Listening To The Heartbeat Of Our Mother Earth

This post offers my own answer to the question I posed in the poll I recently shared

Now that the votes appear to be slowing down for the polling post I recently shared, I wish to share my own thoughts on and opinions relating to the question I posed in the post below.

I feel that the Earth is indeed a conscious being, self aware and very much alive. This feeling I have, this inward knowing, was not born out of scientific data, other’s opinions, or any kind of external stimuli, but rather it was something I came to understand through spending much time in nature, consciously entering into stillness of mind, and learning to enable my heart to act as an organ of perception. It is in that state of inward stillness that I came to directly sense the consciousness and life pulse of this world in which we inhabit.

Since that experience I have learned that though we live in a 3 dimensional universe, this physical form and experience we all share here does not represent the true essence of who and what we are. It is understandably difficult to approach the question above without knowing that innate truth. To ask your self if a planet is alive and sentient, while seeking to define the housing, mechanisms, and structure of a planetary consciousness limited by the assumption that it is purely 3 dimensional, is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle without having all the pieces. You see without acknowledging our own multidimensionality, and learning to move beyond the limitations of the 5 senses, human brain and ego we cannot see the full picture.

Science is the system of thought which explores this universe through the truly amazing intellectual capacities of the human brain (a bio-mechanical molecular electromagnetic computer) the operating system for the most advanced machine known to exist in the universe, the human body. So while this brain may be exceptionally well versed at navigating and perceiving this 3 dimensional plane of time and matter, through the 5 senses. It cannot perceive that which exists beyond, and there lies the limitation of the science of the current paradigm on earth to understand the nature of the universe and existence.

That being said, it is possible to gain meaningful insight into this reality through the true scientific process (that being the exploration of the world and universe around and inside of us, through measurement and observation, while always being open to the possibility that the 'facts' we think to be absolute and fundamental could indeed be proved to be wrong or need an improved understanding). Modern science tell us that there are aspects of this universe that are very real that cannot be perceived with our 5 senses, things that are all around us, microbial life, higher octaves of light, gamma and ultraviolet rays, and frequencies of sound and vibration beyond the spectrum that we can detect. A few hundred years ago, if you told someone that in a cup of pond water there are multitudes of strange lifeforms taking many shapes smaller than the eye can see, you would have probably been told that you are crazy.

Throughout human history paradigms of thought and 'science' have asserted them selves and their principles as absolute only to be proven false by new understandings subsequently coming to light. Do we really think that we are exempt from this historical lesson? Are we so arrogant that we claim to be standing on the pedestal of absolute knowledge, like so many before us, closing ourselves to new ideas and understandings that challenge our current paradigm of thought?

There are now many scientists who do believe that plants possess some form of sentience. That in fact they have intelligence, perception, thought and that their behavior is often altruistic. Many are surprised to find out that the truth, is, that like animals, plants communicate, feel, think and respond to their environment including interactions with humans… and similar to humans, plants actually reason. Here are a few of the links I found related to this.

• https://www.plantbehavior.org/

• https://www.ted.com/talks/stefano_mancuso_the_roots_of_plant_intelligence#t-811430

• http://goodnature.nathab.com/research-shows-plants-are-sentient-will-we-act-accordingly/ 

So, even working within the constraints of the current scientific model, we are now learning that plants possess a far greater level of intelligence than was previously assumed, at the same time we are also learning that these intelligent plants are connected over large distances through vast networks of mycorrhizal communities. These communities of fungi which form a symbiotic relationship with the plants roots, also have now been shown to serve as a communication system between plants. Even plants of different species have been documented using this 'organic internet' to communicate directly with others, warning each other of impending aphid invasions and even sharing resources to a seedling in need.

Given that we are only beginning to understand these intricate inter-relationships, and that some of these living networks of mycorrhizae are very ancient, connecting entire old growth forests, I think it would be reasonable to consider that we may indeed be starting to understand the working physical parts of a planetary organism, a part of some kind of her 'central nervous system' perhaps. It is also in my opinion possible that the physical housing, mechanisms, and inter-relationships that make up a 'planetary mind' may exist in the form of subtle energetic frequencies, harmonics, or electromagnetic expressions that are not detectable by our current instruments, or at least not discernible as a coherent representation of a sentient mind.

I feel it is also worth noting that the living Earth has been measured to communicate in the language of energy in a way that is life affirming and in a way that nurture’s coherence among the beings that call her body home. She does this with her eternal heart beat (which some call the Schumann Resonance) that harmonizes and connects all living beings on the Earth. I believe that in doing so, she offers us inspiration on how we might emulate her way of speaking with the heart to consciously communicate (energetically, anchoring that energy and seeding it through what some might call the “morphic field”) to bring peace and healing to this world.

As we look to define what is intelligent, sentient, and conscious, I suggest that we should be cautious not to go about looking for these things through the limitations of a very 'anthropomorphic lens', and in doing so obscure the discovery of truths and understandings that could benefit and enrich all of our lives. Since we are not separate from nature and are indeed an integrated facet of it, I do feel it would be prudent to begin acting like it. We are like cells of a larger organism in this way. The planet is very alive and we are among the mutually interdependent parts of her that function together to weave the fabric of the biospheres that when in balance, thrive and exist symbiotically. This interconnected web of life fosters the physical evolution of lifeforms that unfold into ever higher levels of complexity, intelligence, and beauty.

Rather than allowing the comforting stagnation of ego flattering ideas (that lean towards self-importance and humanocentric hubris) to guide our thinking (at this critical fork in the road) I would instead humbly suggest that we consider using the sentience (that many so covetously claim is unique to humans) to consciously choose to work in collaboration with each other and the organism we are a part of, lending our creative genius to be a source of creation and inspiration, as we nourish the living world that sustains us, forging reciprocal relationships with our elder species, accepting the wisdom they offer us gratefully and unfolding ever higher expressions of human potential in the process.

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