Join Estelle Willemse on her journey to the ecovillage of Khula Dhamma in the Eastern Cape, where she has joined the community to
wwoof for them.

Monday, 10 November 2008

It is 5:30 in the morning and I’ve been on the road for 14 hours. Coming from Cape Town, this is the longest trip I’ve ever taken. My legs are feeling a little numb, though I’m feeling quite content watching a beautiful yellow-red sun rising in front of me…

I’m passing windmills and fields of dry land, so beautiful in the morning light.

Thoughts are casually drifting by…will they recognise me at the station? How will we experience each other? What will the facilities be like?

I’m contemplating life without a hairdryer, or the basic systems we’ve come to rely upon in the 21st century. Cars, fridges, televisions, computers… Is it possible to go back to living without these things? I am sure it’s possible, we just have to get our minds around it; the global eco-village movement is doing it already...

At this moment, sitting in a bus, approaching the experience of a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle, I feel the need to express that if we are to move forward and evolve as a species, we will have to drastically rethink our current lifestyles and investigate the impact we have on our environment. At this point, we don’t have a choice. At the rate we are consuming, we are already using more resources than the earth can sustain.

We are heading for very turbulent times as a result of our own ignorance, and the time has come to stop, and reflect. We will have to look within ourselves for the answers.
A Hopi prophecy I recently read comes to mind every time I think about these things. I’d like to share :

“You have been telling people that this is the eleventh hour.
Now you must go back and tell them this is the hour.
And there are things to be considered:

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are people who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel that they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly. Know the river has its’ destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore, push into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate!

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over.

Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
The Elders, Arizona Hopi Nation

Friday, 14 November, 2008

It is Friday, and I’ve been here for four days. Every day has brought with it the most beautiful learning experiences. I am wwoofing (willing workers on organic farms) at the Khula Dhamma community, which entails working 5 hours a day on general tasks around the community. I have chosen to WWOOF so as to allow as much hands-on activity as possible, and to truly experience a life without capitalism.

My first day was spent working in the vegetable garden, creating beds for new seedlings. This is the first direct experience I’ve had working with soil and garden tools, it’s more fulfilling than I could ever imagine, and some part of me slightly resents the fact that I was not brought up in a way which enabled me to learn these valuable life skills.

The next few days were spent figuring out how the various systems of recycling and low-impact living work. From compost toilets, rain-water collection, fire-heating the warm water tanks (called a ‘donkey’), preparing the wood for building a yurt (remarkable form of temporary shelter used by the nomadic tribes of Near East and central Asia), and picking fresh vegetables from the garden to preparing vegetarian dog food!

Learning about these different systems, in use here on a daily basis, has been such an empowering experience - something the city life would most likely never be able to offer.

Since my arrival, I’ve been overwhelmed with colourful & intricate dreams relating to nature, and beautiful planetary experiences. The atmosphere of mindful people working together to create a space filled with love & harmony is quite intoxicating.

As today went along a feeling of bliss & harmony filled the air, as I sat on the grass watching the sun set behind the trees, and young children, wise beyond their years playfully enjoying the last sunlight of the day, and the freedom that only a life close to nature can offer.

As the evening approached, a spirit of music and coming-together quickly spread, as one by one community members entered the communal house bearing instruments, smiles and rhythms. The deep drumming, didges, laughs and guitar sing-alongs extended into the late hours of the night, finally ending off with a song, one of my personal favourites, Bob Dylan’s_Blowing in the wind…A night free of alcohol, cigarettes, negativities and impurities. A night filled with love, one of pure wholesome sharing & fun…

Could this be a glimpse of the future society we’ve been dreaming of?

Estelle will continue her diary entry accounts of her time spent at
Khula Dhamma on a weekly basis (or as near to it as she can manage, given the slowing of time in the eco village!)