Are Plants Trying to Communicate with You?

I can easily and confidently answer yes, Plants are trying to communicate with you. How can I be so certain? Because we are part of Nature and are meant to communicate with our more-than-human kin. Plants want to be in community with us and act as ambassadors to help us re-member our relationship with Nature. So there is no question in my mind that the Plants are calling to you and trying to get your attention. The question is, are you paying attention and listening? And of course, what do they want to share with you?

How to Know Which Plant is Meant for You

Once you accept or at least consider that the Plants are calling you and want to communicate with you, the next question is who do you start communicating with? One of the most frequent questions I am asked is, “How do I know which Plant is meant for me?” Some varieties of this question are how do I know which Plant is trying to get my attention? Or, how do I know which Plant to communicate with? As you get comfortable communicating with Plants it becomes easier to know who is calling you or who has something to share with you (read on for examples), similar to knowing which friend you should call about a particular issue. 

When first exploring plant communication deciding on who to connect with can be overwhelming. I mean there are so many Plants and sometimes we doubt that any would want to connect with us. I always suggest that you start by getting into your Heart—listing what you are grateful for can help. Getting into Heart coherence helps you to be more receptive and reduces interference from our ego, along with many other benefits. Once in Heart coherence, become observant as you walk around. Do you feel drawn to a particular area? Is a Plant catching your eye? Sometimes, it will seem as if the Sun is beaming on a particular Plant like a spotlight. Or other times, it looks like a Plant is waving at you when the wind isn’t even blowing.

What I’ve witnessed over the years of teaching plant communication is that often we know who is calling us; however, it feels too easy or obvious or we doubt ourselves, so we have to walk around, maybe even check out some other Plants only to end up connecting with the original Plant. Which is fine, the Plants will wait and continue to try to get your attention.

When I did my Flower Essence training, as soon as I pulled into the course location, I was immediately attracted to a Greek Mullein plant. These Plants were growing everywhere and I swore they were beaming golden light. When it came time to make our Essence, I knew I was to work with Greek Mullein. I thought, “Oh sure, everyone is going to make an Essence with Greek Mullein.” The Plant was shining so bright, why would anyone work with another Plant? But Greek Mullein was shining bright for me. Other Plants lit up for other people. As it turns out, I was the only one who made an Essence with Greek Mullein. 

I have seen this so many times in my classes. Rarely do two people connect with the same Plant at the same time and when they do, often there is a reason. Nature is doing everything ki can to let us know which Plant has the message, guidance, or medicine that we need most that day, in other words, which Plant is meant for us. We simply need to pay attention and accept the invitation. Occasionally, you may feel drawn to a particular Plant (usually a Tree or a big showy Plant) but when you try to connect, something doesn’t feel right. If you experience this, look around, there may be a smaller Plant who was trying to get your attention with their Tree friend’s help.

What Does It Mean to Feel Drawn to a Particular Plant? 

If you feel drawn to a particular Plant, they have something to share with you. This could be a message, a healing gift, guidance, or more. The important part is that this Plant is an ally for you at this time. Beyond the obvious that they want to communicate with you, well, that’s where the fun begins, the adventure. 

Each Plant meets us where we are at that moment. Which means, if a Plant is attracting you, you could research and read about the healing gifts of that Plant. However, even the best books may not have the particular message that your Plant friend has to offer you. This is why we learn how to communicate with Plants ourselves, so that we receive the messages we need. Plus, we get the benefit of belonging, feeling the connection and Love with our Plant friend. It’s also why, I encourage my students to research a Plant only after establishing a relationship and receiving their own message.

If you are drawn to a particular Plant, spend time with ki, maybe do a shamanic or sound journey to meet their Plant Spirit, or experience another exercise for communicating with Plants. (If you want suggestions, I provide instructions for a number of exercises in my book, Communicating with Plants.) Most importantly, ask questions. Also, be curious about your own life. Have you been struggling with an issue? Have you been wanting guidance or healing support? Could this Plant be answering your questions or offering to help?

Where to Find Plants that Resonate with Your Intuition?

The where is easy, you can find Plants that resonate with your intuition anywhere and everywhere. Often the Plants are growing right around you. There is a tendency to think exotic Plants are special, more powerful, or more meaningful. When in reality, the Plants that we need most, generally, live in close proximity to us. They may even suddenly pop up in your garden or neighborhood. 

