Ananda Valley

What a welcome! Touchdown Portugal. After some windy roads through green valleys I arrived at the “Master Unit”.

You may ask what the heck is a Master Unit and you’d be in your right to ask. Maybe I’ll feel inclined to indulge your inquisitive mind at a later stage. Trust me, it’s meaning has no significance at this stage of my story.

My first visual impression fell more towards a hippy side of perceptions. Hand made wooden signs welcoming guests and leading to the main wooden building over dusty ways with further groups of camper vans and tents. “No drugs and alcohol” may have been a first hint that there may well be more than meets the eye. I was very warmly greeted by one of the members who showed my around this rather marvellous piece of earth.

I choose to not name anyone in this public medium. Rest assured the ones close to me won’t escape to hear all about each single one of these wonderful humans I met here once we are together.

My home 😉

As the name may suggest, this community has found a home in valley, permeated by a creek and surrounded by forrest. Time for a second impression.

Peace.

A lasting impression during the entireness of my stay.

I’m struggling to reduce my words to essence due to the presence of an abundance of memories and emotions. My aim for this blog is not to be your travel guide, detailing every sight seeing worth mentioning. Neither to render an accurate replay of occurrences. Not that they were not precious to share. My desire is to transport some of its spirit. Mainly. Keep the reading distance digestible and save myself long writing sessions in future to be able to keep up with what I started. Well then, I can only try.

The days were hot. Middays were best spent at the creeks terrific beach with its refreshing cold water. Heavenly bathing, washing off stress belonging to previous weeks. Comedown. Of the good kind. Slow down. Which to the eye of the beholder seems to be treasured in this nation. Oh Portugal, my sympathies are yours!

Overview over the valley + creek’s beach.

The horn blows. As a matter of fact the origins of this ancient sounding call belonged to a huge seashell. Time to share a meal. The entire community joined for all meals. Lovingly prepared, deliciously executed. The moment to share stories and get to know each other. Connect. Moved by the amount of beautiful and diverse souls with arms wide open, I learned what this project was about. The journeys of the beings that are part of it. Met by curiosity about my own accounts.

The latter led to a growing interest for Authentic Relating. What better way to satisfy wonder but experience? I was encouraged to hold space for an AR workshop despite my shortage of experience as facilitator. I’m still grateful for having been kindly challenged to put my studies to practice. In a way, enabling me to give something back for all I received.

Everything I experienced here filled my courage deposits. Calibrated my compass pointing towards the path I’m on is worth exploring. I couldn’t have hoped for a better start of this expedition of mine. I left with a grateful heart and with a deep sense having made my first friends on Portuguese soil.

Excursion to Waterfalls.

If you like to learn about this community and all the fantastic work they do you can read all about it here. So what is a Master Unit? At the core of Ananda Valley you’d find spiritual practice. It is part of a world wide organisation called Ananda Marga. Whatever you may read about it, I like to emphasise that anything regarding this practice was an open invitation. I actually didn’t participate and I never felt anyone trying to make me. Though I believe it is the glue that holds this space and it’s habitants in this peaceful balance one will evidently witness by just being here.

Thank you people of Amanda Valley. Thank you! ❤️

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