Three ways to will your plants to grow

Plants are sensitive and highly receptive to the influence of humans, as shown in experiments documented in The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird.

by Tiffany Ashley — 

What is more rewarding than a garden teeming with life and with flowers that consistently bloom? What is the secret behind having a “green thumb?” Plants are sensitive and highly receptive to the influence of humans, as shown in experiments documented in The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird.

Plants reflect and respond to our states of mind, as they are able to know our emotional and mental states. It is not uncommon to find dead houseplants in homes filled with conflict. Nor is it uncommon to find lush, vibrant yards outside the homes of those who talk to their flowers. How then, can we harness the power to make our plants grow?

Try it for yourself. Below are three practices you can try for a month, using your thoughts and feelings to encourage your plants to thrive. If you have the opportunity, do them as a family — not only will your plants grow, but so will your family bond.

Start with intention: Before beginning the practice, set the intention that you are participating in helping all living things by willing this plant to grow and thus make more oxygen. The evidence of its growth will empower you to realize your own abilities and take responsibility for your influence on living things.

Eliminate negative thoughts: As much as positive, loving thoughts and feelings can cause a plant to grow, belittling and spiteful feelings can stunt its growth or even cause wilting and decay. Directing anger toward a plant is detrimental for everyone involved and will reverse the effects of your intention. If you feel resentment or superiority over the plant, discontinue the experiment until you can be neutral or loving.

Build a bond: Think of the plant at least three times a day. Direct love and attention to it; smile when you are in its presence. Begin to become conscious of how plant life affects you every day, and give thanks when you eat vegetables, sit in the shade of a tree, enjoy the fragrance of flowers or pull on a cotton shirt — all are gifts to you from plants.

Take a “before” picture at the beginning and an “after” picture at the end of the 30 days. Send them to tiffany@maypopfarm.com to have them displayed as a part of the “Will Your Plants to Grow” project on maypopfarm.com.

Tiffany Ashley is a student at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Ariz. She is a plant communicator who gives workshops and works with people and plants, individually or in small groups. 936-537-7631, maypopfarm.com, or tiffany@maypopfarm.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 29, Number 2, Apr/May 2010.