7 Signs That Plants Are Speaking To You
Plants and people have been communicating from the beginning — we have evolved together, different beings entwined in a dynamic relationship. Many of us have forgotten how to reach out and speak to plants, but plants have not forgotten us. They continue to provide us with all of our needs, from food and shelter to flavor and beauty. And every now and then, plants have something to say to us.
Lacking mouths and vocal cords with which to verbalize, plants reach out to us in other ways, unspoken ways. They knock gently on our intuition, hoping we’ll listen. They appear in our consciousness, a flash of beauty or curiosity. Perhaps you’ve been feeling their tugs or hearing their knocks. You’ve been feeling called to the plant world but not sure why. Here are seven sure ways to know if plants are reaching out to you.
1. You Dream About a Plant
One of the main ways that plants communicate with us is through our dreams. Plant talk thrives in the otherworld, the spaces outside of physical distractions and noise. The dream state is the perfect state for plants to reach out to you. If a plant appears in your dreams, pay attention. Notice how you’re interacting with it, how you feel when you’re near it. If you can see the plant but can’t identify it, make note of any distinguishing features to investigate later.
2. You Crave a Specific Plant
You want to eat it, or drink tea made with it, or smell it. You’re aching for the nostalgia of the way it bloomed in summer at your grandma’s house. You remember the smell in the spring when you got off the bus after school. Maybe you’re even craving the tincture of the plant. If a plant is knocking at your consciousness, it will find any way it can to get through to you. Follow that desire.
3. You See the Plant Everywhere
The plant keeps popping up in your life. You just noticed some blooming at the edge of the sidewalk, and then a friend gives you a card with the flower on the front. You notice a shirt in a store window and, upon closer inspection, isn’t that floral print the same flower? When a plant is reaching out to you, you’ll become aware of its presence in places you don’t even associate with plant life: a character sipping tea or tending a garden in a novel, patterns on plates or napkins, gifts from people who you’re barely in touch with (especially gifts. They add that extra feeling of “chance” or “coincidence.” Spoiler alert: There’s no such thing.) If you see the plant three times, that’s an undeniable pattern.
4. Your Curiosity About the Plant Suddenly Blooms
How did you just spend one hour googling all the varieties of goldenrod? You’ve never even been in the “Gardening” section of the bookstore before and now you’re browsing through botany books, skimming to find out where skullcap grows best. Which aunt was it that had peonies in her garden? You can’t remember, but suddenly you need to know. Oh, and what is the flower essence of honeysuckle used for? Once you find out, you’d better order some, because honeysuckle has a hold on you, and you’d better listen.
5. You Find Yourself Telling Everyone about the Plant
Your friends are starting to call you the Crazy Plant Lady. They are getting tired of hearing about your garden, real or imagined. You can’t resist, when its quiet in your office, offering, “Does anyone want to know a fun fact about Pleurisy Root?” They probably don’t, but you’re bubbling over with excitement and you just have to share. Now that you’re the expert on the many medicinal uses of nettle, you realize that everyone around you would benefit from this information, too. This is a sure sign that the plant has chosen you.
6. You’re Entranced by the Plant
Maybe you didn’t know this plant existed, and now that you’ve learned about it, you’re intrigued. Or you’ve grown up near it your entire life (hello, wheat) but now you’re amazed by its beauty, in awe of what it does for us and the way it has shaped our world. You spent a whole Saturday on an excursion to find some growing, and you’ve even made its photo the background on your phone. You’re enamored with its fragrance and wish you could spend hours staring into its flowers. You’re in love.
7. You Have a Nagging Feeling that it’s Trying to Tell you something
You don’t know why, and everything in you is telling you to doubt yourself, to second-guess, to brush it off, but something about the plant keeps catching the wisps of your attention, like a shadow that moves just out of your vision. There’s not even anything specific that’s calling to you, but the plant has been on your mind and seems to be staying there. Now’s the time to pay attention.