The Wisdom of Plants

The Wisdom of Plants

"Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it & let it be without imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises within you. Its essence silently communicates itself to you and reflects your own essence back to you."

Eckhart Tolle

Last week, my husband and I went for a meal in our local town and I stopped outside the restaurant to admire a plant with bright orange flowers.  I asked the restaurant owner about the plant and she told me the story of how the small grouping of potted plants outside the back door provide herbs and decoration for the food prepared there.

Have you ever taken a moment out of your day to admire a flower, an ornamental arrangement in a hotel lobby, the flower beds of one of your neighbors, the flowerbeds planted by professional buildings, the rose bush growing on the side of your home?  Or even stopped to photograph flowers or plants you found to be striking or exceptional or beautiful?

Plants support us and our lives in all ways.  We use plants as a primary food source, as clothing and as building materials.  The Plant-Speak provides focus on the joyful aspects that plants bring into our lives. Plants and flowers reflect the joy you and I feel about flowers we see every day or those discovered in the woods or when we are on vacation somewhere new.  The joy of the lushness of tropical plants and flowers, the joy of walking in the northern woods, the joy of seeing cactus bloom. For those seeking to bring more joy into their lives, bringing plants and flowers into our everyday experience helps us to reflect on the essence of those plants and on the essence of those characteristics in ourselves.

Plants are alive and, like all things, are energetic bodies.  We can observe common characteristics about flowers and plants - and many of these observations are included because they tend to also tie into messages the plants have for us.  Messages from plants are uplifting.  Daisies bring us happiness; sunflowers provide focus as shown by how they follow the sun throughout the day.  Other plants grow underground roots to propagate, showing us the importance of ties to family and friends.  And a few provide messages, such as poison ivy!  What better example from the world of nature to watch where you're going and to be aware of what you touch.  Many flowers and plants also have relationships to something specific; a geographic area - the Joshua Tree - or to specific an insect or to water.  These relationships are often included as they also provide guideposts to the energy and messages the plant brings to us.

Like all things, take the meanings that are of most significance you because the message is directly for you.  You may want to contemplate the meaning and see how it has applied to you or how you can choose to apply it to your life.

Plants can bring us joy in many ways. If you have an affinity to a flower or plant, a good way to bring more of that energy into your life is bring it into your living space.

 Living in a small apartment in an urban area?  Introduce flowers in a bouquet, a plant on your windowsill, curtains that have lobelia growing into the sunlight, a picture on the wall, a bed covering covered with wildflowers, the smell of lavender in bath water and any other way your imagination creates.  The energy of flowers is represented in any way that is pleasing to you.

Do you live in a typical suburban area?  Select flowers from a nursery that are pleasing to you, choose herbs for a garden that is beautiful and edible, create a landscape of varying colors and textures, throw wildflower seeds into an empty bed, or leave the land to grow wild and introduce plants of nature's choice. Are you drawn to flowers of a specific color?  Colors also have meaning.

Do you live on a large area of land?  Consider a bed of lavender (bees will be happy) or a border of flowers where they can be viewed from your living space.  Any and all of the ideas above apply here and can be on a grander scale.

Keep in mind the amount of time you are willing to devote to maintaining plants.  Wildflowers may be a good choice for the minimalist gardener.  Or a few plants on a windowsill.  A large annual and perennial garden may be a good fit for the person who loves working in the dirt.  But first and foremost, chose something you love and you'll love working in the garden.

Many names and characteristics have been given to the energetic properties of plants.  The messages provided are from the energy of the plants and flowers. If you're more comfortable thinking of the energy as a deva or by another name, please do so as the concepts apply.  How have I connected to the energy of plants?  It can be done by meditating on the plant with the intent to connect to it.  You can do the same.  For example, have you ever looked at a flower, such as a daisy, with deep appreciation and thought about how happy it looks?

All that is written here is with the intent to bring plant wisdom and joy to us all.

Annette