By Mark Pitstick
Stories to help you appreciate the plant world and its extraordinary qualities.
I love plants and have throughout my life. In my youth, I thought of becoming a landscaper because it felt so good to get my hands in the dirt and help plants thrive.
I’ve always had “a green thumb” and my many plants do well. A number of people have given me their dying plants, and I somehow help them bloom again. My secrets include:
- Follow the watering, sunlight and spacing recommendations for that plant.
- Observe them for signs of too much sun (burning of the leaf edges), too little sun (pale leaves), insufficient drainage (root rot), too much water (soggy stems), or not enough water (dry leaves).
- Talk to them—either mentally/telepathically or aloud—and tell them how beautiful they are and how you appreciate their presence in your home. When they aren’t thriving, ask them to communicate what they need.
- Fertilize them every two months and water weekly.
- Make sure the pot size is appropriate for the plant, since too little or too much space can cause problems.
That’s about it.
My fiancée and I live on 5 acres with lots of trees, bushes and flowers. Caring for indoor and outdoor plants is one of my hobbies—and I get more out of it than they do. Over the years, I’ve learned to greatly appreciate the healing power of plants. Andy is a certified clinical aromatherapist, as well as an RN, acupuncturist, yoga teacher and evidential medium. With her, I’ve learned much and seen firsthand the extraordinary healing properties of the leaves, stems and roots of plants.
I shudder when hearing that nearly 600 plant species have become extinct in the last few centuries. What potential healing powers have been lost? What common diseases might have been relieved or cured if we cherished instead of destroyed valuable plants?
One of the reasons I’m a vegetarian, and have been for most of my adult life, is the impact meat eating has on our environment. Cattle require much grazing land that is created by destroying rainforests and trees. They and pigs also produce much methane that depletes the ozone layer. Excrement from chickens fouls and nearby water. A plant-based diet involves none of these major problems.
Favorite Plant Tales
In this article, I’ll share a few of my favorite plant stories. They may validate your experiences and/or encourage you to increase love and respect for plants.
One of my favorite songs by Cat Stevens is called “King of Trees.” His music and lyrics really spoke to me in this song about a huge tree that was cut down in the name of progress. A portion of the lyrics: “He was the king of trees, keeper of the glades. The way he lightened my life, makes me so amazed. We used to meet by him, many years ago. I loved you, now they’ve come to lay the road. Oh, oh, oh! Don’t lay the road.”
During a two-year period in my twenties, I prudently and occasionally used conscious-altering plants. The old three-story house I shared with two other college students had a window seat facing a huge oak tree. After ingesting psychedelic mushrooms, I experienced a long and soulful conversation with the tree. I stared at its beauty and magnificence as lessons seemed to transfer in a deep, calm and loving voice. Forty-five years later, those lessons still resonate with the totality of my knowledge and experience.
Starting in the late 1990s and for nearly 20 years, I gave many workshops to people around the country. Those were primarily given at Unity Centers, Centers for Spiritual Living, and other New Thought/enlightened venues. I learned as much as I taught from the real-life stories that attendees share. The following one still gives me goosebumps.
A woman who lived next to a large span of woods heard a beautiful melody one day. It was at once flute-like and angelic—the most wonderful sound she had ever heard. She hiked onto private land and, as she walked, the sound became louder and clearer. After nearly two miles, she found where the sound was emanating from . . . a huge stately tree. She fell in love with this plant being, hugged and thanked it profusely. She considered it a personal miracle.
The next week, she took a friend with her to see the grand tree even though the music had stopped. As they approached the area, they saw signs of forest clearing by machines. The gigantic tree was gone. In retrospect, the woman wondered if she may have heard the tree’s song that it sent out before being destroyed. Hearing this was especially meaningful to me since my daily prayers include: “Thank you for helping me to share my greatest gifts, shine as brightly as possible, do all that I came here to do, and sing all my heart’s songs.”
I’ve lived on the same wooded lot for 34 years. Most recently, our neighbors huge oak tree had to be cut down. Its dead limbs were larger than most trees, and could kill someone if they fell. The tree crew estimated that it was over 350 years old. Just imagine all that tree has witnessed. After the crew left, I walked up to the tree to thank it for all the beauty shade, and inspiration it brought.
Initially, I felt sad as I saw the trunk that was too large to cut. Everything else had been hauled away. Then I sensed some messages from the tree (no mushrooms required):
- It had a great run, a super-long life.
- Its life force/energy will be shared in other ways: the trunk a home for animals, its wood to warm homes, its branches and leaves to become new dirt.
- It understood the cycle of life and considered it no big deal; perpetual change is part of life on Earth
- The one that made me smile: Don’t worry, there are lots of mini-oaks sprouting up all around here.
Several neighbors agreed to find oak saplings and plant them in our yards so that tree lives on as new trees that will be appreciated by many people far after my body has returned to the earth.
I hope these stories you to appreciate the plant world—different manifestations of consciousness to which we each are sacredly interconnected.
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, master’s clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and webinar/workshop facilitator. He directs The SoulPhone Foundation and founded Greater Reality Living Groups. Dr. Pitstick can help you know and show—no matter what is happening to or around you—that your earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst forever. Visit http://www.SoulProof.com for free articles, newsletters and radio interviews with top consciousness experts.