Sunflowers

Some days I know and feel more grateful than other days and today was one of those days. The feeling intensified as I went to work in my garden.

This year in addition to tomatoes I planted carrots, cauliflower, squash, cantaloupe, and two varieties of sunflowers—Jerusalem Gold Hybrid and Mammoth.

Since I have written previously about my fascination with sunflowers (see the meditation entitled “Obsession”), you can imagine my utter delight to have TWENTY sunflowers sprouted and growing—the Mammoths are already over two feet tall. While no blossoms are yet on the stalks, I have noticed with absolute enchantment how the stalks and “heads” have already begun to follow the sun across the sky.

I expressed this amazement of mine to my cousin in a recent Skype chat to which he thoughtfully responded:

. . . to follow the light of awareness, presence, love . . . let it lead us . . . actually come in through birth with that orientation and willingness like I suspect Jesus did . . . The way sunflowers from the get go follow the sun even though they haven’t bloomed yet or even know about blooming . . .

I began to wonder, were we not designed with this consciousness from conception too?

As soon as she knew that her relative, Elizabeth, was expecting, Mary went to visit her. When she greeted Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy (Luke 1:44) already knowing the voice of the one who would bear Christ. Jesus himself said “Let the children come to me, don’t stop them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Yes! I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Mark 10:14-15

Seemingly we are conceived, born and live for an apparent short length of time knowing “God is Love is Trust is One” but somehow begin to believe things we were never intended to believe—that we are separate—separate from others and separate from God. Unconsciously and inevitably we appear to surrender to the influences and elements, the agony and deception of the self-inflicted wound. We accept “the lie” that His Love was too good to be true.

The Good News is that we can choose . . . “to see with Christ’s eyes is to see with the eyes of Love, only Love” . . . which brings healing and wholeness not only to our life but to all lives. A recent meme on the site, Contemplative Monk, states it this way:

“You will never look into the eyes of someone God does not love.”

That’s the calling then, isn’t it?

. . . to let our Light shine in the darkness in order to bring to remembrance that which was instilled in all of us from the beginning . . .

God wants to see
More love and playfulness in your eyes
For that is your greatest witness to Him.

Your soul and my soul
Once sat together in the Beloved’s womb
Playing footsie

Your heart and my heart
Are very, very old
Friends.

(Excerpt from “Your Mother and My Mother” by Hafiz)