{"id":1518,"date":"2021-09-30T23:15:43","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T23:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkingtheshadowlands.com\/?p=1518"},"modified":"2024-11-14T18:39:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T05:39:01","slug":"episode-17-music-of-the-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkingtheshadowlands.com\/?p=1518","title":{"rendered":"Episode 17: Music Of The Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Episode 17: Music Of The Plants<\/strong><\/p><\/h3><\/div>

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Ever since mankind has been on this planet, we have looked towards nature for healing for our mind, body, and our spirits. Every single culture on this planet, has their wise-women, or men. Their shamans, their tohunga, their sacred medicine people \u2013 be they male or female. And all of these healers, and wise people have had an innate relationship with the herbs, plants, vines, and trees that grow around them, with many of them being able to communicate with the plants themselves. The most publicized cases of these, would be with those of the ayahuasca<\/a> \u00a0plant. How it is sung to, spoken to, prayers or karakia, said over it before harvesting and before working with the plant.<\/p>\n

But can plants talk to us? Can they? Many, many experiments have been conducted by real scientific minds on being able to communicate with plants, and to have them respond to us. It is common knowledge that speaking to your plants helps them to grow.\u00a0 Even school children have done science experiments on how plants respond to both kind words, and negative ones. A simple Google<\/a> search will unearth heaps of articles and videos on this subject. It is said that even Prince Charles<\/a> is known to talk to his plants.<\/p>\n

Most gardeners talk to their plants as they plant them, or tend to them. They have a love affair with their gardens, be they vege or flower. Sometimes that is a love\/hate relationship, but most avid gardeners are well aware they are working with, and encouraging, nurturing the growth of living plants. There is also an excellent documentary available on YouTube called \u201cWhat plants talk about\u201d<\/a> which discusses the secret lives of plants, and trees. Is it really any stretch of the imagination that plants are able to respond to us, to understand the energies we put out to them? Is it?<\/p>\n

Many New Zealanders have at the very least heard of the gentleman who will be my guest for these next couple of episodes. This gentleman is regarded by some as a bit of a controversial figure, not least because of his views on how NZ was settled prior to the arrival of the Maori in their great waka or canoes. An internationally known author, speaker, and documentary maker, Gary Cook is a leading writer on the special nature of the mystic realms that are to be found in New Zealand. He has has devoted many years of searching and writing of the wonders to be found within the islands of New Zealand and the South Pacific.<\/p>\n

For many years Gary Cook was a regular contributor to a now defunct NZ magazine called Rainbow News, which was a spiritual, sort of new age type magazine that I used to devour eagerly, not because I believed in everything, or even actually most that was written in there, but because some of the articles resonated deeply with me. It was from that magazine that I first learned about the still relatively little known, Kaimanawa<\/a> wall, deep in the middle of the Kaimanawa<\/a> state forest.<\/p>\n

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Gary Cook<\/p><\/div>\n

Gary is a very, deeply spiritual man \u2013 both in touch with himself and with all aspects of nature around us, and it is on the subject of nature that this show will delve into today\u2026.<\/p>\n

His extensive journeys and experiences allow him to share much of the deeper nature of the forests, the waters and the mountains that allows us all to connect with the natural order in a deeper and more meaningful way.<\/p>\n

The author of three books in the Secret Land series, and others\u2026. Gary is a regular contributor to Australian and New Zealand magazines offering readers unique glimpses of the sacred landscape of Aotearoa. He is a regularly requested speaker at conferences both here in NZ and overseas. He has also created a number of documentaries and DVD recording the songs of trees, plants, and pounamu or greenstone, and it is these that we will be touching on today, and next week:<\/p>\n

Gary says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy journey into our past has taken me into the land in ways that have surprised me. I have touched the stone and the waters and in turn been touched by them, traced the outline of ancient carved symbols with the tips of my fingers and been moved and been taken beyond the story to the spirit that is of this land, of its past, of its many people of yesteryear, and now\u2026 Thus do the ancestors speak and thus are they honoured when we stand still and listen.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Gary was with us a few weeks ago, talking about his experiences and research into the Patupaiarehe. We are very fortunate to have him back with us talking about his experiences, experiments, and learning into the field of music of the plants.<\/p>\n

