IV

The Wise One gathers everyone's attention to himself and calls a stop to plant spirit presentations, declaring that enough has been said for one session.. The list of plants continues, of course. Petunia can read it in her mind, anytime she wants to: thistles and burdock and dandelions. Japanese knotweed, ragweed, goldenrod, goutweed, loosestrife, even nettle and mint. She grows plots of many species. A monoculture plot just for the species. And then she has beds where she combines plants and encourages them to grow as companions, harmoniously.

Coming back to herself in the portal circle, Petunia brings her awareness to the Healers who are coming center stage.

The First Nations Medicine Woman speaks first. She adresses the plant spirits.

"Our concern in this situation, as ancestral guardians of the land, is to ensure the harmony of all beings, whether they have been living here, forever, or they only arrived yesterday. I'll be working with each one of you, individually, to help to ease your relationship with the existing plant and human communities."

Starperson Healer, also, addresses the plants.

"You are each being paired with a star person healer, individually, to see what can be done to help you adapt. We have been working on some remedies for plant stress from human sources as well as facilitating inter species communications among yourselves."

Petunia watches as a Starperson Healer appears beside each plant spirit being.

The Wise One turns his attention to the two humans. He thanks them for coming, reassures them that he will be in touch as needed and Petunia watches the entire portal shutting down, all spirit beings departing, each to their own dimension. It is still a wonder to her, everytime she merges with these beings.

And this is my medicine, she thinks, as she expresses gratitude to the session's participants. She plays a song on her recorder while Prof Bolo strums his mandolin. After a timeless moment, Prof Bolo puts down his instrument and throws a few more logs on the fire. He rumages about in his back pack and pulls out a thermos. He pours out three cups of tea, the third cup intended for the caretaking spirits.

Petunia laughs suddenly. "I liked the way your question changed after Poison Ivy gave you a piece of her mind about being erradicated. Could there really be enough room on this planet for all beings?"

"Oh my, they were precious, precious, weren't they. Who ever would have thought of Hogweed as a matronly teacher?" Prof Bolo asks, shaking his head. "And Bindweed, healing the trauma of the disturbance of the land, binding it all together, again. But what a difference from human time. Wonder what that's all about."

"You mean, that plants have either very short or very long life cycles." At Prof Bolo's nod, Petunia continues her reflection. "It certainly gives me an expanded sense of time. Looking at a three hundred year management plan for some. Perhaps we humans will remember past lives someday, the way Scotch Broom can tell his species history. Perhaps if we humans were more aware of the fact, that we are coming back again to live with the consequences of our actions in this lifetime, there would be more motivation and it would be easier to slow down and work more carefully."

"Be vigilant and think things through more fastidiously." Prof Bolo adds. "They had a lot of good advice, most of it pretty self-evident, when you think about it. Hearing it from them, however, gives it greater significance and clarifies things in my mind. Certainly, I am supported in my thoughts about them. Healers and teachers and keepers of the sacred places. Can you imagine a town planned around a patch of poison ivy?"

Petunia and Prof Bolo contemplate that thought for a while.

Prof Bolo continues his commentary.

"The main message, though, is the same as the underlying hypothesis of this project here; that plants respond to the thoughts and intentions and deep needs of humanity, as well as to our caretaking efforts."

"Yes, Just talk to me," Petunia mimics Scotch Broom. Prof Bolo chuckles.

Petunia yawns, then stretches and gets up, to pack up, to head back to the house.

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