Australia’s the warmest place in the world, and there was every chance of reaching it before bedtime. It needed a few more diggers and another couple of spades. So I phoned Kevin and told him the plan. He was big, strong and kept spare spades in the shed for emergencies. He didn’t have a torch, but it’d be daytime where we were going.

I assembled the gang and told them the plan. They were impressed, but there was a brief argument as to who would go down the hole first. It would have to be me, but I wasn’t very assertive. I resorted to dirty tactics.

“It’s my garden, my hole, I’m first.”

That settled it.

We worked in shifts and soon Tim’s head disappeared. That meant we were really deep and it shouldn’t be long before we heard Australian voices. Boy, were they going to be surprised!
There was a ‘clang’. Metal hit metal. A startled head appeared from the hole. “I think we’ve hit something” it said.

Could be the bottom of an Australian car, a boat or even a rocket. “Better be quiet - shhhhhh.”
Another couple of clangs and we knew a second World War bomb was blocking our path to Australia. We found an axe in the shed and gave the bomb a good beating. It wouldn’t go off.

“It’s my turn to make it go off.”

“No it’s not, it’s mine!”

Darn thing wouldn’t explode, so we scraped the dirt back to look for the button. Every bomb has a button in case it doesn’t go off and has to be detonated by hand. Everyone knows that.
Parents always butt in when you’re having the most fun.

“What are you lot doing, come and wash your hands, dinner’s ready”

“We’re just setting the bomb off mum, I’ll wash my hands in a minute.”

Everything happened quickly. There were sirens, cars, people in uniforms and lots of orange tape. We were moved a long way from our bomb and it was clear we had competition. That was the trouble with being small. Just when you found something really fun to play someone bigger came along and took it away.

So we sat on the step of a shop and ate chocolate. We saved a bit for when the bomb went off and opened up the hole to Australia. We’d offer it around as a sign of friendship, chocolate being an international language.

They were taking a long time setting the bomb off, and as it had been hissing aggressively when we got dragged away it shouldn’t be taking this long.

We snuck around the back of the houses, behind the policeman talking to an angry gardener, climbed over the fence into the garden and hid behind a bush. Water was spurting all over the place. We must have missed Australia and hit the ocean instead.

Blame got passed around until it fell on me, but I reckoned this so called ‘disaster’ could be an unexpected bonus. We got a bit closer to check if any sharks were floating through the hole, as sharks were pretty cool and no other kid had one. With all this water pumping into the garden we’d have a pond to put it in. Maybe a lake, or even the whole ocean.

A big red face appeared around the bush.

The water pipe, the face said, is very important. The big red face spoke earnestly about bursting local council property and a cold Sunday dinner waiting for him at home. There was a ‘cross missus’ in there too, whatever one of those was, and a whole sentence that ended with ‘pesky kids’ but that didn’t make sense either. All we wanted to do was get to Australia and warm up.

I had a very early night. All my friends went home and the big red face went off with the policemen, muttering.

I stared at the ceiling. This must be what they call Deep Thought.
There must be other ways of getting Down Under.

There are of course, but it was several years before I got on a plane and flew here. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, and the trip, although exciting, wasn’t nearly as much fun.

Digging a hole here through the centre of the earth is the way to go. We’d have made it too; if it hadn’t been for that bomb they called a water pipe.

How many of you have a garden in your backyard where you grow your favorite vegetables. You plant them from seeds or seedlings and give them everything they need in order to grow and thrive. You water, fertilize and provide adequate sun. After several months they grow to be big and strong. You run out to pick them daily as they ripen and think to your self. ” I grew these and they taste so good.”

What happens though if you plant your vegetables and forget about them? WEEDS! That’s right your garden now begins to become overtaken by nasty weeds and other plants you have no idea what they may be. Your precious vegetables start to have problems thriving and eventually die or produce fruit you have no desire to eat.

Your garden is like your mind. When you are a child you are given the proper care and nurturing by you parents to give you good habits, a good education and the tools you need to succeed and grow up strong and confident.

What happens along the way is kind of sad. You are exposed to weeds. Just like your garden. Bad influences in your life sometimes become planted in your mind if you can not fight them off. Things such as smoking, nail biting, procrastination, having a bad temper, being lazy, using drugs or being overweight. Theses are only a few of the many habits or should we say weeds, which your mind is susceptible too.

With all these negative influences one might think that there in no chance of changing habits or negative behavior. Well, This is not the case. The mind is a very strong. In fact what you say and think about yourself does come true. If you believe that you want to change your mind will follow. Once your subconscious is reprogrammed the negative things or weeds will be replaced with p Like your garden your mind can grow weeds too! Positive thoughts and behaviors. The unconscious labels we have created for ourselves are changed releasing us from our old behavior patterns or habits. As we remove the old labels new positive ones are created leaving us feeling better about ourselves and what we have accomplished.

Just like the happy, joyful feeling you have while eating the big juicy red tomato from your garden, which you worked so hard on. You will feel ecstatic and excited that you changed the behaviors you disliked about yourself. That feeling can not be matched by any other, The feeling that you are in control.

