In the mysterious natural world, only in recent years has it come to light that plants communicate through a dense underground network made up of fungi: the Wood Wide Web. This extraordinary network allows the exchange of nutrients between fungi and roots, paying it back with sugars, but also, in the event of an attack, sending off warning signals with the production of chemicals used for protection. Some trees, known as ‘mothers’, can use this communication network to provide support and nourishment, while other trees, like the black walnut, use it to sabotage its rivals by releasing toxic substances (juglone, in the case of the walnut) and prevent the growth of other trees nearby.
‘Plants are aware of what they are and what surrounds them,’ says renowned Italian scientist Stefano Mancuso, Professor of plant neurobiology. The film ‘Avatar’ admirably performed this deep truth using refined cinematic techniques in a respectful and humble approach towards the deep exchange between worlds seemingly different, but mutually interdependent.
In the light of these new acquisitions, a comparison to a very similar network that regulates the human body is owed: when we have a problem, it is the whole body that suffers and not just part of it. This is the law of mutuality.
The signals of noxious receptors are perceived by specific areas in the brain and, from there, they spread to the body through countless reactions. Chemical signals flow through interstitial spaces and alert the various cellular components; hormonal secretions are activated to provide support, local reactions of rubor (redness), calor (heat), tumor (swelling), dolor (pain), and manifest the repair processes. An extraordinary cascade of events set in motion by the energy of life responding to that initial pain/request for help. Nothing is left to chance and no area is left abandoned.
All cells are aware of what they are and what surrounds them whether we want it or not, whether we perceive it or not.
It is the intrinsic law of the protection of life – where necessity calls, the whole system is alerted, and each part contributes its specific skill to repair the damage, somehow knowing that either they all succeed, or they all lose, but all together as a whole. Now, more than ever, it is time to embody these laws in our society, in politics, and in our relationships. By evolving together into a new humankind that, even through a painful ‘detox’ crisis, has become conscious that we are one. No request of help can be ignored or it will determine the end of the whole system.
[{module In-article Banner}]And when we manage to immerse ourselves back in nature, whether in a woodland or simply in our back garden, let’s switch off and observe it in silence. Let’s be enchanted by the colors around us, the majestic harmony, the sound of birds singing; the flowers, the plants, the grass; let’s tune in into its mystery and allow it to unveil. Let’s stand barefoot on the ground and become one with it, aware of the lavishing life beneath, the chemical messages, and the encrypted codes that can only be revealed to those who silently and with profound respect listen. Silence is the only way to listen. When this happens, almost as appreciation for our respect, a mysterious healing energy will rise from our feet up, and we will literally feel flooded by a deep sense of peace and wellness. It is the unbroken gift of an Earth that has never stopped loving her children.
More articles by Dr Spiezia here.
