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The following is for an exercise in class.

“There is a light grain seed inside.
You fill it with yourself, or it dies.”
-Rumi-

Light, in many spiritual groups, symbolizes “right” communication. Grain is a daily requirement for all people, lest they should go hungry. A seed represents the inactive part of something that has the potential to be that thing. By “inside,” I believe Rumi means, “You have it. It is yours to control.”

To fill this seed with yourself, you must apply your spirit into that communication. That communication will feed, or give energy to, the people within your life who are hearing or listening to you – essentially accepting your seed. The communication is from the inside, or from the physical being you own, and is toward the outside, the world to which you are connected, but do not exert the same kind of control. In essence, when you communicate truly, you are shining your light from within upon others.

However, as this text refers to a seed (and storing potential for later planting), it is not necessary that this light must be always shining upon others. As long as the seed is planted before it becomes “no good”, or dead, the seed you own will grow and bear fruit.

The seed dies when you do not have (or acknowledge, or know) what yourself is that you will fill it with. The seed can also die if you do not fill it with light, but feed it false (or inappropriate) communication. The third way it can die is if it remains unplanted during the season for planting.

Once the seed is planted, we can stop by and take out weeds that would steal from it, but the mystery is that we do not control the weather, the rabbits, the insects, or the sun. In that way, we are responsible for planting the seed, and Allah willing, the seed will grow into the plant which people can then eat.

joel