earthseed n cosmic roots

the day I finished this book (2.20.25)

We are all Godseed, but no more or less
so than any other aspect of the universe.
Godseed is all there is—all that
Changes. Earthseed is all that spreads
Earthlife to new earths. The universe is
Godseed. Only we are Earthseed. And the
Destiny of Earthseed is to take root among
the stars.

― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower

I just finished reading “Parable of the Talents” by Octavia Butler yesterday and I can’t stop thinking about the idea of taking root amongst the stars. humans have only existed for 0.0000026 of Earth’s 3.8 billion year existence.. we’re brand new. we’re seedlings. the metaphor for having cosmic roots is something i’ve always felt in my soul. one of my 1st spiritual awakenings was being flooded with this overwhelming yet familiar feeling of unity with all of creation, time n space + beyond; supreme interconnectedness. out there was as much home as what was within me. it’s what inspired this song i wrote called, “made of stars”. our destiny being to take root amongst the stars is like a compass for what’s possible and more. inna sense, bacteria must have cosmic intelligence since they’re as much out there as they are within us. and what about those of us who can travel out of body already?

spiritual gifts as earth’s technology.

a couple months ago I binge listened to the entire podcast of the telepathy tapes which sheds so much light on non-verbal autistic children having telepathy and various spiritual gifts. something that stuck out to me was that all these kids were able to go to a place called “the hill” in their minds to connect and be together beyond their bodies, beyond earth. what I loved most about hearing their experiences was that they all have a strong spiritual component, love for God, and an unwavering sense of justice. as a fellow creative person on the spectrum, I can relate to this heavy. there’s so much to learn by listening to their message.

when i look at the apocalyptic state of the world right now, it’s scarily accurate to the one that Octavia Butler paints in the book, which takes place in the 2020’s onward. during the fires that happened in LA last month, we had to evacuate our homes and bring what we could fit of our music studios in our car. it was strange to say goodbye to our home, uncertain what would happen. where would we go? LA was surrounded by fire. the whole time i kept thinking about “Parable of the Sower” because it was uncanny how everything going on was damn near prophesized in that book already. So naturally I felt compelled to finish the sequel, “Parable of the Talents”. There’s so much wisdom to extract from this novel, and even though it was difficult to get through certain sections of the story that had to do with SA, slavery and trauma, we are shown an aspect of truth about ourselves in today’s age. we’re also able to see where we’re headed based off historical patterns that, to this day, remain fundamentally unchanged.

earth’s lungs as expressed via a cypress tree branch

The Destiny of Earthseed
Is to take root among the stars.

It is to live and to thrive
On new earths.

It is to become new beings
And to consider new questions.

It is to leap into the heavens
Again and again.

It is to explore the vastness
Of heaven.

It is to explore the vastness
Of ourselves.

― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents

up is down down is up

Perhaps a huge reason as to why so many “americans” are out of touch with their true nature is bc of the longterm effects of colonization, and living under capitalism. as a 1st generation filipino american, i too was indoctrinated and lied to about not only who I was, but what my true relationship to earth was. many of our dreams and identity are limited to capitalist fantasies that simply perpetuate the matrix, and at the same time many people don’t even have the luxury / privilege to dream. despite the long history of genocide and oppression many of us still remember in our bones, the one thing that western imperialism was never able to fully colonize in me personally, was my soul. once the “american” people can fully realize that each individual journey is interconnected to the whole, n every choice is as political as it is spiritual, we can begin to see some generational healing ripple out in our bloodlines… which, I believe, has a cosmic effect.

I’m like an infinite looping record when I say this, but the answer is clear. Return to Earth. Within is Out There. There’s still so much more to process re: this book. still so much to learn from nature… each of us is is playing a role in this cosmic event that is ever-changing. God is change, afterall.

If you wanna check out this series, which you should, I recommend buying from a local independent bookstore, like this awesome bookshop called Octavia’s Bookshelf located in Pasadena. It was amazing to see this business providing mutual aid for the community during the recent devastating fires. And God bless all those that were effected in Altadena, where Octavia Butler lived. if that’s not accessible to you, check out bookshop.org. it’s a great alternative to amazon when it comes to buying books, that helps keep independent bookstores alive!