Plant Consciousness

The smell of Pine sap and needles brings awareness to the act of breathing; Jasmine sends waves of pleasure through the carnal body; and fumes of copal and myrrh are said to elevate our thoughts, carrying prayers for deeper consciousness.

There was a time when perfume was our primary herbal medicine. It carried us into proximity with plants and harmonized our spirits. For much of human history, the need to draw upon medicinal plants has been ingrained in ceremony. Across cultures, teacher plants were identified, their names revered in lore and present in mythology. We’ve all heard of these teacher plants like Cacao and Lotuses.

All plants are teacher plants, imparting their unique take on wisdom (some—mostly entheogenic plants—are referred to as Master Teachers).

The question is: what can they teach us? For that, we must consider each plant as an individual and sentient being.

A plant’s or a tree’s appearance—how and where it grows—offers glimpses into its unique consciousness (a concept in herbalism known as the Doctrine of Signatures). For example, prickly brambles thrive at environmental borders and edges, teaching about clear boundaries. This idea, pre-dating antiquity, suggests that a plant's physical traits hint at its healing properties. From a metaphysical perspective, a plant's form is the emanation of its spirit or deva—the essence through which it shares its light and wisdom with us.

The inconspicuous Blue Cornflower, an herb common in meadows and crop fields of the Northern Hemisphere, has much to teach us about gnosis and intuitive knowing—the voice that strengthens with resonance each time we listen to it. Upon closer inspection, Cornflower’s vivid blue ray florets resemble a cone or trumpet, a shape that’s naturally suited for amplifying sound waves. Standing out in the golden cornfields, Cornflower helps us reinforce feelings of individuality through listening to the voice that guides us from our center. Without this inner voice and animated instincts, it would have been impossible to survive and identify healing plants and food sources for our ancestors.

We’ve always had to listen to the land.

How to access the wisdom of plants? Herbs teach us gradually—through companionship. The many dimensions of plant medicine reveal themselves over time. So often, what we need most grows right on our doorstep. The pioneering consciousness of wild weeds regenerates disturbed soil and lands. Similarly, the same herbs and wild food staples like Nettle, Burdock, Dandelion, and Chickweed flood our bodies with mineral-rich nourishment, revitalizing our wild spirits and reconnecting us with the land.

Roaming the forest, we meet Common Mugwort by the beaten, sunlit path. Well-known by her Latin name, Artemisia vulgaris, it is a plant long associated with the Moon, witches, and the Goddess Artemis. A womb- and gut-healing ally with the ability to enhance psychic perception, Mugwort protects our astral bodies, aiding clarity as we dream. One can know her link with the Moon, uncovering the secret of her leaves—emerald green on top turn silver underneath.

Going further, between forest and field, we notice Elder shrubs flowering in golden-white, exuding an intoxicating, honey-like aroma. Elderflowers, resembling bronchi, are known to support the respiratory system and have a strong affinity with the air element. A plant of connectivity and transformation, Elder likes to grow in liminal spaces of heightened activity, such as near wells, utility poles, and bus stops. These placements mirror its folkloric role as a mediator and portal between realms—where the physical meets the ethereal, the mundane meets the supernatural. Elder teaches us interconnectedness by thriving in spaces where energies converge. It reminds us of the importance of being rooted while we embrace and mediate changes.

In current shifts in consciousness, plants and trees assist us. From the plant world, herbs, in particular, have readily and openly engaged with humans. Throughout the ages, common medicinal plants have shared a nurturing bond with us, much like that of a beloved or a close friend in the neighborhood. By tending to these connections, we came to know plants as beings—each possessing distinctive properties and characters, revealed through reverence and in the right relationships.

Herbal lore remains alive, reawakening each time we remember that the land itself has always been a teacher, with its nature beings transmitting knowledge that transcends time and cultures.

Spiritual advice from plants has long been sought by those who understand that plants have consciousness and that their evolution precedes ours. Whether among the Indigenous communities in the Amazon, Native Americans tribes, European witches, or Druids, those offering spiritual guidance and healing in connection with the land learned directly from plant consciousness. Deeply present, alive within our blood and bones, this connection and communication with the more-than-human world is still vibrant, awaiting sensitives to tap in to it.

By relating to plant beings as the conscious teachers and healers that they are, we not only get to heal ourselves but also apply their wisdom to mend life’s web. Similarly to permaculture, this process starts with accompanying and listening—allowing the wisdom of plants and trees to guide us.

Along the way, these original healers—the green beings—will remind us that when we strip nature of its spirit, we lose track of health and magic.

References

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