Cortijo de Gaia
DEEP ECOLOGY-COMMUNITY-SIMPLICITY-TRADITION. (Lanjarón, Las Alpujarras, Granada, Spain)
El Cortijo de Gaia, A place for caring for life.
At El Cortijo de Gaia we feel committed to unite with others in the healing of our lives and the life of the world.
We, human beings, are an intelligent form of life among many others intertwined in the miracle of the biosphere. True intelligence is a principle that animates the natural world and the entire universe beyond our human understanding.
Becoming a good human being has to do with understanding the deeper meanings and hidden patterns of what is happening around us in order to live in a reciprocal relationship with all beings on Earth. The best way to live is therefore through humility, listening, observing, waiting, etc.
El Cortijo de Gaia, A place for remembering.
We mean remembering something essential that we have forgotten about ourselves and about life: that we (all) form (s) part of a living, organic whole.
By reconnecting with the Unity we deeply are, we open to cooperating with all beings moment by moment, participating fully in the continuity of life.
Arne Ness, the founder of the Deep Ecology, conceived the full human being as an ecological being, the natural result of a maturation process:
“We underestimate ourselves when we identify our being exclusively with the narrowness of the competitive self. Conversely, by means of amplified identification circles, human beings manage to extend the limits of their own interest, thereby increasing the value and joy of life.”
The present moment of ecological crisis and transition that we are going through is demanding that we overcome this fundamental forgetfulness in order to become good human beings participating in the creation of a future that will work for us all and for the sustainability of the planet.
El Cortijo de Gaia, A place to connect with the soul of the world.
‘According to Hesiod, first of all there was Chaos; then Gaia, that of the wide breast, eternal and unbreakable support of all things’.
In a similar way, Plato writes in the Timaeus:
“The world is truly a living being, with soul and intelligence … A single living and visible entity that contains all other living entities, which by their very nature are all related.”
El Cortijo de Gaia is a place to experience an intimate and prosperous connection with the soul of the world, the everpresent living spirit that animates all in the creation. It is from the awareness of this sacred bond with the world that we can pour our love and joy into life, celebrating each of the wonderful details and moments of our day to day.
Humanity has been separating more and more from the soul of the world, to the point that our culture has forgotten that our planet is alive. However, we human beings are here to experience the mystery of creation and play a central role in the maintenance and care of the web of life. So our relationship with nature must change: it is not about controlling it but about collaborating with her from the direct and essential connection every one of us has with her.
El Cortijo de Gaia, A place to offer our transformation to the world.
We are the key species in the creation of the conditions of our life and that of all other beings. The continuity of life is demanding from each one of us to offer a real and conscious change to the world. It is about getting to live on earth in a correct way, as its guardians, so that life may perdure.
Given the limitation of old management models of ecological, social and personal problems, the solution is committing ourselves to a profound transformation, remembering who we really are, taking responsibility for ourselves and for all the creation put into our care.
El Cortijo de Gaia supports these processes of deep reflection and real transformation, in such a way that our well-being does not just end with ourselves, but also has a positive impact on others and on the world.
Beyond our own benefit we value a powerful sense of community with others and with all beings, with our ancestors, and with future generations, to whom we not only feel responsible but also grateful and supported.
El Cortijo de Gaia, A place to create community.
Becoming aware of this broadness of the ‘I’ that we normally circumscribe to the individual context transforms us as subjects. It gives us a sense of ecological identity, of a self that lives its singularity from the amplified consciousness of love and care, of the interdependence of everything .
Living ecologically supposes the full expression of that new amplified self that opens us up to the day by day life in a more compassionate way, living moment to moment, from the simple awareness of sharing. Life ceases to be something private, and we give our own gifts, knowledge and transformation to the totality of creation through cooperative action because everything that is good for each one of us is good for the world.
We are aware that we are an integral part of the living totality and therefore we live protected in a sense of identity and interest wider than ourselves.
Our true nature of interdependence appears in the most simple and everyday actions. Just by living we welcome life as it is through its moments, its little things, acting with care, receptivity, simplicity, acceptance, patience, compassion, silence, calmness, lightness, smile, self-pity, listening, empathy, joy, gratitude, celebration, kindness, joy, humor, common sense, gratitude, wait, etc.
El Cortijo de Gaia, A place of reflection and practice.
El Cortijo de Gaia is located in the heart of a historical land traditionally dedicated to subsistence farming. Irrigated by ancient canals (acequias) that from the snowy summits lower the water to the terraces and orchards, it speaks of a prosperous relationship between humans and the land, supporting processes of understanding and deep reflection about the complex relations between ecological diversity and human culture.
In El Cortijo de Gaia we honor the continuous natural cycles of creation and regeneration, following the teaching of the natural law. Just like when we plant a seed we consciously open ourselves to become ancestors of the coming generations, if each of our actions is able to contain the information of the previous generation, life will continue forever. We only need to follow the instructions well.
So… Let’s ask ourselves and let’s answer…
What do we expect our lives will contribute to the world? What is the inheritance we would like to leave to our descendants?
El Cortijo de Gaia – a sacred meeting place for human and nature.
By Claudius van Wyk – Devon – 9th July 2019
Contact: cortijodegaia@gmail.com