In 1997 it was a
field of fynbos and scrub. Today it is a beautiful garden sanctuary,
designed to promote tranquility and provide guests with a sense of
peace and
well-being. In many ways Temenos retains a monastic milieu - without the
agendas and rules. Rather it is a sacred place where the great
spiritual paths are quietly and reverently respected. Created by a man who lives his passion, Temenos is
dedicated to the Beloved.
As Rumi reminds us
"The heart when open is capable of every form".
If you are weary or overstressed, Temenos is the ideal place to rest
and restore yourself. Should you be seeking to renew your spirit and
enrich your soul, Temenos may well inspire you to discover the beauty
of the inner garden within yourself.
SILENT RETREATS
Our regular Silent Retreats offer an
opportunity to embrace the gift of silence. For the period of the Retreat
our gardens are closed to the public, ensuring a gentle ‘monastic’
milieu. Included in the price is breakfast and an evening meal. Each day there is the opportunity for
optional morning and evening prayer (drawn from several Spiritual traditions)
as well as three meditation sittings and Yoga. A Retreat Director is
available should you require spiritual companionship or support.
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 Nooi created
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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sanctuary
and retreat
In
many ways Temenos retains a monastic milieu - without the agendas and
rules. Rather it is a sacred place where the great spiritual paths are
quietly and reverently respected. Created by a man who lives his
passion, Temenos is dedicated to the Beloved.
As Rumi reminds us
"The heart when open is capable of every form".
If you are weary or overstressed, Temenos is the ideal place to rest
and restore yourself. Should you be seeking to renew your spirit and
enrich your soul, Temenos may well inspire you to discover the beauty
of the inner garden within yourself.
SILENT RETREATS
Our regular Silent Retreats offer an
opportunity to embrace the gift of silence. For the period of the Retreat
our gardens are closed to the public, ensuring a gentle ‘monastic’
milieu. Included in the price is breakfast and an evening meal. Each day there is the opportunity for
optional morning and evening prayer (drawn from several Spiritual traditions)
as well as three meditation sittings and Yoga. A Retreat Director is
available should you require spiritual companionship or support.
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