To begin with he will take us on bit of a journey to the last episode when he was on here with us, answering a question one of the listeners sent in for him about the fairy folk, or Patupaiarehe. Then we will go into some background about plants, and trees, and about plant blindness \u2013 what is that?\u00a0 Then in the next episode we will talk specifically about music of the plants\u2026. So this will be a leisurely stroll, with a few detours, until we reach the heart of the subject. But, it is a delightful leisurely stroll in the shadowlands, with Gary sharing his wisdom, and experiences with us all. So, let\u2019s walk with Gary, into this part of the shadowlands, and see what awaits us there\u2026.<\/p>\n

Gary Cook<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Marianne:<\/strong> Before we start Gary, I have a question for you from a member of my FaceBook group of the same name as this podcast. Can you please ask Gary how I can make my garden fairy friendly? I don\u2019t really know?<\/p>\n

Gary:<\/strong> Well that\u2019s an interesting question actually, cause anywhere \u2013 whether it\u2019s a wild garden, or wild area, or a planted garden, anywhere is inviting to the elementals, and the fairy folk. I guess that one thing, I suppose that comes in to mind is, in gardens which have lots of flowers \u2013 which invite bees, and birds\u2026. You know, for nectar. And, butterflies, and things like this\u2026. And, I often think there can be a corner in the garden, which at a certain time of the year \u2013 or perhaps, all year around, has flowers, and colour. And, I think this is very, very inviting. But, other than that, just walking around the garden, and walking in forest, and walking across fields \u2013 anywhere like that, that\u2019s where an awareness can take place. You can [inaudible]\u2026. Oh perhaps I can\u2019t see it?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, as I may have mentioned in the \u2013 in our original chat, you don\u2019t always see what is there,\u00a0but you can certainly get a feeling of what is there. And, a knowing. And, you don\u2019t have to see, as much as the desire may be there\u2026 And, I guess too, it\u2019s how people interpret fairies. Whether they look upon\u2026. Going right into the elemental realms, which are the elemental beings which look after all plants.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Moving up to the fairies, but, there are so many different types of fairies it\u2019s interesting to, to actually pin down the fact that there are fairies with wings! \u2018Cause, ancient literature, and medieval times, fairies did not have wings in the sense \u2013 ah fairies could certainly move through the sky. But, that was usually at times of what they call the \u2018Grand Procession\u2019. Which is the King and the Queen of that particular fairy realm, and that particular fairy mound in the UK\u2026. They were observed, flying in a grand procession, once or twice a year.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But, other than that, it would appear that winged fairies came into Victorian times. And, when spiritualist groups, and things were taking a lot more notice of elementals, and beings in other realms. And, then of course, Walt Disney, of course\u2026. Actually popularized winged fairies with Tinkerbelle, and things like that. So, of course\u2026. But this is the fairy which intrigues little children\u2026.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Right<\/p>\n

And, the winged fairy is what they expect to see, and they may even \u2013 you know, see a fairy which is riding on the back of a bumblebee, or riding on the back of a dragonfly. So there are allsorts of stories like that. But, the stories that I\u2019ve pursued, are in New Zealand of course, with the Patupaiarehe. And, these are more like Elven folk, or Gnomes, or in that category.\u00a0 Where they are very human, and in stature\u2026. Ah well, much, much smaller, of course.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, I find that often when I walk through the forest here at home, I sort of have an experience, that suddenly I have a heightened awareness, that there\u2019s something there. And, I\u2019ll stop and just say a word, even though I can\u2019t see, or can\u2019t hear anything. I\u2019ll say a word. So, I think that this is the thing to introduce yourself, in your garden area \u2013 and, it\u2019s not a matter of having anything in particular planted out, and but there just may be a place in the garden which is comfortable, for the fairy beings to appear, and be there.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, there\u2019s no\u2026. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any, um rule of thumb here, as far as that goes. But, I always remember years and years ago, when I first became aware of these realms, being told by an elderly lady from the isle of\u2026. Sort of stuck\u2026. Yeah, one of the islands where she was sort of fourth generation, or fifth generation seer. And, she had a wild area in her garden. She had a lot of garden, but there was a wild area, that she just<\/em> let grow wild.<\/em> And, didn\u2019t tend it at all, and she said: \u201cThis is where they dwell, in the wild area.\u201d That\u2019s it. So, keep that in mind.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, that\u2019s a good response. I\u2019ve actually heard that said about wild areas before, in a garden. Yeah, so that\u2019s quite nice to have that reconfirmed. Thank you, I\u2018m sure that my group member will be very happy with that. What started you on this journey with the plant music, was it when you caught the sound of the pounamu singing?<\/p>\n

