We had a wonderful conference with Johannes Mathiessen called,
WARRAH SACRED STONE GARDEN PROJECT
We had a wonderful conference with Johannes Mathiessen called,
"Healing the Earth and Healing Human Destiny".
He has
developed coordinated community projects in many countries for
healing and regenerating devastated landscapes by creating sacred
gardens. These gardens are all different according to the place
and people living there. The idea of creating such gardens is to
draw consciousness with more reverence to the earth we live upon
and renew a deeper relationship with our environment. The gardens
are not imposed designs but rather have a feeling for the natural
flow of the landscape. They are created with sensitivity for what
could be received in each place.
This conference inspired us to create such a special sacred
garden at Warrah. We were very fortunate to have the skills of
Kieran Fraser who has worked with Johannes Mathiessen on various
projects. Kieran gave his time freely as a volunteer.
Our garden site is by the school playground among a wonderful
grove of Red Gum trees. The garden team worked extremely hard
raking, digging, collecting stones, using mattock and tools to
prepare our special garden space. The enthusiastic effort of the
students was highly impressive!
Our original thought was to make a therapeutic labyrinth pathway
or a spiral... however, the land had its own movement and Kieran
found the simple winding paths which flowed best in that area,
uncovering natural steps and lovely rock formations. In the end
we found a sort of a spiral with the back-winding quality of a
labyrinth!
The giant sandstone slabs were selected from the Glenorie Quarry
"Positive Earth Moving" who were kind enough to sell
them with a reduced price.
It was quite a feat rolling the heavy stones off our truck! It
takes 8 men to lift each stone!
Kieran carved the sandstones in special designs of the qualities
of the four elements.
The stones were set in place with a special community singing
ceremony as the stones were raised and received into the earth.
The standing stones not only give artistic beauty, but bring
consciousness to one's uprightness as one meets these stones
travelling along the garden path.
We felt this has been quite an inspiring and positive project!
We hope our Warrah Sacred garden will be a peaceful place
to bring inner refreshment as well as beauty for the whole community.
We added a flow form fountain in the centre of our sacred garden in 2005. The water flows in figure of eight movements to enliven the water. The whole area feels this life force. We were surprised to see a face of an aboriginal spirit in the centre of this photograph and several figures dancing in the water!
WARRAH
SACRED GARDEN CEREMONY
30 JUNE 2002
It was a clear, sunny winter's day. The previous icy winds had
pacified and the atmosphere in nature was one of expectation.
John Billing, a visiting musician, set the mood as he played the
big alto lyre under the trees.
The four standing stones were covered with white cloths with
green ribbons looking somewhat like four tall priests in robes
dressed for the occasion.
The center stone was carried by a group of strong men and placed
in position.
Liz Hamilton then introduced the garden features :
How do we make a place sacred or special? Perhaps by first
becoming aware of a place, we feel the quality of it, care for
it, respect and connect our heart to it.
This garden has a winding path which spirals inwards and then
backwinds to change direction. This change of direction brings
awareness as one meets another step to shift up a level when
walking into the center. And as you walk this pathway you become
aware of finding your own center and meet the natural center
stone shaped like a flame.
The path is not easy to walk with big pebbles and steps and you
become aware of your feet and need to balance... and suddenly you
become aware of walking on the earth. The pebbles crunch, the
stones resound back the quality of how you are walking...you hear
if you are too fast, or too rough, or walking gently or
strongly.... It resounds back how you are walking upon this
earth.
And as you walk, you meet these standing stones. They face you
like Beings, great presences, and are carved with designs for you
to be aware and remember the elements:
The flowing water that gives us life:
The air we breathe and speak that swirls and rolls in endless motion:
The fire that gives us warmth and our inner individual spark:
And the earth design that depicts the breathing motion from heaven,through this heart space, deep down to the earth core. It moves up and down in vortex motion silently perceiving. The heart space arises between heaven and earth looks like a sort of eye. The stones and crystals are really the eyes of the earth and relate back up to the cosmos:
Finally, there is this wonderful Celtic design that interweaves
all the 4 elements as one.
Pauline Fitzgerald, Annika Andersdotter and Liz Hamilton spoke a
verse for each element by each of the stones.
Kieran
ceremoniously removed the stones' white robes which was a
releasing of his work into our care.
Then the children walked the pathway to offer a stone into the
center.
We then asked the question:
"If the earth will accept these stones placed here and
receive our garden?"
Everyone was invited to place their hands on each stone. We each
offered our own tone, high or low, and together we tried to find
a harmonic sound. For it is in the harmony of human activity that
can give healing to the earth.
We then were silent and listened to feel if the earth resounded
back.
I
personally felt a powerful vibration coming up through my feet
and resonating through my whole body.
Then we finished as a community singing "Dona Nobis
Pacem" (Give us Peace)
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