Category: Health and Wellness
A Refuge of Your Own
Creating a Garden Sanctuary
Think about creating a garden sanctuary to reconnect with nature and honor yourself and mother earth.
Each of us has been blessed with an innate need to celebrate and glorify life. At a most basic level, we honor the forces that came together to bring us into being by caring for our bodies and our souls. To truly rejoice in existence, we must also learn to cultivate loveliness in those special places that replenish the soul. When we create a garden sanctuary, we are reminded that we are a part of both nature's essence and something more. An outdoor retreat is a place we can surround ourselves in nature, beauty, and the life force. It is not difficult to create a sanctuary—we should endeavor, however, to create sanctuaries that speak to us as individuals.
Whether we have a yard, a grassy corner, a patio, or a porch at our disposal, our creative potential is infinite. Any of these spaces can become a magnificent garden. When we feel drawn to specific themes such as Zen, angels, paradise, or the ethereal, we should explore them. Décor and furniture crafted from natural materials like wood and stone blend seamlessly into nature. Yet we can also augment the natural world by filling our garden sanctuaries with statues, bells or gongs, or colorful flags. Running water, like that in a created stream or fountain, helps energy flow smoothly. If space is a concern, crystals and mirrors can fulfill the same function. Hidden features like concealed swings and reflecting pools veiled in shadow can surprise and delight. As your garden sanctuary evolves, remember to invite the elemental spirits of nature to assist you in your efforts to create a small pocket of harmony, beauty, and peace in your own backyard. If you have not already felt th! eir presence, sit quietly in your garden and reach out to them. You will feel these earthly guides at your side as you continue to develop your sanctuary.
In the refuge of brilliant color, sweet scents, and stillness you create in your garden, the burdens imposed upon you by a sometimes hectic world will melt away. The splendor and tranquility of what you have brought into being will entrance you, allowing you to forget the constraints of time and space. No matter how large or small your garden sanctuary, the time you spend reveling in its pleasures will refresh your spirit and provide you with innumerable opportunities to celebrate life.
I can't wait until I have the space to do this. Although, I love to go outside. I just wish there was a place around here where I could hear the nature sounds without the car and other man-made sounds.
Water fountains are a nice feature to have.
Some are small enough to fit on a table in a corner of the room.
They add that relaxing sound of water.
Place one or two plants near by to add a natural freshness
to the room...
And toss some bread crumbs outdoors so as birds will fly in
the near by area and give the added sound of chirping.
water fountains are beautiful, i agree!.
it's the sound of the ocean that does it for me though, nothing can beat it.
For me it is Lake Michigan...
btw here is a video that has some neat sounds of
waves washing the shore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Xx0-Bgbzo&feature=related
Thanks. I'll have to check that one out.
Am I the only one who thought that "nature's sanctuary" refered to the bathroom? Now this topic can stay on the health board!