Good and Bad Seeds

 I have used the analogy of human beings in this world as comparable to seeds planted in the earth before. Given that the same patterns repeat themselves at all levels of creation, the basis of symbolism and a key to deeper understanding, this seems reasonable. We are gods but gods in potential just as seeds are plants but only potentially so. The dark earth is this dark (spiritually considered) Earth, and the light of the sun to which the seeds grow upwards through their equivalent of aspiration is like the light of God to which the human soul should aspire. 

But this comparison contains a warning. Not all seeds germinate. 

I have just looked up the factors that might prevent germination. Here are some.

• • Dormancy:

  Many seeds naturally enter a dormant state to protect themselves from unfavorable conditions like cold, drought, or predation. 

  • Seed Viability:

  Seeds can degrade over time, losing their ability to germinate. Factors like storage conditions, temperature, and humidity can affect seed viability. 

  • Environmental Factors:

  Even viable seeds require specific conditions for germination, including moisture, oxygen, temperature, and sometimes light or dark. Some seeds may not germinate if planted too deep or shallow, or if the soil temperature is not optimal. 

  • Internal Factors:

  Some seeds may have internal factors, such as a thick seed coat or chemical inhibitors, that prevent germination until those factors are overcome. 

  
  

   It is not hard to equate some of these with human barriers to spiritual development. For instance, dormancy. In many people the spiritual sense does lie dormant. The stuff of which they are made is not robust enough to overcome world conditions. In others there can be a degradation of the soul as the lower self allows itself to be caught up in sin. Environmental factors must also be taken into consideration, and internal factors such as the intrinsic quality of the soul in the first place cannot be ignored.

  
  

  However, human beings are different to seeds in that we have free will. We can, if we set our minds to it, overcome obstacles. A particular environment might hinder but it cannot prevent. 

  
  

  A natural question to ask would be what percentage of seeds germinate, and the answer is it depends. It depends on the species, it depends on weather conditions and it depends on the time of planting. Modern science tells us that human beings all belong to the same species, and biologically we may do even if there are different categories within that species. But spiritually we may not. It is an unsubstantiated assumption that because we are all children of God we are all the same sort of children. We might well have different spiritual origins, and even where there is similarity of origin we know that the same parents can have quite different children. The weather conditions relate to the spiritual climate when we are alive. It may be fair as in some periods of history or it may be foul as now though if we are born at a foul time there will be a reason for that. A hardier strain might be produced by inclement weather.

  
  

  Then there is the time of planting. Most traditions would agree that we are not now in spring. Indeed, most would say we are deep in winter. It may be that the harvest is not great at such a time but this analogy should not be pushed too far. If we are alive now it is because the greater difficulties can produce a more intense growing season. What is lost in terms of quantity may be gained qualitatively speaking. The seeds that do sprout might produce a better crop. Those that don't might be held back for another season.

  
  

  There is good seed and bad seed. Both can germinate but the good seed is more likely to do so. What makes a good seed is love of God. This produces the pushing up through the earth towards the light of the sun. A bad seed can be characterised by rejection of God, a very bad seed by hatred of God. It seems that few people today love the Good. The Good is the same as God. God is Being which is a transcendental thing. That means it is beyond this world. If you do not look for the meaning of life beyond this world you are rejecting God and, ipso facto, rejecting the Good. That is why personal goodness, or goodness as the world judges it, is less important than the orientation of the soul. A conventionally good person who does not seek to strive upwards through the earth to the sun is not aware of the true Good and is therefore is on the wrong side when it comes to spiritual good and evil. His seed will not sprout. He may claim to love God but if he gives precedence to any worldly conception of good then his claim is false. He doesn't love God but an imagined idol of his own making.

  
  

  We live in an egalitarian culture which believes everyone will be saved because everyone is basically good. There is no bad seed, all is good. However, egalitarianism is a poisonous doctrine because it sacrifices truth for a perversion of love. Without hierarchy there is no higher or lower, no better or worse, and this means that everything sinks to the same level. The vertical collapses to the horizontal. It is clear that the egalitarian ethos has been put through by the dark forces to shut mankind out from the spiritual heights. It is a justification for resentment, making a vice into a virtue, and a major contributory factor to the degradation of seeds.

  Note: I could have described this in terms of healthy and poor quality seeds to remove the sense of moral judgement. But there is moral judgment involved when you are speaking in human terms. Healthy is good, spiritually speaking.