The word for "paradise" comes from the Persian word for garden, and has always meant the same thing in every culture. It represents “heaven on earth” and is our opportunity to own a bit of heaven—here and now. As a healer, it is restorative to understand that gardens provide us with refuge and well-being.
A garden has the potential to provide a refuge from stress, the "health epidemic of the 21st century" according to the World Health Organization. Doctors believe that stress leading to illness is the cause of 70% of all visits to the family doctor. The ability of the garden to provide this place of healing and calm becomes crucial as more and more people succumb to this disease of 'modern life'.
It doesn't matter if the indoor garden is a few pots on the windowsill or a lush garden room, what matters is that the plants add a dimension to the home/or workplace that literally transforms the energy and adds life. There is something about tending to and caring for plants, whether you are watering, replanting or touching the leaves, that reconnects us at a deep level with an overwhelming sense of wonder at this miracle of life of which we are an integral part. When we plant a seed or see the cyclical nature of the gardens we grow, time stands still, and we bask in the knowledge of our relationship to the earth and to the spiritual aspect of ourselves.
Reasons for creating an indoor garden include: corners in rooms and on furniture are softened when plants are planted and placed in these areas; living plants create feelings of peace and well-being; starting seeds indoors provides a spring kick for those of us with twitchy fingers in January and allows us to grow a variety of plants not commonly available in greenhouses; growing herbs indoors facilitates our ability to cook with fresh herbs year-round; teaching children to garden provides an opportunity for the healing aspects of gardening to become a lifelong aspect of their lives; indoor gardening is a stress management tool taught in a variety of classes related to providing a higher quality of life to people coping with loss in their lives through death, divorce, or trauma.
Steps to create your indoor garden
1. Purpose – what do you want to achieve – healing, meditation, growing herbs for cooking or a project with the kids?
2. Space – how much space is available – cloakroom, basement, living room, bedroom corner, windowsill?
3. Seating - Is there a place to sit in your space?
4. Characteristics – create a specific type of garden such as a collection of Focuses, Orchids, Herbs or Ferns.
5. Features - include water features such as fountains, art, sentimental items, chimes, aroma and/or color therapy, candles and/or music.
6. Location – Is the location suitable for indoor gardening?
7. Light – is the light sufficient, or will you need artificial light?
8. Plants - what plants will you grow?
Indoor gardens can include anything from a table garden, herb garden, healing garden, meditation garden, container garden, water garden, or wildlife garden. Thomas Moore wrote: We may have to relearn the secret of the garden: how its external qualities model the heart itself, and how the soul is an enclosed garden, our own eternal paradise where we can refresh and renew ourselves. In other words, an inner garden can provide a sanctuary where we can take a moment to reconnect with our own sacredness.
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