Have You Been Thinking About Plantness, Too?

Had you ever heard the term “plantness” before me?

I remember the first time I heard it. It was a few years back, when I was asked to help translate a mysterious letter received here in Damanhur—if you follow our community, you know it is not unusual to receive these😊. In the letter, there was a request to help humanity to reconnect with piantità in order to expand human thinking.

The word doesn’t really exist in the Italian dictionary, so they called me in to confer on the best translation given that I am a:

• Native-English speaker
• Fluent in Italian and Spanish with working knowledge of several other languages
• World Ambassador for Plant Intelligence
• Communications expert

I also love love love finding words to express cultural uniqueness. And this word goes beyond culture—we needed a world to bridge how two different beings think about kinselves!

The closest word we could find to really get to the essence of what piantità conveys was ‘plantness’. 

It’s an obscure word, but it has been gaining in popularity over the years.

-In 1990, W. Marshall Daley wrote a journal article titled, “The Essence of ‘Plantness'”.

-In 2018, Monica Gagliano mentions it in her book, “Thus Spoke the Plant”.

-In 2020, more papers brought the term back into the headlines.

-And in Winter 2021, the essay “Finding the Plantness Within Ourselves” finally makes the jump from scientific principle relegated to another kingdom to the awareness of the plantness within ourselves.

Could it be that enough humans have begun their Plant ReAwakening to finally start tipping the balance toward plant awareness?! It feels like we are on the brink of a whole new way of seeing and collaborating with plants in the world, one that is built on reciprocity and respect.

Personally, it feels like a super exciting time to be working so closely with these generous beings. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this and how a closer relationship with plants can help you on your own journey.

If you’d like to chat about it, catch me in the Naturally Conscious Community where I do live commentary every week on the history and research around plant neurobiology, plant intelligence, plant cognition, plantness, and the plant humanities.

I am always up for a conversation about the plant-human connection, so come join us!