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Marie-Laure Darricarrere, a valued member of the Ren Xue Centre Australasia Steering Group has been featured in the Golden Bay Weekly talking about her love for growing food and living a Ren Xue life in Golden Bay.
See Page six The GB Weekly - 14 June 2024 by Golden Bay Weekly - Issuu
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 After a huge volunteer effort to demolish the parts of the Villa that were not able to be rescued, much planning and decision making from the Villa subcommittee and lots of administration work (thanks Ollie) has meant that Onekakā builders are now working on the renovation of the Villa. The Builders are making great progress to bring the Villa back to a habitable condition.  The Villa has a wonderful local history as was at one stage the local Post Office, and home to the original owners for the Farm the Scaddens Family. It is interesting to note that the front door faces the Onekakā Inlet rather than the road as the Villa was built to be accessed by boat rather than road. This means the front of the house has a great view over the Onekakā Inlet. During the renovation a sample of the original wallpaper has been discovered and will be looked after until it can be displayed in the completed house.    Two members from Golden Bay/Mohua talk about their experiences from the Wonder Valley Retreat Jackie in Golden Bay/Mohua Cat in USA Jackie, Golden Bay/Mohua in person retreat at Rauhītanga A very successful retreat was held at Kiri and Dave's wonderful place (Rauhītanga) in Tukurua which is close by and beautifully unified with the Ren Xue Australasia Centre land. Rauhītanga is lovely and comfortable, modern and spacious and the practice area works beautifully as it accommodates up to 30-40 people practising together easily. People loved being there and could really feel the special Qi field which is part of the whole project, and all the sincere love and support for the project flowing across the globe, especially when it was being shared at Wonder Valley and Alex's documentary was shown, the experience of all being together around the world whether online or in person was palpable! The Qi field for transformation from the live retreat in Wonder Valley was so powerful, and also having live opportunities to share with each other, teach and learn together supported us to go deep in real time and make major shifts. It was a deeply humbling experience feeling everyone's intention together to create a harmonious world and make love and wisdom a lived reality. Here are some comments from retreat participants: - I loved the dedicated time to focus on learning with few distractions. I loved observing and celebrating changes in myself and others over retreat time. - I was able to immerse myself into an integrated programme where I was able to focus on the work of the retreat because I was comfortable and cared for e.g. catering with healthy food, responsive hosting, a peaceful place, beautiful weather, harmonious relationships, healing sessions etc. - I was ready to be a more committed and open learner for a number of reasons and the teachings penetrated more deeply. I was able to settle into a good state more often and integrate theory and practice more smoothly....able to join up the dots and obtain a deeper understanding of some key concepts. Stepping up to lead a practice in a supportive group helped build confidence. - I felt safe and supported as my patterns emerged and I was able to receive support as I untangled them. Teaching Yuan Gong was helpful to continue breaking hiding and avoiding. - I am going well since the retreat, my pattern work is going much deeper and bringing me real joy. The retreat was so worthwhile for making my life much brighter. It gave me the opportunity to really do Jue Cha with others in a setting which is created specifically for growth Cat in person at Wonder Valley USA It was an amazing experience to be at the Wonder Valley retreat in person. The location is beautiful and it was very special to meet up with old friends, meet in person with those I had only connected with in the virtual world and also make new friends. The learning was deep and profound- reminding me why retreats are so special and give us such an amazing opportunity to make those shifts in our lives towards more wisdom and clarity. In fact, the same inspiration that led me to want to begin the retreat centre project 4 years ago. The connection with the land, people and animals in Golden Bay was tangible and we could really feel how they were with us - and all the online participants - amazing to see how we are so truly connected, no matter where we are in the world. It was such a pleasure to share our project vision with the people at Wonder Valley and feel the amazing support that came from them all. It was particularly special to show a short film made by Alex Emmerich which lifted and inspired us all. We hope to show the final version as a premiere in November at the New Zealand retreat in Dunedin. (Ren Xue Retreat Dunedin 2024 - Ren Xue International). Thank you so much to Alex for all you do for the project and to the global Ren Xue family for your loving support    OK Grow Nursery officially opened its operation on the Ren Xue farm on 30th March 2024 with a blessing and tree planting. The Nursery is the farm’s first social enterprise operating out of the old milking shed, a collaboration with local native plant nursery owner, Meret Weiss. As part of the regeneration of the land, the conversion of the milking shed to grow native seedlings is a great example of Ren Xue Farming practices. The conversion funds came from farm budget with an allocation of $10,000, made up from a generous donation. The benefits from this donation will be long term across the project, the land and the community. The Ren Xue Centre Australasia Project Steering group who have put much effort into making this a reality believe it is a perfect collaboration with the farm and wider project. This example allows the Mission of the project to shine “To be a base for realising and modelling the REN XUE mission of uplifting ourselves and others in order to achieve harmony in the world. “ Meret Weiss, the owner of the Nursery has achieved a lot in a short time to relocate her established Nursery operation to the Ren Xue Farm in Onekakā and to work with the Farm Manager Steve Lee to make it a success. The Nursery will provide native plants for the farm’s ecological restoration plans, particularly stream protection. Huge gratitude to all the hard work and effort that has gone into this enterprise and we look forward to working and learning together with Meret (and her plants) into the future.  