II

"Okay," Petunia says to the fourteen students who arrive for the first class. "Let's be honest with one another. Those interested in plants gather over here. Those here to fill in for a credit, come over here." She grins at the stricken faces of the latter group. "It's alright," she continues cheerfully, "I don't mind you being here at all. You may earn your credit doing some digging and other necessary brute labour work, good for you, consider it like physed, fun and games with playing with soil, while the rest of us do the plant care work."

As Petunia had expected, the class divides pretty much in half. Eight people are interested in plants.  

"Alright then, form your group into a circle. Introduce yourselves to one another, designate a note taker and make yourselves comfortable."

While the students shuffle around and chat, Petunia writes the assignment on the white board.

Imagine that you are a micro-organism, attatched to the root of a plant.

How would you describe your experience?

Stream of consciousness conversation, let your ideas bounce off each other, bring to your memory all that you know about micro-organisms, fact and fantasy.

She has barely finished writing the last word, when the first complaint comes. A bright young woman among the Diggers, as Petunia thinks fondly of the group here, to fill in their time for an easy credit, digging up more sod to make more room for the medicinal root plants, is asking what the use is of such a juvenille ridiculous exercise.

"Well, what would your definition be of a micro-organism?" Petunia asks in turn.

In fact, the girl cannot come up with an answer. Someone from the plant person group has the answer.

"Micro-organisms are microscopic plants or animals."

Petunia continues with the explanation. "In fact, there are millions and billions of different sorts of micro-organisms doing all sorts of amazing things on this planet.

Examples of micro-organisms include bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists, viruses, prions, protozoa, monerans, and so on. We know that micro-organisms are important for the growth of plants, for their interaction with the soil around them, to get the nourishment they need to grow and be happy. So, consider for a moment what it would be like to be a microscopic animal/plant like a little blob on a root of a plant. What is your purpose in being there, what are you doing? Assume that the soil is alive, full of life and purpose, call it prana, consciousness, however you want to engage your brain with it. Micro-organisms are beings, alive within this soil with guiding consciousness, spirit, lifeforce, a necessary role to play in the life of the planet."

"Woah," one of the students protests while others groan.

Petunia smiles a wide amused grin at them, chuckles, and advises them to have fun.

She will give them 20 minutes and then each group will give a presentation. She will give marks for scientific facts as well as fanciful imaginings.

Petunia leaves the room. The students are all mature young adults, they can look after themselves. She goes outside to one of her plant bowers, settles herself in the hanging chair in tailor position and contemplates micro-organisms, wondering if she can wrap her ideas around the students mental fields so that they might be able to perceive them or not.

Her plants certainly perceive her and respond. She has several plants in three plots, with matching soil and climate conditions. She speaks differently to each plot. At one plot she tells the plant to grow and be happy, at another plot she asks the spirit of the plant to withdraw from the root system and cease to put out new shoots. She visualizes this as thoroughly as she can each time her attention goes to that plant in that plot. The third plot she pretty much ignores, letting the plant do whatever it will.

Several years later, she can really see the difference in the plant growth in the plots. The plants either encouraged or ignored are thriving while the growth of the discouraged plot is significantly diminished. She is documenting in words and photos this process for her Master's thesis.

Meanwhile, micro-organisms. Petunia has been a micro-organism in several shamanic journeys. She was amazed by the innumerable flows of energy within the soil. She was part of the consciousness of directing these flows, of water, of minerals, of prana, drawing to her particular root, what her plant needed to grow and be happy.

The soil was so alive!

An hour later, Petunia watches the last of her new students leave, a young woman, who pauses at the door, turns and says a heartfelt thank-you for a wonderful class; it gives me lots to think about. Let me know if you ever need a hand in the gardens.

Petunia points over to a whiteboard. "There is my schedule of volunteer times and expected tasks. Pick what you like to do and sign yourself on whenever you have time. I don't mind if people come together or different times, which ever you prefer, to work with others or by yourself." Two days a week, Petunia welcomes the help of whoever shows up to do whatever task is happening. "Your name", Petunia asks her.

"Sage", she answers, heading over to the board.

Notes on class #1

Conscious gardening.

Micro-organisms.

Much as expected the Plant Person circle scored higher than the Diggers, both in scientific facts and fanciful imaginings. The Diggers were not far behind in scientific facts, but failed dismally in creative imagination.

It takes an active creative imagination to work with plants, for sure for sure.

The rest of the seminar was spent on a tour of the gardens with explanation of what the idea is for them:

That all the plants can co-exist in this great diversity of plant-life we are creating with human intention, with both native and non-native plants.

That our intention be to create a plant Eden concept kind of a garden here, lions and lambs respecting one another, allowing each to have its glory spot where it can thrive and grow and be happy.

There are several experiments happening. When you come to a bed with the very visible scull and crossbones, then ask the plants there to stop growing. Do this asking as empathetically as you can. Explain to the plants by visualizing a picture in your mind, where the other places are that their energy/spirit/lifeforce may go. Plants of a species have their ways of communicating with each other across distance and time. Their time perception is different than ours. They tranform from one state to another much more easily and graciously than most humans do.  

When you come to a green flag, admire the plant, tell it to grow and be happy. Picture that for the plant. Engage all your intention/attention with this.

We are harvesting the medicinal plants for sale, to the university community, to help offset some of the costs of maintaining this garden. Imagine all the potent medicine the plants are making in their roots.

We are slowly turning this century old field into gardens, removing the sod, manually, I will show you how to do it, next week. Come dressed in clothes that you don't mind getting muddy. Shoes or boots for digging, as I noticed some of the girls were wearing pretty flimsy sandles.

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