Balsa Camino

Mission Unexpected

September 10th, 2008

It’s a year since my last entry and you must be wondering what is going on. Well you’re not the only ones. It’s been an interesting time and an amazing test of patience and faith. As I said in ‘Casa Linda’ I feel much is going on around the project that we’re not aware of which, as far as we’re concerned, is generating frustration, exasperation, impatience and a great desire at times to just pack it all in and forget about it!

We were led to believe last November the plans had actually gone to the planning department for approval and we would hear the results in about 2 months. I assumed they meant English months but I think they must have meant Spanish ones. A very different kettle of fish.

Weeks and months came and went. We heard nothing. We sent emails to the architect - no response. At this point doubts and fears began to creep in. Had we been conned? Was it all an illusion? Have they disappeared off the face of the earth with our deposit? (It wasn’t that much - wouldn’t get them very far!) On - on it went. If nothing else you have to learn one thing when embarking on vision quests and that’s to trust but it’s not always easy. We have to trust the Universe really does have the situation in hand and there are perfectly good reasons for the delays.

Meanwhile, reassurance about Balsa came from the most unexpected source.

In December (ages ago now) we had a phone call one Friday afternoon inviting us to a Bahai meeting that very evening. A lady had just walked part of the Camino from Leon to Santiago and was doing an illustrated talk on her experiences. We arrived late (went to a wine tasting first) and as we sat down she continued. Lo and behold the very next slide was of our house in Balsa - Casa Linda!

Late in January we were invited to the Peterborough Pilgrims’ supper organised by Ian Holdsworth, the vicar of St Mary’s at Far Cotton in Northampton. He organises about 3 pilgrimages per year on the Camino de Santiago. There was a service followed by an excellent Spanish meal. Throughout the evening a slide-show of their journey was shown and guess what? Not one but four consecutive photos of Casa Linda from different angles appeared! Now if that’s not a sign, what is? There are hundreds of derelict houses along the Camino, yet here again was ours.

It was as if we were being reassured. That the project hadn’t been forgotten. That all was in hand.

In the meantime a second vision had appeared, directly related to the Balsa project. August last year a very strange thing happened. In the summer Charles wears T shirts with Aboriginal art on them instead of his dressing gown. I bought them 9 years ago in an Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Mt. Isa when I was on my last vision quest to the Australian outback, the outcome of which was the opening of the Callistherapy Healing Centre in Wellingborough. But that’s another story!

He always makes the early morning tea while I sit in bed like the Queen of Sheba waiting for my face to turn up. It seems to take longer and longer these days and I dread the day it doesn’t turn up at all! He walked through the door, two mugs of tea in hand, and wham! Aboriginal prints jumped out of the T shirt and the room turned black!

At this point a voice said, ‘You must go to Australia on June 7th. You must fly to Darwin and take the Gibb River Road from Derby into the Kimberley mountains where you must be for 21 days. The contract of the rings (another vision story) has almost gone full circle and you must do this before you embark on the next stage of your journey. This will prepare you for Spain; otherwise you won’t be able to cope with what lies ahead. This time you must take Charles with you.’

At this point the darkness cleared and before me appeared a picture of Charles and myself standing hand in hand in a ray of light - a shimmering translucent blue light reminiscent of the light from a spaceship (I can assure you there was No spaceship!)

We were looking over a vast vast landscape reaching as far as the eye could see. I was aware of standing on a strange, smooth hard surface - realised I was standing on a diamond, the point of which reached far into the centre of the earth.

I had never thought of the Australian Kimberleys in relation to diamond mining but it’s famous especially for coloured diamonds. However, nice though it would be, I was sure I wasn’t being sent in search of diamonds!

At that point the vision started to fade. By the following day the vision had become much clearer. We weren’t going in search of diamonds as such. The significance was in relation to diamond energy. In healing for example, it has a variety of uses, including strengthening of relationships.

By the 3rd day the vision was complete. The light from above was Divine Light. The diamond reached far into the Earth’s core drawing on Earth energy. I realised the vision was in fact a fusion of these two energies - Divine and Earth Energy. Charles and I were not on it but IN the centre of it!

