Gardening According To The Way Of Vastu

Gardening According To The Way Of Vastu

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.
About the author:

Michael and Robin Mastro?s synergistic approach to
environmental balance successfully assists people to
live in peace and harmony, and to create stress-free
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