I forgot to add water to my houseplants before i went to a workshop recently. The inevitable had happened when i returned a week later: They were mighty thirsty! Most of my plants have been tested and are drought resistant (they have survived my treatment…). I had two new plants, though: Basil and oregano. The basil was big enough and recovered quickly with enough water. The oregano was in a little pot and completely dried out. I thought i’d give it a little water and see if it would recover. It didn’t. So, i left it to dry out. Or so i thought. I am still getting used to having access to fresh herbs when i am cooking, so i don’t use them all that frequently. Thus, i didn’t noticed what was happening among the drying oregano: A new branch was sprouting! At first, i thought it was something else but once i cut off all the dried up oregano, it was clear that the little one was a new branch! I was excited not only because the herb wasn’t dead after all but also because it symbolized what is going on in my life. During the workshop, i had started to reconnect with my inner child. I was starting to cut away the dried up branches of cultural conditioning, adding water and sunlight – nurturing the little plant of the new integrated me. Watching the oregano reminds me of how important nurturance is, yet, that we can also trust that life will find a way. The life force moves us toward integration – it flows stronger when we support it but it flows even when it is covered up by dead branches.

Here are a couple pictures of the sprout (click on the small images to see a larger version):