The fifth Lifenet gathering took place this year on the Island of Brač,Croatia on Sabine Englehardt’s Eco Camp and geomancy center, Gea Viva. Lifenet is a network of geomancers inspired by the work of Marko Pogacnik, and it holds international meetings once every two years.
Preparations
The day before everyone arrived, a strong South Easterly Jugo wind began. It got stronger and stronger throughout the day, tearing away tents, sun-shades hanging in the olive grove, and our sense of being prepared to host the fifty people who were on their way... It was an unusually strong wind for this time of year, and halfway through the day, the preparation team had to surrender to the havoc it created throughout the camp. It was one of those days when nature let you see clearly that it has other plans for you, or as the saying goes ’man proposes and God disposes.’
One of the messages we got from the wind on that day was related to the geomantic story of the island, specifically in the energy system of the village of Milna. We saw the disconnection between the sea water and the land, and the picture that arose was one of a forbidden ‘love affair’. This was to become one of the healing focuses the group worked with throughout our meeting.
Meeting of the Heart
To our great relief and gratitude, the wind died down, on the first day of the gathering, allowing us to set up the site again, and welcome the people arriving from Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, and the UK.
In the opening ceremony we invited everyone to bring in their special ‘geomantic talent’, their unique way of interacting with Gea, and over the five days we spent together, people offered workshops, interacted in creative groups, gave presentations, meditated and shared perceptions together, celebrating their unique contribution to the group field.
The island Brač holds a focus of a heart chakra system that extends to the Balkans. To support this heart chakra and to connect to it, a Geopuncture and stone circle auditorium has been carved on the Gea Viva site by an international team of seven artists. One of the tasks we set for the participants of the gathering was to create, in small groups of about ten people, short informal performances to share in the auditorium. They were asked to work in a self-organising way, and to collaboratively come up with inspiration and form. This process proved to be challenging, as there was no ‘leader’, and the group needed to navigate the many ideas that came up, but it all came together and everyone managed to come up with delightful contributions, which were performed on the eve of the Summer Solstice, with the full moon shining bright in the East skies, as the sun was setting in the West.
Nature
The evolving Gea Viva base and camp is a place to experience eco living, creativity and a deep connection with nature. Located in a quiet olive grove with sea views to the Harbor of Milna, it offered quite a different experience from the conference centres where we have previously held our gatherings. We felt the heat of the sun, the rain, the wind and shared the dome space with butterflies, dragonflies, crickets and a myriad of insects and sounds. Being immersed fully in these sensory experiences in nature made all the energetic work all the more special.
The bay of Milna, stirred by the strong Jugo winds
A tapestry of geomantic experiences, a collective weaving
