Communication
Vegetation is the mantle that covers our planet – without it, we would have no food. How is it then, that we live within it, in a state of near isolation, and fail to see how completely it can sustain us? If we could return to a simpler state, we would find that nature provides all that mankind needs, since we were born into it.
It is when we look at our needs beyond food that the way becomes unclear. We may know many medicinal herbs, but the way we apply them is a shadow of what it could be. It is not until we understand the consciousness within a plant that we can truly apply it to disease. It is to this end, beyond anything else that we must strive, if we are to attain mastery over what has become a lost art.
To know the mind of the plant we are attempting to use, is to work in a state of certainty rather than hope. Can we really speak of the mind of a plant? It would be truer to say that each plant species has a purpose. That purpose in Nature, can also be shared by us, since our bodies and emotions are also of nature. It is the understanding of the purpose of a plant that is our true goal.
This is no easy thing, but can be greatly helped by a series of exercises designed to open our logical minds to the wavelength of plant communication:
Sit, hands linked, feet on floor.
This posture short-circuits the analytical mind, and makes contact with the earth.
Focus your awareness on your Solar Plexus and completely relax.
Stay there while you Open your ears and listen.
After a few seconds, focus on your forehead, relax a few breaths and listen.
Finally, focus in your heart, listen, and relax.
What is the meaning of this? By listening we put our logical mind on hold – we put ourselves in a receptive state, waiting to receive. By focusing on these three centres in our body, we open them to the world of Nature in which we live. By practicing this regularly we develop the ability to hear at this level.
Sit as before and focus on your Solar Plexus. Imagine you are falling through it into the earth – where all plants have their roots.
Sit quietly a while before returning.
Repeat at intervals as you progress.
By centring on the Solar Plexus we can listen to a different level of intelligence than we normally operate on. It is at this level that Nature functions smoothly, without the need to reason or problem solve. It is here that we resonate to the earth around us, and thereby gain impressions from plants or animals.
Plant Spirits
The spirit of a plant is that active intelligence that enlivens a whole species. We call it a spirit because it is part of the overall intelligence of Nature, and carries a life force of its own. This spirit serves a function in Nature, manifesting in the physical form as a given plant. We can therefore imagine the plant kingdom as a vast layer of intelligence, made up of myriad strands, each one a principle in its own right. These principles are found in all life, and therefore some of them in us too.