After being present in two cycles of Gaia Culture collaborations at ECOlonie and Forge Neuve in the summers of 2024 and 2025, it is becoming increasingly apparent to me the importance of places upon the planet where groups of people enter into conscious partnership with Gaia and her elemental worlds. Like a blooming magical garden, landscapes and communities grow exponentially through deep listening, presence, love and respect for Earth, creativity and simple openness towards the unseen dimensions of life. In the valley of the river Ourche, the ECOlonie eco-community stewards such a place of gentle transformation, deep beauty and heart-centred being.
Every summer ECOlonie hosts a one-week gathering, where people from all walks of life come together as Earthlings to build relationships with nature and elemental beings, creatively attuning to the landscape and the invisible realms of the Earthly universe. We practice Gaia culture geomancy, gather in silence everyday around the sacred fire, awaken our inner flows and co-create with the subtle and embodied beings of Gaia’s worlds.
It's a joyful process which creates a deep nourishment for ourselves and the place. We become strengthened and more deeply grounded in our vast human potential as divine co-creators. I am honoured to be invited again to facilitate this wonderful Gaia culture immersion week in Vosges, France in July 2026 alongside Gerwine, Harmen, Ewout and Stijn. You are very welcome to join us. There is no particular experience necessary for participating, just a love for Earth and an openness to engaging with nature and all her diverse consciousness, weaving through periods of meditative silence and creative activities, sharing and exchanging with others.
Date: Sunday afternoon 19th July to Friday 12.30pm 24th July 2026
Cost: €345 with daily breakfast at Forge Neuve, excluding accommodation and other meals which is booked separately via ECOlonie reception. There are a range of options available such as camping. Early booking is advisable. If you book a stay including breakfast the programme cost will be €325.
Sample daily schedule:
7.30 silent fire circle outdoors, 8.30 breakfast and 9.30-12.30 morning programme with meditation and geomancy work in the landscape.
15.30-18.00 afternoon programme with artistic and creative exercises or Gaia culture lecture and group exchanges. One afternoon during the week you are invited to join their biodynamic gardening work.
In the summer of 2024 I experienced for the first time the Gathering at ECOlonie. I was blown away by the aliveness of the place and how engaging its elemental beings were! This story on the Rebel Fairy of Contrexéville is related to my experiences there. I perceive Forge Neuve as a node in the crystalline matrix of Gaia Sophia, a place of dragons and fairies for connecting with the sacred dimensions of Earth and water, a place to develop spiritually with embodied intelligence, in cooperation with all the diverse beings who live alongside us.
