The Growing Dome as a Home Sanctuary
The Growing Dome as a Home Sanctuary
My intention with these Home Sanctuary pages is to comment
on our need for sacred spaces, places of refuge and quiet,
where we gather and center ourselves for balance and attunement.
Many people comment when visiting a Growing Dome for the
first time: "I just want to STAY in here!" The
peace and healing inside seems to be related to the cathedral-like
feeling of the dome shape, the diffused light and the presence
of plants growing all around, even in winter. As
I enjoy the changing hues of light at various times of day,
which catch the condensation in the inside of the glazing
tubes, or spotlight the faces of flowers, beauty fills me
with a reverence for life.
Julie Moir Messervy writes in her book "The Magic Land": "A circle may be the most meditative pattern on earth. Like the sacred syllable 'Om,' considered to be the greatest of all mantras, a circle is open, continuous and omni-directional. It seems to emanate from the void space at its very center."
Life itself is threatened in our modern world. Denial
can only lead us into further degradation and disease. (For
example: I read this morning that GMOs are being rejected
in Europe after a study showed that they are responsible
for killing wild birds and other animals, as well as the
"unwanted weeds") The Natural world must be
actively valued and supported if we are going to survive
as a species. My garden is a microcosm through
which I discover the wonder and perfection of the macrocosm.
As a Baby-boomer, I realize it is time to live from the inside out, from wisdom and discernment, rather than the programed expectations of the American Dream. Honoring inner life and a higher state of consciousness, means learning new skills, cultivating peace, and asking new questions. I am no longer satisfied to define myself by my roles, careers. or only as a "Consumer" of goods and services. I am no longer interested in being "driven" by cultural conditioning. I want to explore the real nature of freedom. I know that to heal the trap of dualism (there is so
much to protest now!) I will have to get beyond duality
in my ability to hold a neutral (peaceful) point of view. Nature
helps me reach for a bigger kind of trust in Divine Order. In
all her complexity and simplicity, Nature reminds me of
the Eternal cycles of life.
One of my favorite authors, Terry Tempest Williams, describes this
 kind of awareness so beautifully in her book An Unbroken Hunger: "When in the presence of natural order, we remember the potentiality of life, which has been overgrown by civilization." (p.8)
Also, "For the naturalist, traveling into unfamiliar
territory is like turning a kaleidescope ninety degrees. Suddenly
the colors and pieces of glass find a fresh arrangement. The
light shifts and you
enter a new landscape in search of the order you know to be there."(p.1)
This is where I am in my life at this moment. I know there is a New
Order to be found.
Puja Dhyan Parsons |
|---|
Home Sanctuaries • Bibliography
Sacred
Spaces
A
Place of Peace & Solace
Return to Growing
Spaces
Sacred
Spaces 
The
serenity of my home sanctuary has become a space for cultivating
myself as much as plants or garden design. Reclaiming
time and space has become a reclamation of myself, my awareness
and peace of mind. "Taking space" has led me
to many awarenesses about today's world and my personal
walk through it. I plan to share some of those
reflections here.