Terry Hershey to Offer Workshop on “Soul Gardening”

“There is something fundamentally spiritual about dirt under your fingernails,” says landscape designer and inspirational speaker Terry Hershey.  To help islanders deepen their awareness of gardening as spiritual practice, the Vashon Episcopal Church is offering a free workshop, led by Terry Hershey, entitled, “Soul Gardening: Creating Sanctuary in Our Lives for Rest and Renewal.”  The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 1, 1:00-4:00, in Bennett Hall (the lower level of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, across the street from the Vashon Community Care Center).   All are welcome.

Terry Hershey is known throughout the world for his inspirational workshops and is known on Vashon and Maury as the designer of many local gardens.  He is the author of several books including Soul Gardening, Sacred Necessities, and Sanctuary.  He also writes weekly reflections—deliverable by email—on his blog “Sabbath Moments.”

Hershey’s workshop will knit together our spiritual well-being and our love of gardens, especially gardens that create sanctuary, whether physical or metaphorical.  The workshop will appeal both to gardeners of the soil and of the soul—that is, non-gardeners seeking another avenue toward the spiritual life.
According to Terry (from his website):
•    “People who love this world, people who pay attention, are gardeners, whether or not they have ever picked up a trowel. Because gardening is not just about digging. Gardening is about cherishing. And to cherish, one must be present.”
•    “Everyone has a sanctuary. If only in our mind. . . . . In sanctuary, we let this life in. Every bit. In sanctuary we can be wholehearted; whether grief or gladness or sadness or joy. We make space to see and to be seen. We make space to welcome, to offer comfort and hope.”

“Soul Gardening” is sponsored by the Church of the Holy Spirit through a generous gift from the late Margaret Rothschild, a beloved parishioner and a life-long pilgrim on the spiritual path.  This year’s workshop is the third annual event of what will be a ten-year series with the full title “The Gate of Heaven Is Everywhere: The Soul’s Movement into Light and Love.”  (The first half of the title is a quotation from the Trappist Monk Thomas Merton.)   Previous workshops were on poetry and dance as means of spiritual exploration and practice.  
“Soul Gardening” is free to the public, but space limitations require advanced registration.  For a reservation please email Betty Hawkins at bhawkins53@comcast.net