Seeds, the encapsulation of death and rebirth

For this Halloween- All Hallows Eve- All Saints Day, we celebrate the seed. Julia, in addition to being one of the talented makers at Fat and the Moon, is also a Blue Otter Trained herbalist and a Reiki practitioner. She shares with us her reflections on the seed....

This summer I have been collecting seeds. Seeds delicately picked from the vibrant foods that I eat, the flowers and herbs in my garden, and from the woods, from wild plant friends that I share this land with.  As I hold each seed in my hand, I lovingly admire them, fascinated by the shapes and sizes, colors, and textures.  I imagine gifts of life inside each one of them. Contained yet limitless in the possibilities of their growth.  

I didn’t always pay attention to them this much. How many times I have discarded or overlooked seeds, thoughtlessly putting them aside or throwing them away without any heed. Then one day, I heard their voices crying out loud, singing their hopes for the wind, and prayers for the rains, but mostly for a chance to be. I heard them coming from the plants growing around me of course, but specifically from Sunflower. Sunflower grows tall and strong, passionately embraces the sky, always turning to face the light of the sun. When they stand thriving root to rise for enough time, they slowly begin to bow their heads graciously towards the earth. With the bounty of hopeful seeds upon them, they scatter these gifts to the ground. They let them go to let them grow. I know Sunflower spoke to me because I had forgotten to do the same, and also because the once fearful part of me pleaded to remember. They taught me to surrender to change, death, and rebirth, to accept cycles, to live in rhythm with the seasons, and to relinquish fear. They reminded me that I too have gifts to scatter like seeds.

So now when I begin to pour the radiant sunflower seed oil for our medicine here at Fat and the Moon, I know the essence of its spirit is carried within. I remember with gratitude about what it has taught me. What so many plants have to teach us. We are all living these stories, rooted and growing, unfurling towards some endless sky, some mystery. Each and every one of us contains multitudes of seeds, of brilliant potential just waiting to be. These are our gifts to grow. Remember to take your bow.