I finally got a PlantWave!
What is a PlantWave?
If you haven’t already come across PlantWave, it’s this awesome little gadget that allows you to hook up to a plant and convert its internal biodata into sound. As someone who has always believed in the energetic healing power of plants and who regrets not taking up an instrument as a kid, this is pretty exciting.
So how does it work?
As much as I want to write ‘magic’ and be done with it, science does actually play a massive part in the process.
From what I understand, my new gadget picks up on changes in a plant’s electrical signals (and mine see the video below) and converts them into sound and the process of converting data into sound (instead of traditional visual charts and graphs) is called sonification.
Admittedly the process of using sound to convey data is new to me but having read up on this online, there have been a number of very cool sonification projects that are helping to change how we perceive and use information.
If you want to read up on the science behind PlantWave or just want a better explanation than the one I gave, I highly recommend reading Is PlantWave Real? The science behind PlantWave.
And, when you are done there, Sonification — When You Go Beyond the Visual Representation Of Data by Pavle Marincovich is also a really good read.
Is it just a speaker, or can you record plant sounds?
PlantWave is so much more than just a speaker.
With this nifty device, not only can you access and change different sound sets (sound styles) but also record your plant interactions for free via an APP. If you upgrade to a paid subscription, you access tuning controls that allow you to play with the Frequency, Key and Scale of sound sets. You get to create plant ‘music’ which is amazing.
My plant ambitions are a little more low-key.
I want to record and share my plant sounds to help me learn more about plants. Why? Because my plant knowledge is pretty hit & miss.
Even though I love gardening, snuggling up to trees (as long as there isn’t a large spider lurking under loose bark), and I chat with plants, I have always pushed plant study to the back of the queue. Yes, my random knowledge has served me well so far, but imagine how much better my life and Oracle card skills would be if I just spent a little extra time getting to know plants.
They have so much to teach us – they are sources of food, medicine, communication and creative expression.
How much do you know about plants?
As daft as this exercise might sound, take a walk through your home (bathroom included) and tell me you haven’t got at least 10 objects that either
- contain plants e.g. perfumes, skincare and cleaning products
- is made from plant material e.g. cotton towels
- is an actual plant or flowers
- or has a plant or flower printed on it e.g. clothing, bed set, or mug
Isn’t it amazing how often plants appear in your home?
Imagine being able to name them, know their medicinal purposes or symbolic meaning and then apply that knowledge to your Oracle card practice; how cool would that be?! You would have a better understanding of the world around you AND build trust in your own card interpretations. Again, how cool would that be?!
PlantWave is hopefully going to help me do exactly that. Every time I listen to a plant, I plan on sharing my experience and new knowledge with you.
So, if you haven’t already, please sign up for my newsletter so I can share my upcoming plant adventures with you.