A Spiritual Journey Among
Sacred Landscapes

Created by Chip Sullivan and Elizabeth Boults, acclaimed leaders in landscape architecture and environmental design, to call forth the creative forces and hidden currents of nature.

A visually and intellectually stimulating merger of art, nature and metaphysics.

Wisdom of Place: A Guide to Recovering the Sacred Origins of Landscape aims to help readers rediscover the sacredness of the everyday landscapes around them to shed light on the ecological imperatives of our time. Drawn from the union of art, nature, and metaphysics, it presents some of the myths and legends of antiquity as they might be recognized by contemporary earth-shapers.

Through word and image we reference the ecological and environmental concepts found at the core of traditional knowledge, and provide a new context for environmental engagement that merges the spiritual and phenomenological with the scientific and empirical.


Wisdom of Place uses the structure of Tarot as a creative catalyst to explore the meaning and symbolism of nature-based beliefs and their expression as a landscape vocabulary. Similar to Tarot in its form and function as a story-telling device based on archetypes, the 78 illustrations in Wisdom of Place are artful representations of metaphors that help realign spiritualism with environmentalism. The book contains detailed explanations of each figure’s significance as a component of nature and of human imagination, revealing a comprehensive lexicon of sacred landscapes that will enrich the environmental literacy and intuitive capacity of its readers.

Follow us on our social media @wisdomofplace

View fullsize Explore magical mysterious Coastal Sonoma with us! Thrilled to be exhibiting illustrations from Wisdom of Place at Lyndon Design Gallery at Sea Ranch! Opening this weekend and following Saturdays. 1000 Annapolis Road. Thanks Maynard & Lu! #geniu
View fullsize Excited to explore the spirit of Nantucket island next week! Please join us for a magical encounter! #geniusloci #theoriginallandscapecartoonist #tarot #landscapearchitecture #nantucket #nantucketbookworks #oroeditions
View fullsize At last, scenes from our magical adventure in the Land of the Rising Sun last month: View the full moon in the dry garden at Kinkaku-ji; take a visual journey through Kobori Enshu’s masterwork at Raikyu-ji; ponder the mystical rocks of Ryoan-ji
View fullsize Seekers of the Genius Loci, you're invited! Drop in to Village Books in Bellingham WA on Saturday June 15 for an evening of Enchantment as we present our literary journey to find WISDOM OF PLACE. Share your magical encounters with the Earth Spirits a
View fullsize Happy Earth Day! We love you. [Apple blossoms from the daughter trees in the historic orchard ~1820.]
View fullsize We are thrilled to share another installment of our blog series, Tales of Enchantment! Enchanted Encounter #02 is a supernatural short story about a paranormal visit during a trip to Rome one summer with our students. What happened at the Hotel Sme
View fullsize As 2023 comes to an end, we look back with full hearts and gratitude for all the magical moments and enchanted encounters we experienced this year. Most special is the realization of our book, Wisdom of Place—the fulfillment of many years of re
View fullsize Today we are honoring and celebrating the Winter Solstice. ❄️ The light returns! Measuring and marking time through the movement of the sun at Pueblo Bonito (New Mexico) and Karahan Tepe (Turkey). Warm wishes as we journey through winter. Let the
View fullsize We are excited to share that Wisdom of Place has been named one of The DIRT's Best Books of 2023! Thank you to Jared Green and @nationalasla for this honor and recognition. We are grateful to be a part of this group. ✨ See the full list + buy the
Hidden flows of nature

“We believe in magic, and imagine that many other people want to believe in magic and recapture their childlike fascination with the wonders of the universe. ”

“We hope to help people understand and visualize the hidden flows of nature so they work toward taking better care of the earth.”

Explore Sacred Landscapes Through 78 Cards

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About the Artists/Authors

Photo: Amanda Goldsmith

At different times throughout our lives, we have been profoundly affected by extraordinary moments of communion with the genius loci, or spirit of place.

We conceived Wisdom of Place as a way to represent our experiences with the spiritual dimensions of nature and share them with the world.

At the most fundamental level of living in harmony with the earth and with one another is consciousness. In our individual and collaborative creative practices, we seek inspiration from the energies inherent in the landscape. With imagination and passion, we strive to bring awareness of the spirit of place to all.

Behind the Scenes, the Creative Process