Lilleoru Estonia -
Applying awareness in daily life
by Ave Oit, an excerpt of the book ‘Ecovillages Around the World’
Lilleoru is a training centre and intentional community, designed and built
with an aim to support the conscious and holistic development of a human being.
School of awareness
From the very beginning, the practicalapplication of awareness has been the key element in all activities. Kriya yoga teacher Ingvar Villido and a small group of his students initially established the centre in 1993. Together, the first houses were built with a permaculture garden, and the Flower of Life Park was created. Today 108 people form the core group. They come here regularly to study, take care of the community and place, and organize all necessary activities.
‘The Art of Conscious Change’ techniques that are applied here have been
developed by Ingvar Villido and have reached thousands of people in Estonia
as well as abroad.
Lilleoru’s spiritual name is Sat Chit Agasthiswarar Gurukkulam.
The Flower of Life Park
At the heart of Lilleoru lies the Flower of Life Park, based on an ancient pattern of creation. The park symbolizes the unity of human essence — universal wisdom and harmony that belongs to us all. The Flower of Life is beyond any particular religion, belonging to all of humanity. It is a geometric representation of the creative processes of life, the original language of the universe, pure form and proportion. It contains within it the life cycle of the fruit tree: tree — flower — fruit — seed — tree. The five stages in the life cycle of the fruit tree have a parallel in the whole divine process of creation.
SkyEarth ecovillage
The village started because many people wanted to live closer to Lilleoru and the teachings that are shared here. SkyEarth was planned and built by those
who study at Lilleoru. Planning started in 2005 and has been a learning process for present and future residents — part of a path of conscious change. This aspect has made the development process of the village unique, compared to the development of typical new contemporary settlements. The social structure of the village, the close cooperation of residents, the economics of the whole process and the choices of the residents — in terms of both building design and materials — make it a consciously created ecovillage.
Herb garden
Our herb garden is located in the heart of Lilleoru, in the Flower of Life Park.
Powerful herbs — the ingredients of herbal teas — grow on the petals of
the Flower of Life Mandala and on the stepped terraces of the park. Lilleoru
herb garden follows the principles of organic agriculture and permaculture.
Organically grown food is clean and nutritionally complete, preserving the
health of humans and our environment. All Lilleoru tea blends are made from
carefully selected plants. The seeds and plants are planted according to nature’s rhythms, on the most powerful days, and harvested during the time when the active ingredients are in perfect balance.
After that, the herbs are dried, with special care to preserve their healing
properties and beautiful appearance.
Medicinal herbs and herbal blends are a well-known way to maintain and renew your health, and their use in folk medicine dates back to ancient times. Every living thing is filled with spirit, including plants. Working with the land and plants is an important part of activities at Lilleoru. It is a valuable tool for stress reduction and inner development, providing a gradually deepening experience for the practitioner.
Location: Estonia, 25 km from capital Tallinn.
Established: 1993
Area: 30 ha (74 ac). With forest, agricultural land, water and meadows.
Population: 59 inhabitants including 13 children, aged between 2 to 82 years, live in Lilleoru training centre and SkyEarth ecovillage. 108 members of Lilleoru NGO take care of the community and place.
Housing: One communal living house with 10 private rooms, shared kitchen and bathroom. 3 small cottages, 6 semi-detached houses
and 12 single houses.
Communal buildings: Four multifunctional community houses, for meetings, catering, lectures, meditation, courses, office, accommodation and more, temple, dhunis (fire ceremony grounds), Native American tipi, greenhouses, sheds (for gardens, bee keeping and firewood), workshop, summer cottages, shop, composting toilets.
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 Lilleoru Estonia here.
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The next Training of Trainers programme in Estonia will take place from 3–6 October 2019 at the eco-community Väike Jalajälg (Small Footprint). You can find more information about the upcoming course here.
The aim of the Training of Trainers is first and foremost, to help you deepen your experience in how to teach, facilitate and train people by enabling collaboration and participation among a community of learners. In addition, we support and hope to inspire you to identify what you are most deeply called to teach, and most importantly, why participatory methods are so critically important for the engagement of communities and the future of life on Earth.
Gaia Education is a leading-edge provider of sustainability education that promotes thriving communities within planetary boundaries.
