Compassionate Nature
Living in Natures’ Love taps into relationships between plants, minerals and the elements for fun, healing, companionship and mutual support. The focus is upon deepening a connection with nature through slowing down to listen and reflect and expand creatively with nature. Nature is a resource and a nurturer. One can find wholeness, support and empowerment through their alignment with nature.
Living in Natures’ Love explores Nature as Nurturer using reflection in the areas of :
- Backyard Foraging
- Co-creating with Nature: Flower Essences, Flower Jellies, Tinctures, Infused Oil, Infused Flower, Plant & Root Vinegar, Infused Waters, Teas, Kombucha and more!
- Language of Elements
The elements of fire, earth, metal, water, wood symbolize and represent balance in lifestyles using colors, shapes, felt sensations and connecting to the qualities. One is dependent on all these elements for a health and well-being.
Plants represent life, beauty, health, well-being and nourishment. One is dependent on plants for health and wellbeing.
Minerals represent support, ease, beauty and currency. One is dependent on minerals for health, well-being and abundance.
These are areas in ones life that represent meaning and balance.
About Renee Lindstrom, GCFP
Renee has been gardening in the Greater Victoria area on Vancouver Island since 1991 with a focus of growing edible and medicinal herbs. In 1994 she began foraging for seeds, leaves and flowers in addition to gardening and making home-made soaps, teas, infusions. After having babies, her interest expanded to include organically grown food, and together with her partner, opened an organic wholesale dried food company that included flours, rices, beans, spices, etc.
Below is a list of garden plants that she has had in her various gardens and foraged in the Greater Victoria area to use as a source of food, for tea and medicinal remedies, or in creating oils, hair and skin products.
The three areas in the Greater Victoria Communities she has gardened are: James Bay, Oak Bay & Oakland’s. In James Bay her gardening were the seeds to transforming a community, while in Oak Bay the focus was on healing and sustainability and in Oakland’s what began as relocating some treasured plants became a study and integration of the plants growing in the immediate surroundings.
The overall 27 year Greater Victoria gardening experience reflects the pathway of a centering pathway she uses to support inner-connection and mindfulness, the Labyrinth. In a Labyrinth you are guided to walk spiraling inward to a center point from which you then walk out renewed with a deepened connection to life! Gardening is a similar in that it is a transitional journey inward to a deeper connection with nature.
Learning about the qualities of each plant outside her door has led to a transition from the job of landscaping and tasks of gardening to being apart of the garden, co-creating and listening to the sounds and senses of nature itself. Slowly transitioning health and body care products from the landscape to ones that she can ingest as a food source or drink as a flavoured water or tea, no longer buying soaps, toothpaste, creams and shampoo. Doing so is an investment in nature with a deeper a deeper respect and appreciation. In her opinion it is a new form of activism – inner activism, from the inside out balancing, nature, body and mind!
Enjoy this list and remember that plants can be used as focus points for balance and inspiration for your personal healing garden, your relationship garden or your community gardens!
Copyright 2014 – 2018 Living in Nature’s Love by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement since 2000