The Poetry of Stillness
Joy of Nature Journaling
A small sapling sprouted from nowhere in a small pot, which had a dried plant in it. I did not remember planting that sapling or any seed. It must be from the last year’s. In the next couple of weeks all the pots, which housed these flowers the last year were full of the flowers.
Where was this seed or the traces of the plant? What kept it alive? My mind pops up with questions, I have no answers. A dry tiny seed produces the same flower with clearly defined attributes, which was stored in its memory. I wonder at the power of soil to regenerate a tiny seed hidden somewhere in it. I wonder at the power of the seed to come alive, retain its memory, live its defined life and then also reproduce. Its memory of waking up with Sun and sleeping back with Sun, flowering when time comes, keep sleeping in the soil when season goes away but rise back from again when season comes. Why?
Science explains how it happens but there is no answer for why does it happen? Why does a seed and plant know the direction of the Sun? Or does it even know? What does it contain in its memory ? Does it have a memory? What kind of memory?
The soil, the Mother Earth nurtures it . The soil is not a dead element. It is a living being on its own.
I wrote all of the above in my daily journal on 21 May 2020 about my experience of watching and the ‘whys’ sprouting in my mind… Till then, I used to enjoy watching the flowers, capturing their beauty in camera and wondering about the life cycles. That day was the first time when I went through this deep experience of observing, noticing and thinking about non-human minds around me. Since then, it has become a habit. Now, I can not stop noticing and thinking about minds of flowers, trees, soil and that all of them have the same consciousness, चेतन, in them.
Around same time, I discovered the nature journaling as medium to record my observations and my thoughts about nature. I wonder at my own ignorance about the lives and minds, which are scattered around us. The deeper and keener I look around, the more ignorant I feel about the self and the nature. There are so many plants, tree, insects, worm and butterflies I do not recognise in my own garden and in nearby park. If I know some names but not much beyond their names. I hardly know what sustains them and who all they sustain? What are their stories for humans and by humans?
I share my lack of awareness, the questions and experiences with my daughter, who pretends to be my teacher and tries to give me right answers! And later starts her own question sessions, draws her own nature journal and competes with me.
