Ep.84 Tomato and Basil: Lessons Beyond the Plate

1

00:00:03.120 –> 00:00:10.450

Hello, Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another episode of reconnect with plant wisdom. It’s me, Tigrilla Gardenia.

2

00:00:11.130 –> 00:00:18.570

Today I am a little bit scared and totally excited about sharing a personal and somewhat

3

00:00:18.670 –> 00:00:25.159

let’s call it synchronic story about how 2 unexpected house guests.

4

00:00:25.830 –> 00:00:33.040

Well, now they live here permanently. So how these friends arrived Tomato

5

00:00:33.200 –> 00:00:57.429

and Basil, and how really them coming into my life is teaching me such valuable lessons that go way beyond the kitchen. Actually, they don’t even pass through the kitchen at all. They just bypass the kitchen altogether. So this episode is really about embracing unexpected teachers, understanding the natural rhythms of life.

6

00:00:57.430 –> 00:01:05.190

and most importantly probably, is, about rediscovering beauty through the lens of what

7

00:01:05.540 –> 00:01:17.030

of the natural world, of of how plants experience beauty, and therefore how we really should experience beauty. Beauty for me is a very, very important term.

8

00:01:17.538 –> 00:01:24.119

Especially because for me, beauty passes through the Kabbalistic definition, which I’ll get into more

9

00:01:24.210 –> 00:01:30.000

so. I hope that you’re going to. You know you have to stay to the end. There’s just so much in this.

10

00:01:30.010 –> 00:01:38.910

But you know what. Let’s just get into it. This is episode 84 tomato and Basil’s lessons beyond the plate.

11

00:01:40.790 –> 00:01:43.359

Welcome to reconnect with plant wisdom.

12

00:01:43.370 –> 00:01:50.600

I’m your host. Tigrilla Gardenia, nature-inspired Mentor certified life coach and the founder of the naturally conscious community.

13

00:01:50.710 –> 00:01:54.180

For over a decade I’ve been known as a world ambassador for plant.

14

00:01:54.640 –> 00:02:02.110

working closely with plants to share their practical wisdom, to help you consciously embody the elements of life that nourish your evolution.

15

00:02:02.210 –> 00:02:09.470

In this podcast I delve into ancient and modern knowledge from biology to spirituality, about the wondrous ways of plants.

16

00:02:09.600 –> 00:02:22.180

Together we’ll explore how ecosystem thinking helps you overcome limiting beliefs, understand the true nature of relationships, and live an authentic, impactful life.

17

00:02:22.360 –> 00:02:51.820

So this episode is going to take you on a bit of a journey, because really this is how it happened to me. It was something that I can only share with you through the journey of unfolding that ended up from the beginning, where I’ll get to in a minute to where we are today, and it continues to unfold from unexpected arrivals I received, and am still receiving profound lessons about the seasonal nature of life.

18

00:02:53.690 –> 00:03:06.919

How do I explain this? Well, like I said before, it’s about redefining beauty and understanding these cycles. Now we’ve talked about the seasonal nature of life so many times already, and we’re going to keep talking about it, because

19

00:03:07.020 –> 00:03:16.590

every time I think I kind of get it, something new shows up for me. And this is really what is what this episode is. It’s a

20

00:03:16.700 –> 00:03:24.530

think of it as continuing education or continuing life lessons. By the end of this episode I would love for you to think.

21

00:03:24.730 –> 00:03:38.990

and and more importantly, for you to give yourself permission to think about plants that feed you in a totally different way, and I never expected that these plants would become the profound teachers that they have. But

22

00:03:39.090 –> 00:03:41.540

here we are. So

23

00:03:42.090 –> 00:03:48.609

before we get into the details, though I want to share with you one of our eco-conscious business partners.

24

00:03:48.760 –> 00:04:02.799

If you’re on a journey of spiritual growth and personal transformation like I am, then you’re going to love what I’m about to share. I want to introduce you to Gaia, a 1 of a kind streaming platform dedicated to expanding consciousness and exploring the mysteries of our universe.

25

00:04:02.840 –> 00:04:14.239

Gaia offers thousands of enlightening videos from thought-provoking documentaries and deep dive interviews to Yoga and meditation classes that nurture your mind body and soul.

26

00:04:14.360 –> 00:04:23.939

Imagine diving into ancient wisdom with the Dalai Lama exploring the depth of consciousness with RAM Das, or healing with the insights of

27

00:04:23.970 –> 00:04:43.339

Mattia, Sistefano, or Joe Dispenza, all from the comfort of your home, plus you even find me on Gaia. Yep, that’s it. I’m 1 of Gaia’s featured experts. Whether you’re seeking to connect with your inner self, understand alternative healing methods, or simply curious about the nature of reality. Gaia has you covered

28

00:04:43.340 –> 00:04:56.000

with Gaia? You’ll find community of like-minded individuals who are all seeking to grow, evolve, and make a positive impact in the world. It’s more than just a streaming service. It’s a gateway to more conscious and connected life.

29

00:04:56.250 –> 00:05:01.500

ready to elevate your journey. Click on the link in the show notes to start your free trial today.

30

00:05:01.530 –> 00:05:09.170

Trust me, you won’t want to miss the incredible content waiting for you on Gaia to support your evolving green brilliance.

