The Secret Life of Plants
Inspired by the book from the authors Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird in 1973, The Secret Life of Plants (Documentary) is a true masterpiece that opens the discussion regarding plant sentience :
Plant perception or biocommunication is the paranormal idea that plants are sentient, that they respond to humans in a manner that amounts to ESP (Extrasensory Perception), and that they experience a range of emotions or parapsychological states. Since plants lack nervous systems,[1][2][3][4] paranormal claims regarding plant perception are considered pseudoscience by the scientific community.[1][2][5][6]. Such paranormal claims are distinct from the ability of plants to sense and respond to the environment via chemical and related stimuli.
By documenting several controversial experiments performed by scientists such as Jagadish Chandra Bose, Corentin Louis Kervran and George Washington Carver among others, we deepen in the realm of Plants in order to prove the presence / existence of primary perception similar to animals and humans, along with consciousness.
The first experimentation came from Bose institute, founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose (Indian biologist, physicist and botanist). Educated in Cambridge, Bose built the foundations of plants science by creating unique machines to monitor the delicate living responses of plants. One of his famous inventions was the crescograph, a device for measuring the growth of plants. He was considered one of the fathers of radio science. He would later present all his research to a committee of London’s Royal Society (324 distinguished minds & scientists).
“It was through his experimentation with radio waves that he discovered that both metal and animal tissue respond in a similar way to the effects of radiation. He postulated : if the continuity exists between such extremes as metal and animal tissue, similar effects should be present in the plant kingdom”. ― (The secret Life of Plants documentary, 1979)
All his work was carefully analyzed, but the final decision was that this research would be banned to the public due to the suggestion that there are electrical responses inside plants, a fact we can prove nowadays by the scientific method. A man with thoughts and beliefs ahead of his time, yet his time and dedication not be in vain. The night of February 2nd of 1966 would change the life of Cleve Backster forever. Backster, during 18 years investigated for federal and municipal law enforcement agencies. His speciality, the polygraph test. A line of work that he was respected and recognized as an authority. By connecting a plant to the polygraph test he was able to prove Boses theory and go beyond his research. He once again spoke about plants having consciousness and even extrasensory perception that as an antenna, was able to perceive our intentions and thoughts. Like if the individuals response (humans responses) produce some sort of energy display that plants are able to perceive. As Bose said
“I was educated at Cambridge. How admirable is the Western method of submitting all theory to scrupulous experimental verification! That empirical procedure has gone hand in hand with the gift for introspection which is my Eastern heritage. Together they have enabled me to sunder the silences of natural realms long uncommunicative. The telltale charts of my crescograph 2 are evidence for the most skeptical that plants have a sensitive nervous system and a varied emotional life. Love, hate, joy, fear, pleasure, pain, excitability, stupor, and countless appropriate responses to stimuli are as universal in plants as in animals.” ― Sri Jagadish Chandra Bose
Once again encoded information. This and several other theories / experiments are shown in this documentary released in 1979. To my extend the theories and experiments shown, resonate not only with my instinct but reinforce the idea of consciousness in all living things around us. As we all came from dust & stars, we share the same origin. Is this principle that unites us all, that connects us all, no matter species or size (Micro-Macro), we are all part of a single unit.
“They who behold the One, in all the changing manifoldness of the universe, unto them belongs the eternal truth, unto none else, unto none else.”
― Sri Jagadish Chandra Bose
I strongly recommend that either you read the book, audiobook or watch the following documentary.
- Book “The Secret Life of Plants" -
In my upcoming Live Performance, Botanika - I extracted audios from Cleve Backster as a way of storytelling throughout the 40 min live set. More information on my next post!