Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Seeds of Life


While roaming around Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) sites, I saw this image....a hand extending out from a building offering corn seeds to me. I realized how each one contained knowledge and lessons for life. An entire story came in with this painting, which I am working on recording for the book...but this I can say...as a gardener, the mysteries of life are all revealed within the growth of a seed. I really have no idea what causes one seed to sprout and another to remain dormant. There are a few basic ingredients that I give it such as soil, sun, and water, but it is up to the seed as to whether or not it will grow. I always offer prayers that I was taught to say upon planting a seed. I was once asked, "What are you going to plant with that seed? What exactly do you wish to see grow?"

When it does sprout, I see how strongly it fights for life, how it reaches for Pappa Sky and how deeply its young roots grow into the Earth. I see how it accepts whatever help I may try to share with it. It doesn't say "no" or push me away. I also learn how I need to give it the space to do what it needs to do. If I crowd it, I could break its delicate stem. As it continues to grow, I become a witness to determination and flexibility. The spring winds here are so strong, yet the new plant doesn't lose its balance as it flows with the winds. I learn about creation as it reaches its goal and it blooms sharing its beauty with all of life. The bees, hummingbirds and butterflies all share in its bounty as do we. How can one not take joy in the beauty of a sunflower or the sweetness of corn?

These are a few of the things to think about....Will you take a seed of corn? If so, what kind of prayers or thoughts will you plant with that seed? What will you grow?