31

00:05:10.010 –> 00:05:26.429

Okay, so let’s just let’s just really get into this. 1st and foremost. I want to talk about these unexpected arrivals specifically, I want to talk about like I said, Tomato and Basil. So you should know something about me. There are 3 foods in this world that I

32

00:05:26.470 –> 00:05:31.920

really dislike. Like I’m a foodie. I love food, I eat

33

00:05:31.930 –> 00:05:54.820

food with such pleasure. I’m a Taurus, you know it’s it’s a given, but I also I love to cook, and I especially like to cook for myself, because I love to experiment. So there’s lots of ingredients. I’m the kind of person that where most people will go into any kind of shopping mall, and they’ll like enjoy the shopping process. I

34

00:05:54.820 –> 00:06:07.370

enjoy the supermarket process specifically, if I can go to any kind of ethnic store, and I could buy things that are local to a culture and experiment with them.

35

00:06:07.370 –> 00:06:14.029

and so I’m the kind of person that will always order the most unusual thing on the menu, something I have never eaten before or tried.

36

00:06:14.140 –> 00:06:39.190

and if I go to a store, for example, when I lived in Seattle, I used to go to Wajimaya so much, which was the Asian superstore that had everything. It was all an Oriental market that had, like every kind of thing you could imagine, and my favorite thing was to literally go kind of almost shelf by shelf, choosing new things. I have this dream that one day I will go. I will live in a place.

37

00:06:39.190 –> 00:06:49.030

and I will literally go into a grocery store, preferably some kind of, you know, ethnic grocery store, or some kind of alternative grocery store, and literally pick

38

00:06:49.030 –> 00:07:04.500

one item at a time. Or you know, whatever small clusters of items and go through the entire store eventually. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I just love new tastes and new experiences, and that connection I have always had that connection with plants via the food thing.

39

00:07:04.900 –> 00:07:12.089

But there are 3 foods that I really do not like in my mouth at all.

40

00:07:12.330 –> 00:07:18.560

One of the, and I know that many of you are going to argue about these, but one of them is mayonnaise.

41

00:07:18.880 –> 00:07:31.460

I can’t help it even. I tried putting mayonnaise in my hair once, and I almost threw up from just the smell of it, and here they make beautiful, wonderful fresh mayonnaise which I can smell at least. But

42

00:07:31.710 –> 00:07:35.310

no, I don’t. I don’t ever need to eat that. It doesn’t work for me.

43

00:07:35.570 –> 00:07:50.210

The second one is avocados. I know they’re so healthy, they’re so good for you. If it’s in some kind of food like it’s used in a Vegan product. I don’t have any problem with that as long as I can’t taste it. But if I can taste the avocado taste

44

00:07:50.280 –> 00:08:17.399

no, no, and no sorry. This is this is not something new. This is something that has just viscerally come to me as I was a child. By the way, I’m the kind of person that when I say I don’t like something I will still continuously try it. I will try it in new experiences. So if somebody offers me a piece of an avocado. I won’t eat, because I know, but if somebody is making something, and they say, Well, can you at least try it? I will always try it, but unfortunately, consistently mayonnaise

45

00:08:17.400 –> 00:08:27.469

and avocado. I do not gag on mayonnaise anymore, but seriously, do not like it. Don’t put it into my sandwich. Don’t put it into my food. No.

46

00:08:27.670 –> 00:08:29.759

and the last one

47

00:08:30.580 –> 00:08:36.500

is something that is somewhat sacrilegious where I live here in Italy. But it is the truth.

48

00:08:36.669 –> 00:08:39.229

I don’t like tomatoes.

49

00:08:39.280 –> 00:08:53.890

I can’t help it. I’m getting better over the years where you know a little bit here and there is okay. I can’t eat tomato products I tend. And luckily, here in Italy there’s a huge selection of

50

00:08:54.410 –> 00:08:57.190

non red based

51

00:08:57.330 –> 00:09:14.199

pizza, because, you know, pizza is a big thing here. And so that that makes me a happy girl. I will eat a pizza with tomato sauce, and I will eat. For example, a gurragu, because, you know, a gurragu is a good ragu, and it’s mainly about the meat, but I will not eat

52

00:09:14.200 –> 00:09:38.419

plain old tomatoes, so you will imagine my chagrin where I was trying to sprout a avocado seed for a friend. I thought it would be an interesting experiment to kind of grow up with an avocado here, even though I know that this is not a location where avocados tend to grow. So I was trying to sprout a seed that a friend of mine had given me.

53

00:09:38.430 –> 00:09:42.020

and in the pot instead, started to grow another plant.

54

00:09:42.600 –> 00:09:46.249

and I kept looking at this plant going. That doesn’t look like an avocado to me.

55

00:09:46.460 –> 00:10:04.050

But of course, being somewhat ignorant on what a tomato plant looks like. It wasn’t until a friend of mine came over and saw this plant that was growing in my bathroom, because there’s a beautiful window there with lots of like warm sunlight, which I thought would be good for the avocado, and he says, Why do you have a tomato plant when you don’t eat tomatoes.

56

00:10:04.730 –> 00:10:22.160

and hence my journey with tomato show. I still don’t really know where tomato came from. The only thing I could think of is that the pot I must have rescued that terracotta pots. I love terracotta pots. I have tons of terracotta pots, terracotta, and a company called Elho.

57

00:10:22.160 –> 00:10:49.329

A. LHO. By the way, I do not know where. I know that they’re European based, because I think they’re based in the Netherlands, and Elho makes wonderful recycled pots and all ecological pots, has a wonderful ethos so pretty much in my house. It’s terracotta or Elho that’s pretty much all I have for pots every once in a while. There’s something that I might have, you know, inherited from somebody.

58

00:10:49.490 –> 00:11:08.169

So what I can think of that maybe happened was that this terracotta pot that I got from somebody I’m assuming they were starting tomato plants in it, and somehow something stayed. I don’t know anyways, somehow Tomato sprouted in my own home

59

00:11:09.220 –> 00:11:26.620

when no tomato seeds ever come into this home so very amusing and very unexpected. And for a long time I said, Okay, well, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. Because obviously, if Tomato has arrived, there’s got to be some reason why Tomato had arrived.

