“Dear Poets and Dreamers,
From the Dust of Ages and the Eternal Fire, we return with the seed of love …”
© Deborah Gregory 2022 – Extract taken from “Love is the Seed” – Soror Mystica: Balancing the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, p. 114
Image: “Sweet Valentine” by Catrin Welz-Stein
This is so beautiful and eloquent, Deborah. It speaks deeply to me. Here’s why: It reminds me of the first poem I ever fell in love with: Wordsworth’s “Ode: Intimations of Immortality.”
“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!”
After reading it I wrote my first poem for a high school English class assignment. I can still remember the first few lines: “Heavenly stars shine down upon this mortal plane/stars that once knew intimately mortal man…”
I see now that Wordsworth’s poem affected me so powerfully because I had recently had a spiritual awakening that planted “…the seed that flowers in the hearts of deep, rich knowing…”, instigated my lifelong search for self-knowledge and love, and introduced the idea of the pre-existence and reincarnation of the soul. Having lost my father to his third heart attack six years earlier, I found this to be an extremely appealing concept! I still do.
My heart feels the truth of this, yet, like Elaine, my head stays with the “I don’t know what happens after this life.” So although I’m currently in the mandorla space between these overlapping opposites, many personal experiences confirm my heart’s knowing. Either way, I’m happy to wait until I find out for myself.
Thank you for sharing this exquisite vision of your heart. As the first thing I read this morning, it has gifted me with uplifting thoughts with which to begin my day.
By the way, can you tell me how to re-subscribe to your blog? I’d like to try one more time. As you know, WordPress hasn’t sent me notices for quite some time.
Love, Jeanie
Dear Jeanie, thank you so much for your beautiful, eloquent reply! Especially as you’ve included lines from not only Wordsworth but your own exquisite pen. (Oh, I would love to read your poem in its entirety!) In pure coincidence, we visited Wordsworth’s former home, Dove’s Cottage, located in the village of Grasmere, UK (alongside the Wordsworth Museum) during our holiday in the Lake District last month. A joyous visit and in keeping with my love for the Lakeland poets, we stayed in our favourite cottage, the summer residence of another beloved poet of mine, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
It sounds like Wordsworth first watered those seeds of love, sown deep inside your heart, when you were a young woman. Thank you for the poetic nudge as I shall set aside time tomorrow to re-read, Wordsworth beautiful and brilliant, “Imitations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” poem in full. On the very subject of “pre-existence and reincarnation,” for me they’ve always held Truth and one day, like Aladin, I’ll write more about my own experiences. Oh, I’m very pleased to hear that my Lammas inspired poem has helped you start your morning with such uplifting thoughts!
Re: WordPress, I’m at a loss as to what to say because I’ve struggled with trying to make sense of the platform myself so my advice is to visit the WordPress Reader website and search for my blog there and press follow if the option is available, otherwise I’ll post in the other place or drop you a short email! I think my problem lies with the fact I use the free version of WP so get no support whatsoever when something goes wrong. Maybe I should upgrade! Hmm, I’ll think on it! Sending you seeds of love and Lammas blessings across the ocean between us, Deborah.
Beautiful writing, as always. Thank you for sharing your heart print of wisdom. Everything you write, I read. Blessed Lammas to you Deborah.
Thank you so much dear Bookworm for the gift of your generous heart! This afternoon I’m planning a ‘Lammas’ spread with Tarot to help bring forth a moment of celebration, harvest and pause. Of all the poems I’ve gathered in this year, I love this one best, so will tuck away these seeds of love, for the seasons and years ahead. Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
Thank you, for finding and sharing the words, Deborah. This is beautiful.
