There’s something beautiful about gardening. It seems to give life, not only to the plants, but to the gardener as well.

Recently, while spending a little time in my own new garden, I felt like the seedlings I was about to put into the ground were tiny babies in my care.

I was a little surprised when I caught myself caring for “plant babies” and not being as gentle as I felt I should be.

That got me thinking—what else have I not been gentle enough with? Myself perhaps? Qualities within myself that I want to cultivate? Inanimate objects or perhaps even people around me?

My questioning led me to recall a lesson that’s becoming more and more familiar—as I  consciously take steps to experience greater levels of self empowerment, it is hugely important to respond to an increasing awareness of my inner strength—the presence of the Divine within me—with the “right” kind of attitude.

Indeed, we do have responses to our experiences when we consider ourselves to be on a spiritual path. That applies to just about anyone on any path.

My Kundalini Yoga teacher, Sri Vasudeva, often speaks of the natural human tendency to be overly aggressive as sometimes being linked to imbalances or blockages related to specific chakras such as Ajna or Muladhara.

I have found, from my own practice of Kundalini Yoga, that chakras have everything to do with how I behave—even in relation to a plant.

Whatever the reason for my momentary lapse in awareness when handling the seedling that day, the moments of awakening—when I realized I wasn’t being as gentle as I could be—created the required shift in my awareness.

I believe those shifts in my awareness will lead to a general change in the way I relate over time.

It’s a nice reminder that being powerful (or feeling empowered) doesn’t have to mean being more aggressive, winning with power plays or measuring success by the number of things I have acquired.

Society tends to think “powerful” has to look like arrogance or having the ability to manipulate other people or situations with aggression or physical strength. When we’ve been bombarded with those ideas, they have a way of seeping into our minds.

So my question is—can “powerful” mean being meek in mannerism, gentle and smart enough to know when to use either the gentle power or the seemingly more aggressive kind?

I think it can.

My life has taught me (and I continue to believe) that being powerful can also mean being able to turn the other cheek (even when it hurts like hell)—allowing someone else to win for the sheer joy of watching their joy, or allowing someone else to have something I would have liked to have, simply for the joy that sharing gives me.

I’m still learning that being powerful can also mean being gentle with myself and those around me—even in those times when one of us appears to be behaving “badly.”

Relephant:

20 Ways to Connect to the Present Moment.

Author: Devi Sawh

Volunteer Editor: Brandie Smith/Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

Photo: Courtesy of the author.