In the meantime we soldiered on. We were instructed to put ‘our house in order’ which we did by reorganising things at the Centre in Wellingborough and appointing a centre manager. Getting ready to move when the time was right. Trusting we are part of a much bigger plan but to a large extent working in the dark.

We heard nothing from Spain but made preparations for June, not knowing why we were going or what we would find. Knowing only it was linked somehow to the Spanish project.

During this time we had a call from the Procters (remember Healing Sick Houses in Casa Linda). An unusual thing had occurred. One of the energy lines passing through the Peace Parlour (to be) had reverted to negative. The line came from the direction of the neighbour who wanted to sell his field to us at an inflated price. They converted it back to positive and the very next day we had an email from the architect - the first one in 5 months - to say the plans were ready for submission, but they needed a little more information before they were submitted. No wonder we hadn’t heard. They hadn’t gone anywhere!

To be continued…

Posted by Charles in The Path to Peace

‘Casa Linda’

August 14th, 2007

Doesn’t it have a ring to it? ‘Casa Linda’ just rolls off the tongue.

Charles and I were spending a few days in Bamburgh (Northumberland). A place very dear to my heart. Sitting in the Copper Kettle, a wonderful traditional tea shop, discussing the Balsa project (aren’t we always) I said:

‘We really should have a name for it.’

A few ideas came and went. Then Charles looked at me and said, with great feeling:

‘Casa Linda. We’ll call it Casa Linda.’

It sounded perfect, with a lovely flowing ring to it. In Spanish it means beautiful or pretty house. And so it is, ‘Casa Linda’.

‘How is the project going?’ folk ask. ‘When will it be up and running?’ The answer to both questions is ‘Slowly and I don’t know.’

However, many things are happening behind the scenes. I feel very strongly the Universe is busy at work ensuring everything will be in place when the actual building is ready. Let’s hope I’m right!

The plans for the final layout are nearly complete - just a little problem with levels in one part - and then we’ll be down to the nitty gritty, like drainage - where will the septic tank go?

Costs - oh, my gosh, I think that will be a shock to the system (a bit like being thrown in at the deep end of a very cold swimming pool I should imagine!) Not to worry. If the universe has chosen this as one of its projects, then the resources we need will come to us. (If nothing else I’m optimistic!)

The layout is amazing. I hadn’t realised how big it is until I saw the actual dimensions. Then again it’s hard to visualise anything when you’re looking at a dark derelict building with half the roof missing and no floors.

Downstairs there will be the open plan treatment / shop / tea bar area, the Peace Parlour, toilets and utility room.

Upstairs a spacious open plan lounge / kitchen / dining area, three double bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom, office, treatment room and boxroom, which could act as a single bedroom (if we don’t fill it with junk!)

It’s been time consuming working it out but I think we’ve got it right (at least I hope so, but I’m sure there will be something we’ve missed.)

I’ve also been thinking about the Peace Garden. As yet we still don’t own the field opposite but I thought, why not make the most of the piece of land we do own. It’s set up from the Camino and is at present knee high, or possibly waist high in nettles and brambles (sounds like a cue for a ground clearing party!) In the centre stands a beautiful sweet chestnut tree. I can see it planted with fragrant herbs, some vegetables. A place to sit in the shade. Reflecting, thinking of nothing. Just being, that good to be alive feeling, at peace with the world. Watching your thoughts come and go with no sense of attachment. Enough just being in the moment. Bliss!

Interestingly enough Findhorn is surrounded by gorse, which is the remedy for hopelessness and resignation (according to Dr Bach). It brings hope. Sweet chestnut is the remedy for despair - the deepest darkness before the dawn. The dark night of the soul. Sweet chestnut is the remedy which carries you through the darkness to the light at the end of the tunnel. A must for pilgrims nearing the end of their journey, possibly struggling with their own issues.

The one place that’s coming together is the Peace Parlour. (As you know from ‘Cold Feet’, the sculpture for the centre of the room found us in Germany.) The walls will be embedded with crystals emanating peace and love. They will be easy to come by but I felt I might have more difficulty with finding a pair of amethyst geodes approximatley one metre high for the entrance to the Peace Parlour. I spoke to my friend Keith about it. He shook his head and said:

‘Oh, that might be difficult. It could take months to find a pair like that, but I’ll speak to my friend in Nottingham.’