No. No, no, no. So, you\u2019re asking me then, what got me started? And, interested in plants?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes<\/p>\n

I suppose that when I look back at the first talk that we had together, I mentioned in childhood, being very interested in forests, and trees, and things.\u00a0 And, that went right back, even when I was five or six years of age, and even right up into my teenage years, and of course, family situations change. And, you drift away from the beautiful, outdoor, rural forest areas, and into living in towns, and cities. So, I always had an awareness ah, and always a great feeling of being sort of at home, and being restful\u2026. It\u2019s a bit like when any of us can say\u2026. Get away from our everyday work situation \u2013 whether it\u2019s a day trip, a weekend trip, or whether it\u2019s annual holidays, and we leave the environment where we spend most of our year. And we go, and we move within nature.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, the tradition of course, within New Zealand is \u2013 for so many years, was the summer holiday. When everything closed down, and everyone packed up, and went away to the beach, or to the lake, or to the rivers, to camp out! And, this was a time when so many people had some incredible contact with nature. And, of course, being away for ten to fourteen days in that environment was always uplifting to people. And, I guess that psychologically you can say that was just being away from the pressures of the work environment, and everything else that goes on in the world. Just enjoying family time. Camping out, or caravanning, or staying in motels, or just cruising around in your mobile home. That was great! But, I always felt though, that in doing this \u2013 not that I did this very often myself. My family wasn\u2019t into that.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

