Plants
Have Something to Teach
Humans,
and They Also Learn from Us
Carlos
Cardoso Aveline
A Mimosa (photo) may look for happiness in its own way
Can the mimosas
and other plants have an instinct and imagination?
Mimosa is a genus of about 400
species of herbs and shrubs. The generic name is derived from a Greek word
meaning “mimic”.
One of its notable species is “Mimosa pudica”, because
of the way it quickly folds its leaves when touched or exposed to other
stimulation. Also known as “the humble plant”, the Mimosa is native to South
and Central America. [1]
According to Theosophy, the whole universe is alive
and intelligent. The sociological intelligence of ants and bees is well-known
today, and Helena P. Blavatsky wrote in “Isis Unveiled”:
“It would be (...) highly unphilosophical to say that
animals are not endowed with imagination; and, while it might be considered the
acme of metaphysical speculation to even formulate the idea that members of the
vegetable kingdom - say the mimosas
and the group of insect-catchers - have an instinct and even rudimentary
imagination of their own, yet the idea is not without its advocates.” [2]
Perhaps this is why so many people use to talk to
trees and plants, and sometimes to listen wordless sentences from them.
Plants may have
feelings indeed, though not in the human sense of the word; and Plotinus wrote that they search for happiness [3]. Plants may have something of great
importance to teach humans, and
they learn from us as well.
Being a microcosm or a summary of the
universe, each human being is able to observe his relationship to the celestial
objects, in our solar system and around it. The inner interaction with the sky can
be read through a philosophical
approach to the astrological science.
Every citizen will
expand his vision of life by observing his daily relation with the various
kingdoms of nature. How is his dialogue with the animals, and his individual Karma
regarding them?
It is worthwhile to
observe one’s interaction with the wind, the air, the sky, the water, the fire,
the lightning, with the ground and the subtle spaces of invisible realms.
NOTES:
[1] Source: Encyclopedia Britannica online.
[2] “Isis Unveiled”, H. P. Blavatsky, Theosophy Co., Los
Angeles, volume I, p. 396.
[3] Plotinus, “The Six Enneads”,
see the First Ennead, Fourth Tractate, on True Happiness, items 1 and 2.
(“Great Books of the Western World”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1952, “Plotinus,
The Six Enneads”, p. 12.
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An initial version of the above article was published at the August 2014
edition of “The Aquarian Theosophist”,
pp. 13-14. It had no indication as to the name of the author. Original title: “Blavatsky
Discusses the Intelligence of the Mimosas”.
000
On 14 September 2016, after examining the state of the
esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided to found the Independent Lodge of Theosophists. Two
of the priorities adopted by the ILT
are learning from the past and building a better future.
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