Last weekend, the steering group gathered together in-person in Golden Bay with Yuan Tze and Melissa for a very special weekend. The purpose was for us to welcome Rosie to the team and to be part of Yuan Tze's very first team building workshop! This was an amazing opportunity for us to connect our hearts with the purpose of building the first Ren Xue Centre and to find further clarity on our way forwards. The wisdom shared here will help us all in our Ren Xue work in the future and was recorded so it can benefit others on this journey too.  Above, the steering group gathered at Kiri and Dave's. Below, Steve Campbell shows Yuan Tze, Melissa and Rosie the map of the planned centre. Steve Lee leads a fantastic farm tour and explains all the changes in the last 18 months and the plan for the future. Being together in person sparked so much creativity and ideas! A welcome to Kiri and Dave and their beautiful new space!We also celebrated the beautiful space which Kiri and Dave have made available for Ren Xue events in their recent purchase of a lodge and accommodation in Tukurua, just round the corner from the Ren Xue Centre! Kiri and Dave worked so hard to make this space ready for us to use and also to host an open community workshop and healing run by Yuan Tze and Melissa as part of the weekend. Thank you so much for your generosity, Kiri and Dave - watch this space everyone - beautiful things will happen here, we feel sure of that! Above- Kiri and Dave's place and the healing workshop, Kiri, Kirsty, Trina and Cat. It's a great view from the deck! The Jue Cha Path!Another celebration was the visit to the new path, bridge and pentacle, a project led by James Alker. This path links the retreat centre site to the coastal land will allow for people to access the beach from the retreat centre and make use of a beautiful outdoor covered area and pizza oven. Thank you James for this huge effort. Yuan Tze led us all in a blessing and the path became the Jue Cha path! May it be a path for realisation and wisdom! Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who helped make this weekend a success, particularly our generous family member, Chris Turton, who gave her time so generously to make sure we were well fed and cared for. Without those people supporting us in that way, we wouldn't be able to do what we do.
We are delighted to introduce our new Aotearoa Retreat centre project manager, Rosie Bartlett!  Rosie, who is based in Golden Bay, will be managing the Aotearoa retreat centre project, helping to bring the project to fruition. Rosie brings a raft of skills and experience as well as her positive energy, openness and alignment with our vision and mission. We are all enjoying the start of our new journey together.
Read more about Rosie HERE We are hugely grateful to the foundation built by our former project coordinator, Ollie Clifton who left the role in December 2023. Thank you, Ollie and all the best for your new projects! Learn about the project events and major milestones, hear the stories from the people involved and enjoy the photos in our project update for 2022-23. Here you will find a round up of all the happenings to date; reports from the team, including a special report from Yuan Tze and Melissa and some exciting developments you may not have heard about yet, such as the renovation of the old farmhouse which is now well and truly underway! Enjoy! LINK TO THE PROJECT UPDATE HERE Ngā mihi nui, thank you to everyone who contributed and special thanks to Isaya and Claire for putting it together.  In November, a small group of people gathered together to experience the 9 day online Ren Xue Yuan Tze retreat in-person. What better place to do this than at the beautiful neighbouring retreat centre of Shambhala in Onekaka, Golden Bay. This retreat centre has been built over the last 35 years by John Clere inspired by his Tibetan Buddhist experiences on retreat. He has created a peaceful place with a beautiful practice hall and accommodation. A group of 14 people, mostly from the local area, learned, practiced and grew together in a nourishing Qifield integrating with the Qifield of the Ren Xue land in a very natural way, enjoying visits to the retreat centre site and farm as part of the retreat experience. It was inspiring to see how the future retreat centre will function in the future as an integral part of the farm and community which surround it. It was fantastic to visit Steve on the farm who gave us a great tour and showed us around the orchard plantings and shared the vision. Memorial BenchesSome of us spent an afternoon at the new memorial benches installed by Chris Turton to honour the legacy of Annie Currie who was a supporter of the project. It was very moving to hear the story of Annie from Chris and we all experienced the beauty of the words on the plaque "Settle in to Stillness Here". These benches have been placed so that people can easily access and spend some quiet moments in contemplation and connection with nature. We are so grateful to Annie for her generous gift and Chris for all her energy in the project. Huge thanks to everyone who made this retreat such a success. Enjoy the photos and amazing memories.... Last month saw a new and exciting transformation at the Ren Xue centre farm, Onekaka. What was until recently a dairy farm is becoming more diverse and this is one of the first most visible steps towards this. If you pass the farm now, instead of seeing just grazing paddocks, you will also see an orchard of newly planted fruit and nut trees. This project has been part of the farm working group's plan to diversify and discover more about what sort of crops are best suited to different locations on the land. It was fun to visualise the future of these trees - they need tender care, time and energy now but in the future they will give back in abundance to feed many people in the community. It brought feelings of such gratitude for all that abundance and generosity in nature. Ready for planting! Working in partnership with Steve Lee, the farm manager, is local Golden Bay resident Dieter Proebst who has 35 years experience in Permaculture and biodynamics and has managed his own fruit orchard for 30 of those. During the opening circle and blessing for the trees, Dieter patiently explains how to lovingly and successfully plant them. He did this many times- each time with the same patience and care - very inspiring! Steve plants the first tree; Jackie and Steve feeding out and Taz lending a hand. The tree planting team and the trees in the ground. A well deserved afternoon tea. Dieter demonstrates calm, relaxed, natural use of wheelbarrow!
