Nature & Providence
new paradigms in education through nature and spirituality
Say: Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes,
and in this diversity there are signs for men of discernment.
Nature is God's Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world.
It is a dispensation of Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise.
— Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Hikmat
July 30 - Aug 12, 2027
Bali
Indonesia
Purpose
Our purpose for this event is not just to give Baha'i's, and friends of the Faith, some luxurious retreat on an exotic island. We are holding it in Bali because we truly believe it to be a powerful and unique atmosphere to address several urgent topics or the era:
Respect For Nature / Sustainability
Nature's Role in Holistic Development / Education
Naturalists, Yogis, and Ardent Seekers of Deeper Truth
Respect for Nature
Bali has many beautiful examples to give the world, to show what is possible by integrating nature, art and spirituality. When one comes home from such a place they realize how their cities and neighborhoods are just littered with tin shacks with neon signs and far bigger patches of blacktop for parking than green areas for living. And Bali doesn't just build structures around trees, it's buildings are works of art which integrate trees, gardens, streams, birds and other animals into its architecture; be it a house, restaurant, dollar store or boutique. Therein, it teaches the greatest luxury is free and found within an abundance of nature and creativity. Furthermore, the effects of fostering such environments upon human and environmental health are powerful and far reaching. Stress is not only greatly relieved, but also converted into creativity and energy. The question of nearly every inhabitant is "How can I make this place more healthy, beautiful and edifying for all?" Thus, education is built upon the understanding and preservation of nature's elements as well; all of which implies working with nature rather than the old paradigms of overcoming it.
The Location
Bali is a tiny island, although it seems huge, just like its influence on anyone who visits. It is also like a magnet to nature loving people around the world. In fact, in 2022, on the sidelines of the G20 Bali Summit, the G7 summit was also held in Bali. The G7 is an annual meeting of leaders from the world's 7 largest economies, where they discussed and coordinated on a wide range of global issues, including economics, security, and climate change. Furthermore, Indonesia in general has a keen eye upon brining people together. Indeed, the national motto is "Unity in Diversity"or "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika", as written in Old Javanese, reflecting the country's diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. Albeit, Bali is primarily a Hindu Island, surrounded by thousands of other Indonesian islands that are 87% Muslim. But, given the country's motto and the beauty and magic of Bali, no one has dared to convert or change it. Instead, many other islands often try to emulate it. In fact, a common theme among many Indonesian leaders revolves around which other islands they can make seem more like Bali? However, this is true of many islands outside of Indonesia as well, from the Philippines to Costa Rica. Even in coastal areas of India, such as Goa, bringing in the "Balinese style" is a coveted goal!
The Program
Nature's Role in Holistic Development
Simply put, the virtues required for humanity to save the planet will also be the virtues humanity needs to develop in order for humanity to save itself. Thus, it should be of no surprise that the teachings of sustainability are full of virtues and other spiritual principles. This topic, however, is far too big to go into here, but that is what the workshops are for anyway. Therefore, let me impress you with the presenters instead:
Orin Hardy is a Bahai and the son of the founder of Green School, John Hardy, an international elementary school dedicated to fostering "Green Leaders." Orin played a pivotal role in shaping Green School and then went on to focus on permaculture and Bamboo U; where he holds workshops on building with Bamboo and other planet friendly materials. We will visit all of these and have presentations. However, Green School is something you might want to look up and study about beforehand. It has become so revered that other versions of it are starting to be built around the world. It attracts parents who deeply care for the planet and want to both preserve it for their children as well as raise them to become, as John Hardy intended, "Green Leaders".
Badi & Amita Yaganagi have run several schools and educational resource centers in India and several other countries. Their success stories eventually led to them being asked to lead the famous, international, Banani School in Zambia, Africa where they reside today. Amita primarily runs the Banani school while Badi founded the Five Element Farm School in the adjoining area. Both are very unique schools, and FarmSchool actually goes beyond the classroom to integrate sustainable, holistic, farming as a teaching modality and a community empowerment project. It's way too much for us to go into here, but you can read more about it HERE.
Naturalists, Yogis and Seekers of Deeper Truth
It's already been mentioned that Bali is a magnet for nature lovers, but also for foodies, and with that are healthy living enthusiasts, and with that we often find seekers of healers, and with that we also (and even more so) find spiritual seekers, and with that we find legions upon legions of aspiring yogis. In fact, if yoga was a religion, it would not only be the world's fastest growing religion, but no other religion would come even remotely close. However, although yoga is generally not considered a religion -by comparative definition- all religions are a form of yoga.
Religion: (Latin) to bind back and make whole.
Re - to bind back to source
Legio - and make whole
Yoga (Sanskrit) was originally pronounced Yogh, and can be traced forward to the Greek Yolk
and later to the Latin Yoke.
A yoke derives its meaning from a Y shaped device that is used to yoke two or more wild beasts together so that they can work wholly as one, as well as be guided by the reins of the Driver. (Many depictions of this are seen in Hindu art.)
Simply put, the definition of yoga is the same as religion: to bind back and make whole.
