Step 8 : The Garden of the Knowledge

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We began our visit to the Gardens of Bogard with the discovery of the Rough Stone, which must be learned to be shaped, and with the Garden of Uncertainties, where one sometimes loses one’s way in order to find it again. Having shaped our Rough Stone, at the cost of much personal effort, and having opened our minds to new understandings, we now reach the Garden of Knowledge — a finer knowledge of ourselves and of the world.

Unlike the Garden of Uncertainties, made entirely of curves, the Garden of Knowledge is built on rational, straight-lined, mathematical foundations. It is formed of seven triangles. It is the symbol of reason triumphing over emotion and superstition, the symbol of the power of mathematics and order over the chaotic world — an expression of the way Man can transform the world, organize it, and take ownership of it to make it more effective.

The Garden of Knowledge is also a symbol of group spirit, of the importance of human community, since it is made up of seven triangles symbolizing the seven essential members of a lodge. To form a Masonic lodge, a minimum of seven brothers or sisters is required. There can of course be many more members within a lodge, but at least seven fellows are needed for a lodge to exist and for a meeting to be duly opened.

Thanks to the work each of us has been able to do to refine our Rough Stone, to develop our knowledge of the world and to look within ourselves, we can build solid thinking, an open conscience free of emotional constraints, an objective rationality that sheds light on the world as much as it is illuminated by it.

At the centre of the Garden of Knowledge, a row of small hornbeams trimmed into topiary forms a rotunda, itself adorned with sculptures representing the four seasons. These sculptures also symbolize the four ages of life.

Let us continue our visit to the next stage to the red box…