In autumn 2010, award-winning British garden designer James Towillis was invited to take part in the Gardening World Cup in Japan where he built The Resurgence Peace Garden.
James, who took his inspiration from the Japanese version of the creation story – where Amaterasu Omikami is drawn back out of her cave to restore light to the world – and who won a silver medal for the garden, is now planning a Resurgence 45th Birthday commemorative garden at his home in Devon.
Here, he shares some of the underlying key concepts from the Peace Garden design:
* The Resurgence Peace Garden represents a symbolic journey in search of our true nature, beginning with the centre of the pool where we feel exposed and disconnected from Nature.
* As our awareness of the need to connect with Nature grows so does the realisation that if we move mindfully, paying attention to each step we take, we can create our own paths toward our true nature.
* There is no obvious path, which makes us pay attention to our every step; this slowness of movement and consideration of each step encourages us to remain in the present moment.
* Climbing up a little and looking back, we notice a green shoot growing out of the black hole in the centre of the pool. This reminds us that far from being disconnected from Nature, she is at the heart of our being.
To learn more about The Resurgence Peace Garden, see our web exclusive article: www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3363-the-resurgence-garden.html. For more information: jamestowillis.com/home.html
