I haven’t played with these cards* in several years.  Today I got the hit to pull them out again before I began writing.  Courage showed up in my reading this  morning and it perfectly describes the process of becoming a thought leader, of becoming conscious and aware and sharing our softness and vulnerability with the world in order to empower & strengthen and inspire others to break out of their shell too…

I love this picture because it reminds me of some small purple flowers I saw at the top of the 6 passes we crossed on the Pacific Crest Trail in the High Sierra – some above 10,000 feet, where nothing much grows and there are only piles of rocks.  I recall thinking that if those small delicate flowers could literally grow out of the crevices in the rocks, what else is possible?  It blew my mind because I had never seen something like that before, barren rocks at the top of the world with life springing forth seemingly unaware that this was a rather unusual and “impossible” place to grow and bloom.

Thank God for nature and the ignorance of plants and animals, otherwise we’d live in a very limited place 😉

Kinda makes you wonder whose really ignorant, huh?

“The seed cannot know what is going to happen the seed has never known the flower.  And the seed cannot even believe that he has the potentiality to become a beautiful flower.  Long is the journey, and it is always safer not to go on that journey because unknown is the path, nothing is guaranteed.  Thousand and one are the hazards of the journey, many are the pitfalls – and the seed is secure, hidden inside a hard core.  

But the seed tries, it makes an effort; it drops the hard shell which is it’s security, it starts moving.  Immediately the fight starts; the struggle with the soil, with the stones, with the rocks.  And the seed was very hard and the sprout will be very, very soft and dangers will be many.

There was no danger for the seed, the seed could have survived for millennia, but for the sprout many are the dangers.  But the sprout starts towards the unknown, towards the sun, towards the source of light, not knowing where, not knowing why.  Great is the cross to be carried, but a dream possesses the seed and the seed moves.

The same is the path for man.  It is arduous. Much courage will be needed.” *

Where are you storing your seed of courage?  Stop hiding it away for another day.  It’s time to add a little water and watch it sprout.  Don’t worry, even in the harshest conditions, indeed, because of the harshest conditions – your little sprout will flourish.

I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

*The image and description are from Osho Zen Tarot: The Transcendental Game of Zen deck and book.