Planting Seedlings– The Way of Phi in Practice –

Spring is here, planting seedlings for future harvesting!

Dear friends,

This past week I have embarked on yet another voyage, this time hitchhiking westward from south Sweden all the way to Jutland, West Denmark. I started at noon, and after an initial ride taking me to a petrol station I waited for approximately 45 minutes. Then I recorded a first video which I uploaded to Instagram as a new way to document my journey. A couple of minutes later a very small car stopped. At first, I was a bit surprised, as I didn't see how I would possibly fit in, considering that I was travelling with a large suitcase and my guitar, but sure enough, together with the four friendly, happy, young people, we sorted it out quickly and were on our way. We had a fun conversation, listening to music, both mine (which they liked) and the driver's (which I liked).

Again, a quite long wait, perhaps an hour, switching places a few times, until a car stopped and took me another 30 km, and then another, and another. And so the day was passed.

One thing I really like about hitchhiking is the surrender into trust and commitment to stay even when sometimes no one even stops for quite a long time. I think the longest I've ever waited has been two hours (that was in Finland several years ago – at the end, I was getting bored, so I donned my clown nose, which had the immediate effect of scaring the living daylights out of the people passing by, not only not stopping, but actually speeding up as they passed me – as I would somehow be able to leap into their cars if they went too slow), but on this trip most waiting times were probably around 30-40 minutes. To be honest, I'm not quite sure, since it can be quite a lot of fun standing there, interacting with people. In the few seconds of eye contact as the car approaches and often passes by, quite a lot can happen. This is applied psychology 101.

After around eight hours I arrived at my destination at exactly the right moment – just when my friend that I would be visiting came home. Divine timing!

Planting Seeds

The next morning, after a restful sleep, I awoke to a Sunday — my designated day of rest. I asked myself: what would nourish me today? The answer arose clearly: nature.

And so, after a leisurely breakfast and rich conversation with my friend, we spent the afternoon in her garden, preparing the soil and planting seedlings — row after row of them, hands deep in the living earth.

You may wonder: what does any of this have to do with The Way of Phi?

First, in a very literal sense, reconnecting with nature aligns us more closely with the soul. In a world where many have lost touch with the natural world, this alone is a sacred act.

Second, in a symbolic sense, planting is an act of faith in the future. Real change often requires time, patience, and tending. Yet even the smallest actions — the first seeds sown — can, over time, yield extraordinary harvests. Time is flexible in this way: small beginnings hold vast potentials.

Third, resting from formal "work" to engage in simple, life-giving activities is itself fundamental to true creation. Recreation is not merely leisure — it is re-creation.

Going forward, I will probably post videos more regularly on Instagram, so if you don't follow me there already, make sure to do so by clicking here.

With grace,

Christopher