ever to appear on the planet opens up to receive the rays of the sun. Prior to
this momentous event that heralds an evolutionary transformation in the life
of plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of
years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must
have remained rare and isolated phenomena, since conditions were most
likely not yet favorable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day,
however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have
been an explosion of color and scent all over the planet – if a perceiving
consciousness had been there to witness it.
Much later, those delicate and fragrant beings we call flowers would
come to play an essential part in the evolution of consciousness of another
species. Humans would increasingly be drawn to and fascinated by them. As
the consciousness of human beings developed, flowers were most likely the
first thing they came to value that had no utilitarian purpose for them, that is
to say, was not linked in some way to survival. They provided inspiration to
countless artists, poets, and mystics. Jesus tells us to contemplate the flowers
and learn from then how to live. The Buddha is said to have given a “silent
sermon” once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it.
is said to have been the only one who had understood the sermon. According
to legend, that smile (that is to say, realization) was handed down by twentyeight
successive masters and much later became the origin of Zen.
Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to
the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true
nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events
in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are
intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it,
flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most
high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more
fleeting, more ethereal and more delicate than the plants out of which they
emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between
the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a
scent that was delicate and pleasing to humans, but also brought a fragrance
from the realm of spirit. Using the word “enlightenment” in a wider sense
than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the
enlightenment of plants.
can be said to undergo “enlightenment.” It is, however, an extremely rare
occurrence since it is more than an evolutionary progression: It also implies
a discontinuity in its development, a leap to an entirely different level of
Being and, most important, a lessening of materiality.
What could be heavier and more impenetrable than a rock, the densest
of all forms? And yet some rocks undergo a change in their molecular
structure, turn into crystals, and so become transparent to the light. Some
carbons, under inconceivable heat and pressure, turn into diamonds, and
some heavy minerals into other precious stones.
Most crawling reptilians, the most earthbound of all creatures, have
remained unchanged for millions of years. Some, however, grew feathers and
wings and turned into birds, thus defying the force of gravity that had held
them for so long. They didn’t become better at crawling or walking, but
transcended crawling and walking entirely.
Since time immemorial, flowers, crystals, precious stones, and birds
have held special significance for the human spirit. Like all lifeforms, they
are, of course, temporary manifestations of the underlying one Life, one
Consciousness. Their special significance and the reason why humans feel
such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality.
Once there is a certain degree of presence, of still and alert attention
in human beings’ perceptions, they can sense the divine life essence, the one
indwelling consciousness or spirit in every creature, every lifeform,
recognize it as one with their own essence and so love it as themselves. Until
this happens, however, most humans see only the outer forms, unaware of the
inner essence, just as they are unaware of their own essence and identify only
with their own physical and psychological form.
someone with little or no Presence can occasionally sense that there is more
than the mere physical existence of that form, without knowing that this is
the reason why he or she is drawn toward it, feels an affinity with it. Because
of its ethereal nature, its form obscures the indwelling spirit to a lesser degree
than is the case with other lifeforms.The exception to this are all newborn lifeforms –
babies, puppies, kittens, lambs, and so on. They are fragile, delicate, not yet firmly
established in materiality. An innocence, a sweetness and beauty that are not of this
world still shine through them.They delight even relatively insensitive humans.
So when you are alert and contemplate a flower, crystal, or bird
without naming it mentally, it becomes a window for you into the formless.
There is an inner opening, however slight, into the realm of spirit. This is
why these three “enlightened”lifeformshave played such an important part
in the evolution of human consciousness since ancient times; why, for
example, the jewel in the lotus flower is a central symbol of Buddhism and a
white bird, the dove, signifies the Holy Spirit in Christianity. They have been
preparing the ground for a more profound shift in planetary consciousness
that is destined to take place in the human species. This is the spiritual
awakening that we are beginning to witness now.
- EVOCATION A New Earth
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