The Schumacher Experience - a fun and moving experience.

Today it has poured with rain all day.  The internet went off mid class and took another hour to go back on and the radiator is pouring water.   I am trying to dig deep and retain some of the calm and charm that I returned home from Devon with. 

The Schumacher experience is something that I am still processing but for a few days I have lived in a lovely lovely location, I have eaten brilliant food and I have had the company of some wonderful spirits and in a addition at times my brain has been stretched to the moon and back and my heart filled with love for those around me.

A sort of spiritual place with educational facilities for long and short courses on holistic themes,  Schumacher college also has extensive gardens as part of the Dartington Estate and grows almost all its own food and is now offering education in that area too.  The college that was on this site previously has connections for my family for various reasons so it also has  a great emotional attachment for me, but given that I have not been there for years perhaps that overstates the case, but that was one thing calling me.  The idea of living in a community and seeing how that was also was calling me but the other thing was the idea of the garden which has been calling me for some time. I know I can green my car park, but in many ways it would be lovely to have my own garden again but one that needs virtually no looking after so all these things called me to Totnes and the course. I also hoped it would shift me in some ways so that I could decide what to do with my life. Some and of these things happened, but   so did lots of other things.  However, how to describe them that I do not know.

The first night was not a promising start, after having seen round the kitchens in which we would assist variously with cleaning, preparing and cooking,  we had a lecture on economics which left us all a bit puzzled.  Despite a few comments it was a rather desultory affair.      But the positives of the location and the food all made up for this but the biggest and best delight that carried us all through the first day was the wonderful mix of participants on the course. I had no idea that people from as far away as Brazil, Argentina, Europe and Japan would be sharing the experience with me.    So first day over we shared a bottle of wine (organic of course ) a conversation about education and then headed to bed. 

The next day could not have been more different, enter Stephan Harding an extraordinary and charismatic and funny lecturer.   Theme for the week, I did not totally agree with all he said, but the he was too inspiring to care.  His duty was to take us on a deep time walk ( or warp) for 4.5 kilometres around the Dartmouth coast and river.  Not only was it sublimely beautiful but every now and then we would stop for a mini lecture to learn this was when the moon emerged from the earth or the sea arrived or small creatures came out of the sea and onto land, and lets not forget oxygen and iron one love - rustafarai. .    By the time people had stopped to swim, or dawdled in the trees, we were very late for our bus back but we had to get to the point in history where humans had entered into the picture and then the last two hundred years where they had caused climate change before we could head back to the Totnes, shattered but well and truly bonded.

The next two days were based in the college and were a mix of self exploration and just being outdoors either walking or talking or both.   We had a talk by an eco activist with two Phd's! and more importantly had a talk by the spiritual inspiration for the college Satish Kumar.  I will admit I had not heard of him, but he was the reason some had attended the course  but he is a 28 year old in the body of an 82 year old, just lovely and despite the concerns for the environment full of hope. 

Then before we knew it the week was almost over, a sort of party followed, which included some stunning songs by one of the Japanese participants, some great stories by the facilitator and one of the English participants, a very poor rendition of a Joni Mitchell classic by me, as despite all my efforts I still get too many nerves to deliver, and lots of lovely songs by the Brazilians.

Stephan Harding proving lectures can be fun, interactive, yet led from the front. 

Our last day we used a nice way to decide what to do, small groups suggested things, out of which emerged a plan. The majority of us would head to the river, send a flower downstream with our blessings and then we would return to the fire to share our last thoughts and our farewells.   The walk through the red woods is stunning, We stayed in reverential silence until the river, where a number of us bathed in the cold cold invigorating water. 

We were only together for just over 4 days, but in four days people can share, get very close and be inspired.    WE were all emotional by the end. We had shared truly wonderful veggie food together, had communed with chickens, and trees and each other on a deep level. One of the participants had very little English but her summary and farewell was most effecting, what she had seen every day were the smiles of all around her and she was happy.

Some will return to the college for further studies, some will never get to England again, but for one short time, we were altogether for a lovely experience and we are all grateful for that.   A unique week, in glorious Devon.