Let There Be Light

Walking through the woods, light filters through the leaves, creating a green haven of peace. The plants world is full of beautiful sights; there isn't a tree or flower that doesn't look good.

As each day dawn's pure sunlight sparkles in dew drops, shimmering on the grass, and on the leaves and flowers of the world. Walking through the woods, light filters through the leaves, creating a green haven of peace. The plant world is full of beautiful sights; there isn't a tree or flower that doesn't look good.

Although we think so sometimes, providing esthetic pleasure is not the most important thing about plants. By taking carbon dioxide and water from the air  and, with light, converting it into carbohydrates , plants are the ultimate production machine, purifying the air and providing food and medicine for humans and animals alike. Plants are both the lungs and larder of the earth. They are the conduit between the light of the heavens, and the dark of the earth, channelling energy from the skin into crystalline structures of mother earth, to be reflected throughout the planet. 

Plants are magnificent. The tallest tree in Redwood National Park, California, is the height of twenty-six London double-decker buses stacked on top of one another. These trees can live over 1'000 years, but  even one only 800 years old has stood through the coronations and reigns of thirty-five kings and queens of England. The size and longevity of these master pieces of creation is humbling, but to actually walk amongst the immense trees of an ancient forest is more humbling still.

The smallest seed is awesome in its capacity to create another plant, perfect in every detail , including its store of seeds for future generations. Plant seeds have been found in archaeological sites and germinated, thousands of years after they were dropped - testament to the monumental capacity of tiny seeds to hold life.

Most of us live not in a  living, breathing jungle but in a concrete one. We can redress this balance somewhat, by bringing the essence of plants  - essential oils - into our homes, but to understand these fully  we need to reacquaint ourselves with their heritage, their source - plants in their natural habitat.

Reference: Fragrant Heavens/ Valerie Worwood