To Bloom
Artwork by Tu-2
Clear blue skies, and warming up into the summer. Solstice has arrived and the temperature sits at 63 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Saturday.
The fact that flowers give us so much pleasure - in the garden, in a bouquet, in all the spaces where a little color and non-human life can be shared - is a blessing. And the blooming itself is a wonder . If you look very closely - the designs at the center, the way color moves across the petals, and the fragrance that is given without consideration as to who is receiving that gift - is beautiful.
We are like the flower.
As we enter the world, the conditions we will encounter are unknown. If luck is with us, there is someone who might be tending to the emergent life that is fighting to get above ground, to see what the world has to offer, and to be fed whatever is needed to nourish the flower to bring it to its full beauty. The joy of watching the rununcla and beach rose and glads in full bloom is hard to explain in words. It's a feeling that raises the level of energy as the flowers just do what flowers are supposed to do. If fortunate, mother earth has succeeded in bringing the bloom into being and then, so many other things come into play that will determine the destiny of that new life.
That's much like us humans. We find the miracle of being birthed by a mother who begins with the essence of love. There are mistakes at times but mostly - love is at the center of what begins a life. The conditions we find when we emerge from the warmth and safety of being in the mystery of darkness and pure nourishment is something that is unique to every person born. Who, when, what, and how the new life will come into the world is not ever the same for each one - even if you are identical twins, there will be a uniqueness in each being.
The blossoming of each being depends on destiny, effort, capacity for resilience in the face of adversity, tendency to move with the flow of life or to constantly resist, and so much more. What will happen is karmic. Cause and effect, which is what is constantly at play with the mix of uniqueness of each one, creating a life that will bring whatever joys and sorrows may want to emerge.
In the end, of course, everyone shares a common destiny. Things come to closure. One can call it death, but is it really? Might there be something beyond what the "living" know and experience. Even the most beautiful bloom and the most glorious setting for that bloom to live into fullness, will finally wither and die. That's the way it goes. And it's too bad that so many of us come to the realization too late - that life is a gift and blooming fully is the real work before we go — and send the soul back home.