(The picture above is my house in Springfield last week. The snow was about a foot deep in Massachusetts back in 1994 when I wrote this…)
Number 16 of the I Ching
To be a Master Gardener
Confined and under the weather, weariness sets in. The dead of winter. Everything is covered.
Snow several feet deep. Hibernation. Waiting, waiting, waiting with listless passion. All things waiting for Spring.
As the spirit is in its deepest despair, yang ebbs into nothingness and yin springs forward. The ice melts and the crocus begin to bloom as the mother robin appears, harbinger of Spring.
Casting away the cobwebs. Shunning aside shackles of mind and body it’s time to find our gardens again. Blinded by the sun in your mind’s eye you begin by sorting through implements reluctantly put away last autumn. Sorting through seeds and preparing small plants the task begins in earnest.
Arise early, refreshed finding yourself in the garden soon to be basking in the midday sun. Do not delay showing only diligence and respect for nature.
Plant wisdom and know the freedom to choose. Plant clarity and soon understanding comes to the surface. Plant harmony and be at peace with the fruits of your labor. Startled from sleep still listless, you are dreaming. A look out the window confirms. The snow is still several feet deep, but your passion is beginning to return.
An original composition and interpretation of the Chinese Classic the I Ching (16 WEARINESS / Thunder over Earth). 2/12/94
The mission of the Missouri Extension Master Gardener program is “helping others learn to grow.” The Master Gardener program provides in-depth horticultural training to individuals throughout Missouri who then volunteer their time applying what they have learned to help others in their communities to learn about gardening and environmental education.
The Extension Master Gardener program promotes and raises public awareness of the University of Missouri Extension as a source of unbiased, research-based gardening information. Through activities such as MU Extension hotlines or answer services, workshops, speaker’s bureaus, garden show booths, and demonstration projects, Extension Master Gardeners provide gardening information to thousands of Missourians each year.
To become trained as a Master Gardener, an individual must complete a 30-hour core training course. Core training is offered both in person and online. Then the Extension Master Gardener trainee is required to give 30 hours of volunteer service back to the community in approved MU Extension activities.
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