Yoga enthusiasts come from all religions as well as (by typical definition) no religion. Many come with no belief in God as well (until you get into a deeper conversation and find that concepts such as "Source" and phrases such as "the infinite wisdom of the Universe" are terms most atheistic yogis are completely agreeable). Nevertheless, in nearly all cases, yogis from around the world are among the most open to the teachings of the Baha'i Faith; for it, too, strives to Yoke the wild and diverse peoples and religions of the universe back to the One Source ~ to make humanity whole. And yet most Baha'i's, like most people in general, know relatively little about yoga beyond breathing and stretching techniques; which are actually just the means to yoga (virtue, integrity, wholeness), not the goal. Notwithstanding, however, such techniques are an excellent starting point for delving into deeper religious concepts and principles - such as virtue, integrity, service, devotion and other essential elements to spiritual development.
Teaching the Baha'i Faith to Yogis / How this event came about...
As mentioned above, If yoga was considered a religion it would be the fastest growing religion in the world, by far. Furthermore, yogis are very open to the truths of religious unity and in many ways already integrate the yogic (unifying) truths of many religions into their practice. Thus, when presented with Baha'i teachings, one hears time and again, this is what I have always believed... but didn't know there was an actually religion that brought it all together so beautifully.
Will Brashear came to the Baha'i Faith in this way himself, declaring in 1989. By 2004, Will set out on a teaching tour of about a dozen major cities in India, wherein, probably by Divine coincidence, he landed in Bangalore at a unique time when all 9 members of the NSA of India and all 9 LSA members of Bangalore happened to be meeting together. The 2 Assemblies got word that Will was coming through the area at that time and invited him to meet with all 19 members; perhaps because of the enormous success of his tour, wherein he had been interviewed by several major newspapers and outlets, gave talks at several college campuses, and was even asked on the spot to give the opening address at an Ayurvedic College. His main intention, however, was to discuss with various Baha'i communities a wide range of correlations between Baha'i teachings and yogic teachings. Therein, after Will's report the 2 assemblies consensus was that Will keep this work going and to create a compilation of findings. ~ Now, more than 20 years later, this compilation is in its 7th Edition as it is presented in a training manual for both Baha'i's, interested in yoga, and also as a professional Elemental Yoga Therapy training manual for all who are interested in yoga as a way to heal and spiritually develop for themselves and for the world; of which several hundred students have graduated since 2014. In fact, his program was also adopted by Antioch University Midwest (AUM) as a Master's degree program (entitled by the university as Integral Studies). In other words, much of this event in Bali is the fruit of over 2 decades of work that Will was inspired to continue after meeting with the assemblies in India. However, by coming to this event you can learn the essential teachings of this degree program for free. True the flight may be expensive, but nothing compared to tuition to Antioch University. Also, Antioch is in Ohio, but Bali is in paradise! Furthermore, Bali offers the following amazing perks!...
Adventurous Excursions
Waterfall & Jungle Hikes, Volcanoes, Snorkeling, Beach Excursions, Ancient Monkey Forest, Jungle Elephant Reserve, Sound Healing Pyramids, Balinese Dance & Cultural Events, World Famous Green School, and Much More!
The Feel & Experience of Bali
You can spend days on foot, bike or scooter exploring Bali's endless magic! Or if you are feeling a bit lazy, there's no need to go anywhere. Just hang on our campus experiencing our therapeutic spa treatments, or other spa and healing treatments found nearby. Ubud is the Mecca of Bali when it comes to mind-body-spirit explorations. You can find places everywhere for a wide variety of massage techniques, methods for detoxifying (such as a frangipani flower bath), sound healing, cooking classes, therapeutic treks through ultra green rice fields, or just lounge around the gorgeous pools and gardens. / On the other hand, you can also plan amazing and adventurous excursions outside of Ubud with our staff.
The Medicine of Ubud
Whether you go for a spa treatment or not, just hanging out in Ubud on your time off is quite a healing treat in itself. In fact, Ubud is the Balinese word for Medicine, a name which came to it naturally due to all of its natural medicinal plants (Ubad) and surroundings; from nature walks along trails of medicinal plants, to taking a sound-healing bath within the "Pyramids of Chi," or visits the famous healers in the area, or the "Yoga Barn" to try many different styles of yoga and/or healing workshops.
Ayurvedic & Balinese Spa Treatments
In addition to what you learn and experience in the training there are also lots of opportunities to experience other styles of massage and spa treatments all around Ubud.
(...and at local prices; the average price for a Balinese, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Thai, etc., massage is about $7 - $12 for an entire hour!)
Acu Thai
Ayurvedic Yoga Massage
This is the work of the facilitators of this event. Jade & Will actually hold trainings in Ubud for this magical healing bodywork technique. And for you, they will be offering Free Massage every morning after the Free Yoga Classes!
The Workshops & Presenters
In addition to the major focus of the program we will a lot of elective programs to get your hands into. However, we are still collecting information on what they will be and will progressively add more. So keep tuning into this page.
Our guest houses are located in Ubud, which is considered the art and cultural heart of Bali. We are adjacent to a peaceful rice field and on clear mornings you can see Mt Batur in the distance. However, you can also walk just 100m up the "green alley" and find yourself in a foodies paradise; or take another 10 min walk and you will be at the famous Art Market; which is adjacent to the amazing Saraswati Water Temple, the most beautiful temple in all of Bali. However, you are not limited to our lodging options as there are endless options to choose from in the area.
READY?
LET'S DO THIS!