60

00:11:26.620 –> 00:11:47.729

So this happened about a year ago, a little bit over a year ago, and at the very beginning. Tomato, like I said, was in my bathroom. So Tomato lived in my bathroom from the time of arrival to from the time of sprouting. I guess, all the way through to kind of the beginning of last year.

61

00:11:47.960 –> 00:11:59.820

when I move tomato, you’ll see me looking out to my right. If you’re watching the video you can actually see me is because tomato is outside on my balcony, living out there

62

00:12:00.430 –> 00:12:18.390

around last late spring, early summer, I had another unexpected guest arrive. A friend of mine had had this kind of dinner party. They were actually feeding people over the course of multiple days and had bought

63

00:12:18.600 –> 00:12:40.780

multiple basil plants. You know the type you buy in the supermarket. These were actually bought in the south of Italy, and they brought them back with all of the leftover food. From this experience that they were having down there, and before throwing them out before throwing kin out, my friend called me and said, Hey, would you like some Basil plants? And

64

00:12:41.120 –> 00:13:00.090

I wasn’t really interested because I like Basil. I eat Basil, but I don’t actually cook with Basil like fresh Basil. And I don’t really have any plants that are just for culinary needs. So. But basically, when I went over to my friend’s house, the plants were dying because

65

00:13:00.190 –> 00:13:18.460

they had bought these Basil plants and then had, you know, basically used them and abused them and left them with no water, with no care whatsoever. And I just I couldn’t do that. So I grabbed all 4 of the plants, brought them home, started to water these plants, and was like, Okay.

66

00:13:18.460 –> 00:13:32.290

let’s see what happens. And so here I am with tomato that’s growing that again. I’m not going to eat. And, Basil, that’s growing that I’m probably not going to eat. So I’m trying to ask them constantly like.

67

00:13:32.600 –> 00:13:34.449

Why are you here.

68

00:13:35.270 –> 00:13:40.099

What is the lesson that you’re here to teach me? Because it has to be something

69

00:13:40.260 –> 00:13:47.419

I don’t even know how to take care of you. I know that you both like sun, but how much sun, and I know nothing about these.

70

00:13:47.550 –> 00:13:48.890

Let’s just say this.

71

00:13:49.520 –> 00:14:08.500

I love plants, obviously, as you know this, but I cannot state it would be a lie to state that I have a green thumb. It would be a total lie. I do not have a green thumb. I listen, and I try, but I have a very hands off approach. I am more of like

72

00:14:08.600 –> 00:14:25.519

you. Tell me what you need, and I will do my best, but I’m an outdoors like. Let’s go sit in the grass kind of girl. So many of my plants that live with me are succulents. All of them are rescues. I don’t think there is one

73

00:14:26.120 –> 00:14:32.410

purchased plants in the bunch like I have

74

00:14:32.430 –> 00:14:36.419

mainly like, I said, succulents cacti.

75

00:14:36.720 –> 00:14:39.390

I think. Actually, it’s not true. Dipland Denia

76

00:14:39.760 –> 00:14:52.890

is, is the only purchased, and that was only because I was at Ikea, and this plant was about to die. I’m looking up because diplondinia is a climbing tree, and I’ve created like an entire indoor

77

00:14:53.210 –> 00:14:56.230

fun park, trellisy type thing.

78

00:14:56.430 –> 00:15:17.950

and we have a deal on how you use it, and and so, but was like, Let’s pay a dollar or a euro, because we’re dying, and Ikea is going to kill you. So everybody else in the house is either been or is mostly a rescue, I think. Oh, there’s 1 more plant that’s

79

00:15:17.950 –> 00:15:28.879

there’s 1 more plant that that was purchased. Everybody else is a rescue. And literally, when I say rescues, I mean, like one was in a balcony of an apartment that was empty, and the person had just left.

80

00:15:28.880 –> 00:15:49.050

2 of them were. 3 of them were gifted from a plant that we work with on magical operations. Here 2 of them came from a friend of mine was staging a home and had bought plants, and then, of course, when they didn’t need them anymore, they were just going to throw the plants out, and I was like, – that ain’t happening on my watch.

81

00:15:49.050 –> 00:16:14.430

Some are cuttings that I didn’t ask for, but that a person did, and they were like, well, if you don’t take them, I’m going to throw away. I’m like, no, I’ll grab, you know. It’s all plants like that. Rescues of some sort that is happening. So when plants enter into my home space, there’s a lot of Where do you want to live? How do you want to live. What can I do? I am here to support you as much as possible, and

82

00:16:14.430 –> 00:16:43.560

I have very difficult notions of what is consisting. I don’t have any kind of expectation on what a plant should look like. I don’t really always understand, like I don’t go. And I read about that plant in detail, because I find that humans oftentimes have created the information that you put about plants like for gardening is based on an artificial means of beauty and artificial constraints that humans

83

00:16:43.560 –> 00:17:08.600

put. So I might read some basic things like, Are you an annual or a perennial? But even that, as we will get into more deeply is not always true, and so I try very hard to listen to the plant like, should I put you near a window? I don’t do the whole shifting in and out. If you live outdoors, it’s because I believe you can live outdoors all year round. If not, you’re going to live indoors.

84

00:17:08.599 –> 00:17:35.529

and that’s based on the fact that I just don’t think of plants as having legs and moving around. Therefore I feel like you should have your place, and that place should be yours, and I’m sure I’ve moved a few plants based on what I hear. Like, you know, there’s and there’s some plants that I have accidentally killed. I’m very honest about it, and I struggle a lot with all these different pieces. So when Tomato and Basil came into my life.

