Sunday, December 27, 2009

Seeds - Symbols of Tomorrow's Garden


"We sow our thoughts and reap our actions.
We sow our actions and reap our habits.
We sow our habits and reap our character.
We sow our character, and we reap our destiny."
-Unknown

Nothing grows until a Seed is first planted. In the material realm
we must first plant physical seeds in Mother Earth in order for our
outdoor garden to grow, blossom, and bear fruit. In the mental
realm we must first plant Karmic Seeds within Our Subconscious.

These Karmic Seeds are the Thoughts, Choices, and Decisions
which determine our Actions. Our Actions will thence create those
future Consequences which we will eventually find ourselves
having to confront and deal with. And, just as we are responsible
for the Karmic Seeds we plant within ourselves, so too are we
responsible for the fruits, the Consequences, which these Karmic
Seeds produce.

Packets of Karmic Seeds come in three different varieties:

Seeds of Negative Action: Just like any other Seed, these Seeds
start out as small and almost insignificant behaviors. These are
the Seeds of gossip, complaint, ridicule, envy, jealousy, worry and
dissatisfaction that we cultivate when we become obsessed with
external Events and the behaviors of other individuals.

Once these Seeds take root within us they grow into larger and
more intense negative behaviors which create larger and more
intense negative Consequences until we eventually find ourselves
reaping the Karmic fruits of hatred, misery, anxiety, fear, and
paranoia.

Seeds of Inaction: Again, these Seeds start our small but
eventually grow into something much larger with the passing of
Time. We plant these Seeds in one of two ways.

The first way is when we accept the false Belief that we have nothing
left to live for. The second way is when we celebrate our "retirement"
by Choosing to never again do anything which resembles "work" or
requires "effort". These kinds of Decisions are common traps which
ensnare multitudes of individuals every single day.

When we plant Seeds of Inaction, we have, in effect, planted nothing
positive today. Therefore, nothing positive has any chance of bearing
fruit tomorrow. Seeds of Inaction are seeds of barrenness: a
barrenness which will continue to spread within us, and eventually
dominate us.

Seeds of Inaction are also the Seeds of atrophy. They cause our
minds and wills to grow weak instead of strong. These Seeds
produce monotony, discontent, boredom and, again, misery.
These conditions will continue to exist and expand in our lives until
we make a conscious and determined effort to do something that
creates positive Change.

Seeds of Positive Action: Tiny yet mighty. Seeds of Positive
Action consist of any new knowledge, skills, ideas, philosophies,
hobbies, crafts, and ideals we Choose to plant in our mental and
spiritual garden. These Seeds eventually grow and blossom into
creative and positive aspects which become a permanent part of
our character, our Speech, and our Actions. Also, it is within the
Seeds of Positive Action that serendipity, luck, and good fortune
reside.

Symbolically, Seeds of Positive Action are the Seeds contained
within the Pomegranate which magically appears in our garden and
bestows upon us unexpected opportunities, insights, Blessings,
prosperity, and Abundance.

When we plant Seeds of Positive Action we excitedly look forward
to each new day in anticipation of the joys, mysteries, and Lessons
which await us. By sowing these positive Karmic Seeds we
maintain a sharp mind, a youthful exuberance and a healthy glow.

Our mind is a fertile field. We reap what we sow. We simply have to
Choose which packet of Seeds we are going to plant in our mental
garden. And being this Choice is entirely up to us, we may as well
Choose the packet which contains the Seeds of Positive Action.

Furthermore, in addition to our personal Thoughts, the fertile field
of our mind is also subject to the people with whom we associate,
the places we visit and the situations in which we become involved.

Wise Seekers understand the Consequences which can result from
the people, places and situations (fields) they encounter throughout
their Travels. Therefore they seek out only those fields which contain
the highest quality Seeds and avoid those fields which contain tainted
and low quality Seeds.

