Do weeds have a consciousness?

Today after teaching Reiki, I went out into my Zen garden I am creating to pick some weeds.  I chose the tall ones, easy to grab first and asked if I could let them go from this yard.  They gave themselves willingly.

But I still wonder, do they have a consciousness?  I feel all plants at some level are conscious, not quite in the same way  as humans and animals, but a knowing.

Look at the phenomena of phototropism, plants gravitating and growing towards the sun.  They kind of ‘know’ where their nutrition is coming from.

I studied a year of botany before changing majors to psychology, so I learned a few things about plants in regards to their cellular structure.  Although some of the names are different than those in animal anatomy, there is a striking similarity in which we all take in and expel.

In fact, the botanical names of plants are beautiful.  ‘Dandelion’ is translated from the French, meaning ‘Tooth of the Lion’ and if you look at the leaves, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

So, when I pick weeds, I always say, “I’m sorry to do this, but this yard is not the place for you to thrive.  Tell your seedlings to plant elsewhere.  Thank you for spending time here, but, basically, it’s time to go”.

It is tedious picking weeds, for sure.  I did try the organic chemical herbicide last year and I really felt ill.  Somehow, that was a crueler way of getting rid of the plants, a suffocating, and as I felt, painful death.

So I tried that.  And choose to put on the radio, enjoy the day, talk to the weeds, and clear the garden.  My own conscious is clearer.

Next step will be creating a compost bin for them all to truly be recycled…one step at a time…for now, I’m listening to the dandelions…