85

00:17:36.590 –> 00:17:46.820

I didn’t know what to do, and so I listened, and I have been on this path and this journey of listening. Now

86

00:17:46.970 –> 00:18:12.310

I’ve always thought of tomato as an annual plant. This is how I’ve seen key grow since I moved to Italy, where, you know, I was a part of greenhouses and stuff in the different nucleos that I’ve lived in here in Dominhur. And so and also, if you’re a lover of tomatoes, you know that those growing here in Italy are especially tasty. At least that’s what everybody tells me. Everybody tells me that tomato is like

87

00:18:12.370 –> 00:18:30.380

that. Italy is the best region in the world, so much so that during the summertime here, when I was living in a nucleo, the last nucleo that I was living in specifically, I pretty much starved because every meal had tons of tomatoes in them, so, as you can imagine, the idea of them cooking something that didn’t have tomatoes

88

00:18:30.840 –> 00:18:35.409

that was not part of the Italian canon like they just couldn’t get to it.

89

00:18:35.430 –> 00:18:42.930

But it actually turns out that tomato plant is usually grown in the tropics as a perennial plant.

90

00:18:43.407 –> 00:18:47.780

It’s a perennial that’s usually grown outdoors in temperate climates.

91

00:18:48.357 –> 00:18:52.259

As an annual like. Basically, we treat

92

00:18:52.570 –> 00:18:56.630

this tropical perennial plant as a

93

00:18:57.250 –> 00:19:16.270

annual plants. In other words, a plant that lives one cycle and dies off by human choice. Because we, as humans have chosen that we want to use this greenhouse space in a different way, or we want to use that land in a different way. So we kill at the end of a season all of the tomato plants.

94

00:19:16.697 –> 00:19:21.860

In order to plant them again. That’s you. You can’t even imagine like

95

00:19:22.180 –> 00:19:39.689

understanding and learning that which I did not learn until I went away for 3 months. No, not 3 months. Excuse me 3 weeks last winter, and I totally expected, because by this point tomato was kind of hardy enough that had moved outdoors.

96

00:19:40.250 –> 00:19:47.280

and I left Tomato Plant, and I totally expected to come home to a dead tomato plant.

97

00:19:47.570 –> 00:20:05.990

and lo and behold, Key was actually growing strong, like growing in space. By this point I had given key a pretty pretty nice sized pot I had given some really wonderful soil, I mean, I was trying my best to create the right environment and put key in the most perfect space for growth.

98

00:20:06.110 –> 00:20:12.259

And this made me start to wonder what other plants have we been killing off? Just because

99

00:20:12.670 –> 00:20:29.660

just because when in reality kin can grow in, you know, in these conditions, we can allow them to adapt, they won’t be necessarily as beautiful as we might expect, and they might not, you know, put out what we expect from an agricultural perspective, but they can grow.

100

00:20:29.850 –> 00:20:42.380

And then I discovered that sweet Basil is an annual, or at least that’s what they’re saying. I haven’t had this experience personally, so I can’t speak of it but the rest of Basil, other kinds of Basil.

101

00:20:42.420 –> 00:20:46.640

All their varieties are actually perennials, so

102

00:20:46.710 –> 00:20:53.580

you can enjoy them without having to replant. They can live throughout this year. So Italian Basil, which

103

00:20:53.610 –> 00:21:00.130

is, who lives with me now, is a perennial that can live year round. Now here’s the thing.

104

00:21:00.370 –> 00:21:06.739

Here’s how. Here’s how my mind you get a little insight into how my mind works. If Key is native to these lands

105

00:21:06.840 –> 00:21:09.450

and kin don’t walk

106

00:21:09.560 –> 00:21:14.439

right, they don’t. They don’t go in and out of the greenhouse on their own. They don’t. They don’t look

107

00:21:14.580 –> 00:21:16.269

in that aspect.

108

00:21:16.700 –> 00:21:21.689

Do I have to bring Basil in for the winter or can

109

00:21:21.990 –> 00:21:25.379

with a little support and some help and

110

00:21:25.949 –> 00:21:32.839

can kin. Actually, can Basil readapt to the current conditions of where we’re living today?

111

00:21:32.970 –> 00:21:35.750

This is presently what

112

00:21:35.870 –> 00:21:54.090

we’re working on. So there we have living outside 4 no, yes, 4, slash 5. Depending on what you consider an individual plant. 3 different pots looks from here like 5 different plants, but it could be that some of them are the same. Anyway.

113

00:21:54.880 –> 00:22:07.049

we’re experimenting right now with what it means to become a perennial again, to really live. In other words, both of these plants have lost their own natural cycles, due to human conditioning.

114

00:22:07.070 –> 00:22:11.690

and much like I have lost a lot of my own.

115

00:22:12.060 –> 00:22:19.150

you know, cycles and understanding of my natural rhythms due to cultural and societal conditioning. So

116

00:22:19.310 –> 00:22:40.260

it feels like what we’ve been working on? Is that? How is it that we can help each other to reconnect to our natural rhythms? What does that look like? What does it mean? How does it change? Who I am? What is this even the right thing to do? Or should I keep the direction that had been given? Because that conditioning may be

117

00:22:40.260 –> 00:22:58.050

triggered an evolutive growth like. I don’t know that yet. I can’t just say outright that you know, Basil, as an annual is better than Basil as a perennial. I don’t know. What I can say is that with both Basil as well as tomato, I’m really learning

118

00:22:58.390 –> 00:23:08.930

what it means. A new level, I guess of what it means to connect into natural rhythms natural rhythms that are that are deep and profound, and that affect life and death.

