To plan the gardens around a house is often the last consideration in a house project. The thoughtful placement and choice of plant materials and areas of activity around a house can completely change the vitality of the whole environment. Sadly, the garden areas are rarely given priority over other features of a building project. We need to first study the environment of our house site and consider all the elements which reside there. The topography, geology, exposures, flow of forces, animals and plants already residing there, are all important clues to the “personality” of the site and can guide us in our choices moving forward.

Once again, the square of Elements is helpful for enhancing the qualities of the different elements we might wish to add to a landscape. Between Earth and Water is the cardinal point North and the quality of Cold. Between Water and Air is the cardinal point West, and it is known as the Humid way. Between Air and Fire on the South is the quality of Warmth. And between Fire and Earth on the East is the Dry Way.

The most “dead” part of the landscape is the Cold part, to the North. We can help to bring etheric vitality to the landscape by placing our vegetable garden in this zone. In the South, between Air and Fire with the quality of warmth, we can place a fruit tree or a whole orchard, or even just berry plants, depending on the amount of space we have. We could also place some woodland trees and shrubs in this area. On the East side, between Fire and Earth in the Dry way, we place aromatics and medicinal plants. These are plants more related to the spirit and the spirit comes towards us from the east, where we experience the rising sun. And lastly, on the West, in the Humid way between Water and Air, we have the experiences for the soul. Here we could place games for both children and adults. Or, perhaps we create spaces with differing light and shadows.

Walkways around the house or building are crucially important, but are often given little importance. We can balance the entire environment simply by the design and ratios of the walkways around a building and throughout the project. We can further enhance the vitality of a house by guiding the vital forces through the windows and doors. By placing specific plants in areas outside we can guide forces into the house, and accentuate or increase the flow of forces using pathways.See Spiritual Architecture DVDs and Transcripts