Episode 70: Sowing Seeds of Hope With Susan Demeter and Kiki Dombrowski

“Hope Has Green Leaves” WOMBO Dream art by Barbara Fisher 2021

Hope.

After two years of pandemic and the shadow of a possible World War hanging over us all, it seems that hope is in short supply.

But it doesn’t need to be that way. We can, each of us together, sow seeds of hope in our lives and the lives of others.

There was a time in my life when I was trapped in a desperate, abusive living situation with an infant daughter. I had no money of my own, an unhelpful family, and saw no viable way out of the hell that my life had become.

I lived in a ramshackle house that faced an alleyway with no yard. Only about 1 and a half feet of hardpacked dirt next to the curb. Even crabgrass and dandelions were hard pressed to grow there. So, I decided to do something about it.

My generally unhelpful family paid for humus, manure, seeds and plants, and let me borrow gardening tools. They took turns watching my baby while I went outside and dug out the disgusting dirt and gravel to a depth of about one and a half feet, and replaced it with good topsoil, humus and manure.

I then planted morning glory, nasturtium, sunflower, marigold, nigella and borage seeds, and culinary herb plants. Basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, sage, oregano and a lone climbing cherry tomato plant furnished the makings for delicious meals.

Plain poverty meals taste fit for a queen when you have fresh herbs to add to them.

The garden grew lush and strong, and every day I tended it, lavishing care and love on it. It gave me something to live for besides my daughter and cat, and it gave me hope for the future.

In the evenings, I’d sit on the porch swing and rock my baby to sleep, singing to her amid the flowers.

I found that it also gave others hope and happiness to see it. People walking home from work or out with their kids and dogs would stop and comment on how beautiful that tiny patch of lush greenery made the neighborhood. I ended up meeting neighbors and sending them home with sprigs of thyme or basil to add to their dinners. I wasn’t depressed and alone anymore. I had people to talk with, share stories and laughter with.

That’s when I realized that planting a garden means you believe in a better tomorrow. That you believe in a future beyond today where miracles happen before your eyes.

That’s when I realized that hope has green leaves.

So that’s what this episode is about—sowing hope in our lives and in other’s lives, and growing a better tomorrow.

As promised, I brought Susan and Kiki back to talk about the Vernal Equinox with me, so here we are. Topics covered this time around including the meaning of the season in a personal and magical sense, rituals of spring, creativity, gardening, writing, editing, dreams, UFO’s, lights in the sky, eggs, flowers, peace and hope.

You know, the usual.

It sounds like we go far afield from the topic of the Equinox, but we don’t really. All of it is relevant, and hopefully, inspirational.

That’s what we hope to do—inspire listeners to bring some of the energy of Spring into your lives and partake of the magic of the season.

Now, let me add some resources here that are mentioned in the episode.

Books:
They Live in the Sky by Trevor James Constable
The Cosmic Pulse of Life by Trevor James Constable
Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies by Carl Jung
Trinity: The Best Kept Secret by Jacques Vallee and Paola Harris
The Cosmic Witch by Susan Demeter
A Curious Future: A Handbook of Unusual Divination and Oracular Techniques by Kiki Dombrowski

Documentary:
Lights in the Sky by Krista Alexander

Relief Organizations for Ukraine:
World Central Kitchen
International Red Cross
UNICEF