119

00:23:08.980 –> 00:23:30.770

physical life and death in one case, but also life and death of fruit, life and death, of leaves, life and death, of flowering life and death, of many different aspects, which then translates to my own aspects of life and death, and the different cycles of life that I live on right now, when you go out and you look out there. You have plants that are, you know.

120

00:23:30.790 –> 00:23:38.530

not not something I would put in a store to sell, but Tomato gave off tomatoes all season.

121

00:23:38.730 –> 00:24:05.610

small tomatoes, not very big ones, but I think that that’s kind of the type of tomato plant that he is. And so these smaller, smaller type of tomatoes, and I did give some of them away, and some of them I allowed to land in the pot and kind of get recycled into the compost. Some went into my bigger compost post. The same with the Basil, like, you know, I’m working. I’m trying to understand what is harvesting

122

00:24:05.660 –> 00:24:24.999

from the plant’s point of view. What is your cycle? From your point of view? What is a healthy life for you who are not necessarily here for food, because again, I don’t really eat you. Sure, I have taken some of the basil, and I’ve eaten the basil.

123

00:24:25.110 –> 00:24:30.910

but the tomato is not here to be grown as a crop.

124

00:24:31.100 –> 00:24:47.320

Tomato is living with me to have an experience, and so is in some ways, Basil. So this has really been an interesting perspective about how do you live a natural life cycle without artificial intervention.

125

00:24:47.530 –> 00:24:51.830

observing the resilience that that each one of these

126

00:24:51.930 –> 00:25:20.860

is expressing, and how that reflects into our shared resilience. Right? The the life that we’re living together, because obviously this balcony is part of my home as well as their home. And so, therefore it’s a shared experience. It’s a shared becoming, and also the adaptation to the changing seasons, especially with the changes in climate that are happening here. What does that mean? And how do I? How can I learn which is a very

127

00:25:20.860 –> 00:25:25.559

big piece of of what of what I work on with plants is.

128

00:25:25.560 –> 00:25:55.380

how does this teach me how to adapt even physically, to changing seasons, to changing climate, to changing temperature, and especially moisture level? This year has been extremely humid, but not humid. I grew up in humid. I grew up in South Florida. I grew up with humidity of like 90%. I know that kind of humid. This is a different. This is literally water in the air, and it’s a very interesting experience. I know that water in the air is humidity. But

129

00:25:55.640 –> 00:26:16.190

I have read papers that talk about something else that’s happening with the way water is being held in the air. And so I have found that I don’t have to water as much, or that I have to water differently, and then that also means for my own hydration, my own skin, my own body all these nuances

130

00:26:16.190 –> 00:26:29.239

that through my work with plants, and especially with all of the plants that live with me, I’m learning we’re mirrors for one another. We’re mirrors of understanding our physical

131

00:26:29.240 –> 00:26:51.259

environment at a much more nuanced level. And that level of adaptation is something that is extremely exciting, and with 2 plants that to me are somewhat aliens. I can see it even more. I can experience it at a whole different level. So the seasonality piece has is, it just continues to deepen, and continues to get richer in that.

132

00:26:51.670 –> 00:27:18.559

The other aspect that I have found that working with these 2 plants is helping me do is redefine the word beauty and understanding at a deeper level. What is a natural beauty that comes from the inside out. Now, as I mentioned at the very beginning. I am a Kabbalist, I still, you know, find that Kabbalah, the Tree of Life, and many understandings from my Kabbalistic work, and, as a matter of fact.

133

00:27:18.580 –> 00:27:28.339

recently, I’ve been having really great conversations here in Damandhar about the basis, the Kabbalistic base that runs through much of our own understanding of the cosmology of the universe

134

00:27:28.350 –> 00:27:52.919

is extremely enriching for me. It helps map things. It helps me better understand even very diverse perspectives. If you remember my deep pattern. My element is a bridge, and therefore the Kabbalah has really helped me. Better understand how I can make these connections, and how do I help others as well as myself, pass from one thing to another.

135

00:27:53.300 –> 00:27:54.290

and

136

00:27:54.500 –> 00:28:21.090

beauty for anybody who understands Kabbalah, even in a very general term. You have the sufferots which are these energy centers of archetypal energy of the universe? It’s a very simplified perspective. If you’re a Kabbalist, please do not yell at me. I am trying to simplify as much as possible, because this is not a Kabbalah lesson. But the point that I want to make is that you know, at the very center of the tree of life. You have teferate, which is beauty.

137

00:28:21.240 –> 00:28:22.510

and already

138

00:28:22.530 –> 00:28:32.250

oh, I have completely, as a person who also has body dysmorphia, who has struggled with, how things look for much of her, of her life.

139

00:28:32.570 –> 00:28:41.040

that understanding of of beauty as the center, as the heart, as something that is not about an external appearance

140

00:28:42.130 –> 00:28:47.049

has been so liberating, so incredibly liberating, and so

141

00:28:49.020 –> 00:29:09.679

inspirational to helping me move through life in a very different perspective, and to move from my critical nature, that is, that can be very destructive to something that’s very productive. And I have relied and leaned heavily on Teferit for so many lessons in life.

142

00:29:09.750 –> 00:29:20.920

and these 2 plants are helping me take that to a whole new level, because their form

143

00:29:21.010 –> 00:29:24.819

is expressed through oftentimes

144

00:29:24.970 –> 00:29:53.500

very objective means in the regular world, in the sense that a tomato is only as good as the beautiful tomato physical tomato fruit, that is, that is produced. In other words. Nobody really thinks about the plants. Nobody looks at the plant, I would say. Most people who are buying tomatoes in a supermarket might not even know what a tomato plant looks like. And yet that tomato plant is. You know, the health

145

00:29:53.600 –> 00:30:02.470

of that tomato plant is what produces that tomato, and the taste is not always directly related to what you see.

