The Healing Nature of Open Spaces

Few can deny the healing power of nature. From walking in the park on a sunny day to hiking up a mountain and reaching breathtaking views at the top, the simplicity and beauty of nature is undeniable. “Open Spaces Sacred Places” (TKF Foundation, 2008) by Tom Stoner and Carolyn Rapp provides readers with a look at how the TKF Foundation, which funds the creation of public sanctuaries, partnered with passionate people, referred to as Firesouls, to create more than 100 public greenspaces. From the unlikely drug-addled city neighborhood to the already serene park, these spaces offer visitors a few moments of peace and refreshment from the stresses of daily life when they enter them. The book contains inspirational stories told through the voices of the Firesouls about 12 of the spaces in the Chesapeake Bay area created to date—from the Mount Washington Arboretum (Baltimore) and the Meditation Garden at the Western Correctional Institution (Cumberland, MD) to the Therapeutic Healing Garden at Kernan Hospital (Baltimore). As part of the outreach, there is a TKF-designed bench and a waterproof journal at every location for visitors to share their experiences there in writing. “They are bearing witness to the power of nature to heal and to unify,” Stoner writes. Inspirational excerpts from journal entries and beautiful images of the sacred spaces leave readers with a sense of calm and a yearning to find their own such place to meditate and escape for a while.