Many times we get lost or caught up in the minutia of life—the push and pull, the yin and yang—with a negative outcome, feeling stressed or rushed with little control, no power and no peace.

Sometimes the minutia of life is more turbulent and thorny than others, however, we can be in control—it is a matter of choice. Remember that feelings follow thoughts. What are you saying to yourself about what you are experiencing? We create what we experience with every thought.

You can choose serenity and feel the delightful pleasure of peace flowing through you like a gentle breeze. If you are still and quiet you will come to a place where you feel safe. You can use this place of safety to create and imagine the limitless possibilities of your experiences.

As the gardener, you can choose which thoughts need to be weeded out and which thoughts you want to stay which will nurture the inner beauty of your mind. As the gardener of your mind you have the responsibility of choosing to weed out the thoughts that can wreck havoc and chaos to your inner and outer experience. If you plant and nurture negative thoughts, they will grow bigger and bigger. Before you realize it your garden is overgrown with weeds that strangle the lovely flowers that were your birthright. If you plant and nurture positive thoughts, they will grow bigger and bigger. What do you want in your garden?

Pay attention to which thoughts you put in your mental garden as you awaken each day. Listen. Listen. Listen carefully. Do you hear yourself bemoan having to get up, go to work or simply get out of bed? Do you say things like–I am having a bad day–and it is only 8:05 a.m.? It isn’t a bad day if it is only 8:05 a.m.–so avoid creating a bad day by what you have experienced so far. You can shake off the traffic, and other negative experiences and create a good day. Do you have pitty parties with your friends or in your head? Do you run all of yesterday’s travail over and over in your mind? Are you focused on thoughts of resentment toward anyone or anything, or are you focused on thoughts which will create a day of magnificence?

You create your reality through your thoughts.

Tune into your mental garden and nurture the positive thoughts and tune out the negative thoughts. Nurture your mental garden with thoughts of love, joy and peace. Breathe in deeply and allow the oxygen to flow through your body. Fill your mental garden with hope and happiness. Keep your mind tuned to endless possibilities. You will be surprised to notice your life on the inside creates your life on the outside.

You have all the gardening tools you need to tend and nurture your mental garden. Remember feelings follow thoughts. Your thoughts are a choice—choose wisely.

What is mind?

When looking at the mind and what has been called the right side and left side of the brain, or the conscious and subconscious mind… Reasoning mind and unable to reason mind. The mind is similar to that of a garden and a gardener packaged in one.

The Gardner is the conscious mind that can reason and make decisions. As any gardener, they can go to the local garden store and pick up certain seeds. The gardener consciously chooses different seeds that they want to plant into the garden. Being that the gardener, (conscious mind) can make choices of which seeds he or she plants is going to plant in the garden, the garden, (subconscious mind) simply bears the fruit of the seeds planted. The gardener has complete control over the garden in that the gardener is capable of thought, will, and perception and makes a deliberate choice of the seeds they are going to plant.

The garden is the subconscious mind. Like all gardens, it can only produce that of which has been planted. The garden does not have any ability to reason or choose. If a seed of corn is planted in the garden by the gardener, then corn will grow. It’s not possible to plant a seed of corn and have it sprout up as a watermelon. Likewise, if the conscious mind, (gardener) chooses to plant seeds of fear, malice, and hostility… we know what we can expect? What goes in, is what comes out…PERIOD. The choice is only that of the gardener.

It’s in the process of growth as a child; children rely much on the parents for those seeds. The parents of the child are the dominant, conscious mind of the child and make choices as to which seeds they are going to plant in that child’s garden. Seeds of animosity and hate are going to produce just that. It’s impossible to plant seeds of hate in a garden and expect love to grow. It’s not natural. The process continues until the child is of the age where they can start taking on the responsibility of being the gardener. They start to choose and make conscious decisions as to what they put into their mind, based much on which is already growing. Their choices are limited by what’s already been planted until they reach the level of complete control over their thoughts and become the gardener, (many never reach this stage). A child is born into this world with absolutely no original sin or knowing of such. The child’s mind is like a fresh new garden and it’s the responsibility of the parents and family members to cultivate and plant good seeds so they don’t grow up to be a complete mess, (weed garden).

In raising two children myself, I didn’t realize this rather simple analogy of mind. It’s a garden… simple as that. It’s a computer and what goes in is what comes out. I’m sure we’ve all heard the term, “crap goes in, crap is going to come out”, or “If we keep doing the same things as we have done, then we are going to keep getting the same results.”

As a webmaster and consultant, I know that I, as the conscious mind, sitting in front of the computer can make decisions as to the input via the keyboard. The computer, like the garden and the subconscious mind will accept the input without reason. It’s the acceptance of the input that cannot be controlled. You can only control the input. The result is only going to be that of which has been entered.

