“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
–Cynthia Occelli
The USA is a potent seedpod of democracy that has been gestating, preparing for its full birth, since 1776. Did it just crack open? Think of the insurrection and mob violence that happened in the Capitol seat of our government on January 6, 2021. The shell of apparent order burst. What had been hidden in darkness, (with little visibility in the major media) burst forth chaotically, in full public view.
As we reflect on the disturbing photos and videos of that day we see evidence of the mob’s rampage—a woman trampled to death, a policeman murdered, windows broken, a laptop stolen, our congressional representatives barricaded in close quarters in fear of their lives for four hours, guns at ready, Americans versus Americans in confrontation. We wonder, “What has happened to the original vision of our democracy?”
Where Are The Seeds Going?
Today the House of Representatives is meeting to impeach the President and re-establish the authority of the Constitution. A return to our foundation. A step offering stability, reasserting the structure we are used to. Our secure, home pod. In the media journalists wonder what will manifest in our future.
There are new seeds flying in the wind, ready to land and take root. Very soon a new president will be inaugurated, Joe Biden, Jr. He says he wants to work towards unity to benefit all parties. By his side as Vice President will be Kamala Harris, a woman, a lawyer, a powerful person of great influence in her home state, an individual of East Indian and Caribbean heritage, a person-of-color. It is the first time the USA will have a female VP. It is the first time a female representing such diversity has held that position.
Biden is choosing his Cabinet: 50% male, 50% female and more diverse than ever before in our history. Deb Haaland, a woman of Amer-Indian (First Nation) descent, will be head of the Department of the Interior. It is the first time a representative of the First Nations has held such a powerful position for leading change and promoting stability and sustainability in the US “Interior.”
Even though the seeds of the USA came into being to embrace diversity of religious expression, and lay claim to the notion that all men (and women) are created equal…enclosed in the darkness of gestation for 244 years has been religious, sexist, and racial intolerance. We now have the chance to give new form to the seed vision that all people deserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Renewing Our Vision
In this turbulent moment: let’s remember we are currently seeding a higher octave of our original vision, a creation that has the potential to grow to new heights, and be more stably rooted. We need to pay close attention. The new seeds need a safe zone to settle into and set down their root structure. The new growth needs soil that has nutrients, and caring attention. A way of being that is closer to the original, inspired blueprint of this nation needs to be cultivated. It will take patience. Sturdy plants do not grow overnight.
Letting go of what previously held us, our seedpod, may take more cracking open that continues to look like sheer destruction. Let’s remember, the cracking open is an effort to emerge into a new form. Let’s hold tight during the process of impeachment as well as the reordering of leadership.
Let’s put our attention on the original vision that seeded this nation, bring it into the light, and invite it into the 21st century structure of life. The vision we put our attention on has the power to help us manifest that vision.
Create a Vision Board
As a coach who supports personal transformation I think deeply about what can encourage growth of the most positive potentials. I coach individuals who are in the midst of cracking open, in spiritual crisis. They feel vulnerable and uncertain. Some say clearly, “What I have known before no longer fits for me now. I’m not sure what my next steps are. I need guidance and support.”
I suggest first going back to origins, “What were you most excited about when you were young? Go back to that and bring it into your life again.” Some take up painting, dancing, or making music. I also suggest creating a “vision board”—bringing together graphic images about what they want their future to feel like, and to look like. On the board they draw or paste images to answer: “What do I want in my close relationships in the future? What do I want in my work? What do I want to cultivate in the spiritual realms of my own soul that will bring deep joy?”
As a country it’s time to return to the original seeds in our Constitution and in the Declaration of Independence. It’s time to rebirth our commitment. It’s also time for each of us to envision what we want in the future for our home nation, the United States. That vision board can be posted on a wall where we see it every day…so we invest it with energy, loving attention, and strong intention. Let the vision board become a source of inspiration and a reminder of what we want to manifest.
The first sentence of our Constitution reads, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”
What does that look like on your vision board for our united future? Is there a wall barricading the USA from our southern neighbors? Is there free healthcare for all? Are our wilderness lands dotted with oil wells? Do our rivers run clean? We invite you to share your vision in the comment boxes below.
Author Bio: Emma Bragdon, PhD. is the Founder/ Executive Director of Integrative Mental Health for You, IMHU.org.
IMHU offers more than 34 presentations online to inform consumers and healthcare providers about effective ways to optimize mental health without over-relying on psychiatric medications. Examples are: