same and different

During a Nature Meditation recently, I spent some time inspecting an okra seed pod, which had dried on the plant. Grey, spiky and splitting open, these pods are rather beautiful in their own way. I opened up the seed pod, inspecting each little crevice where the seeds were tucked away - 81 little round seeds. Each one with the potential to grow another entire plant, dripping with okra fruit, full of their own seeds.

I thought about how all the okra plants in our garden - probably around 25 plants - came from one single pod like this one, that my landlord gave me just a few months ago. And now each of these plants has many many pods with many many seeds in each one. So much potential! So much life!

Chinua guided us to think about some questions regarding the element of nature we had chosen to meditate on:

How are you and this element of nature connected?

In what ways are you and this element of nature the same or very similar?

In what ways are you and this element of nature different?

How are God and this element of nature connected?

In what ways are God and this element of nature the same or very similar?

In what ways are God and this element of nature different?

I thought about the cycles of life in okra plants and how the scriptures tell us that the Divine is unchanging. Does God grow or change? I thought about how much joy comes to me through learning and growth. Does God get bored of always being the same?

Then I found something unexpected - there was another seam of seeds in the seed pod! 14 more perfect, round seeds. A total of 95, not 81. More than I expected, though I had looked carefully.

I almost heard a chuckle from the Divine - There is more! More than you know or expect, dear one.

(A post from Ro)