Projection, māyā and the practice of Relationship 

Exploring the complexity of our perceptions

Learning directly from the plants invites us into relationship with the whole of ourselves. This can bring profound experiences of beauty, belonging and connection, while also illuminating the fears, patterns and unintegrated places that shape how we perceive the world.

None of us sees without filters. We meet life through the accumulated experiences, expectations and protective strategies that have formed us. A central part of this work is allowing the plants to reveal these filters, to become curious about them, and to hold our perceptions with greater spaciousness. The plants can act as mirrors, companions, teachers and guiding stars as we walk this path; indeed a single plant may well inhabit all of these roles for us at different parts of our journey.

Projection and māyā

Projection occurs when something arising within us is experienced as belonging entirely to another – this may be a plant (in the case of much of our work), but more commonly in the human realm, towards a person, group or situation. Our fears, longings, wounds and unrecognised qualities can all colour what we perceive. Projection may take the form of mistrust or blame, but it can also appear as idealisation, certainty or the belief that someone else holds an answer or power that we have not yet recognised within ourselves.

We use the word māyā to describe the wider world of appearances, stories and assumptions through which we experience reality. Māyā is not simply falsehood; it is the partial view that can be mistaken for the whole. Our perceptions may contain genuine insight while also being shaped by our history, our emotional state and what remains outside our awareness.

Projection and māyā are part of being human. The practice is not to imagine that we can become free of them, but to recognise when they may be present and become less certain that our immediate interpretation is the complete truth. The plants can be extraordinary allies in this process, helping us loosen our certainty about appearances and meet life with greater openness and clarity. 

In these times of profound confusion and change, relationship with the land and plants can become a vital source of orientation, opening us to a living wisdom far wider than any single human ideology can hold.

The possibilities within

When held with care, projection can become a doorway rather than an obstacle. What initially appears to be entirely about a plant, a group of people or another person may reveal something that is asking to be recognised, reclaimed or transformed within ourselves.

We do not have to navigate this alone – in fact, it is very difficult to do so. When our perceptions begin to narrow or certainty takes hold, remaining in relationship and asking for support can restore curiosity and open new possibilities. Seeking help is not a failure of inner work, but one of its mature expressions.

When we truly let the plants in, they help us loosen our attachment to familiar stories and enter into a more intimate relationship with life. Through honest enquiry, embodied awareness and the courage to remain in relationship, we become more able to meet ourselves and one another with clarity, humility and compassion.

This is part of the deeper invitation of the school: not to arrive at a place where we are never challenged or mistaken, but to develop the awareness and relational capacity through which even difficult experiences can become part of our awakening.

Why this matters

On an individual level, recognising projection can create greater freedom and choice. When we become able to distinguish between what is happening around us and what is being activated within us, we are less governed by old wounds and protective patterns. This can deepen healing, strengthen our capacity for relationship and help us reclaim qualities or power that we may previously have located outside ourselves.

This practice also has a systemic dimension. Unexamined fear, idealisation and certainty do not remain within individuals; they can move through groups, organisations and movements, shaping who is trusted, who is excluded and how power is exercised. Even work undertaken in the name of healing or liberation can reproduce harmful patterns when there is little space for reflection, accountability or complexity.

Inner enquiry does not mean denying injustice, overlooking material conditions or reducing systemic harm to personal projection. Rather, it can help us respond to those realities with greater discernment, remaining open to challenge, recognising our participation in wider patterns and acting without losing sight of one another’s humanity. For those working towards social change, relationship with plants and land can offer grounding, perspective and a lived experience of interdependence, helping action arise from reciprocity and sustained care as well as urgency.

Walking and discovering together

Our tutors are just as much on this path as our students are, and our lead tutors work within an ongoing structure of external supervision and accountability alongside peer reflection. I feel proud to call it a Mystery School in the literal meaning of the term – we do not claim to know in advance where the path will lead, but we are committed to walking it together, with curiosity, humility and care.

We are all learning to meet our personal and collective wounds, those inherited from the past and those arising in the present. Our hope is that the plants help guide us to live in deeper, more reciprocal relationship with ourselves, one another, the plants and the wider living world.

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