Atmic Seeds

This morning a very clear image of a bowl of cooked apples, woke me up from my dream.. I had no idea why I had that picture until after I had finished my oatmeal

and was reading the paper.

“Release the seeds within” was the title of the article which then asked, 'Have you had an apple lately?'

The writer who is reported to be a yoga teacher asked us to check out the apple after we've bitten into it to find that the flesh has begun to change. What was once pure, untouched and white has become brown, stained and tainted. The tender seeds are now more exposed as they become assaulted by the atmosphere. The apple has been invaded.

This doesn't happen if the apple is allowed to fall to the ground. Then perhaps it will start new, fresh roots sinking deep into the friendly soil and pushing onwards to sip sweet water. To grow again. .

We are apples, the writer proclaims. Many times throughout our lives especially now upon leaving Prasanthi, our coverings are ruptured, bruised and brown, tainted and sour.

Where as at the ashram we thought we were free of emotional turmoil and family strife now we find a nasty bite into our psyches, a new rupture to our hearts, a new stain on our emotional selves. Like the apple's flesh we react to the world around us,

We are shocked by the change in atmosphere, the raised voice, the unfriendly gesture, the disharmony revealed.

We discolor again only deeper this time. We wish that we had fallen from the tree of life but God isn't through with us yet. We frantically look for untouched parts of ourselves which are still unhurt and bright but then suddenly there seems to be something around the corner again that we didn't expect. Another sour point we missed and didn't see coming, an eating away, an eroding.

But what about the seeds of the Atma? What if when we are tossed aside, our Atmic reality, our seeds, become more exposed? What if the seeds of who we really were all along, shine and grow stronger. If we are thrown aside to rot again and again won't those perfect seeds become more powerful and aware of themselves?

Learning to become aware of our Atmic seeds and to know who we are, is why we became apples to begin with. We learn that no matter how many time the flesh is torn asunder, the Atmic seed remains unchanged.

The seed of the Atma knows what it needs to carry on throughout our life's journey. The atma looks for fertile soil and even digs through and around rocks and boulders. It drives its fragile roots into the earth and points the next sapling towards the sun. It drinks the clean pure water provided by the Lord and wraps itself in the sunlight of Truth to blossom and become one with Him,by His Grace.

If we had remained cloistered in the Mandir would we have learned so much about our seeds and will this knowledge assure that the seeds will never sprout again? Only Swami knows.