Thursday, April 3

sowing seeds

"The history of the world begins with a seed.  The seed is the kernel of what you are, but it is also the promise of what you can become."  - Kate Elliott, Cold Steel


As I'm writing to you, a typical Southern Spring storm is rolling in.  You can barely see it on the horizon, but you can feel it in the air.  The humidity, the clash of cool & warm air, thunder in the distance.  It's only a matter of time.


I'm about 2 weeks into this class where we are analyzing fairy tales, breaking them apart in order to reconstruct and rewrite our own.  Today we were talking about seeds and part of the assignment was to do a meditation on seeds and their connection to transformation.

You serve a greater cause. Your life is not yours to throw away (Magnus Bane)”   ― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince (by Ravi Vora) 

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I have an affinity for seeds & pods.  Their form is fascinating to me.  But have you ever really thought about seeds and the process they go through?  

They start out as this tiny little thing, an entire life lying dormant in this body that is little more than a speck.  But a seed can't stay a seed; it has to transform.  Once placed in the soul, it only has two choices: germinate & sprout into a seedling, or stay as it is & continue lying dormant.  Seeds go through these cycles -- seed, seedling, young plant, flowering/producing plant, wither and go dormant again.  In order to grow, they have to transform.



But this transformation requires balance.  If you think about it, the seed also has to have balance to grow.  It has to be placed in the earth.  It needs water, oxygen and the heat from the sun to grow.  All four elements have to be present, in the perfect balance, to bring the seed to fruit. 

Transformation is the same way.  You have to have a balance for the transformation to come about and to be able to recognize it.  That means that you have to have a balance of action, time to relax, time to be inspired, and time to be introspective. 


This transformation has been lying dormant in me for a long time, and I think it's ready to germinate and grow.  Analyzing may seem to you to have no real connection here, but it does.  It starts you thinking.  It makes you touch on the things that are easier kept in the dark. The parts of yourself and your life that you have strategically buried, so you don't have to look to closely.  

During my meditation, I realized that I alone can make transformation occur.  I can't keep waiting for the blooming of flowers of which I have yet to sow seeds (paraphrasing a quote by Steve Maraboli).  I need to create space to sort things through for myself.  



Transformation takes time; it can't be rushed.

As any gardener knows, plants are ready for harvest when they're ready, not when you want them to be.  They come about in their own time.  So is the way of transforming the proverbial straw into gold. 

You can just feel when transformation is occurring.  Something inside just feels like it's starting to break open.  And that's what this class has done: it has broken me open.  I think you often have break apart in order to rebuild and become something better.

Much love -

Candace

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