A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (Matthew 13:3-8).
To illustrate abstract ideas Jesus often drew examples from nature or from professions common to his culture. He sought ways to help his listeners understand how the mind works and how they could use it in ways that were practical, producing desired results in their lives. In this case he used an agricultural metaphor to explain the manifestation process and why a person can get such varying results.
You know when a seed is dropped in good soil it will sprout and grow. In this parable of the sower, good seed is planted but with mixed results. The difference is the type soil in which the seed fell. The seed in this parable represents the thoughts you sow each day and the soil is the growing environment of your consciousness. In three of the four conditions Jesus mentioned, the soil, not the seed, was inadequate to produce desired results. When seed fell in good soil the results were successful.
The good soil is the understanding of yourself as a spiritual being. When you start with this understanding, when you hold thoughts in this rich environment, you will experience success in whatever way you choose. Many people whose lives are not satisfying think they need to get new seed, to think more positively and make constant affirmations of success. The sower in the parable, however, used seed from the same bag and did nothing different when casting it in poor soil or good.
As a spiritual being, you rise from the Infinite. Coming to know and experience your spiritual heritage creates a fertile environment in which your thought-seed of a success-filled life can grow. As this level of self discovery becomes your single most important desire, you will experience success in all you do.