What is a Garden for the Soul?
A garden for the soul embraces us with the wonder and beauty of nature. In this garden we feel truly at home. We find balance, wholeness, healing and connection to the deepest parts of our being, senses, mind and heart. A garden for the soul nurtures and supports the gifts and talents of who we are. There is a union of the inner landscape of our soul, with the outer landscape of the garden. All gardens can be gardens for the soul, no matter what their size, style, or amount of money spent.

What are the benefits of a Garden for the Soul?
Looking at, walking through, sitting in, or working in a garden for the soul brings a deep satisfaction, fulfillment, healing and meaning to life that may not have been there before. New possibilities for completely and creatively enjoying and experiencing the garden are created.

How and Why is a Garden for the Soul designed and created?
Linda Wiggen Kraft developed the Complete Creative Process™ as an easy and thorough way to create gardens for the soul that are not only beautiful but also bring an added depth of meaning, joy and satisfaction to people’s lives. Many people are no longer satisfied with just surface beauty, they want their lives to have balance, harmony and wholeness of body, mind, heart and soul.

Linda developed the Complete Creative Process™ when she realized most gardens are designed incompletely. Usually a garden is designed to look good only. People find or take photos of gardens they like, and then want something identical or similar. The designer then creates a garden based on this information. This way of designing doesn’t consider the whole person and the wealth of possibilities. It is incomplete.

The Complete Creative Process™ works with the inner landscape of each person and then creates a garden that unites both inner and outer worlds. It looks at the full possibility of how gardens can be experienced and enjoyed. It allows people to experience their lives, and their gardens completely and creatively.

One of Linda’s greatest joys is bringing her life long love and study of plants, and her passion to connect people with the wonder, magic and miracles of a garden. Linda has designed gardens for over a decade through her business Creveling Gardens (named after the street she lives on) in St. Louis, Missouri. She creates gardens for homes, businesses, places of worship, schools and public spaces.

Part of the Complete Creative Process™ helps people discover the purpose and intentions of what they desire in life, and how the garden can help us fulfill those desires. Linda has created gardens for others for the purposes of:

• Love of Beauty

• Celebration

• Play

• Healing

• Learning

• Contemplation

• Connection to family, friends, Nature and God

Types of Gardens for the Soul : The theme or style of a garden often helps unite the dreams and goals with the garden itself. Some of the styles and types of gardens created by Linda include:

• Cottage Gardens

• Healing Gardens

• Feng Shui Gardens

• Butterfly Gardens

• Secret Gardens

• Fairy Gardens

• Sanctuary Gardens

• Native Plant Gardens

• Labyrinth Gardens

• School Gardens

• Herb Gardens

• Water Gardens

• Church Gardens

•Gardens of Wonder

• Children’s Gardens

• Wildlife Gardens

• Lover's Gardens

Linda uses the five step Complete Creative Process™ with her clients to create gardens for their soul. The first three steps, Looking Within, Awakening Awareness and Discovering Purpose and Intention honor and enliven the inner landscape of those she works with. The last steps of Harmonious Creation and Continuous Growth match the outer landscape to the inner landscape so that the garden truly becomes a garden for the soul.

Linda describes this process:

“The first step Looking Within connects us with our existing relationship with nature and gardens. The second step Awakening Awareness engages the senses on all levels (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) so that we are fully in the moment in the garden. The third step Discovering Purpose and Intention explores our goals and dreams, and how our gardens can help us achieve them. Harmonious Creation is the fourth step. It matches the physical form of outer garden, with the inner landscape of our thoughts, feelings, senses and soul. The last step of Continuous Growth and Community recognizes that the process of creating a garden is a cycle, not a completion. There is great joy and satisfaction in nurturing our gardens. There is also great joy and satisfaction in sharing our love and knowledge of gardens with others.”

Please contact Linda if you are interested in her work in the following areas :

• Speaking engagements and workshop leading for garden topics

• Designing & consulting for gardens and landscapes

• Feng Shui & Sacred Space consultations for gardens

• Attending a Creating a Garden for Your Soul course

Linda can be contacted at:

• Email: Creativity4theSoul@swbell.net

• Telephone: 314 504-4266