There’s a common adage that if a Plant shows up in your life three times, they are trying to get your attention. So pay attention to who is showing up. Of course, you don’t have to wait for the third time if you know a Plant is resonating with you. 

How the Plants Get Your Attention, Two Examples

I recently became aware of two Plants who were trying to get my attention. I’ll share my experiences as real life examples for when a Plant is calling to us. Both of these Plants are long time Loves and allies. However, they showed up in ways that let me know they had something to share with me.

The first is Cleavers. Whenever I see Cleavers, I think of my children because they used to love to throw Cleavers at my back while we were hiking. They thought I didn’t know that they were doing this and they would just laugh. Cleavers could be an inspiration for velcro as the stem, leaves, and seeds have tiny hairs that will stick to your clothes, hair, or animal fur. Cleavers is also an amazing lymphatic and is particularly helpful for urinary and prostate issues. 

For eight years, Cleavers has only grown in a very small area of one of the flower beds. So few Cleavers grew that I never harvested them. Suddenly, this spring, Cleavers started growing in large patches all over the Sanctuary. When a Plant suddenly starts to grow in abundance, I pay attention. Then I noticed Cleavers shining on my walks at various trails and parks. I made a mental note that I needed to spend some time with Cleavers, curious about what they wanted to share. Weeks later, a friend was doing some healing work for me, when a message came in about investigating a particular form of resistance. As soon as she said this, I saw the Cleavers in our yard and I knew exactly who I need to work with to heal this issue.

The other beloved that has been calling me this year is Plantain. Where I live, Plantain disappears over the winter and reemerges in the spring. This is an important Plant for clearing toxins and drawing out unwanted objects like splinters, thorns, and glass shards. Mostly we work with Plantain for calming bee stings and bug bites. I also work with Plantain Spirit to help clear wounds, traumas, and implicit biases from colonialism. Because Plantain offers life-saving, emergency medicine, I always look to see where ki is growing. This year, Plantain caught my attention because the plants were so huge, like they were on steroids. A little curious, I said, “Okay friend, I see you.”

Weeks later, I visited the retreat center where I am teaching this year. I knew we were going to have a Plant Initiation there, but I wasn’t sure who we would be working with. There are a couple of Plants who have been asking for initiations, so I thought they were the top candidates. When I got out of my car, I was immediately greeted by Plantain. I acknowledged ki and said, I’d like to see who else is growing here. As I started to walk I saw Violet, one of the plants that I was considering, but there weren’t as many growing as I was hoping to see. As I explored the grounds, I saw Plantain everywhere that I walked. Really the abundance of Plantain growing was comical. There was no question who would be initiating us.

These are two examples of how the Plants have gotten my attention and let me know that they have something to share. In both instances, I eventually had a question or expressed a need and they let me know that they could help. Though they got my attention in other ways.

How do I decide which Plant to communicate with?

While writing this article, a couple other Plants have grabbed my attention. As I was getting ready to visit a friend, I saw a volunteer Sunflower bloomed. I wanted to take a picture to send to my friend but ran out of time. When I arrived at her house, she had a gorgeous Sunflower potted plant, which it turned was a gift for me. Later, she wanted to introduce me to her Campanula, who I do not grow. When I went to my altar the next day, I noticed that earlier that week I drew the Campanula card from Lisa Estabrook’s Soulflower Plant Spirit oracle deck.

The Plants that resonate with us can get our attention in many different ways. Once we begin to notice and listen, the Plants can get excited and we can get overwhelmed with the amount of Plants calling to us. This is when people ask me how to decide which Plant to communicate with. If several Plants are calling you at the same time, I suggest letting them know that you hear them, you want to connect with them, but you can only work with one Plant at a time. Ask them who is the most important Plant for you to work with at this time. If you do not get a clear answer, then connect with whomever you’d like to. Really there isn’t a wrong choice. Each Plant has so much to offer us. What is most important is that we take the time to connect and listen.

I hope that this article helps you have more confidence in “finding” a Plant to communicate with. I use the quotes around finding because really they are finding us, we are simply awakening to their desire for connection. So enjoy being courted.

Happy communing!

If you’re feeling the calling of Plantain, too, we’re gathering in September and you’re invited to join us.