Two weeks later, on our open day, he took me aside. He was really excited and in hushed tones said:

‘Your geodes are here. They’ve come from Brazil. You can have them next Tuesday. They aren’t quite as tall as you wanted, but they are very, very beautiful. Small points with a sprinkling of calcite at the base.’

I was overwhelmed. Tears in my eyes, I hugged him. First the sculpture, then the crystals. The two things essential to the project I thought I would have the greatest difficulty in finding and voila - they found me without any effort on my part. All I had to do was ask!

The geodes are magnificent. They are sitting in pride of place in the waiting room at the clinic in Wellingborough, awaiting their journey to their new home.

Everything seems to be falling into place and I was interested in finding out about the energy of the place. Energy I felt creating a vortex - a magnet drawing you in.

I contacted Ann and Roy Procter in Somerset. They work with earth energies and have been colleagues of ours for years. I was horrified at their response. Indeed a very strong energy - all negative! Four negative energy lines encompassing the entire building, the two major ones crossing smack bang in the middle of the Peace Parlour where the sculpture, the Circle of Friends, holding the Peace candle will sit, plus ‘presences’ (I wonder if they’re the rabbits the farmer keeps in there!) After the initial shock I became really excited. Change four negatives into positives and wow - what an energy vortex that will create! If we can’t make a difference to World Peace with that vortex I’ll eat my hat!

Roy and Ann got to work. Negative lines converted to positive. Presences dispersed (but not so sure about the rabbits). Don’t ask me how they do it, but their book Healing Sick Houses is excellent (see link in About the Project).

Enthusiasm about the project continues to grow. People are asking, ‘Can I sponsor a crystal?’ ‘ Can I sponsor a crystal?’ ‘I’ll sponsor something.’ ‘What can I sponsor?’

It’s quite scary considering it’s not even built yet, still a derelict building, half the roof gone, no floors, dark, dusty. The ruins from which a vision will become reality.

It will grow from our collective energy. It will grow from our belief in a better world for all. A world not based on rampant consumerism, selfishness and greed with little regard for the cost. Children slaving away in sweat shops. Adults eking out an existence exposed to high levels of radioactivity dismantling mobile phones and electrical goods we thoughtlessly discard. Chopping down rain forests at a devastating rate to feed the excesses of the developed world. Fear of not having enough, fear of not being taken care of, fear of attack. Fear, fear, fear. Our world is governed by fear.

Yet there is enough for all. All we need to do is share. Accept our differences and work together for the benefit of all. Seeing our differences as opportunities for growth, individual and collective. Seeing our strength in our diversity.

Balsa will draw people from all over the world. They will pass through Casa Linda carrying with them the seeds of peaceful co-existence to Santiago de Compostela and beyond.

Wellingborough is base camp, Balsa the first outpost. Who knows, in time there may be many outposts throughout the world.

In the meantime - let’s do the best with what we’ve got.

Watch this space …….

Bon Camino

Posted by Linda in The Path to Peace

Cold Feet

May 15th, 2007

Once we’d recovered from the initial excitement of acquiring the ‘house’ in Balsa, it was time to put our thinking caps on.

Since the interior was to be completely renovated with only the retaining walls remaining, we had a great deal of scope; but if you’ve ever undertaken such a project you’ll know how overwhelming it is. It may look OK on paper, but trying to live in your design can be a completely different kettle of fish (when I designed the alterations to our present house, I forgot to include a back door!!) It’s bad enough designing one for your own personal use, but having to accommodate a never ending flow of pilgrims adds to the pressure.

How many pilgrims potentially wanting treatment are we talking about? Charles decided to conduct a survey. He positioned himself on his little garden chair at the end of the pilgrim street in Triacastela where the Camino route divides en route to Sarria. One route goes through Samos, a small village with a huge monastery, the other through the valley to Balsa. He returned after 2 hours (7am-9am) clapping his hands with glee.

43 pilgrims had taken the Samos route and 99, yes 99, the Balsa route. Imagine a fraction of them calling in!

