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It took only two short years to make a Pachamama believer out of me. Not being one to seek out sages, gurus or other learned individuals who seem to be in abundance today, a very young person who sought learning from me, turned out to educate me instead. Having known my dear friend for a brief eight years, I soon came to understand how much knowledge, love and skill she has for making things transform from a few rows of dirt, into a healthy organic mosaic of herbs and veggies.

I remember the first time I passed by her house in New Brunswick, N.J., I was amazed at how many beautiful plants she had growing in her backyard garden. At that very time I began to think if I could copy what she was doing. Little did I know, but would soon find out, that only I could make the magic required in my own little piece of Pachamama. The mysteries were hidden within me; I learned this the hard way by believing that all it required was some good dirt, seeds and water. I attempted to be simple about the way I would plant, and my first year’s harvest was sad in deed.

It turns out that my friend also had a plot out at the community gardens at Cook Campus, Rutgers University. She invited me out one day two years ago and since then I now have a plot right next to hers. That’s not difficult to understand, what was instrumental for me, at that time, and since, is the fact that I would go out to Cook and hide behind the bushes to watch and listen to her create her own magic. One would think that she was talking to garden gnomes and singing along with flower fairies. My friend didn’t have a very good voice back then; however, her invisible garden keepers didn’t seem to mind at all. If you saw her garden up close, you would know why.

The second year of my Pachamama education was rather fruitful, given that I began to unravel my own magic, and it seemed to work, doing what I love and do best, music. I imagine that my neighbors have thought rather strangely of me in the last few years, singing, drumming and dancing around my garden, but I know they understand when I offer them a great big red organic tomato or a shiny eggplant. They say “you grew that?” I say “ no, I had help from my friend and Pachamama.”

I believe the greatest lesson I have learned from my very young friend is that we can create a sustainable world through the most basic of all necessities, food. That if we all work together we learn and teach many things together, regardless of gender, color, national origin, religious preference, sexual preference and most of all the age divide.

Besides my backyard garden, my friend and I now combine our respective magic at three other community gardens in Central Jersey and grow our own produce, started a pilot C.S.A, donate food to Elijah’s Promise and A Better World Cafe.

The few true gurus I’ve met in my long life, never looked or acted like gurus. My dear friend is in deed a Pachamama guru, she helped me rediscover the Gaia magic within me without even intending to. She simply shared her knowledge and love of nature, and I was able to harvest the fruits of her magic! That’s my Guru friend Nicole Wines…

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