Abstract
Spiritual gardening, historical perspective and epistemology,
- how do these concepts connect? A review of the ideologies of four pragmatic growers.
The purpose of this thesis is:
• to present an alternative forthcoming perspective on knowledge, that may be of
significance for future theories and knowledge about growing and gardening.
• to lift experiences with Nature Spirits into an academic context, that permits us a closer look at the phenomenon.
• to contribute to an academic platform connecting humanistic and natural sciences.
The intention of this text is to bridge the differences between the strictly rational traditions of knowledge and those more experience based ones. The thesis wants to show that much
can be won if feeling based and mental reflections once again are approached as equal
sources of knowledge. The aim is to give an orientation about the subject of Nature Spirits.
The interesting fact is not whether (that) one can talk to nature, but how one does it and that
more can be understood about nature and the reality that the established sciences study.
The form for this study of literature is a describing presentation; to put names on and give
wording to the phenomena of Nature Spirits and Plantdevas. The sources of literature are
four pragmatic practitioners of spiritual gardening who have written extensively about their
own work. They are presented in a fundamental manner in the chapter four (4.1- 4.4).
Three dissertaions are used as anchorage for the sources of literature. It is Garden Ideals
and Views of knowledge by Eva Gustavsson (2001), where thoughts about art and
evaluation of gardens by the ideals of its time, have been found. It is the
phenonmenographic study by Johan Sobelius (2003) To cultivate or not to cultivate the soil.
It gives formulations about resistances within agriculture and theological ponderings for
future gardening and farming. It is Socialisation and meaning by Leif Östmans (1995) that
illustrates the language-use in the school-subject Orientation on nature and sciences, that
creates a specific attitude to nature, and further that what is omitted in the classroom also
shapes knowledge. Besides these, Alan Chalmers (1995) science-philosophic What is
science anyway? is used to reflect the historical development of knowledge.
Chapter four gives an account of alternative opinions about gardening and nature in
general. It reflects and reasons around the biodynamic composts of Steiner, the gardens of
Findhorn, the nature-research of Perelandra Ltd. and the earth-healing of Marko Pogacniks.
It is to be looked upon as a basic presentation of a specific secto...
