It was in the actions of plants that I perceived the unity that is within all things. The mode that quiver in ripples of light , the teaming life upon the earth and radiant suns that shine above us. I understood for the first time that ancient message proclaimed by my ancestors on the banks of the Ganges thirty centuries ago : " They who see what ONE in all the teaming plants many foldness of the universe to them alone belongs eternal truth and to no one else "
Jagdish Chandra Bose was an eminent Indian scientist. He was the first to prove that plants and metals too have feelings.
Jagdish Chandra Bose was born on November 30, 1858 in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). His father Bhagabanchandra Bose was a Deputy Magistrate. Jagadish Chandra Bose had his early education in village school in Bengal medium. In 1869, Jagadish Chandra Bose was sent to Calcutta to learn English and was educated at St.Xavier's School and College. He was a brilliant student. He passed the B.A. in physical sciences in 1879.
I share this documentary with you. It's an hour long but well worth watching. The secret life of plants:
"Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library and its books were the stones, leaves, grass, brooks and the birds and animals that shared, alike with us, the storms and blessings of the earth. We learn to do what only the student of nature ever learns, and that is to feel beauty. We never rail at the storms, the furious winds, the biting frosts and snows. To do so intensifies human futility, so whatever comes we should adjust ourselves by more effort and energy if necessary, but without complaint. Bright days and dark days are both expressions of the Great Mystery, and the Indian reveled in being close the Great Holiness."
"There is a road in the hearts of all of us, hidden and seldom traveled, which leads to an unkown, secret place. The old people came literally to love the soil, and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power. Their teepees were built upon the earth and their altar's were made of earth. The soul was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and healing. That is why the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life giving forces. For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly. He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him."
Bloodroot (seen here) is not only striking, but has quite a history. The root and leaf emit a red sap which the Native American Indians used as a dye for fabrics, tools and war paint. It was also used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments.
The flower has been a part of legends and almost every culture, civilization and religion in the world took up Lotus to teach something or the other to the multitude. According to the Egyptian mythology, Lotus was the flower to be created out of the inert fluid chaos of the world, Nun and the sun God, Atum walked out of it to spread his light allover the Cosmos. One of the versions also suggests that the Sun God emerged out of the petals of the flower as Ra. In Egypt it is rightly taken as a symbol of genesis, revival and restoration.
Though Buddhism adopted the concept of "Om Mani Padme Hum" – a hymn that celebrates the ‘jewel in lotus’-the essence and spirit being invested in the core of all mankind, which can glow into radiant brightness if he can save himself from the debris of life.
Lotus as a flower symbolizes the journey and advancement of the soul through the realization of the material world to be one with the supreme soul.
In Hindu Mythology, the utterance of first,’om’ brought forth the first "golden lotus" and the lotus is also the seat of Brahma (the creator), thus making it a strong creation archetype. The stalk of lotus originating in Vishnu’s (the preserver) navel also presents it as the umbilical cord in the creation of universe. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge are also seated on lotus.
Not only in Egyptian and Hindu mythology is it a strong symbol, in China as well, Lotus is a symbol of creation. It also represents the seventh month. It also symbolizes unbreakable relationships taken from the concept of the flexible stalk of the flower.The color of the flower also contributes symbolically, like the white lotus means purity and transcendence; pink lotus signifies the supreme One, the Great Buddha and Goddess Lakshmi; red lotus expresses compassion and passion; blue signifies the supremacy of the eternal over the temporal.
It is said that Tutenkhamen’s body was covered with blue lotus when his tomb was opened in 1922.
Plants are intelligent forms of life who are capable of intention, preference, and a will to survive, thrive and interact. Scientific research indicates that plants communicate with insects, animals, human beings and other plants in order to keep themselves alive and safe. Evidence also reveals that plants are telling us how to achieve health and wholeness for humanity and the earth herself.
Plants Are Just Like People
In research which spans more than 100 years, scientists have been documenting botanical adaptability and the amazing similarities that plants have with animals and people. Studies indicate that what metaphysicians, psychics, shaman, tribal people and sensitives worldwide have been saying about the plant kingdom for millennia is true: plants are intelligent beings who can communicate with us, and, we can communicate with them.
