August in Amonines
Asharum Amonines Journal July
An extended Retreat
During an extended period of three weeks in July Anna became a much appreciated part of our life in Asharum Amonines. Quietly fitting into the picture as if she had always been there. Anna gently communicated her need to come for a longer period to retreat and reflect, asking us if this was possible. Anna is a garden architect and despite her need to leave her daily life behind, she seemed seduced by the garden, working with the plants and bushes, creating different shapes in the full acknowledgement of Louise’s adagio of Live and let live.
A true artist in the garden as well as on paper….
A quiet invasion
Nowhere do you find as many scouts as in Belgium, where this is a real lifestyle. The groups walk or cycle a certain amount of kilometers, taking everything the way it comes and trusting they will find a place to sleep that night. We are used to scout groups knocking on our door asking if they can spend the night in the Asharum. If the situation allows, we let them sleep in the living room. This time, however, we were somewhat overwhelmed when we heard that the group in question consisted of forty scouts. They were cycling from Leuven to Gouvy, a trip of 150 kilometers in three days. We did not want to send them away. The bigger the group the more obvious it becomes how quiet they are. They ate and watched an important football game in the car park. When they went to sleep we peeked around the door and realised that they were lying there in the living room like sardines in a tin almost on top of each other. It was an endearing sight.
In The Kitchen
The essence of meditation
An insight view into the experience of a participant in this three-day course
At a crossroads
A lot of people do meditation, why would that be? And is it more than listening to a story and paying attention to your breath? And if so, what is it then? And would it be something for me? With these questions, I signed up for the three days course 'The essence of meditation' at Belgium's Asharum Amonines.
I arrive there on Thursday afternoon, along with dog Brody, who is fortunately allowed to come along. Asharum turns out to be located in a beautiful, three-hundred-year-old house. Not somewhere far away and out of the way, but literally at a crossroads in a small village of well-kept houses by the river Aisne. A couple of women are working in the garden and welcome me. I meet Irma, who will let me experience so much that is new in the coming days. But first she shows me the room where I will stay and makes tea. In the introductory conversation, we soon go into depth. A promising start...
There are other guests, but no one interferes. This feels strange and uncomfortable, as one is used to getting acquainted and tuning in to the people around one. "Who are you, what do you do, where are you from?" are questions that are not asked here. And that actually turns out to be very pleasant, we let each other be. At 6 o'clock I join the first Asha meditation and I find out a bit of what's going on. Gradually I learn that the blanket is not for sitting on, but that there are mats for that. And that the cushion you sit on during meditation is not in the middle but on the edge of the mat. That way, on the mat, there is room for your legs, feet and ankles.
And so start three days of new experiences. Where you can enjoy the craftsmanship of, say, a carpenter or an artist, the same goes for 'the meditation game'. Irma takes me through various forms of meditation, with humour and enormous calm and introduces me to new ways of looking at the world, my surroundings and myself. The Asharum is literally at a crossroads and also turns out to be figuratively at a crossroads where you can go in different directions. In and around the house, there are many pleasant places to reflect on all these experiences and literally dwell on what is happening to you.
After a few days, I notice that I feel energised, because of the meditations, the peace and the delicious food. I am welcome here and so is Brody with whom I explore the beautiful surroundings. My questions have been answered: meditation turns out to be much more than conscious breathing and it is definitely for me. Fortunately, I may come back to the people of Asharum Amonines.
Taking part in Asha meditations online
From September 4 you can join live Asha meditation broadcast from the Asharum. On Wednesdays at 6 pm and on Sunday at 10 am we broadcast through Zoom. The practical details are on a page protected with a password. Would you like to join the meditation? Please fill out the contact form on our website and you will receive the password. You can find the contact form here.
Resting
We are pleasantly surprised with our returning visitors this summer:
