THE FENG SHUI GARDEN
"Where we place ourselves in the garden and the images with which we surround ourselves can subconsciously have a profound effect on our feeling of well-being."
I am reading a great book about creating a Feng Shui Garden. Utilizing these principles in the landscape will transform the outdoor space into a serene escape. As a Permaculture Landscape Designer I strive to incorporate sustainable guidelines and my knowledge of planting requirements to create healthy habitats for all the living organisms sharing the garden.
There is a lot of information to share so I will start with a summary and elaborate in subsequent posts:
Feng Shui is a way of life which helps us to live in harmony with our environment. Most homeowners I meet have a very busy life outside their home and ask me to help create a peaceful space to connect to them to nature. My job is to identify the natural flows of the environment and to harness the energy channels. "Chi is the invisible essential life force present in every form of life in the universe. Where if flows freely and accumulates, there is health and abundance."
We strive to achieve a balance in our life that Feng Shui calls the Yin and Yang. In gardening we aim to balance the natural world with our own habitats. The universe is full of swirling energy and potential chaos. The yin and yang keep these energies aligned. I like to ensure the garden has beneficial plants, companion planting, soil health, beneficial insects and creatures, a variety of textures, height and color in order to produce a calm energy and healthy eco system.
Each ecosystem needs to address the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. The five elements have universal correspondence. This is something to discuss in more detail and can be helpful to decide what colors to use where and locations of certain elements in the corresponding cardinal direction.
There is plenty more details to discuss about Feng Shui in the Garden, but now we have a piqued interest and know there is a natural flow we all need to capture.
-The Feng Shui Garden. Hale, Gill.
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