You Can Hurt a Plant’s Feelings
Plants respond not only to insects and animals but to human emotion and intention. Plants can distinguish between people who are feel kindly towards them and people who don't, and our green friends cooperate with people they like. In one experiment a new scientist came to study some test plants. Surprisingly, these test plants which previously had been very responsive, were completely non-responsive during the new scientist's tests. Investigating the change in the plants' response, it was discovered that the new scientist incinerated his plants in his own personal research once his tests were completed. Shortly after the new scientist left, the plants again began registering activity and cooperating.
In another study, scientists found that vegetation reacted negatively to people who found the plants unattractive, even to the extent that the plants would "faint." When over stimulated by emotions, plants will "go unconscious" or numb and can stay " moody" for weeks. Scientific studies show that once plants attune themselves to a particular person, they are able to maintain a link with that person, no matter how far away. These plants register "knowing" not only when a person is returning to the plants, but when the person makes the decision to return. Other reports show that plants respond to people talking to them in a caring, loving manner, such as asking a tree to radically change its growth direction so that it won't have to be cut, or asking weeds not to grow excessively in a vegetable garden.
Plants are intelligent forms of life who are capable of intention, preference, and a will to survive, thrive and interact. Scientific research indicates that plants communicate with insects, animals, human beings and other plants in order to keep themselves alive and safe. Evidence also reveals that plants are telling us how to achieve health and wholeness for humanity and the earth herself.
Plants Are Just Like People
In the book, "The Secret Life of Plants," authors Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird describe how plants "talk to" people and what plants "talk" about. Staying alive and safe tops the list.
To protect themselves, plants have developed highly adaptive and strategic ways for living. According to the authors, "Plants seem to know which ants will steal their nectar, closing when these ants are about, opening only when there is enough dew on their stems to keep the ants from climbing. The more sophisticated acacia plant actually enlists the protective services of certain ants which it rewards with nectar in return for the ants' protection against other insects and herbivorous mammals," thus serving the same function as friends and allies do in the animal and human realms. Some vegetation develop a bitter taste, some ooze gummy secretions, while others grow thorns to defend themselves.
Prickles for the Pussy
Once plants feel safe, however, they may drop their need for defense. In one study, a scientist wanted to determine if cacti grow needles primarily for the purpose of keeping themselves from harm. Safely housed in a greenhouse, the scientist talked to numerous cacti assuring them that they were protected and that he cared about them. He encouraged the plants to feel even more secure by playing soothing music in the greenhouse. Within several months the cacti dropped all their spikes. The offspring of these bare cacti were born without needles. Defenseless within this nurturing environment, the mature and new-born cacti prospered. After a period of a year of being without their protective quills, the cacti suddenly began re-growing their bristles and new baby sprouts were born with needles again. After some investigation, it was discovered that a house cat had found its way into the greenhouse. Suspecting that the cat may be the source of the perceived threat to the cacti causing the reemergence of their means of protection, the scientist blocked the cat's way of entry. Once the cacti sensed they were once again safe, all of the cacti dropped their prickly means of defense.
In order to stay alive, plants have learned to move and do so in remarkable fashion, for extraordinary purposes and with high, extra-sensory intelligence. "Plants," says Viennese biologist, Raoul France "move their bodies as freely, easily and gracefully as the most skilled animal or human, and the only reason we don' t appreciate the fact is that plants do so at a much slower pace than humans. A climbing plant. which needs a prop, will creep toward the nearest support. Should this support be shifted, the vine, within a few hours, will change its course into a new direction." Plants will even grow towards a support that's hidden from view. France continues, "Plants are capable of intent: they can stretch toward, or seek out, what they want in ways as mysterious as the most fantastic creations of romance." As Thomkins and Bird relate, "Some parasitical plants can recognize the slightest trace of the odor of their victim and will overcome all obstacles to crawl in its direction."
Through their animated responses to classical and heavy rock music, plants further divulge their preferences. In studies of plants exposed to heavy rock music, the plants not only grew away from the music source, but some grew either abnormally tall and put out excessively small leaves or remained stunted. In some cases the plants died. When classical music was played to the plants, the plants grew toward the music source with healthy growth. The same plants, marigolds, who died when listening to rock music, flowered when listening to classical music. The authors report, "the rock-stimulated plants were using much more water than the classically entertained vegetation, but apparently enjoying it less, since examination of the roots revealed that soil root growth was sparse in the rock group, whereas in the classical group, root growth was thick, tangled and about four times as long."