My\u2026. ah release\u2026. Was just being able to walk in the park, etc. And, I\u2019ve always enjoyed just ambling, or strolling. I\u2019m not an intrepid tramper, and I\u2019m not one of these people who put on their headphones, and run furiously through the forest, doing their training, their running, and things like that. I\u2019ve always been fortunate to have lived in proximity to where there are trees, and there are parks. And, I often say to folk too, Marianne, that even if you live in the middle of the city. And, even if you just own a small town-house, or you\u2019re living in an apartment building, there is always the opportunity to go, and be with plants, and trees. And, I cite cities like Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland, in New Zealand, and I know other cities \u2013 I\u2019ve lived in other parts of the world. There\u2019s always parks, and spaces where people can go, and hang out, and just walk, or sit quietly, and feed the ducks in the duck pond.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This has always been something which I think has been so beneficial to people. To be able to just walk within nature, like that. So, I guess for myself, I\u2019ve always had the opportunities, and fortunately in the years that I\u2019ve been married, and we moved around quite a bit, we always had\u2026. We were always in proximity of<\/em> beaches, rivers, and forests. They were just an easy, short drive away. Or sometimes, just a walk down the end of the road, and into a park. So, these places are very, very important\u2026. And, even to plants within your own environment, and I say to folk \u2013 if you live in the middle of the city, and you live in a high-rise apartment, you can still have your plants. You can have your houseplants. As I see a houseplant over your shoulder, over there Marianne, behind you.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Two cyclamens, I have had them for about three years, and I love them.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, so we always have these. Not only do they add colour but there are a lot of plants, of course, that are beneficial within the closed living space, which help to filter the air. Which is through photosynthesis, which is very important. And, even those as I say, living in high rise apartments, you can have a little \u2013 few pots out on your balcony, which often people do. And, in the summer, they\u2019ll grow a few tomatoes. They\u2019ll also grow herbs, and\u2026. Culinary herbs for the kitchen.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, you can always have these contacts, even though we can\u2019t get out, and walk in it, we can always have the contacts. And, it\u2019s even therapeutic to watch a YouTube clip of just walking in nature, in the forest.\u00a0 It allows you to escape, and go back into places you may have enjoyed, either when you were a child, or in recent times when you were on holiday. So, bit of a ramble here, but I guess that um, we can always find a place to go to. And, even if it\u2019s a bus ride, or a car ride, or on our bicycle if we\u2019re living in an urban area. There\u2019s always a place we can go to, and walk around, and open spaces are as good as a forest. Often we come across little parks in an urban area, that haven\u2019t been greatly planted out with trees. There may be a few trees there. But, often it\u2019s just an open space of grass, which they keep mowed, and a playground there for children to play in. So, these places are there, and I think we\u2019ve got to grab that opportunity, whenever we can.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I remember, years, and years, and years ago\u2026. And, these are things which come to mind \u2013 when I was a younger person, working in Queen Street in Auckland, in a shop there, as a shop assistant. And, one day, walking down the footpath in busy Queen Street, and I stopped on the side of the road there. And, I was gazing around the buildings, and I looked down at my feet. And, there growing out of a crack in the curbing was a plant, which I took in those days to perhaps, to be a weed. I didn\u2019t know what sort of plant it was. And, I looked at this little plant, and thought \u2013 oh my gosh! This is how nature prevails. Even in the busy, busiest places, where there\u2019s lots of people. Lot\u2019s of traffic. Little plants will grow. Little plants are, and they\u2019re always there. And, so I thought well that\u2019s interesting, and that little plant is just as important as a big tree. Because, little plants like that also actually go through the process of photosynthesis.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, start bringing in the sunlight, and synthesizing this, and taking the carbons out of the air. And, in their own little way \u2013 you know, half a dozen, or ten leaves, putting oxygen back for us to breathe. So, these are things to know. Do you even\u2026. If we are walking sort of down a street somewhere, and we come across<\/em> a little bank \u2013 or even a stone wall, and we see moss growing there! Gosh, so you know, we\u2019re surrounded constantly by green, nature. You know what I mean? So, it\u2019s always there.<\/em> So [inaudible] little ramble.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, and that\u2019s a valid comment about the plant growing in cracks. And, I\u2019ve often seen like little \u2013 usually it\u2019s dandelion flowers, or something like that coming up through the cracks, and I always admire the tenacity of nature. And, how plants always find a way to survive, and thrive, in the most hostile environments.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly right! Hostile, and also how um plants, and I particularly noticed down here, because we live on the edge of a small forest, which is on our land. Adjourns onto other forest. And, we have big gardens here, of course. And, which my wife Raewyn, tends. And, if we just leave things to go, as they should. It doesn\u2019t take long before the trees from the forest area are dropped into the garden, which we are then maintaining and cultivating. And little seedlings like Rewa Rewa, and Manuka, are popping up all over. So it doesn\u2019t take long for nature to prevail.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, I remember when we first came to this land, over twenty years ago. There had been a slippage down the track, on the way to the river. And, it was a very bare area of clay, and things like this. Which went right down to the river. I thought, what on earth are we going to do with this? And, it was a lot of gorse growing there. I thought wow. This could be the time for an experiment. \u2018Cause, I had read prior to coming to this land, that if you wanted to reforest in native trees, and you had gorse, to use the gorse to act as a nursery.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And then, this will allow native trees, or whatever you plant in there, to come back. Particularly the natives, \u2018cause, it\u2019s their natural habitat. And, so I just left the gorse there. I trimmed it on the track, but I just left it there to go, right down this cutting. And, there it grew tall, and beautiful yellow blossoms.\u00a0 And. now when I go back down there, after twenty years, I\u2019ve got one or two bits of straggly gorse left! The native forest has come back in such a big way. Manuka, Kanuka, Rewa Rewa, young Rimu trees, and all of this.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, nature always prevails!\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s worth knowing that things like gorse, instead of hacking it down, if you have the room to allow that space to sit for a number of years, and you plant your natives out in there, they\u2019ll grow. And, of course, gorse requires a lit of light. And, when the native plants grow\u2026. They\u2019re searching for the light anyhow. And, they come up. And, they\u2019ve got a higher canopy, and of course, they deprive the gorse of it\u2019s light, and it just dies back.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Wow! Yeah that\u2019s\u2026. Now, isn\u2019t there a name for that sort of agriculture? Is that bio\u2026 Oh gosh, I just can\u2019t think of the name off the tip of my tongue. When you let nature just do it\u2019s thing<\/p>\n

