Spring Equinox Gatherin' Eden 2021

ABOUT

Due to unprecedented demand from our tribe of free spirits in the cities, we are excited and just so grateful to announce an extended Spring Equinox gathering in a pristine, safe and healthy environment on the cusp of Swartvlei Lake near Sedgefield. Think clean, crisp air from the surrounding forests, river estuary and nearby Indian Ocean. Think warmer and longer days, the upwelling of Spring and a riot of colours as the fynbos and meadows break out in bloom. Think an ever-growing community of like-minded souls who play, learn, co-create and grow together, moment by moment.

DATES

• Three days of self-sufficient camping (Friday 17 Sept, Saturday 18 Sept and Sunday 19 Sept) during which to rest and resource yourself from nature.
• Five days of Spring Equinox celebration (beginning on Monday 20 Sept and ending on the evening of Friday 24 Sept, Heritage Day). An entire week of magical co-creation.
• Two more days of restful camping (Saturday 25 Sept and Sunday 26 September) before returning to the default world.

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PARTICIPATION

You are warmly invited to join us at Well-Being Sanctuary as we share in love, grow in love and co-create in love. To sing, dance and weave our vision for ourselves and our community into reality, in harmony with the Earth’s heart beat.

This being the case, we strive to plant the seed for a GREEN GATHERING by introducing an Earth Skills zone. What are Earth Skills?

"Earth Skills are anything that we do that connects us through our hands to the Earth, to nature, to the elements," says co-ordinator Ira Bekker. "Making fire in the traditional way, weaving, leather work, wild clay, natural dyeing, rope-making, eco-printing, making of medicine tools, herbal remedies and musical instruments... and so much more.

"Practicing Earth Skills allows us to reconnect with the Earth, with ourselves and with each other in ways that many of us have forgotten how to do, and yet have a deep yearning for."

Another welcome new aspect to our gathering is the introduction of a designated Inspectro-Tent - all pronouns welcome.

"We have the Red Tent to explore our Divine Feminine, the Man Cave to explore our Divine Masculine and now the Inspectro-Tent to explore everything in-between," says co-ordinator Adri-Anne Buhrmann. "This is a safe space for all genders and gender identifications. Not only to be, but also to help educate and elevate the perspectives of all those who wish to take part. There is so much beauty and experience in the diversity of life itself, so let’s come together to play, learn and heal the masculine, feminine and androgynous within us."

As in the past, the gathering is anchored by Conscious Dance, a Sweat Lodge and the Space of Integration, also known as Thea Thula. It also features a daily Talent Market, fire dancing, drumming circles, workshops and dialogues, sound journeys, fireside acoustic music by gifted musicians, Yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Chi, body therapies and so much more...

The apex of the gathering is a series of ceremonies on the day of the equinox, 22 September. From a communal Rainbow Meal to a Cacao Ceremony: from a tree planting ritual to an Ecstatic Dance, it is a day filled with soulful sharing and participation.

And do please come offer your own unique gifts and talents with the community. You may post your offering with a picture in the DISCUSSION section of our Facebook events page. Remember to tell people what you will be charging in half-Talents, half-Rands. Or just Talents. Alternatively, you may also gift your offering to others free of charge.

WHY TALENTS?

We decided to introduce the Community Exchange Talent System in order to make the event more accessible to those who are financially challenged and may not have much hard cash to spend.

Equally, the ethos of the event is for all those who attend it to experience a sense of financial buoyancy. In order to achieve this, we highly recommend that you engage with the Talent System and immerse yourself in the experience. It's easy and effective – all the more so if you show up and honour yourself!

TICKETING

In order to purchase a ticket, you have to have joined the Talent Exchange and to have been issued with your personal exchange number. It’s quick and easy!

To register, go here: www.community-exchange.org/home/

Alternatively, if you would like assistance in registering with the

Garden Route Talent Exchange, contact Landi Engelbrecht on 084 588 1949.

TICKET PRICE

Early Bird Ticket

(first come, first served)

Adults R650 – only 30 tickets available

Children (aged 6 to 16) R150 - only 10 tickets available

Children (babies to age 6) Free entry

Standard Ticket

Adults R850

Children (aged 6 to 16) R250

Children (Babies to age 6) Free entry

3-Day Pass*

Adults R550

Children (aged 6 to 16) R100

* 3-Day pass valid from 7am on Wednesday, 22 September to 12 pm on Friday 24 September. And including two days of camping on Saturday and Sunday, 25 and 26 September.

Because of Covid-19 regulations, ticket sales are limited to 500 people.

The entry price is the same whether you come for the whole gathering or intend to attend only for a day. This is to encourage you to get the most out of the community experience and to avoid the curious from just popping in to have a look.

All done? Then go ahead and purchase your ticket!

REFUND POLICY

Our ticketing policy is NO REFUNDS. If, due to unforeseen circumstances you cannot attend the event, you may sell your ticket to a friend via Quicket.

HOW WE ROLL

The entire gathering is a communal co-creation, some of it pre-planned, yet much of it arising spontaneously in the moment. If you should have your own artistry to offer, please let us know and we’ll strive to weave it into the fabric of the gathering. You are also most welcome to simply come hang with us and resource yourself from nature in a spacious, healthy environment. For more information, contact Dion Viljoen via WhatsApp on 072 433 7421.

This is a private gathering, open to all who have a conscious camping mindset, are up for participation and co-creation – and who use the Talent Exchange.

You may pre-book and pre-pay for meals. Menus and meal offerings will be announced soon.

As ever, the emphasis is on maximum self-reliance. Which means you are responsible for your own meals (either pre-booked or prepared by yourself) and drinking water for the duration of the event.

As in the past, Covid-19 protocols apply when you sign in at the gate. You will be asked to sign an indemnity form and are responsible for your own behaviour thereafter. Please respect all boundaries.