Thank you so much Cath for your love-ly reply! Catrin’s beautiful artwork helped to release this prose poem from my heart and pen. Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
Love – it comes in so many forms. Thank you for this beautiful post Deborah, timely in its way for me. One, to connect with you again – I love all your writings. Two: ah love – felt in all its ways, seen in all its ways, thought of in all its way, pondered on in all its ways … but mostly felt. Felt in all its ways – in manifold ways and I am thinking (that wretched word again) of how love is also a muscle. That gets stronger the more it is exercised, for it cannot remain an abstract idea – it would surely atrophy. So, as I am going through some rather peculiar and painful and physically felt ‘stuff’ for the last while and currently, I have to force myself to look at it face on. It’s hard but necessary. And I think of the love shown to me by the girls in my Tuesday pottery class and by Brenda my teacher. And from the Friday class and Saturday class.. I have been largely absent but as of late, not. They know something of my physical issue and are highly empathetic. I missed this past Tuesday class, I saw them last Tuesday and I was reminded again of how dear and special they are. And their messages of love in so many ways … Peta I gather had brought some heat pads for me to give to me yesterday – but because I was not there she’s left them for me. I feel the love …it warms my heart and I return the love back to them in my limited way – but the important thing is that I am exercising my love muscle or the heart muscle for it nearly one and the same …
It is important for me to exercise my muscles – those of my torso, leg and foot. It’s been 2 months since a bad fall on 28 July at a bnb in the Karoo. Wound on my shin (deepish gash) that was treated there and then by my sister who was accompanying me on trip to Johannesburg – we left home on 28th July .. it is a long story …
But in a significant way, this fall and its repercussions have forced me to slow down what with impaired walking (sore leg after 100 paces), sleepless nights interrupted at all times from the early hours with excruciating pain in the toes of my right foot …
It is an ongoing saga, one that has kept me often in the lows. But as of late I have a got a bit out of myself – I see a new opening, narrow it may be but I do see it. I have attended two communal classes these past two Tuesdays at 4.00pm at a place called The Space Between … a large studio looking out to sea, a most wondrous view.
I plan to look into pilates classes. I would love for there to be thai chi classes. I do sofa yoga in the day, am more conscious of the way I sit. I try to drink 3 glasses of water a day. I am getting a bit in touch with my body, something that I have always taken for granted. But that is a long story. I know at least partly that I cannot ignore my body any longer and that a little bit of love and compassion from me to my body is a beginning. So the love or heart muscle is getting a bit more exercised in this process … it may be weak but I feel it slowly getting stronger.
Love – it is a phenomenon.
Thank you dear Deborah for this beautiful showing of love in words, those of a true poet and choosing such a beautiful graphic to attend to it … She, seeing the seeds.
I also meant to end my long post with love, from me to you, across the oceans .. so here it comes … in waves
Love in waves, I love it! Many thanks my dear friend. Sending much love and light and Lammas blessings across the oceans and hemispheres between us, Deborah.
Dear Susan, I’m amazed by the depth and richness your reply! Thank you. Written in parts with the deft hand of a wise poet I see! Let me start with “love” as a muscle, Oh, what a brilliant and beautiful metaphor you conjure up! And in doing so, you share that ancient knowledge of how “love” strengthens the more we exercise it and how it can also atrophy when we don’t draw on it enough.
I’m so sorry to hear that your earlier accident in May has left you in great pain and that you’ve been unable to meet up friends or attend your regular classes, nevertheless, how wonderful and reassuring it must be, to be surrounded by so much love at a time when you need it most. You have the loveliest of friends so I shall worry a little less about you. I hope your wound has closed and is healing slowly now.
Can I ask was it your left or right shin? In other words, was it the masculine or feminine side? You mention your right toes so I’m assuming it was your masculine side? I’m sure this hasn’t slipped by unnoticed. I’m sorry to hear how the saga is continuing by creating sleep problems, etc and naturally affecting your moods. Although, a bright ray of light has pierced through the darkness these last Tuesdays.
According to Aesop, slow and steady wins the race. Just a thought, when you mention getting in touch with your body, I wonder if you’ve been in your head too much of late, and that in order to create balance you fall and the Divine Feminine is bending down to help you up, help you get back in touch with your physical self and find more balance between your masculine and feminine sides.
May the phenomenon of “love” strengthen you my dear friend in the days and weeks to come. I can highly recommend the book, “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating” by Elisabeth Tova Bailey, recommended to me by our dear friend Elaine! Thank you so much for your generous and kind-hearted words here. Yes, the image is truly glorious! Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
Thank you dear Deborah for your lovely full hearted response. My right leg took the fall, gash on right shin. I knocked my head as well (!) right side, so your response gives me further cause for pause. The fall (should be in caps) caused lack of blood flow to further extremities hence excruciating pain in toes of right foot while sleeping. Two months ago, May 28th not July as I said, but as you picked up.
Quite a while ago at pottery class I fashioned a little figure – based on a fertility doll from I think Ghana that I bought many years ago, wooden, black and she is proudly displayed in my study. The feet still have to be glued on – I took her out of her wrappings yesterday and admired my creation anew and saw then that the timing is just right – she needs to stand and be balanced on her two feet. Like I do!