Well, yes it\u2019s\u2026. It is\u2026. Yes, that\u2019s a wonderful thing to do, but a lot of people sort of don\u2019t allow for that. As far as they are concerned a native forest, or native trees may not be what they want. And they may take \u2013 which they have over years, and years, and years\u2026. And plant Pinus Radiata. <\/em><\/span>Which incidentally, Pinus Radiata, and this was a tree they discovered, in the early nineteen-thirties, in America. And, in America it comes from California, and is called the Monterey Pine. And the Pinus Radiata is of course slated in New Zealand, as being the tree that we just grow very quickly. And, then chop down and plant more, which we\u2019ve seen happen all over the place.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But in America, where the Pinus Radiata, or Monterey Pine comes from, it is a highly revered tree by the local Indian people. And, has such a high standing in their myths and legends, and their everyday life. So, I often say to people, don\u2019t underestimate [what] Pinus Radiata does. I mean, on our land here, we have a couple of wild pine trees. Which have been growing, probably for many, many years. And, they\u2019re going to grow until they\u2019re probably eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So these trees, which have been somehow or another sown, in the area of my land. I was not going to chop them out! Because they are trees. And, this is where we\u2019ve got to revere trees. And, if we can work with existing trees such as Pine trees, and anything else \u2013 Wattle trees which have been planted as tree crops, and all those sort of things. We have a far, far better space to bring about a balance in nature.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyhow, so that\u2019s the way I look at it, and I\u2019d just like to insert that about Pinus Radiata, or I now like to call it the Monterey Pine. And, it is a very, very special tree in its own way. And, I have actually recorded music which I\u2019ll talk about later, from the Monterey Pine. And, it\u2019s just a beautiful song.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet! And for me personally, I always find pine trees to be incredibly uplifting. The fragrance that their needles put out, or that the tree itself puts out, I find always puts me in an uplifted space, and it clears my energy.<\/p>\n

No. No, I think that\u2019s quite right too, because, what the trees are doing \u2013 they\u2019re putting out \u2013 well virtually the essence of the tree itself, and it\u2019s like the perfume of the tree. And, this enters into our bodies through inhaling, and walking in it. And, these things trigger various parts of activity in our brain. Which allows us to feel more relaxed, and at ease. And, this can happen in any forest. Whether it\u2019s a pine forest, or it\u2019s a forest that\u2019s full of Kauri, or Rimu, or just mixed native. It can happen anywhere. Anywhere, there\u2019s light growing like that, we can walk amongst the trees.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I remember walking amongst the Redwood plantations in Rotorua, which were quite vast. And, they were put in place, ninety, to one hundred years ago, with the view of looking at a sustainable crop. But, they\u2019re such magnificent trees, and now eighty to ninety years old! They\u2019re never going to be taken down for firewood, or timber for building, or anything like that. They\u2019re just a joy to walk amongst. Here was an introduced species, which was established so well, and is now providing so much for people who like to walk, run, or ride through the forest.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a really valid point, \u2018cause, I know whenever I get the opportunity I\u2019ll go for a walk in the bush. Soon as I get out of the car, and I\u2019m in amongst the trees, it\u2019s just like poof! You know? You just feel a difference; you just feel \u2013 I feel immediately relaxed\u2026. Immediately, as soon as I can smell, that beautiful forest odour. It just grounds me right away!<\/p>\n

Yeah. It\u2019s also the same too\u2026. We\u2019ve got something else we can compare that to. It\u2019s when we go to the beach, and it\u2019s active on the beach. And, the beaches you\u2019ve got down there, around Hawkes Bay, and around the Napier area, are all shingle beaches. But, just walking on the beach, you\u2019re in the natural ozone, which is also beneficial to you, so anywhere within nature, that we can take the time\u2026. And, even walking along the boardwalks there, in the main beach in Napier, or round the other side, round the shore there. Just ambling along. At the top of the beach there, there\u2019s only little plants growing. You know, little succulents and things like this, which have incredible flowers in the season. And, so there\u2019s a lot of plant life around the beach. And, also \u2013 I mean, just off the shore there, which we can\u2019t see, of course, is all the plant life under the water.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Right!<\/p>\n

Which is all the sea weeds, and things of that nature. And, likewise in ponds, and estuaries. Ah, down not far from where we live, we have the big Tauranga harbor. Well renowned for sea lettuce, which washes up ashore, when storms come in. So there\u2019s so much growing also, when we go to the beach, under the water. And likewise, even when we go to the rivers, streams\u2026. You\u2019re walking around and you come to a little pool of water, which is not being disturbed too much by the water flow, and we look very closely, and we see all these little organisms \u2013 plant organisms, growing on the rocks. So, we\u2019re surrounded by plants, and amazing thing Marianne, is that in recent times with ahh \u2013 neurobiology, which is the new science, which is studying the intelligence of plants. They have come up with a figure, which I find amazing.<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