146

00:30:02.850 –> 00:30:12.309

I have seen some funky looking tomatoes, because I’ve had to pick a lot of tomatoes living here, and and people tell me that they’re delicious, so

147

00:30:12.410 –> 00:30:14.240

I trust I trust in that.

148

00:30:14.600 –> 00:30:15.490

So

149

00:30:15.730 –> 00:30:30.059

one aspect is the whole fruit perspective. But the other part is just the plant like how the plant grows again, not being exposed to these 2 particular plants in long periods of time.

150

00:30:30.260 –> 00:30:43.650

I think we all have these idealized versions. Right? Basil is always seen in the grocery store, or in some kind of nursery, where, of course, we have the most beautiful specimens available.

151

00:30:43.760 –> 00:30:47.459

But is that what healthy truly looks like for them?

152

00:30:47.730 –> 00:30:53.489

And this is a question that I’ve been asking these plants, which is.

153

00:30:53.540 –> 00:30:56.759

help me understand. How do I?

154

00:30:57.200 –> 00:30:59.829

How do I read your health?

155

00:30:59.890 –> 00:31:04.369

Is it by some kind of output like? Is it the fact that

156

00:31:04.420 –> 00:31:11.850

some of the Basil is going to flower right now, which means it’s going to seed. Is that is that an indication of health?

157

00:31:12.100 –> 00:31:28.850

Or because right now, if you look, the stem is kind of woody, it’s not what you find in the store at all, and I wouldn’t even put attractive. One of them has very green leaves. The others might have a little bit like lighter green. Some are even yellowing in times.

158

00:31:28.850 –> 00:31:42.300

and I’m trying to understand what this means. How do? How do I water you? How does this work. How do I read you? And I don’t want to read, based on some picture or some artificial image of what

159

00:31:42.680 –> 00:31:56.249

beauty is for you. I want you to tell me what beauty looks like for you. I’ve already done a similar type of work with almost everybody that lives here, because everybody in this house has a very

160

00:31:56.820 –> 00:31:59.500

unique type of look.

161

00:31:59.690 –> 00:32:19.509

That is because, like I said, I’m very hands off. I mean, I water because you can’t get water any other way, although again, like I said, the amount of water in the air means that the other day I watered a you know, diplondena, for the 1st time in a while, and and Key was like, No, I have plenty stop

162

00:32:19.710 –> 00:32:20.789

was like, Okay.

163

00:32:20.800 –> 00:32:39.070

very clear indicators. I received that I don’t need any extra water right now. Feel free, I’ll let you know, and I don’t know how long it’s going to take. So there’s, you know, a lot of indications that the external appearance is not the indicator of health

164

00:32:39.070 –> 00:32:51.789

and of wellness and well-being. Now, intellectually, I think many of us on a spiritual journey know this, but it’s really powerful when you live it, especially from plants that

165

00:32:51.860 –> 00:33:08.679

you eat normally, because you think well, if you’re not healthy, I shouldn’t eat you because you can’t produce anything healthy for me. So I think that that kind of combination of of coming from a culinary plant, a plant that we historically eat

166

00:33:09.090 –> 00:33:18.389

just gives it a different, a different value. Maybe that’s the best way of putting it. There’s a really different value in this.

167

00:33:18.490 –> 00:33:34.540

and it’s teaching me to release expectations even further, even expectations of things that might seem banal or things that might not, that might be so ingrained in the culture that you don’t even realize you have an expectation at all.

168

00:33:34.840 –> 00:33:39.849

and also to appreciate the unique forms that come.

169

00:33:40.205 –> 00:33:50.500

The unique forms that these particular plants take in different seasons I’m getting ready to travel. I’m going to be gone for almost a no, actually beyond a month.

170

00:33:50.500 –> 00:34:13.950

and I have a friend of mine who usually comes and checks in on the plants while I’m gone, and I have, you know, super clear indications for everybody of you know who does and who doesn’t get water while I’m away, because the house gets colder. There’s, you know, it’s just different the way the watering goes. And historically, my friend, with all her beautiful, wonderful intentions has overwatered

171

00:34:14.219 –> 00:34:19.980

many of my plant friends, because again, we have a different sort of symbiotic relationship on the watering thing.

172

00:34:20.070 –> 00:34:33.030

and I don’t know what I’m going to find when I come back, and I don’t yet know. This is one of the things we’re working on this week before I travel is, you know, how much water do you want? How much water do you need? How can I, you know.

173

00:34:33.130 –> 00:34:36.769

be of assistance to you? And and also

174

00:34:36.850 –> 00:34:49.380

it’s okay if you decide to pass. In other words, I also have to release the expectation that this plant wants to be a perennial like, I don’t know, and I don’t even know

175

00:34:50.040 –> 00:35:13.489

where you know where we’re going. So I was out there yesterday, and I was with Tomato, having an experience, you know, spending some time with tomato, and and I just intuitively kind of got a message that said, Hey, I just need you to cut me back a little bit, and I don’t normally cut back my plants. That’s just not a thing I do from a beauty perspective, unless, again, I get a clear indication that it helps the plant.

176

00:35:13.820 –> 00:35:23.259

And the only reason I got the indication for this plan is because of the way that they’re growing. It was like, No, I just need a little extra space. Just cut these pieces here. And

177

00:35:23.930 –> 00:35:33.949

in doing that, as I spent more time, I realized, wow! Anybody else would probably think you look ugly, but to me this plant is a symbol of

178

00:35:34.050 –> 00:35:40.250

so much authenticity, so much naturalness.

