Oooh, a book club? Why, yes indeedie!
Driving along a windy old gravel road, lined with encroaching pines, I am finding my radio dial is tuned to the slower, more honeyed stuff, somehow soothing (even though I am at the same time thoroughly jarred for realizing I am now at the age where easy listening is no longer my parent's music). Keep It Coming, Love; Have You Ever Been Mellow; Inaudible Melodies; but even better than the tunes are the lyrics. My ears prick up and I head off on a mental tangent."...it's as common as something that nobody knows"
Secrets, enigmas, puzzles, riddles, and oodles of magical, ethereal, wonder-full things surround us; revealing themselves to those lucky, and open, enough to catch a glimpse. But there are even greater mysteries whose insights seem to elude us all. And that song's one sentence (though taken completely out of context) spells it out.
The Holographic Paradigm, Nonlocality Theories, and even in-the-works Grand Unified Theories and the Theory of Everything all suggest there are deeper layers to this reality, but sometimes it is the simplest thing that most effectively illustrates the bends and folds of reality. Enter plants.
With fall flowers still in full bloom and unusually warm temperatures, this November found me enjoying the odd Saturday afternoon in the yard, shaded by the sizable canopy of the oak, surrounded by leafy greens, chirping birds, and my dog relaxing on the patio, happily letting the squirrels scamper around the yard unaccosted. But what has me really savouring these outdoor afternoons is my wonderful new companion: The Secret Life Of Plants, a book by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. It is the first offering from Henry Gossamer Opossum, for his monthly book club (join in here!).
From the moment I received my copy, I knew it’d be an interesting read. Magical and scientific all at once, this book endeavors to reveal the consciousness (of sorts) found in plants, showing just how they interact with not only their environment, but with other plants, animals and even humans. The studies discussed in the book show how plants are able to tap into human intent, 'feel' and respond to stress and have a remarkable ability to differentiate and recognize people.
It is a wonderful book that, at the very least, will have you actually remembering to water all your plants, and perhaps even thinking a little more deeply about our natural surrounding, or where and how our produce was grown, cultivated, harvested and processed. It is taking ethics and respect to the next level. It is work like this that instigates a respect for nature, and a desire to be surrounded by it. With this book bringing into focus a new vision of our living landscape, one can't help but see the beautiful intricacy, expression, communication and will of the transcendental tendrils, enigmatic sprigs and beguiling flowers that surround us.
I think scientific experiments, statistics, studies and charts are often secondary to instinct when dealing with these intangible ideas and areas. The wild green life around us gives off such vibrant energy, how could we doubt that something more was going on?
