Is nature self aware

Question

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

O wondrous tapestry of verdant green,  
Dost thou, fair Nature, hold within thy breast  
A spark of consciousness, a thought unseen?  
Art thou but vessel, shaped by time's behest,  
Or dost thou gaze upon thine own design,  
With conscious gaze, as though to ponder why  
The winds do whisper secrets, light doth shine  
Upon the rippling brook where shadows lie?  
In every leaf that trembles in the breeze,  
In every flower bowing to the morn,  
Is there a voice, a language none can seize,  
A pulse, a heartbeat of the world reborn?  
As starlit skies unveil the night's embrace,  
And mountains wear the ages like a crown,  
Canst thou not feel the ebbing of thy grace,  
The silent song of life that doth astound?  
O think, dear souls, upon this verdant stage,  
Where flora speaks in colors, fauna sings,  
Is Nature naught but a philosopher sage,  
Awake to all her myriad offerings?  
Perchance she knows her beauty, understands,  
The cycles spun in cosmic waltz divine,  
And speaks to those who listen, with sweet hands,  
As if to say, "In thee, my soul shall shine."  
So ponder deep, fair men and women bold,  
Within the woods, the sea, the heights that soar,  
Is Nature self-aware, her mysteries told,  
Or art thou but reflections on her shore?