From the archives: This story was last updated in April 2019.
Are plants sentient beings, and can they communicate? In an amazing video clip, one woman captured the audible quivering of sunflowers using a microphone and her cell phone. The results were astonishing.She was so amazed by the recording that she shared the video on Facebook, where it drew much attention.
In fact, South African botanist Lyall Watson shared his groundbreaking research way back in 1973, proving that a polygraph, or lie detector, can detect a plant’s feelings.
That is to say—plants have feelings.
For example, plants have been found to express joy when having water poured to their roots.
Cleve Backster, a former CIA interrogation specialist, is known for his experiments with plants. Once, while wondering what kind of experiment he should perform on a dracaena plant, which was already hooked up to a polygraph, he thought of burning its leaves with fire.
As soon as he had that thought, the polygraph drew a trace depicting significant spikes, a result equivalent to when a human being is in distress.
He conducted a whole range of experiments, later to conclude that plants are able to perceive thought activity.
Interestingly, the Federation of Damanhur, which comprises an eco-village and spiritual community in the foothills of northern Italy, has for the last 30 years conducted research into plant perception.
Damanhur has developed a device that can read the electromagnetic sound waves of a plant and translate those sound waves into music through a synthesizer.
They’ve found that plants derive great pleasure from pleasant sounds, and can produce harmonious frequencies themselves. The group has shared what it terms “Music of the Plants” at schools and in public spaces to allow people to hear the sounds of plants.
Pam Montgomery, a writer and scientist who has studied the conscious, intelligent nature of plants and trees for over 25 years, said:
“My sense is that the singing plants are establishing a new paradigm … where people, plants and nature spirits equally share the gift of stewarding the world. Trees and their beautiful melodies are what will shift consciousness to a new level where the Earth and all her beings co-creatively thrive.”
Curious to hear the music of sunflowers?