Anyway, we e-mailed the basic information re the restoration to our Spanish architect, Maria, and eagerly awaited the arrival of the plans ….. nothing! We e-mailed Mark, our agent, who assured us they had tried to send them 7 times, but they just kept coming back! You can imagine our panic. People started saying, “Maybe it’s a con!” We trusted the Universe, gave up worrying and decided they’d turn up when the time was right.

Sure enough, on 3rd January, they arrived, at which point I took COLD FEET big time. The project was much bigger than I thought. Much, much bigger. How could we cope with so many people, how would it work, who would help, where would the money come from? On and on it went, one question after another. Why can’t we just settle for what we have?

The clinic is very successful, my diary is always full. I have a comfortable, albeit terribly hectic life. Why take on more?

These are life changing moments, the battle inside interesting. Do you leave your comfort zone and follow the vision into the unknown, trusting the universe will provide, or do you stay in your comfort zone, perhaps looking back wistfully one day saying, “I wonder…. I wish…. ?” The choice is yours.

For 6 weeks I sat on the plans. Will I? Won’t I? Suddenly it all seemed so clear …. DO IT!

We modifed the original plans (as yet we still haven’t got a back door!) and were now ready for phase II.

Happy with the general layout, it was now time for specifics. One room in particular came to mind. The room for reflection and contemplation which I’ve christened the PEACE PARLOUR.

Several years ago I saw this room in a vision. It’s to be cave like, crystals embedded in stone walls. The lighting specifically designed to create an atmosphere of peace. You enter through two 1 metre high amethyst geodes which will initiate the healing process. Simple bench seating round the room. On one wall prayer wheels where pilgrims can weave their prayers in ribbon, wool, silk etc., colourful, vibrant, moving prayers of healing and peace. When these are complete they will be sent to areas of conflict around the world.

In the centre of the room a sculpture encapsulating the concept of the place - our commitment to World Peace.

For this we needed something very specific, but knew it would appear when the time was right. No need to go searching for it, it would find us.

On April 5th we took our grandsons to visit their father in Oldenburg, Germany - a moment of great healing for them all following 2 years of heartache. While there we took our granddaughter to the park (bearing in mind I do not do babies in buggies, this was quite something!) I turned to say something to Charles and there beyond him, in the window of a kitchen showroom, was THE sculpture! A Mexican terra-cotta sculpture. Perfect - just perfect. A group of 7 figures, 30cm high, with their arms around each other, encircling a candle - the candle of peace - entitled Circle of Friends. Too big and heavy to bring back, it is now in my son’s garage awaiting its journey to its new home in Balsa.

The interesting link here is my granddaughter Shareen. In September, while we were in the notary’s office signing the contracts for Balsa, we had a text from my son telling us Shareen was being born. We have never taken her out before, yet the moment we do, we find the next important link in the chain of peace - the sculpture!

It’s also interesting that the first room to come together is the ‘Peace Parlour’. All we need now are our geodes.

First intention, then realisation!

We are now more than ready to go ahead. The vision is capturing the imagination of so many. The collective energy, even at this point, illuminating the dark. So much hope, so much excitement, so much to look forward to. We are ready to make it happen. Join us on ‘THE PATH TO PEACE’ - together we can and will make a difference!

Bon Camino.

Posted by Linda in The Path to Peace

An Exercise in Patience

April 3rd, 2007

The wheels are moving slowly and clearly not everything is quite in place to go ahead with this enterprise. It’s rather like Linda’s favourite image of waiting for the water levels to equalise so that you can open the lock gates. Until then, much energy could be expended to no avail. At the right time, when everything is in place, the gate opens with ease.

Posted by Charles in The Path to Peace

BALSA - the vision

February 20th, 2007

In May 2006 ten of us set off on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela known as “the Camino”. We walked from Astorga to Santiago - a total of 259 kms.

Collectively our aim was to raise £9,000 to help fund projects at the Callistherapy Healing Centre in Wellingborough, England – The Trauma Centre and the CALM project - but it was not as simple as that. Each pilgrim, on a subconscious level, had chosen to undertake this journey for personal reasons they were quite unaware of at the onset.

