Recently I was speaking with a colleague who was talking about how she loved to plant seeds in people. My first reaction was, “I love that!” Well, actually, that was my second reaction. My first reaction was, “but we all already have a seed in us.”
I had to pause on that. I had to pause and give the thought an opportunity. Perhaps both could be true. For many of us, we came to earth with a mission and a soul to grow. We all get to interact with one another and help nourish our gardens.
So what does that look like?
Seeds vary in form. There are as many types of human seeds as there are plant seeds. From an evolutionary perspective, we are consciously growing a garden called New Earth. This is a shift from suffering to pleasure, from competition to collaboration (or at least competition that is mutually beneficial). The New Earth looks like a place where our human needs of consciousness, caring, and creativity (See Riane Eisler) are met. We move from scarcity to gratitude, from fear to love. It is not a utopia, there will always be more to discover, more to uncover, and deeper means of experience, but to us, this shift sounds like a utopia. The age of suffering is so engrained in our system that anything else just sounds impossible, unrealistic, and dreamy.
If fact, what we are here to do is to dream. It is one of the many things that makes us human. For early humans, dreaming arose for survival. At night when large predators could attack while we are sleeping, dreaming and REM sleep knocks us out, so we make as little noise as possible.
That was a long time ago. We’ve evolved since then and we are evolving rapidly still. Dreaming still keeps us safe. It is our ability to dream, to imagine a better version of ourselves and of our community that calls us forward.
When we entered this life, we chose which part we would play and what experiences to have. Some of us are highly evolved and already basically live within the New Earth. Some of us have one foot in both worlds and act as a bridge. Some of us came into this world with space for seeds and we get to watch you go from possibility all the way to actualization. It is a powerful ride and a powerful thing to watch.
Creators (Earth)
Planters move through this world drawn to space. The void is where creation begins. Sometimes planters aren’t even aware that they are doing it; they are attracted to the space in others that is ripe and ready for planting. Those who are aware constantly have their radar up for where there is an open space to place a seed. We ought to be grateful to these people because they are starting the garden AND, we ought to be grateful to ourselves because we chose to come here and unfold into our most beautiful selves. It is actually those who chose to go through experiences that would create fertile soil that manifests and call in the planters. You are both dreaming each other up.
When you plant a seed, it will only sprout if it has the right amount of sun and water and if the temperature is just right. This means a seed can lay dormant for a while until it is ready to call in what it needs to grow.
Some seeds don’t make it. They might need to come back and try again, this time with the seed already planted and returning with an environment that is set up to host its growth. Whether this is the case or your seed has just been planted you are beckoned to grow, the next engagement is sprouting.
Activators (Water)
Activators move in two ways. They can gently creep it, penetrating your shell and reaching deep inside to activate your core energy or essence. It is your soul self they speak to with gentle persistence and patiently wait for your to arise. That is me. I am a gentle activator. I have a tendency to see seeds that are already planted and are ready to sprout. They are inviting me in. Like a stream of gentle waters, I immerse you in my offerings and pass through onto the next.
The other type of activator is a powerful one. They are also drawn to seeds ready to sprout, but often these people do not know it yet. They require a little more intensity, a little more momentum. This type of activator is direct and activates en mass. They show up in the world as radical leaders tipping the scales. Imagine a rain that comes and floods the valley, reaching seeds normally unavailable to the surface rains. They get swept up together and brought to an entirely new place. Or they pop open in one great powerful burst.
Activators move in and out of the present needs of the community, sometimes acting as both types, responding to what individuals are calling in for themselves. They activate the seed of consciousness. You are both dreaming each other up.
Nourishers (Sun)
Once the sprout has taken, the roots develop. Simultaneously, the roots ground in to find nourishment, and the sprout reaches for the sun. It is a process that happens together. Reach too much for the light without developing roots and you will find yourself stretched thin and unstable. Spend too much energy rooting and finding stable ground and you forget to grow. You forget you are a child of the Sun.
Nourishers come in all forms. We all will have the opportunity and the privilege to offer nourishment to others. It is the parent in us, the teacher, the optimistic dreamer that is rooting for you on the deepest level. They show up to believe in you. They teach you how to grow your roots; they teach you how to feel the light; they give you what you need to become strong, stable, and totally you. Often, they are with us for a long time.
Nourishers help connect you to satisfy your needs for caring so you can in turn be caring. You are both dreaming each other up.
Challengers (Wind)
Every plant that grows must learn to withstand the elements. As humans following centuries of struggle, it is only natural when confronting harsh realities and uncomfortable feelings that we don’t want to stay there; we don’t want to be with it. As humans, we have learned to uproot and avoid. Plants can’t really do that. If they want to grow and fruit, they have to sink the roots in deep, reach for the heavens and learn to withstand the wind.
Challengers come into our lives to strengthen us. They speak to our soft spots and they identify what is vulnerable in us. They wake us up if we are sleeping. They tell you the thing you least want to hear, but most need to know.
Challengers have a tendency to fear what they are doing is bad. Most people’s reactions to them are informed by centuries of pain and avoidance of pain. They don’t realize they have called you in so they can see their patterns and move through them. We rarely like to see another person going through a hard time, so we wrap them up in a warm blanket, but instead, it just makes them even more vulnerable.
Sometimes challengers are still asleep and they don’t have the conscious capacity to realize the power and importance that their role has. In those cases, that kind of challenge looks and feels harsher to handle than a conscious challenger able to teach with compassion. In the end, the mechanism is the same. We should be eternally grateful for these teachers who put pressure on us. You are both dreaming each other up.
Being in the Garden
While many of us find we identify with a certain role, we all can be any of the roles. Learning to see and respect where other people are in their growth process is something that is mutually beneficial. Also, learning when to pop in and out of these roles or receive help, increases overall growth. The more flowers there are, the more pollination can occur. The healthier, stronger, and more diverse the garden, the more beautiful it is. We are here to create beauty as we are all dreaming each other up.