Yesterday was an odd day here. One of the biggest power outages ever recorded in Europe took out the electricity and mobile phone/internet communication for the entirety of at least Spain and Portugal for a large part of the day. We were driving back home to Portugal from southern Spain, having spent a week in the stunning mountains and gloriously creative, crazy energy of Orgiva, celebrating some friends’ wedding day, so we were right in the thick of it.
Around mid-morning we received a few messages from friends saying that the power was out back home, as well as in Spain. We didn’t at that point have enough fuel in the van to get us home, so we stopped at the next services, hoping to fill up if we still could, crossing our fingers. Sure enough, the power was down, the shop and, inexplicably, the toilets were closed and the only way to pay was with cash in hand to the person at the pump. Luckily we had just enough money to fill up the tank – thank you guardian angels! An hour or so later all of our phones stopped working, so we were entirely cut off from communication with others and the world at large unless we stopped and actually spoke to someone in person. How novel.
As we trundled along eerily empty roads, I saw many groups of family and friends out for strolls and gathered for picnics in various parks and gardens on this rare spontaneous afternoon off work due to the enforced business closure. Group conversations were unencumbered by the usual predominance of faces glued to phone screens, and physical connection, for once, trumped virtual connection. I was warmed by humanity’s indomitable ability to adapt and find the treasure of a tricky situation.
We reflected that, in our solar powered van, stocked up with food and with bed in-situ, we would be fine to weather a few days of power outage if needs be. Yet, even better, we instinctively knew that, once we were home, we would be fine, no matter what. We’re off-grid, we’ve got food growing in the ground, plenty of last year’s onions, garlic and potatoes still in store, a wellspring of pure, rock-filtered water coming out of our water mine and wells and endless fruit and nuts dripping off our food forest trees and bushes at different points in the year. More than this, we are part of a solid local community of other food-growers, many also off-grid, and with healthy connections to other food-growing community hubs in the wider area, and I felt the comfort of this strong, vibrant network. If the world went mad and everything fell apart, we would be OK. We had the land and we had each other. I also felt grateful that I have my personal practice to lean into, which, I know from the Covid years, comes into its own in times of crisis. My dedication to yoga, self-enquiry and deep nature connection over the decades yields its fruits most noticeably when chaos reigns all around me and I’m called to remain centred, calm, equanimous, grounded, motivated to act responsibly to what the situation requires and fully present. For me, this requires a lot of prior embodiment and mindfulness practice to draw upon.
So, although the power had returned by the time we reached home that evening, I took the strange day as a thumbs-up from the universe that my chosen path was a good one for me. The world feels uncertain these days, and with our dependence on the internet/electricity for so many parts of our life, it probably wouldn’t take long for everything to unravel if the power and communication failed for a longer period. I try not to give my energy to the craziness out there or any kind of doom-mongering, but I have for many years had an innate knowing that I wanted to steward a piece of land that is at a relatively high altitude, with its own drinkable water source, and learn to live sustainably with the land, become as self-sufficient as possible and live as part of a solid, healthy community.
I never understood where this impulse came from in my youth, especially the high altitude and own water supply parts. But, nevertheless I followed the breadcrumb trail that it created and spent many years training as an ecologist and learning about natural communities, volunteering at different land-based projects, living in different communities, learning gardening and land management skills and, always in the background, bringing people together and creating strong and lasting local community connections through yoga and nature.
These days, as the world continues on this strange, imbalanced trajectory away from nature, land, holistic health and community, I understand why my soul has driven me in this direction. How it knew what was coming I will never know, but I’ve always trusted the stirrings of my soul and it has never let me down.
And, finally, the other soul-driven purpose that is clear to me these days and that I therefore put my energy to, is that this piece of land that I steward at high altitude (600m), with its own drinkable water source and off-grid food provision capabilities, is to be shared with others. It is to act as inspiration, as balm for the soul, as a safe space for others to lick and heal the wounds that this crazy world has inflicted upon their minds, bodies and souls. It’s a nature haven that allows visitors and residents to slow and quieten down sufficiently to hear the whisperings of their own soul drive, and develop the inner strength, self-belief and self-love to follow these whispers. It is a place to come home to ourselves and reconnect to our bodies, each other and to nature. It is a living experiment, a demonstration of an alternative way of life, a remembering of the old ways woven into a new tapestry. It’s a community with a little ‘c’, a village, where each inhabitant is both sovereign and connected to the whole. It is a place where the importance of celebration, music, dance, fireside songs, stories and joy is remembered and prioritised, as an act of service.
When we follow the whispers of our soul, the universe conspires to help us, and all things are possible. What path does that quiet yet insistent and unwavering voice deep inside you urge you to follow? What fruits does it want you to harvest and taste in this life? What unique thread does it wish you to weave into the beautiful tapestry that we are here to create together? That is where your energy is needed, and where your destiny lies. All you have to do is listen, trust and follow the breadcrumbs…
frond yoga with Rebecca May 