Day: June 8, 2021

Stoned at the Rock Fest

Published on by Laura Bloomsbury15 Comments

‘Geologist’ is the career path I might have gone down but having taken a different way, still retain an amateur fascination for mineral formations and the earth-shattering movements of landscapes.

Definition: Rock is a naturally formed solid aggregate of one or more minerals. Stone equals a rock which has been modified or moved elsewhere by anything other than natural forces!

I have always collected smallish stones for the beauty of form but with plans to create a Japanese style garden in my forthcoming garden, I shall have to seek much larger ones.

“as you set out your garden, never forget how the site looked in its natural state“

The arrangement of stones is one of the most important elements when creating a Japanese Garden…called “ishi wo taten koto“.

“It looks stupid when standing stones, without horizontal stones, are laid out in row like the rivets on a helmet. There should always be more horizontal than vertical stones “
“Stones at the bottom of an incline should look like dogs crouching, pigs running around or a calf playing near its mother”
“make sure that all the stones, right down to the one at the front, are placed with their best sides showings… even if this means one has to lean at a considerable angle”.
Stones gathered from mountains and rivers can turn back into evil spirits, so the advice is to collect from further away!

Quotes in italics from “Infinite Spaces ~ the art and wisdom of the Japanese Garden”. Joe Earle (2000)