STOP ! …
Step out of the world and allow yourself some time to balance body, mind and spirit when you take a gentle stroll through the Herb Land Sensory Spiral Herb Garden – a Herb Garden design based on the principles of Herbalism, Colour and Aroma therapy. As you walk through, allow yourself to be present, exploring the textures, tastes, smells, colours and sounds of this magical garden, the only one of its kind in the world.
Walk the Labyrinth:
A spiral is the most primitive form of a labyrinth in its movement to the center, a metaphor for a spiritual journey, with the entrance representing birth and the center symbolizing god within, knowing or enlightenment.
Colours:
Start your journey entering from the east, a high energy point resembling activity, movement, the daily run around. You are surrounded by herbs that resemble this high energy with Red flowers, berries or leaves or with stimulating and energetic fragrance. One such herb is “Pineapple Sage”, with its bright red flowers and strong pineapple scent that reminds you of the hot tropics, sunshine and good vibes.
This is where you will experience the first step in bringing balance and equanimity to the energy points or chakras of the body, starting with the Base Chakra, resembled by the colour Red. Taking time to visually experience the red colours and inhaling the aromas to initiate this journey.
Walking further along you enter the Pink area, a softer shade of red, with herbs such as Pink Perennial Basil with its ever familiar uplifting and stimulating aroma and taste. The bees absolutely love the Pink Perennial Basil flowers and you will most of the time see them frantically busy collecting pollen and nectar.
Strolling along you will meander through the orange, yellow, green, blue and purple sections and then finally you reach the center where you are surrounded by white. This is a place of contemplation where you can quietly sit and allow yourself to let go.
Center of the Spiral:
The design of the center, or crown chakra area, has been designed to symbolize our connection to mother earth and the essential elements we need for our existence:
– The roof is round and symbolizes the sun and its rays beaming down on us
– Water on the sides reminds us of the fluidity of life – water makes life possible.
– A Ginkgo biloba tree in the center is a representation of the plant kingdom. Ginkgoes are “living fossils” that thrived 270 million years ago, before the age of dinosaurs. They found a safe haven in Eastern Asia, where they were cultivated as sacred trees representing eternal life. Ginkgoes can live to be 1000-2500 years old. In fall their green leaves transition to saffron yellow, which release in a sequence that creates a mystical golden-rainfall.
○ All humans & living beings need some form of plant material to sustain life. Plants extract minerals from the soil and in the presence of sunlight & water builds leaves, fruits and seeds for us to eat and stay alive as well as absorbing Carbon dioxide and releasing Oxygen for us to breath in.
○ Plants give us food and medicine we need for living.
Walking Out:
After taking some time to reflect, continue on the path back into the spiral. This symbolizes the journey of life … you never walk the same path twice in life.
When you walk the path now towards the exit of the spiral you will walk the colours in reverse … purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and lastly red at the exit point. This is the process of re-energizing yourself to be ready to face the world outside … but this time you are doing it with balanced energy.
Why not make time for yourself … walk the spiral and find some balance and peace within again.