Damanhur Italy — Deep contact with nature
by Macaco Tamerice — an excerpt from Ecovillages Around the World
Damanhur is a Federation of spiritual Communities, nestled in the alpine foothills of northern Italy, in Piedmont, mainly in a beautiful green valley called Valchiusella. Damanhur is multilingual and very active, with its own constitution, culture, art, music, currency, school, environmental stewardship and use of science and technology. Many guests come to visit every year and Damanhurians are happy to share their experiences and research in many fields.
Damanhur’s philosophy is based on positive thinking, action and the idea
that every individual desire to contribute to the evolution of humanity, through inner awareness and transformation. Our planet ‘Gaia’ is understood to be a sensitive being, to whom Damanhurians feel deeply connected, and environmental stewardship is a natural consequence.
Damanhur has slowly developed into a United Nations award-winning sustainable eco-community and is actively implementing many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The 600 resident citizens live in 25 different ‘Nucleo Communities’. They use the community as an opportunity for self-refinement, through exchange with others, positive thinking, embracing diversity and change, and pursuing common and personal dreams with a sense of humour and adventure. Everyday life is where philosophy comes
alive in art, culture, family life, labour and politics and researching the subtle
energies of the universe. In order to express the connection to nature, but
also to emphasize change and humour, many Damanhurians choose to adopt an animal and plant name. So when you come and visit you might talk to Gazza Solidago (Magpie Solidago), Ornitorinco Platano (Platypus Plane Tree) or Condor Girasole (Condor Sunflower).
In Damanhur the contact with the forces of nature, guided by the desire to re-establish a harmonious relationship with life on our beautiful planet, has always been an active field of research. Damanhurians feel that humans are part of a spiritual ecosystem with forces and intelligence. It is important to establish a conscious contact with these, as it is with all life forms present in the environmental ecosystem that surrounds us. Our human evolution is
inextricably linked to the reunification with the physical and subtle forces that inhabit our planet. Plants and nature spirits are inhabitants of our world, and a large part of the research in Damanhur is dedicated to experiencing a deep contact with them. Indeed one of Damanhur’s symbols is a flower, the dandelion.
This is an excerpt from Ecovillages Around the World — 20 Regenerative Designs for Sustainable Communities. This beautiful book shows how we can live lightly on the planet no matter where on earth we live. It provides examples, solutions and inspiration for a sustainable future. You can order it here.
Read more about Damanhur Ecovillage here.
— — —
Gaia Education is a leading-edge provider of sustainability education that promotes thriving communities within planetary boundaries.
