I would like to start this week’s blog with a short meditation. If you are listening to this, gently close your eyes and get comfortable. If you are reading, try to slip into a meditative space and continue. Take a few long, slow deep breaths. As you exhale, let go of any tension and allow peace to grow inside of you.

Now, imagine it is early morning on a beautiful spring day. You are looking forward to your morning walk at the lake just down the road from your house. You drive a short distance, park your car, and step out into one of the prettiest spots for miles around. The path around the lake is brimming with new life. Flowers are blooming, the trees are birthing a brand-new canopy, the ducks are quietly tending their nests by the water’s edge, and the sleepy turtles are basking in the morning sun perched on a log in the middle of the water.

You look forward to seeing the familiar faces who are here most every morning. Everyone is always so friendly, smiling and waving as they slowly or quickly pass by. One man always catches your eye. He is an elderly gentleman with longish hair, like snow. He walks gingerly with a cane. His spine is slightly curved, so his head tilts forward toward the ground, but he always seems to know when you are close. He looks up at you as you pass by, and smiles. His eyes are kind and seem to have a sort of other-worldly glow within them.

You spot him some distance away, walking toward you. This time, however, he stops and approaches you. You linger and wait to see what he wants to say. Slowly he pulls a tiny envelope from his pocket.

“I want you to have this,” he says. “It is a rare seed. It will grow into a magnificent, beautiful flower if you take good care of it. Plant it in rich soil, where it will receive plenty of light. Water it and protect it and when it blooms, sit quietly nearby, close your eyes and listen to the silent wisdom it will offer to you.”

He opens your hand puts the seed packet in your palm and then closes it. He smiles tenderly, nods his head a few times, and continues on his way. You call out a rather confused thank you, as you try to process such a strange encounter.

Once home, you do exactly as he instructed. You turn the earth over in the garden and add some rich topsoil. Carefully you place the tiny seed in the soft bed you prepared and cover it, leaving it to begin its journey through the darkness and hopefully out into the light of the sun.  Every day you clear away weeds, water it generously, and protect it from the hungry deer that may see it as food for their voracious bellies. Daily, you inspire it to grow by whispering words of encouragement.

Then one morning, just as the sun is beginning to rise, you look out the rear window toward the garden. You see a soft glow coming from the very place where the tiny seed was planted. You walk outside and notice a tiny green shoot that has pushed its way through the earth and is now reaching up to the sun. It looks so delicate and defenseless. Yet, around the edges of the leaves there is a strange iridescent glow. You wonder, for a moment, if this seed might have been magical, and then immediately dismiss that silly thought as pure fantasy.

You continue your watch over this small, vulnerable creation, doing everything you can to keep it safe. Yet, you know there is only so much you can do. This little being must find the strength and fortitude to withstand the storms that are sure to come. Somehow, it does and becomes stronger and taller every day. Then one day, you see a tiny bud has formed, and in a short while it unfurls. That little seed has been transformed, and now opens wide, awakening and revealing a majesty and a unique beauty unlike any other flower on earth.

You sit transfixed and mesmerized as it somehow begins to offer you a doorway into your own unfoldment and awakening. You close your eyes and do as the kindly old gentleman instructed. You listen to the peaceful silence that is rich with wisdom and truth.

Ok, now just take a few slow cleansing breaths and if you have been listening to this, open your eyes and adjust to the light in the room.

I wonder if you received any insights or inner wisdom from this experience? What was this wonderful, lovely flower saying as the silence moved through you? If you wish, you may want to pause and write down your thoughts. Whatever you received is important for you. If you feel you did not receive anything, most likely you will. As your intuition begins the process of integration, you may hear that soft, still voice within you and a new understanding may come.

As this story unfolded during my morning meditation, I had a few reflections. I saw myself as the seed. With our creator’s blessing and the love from my father, I was passionately planted in my mother’s womb. As she cared for, nurtured, and loved me, I grew stronger. The sound of her voice and her encouraging words gave me the motivation to thrive and survive. I spent my time in the darkness of her protective womb until I was ready. When I was strong and brave enough, I made my journey from my dark watery home out into the bright illumined world.

Once birthed into the light of day, the protection and care I received allowed me to unfurl like the bud of a flower. With nourishment I grew taller and with time, my personality and character developed, and the colors of my soul became brighter. The love and support I received gave me some of the confidence I needed to embrace the uniqueness and rarity that was me. However, eventually I realized that, at some point, it was all up to me. I had to be my own gardener, my own guardian, and protector. To find purpose, I had to offer myself a love that could be given to me by none other. I understood that no one had a flowering soul quite like mine and I needed to share that gift with the world. I also realized that every human soul born to this world is uniquely gifted with an energy that is like no one else’s. Therefore no one can duplicate our energy nor fulfill the life purpose we came here to accomplish.

The second insight I had, was that within our hearts reside all the dreams, goals, and spiritual contributions that we carefully planted there, and planned to share with the world long before we came to the earth plane. Like the seed in the earth or a child in a mother’s womb, these visions and ideas need to be nurtured, cared for, and given birth to. We must be, not only the gardener of our soul, but also the caretaker and cultivator of these spiritual gifts, so they do not wither and perish in a heart too fearful to take a chance, own its power and share its love.

We can learn so much from all the creations in our natural world. Perhaps, we might take some time today to spend it in nature. Let us observe, appreciate, contemplate, and pray. Then, step into the silky silence and listen to the sage revelations that just may unfold. Let them drift like a soft breeze from our obscured subconscious to the astute awareness of our conscious mind. We can then bask in the joyful gratitude that our new heightened and evolved consciousness brings forth.