The Restory Retreat Centre

Wakkerstroom Old Bioscope: Photograph by Owen Castleman Cet animal est tres mechant; Quand on l'attaque il se defend. (This animal is very malicious; when attacked it defends itself.)                                                 - La Menagerie (Traditional French song) ~ o  ~ Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.                                              - Rainer Maria Rilke ~ o  ~ When we can see the image o...

We’ve just completed the first unit of our Living School program. Not the easiest of entries I might say. It’s like learning a new language while reading St Bonaventure (1259), The Cloud of Unknowing (late 1300’s) and Teresa of Avila (1577). “It sounds quite boring” you might think. “Being busy with all that old stuff of ancient dead people long forgotten. Their thoughts and words are of no use for us living in the 21 st century; merely the eccentric interest of a few nerds busy naval gazing. There are such a large number of recent exciting authors and books. Why not stick to them? ” I am totally with you on the exciting recent authors and publications. But we are only now discovering the value of the long dead and buried for our survival and for daily living. I experienced it in a very concrete manner again this past week. My brother-in-law William, a budding bee keeper, earlier this year, placed two bee hives close to our vegetable patch. The bees’ presence and cons...