Espirito Dourado is a project for peace, healing and freedom on our planet.
What does it mean in concrete terms?
It means to explore the essence of the human being and, on the basis of the knowledge gained, to embody the greatest possible potential of human beings within the framework of a community living in peace. It is also a project to explore the ways of human healing and to practice them on a daily basis.
The project includes 23 hectares of land in central Portugal in the region of the Alto Alentejo. The land is to be cultivated according to the principles of permaculture, taking into account the regional conditions and allowing for the creation of natural diversity. All buildings should blend harmoniously into the landscape and be constructed from natural materials such as wood, stone, clay and straw. The use of cement or concrete should be reduced to an absolute minimum.
Espirito Dourado is a project for peace, healing and freedom on our planet.
What does it mean in concrete terms?
It means to explore the essence of the human being and, on the basis of the knowledge gained, to embody the greatest possible potential of human beings within the framework of a community living in peace. It is also a project to explore the ways of human healing and to practice them on a daily basis.
The project includes 23 hectares of land in central Portugal in the region of the Alto Alentejo. The land is to be cultivated according to the principles of permaculture, taking into account the regional conditions and allowing for the creation of natural diversity. All buildings should blend harmoniously into the landscape and be constructed from natural materials such as wood, stone, clay and straw. The use of cement or concrete should be reduced to an absolute minimum.
The necessary infrastructure will be built for the establishment of a community, consisting of personal accommodation as well as communal spaces. The community will consist of a group of people who will live permanently on the land on the one hand and people who will only join the community for a certain period of time on the other.
The exploration of peaceful coexistence on Espirito Dourado also includes healing and further education. And so, once the necessary infrastructure has been established, seminars and workshops are held there.
The aim of Espirito Dourado is to explore the conditions under which peaceful communities can develop and survive in the long term. Experience reports show that many communities come together joyfully or enthusiastically and break up again after three years at the latest. Why is this the case? In most cases, it is not the external circumstances, but the unsolvable interpersonal problems that become more and more prominent over time. Every human being is loveable at their core and as a social being they need a community. Nevertheless, it seems to be difficult for us humans to live together without sooner or later ending up in unsolvable conflicts.
However, interpersonal conflicts are not rooted in the community. They arise from the personal and collective psychological injuries and traumas that each individual carries within themselves and brings into the community. The question that arises is: Can each individual and the community as a group deal with these conflicts in a solution-orientated and healing way?
To investigate this question, we would like to establish a community of around 10 – 15 people who will live permanently on site, organize the project, cultivate the land and maintain the infrastructure. All members of this community are guided by jointly agreed basic values, see → basic values.
Another important concern of Espirito Dourado is human self-healing. The project founders Simone Klinge and Darius Waldhof have many years of experience in this field and are willing to share their experience with other people. To this end, seminars and workshops are offered, giving other people the opportunity for self-knowledge and self-healing. Other seminar leaders are also invited to work on Espirito Dourado as part of their work.
