When we observe the progress of a seed into its mature state we tend to assume that we are witnessing qualities expressed by the seed. This is true to a certain extent, yet at the same time we are witnessing the qualities of mind and consciousness. Our attention naturally flows outward and tends to be absorbed in evolving forms rather than the source out of which they grow. As we awaken, or learn to withdraw our attention from objects and turn our attention inwards, we begin to notice with greater clarity the quality of our thoughts and emotions.
Over many generations we have learned to observe that a seed is pregnant with potential, and it seems that all things grow from a seed. Yet there is also an unbroken flow of creation of which the seed and its prior and subsequent forms are but temporary manifestations. It's relatively easy to see how a seed becomes its mature form, but it is not always easy to see how it transforms into everything else, or how it resolves back into its source.
When a seed becomes a plant it is following a relatively predictable development. Yet when you eat the plant it turns into a part of you. At some level there is a communication, a communion, between you and the plant, the outcomes of which are not so obvious or predictable. When we follow these lines of development we end up in fascinating realms of mental and physical forms that are not readily unravelled through rational means, as they invariably require more and more investigation and research.
If you try to find the seed of a single thought you will be led into another thought, or many thoughts. So what is the real seed, what is its origin? It is that within which the seed or the thought is arising. In other words, continuing the analogy of the plant, the seed is not the cause of the plant and it is not the source of the plant. It is a particular state of transformation of the plant. The source is that which facilitates your awareness of the seed and its transition into a fully formed plant.
To follow your thought back to its source is to notice it resolving into silence, or to notice the silence out of which thought is arising. The challenge is to avoid distraction on the way, and the distraction is always a thought that quickly grows into an idea.
A meme is the essence of an idea, its seed. And when the wrong thoughts are sown they can cause a lifetime of disturbance. If the mind of a child is seeded with toxic memes it will experience a life of struggle, unless the memes of fear are replaced with love. The same applies to a family, a community and a society. Consequently the examination of ideas and their memes is more important than the regurgitation of ideas.
The most empowering meme is that of love, and the most disempowering is fear. In any situation ask yourself: "Is this growing out of fear or love?" The question is important because everything is in relationship with you. But what is the quality of your relationship to everything? The answer is not complicated because your life reflects the answer. Ultimately your relationship with life reflects your relationship with yourself, and the degree to which you see yourself in others. The more you become aware of the source of all things the more you will see yourself as a part of everything.
Take the time to follow your thoughts back to their silent source and from that perspective discover which seeds need sowing and nurturing and which need to be cast into the fire.
Here is a seed, or a meme, expressed in different ways:
Every fear reminds me of love.
My fear fades as love arises.
I turn from fear to love.
Perhaps you can find a different wording that will serve you best. The point is not to repeat it like an affirmation or mantra, but rather to notice and feel the transition from one state to the other, until the state of love becomes more familiar than fear, until your daily stress responses become replaced with relaxation responses.
May our inspired actions meet the needs of others, and lead to a higher quality of life for all.