Erna Du Toit's profile page:

Differences made

Erna Du Toit's blog:

I'm writing to tell you about the amazing experience I had this past weekend. As a birthday present my sisters gave me three nights at a retreat centre in McGregor on the verge of the Karoo. It was a first for me and I felt more than a bit apprehensive. How does one get through three days without anyone else and what if the people there are weird and too pious/deep/evolved? The name of the place is Temenos - Greek for sanctuary. I arrived at night and was shown to my own little fragrant thatched cottage. Lovely linen, absolute silence... You can come and go as you please. You can cook for yourself or go to Tibaldi's, the restaurant attached to Temenos. The next morning I was woken by the birds and the bees in a tree covered in blossoms right outside my cottage. The garden is huge, lush and full of the most beautiful nooks and crannies to just sit and stare at the bounty around you or wander along whimsical paths through the most amazing 'rooms'. Every now and then you come across a stream or fountain or pond or little sighing water feature. It is very quiet except for the birds, and truly awesome. You can stay there the whole time and, if you prefer, never speak to a single soul. I came across very few. Billy Kennedy, the man who created the whole space, is a lovely guy. He has travelled all over the world and there is evidence of his experiences in the many sacred spaces indoors as well as outside to honour the great figures and symbols in various religions. It is made with respect and great attention to detail and beauty. There are a serenely beautiful Buddha statue, a Zen garden which you can rake if you like, stones in a circle with an old treestump in the centre of the labyrinth, a Hindu shrine with the freshest flowers, painted in deep pink and midnight blue, a mosaic cross in mirrors and blue with a soaring dove in the centre, a Jewish candelabra with its seven candles and a painting of a young man holding the sacred Torah. There's also a tiny chapel with a huge Celtic cross in a round glass window, a painting of Jesus and Buddha hugging each other, a Byzantine painting of the Mother and Child. Beautiful lappe. Candles. A wooden floor and wooden bankies around the wall. Very simple and earthy. My favorite place is called The Well. It's in a separate little building with very little light streaming in through two tiny coloured glass windows. In the middle of the room is a sunken round bath lined with tiles, and a gently bubbling fountain amongst stones makes for the only sound in there. Around the water there are various candles and kneeling mats and incense and along the walls stone bankies are built in with cushions to sit on. Against the one wall is a massive mandala woven in colours that seem timeless. One is overwhelmed by a sense of utter security and awe. You want to stay and stay. Like a womb I guess. In another part of the garden there's a small round building with a very high ceiling just big enough for two people to sit in. My other favorite. It's called Temore, the Temple of the Inner Heart. It is painted white on the outside and gorgeous blues on the inside. Blue light streams in through four very tall exquisite stained glass windows with images of roses, flowers and bright bits cascading down in the blue glass. You literally sit in colour. The ceiling is covered in glittering stars. You sit and smile with the utter playful beauty of it. There's also a very well stocked library with huge windows and wide open doors and massive couches inviting you to stay all day. You just take what you want and put it back when you are done. Nobody in attendance. Fiction, psychology, religions, philosophy, mythology, architecture, you name it. I found the evenings a bit lonely but then I just read and forgot all about the outside world. You get comfortable with the silence and you relax and your spirit fills up with all the love surrounding you. I took various walks in the village. Mostly dusty streets. Past lovely unpretentious white thatched or Georgian houses with their low garden walls and with fruit trees and olive groves and vines. Even the odd cow and horse. Lots of chickens by the sound of things. Friendly people greeting you, a complete stranger. And everybody lives there - no separate area for coloureds and the whites in smart houses at a safe distance. They even have a donkey sanctuary called Eseltjiesrus. There are no shops with brand names. Just a rather primitive General Dealer and various coffee shops and places with handmade goodies to buy. Mountains all around. Magic vibe. At Temenos you can get all sorts of pampering and treatments for the old body as well. I was booked for a reflexology session on Monday morning. Very special. Hour and a half of bliss. The woman who did the treatment is easy to be with and she really gave me a bumper version. I'm overcome with a sense of abundant blessings. It's a present that will remain with me my whole life long. I haven't experienced this particular sense of fulfilment before. One looks after one's mind and body but very often the soul and spirit are neglected and have to be satisfied with quickies here and there. Temenon is a true Eden for the soul and spirit. I hope you can experience something like this for yourself sometime in the future. It is truly worthwhile. The website if you want to have a look at the pictures to get an idea: http://www.temenos.org.za/ The pictures must have been taken a while back because the garden is a lot more lush and mature than on the website. I's like to pay tribute to Billy Kennedy and the staff at Temenos for making a real difference in the lives of all who go there.

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