Horticultural Therapy in Hawaii

Sacred gardening therapy in Hawaii is, in many ways, a return to the innocence of childhood. Getting lost in being a witness to miracles around you, in front of you, beneath you. A child knows what we have forgotten: everything is magical.

The feel of rich earthen soil enveloping your fingertips. An earthworm wiggling its way to the surface, nourishing all it touches simply by being there. A butterfly lighting upon a bloom of unimaginably intricate design. The way sunlight refracts off fresh morning dew or a spider weaves its holy web. The smell just before it rains.

Indulging in sacred gardening therapy is indulging in Reconnection. In Remembering. In Reviving who you truly are.

Here, in the birthplace of islands, in the home of the sacred energy known as mana, we know intimately the power of the land. For generations the peoples of this place have cultivated their relationship to their home not as a place, but as a relative. The soil, the mountains, the forests, the stones…they are alive.

Indigenous cultures around the world know and remember something we have forgotten:

We are a part of the earth, not separate from it.

Aloha ‘aina is not just a saying. It is a way of living. A way of being. Literally translated it means ‘love of the land’. But it is so much more than that. It reminds us that we are connected to all living things. And as suffering addicts and alcoholics, the thing we have suffered more than anything is a lack of connection.

At Honu House Hawaii, our residence connect. Not just with each other. Not just with themselves. But with the land. Amongst the cultivated lush foliage, the groves of fruit trees and orchards of sun ripened coffee cherries, you will have your own space to cultivate something beautiful.

Digging into the soil. Enriching it with nutrients. Watering, tending, pruning, observing…these acts of love are nourishing to your spirit. And the fruits of your labor, whether it be tasting a plump tomato you cultivated from seed or witnessing the majesty of a bee harvesting pollen from a bloom you have nurtured, will feed your soul.

You won’t just be participating in the greater scheme of things, you will know deeply that when you care for something, when you feed it every day with love and attention…it grows. Sacred Gardening will connect you to all that surrounds you, but it will also teach you that if you feed your recovery with that same love and diligence, it will grow, and ripen, and blossom as well.

No matter where you go, you can create sanctuary for yourself. At Honu House Hawaii, we teach you how. It is a lesson you will take with you when you leave. For many people, their sacred space is in a church or a temple. For others it is a mountain top or at the ocean’s edge. But sacred space can exist anywhere you desire.

Our Sacred Gardening program allows you to experience the creation of sacred space. A place you set aside to meet yourself. To connect. To sit in silence or commune with the Divine. It is a place to relax, to remember, and to connect with something greater than yourself.

All of life is energy. The earth, the soils and sands beneath your feet, are palpating with it. It transfers into the roots of trees and plants and evaporates into the skies, is consumed by animals and insects and eventually returns from whence it came. This fact is viewed by some as a simple spiritual truth, and yet science supports it. Whether you call it life force, mana, or electricity, there is something powerful and beautiful happening right at your feet.

Take off your shoes. Feel the grass, the stones, the rich earth between your toes. The energy that exists there, an endless ocean of energy connecting all things, flows into you. It grounds you. That feeling people get from ‘connecting’ to the earth in this way is not just a feeling. It is real. It is a scientifically studied phenomena of energy exchange, one with the ability to calm you, restore you, and nourish you. It heals your immune system, affects your blood cells, your heart rate, your mood.

Through sacred gardening therapy in Hawaii, you’ll be able to access the power of grounding, allowing you to pause, acknowledge, and enjoy the truth of your connection to all living things. You are not alone. You are never, ever alone. Not in recovery, not in life.