The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature

Written by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Narrated by Stephen Bel Davies

All ancient and indigenous peoples insisted their knowledge of plant medicines came from the plants themselves and not through trial-and-error experimentation. Less well known is that many Western peoples made this same assertion. There are, in fact, two modes of cognition available to all human beings-the brain-based linear and the heart-based holistic. The heart-centered mode of perception can be exceptionally accurate and detailed in its information gathering capacities if, as indigenous and ancient peoples asserted, the heart's ability as an organ of perception is developed.

Author Stephen Harrod Buhner explores this second mode of perception in great detail through the work of numerous remarkable people, from Luther Burbank, who cultivated the majority of food plants we now take for granted, to the great German poet and scientist Goethe and his studies of the metamorphosis of plants. Buhner explores the commonalities among these individuals in their approach to learning from the plant world and outlines the specific steps involved. Listeners will gain the tools necessary to gather information directly from the heart of Nature, to directly learn the medicinal uses of plants, to engage in diagnosis of disease, and to understand the soul-making process that such deep connection with the world engenders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Dec 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781977371188

Stephen Harrod Buhner

Stephen Harrod Buhner (1952–2022) was an Earth poet and the award-winning author of many books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, was his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911. Stephen's work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman's Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. www.gaianstudies.org

Reviews for The Secret Teachings of Plants

[Jay.asha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely brilliant. The first half of the book is more scientific and the second half is more intuitional. I hope Stephen will make more audio books.

[Mandy Leetch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Easily one of the most important books I’ve ever read. The world is alive, and waiting for you to reach out toward it so it can reach back to you. More than that, it is your birthright to do so. This book teaches the methods of reading the world with delicate and nuanced perceptions; this is the heart of magic.

[natasha berlin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

interesting, but has little to do with the plant world. There is a LOT of interesting information to learn from this audiobook. But if you are expecting to understand plants more
Closely or are looking for Gardening tips I suggest you search somewhere else.

[matt smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I’ve read and I’ve read a lot !!

[willszal-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is a book about our hearts as perceptive and transmissive organs (I'm not sure how it got a title of little relation to the content of the book).The most interesting parts of the book are down the line of inquiry of Goethian Science—ways that we can increase our sensory perception. I'm interested in learning more about heart fields (the magnetic fields of our heart).That said, this book is very challenging to read. It is poorly edited, and feels more like a first draft than something ready for publication. Buhner quotes so extensively that a reader quickly loses his narrative arc; in some ways it is more of a literature review, although one that is haphazard and incomplete. His pacing is also poor; the first fifth of the book focuses on "linearity," a topic he could have covered in a few pages.

[zen17_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Teachings of Plants is a book that does much more than remind us of the importance of Nature in our lives. It provides simple skills to help us make a much deeper connection to the natural world and bring our lives back into balance. Too often we get so caught up in the busyness of the human world that we become numb to ourselves. It is at times like this when we need a sage like Stephen Buhner to guide us back to the wisdom the other living beings of this planet have for us. The book is based on a wonderfully insightful concept of the “intelligence of the heart.” Recent discoveries in neuroscience have proven that more than 50% of the heart is comprised of neural cells. It is from our hearts that we process our energetic connection to everything we come in contact with. The problem is that we have cut ourselves off from this connection by allowing ourselves to be caught up in our rational, analytical minds. Buhner explains that the knowledge of plant medicines that ancient and indigenous peoples have, comes, not through trial and error experimentation, but is directly transmitted from the plants themselves. And while this may seem like a stretch to the rational, analytical mind caught up in the post-industrial, television-based world, deep within all of us this truth awaits rediscovery. The first part of the book contains scientific explanations and linear analysis. The second part is a stream of consciousness, full of quotes and practices for enhancing our relationship with plants. When I first started the book I loved the first part and was a bit skeptical of the 2nd half. But once I began reading that part, I realized that the first half was merely setting the stage and the second part is where the real understanding lies.The consciousness of plants may be vastly different from our understanding of consciousness. Interacting with plants is not simply about talking to them. It is much more about opening the lines of communication with them on an energetic level and sharing our lifeforce. By opening our hearts and experiencing nature in its fullness we can begin to realize this connection.Personally I have been cultivating my relationship with plants for many years, yet while reading this book I found my experience reaching a deeper level of understanding, to the point of profound wonder at this world we live in. See for yourself….read the book.in peace,Aaron