Alchemy

The only way I am going to improve my writing is to complete a diary of what is happening so, boring as it may be, I will begin today.

Last week I went on a tour of the Jardin de l’Alchimiste near Eygalieres (reputed to be one of the prettiest villages in France and home to lots of celebrities, allegedly).
The garden was a bit of a surprise as it was very well kept and quite spiritual. I knew nothing of Alchemy other than mind pictures of medieval wizards and venerable old men trying to turn base metal into Gold.

Sabbatical friend and I coughed up six euros each and received two minutes instruction on the garden’s layout from a young girl who spoke to us in halting English she also provided a flyer with some explanation in French and English written by one Marie de Larouziere - Proprietaire du Jardin.
(I wonder what is it that defines us so obviously as English. I buy French clothes and have French haircuts, I even have French nails but nothing persuades the French that I am ‘one of them’ even when I don’t open my mouth!)
To get to the ‘magical garden’ we walk through a labyrinth which appears to spell out the word berechit (which is, I think, a Jewish word).

The first part of the garden is lusciously green, (remember this is Provence and very hot) it consists of ‘magical plants’ laid out in squares and is centred by a beautiful vine archway. The magic element comes from plants/herbs that are thought to have accompanied man throughout the ages, holly, willow, box, sage etc.
How these plants were used in a magical sense was not explained but as many were aromatic and culinary and others I know to have been used in healing an explanation was not really necessary.

Having walked up and down the formal pathways we were calmed cool and admiring and ready to move onto Alchemy which, the literature provided, says is nothing whatever to do with magic.

Alchemists were searching for something: chemical reactions that would change materials, the meaning of life - the philosopher’s stone. The word alchemy seems to stem from the earliest form of the word ‘chemist’ with links to the disciplines of mathematics, physics, medicine and astrology and as a body of men they were both feared and venerated throughout the ages particularly as their language was cryptic and symbolic.

The Alchemist’s search had a methodology of three stages:
the work in black, the work in white and finally the work in red.
These stages were also said to distinguish the three stages of man’s life. In this the twenty first century the Alchemist’s garden followed the above colour pattern through the structured and disciplined black oeuvre followed by a beautifully cared for white rose garden and finally a glorious red rose sequence of gardens. In the centre of the red roses was a water feature in the shape of a pentangle outlined with significant numbers formed as Roman numerals 1 to 33. I saw the words pierre philosophy and at that stage didn’t know that pierre is the French word for stone hence – the philosopher’s stone.

Regardless of whether you buy into this philosophy the place is very spiritual, very quiet, (except for the birds) and calming.
I was sorry that I knew so little of the meaning of the symbols but came away feeling pleased to have enjoyed a delightful secretive place but I was only too aware that I was missing something. I am also quite sure that this garden is important to the initiated.


Le Jardin de l’Alchimiste
Mas de la Brune
13810 Eygalieres en Provence
www.jardin-alchimiste.com