Phytosophy
This is a short essay about  us and plants, which might go further as anything you have heard before on this subject.
If there where no humans; what would happen to the plan(e)t world?
If there where no plants,  ............!

 


    Long before any animal life, there were plants. The animal life that appeared later  was and is fully depending on plant life. Plants have the ability to transform inorganic matter to organic, which can not be  done by other creatures. Because of this dependency and being built out of plant matter, our relationship is so intimate, that  you might call this relationship imaginary.
    A relationship can only exist in duality. In unity or oneness there can not be any relationship. Our relationship is attributed by us on this oneness. Having lost ourselves the feeling, awareness, consciousness of  the oneness, we were able "see" many, where there is only one, with far stretching consequences. Is this not the same story as in Genesis?  If the relation is imaginary, the consequences might be not so grave as it seems nowadays. From the point of view of the unity the consequences are also imaginary, like a bad dream in a warm and comfortable bed.
   Let us think a bit more about this unity. This is what makes it understandable, how and why plants  serve not only as food, but also as medicine. Is there a plain border between vegetable food and herbs anyway? Being built out of plant material, anything we need, should be available in the vegetable kingdom. Herbs are the natural treatments, often easily available in our own vicinity. But because off our misconception of the world (seeing many, where there is one or in other words, imagining we are (some) one, surrounded by other (some) ones, while we all are one, a continuum,  like cells in a body), we seem to have lost the knowledge of herbs. A knowledge, which was  common good, like it still is in animals. This does not mean that any disorder in human life can be treated. After growth, decay has to follow.
Birth carries  the promise of death. It is the same misconception again, that gives us a deformed idea about disease. Being identified with  our private I, a disease and death are threats to our private I.  If fungi lives on plant, you could call it  a disease of the plant, but the fungi is having the time of its life. Both the plant's disease and the fungi are in this example viewed from the limited point of view of a private I. From the point of view of life, it is just (the) One form of life changing into an other One, but it is still the One. Like changing cloth, does not mean a change of person.
Now back to this knowledge. I wonder if " knowledge" is the right word. When some not familiar substance enters a body there will be reaction, a physical counter attack. The body "knows" what to do. We don't have to think about it. Why is it not be the same with herbs? I am convinced this is possible for us also. If we are able to rise above the private I,  a wider perspective on (our) life will unfold itself. I once saw an american indian teacher, who could determine whether a plant was useful or harmful, simply by holding it for a while in his fist, he could sense it. Maybe sensing is a better word for this kind of knowledge. In my experience there are different ways to rise above the private I, like Yoga, Vedanta or  just plain bliss. Certain experiences can kick you out of your private I bottle, like  a sunset, an orgasm, watching the see or fire, an accident, a shock etc.. And of course our plant allies, as you are probably aware of, getting this far visiting my home page.

Reactions are welcome,
I am  open for new ideas,
Please, brighten my mind
especially I like to learn more about this "sensing"


E-mail; knehnav@xs4all.nl
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