Steering group gathering in Golden Bay - planning for the future Here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, we have been in the time of Matariki, which is the start of the māori new year. It is a time to honour the past and make plans for the future; traditionally to harvest and prepare the land for the coming year. With this intention, the steering group gathered together in Mohua, Golden Bay on the Ren Xue retreat centre land for a winter strategy and planning weekend. Joining the steering group were Leslie Van Gelder who facilitated our sessions, James Alker and Vincent Louys, two key local community members. It was very special for us all to meet in person as most of our meetings take place online. There is nothing like those real-time connections that happen at a meal table, during a walk on the beach, a shared practice or relaxing together over (many) cups of tea - as demonstrated by the wonderful Trina King!
Personal Stories - What was it like to be together and be in person on the land?  Steve Campbell - steering group member. Steve shares how it feels to be the geographically furthest away from the retreat centre as he is based in Australia and has found the zoom meetings a challenge. He inspires us as he works through the challenge and finds the learning and the enjoyment of getting his hands in the soil! I never really enjoyed my school life that much especially doing things that I didn't want to or didn't like doing (this was a lot) in the school environment. The only real relief for me at school was the playground time when I could get my hands dirty, have some fun with friends and feel a sense of freedom. However this sense of freedom was not really real it was more to do with the fact that I had escaped the classroom and felt relieved. So being on the land together with everyone was a bit like my playtime and I found it very enjoyable spending time with everyone and getting to know you all bit better. So it is a bit like the zoom meetings for me are similar to being back in the classroom where I can easily tense up and being with everyone in-person is my escape from the classroom to the playground. Both are really unhealthy patterns and are one of the same pattern that I am currently working on, I haven't come up with a good answer just yet but I am not going to give up.  Marie-Laure - steering group and local community member Marie-Laure is living right on the land! But she still has challenges to face and she shows such determination in how she approaches it. You can also feel her joy as she shares with us: As a local, I felt a lot of gratitude - people came from so far to visit us, even from Australia! - and joy to have people here, it was like nourishing the Qifield here and the land. I enjoyed the tree planting so much, there was so much love and happiness from everyone, the trees felt it I am sure. It was a bit challenging for me to stay focused for the hours of a meeting - maybe because I need to concentrate more than a person for whom English is a mother tongue, or maybe because I needed to mobilise more Qi. So on the second day I felt tired and needed to step away from the group for a long nap and some solitude and care. Of course, it was different being here together rather than with zoom, practising Qigong together was great - being close to each other, sharing meals, like a family. I loved having the boys with us, life is a cycle and we have all been in this cycle. My personal goal is to be more involved in the project, because as a local - and we are few - I feel that I need to contribute more, and also to find a good balance between my professional and personal life, so that I can do things without being overwhelmed and stay unified. My goal is to be with my Jingshen all the time! Leslie Van Gelder - our treasured facilitator and one of the founding members of the project speaks about how it felt to return for the third year: There is something really powerful about the third time of a thing and this year I really felt that. My first trip to Golden Bay was in January of 2020 with the midwives. It was in the era I think of as “before.” There was very little on Cat and James’ land and we had our little circle of tents set up over a few beautiful summer days. We looked at the farm from the road, from the side, from a distance, from the Mussel Inn. It was “out there” as an idea and a possibility. A year and a half later, we were all gathered in the house in Parapara that I think of as our first year as a group, where out there was getting far closer and we had big questions about priorities and choices and 6 mandarins and how that all “might” be. It felt like it all hovered in the realm of the possible but still wasn’t on the ground. In 2022, as the skies gave us storms and rainbows, we planted trees and celebrated suddenly owning a farm, and our farm managers hosted everyone even while still unpacking their own boxes. And this year, we were in the third year of our gathering and it felt steady. The ground beneath us drier, the weather more settled, and all of us now starting to feel how does this place, this project, this group of people, those who have been coming and will come, fit into the bigger picture of Ren Xue in the world. I loved that. How we are grounding ourselves. Connecting and reconnecting. New planting, more dreaming, and enough history for us to remember what this was all like before we were there, too.  Trina, Leslie and Steve enjoying the view as you approach Golden Bay
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