11 Jul Garden Alive: Feng Shui on the Path

My husband has completed the enormous project of cutting a path through our backyard hill as discussed in a past blog. As with many projects that have a purpose, it took on a life of its own. He listened to its flow and followed the energy to create a beautiful, meandering walk through a once unwalkable hill.

What the path accomplished for us is a definition of areas. Instead of one big hill to consider, we now have smaller garden plots that can be treated as a unit. One day as I was walking the path, I was inspired with an idea that will help define the areas even more, which is to give them specific names. We could name one of them after our cat Bodhi who typically sits in that part of the hill—the Bodhi Garden. Another area where years ago we placed a lawn ornament with the Chinese character for ch’i could be called The Ch’i Garden.

When incorporating Feng Shui in a home, I’m very specific about instructing people to use all the rooms in their home. If not, some part of the home and their lives will become stagnant. It has become blatantly obvious this same concept must be applied to the garden as well. If there are parts of your garden or yard you can’t get to or don’t access, something is going to be dormant in your own life.

Whether we stay with the suggested names is yet to be determined. Not only does the gardener himself have to determine their appropriate titles, but also the garden. Anyone who has walked the path comes away with a smile on their face and their spirits lifted. Something came alive when the path was uncovered, and it isn’t just us. Everyday I see our cats strolling on the new walkway. In fact, one day I found one of them actually sleeping on the path. Knowing how cats are so sensitive to energy, I have no doubt an energy has surfaced offering a fresh message from the land. I’ll bet the garden can offer up some great names—better than any we’d conjure up or imagine.