Do you talk to your plants?

[ebrad]

I just recently listened to a Youtube education series about the study of plant communication. Just wonder if any of you have experienced a similar thing. Info below:

PLANT COMMUNICATION

An expert in the polygraph and biocommunication, Cleve Backster related details of his research into electrical responses in plant life. His studies indicate that plants can sense human intent in a kind of "primary perception" that he compared to ESP. For instance, in experiments with bean sprouts --one group of sprouts was praised, the second group ignored, and the third sent negative thoughts-- the praised group grew much faster, he reported.

An experimenter can influence the results of a study. The studies which showed plants preferred classical music might've been the result of experimenter bias against rock music, he said. Backster's first plant experiment took place in 1966, and he's now spent over 40 years on this type of research, which he conducts out of a former DEA lab in San Diego, in an under-funded fashion.

He also discussed his work with the polygraph, and noted that newer polygraph equipment incorporates the use of a camera in its readouts.

Cleve Backster is the founder of the Backster Research Foundation and currently teaches at the Backster School of Lie-Detection. He is also on the teaching faculty at the California Institute for Human Science and serves on the advisory board at the Institute of HeartMath.

Cleve is an international speaker on the subject of Biocommunication and has been a professional observer of human psycho-physiological tracings since 1948. Since 1966, Cleve has conducted extensive research related to observed electrical responses in plant life and at a cellular level in other living organisms. His research into what has been called "The Backster Effect" has attracted world-wide attention.

[mor]

do. some say it help the plants grow.

[Bill R]

What a load of crap! Anyone that is dumb enough to believe "crazy Cleve" should count their cards because they likely aren't playing with a full deck. ;(

[Charlie]

Hah.......you're just jealous 'cuz you don't hear the voices too! ;-)

Charlie, "Still Crazy After All These Years"

[paghat]

What! You doubt the Backster Effect! Here's my essay "Telepathic Plants':

the ratgirl

[mleblanca]

Of course I talk to my plants! I also talk the the cats, and the birds, the toad, and an occasional paper wasp too. Emilie NorCal

[Jangchub]

Okay, so there's the "Telepathic Plants" thing, but the process to make compost in the horn of a cow and the ingredients...geesh I forgot all of that till this reminded me.

That aside, there are some plants which do respond to touch, or noise, but they are not sentient with consciousness. At least I don't believe they are. However, I have heard from very adept Lama's that a sentient being can live in a plant. It's one of the hell realms. I cannot imagine that existence.

[David Hare-Scott]

Depends on what you mean by "similar".

I talk when I am working. Not a constant jabber but more an incisive remark from time to time. Like when you are threading a new drive belt over the pulleys of your ride-on mower, the third time you catch your index finger under the belt and then it slips off the pulley again you yell at it to "stay the %6& where I put you!" and generally it does.

Or the bottle-raised bubble-headed chestnut arab that has just nudged me again (cause he wants to play) and nearly knocked me off my feet, well then I think really evil thoughts and he backs right off. He is a telpathic horse you see, his sensitive nature is repelled by the negative vibrations.

It's the same with Jed the red kelpie. He is a dog with the second sight. He knows in advance when we are going out. As departure time draws nearer he will get more and more agitated and he will spend more time near the door, when you open the door he bolts out to the car and waits to be let in. I have proved this by opening the door at other times, say to go to the shed or turn off the irrigation and he doesn't get nearly so wound up, but sedately heads out with me to check that I am doing it right. He can sense the presence of a naked sausage from the other end of the house too. This must be a very exotic psychic force as the house frame is steel and it would filter out electromagnetic radiation.

So I wouldn't be amazed to learn that plants have psychic powers too and that talking to them will make them happy.

This does bring up issues with diet. Vegetarians claim the moral high ground over meat eaters. However carnivores rarely eat their diner alive but herbivores do it all the time! Think of the bad karma that you get every time you bite into a freshly pulled peach or slice a living cabbage! This is the origin of saying grace before a meal (before the Christians coopted the ritual as they did with so many other pagan ceremonies). You are apologising to the carrots before you snuff out their tiny turn on the wheel of life.

