Cultivating a deeper relationship to plants

A favorite phrase of ours is “I sleep with plants”. It’s a nice double entendre. It gets some laughs, catches on, and it can mean a lot more than that. It can be a part of plant cultivating a deep relationship with plants. They can be some of our greatest teachers if we allow ourselves to listen to their subtle wisdom.

When I write about having a deeper relationship to plants, I do not mean simply consuming plants so that we may use them for some purpose (increased concentration, sleep quality, etc). This is a somewhat extractive mindset rather than a regenerative one. Instead, I mean to cultivate a relationship with plants where we acknowledge their form of consciousness, acknowledge the gratitude we have for all plants, and change our way of being with them.

Modern science is making it possible to wrap our head around their form of consciousness. A new study found that plants emit a sound when they’re stressed, a behavior that sounds a lot like my cats or even small babies. A new technological device allows us to tap into the biorhythms of plantlife. In their experimentation, the energy of humans alters the way plantlife reacts and their energy field. We are altering the consciousness of plants merely with our presence and they are undoubtedly doing the same with us.

Sometimes consciousness altering aspects are apparent when we use medicinal plants and we experience the sensations in a strong way. Sometimes this is less apparent when we simply walk near them in our office or home.

Cultivating a deeper relationship with plants is about recognizing that they are beings in their own right. They have their own type of wants, desires, and needs. Plants aren’t simply ours for the taking. As much as I love using plant parts (like cannabinol, cannabigerol, or bacopa monnieri), they have their own desires.

With this level of awareness comes a newfound respect for plants, a mutual sense of trust. It’s hard to quantify what this deeper relationship with plants affords us, but there is a good chance it creates more profound experiences when we ingest them into our body. And for people like me who ingest plants into my body regularly, I want to cultivate something deeper.