WHY RISING GARDENS ?
Gardens remind us of our enduring connection to life , to each other and to Earth , which compels us to do everything in our power to protect and nurture life and all that is sacred without doing harm . The cultivation of plant life is also a means for survival . Growing food in a garden organically – be it your own indoor garden or a community garden – allows you to feed yourself and your community . It provides autonomy and underscores the need for food security in a world where so many are denied these essential resources . The UN World Food Programme ( WFP ) reported in April that the coronavirus pandemic could double the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity this year to around 265 million globally .
Maintaining a garden is an act of resistance because it does the opposite of what the capitalist machinery does – it connects people and communities with the Earth . To grow one ’ s own food , to grow beauty and life – is revolutionary in this age of ecological , environmental , societal , spiritual collapse . To put our energies , our creativity , our hearts into everything that can grow and sustain all forms of life when the current world order is bent on destruction is a radical political act . The existence and persistence of community gardens in food deserts and low-income neighborhoods is a testament to the resilience of the Black and Brown communities who cultivate them .
Tending to a garden , like nurturing our own communities , requires patience , creativity , love , care , attentiveness , presence , diligence , mindfulness and commitment . Gardening centralizes growing and giving , it is not about taking or acquiring .
To care for a garden – to nurture it to bloom and grow – deepens our relationship to Mother Earth . Gardens place us firmly and deeply in the art of honoring life , becoming artistic beds of Creative Resistance .
Gardens are sacred spaces that engage and awaken our senses , make us believe in wonder , beauty and connection to all living beings . Like theatre , they are a place of play and of transformation – where we can celebrate and contribute to life .
Rising Gardens are a defiant creative call for revival , restoration and transformation . They are , in many ways , a compassionate call for justice – because one of the greatest injustices of our time has been the destruction and eradication of Mother Earth , parallel to the ongoing and escalating gender-based violence . We cannot keep the ongoing extraction of women ’ s labour and earth ’ s produce , with no gratitude to both . We must honor and protect the Earth and women in order for any future life to exist .
To make a garden grow is to love . To keep a community alive is to love . Create and grow gardens . Dance in them . Raise the Vibration with your hands and bodies . RISE FOR WOMEN AND MOTHER EARTH
# RiseGardenResist # RisingGardens # RisingWorld