Explorations of plant consciousness and human interactions with the natural world.
From
apples to ayahuasca, coffee to kurrajong, passionflower to peyote,
plants are conscious beings. How they interact with each other, with
humanity and with the world at large has long been studied by
researchers, scientists and spiritual teachers and seekers. The Mind of Plants: Narratives of Vegetal Intelligence brings
together works from all these disciplines and more in a collection of
essays that highlights what we know and what we intuit about botanical
life.The Mind of Plants, featuring a foreword by Dennis McKenna, is
a collection of short essays, narratives and poetry on plants and their
interaction with humans. Contributors include Robin Wall Kimmerer,
author of the New York Times’ best seller Braiding Sweetgrass,
Jeremy Narby, John Kinsella, Luis Eduardo Luna, Megan Kaminski and
dozens more. The book’s editors, John C. Ryan, Patrícia Vieira and
Monica Gagliano – each of whom also contributed works to the collection –
weave together essays, personal reflections and poems paired with
intricate illustrations by José María Pout.Recent
scientific research in the field of plant cognition highlights the
capacity of botanical life to discern between options and learn from
prior experiences or, in other words, to think. The Mind of Plants includes
texts that interpret this concept broadly. As Mckenna writes in his
foreword, “What the reader will find here, expressed in poetry and
prose, are stories that are infused with cherished memories and inspired
celebrations of unique relationships with a group of organisms that are
alien and unlike us in every way, yet touch human lives in myriad
ways.”
“The Mind of Plants is an enchanting collection of short reflections on
the privileged encounter with plants as cognitive, mindful beings.
Poetic, essayistic, and very personal, this book is full of insightful
thoughts which are filling an important lacuna in human understanding
that science cannot explain: The mind emerges from the encounter with a
myriad of other beings. The Indigenous Amazonian people have long known
and experienced their rainforest as a field of mind. To plug into the
intelligence of this forest is a practice, that once discovered, has
kept the author’s strong ties to these territories alive over
decades.” — Ursula Biemann, artist, curator, and theorist
It is an enlightening book! The Mind of Plants integrates the science of
ecology and biology with the pleasure of poetry and literature. It
should become an essential part of the curriculum of all schools and
universities. And of course it should be read by all those who wish to
learn about the intricate mystery of plant life.” — Satish Kumar,
Founder of Schumacher College, Editor Emeritus, Resurgence &
Ecologist
