's through journaling, meditation, or therapeutic care.
If you notice a feeling inside of you that you can’t quite understand, try to spend some time with it. Befriend it, rather than trying to get rid of it. Safety facilitates clarity.
Drink filtered, alive water to nourish your vessel.
Above are just a few ways that I cultivate my inner garden.
I can’t tell you how often I tend to overemphasize the physical and lose touch with the energetic, or spend so much time in the etheric that my physical body starts to feel neglected. On both counts, the connection to our Higher Selves is so much stronger when we can root into the harmonized practice of seeing ourselves in our wholeness and move from that place of nondual awareness.
The things I’ve found most important to my practice are: cultivating feelings of safety, practicing loving discipline, and being gentle to myself when I stray from my rituals.
I pray that all of us can access the abundant, harmonizing energy of this Spring Equinox.
With eternal love,
Ruby ཐིཋྀ‧₊
What a beautiful post! Your writing makes me swoon and feel so light 💕