For 16 days our lives were focused, our backpacks light (imagine your entire worldly goods weighing a mere 6 kgs) our minds free to wander.
I had no idea what was ahead of me. I had been told in a vision to leave on April 22nd, take others with me and that was it!

Two main things happened to me.
1) I grew up – a long story
But more importantly

BALSA!

We left Triacastela – a small town 127kms from Santiago en route to Sarria. We chose the route via Balsa travelling along a narrow path through a valley flanked on either side by beautiful sweet chestnut trees. The sun was shining, the little stream bubbling on its way. I turned a corner and WHAM!!

There before me was a beautiful magnificent traditional Galician house – open carved wooden veranda, geraniums in pots. I could see the interior exposed stone walls, beamed ceilings, white plastered walls, shining wooden floors, traditional furnishings in deep reds, creams, ochres, browns, contrasting with the profusion of lush green outside. Truly magnificent, breathtaking! I blinked – it was gone. In its place a derelict building – the one you see in the photos!

As I approached the building two long arms seemed to reach out to me. A voice said ‘Come here Linda’. I thought – ‘Oh no, not again. Not another vision. There was a small hand painted ‘se vende’ (for sale) sign with a telephone number on it.

I said to Charles (who knew nothing of the vision at this point) “Write down this number. Do you have the camera?”

He said “no” but Den had hers with only 1 photo left in it. I said, “Take a photo of this” and explained what had happened and what I had seen.

I knew it was to be set up as a healing centre for pilgrims.

Charles looked at me and said “We couldn’t do this on our own Linda, we’d have to have an agent.

I turned to him and replied “Don’t worry, if we’re meant to do this, one will turn up”.

An overwhelming sense of having come home enveloped me. We walked on.

Two days later we were having supper in Portomarin, eight of us round the table. A big man walked in - straight over to us (we were the only ones in there!) extended his hand to me and said, “Hello, my name is Mark. I’m from Manchester but I’ve lived in Galicia for 35 years and have just set up a business helping people buy property in Galicia”.

I was speechless. It had only taken 2 days! Charles looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said, “You did want an agent”.

Since our return we have followed the vision, the dream. It is becoming reality. We are now the proud (and insane) owners of our derelict building. Mark has been amazing. Architects are drawing up plans. It will be restored as a traditional Galician house. The stables on the ground floor an open plan treatment area with tea bar specialising in organic, vegetarian snacks and a little shop where weary pilgrims with wonky knees, bad backs, hips, shoulders, necks and feet can enjoy some treatment before continuing on the last lap of their journey to Santiago.

There will also be a room for reflection and contemplation. For many the pilgrimage is a spiritual one. A search for inner peace – perhaps to ease the pain of loss – a father, a mother, a murdered son. Who knows?

It will be a beautiful room. Light diffused through a prism, a central feature with a sculpture reflecting our commitment to world peace. Candles to be lit. Prayer wheels where pilgrims can weave their prayers into the wheel of peace using colourful wools, silks, ribbon.

One area to ease the physical pains, another to heal the soul.

Upstairs there will be living accommodation for those working there.

The whole place is a vortex of peace. We are hoping to acquire the field opposite for a peace garden but the owners are being a bit greedy at the moment.

Big dreams, potential unlimited, but it has to be! The Callistherapy Healing Centre and NMT, the therapy I’ve been developing for 10 years, are the outcomes of such visions. From Wellingborough we reach out to the world and they come from further, further afield (the last one from Hong Kong!)

In Balsa, the world will come to us.

Last year approximately 100,000 pilgrims made their way to Santiago from all over the world. The majority will pass our door. Just imagine how the message can spread. Just think of the impact we could have. It’s positively mind boggling (not to mention a little scary!)

In the meantime it’s down to practicalities. Architects and builders engaged, grants to be applied for. Where will the septic tank go? Where will the money come from? I must have lots of wool, ribbon, and old silk for weaving. I must find a sculptor to create a centrepiece capturing the essence of the place. These things will come. It is meant to be and it will be.

Each and every one of you is welcome to share in the vision. Only by working together can we even hope to bring peace to a troubled world.