Pomegranates and Peaceful Coexistence

3 AM thoughts, when the veil is thin

Dec 14, 2023

A few nights ago, I was struck awake at 3:48am by a beating, bubbling heart.

Sensations rose buoyantly from my chest, through my trachea, and into my head. Emergent words swelled, urging for freedom.

The clarity of a thin veil and the thick of silence offered this art.

The pomegranate tree knows no borders
her roots crack the cold concrete
crumbling barriers between us
for the land belongs to all

“palestinians are loved here.
israelis are loved here.
peaceful coexistence is loved here.
living beings on earth are loved here.
Freedom is loved here.”

She says,
offering her jeweled seeds
to every one who gives the time
to pluck and peel and
plant again

In an auspicious Brahma Muhurta, during a night’s witching hour, it felt like my heart spoke so clearly on behalf of a hearty fruit tree...

A fruit that’s held as sacred by many of the world's ancient religions:

Islamic legend holds that each pomegranate contains one seed from paradise
Her fruit has a special role as a fertility symbol in weddings among nomadic Arabs of the the Middle Eastern desert
Her fruit represents righteousness in Judaism; 613 seeds corresponding to the 613 commandments of the Torah
Pomegranates often found their way into the hands of Hindu gods like Bhoomi Devi, a goddess personification of Mother Earth
It’s said that pomegranate trees flourished in the Garden of Eden, her harvest representing resurrection and life everlasting, and depicted in Christian devotional statues and paintings of the Virgin and Child
In Buddhist folklore, the demoness Hariti, who devoured children, was cured of her evil habit by the Buddha, who gave her a pomegranate to eat

The pomegranate tree was and is used extensively as folk medicine in many cultures through time. Its antioxidants protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals and it reduces inflammation. Studies suggest that pomegranates can help protect our bodies and hearts by lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Ayurveda prizes the pomegranate for being pacifying, cleansing, and immunity-boosting for all three Doshas in the body. Her fruits are also an aphrodisiac that increases testosterone levels across gender and stimulates genital sensitivity.

Dualistically, her fruit is also a symbol of death. The word “grenade” comes from pomegranate, named for the way a shrapnel shell grenade imitates the scattering seeds of an exploded bloody pomegranate. Also, ancient physicians like as Hippocrates, Soranus and Dioscorides prescribed the seeds and rind as a contraceptive.

What a muse in the both/and.

Poms aside though, my mind judges this poetry and art as idealistic, ignorant, simplistic, reductive, unrealistic. The rational brain judges it as banal, silly, trite, offensive.

For years, I’ve been in my head a lot- like so many of us- about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Perhaps understandably so… it is painfully ongoing, complex, historical, highly polarizing, divisive and violent. It brings out the shadows of our humanity. On one end of the spectrum, it causes people to snarl and spit vitriol onto each other, and on another end of the spectrum, it causes people to kill, slaughter and traumatize generations upon generations of people.

Yet as an artist with a role and responsibility to channel divine illumination (the topic of Creation for Liberation Podcast’s latest episode with James McCrae), it is an honor to be chosen to steward any mystical downloads, and this art from the heart sure feels like one.

Art from a heart that knows the wondrous truth reverberating so deep, deep in the soil… the same truth that sprouts pomegranate shrubs bearing maximum fruit as it crumbles the cold concrete barriers between us.

All profits from this art go to benefit the work and mission of a non-profit called Tomorrow’s Women that I learned about through the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Tomorrow’s Women trains young women from Palestine, Israel, and the United States to be strong, compassionate leaders who partner to resolve conflicts and inspire action that promotes equality, peace, and justice for all.

May all beings be loved. May all beings be free.

Free e-books on Peace by Parallax Press:

Thanks to my friend, Rehana for sharing this resource with me recently, and thanks to the folks at Parallex press for still freely offering these wisdom portals.