When the Wise Seeker stumbles upon a field which contains tainted,
low quality Seeds he, or she, immediately removes themself from
that particular field and moves on in search of those fields which are
tilled with the highest quality Seeds. For it is within the richly
Seeded fields that the Wise Seeker will find the Peace, Harmony,
Wisdom and true friendships which are always the ultimate objective
of his or her Journey.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009
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Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Pomegranate - Symbol and Myth


The Pomegranate is a fruit that has a hard outer shell within which
there is a multitude of small tasty Seeds. The Pomegranate appears
often in Symbolism and Mythology. Because this fruit contains an
enormous amount of Seeds, it is regarded as a Symbol of fertility,
prosperity, Abundance and generosity.

In mythology, the Pomegranate is a featured symbol in the
Abduction of Persephone.

One day, when Persephone was wandering about the earth she was
noticed by Hades, Lord of the Underworld, who instantly fell in love
with her. Hades abducted Persephone and took her to his domain in
the underworld to live with him as his wife and queen.

Demeter, Persephone's mother, upon noticing that her daughter
had been abducted by Hades immediately caused all plants to
stop growing upon the face of the earth. Trees, flowers, fruits,
vegetables and grains all ceased to grow.

Demeter then filed a grievance with Zeus, regarding the abduction
of her daughter by Hades, in which she informed Zeus that she
would not allow any growth to occur on earth until Persephone
was returned to her.

Although Zeus was not interested in becoming involved with the
affairs of other gods and goddesses, he also realized that he could
not allow the earth to remain cold and barren for this would mean
the end of all life on the planet.

Zeus eventually mediated an agreement between Demeter and
Hades in which Persephone would spend half of the year on earth
and the other half of the year in the underworld. Demeter consented
to this agreement and for the half of the year in which Persephone
walked upon the earth Demeter allowed the plants to grow, blossom
and bear fruit. For the six months that Persephone spent in the
underworld Demeter caused all growth to go dormant.

This agreement between Demeter, Zeus and Hades enabled
Persephone to be the only other being, mortal or immortal, besides
Hermes (Mercury) and Hades himself, who was permitted to leave
the underworld after having entered its confines.

An interesting point to consider in this particular myth is the fact
that when Persephone is portrayed with her husband, Hades, in
the underworld she is not depicted as someone who has been
abducted and held prisoner against her will. Her countenance is
that of a contented woman who is both wife and queen to her
beloved husband.

We also notice that Persephone is often portrayed holding a
Pomegranate in her hand. Since the Pomegranate is the Symbol
of fertility and Abundance this reminds us that when Persephone
arrives upon the earth, in the springtime, she brings with her all
the Seeds of fertility, prosperity, and Abundance. This is the time
when the earth is in full bloom and life rejoices. In autumn, when
she returns to her husband and her Queendom in the underworld,
she takes the Pomegranate with her. During this time of the year
the earth goes dormant...it sleeps...it rests.

The tale of Persephone and the Pomegranate is a metaphor for the
continual cycle of growth, dormancy and re-growth which governs
all things in the physical realm.

This myth also reminds us that when Persephone returns to the
underworld, and the world goes dormant, the Seeds of growth,
fertility and Abundance do not vanish from the world forever. They
are kept eternally warm and protected deep within the womb of
Mother Earth and await the next annual earthly visit of Persephone
and the Cycle of Abundance, growth and prosperity which she, and
her fertile Pomegranate, brings to us.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009
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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Cornucopia - Symbol for Abundance


The Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty, is a spiral-shaped Horn from
which fruits, vegetables, flowers, and grains pour forth in limitless
Abundance.

On the material plane, the Cornucopia is a Symbol which reminds
us that Mother Nature perpetually provides us with everything we
require to sustain and nourish ourselves. While we are eating a
grape, Mother Nature is at work growing another grape. While we
are eating an apple, Mother Nature is at work growing another
apple.

In addition, the Cornucopia also Symbolizes the many different
Roads each one of us can Travel while making our Choices,
Seeking our opportunities, and pursuing our Destiny.

The Cornucopia also reminds us that this Abundance is available
to everyone. And although we may not personally enjoy all of the
nourishments Mother Nature makes available to us, there are
other persons who enjoy those items which do not appeal to us.
In the end, the inexhaustible bounties of Mother Nature are
enjoyed by all.

However, the Symbolism of the Cornucopia is not limited to only
the physical realm. The Cornucopia also Symbolizes perpetual
replenishment in both the mental and spiritual realms.

