What This Iconic Teen Tells Us About Expansive Faith

Octavia Butler wrote “The Parable of the Sower” in 1993. The main character is 15-year-old Lauren Olamina, a Black girl determined to survive her society's collapse. 

Olamina turns to God and creates her own spirituality called “Earthseed.” 

The three tenets of Earthseed are: 1. God is change. 2. Shape God. 3. The destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars. 

Earthseed’s first two tenets remind us that having faith means surrendering to change so we can be shaped by faith. But is the third tenet possible? 

Reflecting on the third tenet, Olamina writes: 

 “The Destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars. It is to live and 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.”

Earthseed’s third tenet is Butler’s way of reminding us that when we surrender to faith and the changes it demands of us, we’re able to broaden our understanding of what’s possible. 

The third tenet reminds us to question current systems while simultaneously making room for abundant possibilities as we create a new world. 

How abundant can we be with our imaginings for a Black liberated future? Let’s root Black liberation among the stars.