G is for Gardens and the Gates of Shambhala #AtoZChallenge

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the second week of the #Blogging from A to Z  April Challenge 2021. My theme this year is based on the Japanese concept of Ichigo Ichie which means--"What we are experiencing right now will never happen again. And therefore, we must value each moment like a beautiful treasure."

I've put together a collage of such moments which can be seen as chance occurrences, coincidences, pre-destined or random (depending on who you ask) for this month's challenge.

Thank you.

Arti

***

As a gardener, I can think of no better therapy than being one with the soil: the digging and the sowing, the tending and the growing can overcome anxiety and any and every stress. Gardening's healing powers, I feel, are especially effective in these uncertain times of enforced sequestering.

I've been watching episodes of 'Gardener's World' at night and spending every moment I can  in my garden this year.

In The Book of Ichigo Ichie, the authors illustrate the concept of now or never with the help of a  Tibetan legend called 'The Gates of  Shambhala'. In it, a hunter, while pursuing a deer in the snowy Himalayan peaks, comes upon a narrow opening just wide enough for one man to pass through. "On the other side of the opening was a fertile garden, bathed in sunlight... children played happily among trees laden with fruit.." Despite being awestruck by the sight, the hunter decides to go back to his tribe to share his discovery with them. He's warned that "the gates of Shambhala open only once in a lifetime." But, he leaves. He would keep looking for the 'other side' for the rest of his life.

As a gardener and a photographer, I can completely relate to this legend. 

Every day, the garden changes. 

A bloom that was thriving yesterday may be gone today.

Thankfully, the camera lets me capture these precious glimpses for posterity or for as long as my backed up cards and drives work so that I can look back at the 'gates' that had opened up for a few precious minutes and  revisit the magical world on the other side.

I photograph my garden regularly and am amazed at how different it looks every year, every month, even every day. A sudden dust storm or the cold northerly winds can change everything in a matter of hours.

I know it's cliché but I'll say it anyway: do stop and stare and pay attention to beauty all around you. It's transient like breath. Here now. Gone now.

Today, I invite you to peep into one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever visited. 

The day dawned clear and the sky shone blue on the 8th of June, 2019 when we drove out of Cape Town to visit this garden that lies "nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain".

"Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden was founded in 1913 to 'preserve the flora native to the South Africa's territory". According to Wikipedia, part of a hedge of wild almond and bramble planted in 1660 still exists in the gardens. You can find more about the garden here: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

(Source: Wikipedia)

An autumnal sky made the perfect backdrop for these crimson blooms.

Tree Aloe so vast, I'd call is Aloe-city.

Can you spot the thirsty sunbird?

They call it the tree canopy walkway. To me, it looks like promise of magic.

Heaven on Earth

Tree branches are antidotes to phone screen addiction. You'll miss out if you don't look up!

How can I resist these? One last shot--I promise.

It was time to leave the garden. 

I rubbed these rose-scented pelargonium leaves on my wrists so that I could  carry the scent of this garden with me, for the rest of the day at least.

Luckily, I have this fragrant plant growing in a pot at home. So, all I have to do is rub its leaves and like the proverbial magic lamp, its scent teleports me to a happy place.

Why Garden?

Whenever you feel sad or blue

step into a garden or two.

And if there isn't a garden near you

no worries

don't fret

sow a seed in a broken teacup

instead.

Place it on a sunny window sill

and let it show you 

how to be still

and deep.

Gardens are forests for the soul.

When bodies dwell in cities and concrete blocks,

our ancestral spirits and evolutionary codes

beg us to explore

a patch of green

any patch of green

even a geranium in a pot will do

so when you witness a seed spiral twirl, 

unfurl down and shoot up

or watch a bud uncurl,

stare in awe

for it'll be gone

soon.

******

What are your thoughts on the 'gates' that open only once? 

Do you have a favourite scent that teleports you to magic?

You know I'd love to hear, if you'd like to share.

This year, I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z  powered by theblogchatter.com