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What is always available during your stay
What you can do in your time
We believe in:
Things you can bring when you come
For a day’s stay
Let go of your attachment to material objects, to beliefs, preconceptions, and routine ways of life.
You are experiencing another way, so come with an open mind and heart and be ready to feel life in a different way. Leave behind your material things and be in awareness of your surroundings and your body, your thoughts and emotions. Get a chance to get back in touch with your Self, in a non distracting, safe, peaceful and allowing space.
The Land Retreat welcomes all young people and adults who are seeking to progress in an area of physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental growth and health. We require that all guests be respectful; of one another, our staff, area residents, any animals and the environment, and the village.
We call for no smoking, drinking, recreational drugs, loud music, unconscious cell phone use, food, and other items which are not part of a Retreat.
In a convivial atmosphere, we will share wholesome simple meals (organic as much as possible) prepared with the loving energy of Nancy. These meals are based on whole foods: vegetables, greens, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruit. These meals are created in order to provide you with the best nutrition for your body in order for it to build, rebuild and heal itself. The meals are nutrient dense, with only an occasionally “less wholesome” treat, depending on the occasion.
Our facilities and buildings have been as congruent as possible with our choices in life and our philosophy of voluntary simplicity. We did, and are doing, the best we can with what is available locally and cheaply. As much as we would have liked to go all natural with our building, e.g. using mud bricks or straw baling or recycled materials, we have been limited by finances, time and skilled labour. It would have taken too long and taken too much effort so we have taken the lesser of two evils, so to speak, and have used the cheapest and easiest materials and way to build. Corrugated iron roofs, cement building blocks and clay bricks, cement floors, treated poles for shade and roofing etc... The cottages are actually blessed with thatched roofs, but everything else is built using cement and building blocks and the cheapest and best wood we could find at our local hardware store.
We do have running water and electricity, but that is where the “luxury” ends! Everything is uncomplicated but comfortable, with peace, simplicity and straightforwardness at the heart of most of our facilities
All of what has been built has been build by ourselves or our unprofessional workers. It truly has been and still is a labour of love and hard work for everybody involved.
The Land is maintained as naturally as possible, cutting and pruning and ‘organizing’ trees and grass and bushes to the minimum in order to keep the growth of the flora as nature intended it to be. This allows the birds, bugs and other small wildlife to have a home upon the land, helping to keep the biodiversity alive. We use natural, in other words, mostly homemade, products to assist the growth of the plants in our gardens. This means no chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, etc... anything that is chemical and dangerous to flora, fauna and, automatically, humans.
We have on the The Land:
The main Hall: where is the tea table, the rebounders for healthy bouncing, the arts and crafts table for Retreaters, the meal table outside or inside, and where many activities are held.
Backpackers and campers can also use this Hall for staying overnight.
The small room
Where there are two beds to sleep comfortably in overnight, if you wish to experience an overnight stay.
The toilets: which use the principle of humanure and composting, so no water is wasted with flushing. That is very important as Botswana is a semi-arid country with not a lot of available water, so everything we can do to minimise the loss of water is extremely important.
The washroom: which is again minimising the wastage of water by using a bucket. There is way enough water in a bucket for one person to wash nicely! The water is heated by leaving it in the sun or on a very small “save wood” stove. We are going to be installing a gas geyser, so soon you’ll can enjoy easy hot water!
The outdoor area: where you enjoy the shared meals under a tree, the rock to sit upon, the open area to play badmington, the labyrinth to find your answers, the little pathways to walk upon and the fireplace to experience a warm captivating evening.
We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.
A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."
Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.
A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.
A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.
(edited from http://www.lessons4living.com/labyrinth.htm)