Inside Ivy

By Roger A. “Pete” Peterson

Inside Ivy will change the way you look at plants and the world forever! It may even change the way you look at yourself.

The “Ivy” in question was a Philodendron or Silver-Leafed, Arrowhead plant. We bought it in the mid 1970’s to hang from the ceiling between the window and kitchen table. When the vines grew down to the floor, whoever sat next to them had to hold them aside. We considered this a small price to pay because the plant was so beautiful. When the vines began to pile up on the floor it became difficult not to damage them. At this point, we knew it was time to find Ivy a new home.

Time for change!

On a dark and dreary Saturday morning in the middle of winter the moment of truth finally arrived. Our family was finishing breakfast when my wife Sandra said she wanted to clean the dining room windows. To make it easier, I took the ivy plant down and sat it in the middle of the kitchen table. To help Sandra get to the windows without stepping on them, I created a path between them and the wall. As I looked down at them , I couldn’t help but be amazed at how beautiful they were. This is it, I thought; it’s time to find Ivy a new and safer home.

Finding the Path!

Without realizing it, my eyes followed the vines from the middle of the kitchen table, down to the floor, and on to the bottom of the staircase. “Eureka,” I thought! Without question, I knew the stairwell would make the perfect home for Ivy. It would give her room to grow, and there was a skylight directly overhead!

Excited, I climb several stairs and stop to explore this idea further. The walls are white and I can see the shiny green and white leaves pressed against them. As I look into the future, I can see Ivy’s vines wrapping themselves around the rail, and then, growing all the way down to the floor in the dining room.

Home at Last!

Oh well, I thought, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now there’s only one question left: will Ivy fit safely on the ledge at the top of the stairwell? Grabbing a tape measure, I hurried upstairs to see. Wow, talk about magic, the ledge was exactly the same width as the base of the plant pot, six inches! Clearly, the stairwell under the skylight was the perfect home for Ivy!

After Ivy’s big move, I developed a new and interesting habit. Every time I climb the stairs to go to bed at night, I stop to admire Ivy’s beautiful leaves as they cascade down the wall. In the hallway above the stairs, I rest my elbows on the ledge and lower my face close enough to feel Ivy’s aura (energy field) with my own.

Telepathically, I say, Hi, how are you tonight? Then I wait for a surge of energy to come back in turn.  When it does, I accept it as the plant’s way of saying “Hello.” After basking in the glow of our energy for a few seconds, I finish up with, Well, good night, I’ve got to go to bed now. See you in the morning!

My Nightly Ritual.

I performed this ritual every night for several months, until one night something different happened. This time, when I leaned over to say hello, I noticed Ivy’s energy field was much stronger than usual. After my greeting, I blissfully bath in the more intense tingly feeling, while wondering why it is so strong. With no recognizable answer to my  question, I shrug and prepare to say goodnight.

Suddenly, it was if a barrier let go and my consciousness poured out from my body* and down into the plant like milk from a pitcher. More than just falling, it felt like I was being drawn into the Ivy. When the falling sensation stops, I sit up to study my situation. Where was I? How did I get so small? Astounded, I could see I was in the middle of a tiny rootlet in the ivy plant, a small hair-like structure that grows off a main root.

* Is this another example of an out-of-body experience? While all of my attention seemed to be inside the plant, I assumed a tiny bit of it must still be inside my body. Otherwise, how could my elbows on each side of the pot and my legs standing on the floor continue to hold my body up? What do we know that we don’t know we know? What can we do that we don’t know we can do?

Sharing Our Thoughts.

What was even more astounding, was the way the entity inside the rootlet and I, were sharing our thoughts and feelings directly. There was no need for language or flapping lips. When I wondered about something, I saw and lived out the answer. For example, when I wondered where I was, I saw myself inside a small rootlet of the plant.

When I wanted to explore other aspects of the plant, all I had to do was think about what I wanted to do and there it was. Using this ability of conscious exchange, I rose to the surface of the soil and peeked out over the edge of the pot and down the stairwell to see the vines trailing down the wall. Observing the plant in its entirety, I perceived it as a gigantic living, interactive structure. It was a vast community of souls, each one connected with the other, yet separate.

Ivy’s Purpose.

The root system and the leafy vines above the soil worked together as one. When I wondered what Ivy’s purpose was, I received the following answer, “We are here to add beauty and grace to the world.”  Wow, isn’t that amazing and so true! However, just like people, not all plants want to express beauty and grace in the world. Some people and some plants are more concerned about protecting themselves. It’s all part of the process of evolution, live, love, learn and evolve. How often do we stand transfixed by the beauty of a flower or the colors of a leaf? How often do we feel the need to stop and smell the roses? Lot’s of time I hope.

Watching my Wife and Children Prepare for Bed from the top of Ivy’s Plant Pot.

