What is a Seed?

My friends and family jokingly call me the “Seed Lady.”  At times, I shrugged at the humor of that, resisted even being typecast into such a singular persona… always struggled to answer the ubiquitous question of “what do you do?” in public spaces.  Perhaps always ever resisting the narrow bottlenecks of one label, fearing the stagnation of a static title or persona… but as I laughed every time someone introduced me as the “Seed Lady”, which is not untrue… We built a whole beautiful earthen temple on our land to honor the seeds, the seeds are my ever-present teachers, guiding me along a path I never thought possible as a young woman… As I heard it again and again, I began to see the sheer brilliance encoded therein.  As a student of seeds and their life-cycles, it was hidden there in plain sight.  

For what is a seed? It is an intimate immensity, so small but yet holding whole universes at the same time. It holds endless possibility, it always curious and playful and open to reinventing itself into infinite new expressions, always sprouting into never before seen forms, recombining themselves into unique forms to adapt resilient to the ever-changing world. They are dynamic, benevolent, abundant and the wellspring of primal creativity. Ever adapting by the cross pollination of new ideas/expressions/new knowledge, yet still always holding a strong thread of memory of lineage and inheritance.  

Yes, I am a seed lady. One who aspires to be like the seeds in all their dynamic creative potential.  Honored to tend and carry a bundle of ancestral seeds, and also inspired to help reseed imaginations of what life on earth can be through story, song and art.  

Seed is a precious common heritage and an essential component to the future sustainability of our food. Our ancestors have faithfully passed us this incredible gift of life over countless generations. It has only been a few short generations that we have seen these connections slip away; we are now seeing the dignified resurgence of the human connection to these sacred heritage seeds and foods, and honoring their cultural and practical context within our daily lives.  

What Seeds do you carry in your heart, hands and bundles?