in spirit
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There
was in ancient Athens a most sacred place called Temenos. Here the
ground had been torn open by an earthquake uncovering a natural spring.
Around the spring a well was built to honour the source of all life. In
time, people in search of healing would journey to the Well, and cast
into its waters offerings of wheatmeal kneaded with honey. So sacred
did the temple become, that anyone who sought refuge there would be
left undisturbed. Here the body, mind and spirit were nurtured and
refreshed, not only by the sacred waters but also by the ambience of
deep tranquility.
More than 2500 years later guests come to this Temenos to honour their need for healing and rest... to reverence the soul's unfolding, and to embrace the silence and beauty that enrich our inner lives. |
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The Gardens at Temenos  What
began as scrubby
veld made up mostly of shale has become a healing sanctuary of mystery
and wonder. Designed for the visitor to find corners of solitude
and tranquility, our gardens are not unlike the monasteries of old.
During your stay you might find yourself drawn to a particular
space which perhaps will resonate with your own need for peace or
gentle reflection and healing.
One of the experiences guests enjoy most is walking in our spiral garden.
A spiral is deeply symbolic and when one mindfully enters a
spiral, one may experience a deepening of the awareness of one's own
spiritual journey. Our spiral is also unique in that five great
spiritual traditions are quietly honoured, each with its own shrine.
Here the war has ended! And in the shade of the cyprus "God may come to
rest".
Our Zen Garden is available for anyone who enjoys this form of meditation - either raking away pine needles or just sitting and "watching the grass grow by itself". Baraka, a shrine to the Beloved, is surrounded by water and beautiful indigenous gardens. An ideal place to rest and watch the sun set - or to look out across McGregor to Meditation Mount. Below our top dam you will find the Garden of Remembrance and the Teresa of Avila Garden. Teresa was a Spanish mystic who lived many centuries ago. A bold statue of her reminds us that we ought never to take ourselves too seriously! In the western corner of the Centre is the Angel for Lost Children. Commissioned by Elain Anderson, who made her own long journey to healing after the loss of a child, sculptor Bulelani Nooicreated the angel to whom others may come for peace and consolation. Her arms are outstretched towards the rising sun - and many visitors bring flowers to place in her hands. At the centre of the gardens is our duck pond with its little island teeming with bird life. A gentle form of meditation at Temenos is to watch the weavers at work, or the mandarins at play with one another. And the peacocks preening themselves in the warm sun. Roses love McGregor and so you will find several hundred rose bushes scattered among the chapel grounds and the cottages. Several of our cottages are placed in olive orchards under which lavender and rosemary flourish. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of our gardens, besides the profusion of indigenous flora, is the atmosphere of tranquility that so many visitors have come to enjoy ... This is not only a tangible but also an unforgettable experience. The Well The Well is one of our sacred spaces where daily meditations or quiet times are held. We offer silent meditation twice a day. Anyone is welcome to attend - and as our emphasis at the centre is on being gentle with oneself, the sittings are only twenty minutes. Individuals meditate for many different reasons - to be more present to oneself, to deepen a connection with the Divine, to facilitate healing, or simply to calm down and relax. We will gladly assist those who would like to learn more about meditation - or find a way of meditating which is comfortable for them. The Little Way Although the Little Way is a chapel, it has an ambience consistent with the open spirit of Temenos. It was one of the first buildings to be erected at Temenos and has been used not only for daily prayers and meditation but also for naming and christening ceremonies, weddings, anniversaries and celebrations of life. It features a wooden celtic cross crafted by Will van der Schaaf. At the centre of the cross is an open space holding a heart symbolic of the openness of Temenos and the Beloved. The icons were painted by Brother Richard Maidwell C.s.s.R., whose passion and talent lie in the field of iconography. In many ways the Temenos icons break with tradition. The Christ figure does not hold the Sacred Word but rather opens his hands to all who enter. The Buddha and Christ embracing are a strong representation of East meeting West - and of the tolerance and compassion that are the cornerstones of the garden of the Beloved. The icon of the Mother has the world at its centre reminding us not only of the wonder of the incarnation but also that the spiritual journey can begin in the here and now - and that this life is rich and to be honoured as sacred. |
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