There is a seed
we all have to plant
Born with this seed, unique to us,
it is ours alone to give to this world
No other seed is like the one
you carry in your heart
What it will be, what it will grow in to
is only for grace and time to unfold
How will I bring this seed to life you ask?
First you must peer deep, deep down
into the cavern of your soul to unearth
the precious gift given to you to offer to the world
It will be dark and difficult,
the journey will be hard,
there will be many things you must leave behind
to follow your seed
But it will continue to call you,
coax you in your sleep and haunt your waking dreams,
It’s powerful, peaceful voice speaks deeply to you
it is your own True Voice springing from the vast ocean that is your heart
And so descend you will
into her inviting darkness
to find the one true gift that truly feeds
both your soul and the hunger of the world
The journey may feel impossible at times,
too dangerous to continue...
you may feel lost,
too many turns and decisions to make
Will you ever find the way? How will you know the right path?
But your inner knowing will guide you,
if you trust the illumination of your spirit,
the path will be made known to you
And at a certain point, your whole being will have become the path
there will be no turning back,
the false self that was your shell will have been purged away
to reveal only the seed
The fragile covering will peel away
to reveal an ancient power coursing through your veins
as you soar with wings you never knew you had
with a strength not your own
You will offer yourself in love and gratitude,
lay your head down on the dark, humus soil,
breathe deeply of the soil’s moistness
as you let your body melt away
And there where your body lay,
will grow your gift to the world,
that which was yours alone to give
and the luminous presence that was you
will drift in to the world,
commingling with all other offerings
to form the Great Turning
that will heal the world
Christi Ortiz is a licensed marriage and family therapist by profession and a poet by passion. She enjoys trying to put to words to that which is wordless and give voice to the dynamic and wild spiritual journey called life. She lives in Spokane with her husband and two children, Emmanuel and Grace. She loves the outdoors and meditating in the early mornings which gives rise to her poetry.
Before the war, Yakov Siromatnikov had completed a law degree and owned his own HVAC business. When the war began, Siromatnikov knew he had to evacuate his wife and young children, but he felt led to stay back and help deliver humanitarian aid supplies to those in desperate need.