Spiritual Garden Design - Summary

We live in a society that is losing its spiritual way. We find it hard to find inner peace and the extra dimension to life that gives us joy, energy and strength. We want to turn back to the land to rediscover that spiritual dimension. As a clairvoyant, I can tap into the special memory contained in a place, in other words, its spiritual energy. I work with that energy to encourage harmony and balance, strengthening it all with specific plant combinations for rest, healing, protection, stimulus, psychic work or ceremonial use.

I have also worked with spirit guides to 'heal' or cleanse a place that had felt unhappy, before preparing the ground for a very special courtyard space.

I like to work with the contours of the land, but it is hilly in this part of the West, so this often means introducing subtle changes in level rather than one awkward slope. If modern elements, such as busy roads, detract from the serenity of an ancient place, then native trees ( e.g. oak for strength and permanence, elder for spiritual protection) can sometimes be planted to provide a screen. Soft sounds from moving water, grasses and bamboos can also divert the mind from unwelcome noise.

In order to channel the energies in a garden, I like to build a strong combination of light, shade, paths or watercourses, colour, texture and scent so that all the senses are engaged. After all, our gardens reflect us, and should be where we feel most natural and happy.

HOW DO THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF A SPIRITUAL GARDEN WORK?

TREES

Trees are the strongest link to earth energies, and they encourage the flow of those energies through the other plants. The energy they release forms a canopy over the garden, providing a wide channel of energy for spiritual links to us. After all, in more spiritually aware times, trees were often important landmarks and meeting places. Some of our native tree species can offer remarkably strong support for our spiritual life, for example;

• Beech - self-confidence
• Blackthorn - brings light in despair
• Elder - psychic protection
• Field maple - solace in seeking love
• Hawthorn - hope while grieving
• Holly - peace and reassurance
• Oak - strength and energy
• Sycamore - endurance
• Willow - clarity of vision

WATER

A watercourse is a natural channel for the energies in a garden. The direction in which it flows can follow the energy lines through the garden, providing both stimulus and serenity. The sound of rippling, trickling water can aid meditation, and a still pool of reflected light, plant shadows and sky can add another whole dimension to the landscape. I like to site ponds as naturally as possible in their surroundings, in a natural hollow, or a damper part of the land, and I will sometimes dowse for old springs or watercourses when sitting a pond or a flowing stream. But a still pool should always be within an energy line, so that although the water is still, energy can flow positively through it, adding to its cleansing, purifying effect. Often a pool will become the spiritual focal point of the garden, just as springs and wells were sacred in earlier times. Pets, birds and wild animals also find them irresistible.

LAWNS AND PATHS

Walking on soft, silent grass is a wonderful feeling, and I like to use turf in healing gardens. Grass is the foil for planting schemes and can be important in inducing a sense of calm. But grass is not suitable for all gardens, and paths made of local materials like bricks, cobbles, stone or wood, serve to divide the space, channel energies and lead the eye to a focal point, a monument, a water feature or a seating area.

SEATING

Being still and giving ourselves the chance for contemplation is central to the restorative power of a lovely garden. In order to encourage an enhanced sense of the spiritual in an outdoor space, seating is carefully placed for maximum peace, privacy and vision. It might be a scented, shady place looking out over a garden filled with colour and light; it might be a private corner framing a vista; it might be a simple linear view ending in a special feature, a pool, an ornament or a monument.

PLANTS

Colour, perfume, texture, sound, flavour, all the stimuli we need to awaken the senses in our spiritual search are in the plants we choose for the garden. Native flowers and trees link us directly to the land and our spiritual inheritance. They flourish in this climate and encourage a balance of insects, birds and mammals to build a healthy ecosystem. Herbs and medicinal plants add strength to the spiritual links in a garden, as the sun releases their healing oils. Some well-loved flowers have rich healing properties too;

• Foxglove- to treat heart and gall bladder; calming
• Geranium- to treat depression
• Honeysuckle - to treat poor circulation, lungs and bowel
• Hypericum (St John's wort) - to treat stomach problems such as ulcers
• Lavender - to treat sleeping disorders
• Lilies - to strengthen the immune system
• Marigolds - to aid in healing tissue
• Rosemary - to stimulate memory
• Snowdrops - to aid in grieving and depression

In addition to the special properties of chosen plants, colour combinations can be planned to achieve a particular effect in healing, meditating or spiritual work and ceremony.