Thank you again – as you say the ‘…Divine Feminine is bending down to help you up, help you get back in touch with your physical self and find more balance between your masculine and feminine sides.’
I looked into the book the other day and read reviews … I may splurge on a kindle for this. By the way a lovely book i read recently: Lessons in Chemistry … Bonnie Garmus.
It’s a lovely day here, sunny. I plan to look into pilates and tai chi today.
More waves of Love and Heart coming your way. Susan
Dear Susan, wow, how insightful of you to pause during this time of suspension to unwrap your creativity anew! What wisdom you’ve gained in understanding that “the feet” (a great metaphor for balance, if ever there was one!) are waiting to be glued on! Having broken and badly sprained my same left (the feminine) ankle four times in the last four years, I’m working on finding balance too. So thank you for nudging me here because you’ve helped me remember my own Achilles heel.
Hahaha! I had to laugh at myself out loud, for as soon as I read the title of the book (novel) you’ve recommended, “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus, being a dominant “feeling” type, I wrinkle up my nose and say, oh no, I couldn’t think of a worse kind of “thinking” book to read ever! Long before I read its brilliant reviews! Hmm, that’ll teach me to not to judge a book by its cover alone. Humbling wisdom!
Both pilates and tai chi sound like wonderful, healing practices that will help you slowly recover from your fall. I’m sure they also would be great in helping you get back into communication with your body. Sending much love, light and laughter, Deborah.
Thank you dear Deborah! Glad you had the initial reaction you did to Lessons in Chemistry! Yes, you too and that ankle getting a hammering every year. 4 is enough already. And thank you for saying about the feet being so necessary for balance. I wonder what it means that my tortoise from pottery has lost it’s two back legs. Teacher says it’s fine like that and it’s still to be fired – maybe this will prompt me to make a new one whose legs don’t come off in the glazing. Even using play play clay here at home.
Have a lovely weekend! Triple L to you!
Four is definitely enough! Hmm, I’d be tempted to add two tiny wheels or borrow them from a toy car for your tortoise Susan (if that’s possible) and add them post firing! I guess this happens to real-life tortoises when they need their legs amputated. It may serve to remind you of a very important time in your life, now. Please ignore if this crazy idea doesn’t work for you, lol, I do come up with some weird ones!
Whatever you’re doing, have a love-filled Lammas weekend too!
Simply wonderful!
Full of love and wisdom
Thank you so much dear Luisa! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this, my new poem. Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah
This is utterly beautiful Deborah!!! Permeated with love and wisdom. All that a poet can offer, knowing her words are never enough. Your ability to listen and be curious are deeply humbling. All the best, Anna
Wow, what a love-ly reply! I may even write an extended version of “Love is the Seed” in my next book now! Thank you always for your kind-heartedness my dear friend. In the words of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, “I get by with a little help from my friends!” Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.
John Lennon
Amazing! I’d never heard of this love-ly quote before so jumped down a Google rabbit hole to discover it’s s a lyric from “Mind Games” which John interestingly was going to title, “Make Love Not War” at first, but thought that far too clichéd!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I feel that last sentence deep within.
My hearing and balance compromised body insists on retreat from the world–and this may be the only way my extroverted tendencies could be tamed and balanced.
I stay with the “I don’t know what happens after this life,” but it was clear in Vic’s death that he was going somewhere with intense purpose. That wasn’t true with my brother who was a brilliant man but hadn’t done soul work. What a difference I felt in their leaving and Vic has stayed in dreams and on the land, whereas, at least for me, my brother feels inaccessible and gone. So I return to your last line and words are not enough, but they lead me to healing image and metaphor.
Sending love and gratitude across the great waters and across the tall trees. Be safe.
Thank you so much dear Elaine for your beautiful comment! Hmm, that’s an interesting way of looking at your extroversion and how you sense that your hearing issues not only tame but maybe balance your introversion. Like Alice (in Wonderland) I’m so curious, as having an introverted, intuitive, feeling personality type (INFP), I’m wondering how my extroverted side balances me out?!
Well, I must admit my hand was hovering over the publish button earlier, as I was in two minds about whether to share this poem or not, especially as some readers won’t believe in reincarnation. I love what you’ve shared here about the intense purpose you felt Vic experienced during his death. That’s so personnel and so generous of you to share with others. Thank you my friend.