179

00:35:40.250 –> 00:36:08.320

and the adaptation that’s happening in this one body to connect into this location that is probably much cooler than they have ever lived in, or that any of their relatives have ever lived in that gets sun up until a certain point of the day, and just so many different changes. And yet there’s an authenticity in the expression, the size of the fruit, the direction that everything is growing. I don’t have.

180

00:36:08.320 –> 00:36:37.730

you know, leaves, even though this is a vine. I did put a pole in case, you know, Key wanted to grow in one area of key is kind of growing up the pole. There’s a banister nearby, and I’ve told Key, if you want grab onto that grow in whatever direction, and let me know if you need me to to hold you up. It’s an unfolding, and the beauty of that resistance, the the magic that I feel that that deep sense of

181

00:36:38.360 –> 00:37:01.540

non expectations and unconditional love that I feel for this plant is right in the heart of Teferret, and it’s it’s just to me been this realization that unconditional love comes also from unconditional acceptance. And I I yeah. So I don’t know if that made sense hopefully it did.

182

00:37:01.940 –> 00:37:25.249

It’s also fascinating to note. I’m going to add one little element here, which is that tomato and Basil are actually companion plants in gardening. They thrive together, they harmonize together. And so, despite arriving through completely different channels, these plants to me symbolize a deeper connection and synchronicity. It’s like

183

00:37:25.250 –> 00:37:39.029

they wanted to find each other. They wanted to find each other here, and they wanted to find each other in order to share with me these experience. This companionship has offered me a much broader perspective on the lessons that each one of these

184

00:37:40.150 –> 00:37:46.970

aw, as I’m talking here, there’s a tiny little, a tiny little.

185

00:37:48.400 –> 00:38:04.990

I’m not sure if it’s a swallow or a sparrow like I can’t see just landed out there never really lands out there, and it’s just wandering around kind of hanging out with these plants, which I think is a confirmation of what I’m talking about. This type of companionship really offers me.

186

00:38:05.080 –> 00:38:32.330

and continues to offer me a broader perspective of the lessons that each one of these plants, every single one of these plants, is teaching me individually and really showing me how much faster. We learn together how much more we can support one another, because I don’t know. Maybe Tomato couldn’t have survived if Basil hadn’t come into the household, and I would have never gone out to buy. Basil would have never come into my mind. But yet here they are, these companion plants.

187

00:38:32.330 –> 00:38:45.669

and by observing their natural life cycles. I’ve really learned about the importance of embracing the seasons, of embracing my own body’s constantly changing and adapting

188

00:38:46.070 –> 00:38:59.650

relationship with the seasons. Tomato and Basil have really shown me that true growth often involves letting go and understanding that each phase of life has its purpose.

189

00:38:59.920 –> 00:39:27.340

and, as I allow kin to experience their natural rhythms, trying to support and hold space for them, while at the same time not setting any kind of expectations on it, and really feeling, giving them the ability to be whomever it is that they become, or they continue to become, I discover a harmony that really transcends mere survival. Even for myself.

190

00:39:27.340 –> 00:39:39.179

it goes much beyond that. It goes into a whole new dimension of relationship, which is something, as you know, that I’m constantly striving for. I really want to understand

191

00:39:39.180 –> 00:39:52.589

all of these missing archetypes connected to relationships that the plants hold and companionship. This mutual unfolding and adapting is definitely one piece of that.

192

00:39:52.700 –> 00:39:58.630

Additionally, their presence challenges all of my preconceived notions of beauty

193

00:39:58.650 –> 00:40:04.650

in their ever-changing forms. Tomato and basil, teach me to see beyond the surface

194

00:40:04.720 –> 00:40:12.359

the see beyond just the appearances and appreciate the inherent beauty of each stage of life.

195

00:40:12.370 –> 00:40:33.840

each stage of existence, their existence as well as my own existence, to enjoy every yellowing leaf and every leaf, also that falls to enjoy my own wrinkles as they start to appear, or the you know, the white hairs that are appearing, which I love, because, if done correctly, it means the purple just stands out more so. It makes me happy.

196

00:40:34.130 –> 00:40:52.970

and even my own coloring doesn’t come from a desire to hide anything. It comes from an exaltation of who I am. Just like those small little red tomatoes are an exaltation, a product of everything that tomato has to give in that as a plant, and in that experience

197

00:40:52.970 –> 00:41:04.199

the beauty comes from the relationship with time and the environment, not from some external standard that humans have set for what these plants are supposed to look like. And this

198

00:41:04.540 –> 00:41:24.940

lesson really expands out into my own life, urging me to release any kind of expectations, and to find absolute beauty in authenticity and authenticity. For myself, my expression, regardless of whatever anybody else, whatever I may think anybody else might think about it.

199

00:41:24.940 –> 00:41:43.290

but also in the beauty of expression. When I see authenticity displayed in front of me, the importance of holding space for that authenticity, regardless of whether or not I like what is being expressed, but more of the appreciation and the beauty of expression

200

00:41:43.730 –> 00:42:10.180

reflecting on the unexpected arrival of Tomato and Basil. I’ve come to understand a profound impact that can have on my life, and and I didn’t expect it. I never would have expected that when that small little tomato seed started to grow in my bathroom, I never would have expected how much. And I that this plant has changed, who I am. I’m getting emotional, as I’m saying this especially because

201

00:42:10.330 –> 00:42:30.399

he is one of the plants that I look at and spend time with every single day. Every day I go out to the terrace, and I spend some amount of time with kin. Often I sit nearby in the evening, maybe with a small fire, now that it’s getting cooler, and a cup of tea, and just taking in whatever kin have to give

202

00:42:30.560 –> 00:42:36.150

what tomato has, what Basil have, and in this moment I often call in Gary the silver Fir.

