Mulberry Picking

Kalikalos Blog

Mulberry Picking

I tasted my first fresh mulberry on the second day of my 3 weeks here in Kalikalos. They are delicious. Sweet and juicy. The only problem is that they have been falling onto the yurt, leaving a beautiful (but un-removable!) splash of red, blue and purple patterns. This was brought to my attention at the morning circle meeting, so I decided to pick as many as were ripe and make some mulberry jam for all to enjoy.

Climbing the wobbly ladder and reaching for these little bundles red juice, I managed to permanently stain my clothes and had what looked like blood pouring down my arms. The occasional loose berry landing on my head and bees and insects were buzzing all around me. I enjoyed it thoroughly. That is what this place is about – getting in touch with our surroundings and learning harmonize with nature.

Three big bowls full of Mulberries I collected. Into the pot. A little bit of sugar. Boiled for half an hour. Delicious fresh jam for the community to share that lunchtime.

Not a berry wasted. The yurt saved from stain for at least a day or two. (I secretly really like the natural artwork of the stains. No artist could recreate the natural process of berries becoming ripe and dropping off a tree onto a yurt!!)

Elizabeth Davison, age 21, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Solstice Celebration

Mark T. has made us a delicious savory pie with corgettes from our garden for our fireside solstice picnic celebration on Chorefto beach. Here we are, staff, leaders and guests of the Kalikalos Centre, enjoying the comradarie, gazing into the fire, singing, chanting, and meditating. Have not humans been doing this for millenium?

We have built ourselves a little stone house to represent our Centre-to-be, our future dream, and placed a candle inside.

The stars gaze back at our little band on the beach. Around the glowing embers we share our stories and our dreams. Some of us sleep on the beach under the stars.

This is as close as it comes to paradise!

Salud----Ambre Auroville

Picking fresh apricots

This is Gosh from Goa and me, Ambre from Auroville...we are both living 'exotically' in India. And, we love to eat fruits... Lately, we had a little conflict about the rooms in the center that we wanted to occupy...Gosh let me occupy the most beautiful and sunny one...what a beautiful spiritual man...

Qi Gong in the sun

My mornings for the last week have started at 5.30 am, just as the first lights of dawn appear in the sky. Gosh Pos, this week's spiritual retreat leader, focuses us into an hour's meditation in our yurt, a beautifully tranquil round space.

As the sun is rising we move outdoors for pre-breakfast qi gong. The view is spectacular—looking down the forested hillsides to the ocean, the sun rising on the horizon. As we stretch and awaken, the swallows also do the same, swooping in their excited dance over our heads. The flowers in the garden glow in their brilliance: red, pink, white, lavender. The day promises to be hot, so already thoughts are turning to the afternoon on the beach, swimming in the crystal clear waters and falling asleep on the white pebble beach.

I bring my mind back to Gosh and his sparkling eyes, brimming with the joy of life.

Good to be alive!

Interview with founder of the center

Ganzheitlichkeit, dass bedeutet auch sogenannte Randgruppen zu integrieren und jedem selbst zu überlassen wie er sein Leben gestalte und ob er dabei rauchen möchte oder nicht. Auch die ins Abseits geratende Rauchergemeinde findet in Kalikalos ihren gemütlichen Platz zum Entspannen unterm Birnenbaum mit Aussicht auf das Blau von Himmel und Meer.

'Crazy Paving'

Why is this man smiling? What is he doing? 'Inspired' to repair the front terrace at the Kalikalos Holistic Centre in Kissos, Greece, he soon found himself in a wee bit over his head.
But after 2 weeks of 'crazy paving', he realized he was actually enjoying himself, especially when he received wonderful help from a new breed of great women, and he's been smiling ever since.

Good work. Great place.

Check it out at www.kalikalos.com
Roger Doudna