In the mental realm it Symbolizes the boundless Abundance of
opportunities, ideas, and Choices which Divinity makes available
to each one of us. Regardless of how many Thoughts, ideas,
opportunities, and imaginings we may experience and enjoy,
the universe continually provides an inexhaustible Abundance of
these notions and experiences and makes them available to all
who Choose to partake in them.

In the spiritual realm, the Cornucopia Symbolizes the infinite
supply of Spiritual Guidance which is available to all who Seek it.
Regardless of how much enlightenment and spiritual advancement
we may attain, Divine Generosity maintains a continuous and
endless supply of enlightenment and Abundance for all who Choose
to participate in this Spiritual Buffet.

Sometimes we may feel that this material plane we have Incarnated
into is a jumble of confusion, complexity, and chaos. However,
if we look at these things for what they are we find that they are
simply a Cornucopia of Choices and options that are made available
to all of us so that we may select, and enjoy, those things which are
in Harmony with our Divine Nature...our personality. Without a
Cornucopia of Choices we would not be able to select those things
we need and desire in order to properly experience, and enjoy, our
current earthly Incarnation.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009
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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Change - The Eternal Constant


"Change is the Essence of life...
Be willing to surrender what you are
for what you could become."
-Unknown

What a paradox we humans are! In the ephemeral (short-lived)
scheme of things we embrace Change in all of its many aspects.
Yet, in the grander scheme of things we continually do battle with
Destiny and fight to cling to those things whose Time has passed.

The Universe is continually expanding and Changing - it exists and
thrives on Change. And we, as Children of The Universe, also crave
Change - no matter how vigorously we may Choose to argue the
opposite.

Let's take a look at the many ways we Choose Change in our lives
when it comes to short-term Changes:

We Change the color Choices of our wardrobes and our homes - the
colors we preferred a few brief years ago are not the same colors
we prefer today. We Change our preferences in automobiles and
architecture styles. We Change our homes, we Change the cities in
which we live, we Change our jobs, and we even Change spouses.

We Change our clothing styles and hairstyles. We dye our hair only
to eventually return it to its original color. We grow mustaches and
beards...then we shave them off.

We even bring Change into our lives on a daily basis: we wore blue
yesterday so we must wear red today because, surely, we can't
wear the same color, or outfit, today as we wore the day before!
How many of us make a Ceremony out of standing in our closet
while we pick out an outfit to wear tomorrow that is different from
the one we wore today? We make all these Changes in our hunger
to experience our lives in slightly new and different ways.

However, when it comes to long-term, constructive Change we
take an entirely opposite approach. We presume that the way
things are today are the way they will remain forever and we plan
our futures, careers and Relationships based upon this presumption.

Careers in which we have trained ourselves when we were eighteen
years old may no longer be in demand today. Yet we cling to them
nonetheless. Relationships, both personal and social, that we
established many years ago may no longer be Harmonious with who
we are today. Yet we continue to hold on to their monotonous
familiarity. We also steadfastly embrace old Beliefs and Opinions
which are no longer valid...if, in fact, they ever were.

All Cycles, whether universal, social or personal, come to an end.
When a particular Cycle comes to an end, a new and opposing
Cycle replaces it. When we refuse to accept this Eternal Truth,
we find ourselves building our personal foundations upon the
shifting sands of Eternal Change. This causes us to become molded
(crystallized) into an existence of melancholy, regret, struggle,
stubbornness and emptiness.

We all accept the fact that Cycles begin and Cycles end. However,
we also seem to think that this Eternal Law pertains to everyone
else but us as we attempt to build ever-lasting monuments upon
the ever-turning Wheel of Eternal Change.

Once we allow ourselves to accept the Truth that Change is Eternal
we then also accept the fact that our life, our Incarnation, is one long,
long Road - a Road which offers us many different opportunities to
experience the various interesting aspects of our Divine Nature.
By embracing Change, we find ourselves gazing toward that distant
Horizon in which the Fruits, Adventures and fulfillments of our
personal Destiny constantly beckon us to "Come Hither".

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009
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