Next, I looked over the edge of the pot facing the upstairs hallway to watch my wife and children prepare for bed. All they can see is my near empty body bent over Ivy’s pot with one elbow resting on each side of it. What they couldn’t see was my invisible, tiny self peeking back at them from the top of Ivy’s plant pot. For a moment, I consider returning to my body but the thought pales in comparison to the excitement of exploring my new surroundings. It became clear that the plant was as aware of me as I was aware of it.

Our Responsibility to Others and They to Us.

Suddenly, the thought struck me that, as a caregiver of this plant, I was literally an extension of it. When we remove something from Mother Earth and bring it into our homes, we are committing ourselves to great responsibility. In a way, it’s like being a parent. Whether it’s a child, a plant, or an animal, when we willingly enter into a relationship, it is up to us to fulfill our side of the bargain and, if we don’t, it’s up to us to learn from it so we can do better the next time.

Think about our relationship with Ivy. Any failure on our part to provide her with food and water could result in great suffering and even death. When others are fully dependent on us for survival and we fail to hold up our end of the bargain, can fear and possibly resentment be hiding behind our relationship?

Disturbed by the serious nature of these thoughts, I can’t help but recall past experiences when my understanding and care of plants was far less than ideal. Uncomfortable with my feelings of guilt and irresponsibility, my mind sought relief by focusing my attention in a new direction.

Using my power of imagination and the the rootlet’s matter, literally, I begin to create a control console in a highly advanced starship. It has a large round screen that contains images of several star systems along with control knobs for other uses. Excited with my new Star Ship and role as its Captain, I create a handsome white uniform to complete the picture.

Even though the Star Ship was a creation of my unfettered imagination, I knew I could fly it anywhere throughout time and space. I also knew I had the power to deal with whatever obstacles we encounter or create along the way.

What do we know that we don’t know we know? What can we do that we don’t know we can do?

Quite a fantasy, huh? With the push of a button, the control panel came to life. At the same time, I began to understand, or remember, how to use its amazing technology. Suddenly, my imagination fills with thoughts and images of far-off places and wild adventures to be experienced. Deciding that my featureless white uniform is just too plain for a Starship Captain, or dare I say, Master of the Universe,  I look down to see fancy gold buttons appear and disappear on my uniform until they look just right. Cool, hunh? Then, what’s a beautiful uniform worth without epaulets and gold braid? Looking down at my left shoulder, there it is, an ornate gold braid with tassels.

Suddenly, the memory of my shamed departure came to mind. Without pause, I return to the reality of my new-found friend inside Ivy. With his level of character and understanding, he is still there, as if he knew I would return. Well, I guess I’m not too bad.

Another Wild Venture!

Somehow, knowing that I was loved and understood, I began to wonder about the nature of my friend’s reality, and immediately, I began to experience it! As if I was one with the entity within the rootlet, I began to slowly and relentlessly move aside grains of sand in search of food and moisture to feed the entire plant. Not only did I look for pockets of the most important nutrients, using both logic and intuition, I looked for the most efficient pathway to reach them.

Growing impatient with my normal pace of learning, I switched to my intuitive sense to speed things up. Just like that, I was able to speed up or slow down the review of my friend’s history from past to future. I also experienced varying levels of light and dark as if night turns into day and back again. Did the entity in the rootlet have the same level of awareness and flexibility as I did?

Learning about My Friend’s Values.

As our thoughts synced up, I became acutely aware of its normal emotional state. Within my friend’s consciousness, I could feel the profound sense of love, honesty, and joy it exuded as it went about fulfilling its unique role in the life of the plant it was part of. It was consciously aware that its being was unique and important to the whole plant’s life. It didn’t question its value or role, and it wasted no time comparing itself to others. It simply rejoiced in its own being, the being of the plant, and the being of all life.

Ivy’s Outer Ego.

Astounded by the awareness and intelligence of this “speaker” for the whole plant, I stopped to review our relationship to see how it could have resulted in this amazing breakthrough. What allowed the barriers between us to fall so we could share our unique, individualized energy? Was the love we felt for each other, plant and man, so strong it enabled us to drop the pretense of separation required for biological expression? As I pondered this question, I knew the answer was yes and I felt blessed beyond compare!

Before leaving my host, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. My host was so open, loving, and wise, it was hard to believe. Who knew? Easily slipping back into my human body, it was my turn to prepare for bed.

“When at last I took the time to look into the heart of a flower it opened up a whole new world – a world where every country walk would be an adventure, where every garden would become an enchanted one.” ~ Princess Grace of Monaco

© Copyright 1998, Roger “Pete” Peterson

For more on plant consciousness, read the The Secret Life of Plants,  a 1973 book, written by Peter Tompkins and  Christopher Bird.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having (creating) a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“How you define yourself and the world around you, forms your intent, which, in turn, forms your reality.” – Seth

In other words, we create reality from what we choose to think and feel about ourselves and All That Is.

If we don’t consciously choose our beliefs, we unconsciously absorb them from our surroundings.

If our beliefs, attitudes, values and expectations create reality, can we afford not to question them?

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