April

Clearing Space

Reflecting back on April, I find myself contemplating psychic detritus—all the mental and emotional clutter we carry that no longer serves us. Old interpretations, outdated beliefs, defensive reactions, heavy thought patterns. Like overgrown weeds, this detritus takes up space and prevents new growth. Spring gardening teaches us that clearing away what's dead or spent isn't just maintenance. It's essential for what wants to emerge.

Years ago, when I first began gardening, I inherited a yard that was overgrown in some areas and barren in others. Beneath the surface lay hundreds of cement pavers, rocks, and chunks of concrete that needed to be unearthed, moved, and hauled away. It was hard, unglamorous work—months of clearing before I could even think about planting.

At the same time, I was deep in dissertation research and writing about our innate connection with nature. As I spent my days researching and writing, then my evenings and weekends tending to the external world of my garden, something remarkable happened. I began to see the parallel and feel the change. Just as I was unearthing and clearing old, dead, heavy stuff from my yard, I realized how much internal unearthing and clearing was needed—old beliefs and interpretations that were no longer serving me, that were actually contributing to certain feelings and behaviors I wanted to shift.

As things were cleared and began to grow in the garden, I witnessed things clearing and growing in me. The external work became a mirror for internal transformation. This is ecotherapy at its essence — nature teaching us about ourselves, showing us what we can't always see directly.

I still do this work every spring. Deadheading spent blooms so the plant can put its energy into new growth. Pulling invasive plants before they choke out what I've intentionally cultivated. Clearing debris that accumulated over winter. Each time I do this physical work, I ask myself: What psychic detritus am I carrying? What old interpretations or reactions need to be cleared away? What's taking up valuable space that could nourish something new? We can do this every day.

The practice is discernment—knowing what needs releasing versus what needs tending. Not everything that looks dead is actually finished. Sometimes what appears dormant is just gathering strength. But when something truly is spent—when a belief, pattern, or interpretation has served its purpose—leaving it in place only prevents what's trying to emerge.

This Month’s Oracle - from the Nature's Whispers Oracle deck.

This month’s message from the universe: New Experiences & Possibilities

"Look around in nature. Notice the new beginnings, new experiences, and new choices being shown to you. They will only be evident to you if you take the time to look for these subtle messages. You are on the first steps along a new path. You are being offered a blank page—what are the first words you would like to write on it? Your possibilities are endless. You are in complete control of your life. This is a new beginning on your journey. Live in the present and trust in your own abilities. Plant your seeds and willingly venture into new territory." How appropriate!

Brief Updates

I'm excited to offer Nature-Based Coaching sessions again—75-minute sessions available in-person or virtually. There's something powerful about working in nature's presence, whether we're walking together outdoors or bringing the natural world into our virtual space.

Closing Reflection

April has been a month of clearing—in my garden and in myself. Each time I pull a weed or deadhead a spent bloom, I'm reminded that growth requires making space. We can't plant new seeds in soil that's choked with debris. We can't write on a page that's already full

What psychic detritus are you carrying that's ready to be cleared? What old interpretations or beliefs are taking up space that could nourish new growth? What would become possible if you created a blank page?

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau