Support Etambemanga community project

Dear friends,

 

I am writing to share something with you all that I have been building up to in my life for a long time. I would like to start by thanking you either way, for your time reading this, for your love, and for your friendships. The truth is that this is as big for me to talk to you all about as it is to build! It is not so easy for me to be vulnerable and call for help in this way, but I know that I need the support of my community to create this vision. So with complete trust I am opening this up to the wider family. I am asking all those whose lives have been touched by the sacred wood to consider supporting this project in any way that they can. I am grateful for any support that you can offer, and trusting that we will receive what we need to carry this vision to its harvest.

 

Our story so far

 

For 6 years I have been putting all my time, energy and love into establishing Etambemanga, which is a growing home to the Bwiti on this island. I am so grateful to have created this alongside a tribe of friends and family, with the guidance and blessing of my elders in Gabon. The temple on Dragon Hill has been the container for many deep transformations, and continues to hold us all in a magical and mysterious way.

 

 

 

At the beginning of this journey, I never imagined that the Bwiti would grow to this level or that the collective need for this Gabonese magic would increase so much in this country. Over the past 2 years, the temple has been full every month and there are more and more people who are reliant on this medicine, and the community that we have created here in Glastonbury. This temple has become the home to so many, and this is recognised by my brothers in Gabon who send their prayers often. One member of the tribe in Ebando (Gabon) visited two years ago to officially consecrate the space, so its roots as a home to the tradition are firmly planted in the soil of Avalon.

 

We are also honoured that the temple is used by one of the chiefs of the Yawanawa tribe from the Brazilian Amazon to hold circles when she comes to the UK, which has blessed our space enormously. We definitely want to continue this relationship with the Yawanawa, supporting their powerful work and preserving their jungle wisdom.

 

Our family in Africa

 

There is a saying in the Bwiti, which translates as ‘slowly slowly’: this has underpinned every step of this beautiful dance, as I recognise that my moves must be careful, integral, humble and respectful at all times. For me, the thread running through this work at all times is my honour for the tradition, and for the people in Africa whose lives we are now permanently interwoven with. A proportion of the money we make from the retreats goes back to Africa every year, covering some friends' living costs, supporting the Ebando camp in Gabon, a growing orphanage, and a tribe that we work closely with in Cameroon. My intention is to always stay connected to these indigenous people and to continuously give back to them so that the energetic exchange is always strong. I am so aware of how difficult life is out there, and I want my African family to reap the benefits of our work here in the UK so that they can live with more ease and comfort.

 

 

 

 

 

The growing vision

 

Below I'll tell you a little more about how we hope to achieve all that we are dreaming up, but I wanted to share with you the present vision of the future of Etambemanga. Despite the constant reminder to take things slowly, I feel I have reached a point where action needs to be taken to ensure the sustainability of this project.

 

Currently, there is an out payment of £3000 every 3 years to change the canvases due to the UK’s damp winters. This is quite a chunk of money for me and significantly disjoints the flow of life in our blossoming Bwiti village. Therefore the cotton canvas roof cover on the yurt needs replacing with an acrylic yurt roof, which is expected to last 15 years. We plan to wrap the yurt with cladding that will last 20 years, add more insulation, and place a bespoke hand-made open fire bowl in the middle of the yurt. All of these efforts are to keep the space evenly warm during and between sessions, preventing damp damage. As well as putting some structural changes in place to make the temple longer lasting and more sustainable for its journey ahead, we plan to build a sauna to aid the wood's detoxifying process.

 

We want to enhance the experience for all of our participants and crew, so that they can be in deep comfort whilst in the midst of raw forest nature at the same time. Here's a design by our carpenter - more details can be found below:

 

 

 

We also have a vision of using the temple as a school during the weekdays. We are slowly gathering individuals from the community who want to contribute to this organisation, and are putting in plans to create an educative space that is based around the forest. Our goal is to buy some desks, chairs and simple resources such as whiteboards and books, and create a learning space for children in Glastonbury. This will be a place where they can feed their instinctively curious minds, engage creatively, and connect with the woodland that is holding them. This part of the project is fuelled by a collective desire to educate the younger generation with a 'head, hands and heart' approach. At the core of this school will be an ethos of kindness and harmony with nature. Running through everything will be an acknowledgment of the importance of preparing little people mentally, emotionally and physically to operate in the changing world around them and to equip them with the tools needed to live in a healthy paradigm. This land feels like the ideal home for a school with its plentiful space for growing food and plants, as well as for creative endeavours. It is a cosy and grounded environment for children to rest in as they follow their interests and imaginations.

 

Carpentry with a sustainability promise

 

Jason from Frontier Yurts has been our carpenter since the early days of Etambemanga, and has touched many with his creative ways of encorporating nature into his craftsmanship. He has become a dear friend to me, and I continue to be moved by the love and unique energy with he designs and builds.

 

 

It is important to us that we tread carefully as we build, as we want to avoid disruption to the natural way of this land. With every movement in this project, our prayer is to be as closely connected to existing wildlife and as respectful to the planet as we possibly can.

 

Therefore, we source all materials locally or from within the UK in order to keep the project's carbon footprint as minimal as possible. All the timber from the build will come from a farm in the Cotswolds, close to Jason's home. The trees, primarily larch and cedar, are selected individually, felled and extracted in a low impact manner all by Jason himself. This is a traditional method of timber selection and is a practice that he is very keen to maintain and promote. Every tree that is used in his work is replaced with 5 native hardwood species. When insulating the yurt, we will use YBS multi foil insulation, manufactured in the UK from recycled materials.

 

 

The finer details

 

As well as the new acrylic yurt roof cover, larch cladding to wrap the yurt, and YBS foil insulation applied to the roof, walls, and floor of the yurt, the 3 double glazed bay windows will give extra light and ventilation. As previously mentioned, a handmade open fire bowl will give a warming focal point during the sessions. For safety, a fire escape will be added to the west window bay. Off the boot room will be the entrance to the sauna, clad again in the larch for insulation. The roof will be tiled in cedar shingles, and the sauna will comfortably hold 10 people. Leading on from the sauna will be a covered walkway to a small, enclosed open shower area. The entrance to the temple yurt will have a pagoda style wooden covering to act as a bathing area, as well as to prevent mud and debris from entering the structure. The overall idea for the intended work on the yurt and the adjoining buildings is to provide a more comfortable and enhanced year-round experience for the participants, overcoming some of the practical difficulties that occur due to the off-grid location. In total we are looking for £50, 000 to cover all the costs.

 

 

 

 

Watch this video created by Jason for more information about his building plans: https://youtu.be/Bf5stz5Gq9U

 

Thank you

 

I am really thankful for the time you have taken to read this. Anything that you feel you can contribute towards this project will be received with gratitude. I trust that Etambemanga has a spirit of its own and will flourish in the way it needs to! But I am calling for any support possible, to help grow this project in a grounded and careful manner. The vision is for this place to be a home to the community. We want to create a safe sanctuary for adults to dive deeply into their woundings and undertake brave healings in the astral, and a peaceful paradise where children can learn about themselves and receive gentle guidance as they grow.

 

Any help in anchoring this container of Gabon's jungle wisdom would be so deeply appreciated! I send this out with a prayer that each and every one of you can be touched by the magic of the Bwiti and of this country's land. Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like to speak further about what we are creating, or hear more about what our money goes towards in Gabon :) We are hoping to raise these funds by mid January, so that we can begin to order all that we need to get the build going in the springtime.

 

 

With love and blessings,

 

Marc x