Restoring The Pure Seed

Dr Vandana Shiva

Genesis 8

New King James Version (NKJV)

Noah’s Deliverance

¹ Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.² The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. ³ And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. ⁴ Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

⁶ So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. ⁷ Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. ⁸ He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. ⁹ But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. ¹⁰ And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. ¹¹ Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. ¹² So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.

¹³ And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.

¹⁵ Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. ¹⁹ Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

God’s Covenant with Creation

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

²² “While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”

~~~~~

Tao Te Ching (The Way)

by Lao-tzu

J. Legge, Translator

(Sacred Books of the East, Vol 39) [1891]

2

All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is.

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to
(the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.

Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.

All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).

The work is done, but how no one can see;
'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.

~~~~~

Commentaries on the “Silver Rules” of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan

by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

Silver Rule 2

My conscientious self, use tact on all occasions.

Tact is not deception. Tact is consideration. Murshid says: “Truth that hits like the blow of a hammer is not the truth.” What is right, what is natural, what rings true depends on the circumstances. It is a matter of harmonizing with the moment. And yet tact need not always be meek and mild; it can be bold and courageous. But it always involves consideration. Tact, sensitivity to the feelings of others, is the opposite of inattentive, reckless heedlessness, which is self-absorption. Tact means seeing and recognizing the need of another; understanding and harmonizing with the surrounding music of life. It means flowing like water rather than unnecessarily provoking opposition. Antagonism is easily provoked when we are heedless, when we neglect the practice of simple courtesy, simple observances that acknowledge the existence of those around us, and their rights. How many arguments, conflicts, and even wars are the result of unnecessary provocations. How much understanding results when we make an effort to speak and act with tact.

Turning within, can you recall the last time you did not exercise sufficient tact? What were the outer and inner circumstances that gave rise to that misstep? What was the effect on the one who saw or heard it? And what was the effect on you?

Contemplate this experience and a lesson is learned. Our ideal is strengthened by seeing clearly the cause and effect. But let us remember, too, the last occasion on which you did exercise tact effectively, thoughtfully and with consideration. What outer and inner circumstances allowed you to do so? What effect did it have on you?

Let us take strength from this recollection and aim always to increase our capacity to practice tact on all occasions, favorable and unfavorable.

My conscientious self, use tact on all occasions.

~~~~~

Father, forgive us for deviating from Your plan for pure, nutritional food sources.  Help us to navigate back to Your plan, while improving our economy and becoming healthy, productive citizens.  We are grateful for learning how to love You, ourselves and each other in Jesus name, amen.