Forests Growing People

Oh my god. Tonight I fell in love!

...With Sadhana Forest.

I have been hearing about this place more than any other since I have been here. Laina, my High School friend, returned to Auroville just to live in Sadhana. April, my new fire-hooping friend, is living there. Karen sas said it is like a new, mini-Auroville. And all this prepared me only vaguely for the experience of contact I was to have with this place!

Every little detail of Sadhana speaks of love, community, creativity, spark. There are little gardens in the shapes of hearts and moons; huge intricate dreamcatchers in every building. And the buildings themselves--- oh wow. They are all straw huts of different sizes, simple to inhabit but sturdily and intricately built. They are so homey and earth-connected to be in. Sitting in the biggest community-center hut, with dozens of conscious conversations going on around, was like being in a native community- at the same time ancient, and fresh with the innovation of sustainable work.

Perhaps I should interject in this excited ramble a bit about what Sadhana does. Sadhana Forest was started seven years ago by an Iranian couple. They began it as a community based firstly on reforestation. This remains to be Sadhana’s main project. Five days after the community was started, a volunteer showed up, asking if there was anything he could do to help. Since that day, the community has not gone without volunteers. Now, there are over 100 volunteers. That is actually how Sadhana runs. They run on a “gift-economy” model, which means they don’t depend on direct-monetary trade. They describe their system as more of a triangle- they give their work, others (like friends and supporters) give money to them, and they give this money to the local workers and suppliers that they need materials from. So the volunteers work daily to run the community, in all aspects – from the actual reforestation, to the Healing Hut (with ayurveda, massage, reiki, and everything volunteers bring), to cleaning the (many) composting toilets! (Our tour guide actually started the tour off with the toilets, saying that our poop would be a great contribution to them, since they use human waste to feed the forest. “So please,” he urged us, “if you contribute anything to us, contribute your poop!”) :)

I could go on about Sadhana. I love it. I hope these few pictures I include will be worth more words than I can write here to describe the place- but one key thing in the experience was the movie.

Every Friday, Sadhana opens up to visitors for a tour, a movie and a vegan dinner (they are all vegan). Today, there were around 100 visitors! (We all crammed sweatily onto rickety buses from Auroville, which is about 20 mintues away.) The movie they played tonight was called “What About Me?” I highly recommend it to anyone who jives with Eckhart Tolle, Michael Franti, Ram Das, Deepak Chopra, or any spiritual/new age social ideas. It was incredible, and so full that I need to watch it again to break it down! Essentially, the message was: we so easily get into thinking about ourselves, and identifying with different roles. This ego-consciousness leads to suffering. We need to stop identifying with our pain, and let ourselves be more than that. One speaker said, "worrying is just praying for what you don't want." ...Hey, I should stop doing that! 

So the kicker for all of this is: Sadhana started a second project just a year ago, and they really need people to be a part of helping it to grow. And it is located in Haiti. …Did I mention that I am hoping to do an central/south America trip in the next year?...

We shall see what happens! But I was so inspired by the sustainable community of Sadhana, I know that I will be plunging my journeys into being part of this kind of work.

A Day in the Life

Well, I have been feeling more at home here in Auroville. I think that going away for the weekend really solidified coming back here as the feeling of coming home.
Also, I have been partaking in some very familiar activities which add to this feeling, such as:
1) Making signs for a music festival! The farm next door (Solitude) is having an eco-music fest this Saturday. They are building a stage, some rides, face painting, and booths of Auroville organizations. There is a hustle and bustle of preparation, and I felt like I was sitting on my back porch, making signs with Kate for a Fancy That Production! :)
2) HULA HOOPING! I finally went to one of the many movement classes happening here, and - not surprisingly - HULA HOOPING was where I ended up! It was SO FUN; I've missed it! I learned some new tricks, and it got me excited to hoop fire again.
3) Going to a good ol' talent show! Last weekend, a few hundred Aurovillians and guests gathered outside at an ampitheatre, and saw some amazing acts! There was fire dancing, Brazilian samba and capoeira (I danced onstage with the band!), singer-songwriters, an Indian stand-up comedian (he used to feel like he was trapped in a woman's body. ...Then he was born!), and many other talent. It made the community feel alive; there was also a fire, and stands selling drinks and food- it was like a mini-festival scene.
4) Speaking of festivals, there is a place here called the Youth Camp. What they do there is play. They have dozens of huge climbing structures, huge swings, and many rainbow painting projects everywhere. (Including a rainbow car stuck upside-down in the ground!). They all live in tree houses. They are planning  a 3 day electronic music festival in the forest. Guess what it's called??? "Burning Woman". :D
5) This may be the coolest thing I've been doing: Hanging out with my friend Laina from HIGH SCHOOL!! She came here last year on a school program, then came back and has been living here for the past 4 months. She ran into me one day on the road... Such synchronicity! I have been enjoying spending time with her in this unique place!
 I just feel like time here is strange; my concept of it is not linear. (Which is GREAT!) I have been here about a month, which seems both longer and shorter than my inner reality... if that makes sense. I am almost halfway through this experience... and what does that even mean? I feel like I am swimming in constantly fluctuating presence of experience. And one thing is for sure, there is a definite collective energy here that pushes me toward spiritual connection. It is not simply a choice, although it is that too. The focus here, if there is just ONE, seems to be spirituality of one sort or another. Thus, I have been doing some digging. :)
And maybe it is this that has created the sensation of extremities that I have been feeling. Maybe it is the tropical climate. But one thing is for sure: "Things go faster here." That is what they say. If I am feeling down, I will surely be happy in a short time. Seemingly shortly after that, I will experience a discomfort or hardship in one way or another.
SO, I am convinced that I will return to you all with AT LEAST 5 years of wisdom under my belt. Ahhh... YEP.
...HAH! Just kidding. ;P Gotcha.

Let's take a stroll.

Jessica, Richie and Anshika - FUNNY moment. :P

Ganesh, just takin a break. (It's hard work being a Hindu Go!) Did I mention that Ganesh is Shiva's son?

Well, that is the update. Thank you all for your posts and comments, they are so wonderful and I feel like you are so connected to my experience! Share the love!