♥ A warm welcome! ♥

Welcome to our Space of Love Website! Inspired by the incredible series of books by Russian author Vladimir Megre, we have set up this website to provide information and inspiration to those in South Africa who wish to create a ‘Space of Love’ and carry the vision of Anastasia and the Ringing Cedars series forward.

next gathering – Garden Route – details

11-12 February 2012 – Garden Route

…………………..

next gathering – Greyton – details

9-11 March 2012 – Greyton

Jon is a farmer from northeastern Thailand. He founded the Pun Pun Center for Self-reliance, an organic farm outside Chiang Mai, with his wife Peggy Reents in 2003. Pun Pun doubles as a center for sustainable living and seed production, aiming to bring indigenous and rare seeds back into use. It regularly hosts training on simple techniques to live more sustainably. Outside of Pun Pun, Jon is a leader in bringing the natural building movement to Thailand, appearing as a spokesperson on dozens of publications and TV programs for the past 10 years. He continually strives to find easier ways for people to fulfill their basic needs. For more information visit http://www.punpunthailand.org

10 to 12:
we set up and decorate the space- if anyone wants to bring things like cusions, throws, carpets, blankets, things to hang up (remember the spring theme) please join us.

12 – 1:
we have a welcoming circle. *PLEASE* come in time for this otherwise you miss out on this valuable introduction and setting the context for our day together and we miss out on hearing about you (even if you want to be silent and just watch things and are unsure of the idea of sharing circles- you’re welcome to just observe, but please be there).

1 – 2ish:
Bring and Share Lunch. Remember if you plan to eat, please be sure to contribute food to the feast- and enough for supper.
Raw/ vegetarian/ vegan please :-)

2 – 5:30
children’s face painting and magic
Talks, discussions and more… offerings still welcome here. Derek Gripper? Simric Yarrow? Ian Light? Lisa Martin? Marianne Littlejohn?
What we’re likely to do in this space, because of the spring theme of birth and fertility, is to have an open discussion about CHILDBIRTH and RAISING CHILDREN. Many of those coming have much practical knowledge to share on this valuable topic.
MUSIC and POETRY- please bring stuff to share that inspires, specially on the spring theme ( think birth, new beginnings- make it as abstract as you like) and instruments to make some noise together.

5:30 – 6:30:
♪♫¸.•*¨) ღ ☼ ♥ Spring Dance ♪♫¸.•*¨) ღ ☼ ♥ !

6:30 – 7:30:
Supper (lunch leftovers)

After supper:
Closing circle and clearing up. ***Another really important practical element of the day is that we leave no trace for anyone to have to clean up behind us. Please take responsibility for your own clearing up and then some. particularly if you leave early.***

CAn’t WAit To be with Y’ All!!

Love annwen and samantha

A quick update…
DATE: I’m changing the date to Sunday as there is a big festival in muizenberg that the whole muizenberg community is involved in.. The Muizenberg community is so lovely- i would like to make is easy for them to attend. Also our host would very much like to be there. I apologise if this messes with anyone’s arrangements! And this way the earth dance people may be more inclined to join us if they’ve had their fill of earth dancing by Sunday.

OFFERINGS: One or two have offered to do some activities (children’s activities,  a talk, some music and a dance) but i don’t have more than that confirmed… so if you would like to help us co-create this, please let me know.. it can be very informal and playful too if you have a fun idea up your sleeve. Will send out a proper activities list on Wednesday.

MEALS: Bring and share enough for Lunch and left overs for Supper if you are staying. If you plan to eat please be sure to contribute food to the feast!!
Raw/ vegan/ vegetarian please :-)

Love Annwen

It has been so delightful to be sharing the turning of the seasons with you. Winter solstice was magical at the blue hippo in Greyton. There is something so fine, so tender and precious and at the same time, deeply nourishing and grounding that comes about when we have the courage to drop our armouring and connect with one another from a space of authenticity, vulnerability- a space of love.

