Working for the Whole – Day 14

How things are happening! This morning we woke up to a sunny day here in Atenas, Costa Rica. We are actually in rainy season and the past couple of days have been overcast so seeing the Sun and the blue sky this morning is amazing. We prepared breakfast with Elke. I did the fruit smoothie which included ginger and Spirulina and Elke prepared tortillas con queso with avocado which we ate with spicy sauce to turn on the heat! We sat outside to enjoy the bright Sun.

Before breakfast I took a walk through the garden and saw a lot of things happening. We have a bunch of leaf cutter ant colonies and the ants where working away rebuilding their tunnels and their interface with the surface mounds. These creatures have one of the greatest work ethics I have ever seen. They work in the mornings rebuilding their houses and in the evening and night they travel huge distances to pick up food and feed their colony. They do not only work for themselves but for their ecosystem, which by the way, we are part of as well. For example, there is a bunch of fruit that fell on to our drive way, from our manzana de agua tree, and the ants are working every night to pick up pieces of those fruit and take them into their house for food, and as a side effect they are cleaning up our drive way. We are not having to do any of the work. It is amazing! From what I read, they do a lot of this kind of work. They cut or trim plants that are not in their best health and turn them into nutrients inside the earth. Some call them earth destroyers but I call them Earth healers. If you see leaf cutter ants it’s because your earth or your ecosystem needs some healing.

A funny story regarding perspectives and the ants, is that last year my wonderful neighbor noticed that the leaf cutter ants were cutting down one of our bushes. Keep in mind that she is a really nice lady and really cares about me and our garden. She would never intend any harm. Quite the opposite, she is always looking to help out. She said, "you have an ant problem, they are eating up your garden! You need to poison them", I told her "what you are saying is partially true, the ants are eating my garden yes but it's ok." A couple of days later she came back again and said, "how are your ants?" and I told her, "I think they are gone." She said, "yes I put a little substance in their path and they picked it up and took it into their house to poison the colony." She was happy to eradicate the problem. I was sad for a second but I knew the ants would come back because the garden still needed healing. The Mother Earth is wise. No matter if we know it or not. We have to work with it.

With the rainy season here, everything is starting to grow again. I am noticing that some plants that we planted last year are starting to grow again, for example, there are Turmeric plants that are popping up and there is a Tiquisque, which is another bulb that is also re sprouting. It is a magical time. Everything is transforming so quickly and we get to see it happen. Again, Mother Earth's alchemy to its finest.

Our gardens are teachers, they show us some of the deepest values of existence. Go outside, take a look at what is happening and let it sink in. The more days you observe the more you start learning the patterns.

Earth Healer

Earth Healers Building the Hole in the Early Morning