JOHN STUART LESLIE wants to help you create a garden that has meaning and provides a sanctuary for your mind, body and spirit.

Create a getaway in your own back yard

Having a place to go to unwind and reconnect with nature and oneself sometimes is hard to find, but John Stuart Leslie can help you create that place in your own back yard.

. Leslie takes items that have meaning to a person and puts together sanctuary, a place of serenity that can have a transformative effect on the mind, body and spirit. He has a master’s degree in landscape architecture and has been a licensed contractor since 1982.

Whether a person calls their specially created space a meditation garden, a spiritual garden or a sanctuary, it is the feelings evoked from the garden — serenity, relaxation, tranquility — that a person gets being in the garden that makes it a sanctuary, Leslie said.

“It’s like a room that is a sacred space, but it’s outdoors. We create the sacredness through the deeper meaning we bring to it,” Leslie said.  Read more... (301 words, 1 image, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

Just a few accessories can bring delight to a small garden using accessories. But what empowers the space and brings meaning is the symbolism behind the objects. Get to know the symbolism of objects you already possess or before you buy new ones so that you can personalize them to bring sacred meaning to your garden spaces.

Sitting on my front deck with my two protectors and an orange day lily in bloom gives this spot just enough energy to make me want to hang out for more than a few minutes.

Let’s look at the symbolism of  a few of the elements in this picture.

Starting with color,  the orange daylily stands out not only because it is a blooming flower with a long stem that says “look at me”,  but the color orange has the energetic effect of being warm, flamboyant, yet not at the level of red.

There is much to be said about color theory and its effects on humans. In this context, it is the color of the flower with the daylilies in the pot being the accessory, the color is secondary although important to consider depending on your intent by choosing between colors.  Read more... (407 words, 1 image, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Currently, I am working on a Master Plan for the Unity Church of Sedona to develop Sacred Gardens as an extension of the sacred space already within the confines of the church buildings.  My intention was to loosely document the progress of the happenings as they progress beginning with the first installment of the waterfall project.

As a part of the Sacred Gardens planning group (although we don’t have an official name), I am contributing my skills and abilities as a landscape designer and contractor. Spiritual endeavors sometimes need to come down to earth in order to manifest. That is what I bring to the Garden Party here.  I am also grateful to be able to share my gifts, whatever they are perceived to be and to do my small part to help make this place even more sacred than it is — on the outside.

I approach this design project as a landscape architect, examining the use areas, its circulation patterns, its opportunities and constraints. All that may sound irrelevant to the notion of creating sacred gardens, but to me, one shouldn’t design with tunnel vision. One must have a holistic viewpoint and that what landscape architects can bring to the table.  Read more... (1007 words, 3 images, estimated 4:02 mins reading time)

The waterfall at Unity of Sedona has morphed into a larger vision for the entire property. Those of us in the “planning group” for the Gardens decided it was appropriate to develop a Master Plan, which I volunteered to begin creating.

One of the biggest “problem areas” we discovered was the circulation pattern between three key use areas, which we refer to as the Trinity Area, consisting of the main Sanctuary, the Fellowship Hall and the Peace Chapel.

We wanted to address views of a carport, the surface materials and the containment of the energy within this important gathering space. It will also serve as an overflow gathering spot when the Fellowship Hall is too crowded or just an outside alternative for fellowship after the services.

Here is my personal vision for the Master Plan –

As we grow our Sacred Space in the Garden at Unity of Sedona, we are fostering deeper connections between individuals and with Spirit. We intend the outdoor spaces of Unity to serve as Nature based portals to Spirit.

The physical form of the grounds and the way it’s perceived can serve many spiritual functions that compliment the activities within the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall and Peace Chapel.  Read more... (542 words, 1 image, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)