This month we do so within the greater context of Spring and all the subtle energy of New-ness that it brings.

SET-UP: Beloved Dale is letting us use his home. Thank you dear friend! Hopefully, depending on the response to this and if enough people want to get involved, it’ll be more like the full gathering in that we’ll have a day schedule with events taking place all day. Beginning with yoga or meditation and opening circle in the morning and ending with a dance and a closing circle in the evening.

CO-CREATION: Space of Love is a Co-Created event. This means we need your particular brand of being to make it all happen! 
here are the roles that need filling:
~Setting up on Friday
~Décor: SPRING theme (daisy chains, lots of flowers everywhere, etc.) carpets, cushions, prayer flags, whatever you can bring…
~ Signage to direct people in (arrows and welcome vibes)
~ Kitchen and food awareness people
~ Clean-up people -everyone is a clean-up person, of course- but i mean taking down all the décor and any M.O.O.P [matter out of place] and so on.

MEALS:This means you will need to bring lunch and supper food to share- please ensure that it is enough for you and your family- no exceptions- if there is any difficulty with this, please speak to me. Please bring your own eating tools and receptacles. Please prepare before hand – just makes things a lot simpler as you can imagine. If someone has a nice big pot like a potjie pot to lend us we can make our evening meal a big pot of soup. I’ll wait for feedback on that and send another mail out to confirm supper plans and the schedule.

THEME: Spring! think eggs, seeds, flowers, fertility, rabbits, new beginings, seeds, new shoots. Please involve your inner and outer children and dress the part. There is a part in all of us which yearns to surrender to innocence and delight. (Rikus and Geoffrey- we’ll make black outfit exceptions for you if need be… you may have to put up with me plaiting a flower or two into your hair, however)

OFFERINGS: Let us thread the spring theme in to everything we offer.Here are the slots that need filling (might shift around a little)… please contact me with your ideas if you’d like to participate in this way.

9am: Yoga/ meditation- who can do this?
10am: opening circle
11am- 1pm: activities… offerings??
1pm: lunch
2pm -5pm: activities… offerings?
5pm – 6pm: supper prep
6pm – 6:30: vedic fire ceremony?
6:30pm – 7: 30pm: supper and music… music people??
7: 30pm – 9pm: Dance with Samantha Slewinski(!) and closing.

NB: Children’s activities will be very welcomed!

SO much love to old, new and yet to meet friends,

Annwen.
0845887741
annwenmazetti@gmail.com

http://www.spaceoflove.com/rodnoe_1.htm

http://www.spaceoflove.com/rodnoe_2.htm

Eco-village Rodnoe in the News!!!

Two years after the movie was made :)
Another ecovillage of Kin’s domains on YouTube!
A few excerpts from the new inspiring movie about Ecovillage of Kin’s domains Slavnoye.
Enjoy! :)

Ecovillage Slavnoye.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1wpWWUZJ10
Chicken Tractor.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew4gIxy0ui0
Russian rag dolls.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lRBNQfOgGI
A stone bowl.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSuLA5GtaWk
Beautiful song.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ5W9KHNpoI
House with angled walls.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hXMFXKAXXU
Man of Eternity.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8UgMkZgFwU
Harvest Festival.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abjtu_KcFr0
The wonder of forest.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37haczFP40Q

A Blessed Journey to the Past … or to the Future? Are there places where people still live in Paradise?

http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/article2.htm

Can Dolmen-Stones offer Re-Connection to Universal mind? A new opportunity to ancient spiritual guidance.

http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/article3.htm

The Birth of a Little Sun within you. Find out about Vita’s psychic readings for babies in the womb and mothers with difficulties releasing their problems, and how she discovered her own “inner sun” through her unborn daughter’s guidance.

http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/article4.htm

Reality ReALized. What really is Reality? Can we change or create it at all?

