< previous page page_186 next page >

Page 186
Celebrating Nature Indoors
If your home or workplace lacks sunlight, you can still include the presence of nature. Try displaying bouquets, flower petals floating in bowls of water, or dried flowers. Or hang a string of garlic bulbs or red chilies.
Nature can also be acknowledged through the display of a collection of stones, seashells, pinecones, acorns, shelled nuts, baskets, or boxes made of woven grass or reed. You can even honor nature with symbols: paintings and etchings that use earthy tones; floor and window treatments, waste baskets, and storage receptacles made of organic materials; stone, metal, or wood statues.
But if you do have a home or workspace that provides sunlight, try to celebrate the sun with plants. Think about creating a special area where the plants are arranged according to height with the tallest in the middle. This recreates an ascent, mirroring the temple, and is extremely pleasing to the eye and the soul.
If you have a terrace, balcony, porch, or verandah, why not create a minioutdoor environment? You can choose plants and trees that thrive in the direction of the attached outdoor space. Use containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes. But please keep the proportion of the space in mind and don't overwhelm it. Also, be sure to include a zone of tranquility and try to put it in the east, the north, or the northeast. Within the zone, create an inviting space that beckons you to sit or even lie down to enjoy the outdoors.
SACRED BASIL
Indian homes traditionally place a pot containing tulsi, a plant sacred to Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation, in the courtyard if one exits of just outside the home. Tulsi is holy basil and the plant is worthy of its name. It is extremely fragrant, tasty, and leads to spiritual growth.

 
< previous page page_186 next page >