HeartSeed - Meaning and Symbolism
/The bee knows the essence of the flower is honey.
While you can’t see it, it is known that the sprout resides in the seed.
Years ago I attended a teaching by the venerable Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche, a female Tibetan lineage holder, who shared these simple and profound images to point the way, to cut through doubt, to realize that innate brilliance lies within each of us. At that time HeartSeed had already come into being as the name I’d given to the work I was developing for children around the ancient practices of yoga and meditation. I’d held it closely for so long, like a mother nurturing the life in her womb. The time will come, as Jestün Khandro Rinpoche said, when you “surrender to the honey in the flower”. HeartSeed refers to the seed of wisdom and compassion that resides within each of us. Yoga and meditation offer the teachings and practices that nurture the way to the brilliance within, allowing it to flourish and shine forth.
Creating a symbol for HeartSeed, making visible an image of something that can’t be seen, was an exciting challenge. Bringing a sense of playful, childlike joy, and honoring the integrity of the practices was my goal. The result is a logo that is simple and profound in symbolism. Let me introduce you to the HeartSeed logo.
The circular mandala shape represents the child’s arms in meditation, hands meeting at the bottom of the circle. The mandala is an ancient symbol which in Sanskrit means circle. It is recognized as a symbol of wholeness and is often used in meditation practice.
The stem of the flower represents the path. There is a journey to follow when learning anything. The practices, lessons, and skills are developed and introduced for children when they are ready. Each skill builds on the previous so that the child can progress at their own pace and receive just what they need along the way.
The three leaves represent the three principles that make up the HeartSeed program, Body, Mind, Heart:
The Body incorporates yoga practices which help to develop the child’s relationship with, and awareness of the body in a healthy way.
The Mind practice focuses on various meditation exercises including mindfulness and concentration meditation designed to help the child gain awareness and understanding of their own mind.
The Heart refers to an individual’s conduct and an awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings. As children develop an understanding of these practices and begin to incorporate them into their own lives, they come to see the ripple effect. While these practices benefit the child in profound ways, they support the development of individuals who have a positive, lasting effect on the beings and world around them.
The bloom and the rays represent the fruition of your practice. The three principles Body, Mind, Heart are united to form the petals of the bloom. They are bright in color like the sun, shining forth, beyond the edge of the mandala. The rays, like the sun’s rays, reach far and wide for the benefit of all.
Earth and Water can be seen at the bottom as the diagonal mountain line on the left, and line of the sea on the right. Our wisdom-compassion light pushes forth through the depths of the mountain, and the turbulent waves of the sea, with resilience and knowing.
Yin-Yang formed by the line of the stem through the center of the circle represents the sense of balance required to achieve harmony.
The HeartSeed is ‘seen’ in the unseen essence of this logo symbol. The heart center is located in the middle of the arms of the child in meditation posture. Like the gold held in silt, the honey in the flower, the sprout in the seed, it resides within the child, already shining forth.
While it often feels that we live in a world that can be hectic, loud, demanding, and not always honoring the innate goodness within our children, these practices provide them with the skills to cut through the noise, develop perspective and awareness. When able to embrace the present moment with truth, compassion, and confidence their HeartSeed shines brightly.
A very special thank you to Julia Talcott, who listened so patiently and carefully to me as she brought shape, color and life to the image, and to Janet Bemis, who thoughtfully gathered my words and images into this beautiful website. For further reference you can see more of their work here: