THE MOST SPIRITUAL OF PLACES ARE OFTEN THOSE CREATED BY NATURE ITSELF

a place to restore our senses, and our souls, away from the brutal pace of modern life. Our gardens can give us that space and are so much more than just another room to decorate, so how can you create a sacred garden for yourself?

One way is by using the ancient Japanese tenets of movement and stasis. In a Japanese garden the oku is the central sacred space or heart – both physically and spiritually – of the garden, and the process of moving towards it is one of ritual and drama achieved by hidden views and glimpses of the end point.

The Japanese have a garden concept they call miegakure, which roughly translates as ‘ hide and reveal’. It’s an idea that was popularised during the Edo Period (1600-1854), and is achieved by putting up a barrier, such as a wall, hedge or area of planting, that keeps the oku hidden and then distributing the elements of the garden so that this sacred area is gradually revealed. It’s an idea you can use in your own garden, possibly by taking advantage of the natural contours of your garden, by hiding a sanctuary garden in a dip or woodland, for example. The central space can take many forms based on sacred geometry, and include a focus, such as a pool or fire pit.

CREATING SANCTUARY

Some people need to move to think, and a moving meditation, such as Tai chi or Qi gong, gives our bodies something to do and allows our minds to quieten so that our inner spirit can find peace. In a garden setting a labyrinth is the perfect way to facilitate a walking meditation. Creating your own doesn’t need to be expensive; it can simply be a spiral marked in stones or sticks, a path mown in grass or a hedged enclosure. Traditionally, a Hindu labyrinth would have seven spirals to denote the seven chakras – root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown – and an area for stillness at the centre, but you could design your own take on this. The path can be left bare, with areas of rainy-day mud symbolising life’s stickier moments, or you can use a natural material, such as brick or stone to create a year-round, dry surface.

For many gardeners not having something to do is an anathema; they’d rather be pricking out in the potting shed than sitting still. If this is you then a mandala is a fabulous way of setting intention and calming the mind as you create it. In its most basic form, this Sanskrit symbol is a circle contained within a square, divided into sections and organised around a central point, but mandalas come in many intricate and beautiful patterns. The concept has been borrowed by the artist James Brunt who creates simple and meditative works out of stones or leaves. To create your own, simply gather a collection of meaningful things and lay them out in a mandala pattern, starting at the centre and working your way outwards around the circle. The mandala can be permanent or more ephemeral, using natural materials that will disappear with the rain.

The final and most important ingredient to turn part of a garden into a sacred space is the intention. And that comes from within us, so by choosing our place and setting our intention we have already taken the first tiny step towards building a better world.

Marian Boswall is a multi-award-winning landscape architect with an international practice, MBLA, based in Kent. marianboswall.com

1 DOWN TO EARTH Standing stones, such as this ancient stone in Pembrokeshire, have helped to connect us to the earth since Neolithic times. What meaning they had for our ancestors we will probably never know, but sculptural forms have played an important role in religions across the ages.

2 NATURAL SPIRIT Walking among the twisted, moss-covered boughs of the trees of Wistman’s Wood, in Dartmoor National Park, it’s hard not to be touched by the spiritual beauty of nature. This unspoilt woodland is a reminder that we don’t need to cultivate every corner of our gardens.

3 COMING ROUND This meditation labyrinth with seven spirals is defined by a circle of wildflowers to attract pollinators. Paths are made from natural sandstone and planted with Sagina subulata between the paths to minimise maintenance.