http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/article_2_1.htm

Permaculture Farming – a Natural Revolution. by Sepp Holzer – Owner: Permaculture Krameterhof, Austria
Open Letter to Members of the Political, Economic and Scientific Communities

http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/article_2_2.htm

Just like a Fairy… A beautiful modern-days fairy-tale!

http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/article_2_4.htm

I returned to Jozi feeling fresh and new, ready to kick ass and show the world all the love that I got from the eco village. It occurred to me that there’d be a battle for me to face, I found this other Vuyo at Umphakatsi, Happy Vuyo. In Jo’burg, I left behind Cynical Vuyo. Now, Happy Vuyo was happy to meet Cynical Vuyo but the feeling is not so mutual. Cynical Vuyo has been fighting to stay alive, Lord knows she’s a fighter! I know this sounds really personal but this has been my experience since encountering Sarah’s dream, which came to fruition not from Sarah being cynical but by being happy and wishing the same for others. I also realised that the sudden shift in my personality came from knowing that I can be surrounded by cool people without fitting into a certain definition of cool and my middle finger doesn’t always have to be ready, instead a peace sign could serve the very same purpose. One of my closest friends joked with me other day and said that I’m undergoing a pseudo suicide and the best way to tap into Happy Vuyo is by killing Cynical Vuyo in the most brutal way, “…with LOVE! Just fill yourself with shitloads of Love, man! Just love everything that comes your way! Not in that way, Vuyo!” he smiled.

A few weeks later, I met Sarah formally at a dinner party here in Jozi, where Tertius cooked some lekker soup, Carolyn was there, so was my favourite geek, Haroun and we were hosted by Sven’s warm, loving family. Sven recently paid a visit to Sarah’s dream (I love calling Umphakatsi that, imagine if someone paid a visit to your dream?) and totally fell in love with it like the rest of us. The dinner conversation lead to an interesting place, Non Violent Communication (love that acronym! NVC). Haroun raised a critical point about NVC, he said something like: “when you’re talking to a person, observe their features for instance, their big beautiful brown eyes, their unique features, their way of speaking and all the positive things about them. Focus all the love that you have in them and give it through your eye contact and body language. Even of the person is in the middle of an argument with you or trying to be somewhat violent or offensive, the results of the conversation will not as bad as they would’ve been if you were as violent.” In the end Love conquers, I guess and tapping into Happy Vuyo requires me to practice NVC on a daily basis.

Part of my battle the past two years has been working. An everyday nine to five job has drained my brain and left me feeling hungry for something more meaningful. One of the points raised at the dinner, which was what inspired Sarah to build the village, was the fact that we work so hard in fields that we might not even specialise in just so that we can acquire more and fit a stereotypical idea of success. We work for cars, homes, picket fences, fancy gadgets, clothes and all but do we have real skills? For instance, when your drain is blocked – what do? Call the plumber, right? When you’re feeling ill? Call the doctor, yes? When you need a house built? Call a builder, right? When you need food? Go to the shops and shop away! Imagine a place where you can learn to solve simple challenges like eating a healthy balanced meal every day, a place where skills were available to help and solve minor issues. After this whole experience, there’s a whole lot to unlearn – bad habits acquired from years of living in a wheel of consumption and learning a new sustainable way of living that doesn’t harm or cause loss to our beloved environment and nature.

My life plan is becoming clearer and I’m growing bored of the city day by day. Spending most of my life in the city gave me a false sense of progress and I realise that it is important for me to return to the original way of living. I have so much to learn from the people I met at the village, people that I’ve always known like my grandmother and if anyone deserves a middle finger – it’s the city that taught me all the bad habits that keep me from being in touch with nature. It’s going to be an interesting journey. In the meantime, lookout for a project I’ll be starting in the community I live in, Yeoville, which is helping teenagers write for social change. I’m also helping Haroun develop a rural ICT programme, which he’ll be implementing in Umphakatsi.
Let love grow through our work, daily living and intentions…