The Mind of Plants: Narratives of Vegetal Intelligence

Written by John C. Ryan, Patricia Vieira and Monica Gagliano

Narrated by Senn Annis and Michael Manuel

Explorations of plant consciousness and human interactions with the natural world.

From apples to ayahuasca, coffee to kurrajong, passionflower to peyote, plants are conscious beings. How they interact with each other, with  humanity and with the world at large has long been studied by researchers, scientists and spiritual teachers and seekers. The Mind of Plants: Narratives of Vegetal Intelligence brings together works from all these disciplines and more in a collection of essays that highlights what we know and what we intuit about botanical life.

The Mind of Plants, featuring a foreword by Dennis McKenna, is a collection of short essays, narratives and poetry on plants and their interaction with humans. Contributors include Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of the New York Times’ best seller Braiding Sweetgrass,  Jeremy Narby, John Kinsella, Luis Eduardo Luna, Megan Kaminski and dozens more. The book’s editors, John C. Ryan, Patrícia Vieira and Monica Gagliano – each of whom also contributed works to the collection – weave together essays, personal reflections and poems paired with intricate illustrations by José María Pout.

Recent scientific research in the field of plant cognition highlights the capacity of botanical life to discern between options and learn from prior experiences or, in other words, to think. The Mind of Plants includes texts that interpret this concept broadly. As Mckenna writes in his foreword, “What the reader will find here, expressed in poetry and prose, are stories that are infused with cherished memories and inspired celebrations of unique relationships with a group of organisms that are alien and unlike us in every way, yet touch human lives in myriad ways.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Synergetic Press
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9780907791256

Reviews for The Mind of Plants

[Tim Sheehan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent, varied and original set of audio essays centered on our relationship to plants and their potential cognitive capacity

[Kevin Parker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A superb series of essays , prose and poems. Illuminating. Learned. Lucid. Mindful. Meaningful. Insightful. This collection is a timely contribution to an expanded world view that recognises and celebrates plant intelligence, their role as teachers and the plant kingdoms benevolent and vital contribution to the rich fabric of life. The impulse to gather and publish the witnessed insights of an evolved and perceptive group of authors a gift. Thank you to all involved. Kevin Parker - Core Shamanic Practitioner