Planting a Seed
The risk of having a future
When thinking about making big changes, starting projects, or pursuing a dream, we are working with seed energy. Until that seed is planted—until we’ve taken action—its potential remains in the realm of idea, possibility, and dream. If you feel called to participate in life, you will want to plant seeds.
One phrase I hear often in my therapy office, from friends, and all over the Internet is that “the world is on fire.” When someone’s pointing out the world is on fire, it highlights the cognitive dissonance of knowing that there is war, violent oppression, economic struggle, and unfolding environmental catastrophe—while at the same time having a day to day life that feels relatively normal, even adapting to the incursions of these larger fires.
Sometimes people talk about “the world is on fire” with a sense of guilt and apology. Like, how could we even think about starting a family, or a business, or doing anything fun and interesting when the world is on fire? How can we do anything other than be in crisis?
Truly, as a therapist I’ve been hearing this for about a decade now, and I’ve no doubt these sentiments preceded my career. And it is true that there is fire in the world, and real devastation. Real people have been harmed, their lives and livelihoods ruined, and it’s happening in this moment as you’re reading this.
In Slow Magic: Cultivate Lasting Transformation through Spellwork and Self-Growth, I write about what I learned from my experience of the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic: even if we have no future, it is better for us psychologically to act as though we have one. To live in a mindset of the world being on fire, when your own life is not on fire, is not useful. If your own life is not on fire, then it’s not the entire world that is aflame. You have time and space to do something. You have the opportunity to protect your space from that fire. But if you let your mind live in the flames, then you will only see fire even when it’s a cool, lovely, rainy day.
So those of us who can, still get to plant seeds. Even when the short-term future is dire, the cycles of life and history continue to unfold. This moment will pass, and there will be a future in which you will have the chance to grow again. What if you could start now in nurturing the seeds you will want to harvest when the time is ready?
The image of the seed inspires me to remember that so much of life is a process, with many processes within it. We can be in full flower in life, tending a career that is going well and simply wants maintenance, while also raising a little puppy who is full of sprouting energy, while participating in a spiritual community whose fruiting energy is moving towards death. And within these little cycles are the seeds for further manifestations. Certain pine trees only seed when exposed to fire, and these times may be generating hundreds of new possibilities amidst the horrors of the moment.
A seed could be either pause or continuation of the cycle. Until the seed meets conditions favorable to growth, it remains as it is. To allow its potential to unfurl, it needs soil, water, and sunlight. It needs a favorable climate. Some seeds need more attention than others.
Our seeds need action, resources, and support. What that looks like will vary based on whatever it is you want to make real. When you’re ready to start a seed, there’s usually one step to take that feels weighty. It may be the one you’ve been avoiding, because you sense that once you’ve done it, there’s no going back. That’s when the seed goes into the dirt. You could be submitting an application for a job, or registering for classes. You could be asking that person on a date. Once you’ve taken that action, you start moving from the seed phase to sprouting phase. Growth is inevitable.
When I started my private practice, some of my first steps were setting up administrative infrastructure—I applied for a business license, I drafted my legal paperwork, I set up an electronic health record, and I made a website. All of these actions signaled to me that I was serious about my intention, and made my conditions more favorable to growth. But even then, that was simply preparing the soil. What sparked growth in the seed was telling people about my business. I needed to market and network so that folks in my community knew who I was, what I offered, and that I was ready to do it.
We know from life experience that sometimes we take action and a seed fails to sprout. From my own failures, here are the conditions that I’ve learned lead to success:
Persistence - Can I keep doing this over and over again? What do I need to believe to have that willingness?
Perseverance - Am I willing to keep at it as long as it takes, even when nothing seems to be happening? When I have setbacks, what helps me to recommit?
Mentorship - Who is doing something like what I want to do? What can I learn from them, their good or bad examples?
Community - Who will keep me accountable? Who will celebrate my gains? Who can keep my spirits up when I’m struggling?
Resources - What can nourish me spiritually and materially for the long-term so that I have the nourishment to be persistent and perseverant?
To read more about seeds and the cycle of manifestation, go get a copy of my book Slow Magic. In the weeks to come, we’ll continue this reflection on the cycle, as the seed begins to sprout.