Living your Purpose: Be like a Seed

Living Your Purpose: Be like a Seed
Anniversary Musings from the Heart

Just as the caterpillar, who knows nothing of the butterfly it is to become, spins its cocoon and undergoes complete transformation, each of us contain seeds of potential - the flowers and fruits of which we know nothing. Yet the seeds will grow, buds will form, and we will transform and bloom in many ways throughout our lives, continuously becoming more and more ourselves. These transformations are not orchestrated by our willpower or thoughts, but through allowing and trusting the process of growth.

One year ago yesterday, Moonflower Herbals lived only in my head and in my heart. The seed had been planted many moons past, surely well before I was aware of it. Roots and shoots began to appear as I pursued my passion for plants and healing, though I did not know to what end. Upon completing the advanced clinical program at the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, distinct buds had formed. Small and cozily closed, these buds held great potential, yet did not resemble anything that one could call a flower. As the process unfolded, I was unsure of this potential – surely these buds are nothing special, I am no flower! But the unfolding was already well underway.

On February 5th, 2014, Moonflower Herbals bloomed into the public sphere. I was ready to meet the world as an herbalist: humbly offering the knowledge that I had gleaned from the plants, the universe, and my human teachers in service to the world. My goal was simple – teach people about herbal medicine and empower them to build health in body, mind, heart, soul, and society. To me, herbal medicine is a world changing paradigm.

Each day since then has been full of lessons, blessings, and opportunities to learn. On this day that marks the completion of four seasons of growth, I find myself in deep reflection. How has Moonflower Herbals changed with me? What can I offer the world today and how is that different than one year ago?  The response from my heart is this: although I have transformed, I have not changed in essence. I have simply become myself in a more profound way – the butterfly that the caterpillar was always destined to be.

Winter is a time for deep reflection. We are all, always, and in all ways in the process of transformation. I invite you to take some time on a cold winter evening to observe how transformation shows up in your life. Often a seed will lay fallow for many seasons, waiting for the earth, sun, rain, and air to conspire into just the right conditions for it to sprout. This seed is no more or less amazing and profound than the flower it will become. It contains all of the potential, all of the strength, and all of the information necessary to sprout, grow, and thrive. All it needs are the right conditions. It does not have to think about how it will become a flowering plant, or worry about where it will get the nutrients and water. It need only exist and allow.

I understand that we humans are a bit more complex than plants (or are we?). At the same time, we are a reflection of nature in many ways, and these lessons can be quite profound in our lives. Transformation is not always pleasant, fun, or comfortable. The caterpillar must die to its old way of being in order to become a butterfly. As Anais Nin is oft quoted: “and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

With this new year just getting started, I invite you to take a look at how you are expressing your innate potential. Perhaps your calling is to raise children that will become compassionate, conscious human beings, or to help others find peace in a tumultuous world, or to live as an example of peace. Maybe your seed is destined to bloom into a flower that brings more beauty or joy into the world. It could be that you are capable of finding things that have been lost, or facilitating communication, or writing new stories. Whatever your calling is, know that it will come as naturally as a seed sprouting when the conditions are right for you to allow it. 

There are so many ways to embody our life’s calling, and no one right way. The biggest challenge is hearing your heart and your intuition over the voice of society that tells you so loudly what you “should” do. By singing your unique song and living your calling, you contribute in an exceptional way to the universal harmony.

Thank you for being you!