I wrote another poem that was inspired by gardens…
Pathways to Knowledge
The Spirit said to Nephi, Look!
And Nephi looked and saw.
Directed where to look and see,
He was taught by God.
You too are given chances,
To see and know the things of God.
The tree of life lies up ahead;
Walk the path lined with the rod.
Put off the natural man;
Become a Child of Christ.
He wants to teach and nurture you;
Be willing to be enticed.
This life is like a garden,
Filled with sights and sounds.
Paths weave through the piece of land,
Glorious adventures abound.
The garden is designed,
With orchestrated walks.
Curved paths direct you were to go,
Marked by monuments and rocks.
Markers prompt a pause to ask,
‘What mean ye by these stones?’
The Father Gardener answers back;
He makes the meaning known.
The way is made, the path invites,
Pick up your feet and stroll.
The pathway curves around the bend;
Keep walking til the view is whole.
You come upon a monument,
Invited to look and yield.
Enticings of the Spirit,
God wants to be revealed.
Look closely and then look again,
Wonder, ponder, and ask.
‘How is it done? What does it mean?’
The meaning is unmasked.
The Spirit is the teacher,
Life lessons here abound.
In this incredible garden,
The mysteries are found.
.……………
This poem was inspired by a quote that I read in a gardening book, and a section of scripture…
“For me, painting, sculpture, music, and the other fine arts are far more than just a sales tool or a means to better understanding gardens. The fact is, I find these fields in fundamental ways indistinguishable, as inseparably interwoven as the music and dance of a ballet. This complex interrelationship is what most fascinated me about my work. A garden partakes of the other arts and is also uniquely more.
For example, because a garden is in part a scene intended for viewing, its design shares the two dimensional, depictive quality of painting or drawing. But because it is also a space through which you move, the garden must also be handled as a sculpture. Unlike sculpture, however, a garden is constantly changing, and so, like music and dance, is an art form with a fourth dimension, that of time.
In part, this dimension of time and change is a function of how we experience gardens, which is typically as a progression of sights, smells, textures, and views. Managing that involves a process that the gifted San Francisco garden designer William Peters defined as “Choreographing a Walk.” Through the use of variety of simple devices, he not only controls where visitors set their feet, but also manipulates the pace at which they move, slowing or speeding their progress, as well as their position, turning the visitors toward or away from the views.” I also find it useful to think of gardens in terms of dance. The use of ornamental grasses is one of the signatures of our design style, and I like to dispose these within the landscape in drifts, in part for the rhythmic motion they contribute on a breezy day.
A garden changes through the natural processes of growth and death. The living elements of the garden are always expanding or shrinking, changing color, texture, even form, with the seasons. It’s this that makes garden design so uniquely challenging and rewarding. The choreographer or composer sets the time in a dance or ballad; in the garden, nature keeps the beat, which means that the progress, even for the most expert gardener, is always unpredictable. A garden, is always, ultimately a mystery.” (James Van Sweden, The Artful Garden, pg xviii)
Christ is the Gardener. He has a beautiful, meaningful, and life changing walk choreographed for each of us if we choose to enter the garden and to walk down the paths. He has prepared sights, sounds, textures, and views.
…………………….
“And the Spirit (angel) said unto me, Look!… and I looked and beheld…” in 1 Nephi chapters 11-14 this dialogue/experience happens between the Spirit / Angel and Nephi nearly 20 times (much more than that if you break it down even more). I think that is pretty remarkable and meaningful.
We just need to show up. We show up in holy places (the scriptures, prayer, church, the temple, wholesome recreation, relationships, good books, stories, music, art, poetry, nature.) We show up, listen, and look. The Spirit will show us great things and we will see more of Him in our lives.