So, when raising children and being the caretaker of your own garden, we must be fully aware of the seeds we are planting. This isn’t understood today, it’s never been understood. Parents aren’t communicating the right things with their children because the parents don’t understand this themselves. Many of the adults in the world today have gardens of mush with all kinds of weeds and seeds of hate and despair, not realizing that only they can change it. As the gardener, the conscious adult can start pulling weeds and start to re-cultivate fertile ground and begin to plant those new seeds. Sure, it’s much more difficult now that you have a garden that has been taken over by weeds. The only way to change this, is you, as the gardener has to start taking care of your garden. The hard work of weed pulling and planting of new seed takes conscious effort and decision making along with persistence and hard work… Not to mention the pain that goes along with this change.

Change is inevitable. Parents, it’s time to start making those changes within so we can change what is being planted in the minds of our children which will, in effect, change the way they communicate with their children. In order to do that we have to first look at our own garden and start the serious and painful task of pulling weeds and changing our conscious thought patterns and making better decisions. After looking in that mirror and seeing our reflection, and making the conscious decision to go through the pain of change, then and only then, will we be able to provide an environment for the people around us to change and grow and effect generations to come.

When we start getting rid of the weeds and planting new seeds is when we will start to see the rewards of our conscious effort and hard work in the harvest. We are the harvest. The funny thing is, that when we change (often very painful), our circumstances change. When we start to cultivate fertile ground, our circumstances and our environment changes, and we gain control over the effectiveness we have. We also see that our actions and reactions change based on the seeds we have planted in our minds and people will react to us differently than before. We’ll be building that light. That light, not only attractive, will inspire others to change.

In essence… you reap what you sow.

To make any changes in this battered and beaten world of people who don’t understand the science of man and mind, we must first start at home. Lock the door and listen to that still, inner voice crying from within that wants to produce a wonderful and abundant garden of joy, peace and love. Start making better decisions on what we watch and what kind of music we listen to, and who it is we are spending the most time with. Start paying close attention to the type of seeds we’re planting in the innocent minds of our children, so they may be an abundant harvest of joy and peace. So our children can be a light in a world where darkness has overcome.

How can we build a city unless we first build the man?

What kind of seeds are you planting in the mind of your child? What is the effect of the seeds you have sown? When is mankind going to understand the essence of existence and discontinue the journey of death and despair that we are currently on?

I remember about twenty years ago, making a major over-haul in my life. I had taken on my first real job as a substance abuse counselor. Somewhere into my second month on the job, I began to feel like a hypocrite. Here I was asking my clients to make major changes in their alcohol and other drug use and I was still getting drunk myself and very involved in the bar scene. It began to leave a funny taste in my mouth.

When I get an idea in my head, there are usually no half measures. I go for the gold! So, abruptly, I quit. No more drinking. No more partying out in the bars. Done. I cut off most of my “friends” who were trying to pull me back into the bar scene. Thanks, but no thanks. I began to head in a new direction.

You are what you surround yourself with. The people, the thoughts, ideas, the dreams or lack there-of…

Back then, life was superficial, sprinkled with artifice and intoxicating substances, no real care for others or self. I thought that I was having fun. I thought that I was living an exciting life.

I would wake up in the mornings scanning my memory banks to see if there was any dark or destructive thing that I had done or said the night before. Relief when I found nothing. A sinking feeling when I did.

I felt like I had layers and layers of junk piled up on top of me. Dark secrets. Lies. Cover-ups. Unresolved issues. Apologies unspoken. Pretense. Most of which I kept hidden from view so I did not have to deal with it or feel guilty about it, but it was a weight that was attached to me nonetheless.

Many years later, I have covered a lot of ground with self-help, twelve-step work, therapy, workshops, spiritual readings and practices.

There is work to be done when you move from the low road to the high road.

All those layers of junk are laying there waiting for you to clean it up. It will not just disappear on it’s own. You have to make that happen.

It is like cleaning house. I hate the prospect of having to do it. I put it off and then, one day, I look around and I cannot stand the dust and mess anymore. I decide to tackle the job. I get out my supplies and I start. Once you begin and take action, you are on the road. Commit yourself to the deed. Do something to get going and engage yourself in the process.

Once I begin, I do not stop until the job is complete. I do not want half of a clean house. That other dirty half will tug at me, until I do the work to get it clean. Similarly, my consciousness tugs at me with reminders until I get moving again, if I even dare to abandon the task.

Once you start living a life that feels more real, honest, genuine, authentic… you get so engaged and rewarded by your new discoveries and creations, that you stop at nothing to stay on this track.

I feel like I am on the sidelines of my own life, my awareness, my consciousness… duster and vacuum cleaner in hand… ready to pounce on anything that is out of integrity or alignment with what I want to create. A negative thought, apathy, judgment, criticism, self-deception, pretense…

You have to get to be a vigilant watch-dog over your own mind. Observe where your attention wants to go. Master how to manage it and direct it where you prefer, or it will manage you! You may or may not like the garden that you end up in.

It is a blessing to do spiritual work and this journey with companions who are willing to love and support you through the highs and the lows. It is a joy to be able to offer the same with care, compassion and love. I am one of several thousand licensed Avatar Masters who are ready, willing and able to support you every step of the way of your journey.
When you are ready to get real and create the kind of garden that you dream about, the Avatar Course is your next step.