Spring is here! Longer days and warmer weather means you and
your family will spend more time outdoors. Did you know that
your garden has the potential to have an amazing effect on your
family’s health, happiness, and well-being? It’s true! Not only
can your garden be a place of enjoyment and beauty, by creating
harmony in your garden through the way of Vastu, you can bring
peace and happiness into the lives of those you love.
Vastu Shastra is an environmental science written about some
7,000 – 10,000 years ago in India by rishis, or men of great
wisdom. They observed the workings of Nature and recorded how
different rays of the sun, the magnetic poles, the makeup of
the land, soil, slope, structures and more affected all living
things. It is the oldest recorded architectural treatise known
to man and it is from this science that some of the world’s
most enduring structures have been created.
According to the science of Vastu Shastra, all five elements
(earth, water, fire, air, and space) need to be in harmony.
When a seed is planted, it requires that all five elements be
balanced for it to germinate, sprout, and become a strong,
healthy plant. The disproportion of any one element—whether
it is the quality of the earth (soil ph), the amount and
quality of water, wind (air), sun (fire), or the amount of
space it is planted in—has the power to inhibit its growth.
In this way a wise gardener sets up a balanced environment
for his plants to grow free from disease and stress.
Briefly, each area of your garden is associated with one of
the five elements. The earth element is associated with the
southwest area, providing a sustaining and grounding force for
the garden. In the northeast, the nourishing water element is
at home enhancing growth. The fire element in the southeast
supports healthy disease-free plants. The northwest is related
to the air element, encouraging cross-pollination for new growth
in the garden. The space element is associated with the central
area of your garden, enhancing the flow of beneficial influences
that nourishes the other elements.
Here are five suggestions to bring the five elements into balance
in your garden and make it a haven that is not only beautiful to
look and wonderful to spend time in, but will actually have an
empowering affect on the health and well-being of you and your
family.
1. Build up the southwest area of your garden to produce the
stabilizing force of the earth element. You can do this with a
rock garden, tall trees, and even a stone statue. This area is
extremely helpful in collecting and holding the positive solar
and magnetic energies coming from the east and north. Since
yellow is the color associated with the southwest, choose
daffodils, roses, or wisteria as color accents in this area.
The southwest is also a good place for a storage or tool shed.
2. Represent the water element in the northeast by adding a
fountain, pool, or pond so this beneficial energy will be
reflected throughout your garden. Use low plantings in the
northeast that will not block the life-enhancing ultraviolet
light coming from this direction. Plant herbs, white pansies,
or geraniums as color highlights in this direction.
3. Add a barbeque or a fire pit in the southeast area of your
garden to enliven the fire element. The color red is related
to this direction so plant tulips, geraniums, roses, and
dahlias in the southeast to enliven this element.
4. Wind chimes, a play area with a swing set, or a compost
pile will balance the air element in the northwest. Blue
is the color connected to this area, so plant bluebells,
forget-me-nots, and iris to enhance the influences coming
from this direction.
5. Represent the space element by an open patio area in the
center of your garden where you can sit and commune with
nature. Finally, keep your garden neat and tidy by pulling
weeds and removing dead plants. Doing so, you will support
the balance of the five elements and attract the positive
influences inherent in each of the five directions.
A well-tended and designed garden using the principles of Vastu
Shastra, will benefit you and the members of your family for
years to come. By reconnecting with the intrinsic balance within
nature using basic Vastu principles, you will experience better
health, improved relationships, and enjoy an enhanced sense of
well-being.
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