Cleve Backster is apparently a man of extraordinary talent who is not afraid to allow his conclusions to follow where ever the data leads. He reminds me of Sigfreid the vet in _All Creatures Great and Small_ who proclaimed cogently that "there is much good information to be discovered up a cow's arse".

David

[David Hare-Scott]

Do any of them reply?

David

[Jangchub]

Yes, and this is the very delusion we fall for...that somehow being a beloved pet or tree has a great life. Pets are still animals and animals life in constant fear, though we don't notice it all the time. My parrot is always afraid when a large raptor flies over the skylight and she flys for the hills. In samsara everything suffers.

[mleblanca]

The plants have such quiet little voices I can't hear them, but they let me know when they are happy and like their spot in the garden. :>) The cats (like your Hound dog) definitely tell me what they want: a treat, a head rub, and chin scratch. I'm not smart enough yet to understand bird language, but they do talk a lot. The wasp comments are not meant to be replied to and are generally *CENSORED*

I enjoyed your post BTW Emilie

[ebrad]

I don't think animals fear nearly as much as humans. Fear is a byproduct of the ego, which I don't think afflict animals, because they just pee or crap anywhere and don't have any shame for it. Nor do they have possessions to covet or social status to protect. I think they may experience some fear, but that could also be their instinct ('spidey senses') telling them to beware of something. Not to get too Eckhart Tolle on you, but they are probably a lot more in touch with their intuition and live in complete presence and joy.

[Jangchub]

Thank you, but I think I'll trust what The Dalai Lama teaches regarding suffering and fear. Humans are also animals. Parrots absoluteley have social structure, as do whales, and many othe mammals including wolves.

[Jangchub]

Living in a state of constant fear of being eaten, attacked, having your guts ripped out alive to be eaten by a lioness, jackal, heyena, etc. Some animals have higher range of understanding and it is my belief, which is based on teachings I've heard and have confidence in are that the lower the life form, the deeper into a hell realm the sentient being resides and has that much harder a time pulling themselves back up into a precious human rebirth. Animals depend on us in that regard. Animals are no less important than any human in my opinion. A sentient being is a sentient being. IN Tibetan "semchen" means, literally, mind posessor. Any life with consciousness is a sentient being. I can go on and on, but this is not a Tibetan Buddhist forum and it would be inappropriate here. I would, however, welcome the debate any time if you wish in the appropriate place.

At last, Buddha Shakyamuni instructs anyone hearing the teachings of his findings to absolutely reject them if they are wrong. He never made any claim to "one truth." He only taught what he exerienced. Believe him, or not, have faith in the teachings or not. I am not trying to sell it either way.

[Myrl]

I've wondered if the reason plants may respond to our talking to them, is because of the carbon dioxide in our breath that they may need???

It might help to brush our teeth and gargle first, however;-)

Myrl Jeffcoat

[ebrad]

Ah, I can agree with that. I'll retract my statement about social order. I can't explain how 'leader' of the pack works, but I refuse to believe that they are in constant fear.

[kate]

Not my experience either, especially with dogs and cats, with lots of exceptions. (And I like Eckhart Tolle.) I think animals certainly experience fear and suffering, but not constantly. And I do talk to plants - how else will I know when they need something? :)

Kate - tulips, hawthorns,sugar maples, crab apples and redbuds blooming

- I love Spring! And the potatoes are coming up!

[ebrad]

Well you might be right, they might suffer, although I regarded fear as a manifestation of the ego. Perhaps they have egos too? Of course they will be very cautious when they sense a potential predator, that might even be involuntary. This is probably the wrong forum to discuss animal behavior, but it's got me thinking.

[tella.star]

yeah i've heard that talking to plants is good for them as well as to gardener, because it serves as a therapy also.. something like that.but i havent tried talking to my plants.but i think theres no wrong in doing that.