I’ve always been a big fan of autumn, both for the weather around that time of year and for the holiday fun of it. Pumpkins in different shapes and dimensions from conventional to fairy tale varieties are familiar, even shall we say hallmarks of the season. So, when I started gardening, it’s no surprise that this autumn icon became a staple of my spring planting and with good results. That is, until this year.
Pumpkins are easy to grow directly from seeds. They sprout relatively quickly into vines which become rather hardy, with large bright yellow flowers and curling tendrils that help them meander their way around the garden. I noticed that the male flowers always appear first followed by the later blooming females with their tell-tale baby bumps at the base of the flower. The wildflowers surrounding my raised garden beds attract the bees and butterflies who help turn those bumps into the familiar orange fruit.
Such was the process for a few successful harvests, but this time around something wasn’t quite right. The boys showed up as usual, but the girls seemed reluctant to appear. I didn’t know why, but since I was just beginning to make journeys to the spirit world, I decided this would be a good question to take to the devas of this particular crop of pumpkin plants.
So, I did.
After prepping myself for such a journey and setting my intention, I trudged figuratively through the garden soil to where the spirits were busy doing their work. The first thing I heard was a definite “thank you” which I came to realize was them thanking me for doing the planting part in the first place. This surprised me since I though I was supposed to be the one who approached them with gratitude! Such an unexpected turn of events was my assurance that I was indeed in the presence of hidden but sentient beings.
So, I posed the query that brought me into their domain. What’s the holdup and what could I do to help move the growth process forward? These beings presented with a male energy, and they led me to a kind of botanical “labor room” where the girls were having some problems giving birth. It had rained pretty heavily the night before, so I knew it wasn’t a watering issue, but they told me that they needed food.
I knew this, but hadn’t gotten around to fertilizing, so I assured them that this would be taken care of very soon. They also told me there was a matter of “boundaries.” We live in a tight knit community with small yards surrounded on three sides by a wooden fence. Apparently, pumpkin vines don’t like restrictions any more than people do! I told them there wasn’t much I could do about the fence, but I would take measures to remove other plants that might be inhibiting their chosen direction.
After this exchange, I felt I got my answer. As I was ready to leave this underground dwelling, they had one more very important thing to tell me. The medicine surrounding these plants they said, was in the smiles on the faces of those I give the pumpkins to.
This is so true! Everyone appreciates such a gift, especially when it’s something you made or in this case, grew yourself. It was my turn to thank them, so I did, returned to my world and made it a point the next day to do what I promised.
I’m glad to report that shortly thereafter the baby pumpkins started appearing and growing rapidly.
I ended up with a harvest of three. There would have been at least three more, but the local critters got hungry, and I found remnants of half-eaten baby pumpkins torn from the vines.
Allow me to give you here what I proudly but humbly call my little pumpkin family. They may not be like the perfectly formed versions you find in the stores, but I feel like I know them and their botanical spirits as friends and allies.
Let me know if this brings a smile to your face…
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