MAXIMUM SELF-RELIANCE

Please bring a can-do attitude of gratitude and EVERYTHING ELSE for a comfortable camping experience, plus additional food to share for the communal Spring Equinox Rainbow Meal feast.

There are hot showers and excellent compost toilets.

Please respect the space, use resources sparingly and leave only a good trace.

WHAT NOT TO BRING

No alcohol, drugs or stimulants. NO PETS.

WHAT NOT TO DO

No open fires where you camp (as this is a high fire-risk venue). There is a designated cooking area where fires may be made.

VOLUNTEERS

We call on volunteers to help set up, manage and pack up. All volunteers will receive a Fair Exchange Ticket. There are only 10 places available, so if you snooze, you lose.

To register as a Volunteer, contact Anja Bock on 072 712 4877.

In addition to volunteering, we welcome contributions and support with stretch tents, décor and any sponsorship or financial donations.

MEALS

Rolling Roadhouse is offering a dawn-till-late working kitchen at

Spring Equinox Gatherin' in Eden 2021

FULL MEALS

Stir fry on brown rice - R60

Fried rice with sprouts - R60

Potato with topping - R50

Curry on brown rice - R50

All day breakfast - R50

Omelette with filling - R50

Traditional salads - R40

WRAPS

Salad - R40

Salsa - R40

Curry - R40

STONEMILLED

Toasted sandwich - R40

Fresh Baked sandwich - R30

Muffin with fruits'nuts - R25

Pancake \ Crepe - R25

PIZZA -

Marinara - R60

Margherita - R80

For more information, contact Johan Smuts: 071 439 3350

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The Communi-Tea Cafe will again be appearing, albeit in a simplified version of our usual kitchen/cafe space.

Simone and Odette will be collaborating to bring you earth goodness in the form of delicious juices, smoothies, snacks and one fresh main meal a day.

As usual they would appreciate pre-bookings to give them an idea of how many of you would like to enjoy their food offerings, and as usual they will run a tab system. 

You are welcome also to prepay any amount towards your tab and "eat if off" as the festival unfolds.

PLEASE NOTE: THEY WILL BE OPEN & OPERATING FROM THE 17TH - 23RD AT SPECIFIC TIMES (TO BE ANNOUNCED) AND NOT ALL DAY AS BEFORE.

If you book your main meal with us, please be sure to come when we serve at 1pm lunch time EXCEPT ON THE DAY OF THE COMMUNAL RAINBOW MEAL ON EQUINOX DAY...

See the following list for their offerings, and expect a few spontaneous surprises too ??

 Juices R40

Green juice : Cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger, celery

Red juice : Cucumber, apple, pineapple, beetroot, ginger

 Optional extra fresh turmeric (R10)

 Smoothies R50

Cacao superfood :

Raw cacao, maca, ashwagandha, medicinal mushrooms, dates, almonds, chia, banana

Super Berry smoothie :

Blueberries, strawberries, banana, , dates, chia seeds, almonds, lacuma powder

Protein smoothie :

Banana, dates, almonds, peanut butter, chia seeds, pea protein powder, vanilla

 Meals R60-R75

Rice wrapped goodness :

Crisp salad, hummus, pesto & sprouts wrapped in rice paper 

Roast veg Garden salad :

Garden greens topped with a mix of roasted and fresh veg & optional extra veggie Pattie

Choose from a honey, mustard lemon dressing, a spicy satay sauce or a cashew nut cream topping

 Snacks R15-R45

Selection of raw chocolates, bliss balls, laddu/chickpea fudge, vegan cheesecakes, chocolate brownies, gluten free pancakes and glutne free muffins

Speciality hot drinks R20-R35

Selection of herbal & medicinal teas

Spicy Chai

Superfood Hot Cacao

Malty Hot Maca

Hot Carob

Bullet proof coffee

Soup of the day R30

To pre-pay, contact Odette: 073 311 6673 (WhatsApp/Telegram)

Email: [email protected]

DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUE

The GPS co-ordinates provided below will only take you to Lake Avenue. But if you read the directions below, you'll get to the venue. Guaranteed!

https://maps.google.com/?q=-33.971325,22.776617

FROM THE SEDGEFIELD SIDE

Once you pass through Sedgefield on the N2, take the Karatara turnoff to your left. Travel about 4km to the first turn to the left. (Also Karatara). Pass over a low water bridge, travel about 3km to the first left turn. It is a dirt road with a sign saying Hoogekraal/George.

Follow the road over the river and up the pass for about 5km to the first left turn. Signs say Well-Being Sanctuary, Wilderness Forest Estate, Fynbosvlei. Turn left into Lake Ave.

From the top of Lake Ave just keep following the blue and white WBS arrows. At the bottom of the road you will see a face brick entrance, turn left and you will see a large wooden gate. You have arrived.

Once through the gate (where you will be required to present your pre-booked Quicket ticket) travel along the grass road and park your vehicle in the designated area. Voila! Enjoy a blissful time!

FROM THE WILDERNESS SIDE

Once you pass through Wilderness on the N2, take the turn off to Hoekwil. Travel for approximately 21km and take the right turn onto the dirt road to Ruigtevlei.

Travel approximately 3 km along the dirt road and turn right into Lake Ave (at this juncture you will see a few signs, including Wilderness Forest Estate, Fynbosvlei, Tomorrowland & Well-Being Sanctuary). Turn right into Lake Ave.

From the top of Lake Ave just keep following the blue and white WBS arrows. At the bottom of the road you will see a face brick entrance, turn left and you will see a large wooden gate. You have arrived.

Once through the gate (where you will be required to present your pre-booked Quicket ticket) travel along the grass road and park your vehicle in the designated area. Voila! Enjoy a blissful time!