Observer & Eccentric, August 12, 2004
Sacred space -- Meditation gardens offer grounds for thought

Meditation gardens, with elements that make the site specially peaceful, are havens of tranquility, places to relax in stressful times. "There's certainly an interest in creating a space in the interior or exterior that is an escape or release from every day," said Daryl Toby, principal, AguaFina Gardens & Imports in Sylvan Lake.

"The people we've done gardens for have been ... in high-stress jobs. They ... like the idea of a quiet space," said Andy Cole of All Sorts Spiritual Garden Design, a business in England. "We all everywhere have stressful lives these days. You want to relax and unwind."

Bring in nature

Chinese gardens have principles similar to those of meditation gardens. "The idea is to duplicate nature," said Fran Knorr of Beverly Hills, who has taught a class on Chinese gardens through the Michigan School of Gardening.

An ancient Chinese myth says that mountains are the skeleton of the earth's body and rivers are the arteries, she said. To replicate this in a garden, rocks can represent mountains, for example. A meditation garden must be "relaxing to the eye and have an air of calm," according to the Web site of All Sorts Spiritual Garden Design.

Seating in this garden isn't enclosed in a pergola or archway, so energy can be free flowing. Low rustling grasses or bubbling water can provide the subtle sounds that are basic features of a meditation garden, the Web site says. The sounds help in the meditation process by giving your conscious mind something on which to focus while you are trying to relax.

A labyrinth or pathway can also occupy the mind, Toby said. "(Just) a lawn won't do," he said. Barsons Greenhouses in Westland offers such soothing garden features as chimes, and bowls called Fantasy Zone, Sky Zone or Mystery Zone that set on a table or frame and create fog from water. Fantasy Zone includes built-in LED lights that change color.

The Chinese garden includes "borrowing." This can involve building platforms from which to regard nature. "Much of the grace of traditional Chinese architectural theory and practice grew out of the practice of designing buildings so that they fit harmoniously in the landscape," Chen Lifang and Yu Sianglin wrote in their book, The Garden Art of China.

In "water borrowing," a semicircular bridge forms a round shape with its reflection in water. In China, the round shape is a symbol of the moon and perfection. Plants have specific functions, according to All Sorts Spiritual Garden Design. For example, the birch cultivates spiritual vision, the willow helps in removing negative energies from the body.

Symbolism in the Chinese garden includes the peony (riches and honor), lotus (innocence and purity) and peach (long life). Bamboo, pine and plum are the "three friends" - they don't wither in the winter, so they symbolize "the virtuous person whose fortitude and uprightness are best revealed in the time of trouble when the going is rough," according to Knorr.

Twelve key ornamentals in the Chinese garden are:

• spring flowering - dark-purple cymbidium, Polyanthus narcisus, tree peony and Japanese apricot
  
• summer flowering - Chinese pink, gladiolus and China rose
  
• autumn flowering - Chinese water lily
  
• winter flowering - net-veined camellia, wintersweet, Chinese chrysanthemum and snow azalea

Nuances

Nuances can add meditative features to a garden. Toby said that when he was in Japan, he noticed stepping stones in a garden were slightly elevated. It was explained that such stones helped the meditation process; a visitor would concentrate on the steps, freeing his or her mind from everything else.

A pathway made of Indonesian stone, which would have a clinking sound when walked upon, and plants with a lemon scent are examples of other meditative nuances to a garden. "People are making benches out of our antique pavers, where you can feel the patina," Toby said.

Tracery at windows and platforms is another meditative addition. You look through different spaces in the tracery, seeing a different view each time, Knorr said. "The whole garden doesn't have to be a meditation garden," she said.

Mary Klemic