The Circle of Life

I love the Netflix series Chef’s Table and not just because of the incredible food. The life stories and personal philosophies of these renowned international chefs are fascinating and often spiritually inspiring. One such episode featured Chef Alex Atala of Brazil. There’s much about Chef Atala that inspires, but a story he told from his early years intrigued me. As a young man he was fixated on understanding the meaning of life, even taking Peyote to stimulate awareness. But it was a dream that revealed the answer to his question. In it a supreme being showed him “circles of life” and then he showed him a flower. He asked the being, “Why do you show me a flower?” His answer: “The flower is the moment that we live—it is the most beautiful moment of the circle. Contemplate this.” To Alex, the dream couldn’t have answered his question more clearly. The flower is the meaning of life.

A lifetime is a circle or a life cycle. Each of us is a spirit in a body who has incarnated on earth to grow as a soul. A plant has a soul too. One could compare the seed to the soul and the soil to the body; from that grows the plant. Like us, a plant's life is not eternal and it will someday die and return to spirit. But when the season is right, the seeds will germinate and take root. The plant is born again to express its soul through its most beautiful creation: the flower.

How do we flower? We create. We express. We love. Turns out, life’s most meaningful moments are the true meaning of life. And we humans can create these moments. Unlike the plant whose life-cycle is hardwired and can only blossom when in season; we have the free will to blossom whenever and wherever we choose. Even today.

Not sure how to start consciously bringing more meaningful moments into your life? It’s simpler than you may think: creativity. I’ve been encouraging my clients to be more creative for years. For some this concept is easy; but for other, less artsy folks it’s not. The tripping point is their definition of the word “creativity.” To me being creative isn’t limited to making works of art; it’s any endeavor you are inspired to act upon that creates something. This can be gardening, cooking, decorating, event planning, organizing and even bookkeeping if it lights you up. Your flower is any action that inspires you to manifest something meaningful. So why not create a garden?

Here is another little secret about creativity—it increases intuition. The creative process is a form of moving meditation. When inspiration flows through you (especially when you act upon it) the channel becomes stronger and stronger.

© Maria Hart 2017

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