I was going to add that following both my parents deaths in the last year, it felt like my father vanished too if I compare him to my mother who visits my dreams often. Always happy and loving, yet living alone, apart from her cats and kittens (that’s another story!). Although she told me my father was coming but not yet. However, a few nights ago he finally turned up in a dream.
Words? What can we ever possibly say that comes even remotely close to the depth and breadth of love? Even a poet knows but a few words. Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
Deborah, I wasn’t sure you understood my comment about the effect of deafness. I am by nature an extroverted feeling type, but hearing struggles force me into an introverted dominance. Still a feeling type. There are so many social things I can’t do like restaurants, movies, music, plays, parties. These were lost to most people during the pandemic, but I was used to it and quiet and just a few people at a time is all I can manage. In the two Zoom classes I’m in, everyone helps by making sure only one person speaks at a time. Reading lips helps, too. The lessons keep coming!
Apologies Elaine! Yes, truly I was following what you were saying about being naturally extroverted and how your hearing problems have kind of balanced out (whether you wanted them to or not) your introverted side but alas, I took myself down another rabbit hole which led to me wondering “out loud” about how my own extraversion (what little there seems of it today) may strive to find balance with my introversion.
You see, I’ve never thought about these things before so got carried away and like Alice, became curiourer and curiouser! I say this because as a young woman I was very extraverted, gregarious and definitely a dancing queen (or was I really!?) and somewhere around the age of forty I became introverted, quiet and introspective. Hmm, do we ever go back to being how we were I wonder? Or do we all find that balance with age?
So many questions rise! Thanks for the nudge.
No apology needed, dear Deborah. I wanted to make sure I was clear and I love hearing your experience. In many ways Meniere’s Disease changed my life as much as Vic’s death and it didn’t become severe until 2013, so 5 years after his death. He was always the introvert so I find myself in new territory. Yes, so many questions–but it wasn’t a nudge. I love trying to understand each other.
I love your questions Elaine and your great and noble heart! I enjoy trying to understand each other too! “Love is the seed that flowers in hearts of deep, rich knowing and beauty of being.”
Namaste my dear friend, namaste.
Strong words! You give us the hope and the light to see beyond what seems to be shown to us. Somebody once said, we may dream right now and when we died we are awakened. I am happy you are there again, my dear Angel.
Thank you so much Aladin, my dear friend, for sharing the loving warmth of your heart! I’m happy to be back home with my pen in hand, surrounded by friends like you who cheer, inspire and support me always. Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
Ahh, Deborah, this is such beautifully crafted prose to describe a simple yet life changing mantra – “choose love, not fear.” If we were all taught this at an early age I wonder what sort of world we would live in…a far better one I’m sure. All I can do is to strive to follow and remember this, knowing that all is well especially in the most challenging of times!
Thank you Deborah for a wonderfully woven reminder of the oneness of us all before, during and after this lifetime. Early Lammas blessings, Sophia
Thank you so much Sophia for your beautiful reply! I agree, whole-heartedly, choosing love not fear is by far our wisest (and healthiest) choice but alas, it’s so easy to forget this truism in the midst of anger, grief or pain. And yet, within a minute or two of doing so, many a challenging situation changes for the better each time we respond with love.
A big yes again, to teaching our children how to make these “love or fear” choices for themselves. I’ve always believed so, and having worked with children for a number of years, I found many a creative way to include this in my lesson or workshop plans.
I thought I would try my hand at poetic prose this afternoon and so when these love-filled words floated by, like fairy seeds from a summer flower meadow, I duly caught them with my poet’s net! The muse was heard laughing! Love, light and Lammas blessings, Deborah.
“if you want the moon,
do not hide from the night.
if you want a rose,
do not run from the thorns.
if you want love,
do not hide from yourself. “
~ Rumi
I found this when I was pondering the lesson of choosing love over fear…we have to go where fear is or face the fear in order to access the love, such a simple intention yet often a very hard one to follow!
I forgot to say that is a wonderful image you’ve chosen Deborah – you can see the love the girl has for the flower…just beautiful.
What a beautiful, inspiring poem by Rumi! Thank you for sharing this Sophia. Indeed, if we all want love we have to stop hiding from ourselves. Stop losing ourselves in negative, narcissistic, self-absorbed games of the ego. Love is the seed, the key and the answer, always.
Indeed, Catrin’s artwork is beautiful! My heart leapt when I first came across it yesterday. And the love the flowers and butterflies have for the girl, I want to add.