Guest Article By Dana Ecelberger

Last month I mentioned singling out the plants in your garden, or on your deck, that have been the prettiest, the tastiest, or the strongest and marking them with a ribbon or some other device. These are the plants that you are going to allow to go to seed. Saving your own seed is a powerful action that signifies faith in the future, planning for the future and rewards awareness in the present. The seed is an ancient symbol of eternal life, the never-ending cycle of life/death/rebirth. Our own children are like seeds who carry us into the future.

Amazingly, a sprouting bean or corn seed looks very much like a human embryo. Try this fun project: take a few bean seeds or corn kernels (you can get these at your local nursery or farm supply) and lay them between two sheets of wet paper towel. Put them in a spot with indirect sunlight and keep moist. In 4-5 days you should see a green sprout emerge from the seed. If you split the seed in half you will find the developing embryo of that plant. The first one I ever saw touched me so deeply I nearly cried; the idea of all the potential just waiting to be awakened in those seeds and in our children was so profound. With proper care and nurturing, both our plants and our children can grow into their destinies.