On...

Growing Bananas

On a recent Saturday afternoon I had the privilege of being tutored by a simple man of the soil in growing excellent bananas. He had seen that I had many trees that needed some attention, and since he had grown bananas all his life he wanted to share his knowledge with me.

He taught me the many names for various parts of the plant, and various stages of maturity – all of which I have forgotten. But there were a few lessons that I will never forget.

I was impressed with the way a growing mother plant begins to raise her young (hijo in Spanish) before she produces any fruit. The mother produces only one bundle of bananas in her lifetime of about 18 months, but she put outs new little plants from her base. Sometimes there is one, sometimes two or more. If the young is to eventually bear fruit, all but one need to be removed as there is usually insufficient nourishment for more. But the one remaining one must be on the non-fruit-bearing side of the mother, away from the light. When the mother dies she continues for some time to give nourishment to the hijo.

This reminded me of how most growth takes place in the shadow side of life where we are challenged and struggling for the light. If we accept this fact we can face the challenges we encounter and eventually emerge in the light and bear much fruit.

I was also taught that it is dangerous to grab with my bare hands the lower dying branches or the decaying debris at the base of the tree for cutting and clearing it away with a machete. My teacher said that this is where spiders, scorpions and snakes like to hang out. To help prove his point, a deadly spider soon emerged, and later a snake made its presence known.

These creatures who like the dark places remind me of the shadow side of our nature. We must look into these places within us with great care and respect for the life that is there. If we enter with awareness and gentleness we will not be surprised nor hurt, but will simply release what is hidden there.

These lessons reminded me that everything has its place in life and in ourselves. Understanding and respect for all things enables us to realize that there is a soul purpose for all things. When we get bit by some creature, person or life experience it is simply a reminder to align ourselves with an appropriate soul perspective. This will help us see things more clearly and value their purpose.

Exercises: 1. What are you in the dark about right now? Affirm your willingness to be there and value the growth that can then take place. 2. Have you been wounded by some harsh experience? Attempt to gain a soul perspective on it and find its value and purpose.

This is one of 99 Soul Perspectives. Click here or your BACK button to go back to the Soul Perspectives Index.