Vision Statements from the Kalikalos Project
Views of some of the founders and
core supporters of the project
Believe those who seek the truth; doubt those who find it — Andre Gide
Jock Millenson—In initiating this Centre I have been influenced by the experiments in living conducted by several international communities that I know from personal experience: in particular, Findhorn in Scotland, ZEGG and Tamera in Germany and Portugal, respectively, and Auroville in Tamil Nadu, S. India.
For many years these intentional communities have been quietly developing new models of living, working and relating below the substratum of our mainstream culture. Each propounds a philosophy that spirit can and must be brought into everyday life, and purports, at least, to live a vision that ultimately sees us all as one. If we can manage to live our lives from this vision we can move towards a new holistic culture that will allow each individual to live his or her own individual truth and in so doing create a social fabric characterised by honesty, transparency, openness, sharing and cooperation.
In a word, Utopia is right here and now available can we but treat others as ourselves. Such a vision is not really “new”; it is the perennial philosophy, but the culture that it implies would contrast strongly with our current materialistic social fabric which emphasises separation, competition, secrecy, manipulation, rule by the strongest or richest, greed and fear.
Use Your Vacation to Save the Earth —
The implementation of this new culture of wholeness requires new structures and processes for group living, and the communities I mentioned, and others, have all developed and are continuing to refine such processes. Concepts like attunement, focalisation, personal sharings based on the native American Way of Council, consensus decision making, deep permaculture, the Forum of ZEGG and Tamera—all these and others provide practical tools in process work and communication. They help foster new ways of making decisions, provide concrete tools for living in harmony with ourselves as well as our planet, and create a way to live from a basis of unity that both respects the individual's uniqueness whilst holding to a collective vision.
Decades ago I realized that many of the values and practices developed in these so-called “spiritual” communities and ecovillages could be brought to a summer holiday where holistic workshops plus the sun, sea and all that is Greece would provide the overt vehicle to attract those who wanted an alternative holiday. That is, a vacation that provided “something deeper than a suntan”, and would afford guests the opportunity to come into practical contact with such ideas and meet others also looking for holistic alternatives to our mainstream culture. I was always interested in doing more than talking about such ideas, and I recognised that just in the simple everyday activities like cooking and cleaning and gardening there was the possibility to put in practice what we might be learning in workshops about ourselves and our patterns.
My own vision for this Centre is not fixed, I believe it must evolve out of the daily interactions of the people who are drawn to the note that this place is sounding. If we who are helping to co-create it hold the note I have been describing here in words, then exactly how this place evolves, what manifests and grows here will be organic. Although I hold that vision strongly, I do not wish to constrain the form or forms that arise out of it organically with fixed thought forms.
- A seeding of Findhorn, ZEGG/Tamera, and Auroville planted in the soil of a beach holiday Centre, that is, a mystery school in the guise of a holiday workshop Centre.
- Many of the rhythms and practices and values of these spiritual communities growing in the soil of that Centre.
- Practical Community-building in the form of groups coming and going with a semi-permanent staff who are continuing to develop the themes that initiated this place.
- International character—people from many countries and from many different indigenous cultures coming together to share their perspectives.
- Gender balance—men and women in approximate equal numbers.
- Workshops and retreats in the following four (4) areas compatible with the holistic vision that support and perhaps contribute to what the community itself offer in daily interactions.
- Personal Creativity (Art, painting, stain glass, pottery weaving, collage, dying...)
- Healing—of self, society and earth (Natural medicine, healthy eating, honouring nature, living lightly on the land, alternative technology, natural building, deep ecology, permaculture...)
- New models for intimate relationships (Tantra workshops to work through our sexually repressed social conditioning, polyamoury workshops to open our minds to alternatives to coupleism, Men-Women peacemaking, building intimate partnership, etc.)
- Self Enquiry retreats which go beyond words (Vipassana, Advaita, Yoga...)
William Bower—We intend to create an environment of Beauty and Provision for Personal and Spiritual Growth for workshop participants and staff alike; i.e., a supportive and nourishing Spiritual Community relevant to our contemporary age. We intend to create this on a win/win basis for all concerned involved in the Centre's administration and management.
Johanna Aro Louis—I feel this place has healing energies which could be shared by many.
I see [the] Centre being developed along the lines of what has been learned and used in different spiritual communities such as Findhorn in Scotland. There people come together, work together, play together, share experiences and feelings, learn new skills through workshops and interactions with other people. There people learn new ways of dealing with Self, others and life in general so that each and everyone's growth can reach its fullest potential.
I see comfortable group rooms (even when it rains), more comfortable accomodation, inside space for groups, beautiful sanctuary, more flower beds, shrubs and an orchard.