In India, Dr. T. C. Singh, in his studies of music and plants, stated that he had "proven beyond any shadow of doubt that harmonic sound waves affect the growth, flowering, fruiting and seed-yield of plants." Singh also reported that girls dancing India's most ancient dance style accelerated the growth of daisies, marigolds and petunias. The dancing caused them to flower much earlier than the control group of plants, presumably because of the rhythm of the footwork transmitted through the earth.
Many studies have been conducted on communication with plants. Not only do plants react to human touch, but they are listening to us. You might wonder: how do plants hear? Well, they don't have ears. Plants seem to have another way of listening, though, perhaps through some sort of a universal vibe...
Consider Dr. T.C. Singh who, in 1950 when he was performing experiments on hydrillas with the encouragement of Professor Julian Henry Huxley, was excited to discover that the raga, a devotional song rising out of South Indian tradition, did in fact have a "religious" effect on the plant species-- among other physical growth, the hydrillas' stomata per unit area was 66% higher than in control plants. Singh since has conducted his raga experiment with various other types of plants, including economic ones such as radishes and sweet potatoes, and believes that he has "proven beyond any shadow of doubt that harmonic sound waves affect the growth, flower, fruiting, and seed-yields of plants." It is interesting how this relates to the ancient myth of Lord Krishna, the eighth and principal avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu who induced plants to blossom by singing ragas to them.
Other studies have shown that Bach's sonatas work as a nutrient supplement for plants, and those that listened to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" 24/7 sprouted earlier than those kept in silence. The following video on an experiment conducted by Dorothy Retallack reveals the music that plants prefer:
Kirlian photography is now able to verify the existence of living, changing light radiating from plants. And many "seers" and scientists have seen light emanations and moving forms coming from plants. Hindu sages refer to devas. Clairvoyants and other sensitives are able to directly see and communicate with the fairies, elves, gnomes, sylphs and other creatures which live in and among plants.
Tompkins and Bird conclude, "Evidence now supports the vision that plants are living, breathing, communicating creatures, endowed with personality and the attributes of soul."
My Work with Nature Spirits (Devas) A documentary note of work in progress
Oliver W. Markley
Ver 2.0, February 3, 2003
Please note: If you are not familiar with the idea of nature spirits (“devas”), I strongly suggest that before reading this note you read “Excerpts from To Speak with Angels ”—a tight summary and compilation of what I found most pivotal in Dorothy Maclean’s (1980) autobiography telling the story of why and how she learned to communicate with the plant spirits (which she came to call Devas ) at the Findhorn Gardens in Scotland. Her full book title is: To Hear the Angels Sing: An Odyssey of Co-Creation with the Devic Kingdom. Part One: Introduction
This is an unusual story. One dealing with nature spirits (“devas”) and their capacity to help human concerns—phenomena that are part of the mythologies of most traditional cultures, but which are dismissed by modern day scientists as “mere” superstition, even though considerable evidence exists that they can be real. Just as with the healing power of prayer, unimpeachable evidence of which now exists, even though it is still considered superstition by many who consider themselves “scientific.”
By way of beginning, I suppose this story should commence with a remarkable experience that happened, as a retired professor now living on the Hawaiian “garden island” of Kauai, when I was fortunate to find a lovely retreat “hermitage” cottage in a region of high intensity spiritual energy—the Kapahi district surrounded by Kahuna Road, immediately below the sacred mountain of Makaleha. To get to the cottage, I had to drive by a nursery called “Growing Greens”—a place that totally got my attention because, before even getting within sight of the nursery, I could always discern a very large and intense energy surrounding the nursery—an energy that I could only associate with the type of nature spirits called plant devas by the people at Findhorn Gardens in North Scotland. (More will be said about the Plant Devas at Findhorn later on.)
At first I didn’t give this energy any particular notice, other than to make a mental note to visit the nursery soon, so as to see what is happening there. But something else happened first. Something that totally got my attention, and made it imperative that I connect with the nursery for more than a cursory visit.
The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family (although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae). Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species. The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia. The durian, native to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, has been known to the Western world for about 600 years. The 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.
These are Trilliums, which grow in the Forests. They have a tuber-root, bitter but nourishing in the winter (when you can remember where they were growing). They are found in rich humus only in the deep shady places. A true delight to come upon while walking through the deep woods.
Trillium flower essence helps anyone who is consumed with self-interests. It brings out compassion and a desire to help others. Remedy that brings awareness to a person who feels disconnected from his soul source.