203

00:42:36.280 –> 00:42:45.680

who’s growing really tall right in front of us in the meadow, and the many geraniums that are also living out on that balcony because

204

00:42:45.920 –> 00:43:01.490

well, they also had to get rescued from sure death. Unfortunately, my municipality keeps thinking that it’s a good idea. They think it’s a good good deed. It’s something nice that they do to gift plants specifically geraniums every single year to all the residents.

205

00:43:01.530 –> 00:43:28.380

but because kin are also perennials that are treated as annuals in many of the areas around here people either discard kin altogether. In other words, they don’t even collect from their front door, where the plants are placed, or from the municipality, and then they either they don’t pick them up at all, or they pick them up, and then just throw them out. They just don’t don’t water or anything like that.

206

00:43:28.380 –> 00:43:40.730

or because they’re not interested in the plant, they just rip out the plant at the end of the season, because they think that the plant is actually an annual. So, as you can imagine every year the number of Geranians living in my house continues to grow.

207

00:43:41.060 –> 00:43:45.430

I think right now we’re up to about 10,

208

00:43:46.160 –> 00:43:56.800

consolidated into multiple pots that are living together. But there’s about 10 of them out there. And as you can imagine, every single year that that number continues to grow and grow and grow. But that’s another tale.

209

00:43:57.070 –> 00:43:58.970

Basically, all these plants

210

00:43:59.790 –> 00:44:25.159

I don’t know. All these plants are really mentors and companions. They remind me to stay open to new lessons and to appreciate the natural cycles of life also for life. Lessons like life lessons have their cycle. Had tomato not lived out this full year with me? Had Basil not had these? Whatever it’s been 6 months to be here. I wouldn’t be able to see this, because, as we know.

211

00:44:25.160 –> 00:44:30.120

change takes time, right and relationships take time to develop

212

00:44:30.130 –> 00:44:34.990

and plants take time to grow, and I take time to change. I take time to grow.

213

00:44:35.030 –> 00:44:36.100

So

214

00:44:36.350 –> 00:44:56.539

had I not given myself the ability to stay open and believe, and and people in the naturally conscious community have heard me talk about the fact that at the beginning I was like, Why is tomato here? And I tried to force a companion. I didn’t even mention that. I just remembered. I tried to force a companionship on

215

00:44:56.610 –> 00:45:05.149

on tomato that didn’t work. I just remembered this. Wow! I’m going to have to take that into consideration in my reflections

216

00:45:05.200 –> 00:45:11.960

at the very beginning I thought I was supposed to combine tomato with Rose, due to a series of things that happened.

217

00:45:12.250 –> 00:45:20.090

and I tried to bring Rose into my home through a friend who shared with me rose

218

00:45:20.220 –> 00:45:34.200

that that she had, and we talked with Rose Plant, and and it didn’t work. And now, as I’m reflecting on this episode, I am realizing that of course it didn’t work because Rose was not the right companion for tomato.

219

00:45:34.260 –> 00:45:37.510

Basil was the right companion for tomato.

220

00:45:39.270 –> 00:45:43.939

Sorry these these plants are really more than just companions. You know they’re

221

00:45:43.990 –> 00:45:52.279

they’re teachers and friends that deepen my connection to the world and to myself. And and through this journey I have learned to embrace.

222

00:45:52.810 –> 00:46:15.359

I guess, embrace the unexpected, and find harmony in these intricate connections that shape our lives, including these many connections, to my own roots in this land and in faraway lands. So there’s always this movement and growth that is happening. And hopefully, through these experiences, you, too, will find movement and growth.

223

00:46:16.220 –> 00:46:18.069

So what did you think about this episode?

224

00:46:18.460 –> 00:46:22.250

Are the plants that have unexpectedly entered your life

225

00:46:22.400 –> 00:46:32.349

brought you something different? Why do you think kin have come? And and what do they want to share with you? Are you open to listening to them?

226

00:46:32.460 –> 00:46:48.170

I want to hear about all your stories. I want to hear all of them. So leave me a comment. And if you want to be in a place where you can talk and explore and share so many of these types of experiences and relationships. I hope you will join the naturally conscious community.

227

00:46:48.220 –> 00:46:55.749

The only ecosystem created exclusively to nurture these types of human plant relationships, and remember, like

228

00:46:55.950 –> 00:47:16.499

comment subscribe. There is someone out there like you that is wishing they could find someone else, or some people, some group else to talk with about their own plant relationships. And every time you share this episode, you help this, podcast find them and hopefully them find us.

229

00:47:16.610 –> 00:47:17.450

So

230

00:47:17.700 –> 00:47:27.170

that’s it for this episode, remember to resist the urge to hold back your emerging green brilliance if you need support to do it. I’m here for you.

231

00:47:28.110 –> 00:47:29.060

Bye.

232

00:47:29.740 –> 00:47:33.509

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of reconnect with plant wisdom

233

00:47:33.580 –> 00:47:44.360

to continue these conversations, join us in the naturally conscious community, your premier online ecosystem for plant reawakening and accelerated evolution and co-creation with other kin.

234

00:47:44.590 –> 00:47:54.380

Here you’ll find expansive discussions, interactive courses, live events and supportive group programs like the Plant Wisdom Book Club and the sprouts, writing and creativity group

235

00:47:54.660 –> 00:48:16.389

connect with like-minded individuals collaborating with plants to integrate these insights into life, intro and outro music by Steve Sciuli and poinsettia from the singing life of plants. That’s it for me, Tigrilla Gardenia and my plant collaborators until next time. Remember, resist the urge to hold back your emerging green brilliance. I’m out bye.