We frequently receive the question what the Monastery is and how it is connected to life in the Guesthouse. The Níjar Monastery Guesthouse aims to be a place where one can explore the nature of Silence in different intensities. That goes for its guests and also for its residents. Indeed we share in communal living…
The intense heat that overwhelmed us in the first half of July has tempered. Temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius feel comfortable and pleasant now, as these were the night temperatures during the first heat wave of this summer. The knee high grass growing throughout the garden has withered and turned golden brown and slowly the…
Summer has started and the memory of abundant rainfall has already vaporised by the heat of the Andalusian sun. The daily rhythm is easily adapted to hot and cooler moments of the day. The animal kingdom doesn’t seem to be bothered; birds fill the air with their beautiful chants and the humming of all kinds…
Rain. After an early summer, the last weeks of May gave us heavenly waters. Last fall barely brought the usual rains so this is very welcome. Prices of olive oil have risen in the last weeks in anticipation of the dry spring this year, when the olives already started forming after the blooming of the…
Nijar Monestary Guesthouse Usually around this time the rain saturates the Andalusian soil. This year however it seems that summer has decided to arrive earlier. Fortunately, we’re living in an oasis with plenty of water. What a delicious season! While the sun embraces the blooming fruit trees during the day, the mornings and evenings are…
With temperatures well above the seasonal average life in the Andalusian Asharum could be worse. Trees are coming back to life, green is popping up everywhere, flowers start to appear and the birds keep sharing their songs. While life confronts all of us with our specific challenges and tasks, it is too easy to close…
The shorter month of February passed quickly and the temperatures started rising mid-month giving us a feeling of spring. Although we had a few rainy days, we would like to see some more rain this season, also to give the plants we are planting these weeks a good start. Generally we took the time to…
The colder period has started in Nijar. Here, the cold of winter comes late in the season, while November and December are usually quite agreeable months. In these months, temperatures near 20 degrees and with the Andalusian sun, the days feel like the summer of Northern Europe. In exchange, the cold can last until April…
The year has come to an end. Or the year has just begun. It’s a matter of perspective and convention. Living in an Asharum means living in service of what is. Realising that all seperations are an illusion makes one encounter a multitude of perspectives. With the practise of non-judgement, one is more or less…
