Life Lessons from the Plant kingdom + Intuitive Guide for Growth
- Vishrutha Thulasiram
- Mar 11, 2021
- 6 min read
“Don’t forget. Drink water. Get Sunshine. You’re basically a houseplant with more complicated emotions” ~ Anonymous
You’ve probably read or come across this quote even if you aren’t a plant parent or into the self-care world. Although these words seem silly and lame, they hold a lot of truth in them. Ever since I was a kid, I was constantly fascinated by the plant kingdom and all its complexities. Give me a plant to admire and I’ll be the happiest kid. (It’s pretty much still the same, lol) My grandfather was a farmer and a very devoted one at that. The story of his life and his compassionate empathetic attitude toward his profession and fellow beings has offered me a great deal of inspiration and also motivated me to take better care of my plant and animal friends. So after having spent years nurturing and hyping up plants, there are some considerably philosophical and spiritual life lessons that being around plants has taught me. What are these oh so fancy lessons you wonder? Read ahead to find out + for bonus content.
Perseverance and Resilience
By definition these words mean steadfastness and the ability to change and adjust with one’s circumstances. What better example to give for these abilities if not mother nature? There are these exceptionally large trees in my family doctor’s neighborhood. We’ve known the doctor for over 30 years and those trees have been around longer. The entire neighborhood has undergone change so many times. The space for the trees to grow has been reduced. For a few years they were well looked after, a few years later their branches felled off for construction. No matter the situation, the trees have been standing tall and doing what they have been doing for all those years. Take tiny blades of grass for example, you pluck it today, step on it and dont water it but tomorrow it will grow back. Plants never, ever give up without putting up a fight, without trying till the very end.
Embracing history
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but every time I see an old tree. I see wisdom, the kind that can’t be put into words, I see ancient stories, beyond that I see a whole lot of history. No matter what the plants have seen they keep on keeping on. They adapt, they shift their path, they learn, but they never stop growing. They use their experiences as a roadmap to the future and don’t let the past hold them back.
Rooting for yourself and laying the right foundation
If you know anything about plants, then you’ll also know that the first step in propagating plants is rooting the stem cuttings. If the roots fail to grow the plant won’t grow either. If the roots develop well, you can propagate a lot of saplings. But you have to be patient, you have to provide the right care for the roots to develop. In life too, you have to be patient with yourself, stay true to your values and use opportunities to learn and grow in to your best self.
It’s okay to bleed and it’s okay to let go
Sometimes when plants grow certain stems and branches that prevent further growth and cause slow deterioration. If old leaves are left for too long the same thing happens. We have to from time to time trim the stems and get rid of the old leaves. If you still haven’t understood this analogy, then let me elaborate. What I am trying to say here is that from time to time we too should sit down with ourselves and reevaluate our progress and strategies. Let go off of things that don’t serve us. It isn’t easy to do. After having spent so much time nourishing these parts of yourself, letting go is painful and will cause you to bleed (not literally, but yeah). This however is essential if you want to blossom into your best self.
Don’t let the wind uproot your core
Look out of your window or go to a park and stare at some grass or a plant. When the strongest of winds hit, the leaves rustle and create music but they don’t let themselves be uprooted. They stay grounded in themselves and don’t forget who they really are.
Embrace the sunshine and practice gratitude
It’s basic biology that plants need sunshine to grow but philosophy will tell you that they need love and gratitude too. It’s pretty much the same with us humans too. We need sunlight to prevent our homeostasis from going haywire and need to practice gratitude. Gratitude is that one practice that not only encourages the person who is grateful but also the other person/thing who is on the recieving end of gratitude. Try the small activity at the end of this post and taste the sweetness of gratitude yourself.
Set time aside for breathing
All day long, for as long as the sun shines plants keep working. Non-stop, they convert light and carbon dioxide into the food we eat and oxygen we breathe. But at night when the sun goes down and the stars come up. They stop making food and just simply breathe. The whole night they simply inhale and exhale. This goes to show that we need stillness and rest and self care too.
Uplift others as you go. Spread love and joy and gentle kindness.
Plants nourish the soil they grow in. They leave it full of nourishing substances. It is wonderful how the health of the plant depends on the soil. And at the same time the health of the soil depends on the plant. They draw nourishment from each other and help each other thrive and flourish. Be like plants, help those around you to grow with you.
Growing with the ebbs and flows/Understanding the seasons of life
Life and every task you do happens in seasons. The start is like spring where everything is in full bloom, then summer and fall where you grow and learn to thrive. The test usually lies in the brutal winters but you can get through it too, if like plants you fall back and rely on the endless supply of values and hardwork.
Don’t let the darkness blind you
Even if the roots of plants are grounded in the darkness of deep soil (or even the gaps in the concrete like in cities), they always grow upward and toward the light. Their foundation, their “childhood” is spent in the darkness of the soil, yet they never look back; they reach for the light. It is that darkness that allows them to see. Some plants even protect their harvest by keeping it cuddled in the lap of the soil. We have to dig them out. So understand what type of plant you are and let the darkness be your guide.
Flaunt your flowers/Celebrate and Share your Harvest
People often associate their whole existence with their job or professional life and forget that they are whole and complex beings. Your existence has many aspects to it from your personal life to social life, spiritual and emotional life, home life and work life, there is so much that makes you, you. So be aware of the flowers and harvests in each of these areas. Flaunt your flowers and share your harvest.
Questions to become in sync with the environment and start your journey toward intuitive growth and living:
1. What seeds am I planting and where? Does this environment foster nourishment?
2. What can I do to nurture myself?
3. In what areas do I see grounding and anchoring in my life? Is it holding me back or helping me flourish?
4. In what ways do I need to repot myself into a new environment? And why?
5. Who in my life serves as fertilizer and nourishes my soul, my purpose and helps me grow? What can I do to ensure we can support each other further?
6. What in my life is in full bloom? How do I best share these fruits of life with the world?
PS: If you are a creative or DIY addict, then you can relate to this. Once you start working on your idea and it is in its final stages. Then all of a sudden your creative well seems to have dried, for this particular project. But it works just fine for other projects. Yeah, that is what happened to me. I was almost done writing this blog post but then my intuition kept telling me that it was lacking something, a little oomph, maybe. I tried to actively look for the oomph but I got nothing. So I left the draft to simmer. Gah the Universe!. I happened to come across Latham Thomas, another person who embraces these lessons from plants and went on to set up her own business. The questions you read, yeah they were inspired by her journey. The UNIVERSE has got my back and yours. All you gotta do is BELIEVE, TRUST and SURRENDER to its MAGIC!
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