Garden of Nâm Living
Spring has just started and the summer already announces itself. The Garden is bursting with life on all levels; flowers show up everywhere and insects like bees, ants and butterflies are now visibly performing their dance of creation. Birds decorate the trees and bring movement to the sky. Their singing along with the daily meditations bring a joyful musical atmosphere throughout the day. Life is evolving quite rapidly in the Garden.
The work that Chris did last month with the help of volunteers has given the fauna space and fertile ground to express its living in a myriad of ways. It is impressive to see how the initially sad looking, recently pruned branches are now triggering aesthetic associations with the Wu-Wei serenity of Japanese tea ceremonies. The rigorous maintenance has lead to a garden wide ´Ikebana´ that clearly demonstrates ´Kado´, the way of the flower, presented by nature itself.
There are many new things happening. New life, new experiences, new guests, new building, new activities and new developments. New life was visible f.i. in the form of a young kitten that we found due to the hunting instinct of the dogs Toby & Sammy. They maintain a healthy balance of cat population in the Garden, who in their turn keep the mice and rat population within bounds. Luckily we could safe the adorable predator and return it to the mother who then found a better spot to raise her children. As we learned from this situation, in an ecological garden, nature should be allowed to take its course, although human sentiments may dictate other choices. Death is a essential part of life and a plague of cats would easily disturb the delicate balance that enables the rich and cooperative diversity of life that nurtures other life and us with food and beauty.
New was also the departure of Melvin who contributed to the building of this Garden from the early start. We are sincerely grateful for the dedication of his multi-sided talent and wish him a beautiful continuation of his journey in Malaga. Also new was the arrival of an unexpected resident: Tiago the turtle. Tiago takes his time to carefully explore the perimeters and we see him sometimes on his meditative journey during our own meditation walks.
We continued to work on the logistics in the Garden and added a new sceptic tank which proved to be a perfect spot for a terrace with a long curved bench. And indeed, how nice it is to sit there in the morning, watching the sun rise and listening to the croaking concert of the frog families living in the balsas. The pathways and waterways have further been improved and a dead Almond tree has been transformed to a hotel for the many wild bees that work here. Thanks to them we enjoy so many fruits throughout most of the year!
As written before, April has proven to be a lively month with a full house and three retreats on the agenda. The Patanjali Yoga Retreat was a first and a succes as can already be read in the google reviews. Sardinian Shaman Anna Montis introduced a group to the miraculous causal field of Soul dimension. The participants experienced Healing, Shamanic travelling and the Sardinian culture where the Shamanic way of Living still is part of daily life. We have booked a new Shamanic Retreat with Anna next October!
A Nâm Retreat of Silence concluded this month. All the movement of the previous weeks flowed into a delightful and attuned silence for five whole days. With Mind paused as a dominant field of perception and in the presence of Yoginâm, ´I/World´ opens up and Awareness more easily filters through. As we could also notice on a Day of Attunement, broadcasted via NâmInside. Daily Attunements optimise sharing in ´What is´ and contribute to a becoming in harmonious expression. As Yoginâm describes in a recent writing:
“When you identify fully with 'I/ World' you remain blind to Awareness. (…) In openness Awareness may influence Experience, and simultaneously your Asha starts to resemble more Abbah.”
Enriched with Silence, uplifting experiences, tools and newly found insights guests return home and discover in the weeks and months that follow how concrete and beneficial their retreat has been.
Coming month again we have some nice happenings to look forward to. We are receiving a group that is making it a routine to come and stay here every 6 months. And Wabke is coming with a group to deepen their Zhineng Qi Gong practise. You will find neither of them in the agenda. It will be full house again, but for those who have plans: between the 18th and the 25th of May we still have rooms available! You are welcome to come and visit the Garden of Nâm Living and/or be in the presence of Yoginâm.
Tip: The third and last mixed Nâm Retreat of Silence takes place from the 5th till the 11th of June and there are still some spots available. In October there will be a Nâm Silence Retreat for Men. The Garden of Nâm Living will be reserved for the Feast of Greater Light from the 19th till the 23rd of June. Two extra activity rooms have been prepared which for that occasion may turn into a sleeping hall for the adventurous ones. The feast is open to all feeling drawn to the beauty of Nâm and the all embracing Love that sprouts from being in the presence of Yoginâm.
