Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2012-09 - AMORC

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which within itself contained the seeds of all.Among the Persians, tree-planting was a sacredoccupation, and as Strabo says, was part of theireducation:38“Boys received instruction in this art in theevenings. And so it came about that thisreverence was seated deep in the souls of eventhe lowest stratum of the people, the commonsoldiers.”Rejuvenation of the SpiritIranian gardens are ideal places to rejuvenate thespirit. They’re a meeting place for all elements ofspiritual and material creation. They’re a placefor personal reflection as well as strengtheningfamily, friendship and community bonds. They’re places, ifyou so choose, to reconnect with your spiritual self and totake a break from active life to continue a spiritual quest.The Persian garden is a sacred space where your innervoice can be heard. It’s a place for sacred contemplationand spiritual nourishment. The pools or channels ofwater that are invariably an integral part of the garden’sA paradise-like garden is seen as a place for spiritualand mental rejuvenation.design, are places for self-reflection. The entire setting istranquil and serene. Complimenting the self-reflection ismeditation, especially when accompanied by the intonationof Rosicrucian vowel sounds or chants.The Zoroastrian approach to the paradise-garden isa balance between the competing demands and functionsof life. The need to develop a calm environment to enablesomeone to refocus isn’t an end in itself, only a meansof enabling you to lead an active, productive and usefullife. Both pursuits have a time and place in everyone’sNaghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran: a Persian garden on a vast scale enclosed onall sides by buildings and featuring a central fountain. Constructed between 1598 and1629, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.The tradition and style of the Persian garden influenced the design of gardens fromAndalusia to India. The Taj Mahal is one of the largest Persian Gardens of the world.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- September 2012life. A paradise-like garden is seen as a place for spiritualand mental rejuvenation. It’s also a place for individualintrospection, as well as a place for calm dialogue andphilosophical discussion. But a paradise-garden isn’t theonly means of creating an environment where you canachieve serenity. Nature has provided us with her ownprofusion of gardens from the desert oasis, to verdantmeadows, to picturesque valleys and mountainslopes with breath-taking vistas. For the PersianShahs, their paradise-gardens gave them anopportunity to bring nature into their backyardand one they could stroll through or sit and gazeupon in close proximity to home and work.Sunlight and its effects were also an important factorof structural design in Persian gardens. Textures andshapes were specifically chosen by architects to harnessthe light. Due to the dry heat of Iran, shade is also veryimportant in a garden, without which it could not beusable. Trees and trellises largely feature as biotic shade;pavilions and walls are also prominent in blocking the sun.Also related to the heat is the importance of waterin gardens. A form of underground tunnel, below thewater table, called a qanāt is used to irrigate thegarden and its environs. Well-like structures thenconnect to the qanāt, enabling the drawing ofwater. Alternatively, an animal-driven Persianwell would be used to draw water to the surface.Such wheel systems could also be used to movewater around surface water systems. Trees wereoften planted in a ditch called a jub, whichprevented water evaporation and allowed thewater quick access to the tree roots.The Chāhār Bāgh symbolises the sourceof life. At the centre of the garden is a fountainor source of water, which then flows into four
narrow canals that run at right angles and divide thegarden into four beds. The symbolism of the canals is thatthey represent the four rivers of life running north, south,east and west to water the earth. In the garden itself, themovement of the water would have cast the light andbrought a dynamism to the garden.The four beds could be approached in a numberof ways: they could be paved to create a place to lay outcushions; they could be planted with brightly colouredflowering plants; or they could be sunken beds to give theimpression of walking on a carpet of flowers. In Persian,the word gol means both a flower and the rose, whichhas a major role in Persian poetry; for not only is thebeloved’s physical attributes identified with the rose, buthis/her tears are rose water and s/he dwells in a golestānor rose garden. Golestān is also the title of a collection ofpoems and aphorisms by the poet Sa’adi, for whom rosesare pieces of wisdom and clues to happiness, and the rosegarden is wisdom itself.In the book Goftegi dar bāgh (Dialogue in theGarden) I found the following description of a gardenin Shirāz, the capital of Fārs province, and the culturalcentre of Iran.“In Shirāz, at the edge of that city, behind highwalls, there is a sanctuary, sheltered from the chaosoutside. When you open the door, you step into avestibule or under a false arch with stairs on bothsides and possibly a hexagonal reflecting pool andthe shimmering of water on the scales of a few redgoldfish that continuously slide along the turquoisecolouredtiles at the bottom. There is shade, waterand the tranquillity of the fish. In the damp, coolshade, you rest to take a breath of fresh air and aresheltered from the thirst of the sun and the feverand frenzy outside.“Then, the gravelled avenue leads to an open spacewith a mound overflowing with violets, begonias,petunias, wallflowers, dahlias and a few cornflowers.The borders of the mound and around the flowersare covered with short, decorative boxwood. Thecontinuation of the avenue on the other side of theopen space, a little further, a building with a vastveranda, halls on both sides, sash windows withcoloured glass and an open and cheery appearance.“There are two slender, tall cypress trees in thistimeless garden, and a few purple and amberjasmine plants, and about the reflecting pool, thelength of the veranda, with a short rim, shallow,a wide stone fountain in the middle and the skyLayout of a Persian garden on a Persian carpet. At the centre of thegarden is a fountain or source of water, which then flows into four narrowcanals that run at right angles and divide the garden into four beds.[Image source: http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/iranica/achaemenid-era/pasargardaethe-persian-gardens].mirrored in the water. Around are Judas trees,mimosa trees and acacia trees and avenues thatstretch from the open space to the four corners ofthe garden and divide it into several sections. Onecorner of the garden is taken over by four or five agedplane trees which are planted in a circle so that inthe middle, under a canopy of their branches andleaves, a cool, shady area oblivious to the sun abovestretches out on the ground. This is a place to lie backand rest from the fire and chaos outside.”EpilogueCapturing visions of the old Iran at the threshold of themodern age, Vita Sackville-West wrote in Passenger toTehran (1926):“A savage, desolating country! But one that filledme with extraordinary elation. I have never seenanything that pleased me so well as these Persianuplands, with their enormous views, clear light, androcky grandeur.” She went on to say, “Persia hasbeen left as it was before man’s advent.”When I visited Tehran, I had the opportunityto visit some privately owned gardens located on theoutskirts of the city. The gardens were walled compoundsand a change in climate was evident immediately onentering through the garden’s doors. Cool fragrant airwelcomed me. In summer, while the surrounding landwas desert-like, barren and very hot, the gardens werelush with vegetation and cool. Water, often drawn froma well, played a significant role in the design and inthe creation of the garden’s micro climate as well as itsThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- September 201239
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Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2012-09 - AMORC

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