Here’s how I got interested in the topic of “spiritual gardens”. But first, I should point out that the use of the term spritual gardens could just as easily be in lieu of such phrases as “sacred gardens” spiritual spaces, metaphysical gardens, meditative gardens, healing gardens, gardens of the soul, etc. All describe the connection of the inner thoughts and feelings of one’s consciousness to that of the outer physical world or their immediate environment in the context of a garden setting. The term garden is used broadly and not necessarily describing the growing of flowers and vegetables. The term “garden” and “tending to ones’s garden” when used metaphorically, can evoke parallels with one’s personal and spriitual development and “growth”.
Twenty years ago or so, I obtained my Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from California Polytechnic University Pomona. I was later employed as a Coastal Planner for the California Coastal Commission, dealing with protection of the coastal resources, its environmentally sensitive habitat, public access to the shoreline and overall land use regulation that protects the environment. This was all at a large regional scale, while a development proposal dealing with a single residence was considered a minor project. I was very much an “environmentalist” and resonated with the policies that protected the earth, the ecosystems, habitat and endangered species. This connection with nature was and still is profound. But what I was really intrigued about was my first exposure to a different way of looking at nature while attending graduate school. I took a class taught by Professor Usugi called “Geomancy” or more commonly referred to today as Feng Shui. We were exposed to the principles of land planning in ancient China, the development of gardens and directional energies of the earth among other things. This rekindled earlier studies and readings in eastern philosophy such as Alan Watts and D.H. Suzuki. My belief systems were being formulated as I was in a “seeking” mode for what is the essential meaning of life, or as I put it back then, what is the interconnectedness of all things? For I knew there was a connection, but I could not put my finger on it. I have not yet reached “enlightenment” but I am on a much clearer path today and part of that path is what I will share throught this blog site.
-JSL
