And Pomegranates

Thanks to a friend’s urging, I tried my first pomegranate yesterday. How did I live this long without them?

I just love the sweet pop of the seed capsule, then the crunch of the slightly bitter seed. I also like pretty food, and the crimson, glossy seeds are just that. There’s a little work involved in digging out the seeds, but it’s so worth it. Plus, there are reports that pomegranates are anti-oxidant rich, high in punicic acid, and act as an anti-inflammatory.

But they’re also high in sugar, with 24 grams per cup of seed capsules. And yet a cup of capsules – and that’s a lot to eat – has only 144 calories. But the bottom line is that they’re yummy, and now I have to make more room in the kitchen for a bowl of poms. First World problems for sure.

Here and there I get a prayer, invocation, or mantra stuck in my head, like a song, and spend days silently reciting it. I don’t know where these impulses come from, but it can’t be anything but good, so I let my mind do its thing.

Bowing to Shiva – the god of the universe - with love, my mind has been repeating ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ incessantly since yesterday at about this time. Formless and transcendent, Shiva is the protector and transformer of all that exists.

I can’t imagine why this recitation would take hold of my mind for no apparent reason. I know nothing of the future, but maybe I should strengthen myself for something that’s to come. I don’t know and don’t care: this is a state of continuous meditation, and it’s perfect.

Of course, I set aside about 15 of those pomegranate seeds yesterday, wrapped them in warm, wet paper towels, bagged them, and put them in a warm spot. Because you know as well as I that if there’s a chance I can germinate seeds and grow food, I’ll take it. Now that I’m loving pomegranates, I may have to make space in the garden for another fruit-bearing bush. Being a plant geek is work.

Shankara

Shambo Om

Namah Shivaya

Shivaya Namah Om