The word ‘paradise’ comes from a Persian word meaning field and has always meant the same thing in all cultures. It represents the ‘paradise on earth’ and is our chance to have a little heaven - here and now. There is a need to restore as a healer when we understand that gardens provide us with a place to live and well.
The garden has the potential to provide a place of refuge from depression, the “21st century health epidemic” according to the World Health Organization. Doctors suggest that stress-related illnesses account for 70% of all family doctor visits. The garden's ability to provide this healing space is important as more and more people are succumbing to the effects of 'modern life.'
It does not matter if the indoor garden is a few pots in a window or a fertile garden room, the important thing is that the plants add a element to the home and / or workplace that literally transforms energy and adds life. There is something about caring for plants and caring for them whether it is watering, re-potting, or touching the leaves to reconnect us at a deeper level with a wonderful sense of awe at this miracle of life that is an integral part of it. As we plant the seeds or observe the rotation of the gardens we grow, time fades, and we enjoy the knowledge of our relationship with the earth, as well as our spiritual aspect.
Reasons for creating a home garden include: the corners of the rooms and the furniture that is inclined when plants are introduced and placed in these areas; living plants create a sense of calm and well-being; indoor seed planting provides a spring-start for those of us who get sharp fingers in January and allows us to grow a variety of plants that are not commonly found in nursery; growing herbs in the home enhances our ability to cook fresh herbs throughout the year; teaching children the garden provides an opportunity for the healing properties of the garden to be a part of their whole life; indoor garden is a stress management tool taught in various classes related to providing the highest quality of life for people facing death, divorce, or trauma in their lives.
Steps to Creating Your Indoor Garden
1. Purpose - what do you want to achieve - healing, meditation, planting herbal remedies, or a project with children?
2. Space - how much space is available - cabinet, basement, living room, bedroom corner, window?
3. Seats - is there space in your living space?
4. Features - create a certain type of garden such as a bunch of Ficus, orchids, herbs, or ferns.
5. Features - include water features such as springs, art, heart material, wind chimes, scent and / or color therapy, candles, and / or music.
6. Location - is the area suitable for indoor farming?
7. Light - is it light enough or will you need artificial lights?
8. Crops - What crops will you plant?
Indoor gardens can include anything from a table garden, vegetable garden, healing garden, meditation garden, bowl garden, water garden, or wildlife garden. Thomas Moore wrote, "We may have to rediscover the mysteries of the garden: how its external features exemplify the heart itself, and how the garden soul is confined, our eternal paradise in which we can be refreshed and restored." In other words, a home garden can provide a sanctuary space where we can take a moment and reconnect with our sanctity.
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