They say that ninety-nine percent of all life in the biosphere of the planet is plant life! That\u2019s ninety-nine percent so, there\u2019s just one percent that we as humans, every other mammal, every other living creature, whether they fly, or whether they crawl underground, we just fit into one percent. So, we actually live on a plant planet.<\/em> And, I think that\u2019s why a plant planet is conducive, and always has been conducive to the other realms where the faery folk, and the elementals live. So, everything goes hand in hand. <\/em><\/span>You know, within the biosphere I mean. It was just, you know, the complete sort of system we live in. And, of course now a days, we hear a lot about how the system is being damaged, and how it\u2019s \u2013 we\u2019re not caring for it as humans! But hopefully that\u2019s all going to change as quickly as we can over the next few decades, and bring it back to a better balance.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I don\u2019t think we have much of an option now, do we? I think, we\u2019re really at a major tipping point. But, I feel that the positive thing about this, is that so many people are awake now, and aware of things that are actually important to our continued survival. To the survival of all species actually. Well no! Humans may die out, but plants will live on, regardless.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, and also you know, for the survival of of all species, of course, everything on the planet relies on plants. And, not only do the plants provide us with the oxygen that we breathe, but they also filter the carbons out of the air. So it\u2019s a two-way thing. We put out carbons which feed the plants, which is wonderful, we as animals, mammals, put out a lot of carbon. And, of course, that\u2019s become a little excessive with the modern industrial age that we live in, but that\u2019s something for another day.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, we\u2019re looking here at the fact that plants provide everything, within the biosphere of the planet, to sustain our lives. Not only is it because we are a carbon body, we are a carbon being. We rely on the oxygen for breathing. Ok. Now, the plants then supply us with all our food. Everything that we eat, has come from a plant source. Even though, there are those who will eat chickens, and fish, and meat. \u00a0Which has\u2026. Had been farmed.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

All these creatures that we consume, they have grown up and come into maturity, by eating plants, and ok. So have humans. So, it\u2019s interesting that, we just live on a plant planet. That\u2019s it, you know when we suddenly start to think about this, and realize it. It\u2019s like a little light bulb flashes on, and you think oh my god! Of course you do! Why didn\u2019t I think about that twenty or thirty years ago? So, so many things we just take for granted. It\u2019s a bit like, I\u2019m referring to plant blindness. It\u2019s a very interesting experiment that\u2019s often done by Stephano \u2013 by Professor Stephano Mecurio. Who is a plant biologist at the University of Florence, in Italy.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, when he started to give a talk to people, ah on the rostrum there, he\u2019ll have a big picture on the screen there behind him. And, it\u2019ll be a picture of grass, like a meadow, with trees in the background. And, he\u2019ll say to the people, well what do you see here. And, they\u2019re looking hard for what they can see. And, they can\u2019t see anything!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Then, he\u2019ll put up the next slide, which is the same picture, but this time he\u2019s got a little herd, of five or six deer in the foreground. Now, what do you see? Oh we see the deer! Wow! And he puts on the first slide again, and says now look at this. Look at all those trees! Look at all the grasses! Living things, living beings, and you didn\u2019t even see them. And, that\u2019s what he calls, \u2018Plant Blindness\u2019. Where so many people just take trees and plants for granted. They\u2018re just in the background.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For some of us, thank goodness, they\u2019re in the foreground of our life. But, for a lot of people, they\u2019re just there. And, of course for some people, when they do see the tree, they look at upon it as being something \u2013 we can fell those trees, and cut them up for firewood. We can fell those trees, and build a house out of them. We can feel that tree, \u2018cause, it\u2019s blocking our view. We can fell that tree, because we want to plant an orchard. <\/em>So, very little thought is actually given to that tree, and, to those trees. They\u2019re just there. So this is what they term plant blindness. Taking things for granted, and if we do stop and think about it. It, it changes your whole perception when you suddenly realize this. And, I guess we\u2019re all guilty of it.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I often say, as an example to folk. \u00a0You head off to work in the morning, and you get out the front door, and you pat the dog on the head, and say hello. And, as you walk down the driveway, towards the front of your house, the pathway \u2013 the cat\u2019s there, and you say hello to the cat. And, you\u2019re walking past all the bushes in the garden, and it\u2019s pretty down the side of the driveway. And, there\u2019s a bird singing up there. You might glance up and notice it\u2019s a thrush. <\/em>And, you\u2019ve acknowledged the animals. You\u2019ve acknowledged the seeing the cat, and dog, and you\u2019ve acknowledged the bird. But, you have not \u2013 most people haven\u2019t acknowledged the tree.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The tree is just there! Once again, it\u2019s in the background. So, that\u2019s one aspect of plant blindness. So, I guess, because \u2013 I mean, I\u2019m looking out my window here, and of course, we\u2019re surrounded by trees, and paddocks. Well, grass, and gardens, and long distance views. All I can see is trees, and I\u2019m quite at peace. Living in a place like this, and it\u2019s just wonderful!\u00a0 There are those of course, who just don\u2019t have that opportunity, but what I\u2019m sharing with you today, will hopefully open up peoples to more opportunities for themselves, to actually not take trees, and plants for granted.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, case in point. Where we do have indoor plants, we nurture them, we feed them, and water them \u2013 hopefully! And, we love and admire them, and we\u2019ll talk to them too. And, it\u2019s the same with intrepid gardeners, with vegetable gardeners, etc. When they\u2019re out in the garden, planting seeds, or tending the broccoli, and things as they grow, they\u2019ll talk to the plants. And so, actually is a jolly good idea. Because, plants can hear \u2013 we\u2019ll go into that shortly. But plants can hear you, and they can respond. And, they respond with music of the plants.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s creating songs. That\u2019s\u2026. That\u2019s their voice, so plant blindness is something that, if we are aware of that term, we can then apply it in our everyday life. And, hopefully people listening to our little chat, when they\u2019ve finished and they have the opportunity to go outside, and the weather\u2019s right \u2013 there\u2019s not six foot of snow on the ground. To actually go to a tree, and just look at it, and put their hands out and touch the tree, and talk to it for goodness sake!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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In this episode we have begun our journey with Gary. We started with Gary answering the question posed by a member of my Walking the Shadowlands facebook group, and then we talked more about the wonderful world of plants and trees around us.\u00a0 About their energies, and how they work together, and a bit with us. Join us next week as we continue, and conclude this walk through the shadowlands.<\/p>\n

