In part I of this blog series we shared with you stories of the remarkable life of American folk-hero Johnny Appleseed. In the latest and final blog of this series, we will share with you some keys to becoming a modern-day Johnny Appleseed – keys you can successfully apply towards whatever calling you desire to share with the world!
Regular visitors here at Violet Flame World will also find these insights helpful when sharing the knowledge and practice of the violet flame with others. Indeed, there are many similarities between the exemplary life of Johnny Appleseed and leaving footprints of violet flame for others to step into and follow!
Becoming a Modern-Day Johnny Appleseed
For anyone who desires to “give their gift”, we offer the following practical, real-world examples:
• Be a pioneer. Pioneers are sometimes known as the ones with the “arrows in their backs”. And that’s okay, being a pioneer is simply a price you sometimes pay for being an early adopter or in the avant-garde of life!
• Plant seeds. And remember, you only need to plant the seeds - God provides the sunshine and rain which will make them grow.
• Be kind and generous. Years after his passing, many a grandparent could remember with great fondness the humble gifts of calico or ribbon they had received as a child from Johnny Appleseed.
• Have eyes that sparkle with a brightness. Early pioneer recollections of Johnny Appleseed describe him as having keen eyes that sparkled with a distinctive brightness. <1>
• Plan for a marathon, not a sprint. Johnny Appleseed began his wondrous mission by taking a single step – the planting of one apple tree. However, by the end of his life, he had planted apple trees for nearly 50 years and covered 100,000 square miles of America!
• Have reverence for all life. Eyewitness accounts reveal the Indians, animals, and young and old folks alike had a deep respect and reverence for Johnny Appleseed. <1> This reflects his own deep and abiding reverence for life and once again shows us that “like attracts like” more often than not!
• Live by the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” <2>
• Adopt Johnny Appleseed’s own words as a daily mantrum: "Do not worry at being being worried; but accept worry peacefully. Difficult but not impossible."
• Offer the right understanding and practice of the violet flame to everyone you meet. The violet flame, as a gift from your heart, is one of the greatest gifts you can ever give yourself and others!
• Always remember, the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit!
Are you ready to begin planting violet flame seeds for a friend, a family member, yourself? If so, we invite you to download a free ebook about the violet flame. On this page you will also find many other resources (seeds) to begin cultivating your very own, violet flame orchard!
Until next time...
“Pray as you can, not as you can't.” — Johnny Appleseed
Discover other violet flame blogs here.
Credits and Resources
<1> To learn more about the remarkable man known as Johnny Appleseed, we recommend the biographical sketch originally published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in November 1871. Download here:
<2> The Golden Rule – “Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You". Various expressions of this rule can be found in the tenets of most religions and creeds through the ages.