From May 11 to 17, 2024, we once again visited the lovely people from Think Camp at Gut Herzershof. Inspired by the ideas of 'INTERBEING' by Thich Nhat Han and the realization that a change on the outside can only be achieved permanently through a change on the inside, we have further developed our idea of a joint workshop/retreat: to try out a mindful everyday practice in ALL areas of life.
Uta, who runs four large greenhouses at Gut Herzershof and grows fruit and vegetables there, led us to a very profound perception of plants and the soil in which they thrive.
Maria Lucrezia led us into the intense experience of being present in the here and now when cutting vegetables, even when filling storage jars.
Sophie, who also lives at Gut Herzershof, enriched us with morning yoga exercises that also focused on inner awareness of our posture.
Frank led us through sitting meditations and Johannes spoiled us with some hearty desserts.
In addition to our joint reflections on how we can combine meditative food preparation with mindful everyday life in a multi-day retreat in the future, we were also very practically active at the Think Camp: cleaning the kitchen, filling food into storage jars and preparing a bed for sowing.
We learned that a herb that can be useful in many ways, ribwort plantain (cough syrup, but also helps with minor injuries) grows on almost every corner and under the simplest conditions - and in large quantities. And how hard do you think it can be to dig a small oak tree just 10 cm high out of the bed? I would never have thought how long the root of such a 'baby tree' already is.
Then there was the wonderful nature in the Lower Oderbruch: the robinia trees were in full bloom and fragrant, nightingales were active throughout the night with their enchanting songs. We really enjoyed our time at ThinkCamp - Gut Herzershof, which also gave us a little break from city life.
At the end of the days we felt richly blessed. We are planning to come back in October - with some friends, colleagues and companions - to further develop our ideas for a community retreat in a larger group.
We will report back to you. Frank
Comments