The music at the very beginning of this episode, was recorded from Gary\u2019s tangelo tree, and it\u2019s a very interesting tune. And, I actually quite like it. After Gary answered the question about the Patupaiarehe, the music then, was recorded by Gary, and was created by the energies put out by a pounamu <\/a>stone.<\/p>\n

Gary created that recording as \u201ca small introductory presentation of the Music of the Stone\u201d, with his then\u201d new electronic device , the Midi Sprout.\u201d To me it\u2019s an extraordinarily beautiful sound created by the pounamu\u2026. Showing that stones have and do give of energies, or their own type of music \u2013 for those who care to listen. To me it is a very beautiful, and almost haunting sort of sound.<\/p>\n

If any of you have any questions, or any comments that you\u2019d like to make \u2013 questions you might like to ask Gary, or experiences that you might like to share with myself, and my audience. Then please don\u2019t hesitate to email me at shadowlands@myyahoo.com<\/a> Or, if you\u2019re a member of Anchor, at anchor.fm, then you can leave me a voice message \u2013 via their platform. Which, I could include in an upcoming episode.<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed this episode, then please leave a positive rating, and a written review on your chosen podcasting platform. Who knows? You may hear your review read out at the end of one of these podcasts. And, of course, so you don\u2019t miss out on our next episode make sure you subscribe on your favourite podcasting platform. This podcast is available on all free, podcasting platforms, and soon to be available from iHeart radio as well.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have a smartphone, then you can listen to the episodes from the podcast website www.walkingtheshadowlands.com. For those hearing-impaired, there is a full written transcript of each episode on the website. So you don\u2019t miss out at all. Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell your workmates about our show! Encourage them to listen, and to subscribe also \u2013 the more the merrier!<\/p>\n

Also, please consider supporting this show on patreon.com<\/a>. You can check out the link on our website. Check out our FaceBook page \u2018Walking the Shadowlands<\/a>\u201d, our instagram<\/a> feed of the same name, and our twitter<\/a> feed @shadowlands10. Like and follow for hints on our upcoming episodes.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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