Understanding how our treatment of plants reflects our inner state, and how examining plants becomes examining ourselves.
Hodja's tradition teaches that the world is arranged to show us ourselves if we look with humor and honesty. Your garden becomes a living mirror: neglected plants reveal where you've abandoned yourself, over-controlled gardens show anxiety about chaos, rigid arrangements expose fear of wildness. The examined relationship with plants deepens when you see your reflections in their growth patterns. Do you demand perfection? Your plants will show you the futility of that demand. Do you forget them regularly? Perhaps you're learning something about the limits of responsibility. Rather than shame, Hodja offers playful recognition: your garden isn't failing; it's teaching. By observing plants without judgment—noting what thrives when you're absent, what dies when you're obsessed—you examine not just botany but your own patterns of attachment, control, and care. The garden becomes a meditation practice where every brown leaf poses a question: What is this showing me about myself?
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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