All three of the Cretan projects we visited are the visions of single individuals with wonderful and worthy ideas, without resources or substance for manifestation. Of the three, Lucky's dream of revitalizing his home village is the most workable. He is truly a kind and hard-working hands-on visionary. None of the Workaways, though, were projects or settings with which we could engage. Far from feeling any regret at this point, I actually feel more alive and energized in spirit than ever, though my physical force is low. Crete itself does have a potent and mysterious force as others have written.... The idea of Workaway is that workers volunteer their time and labor to help hosts on various projects and hosts provide accommodations and cultural opportunities. Some hosts are looking for short-term help, while others invite long-term or residential stays. Workers and hosts meet over their profiles on the Workaway web site. Over this medium, we tested the waters of Crete. The people of Crete we've met have overall been helpful in an out-going way and gentle in manner. Drivers in general are very accommodating, as there is an unspoken understanding of making room for other drivers. Unlike any other countries I've driven in, here when one has a need for speed, the other moves aside, onto the wide shoulder, to make passing easier. Honking is light and friendly, a note to be aware for safety's sake rather than a shout to get out of the way. We've driven about 800 kilometers in three days, so this is worthy of note. There are other sides to Crete as well, and as the photographer I can see how my selections give a narrow and incomplete view. Mostly I haven't photographed what could be called the harsher side of Crete, the ripped-off feeling of square, flat buildings unfinished to save on taxes, wires stretched in front of natural landscapes, areas exploited and un-cared for by people struggling to survive. There is some sadness in my heart for the natural environment which is so rich in majestic beauty and so trampled upon by Man. Landfills fill the air with the pungent smoke of burning trash. I tend to point my camera at what attracts me such as flowers, rainbows, beauty and harmony. Yet there are times when I feel harmony in the harshness as well, when I relax, let go of resistance and judgment, and accept it as it is. I am that. From our room in the El Greco Apartments in Agios Nikolaos, we drove yesterday eastward and found Votania Herbs, a tract of land outside the small village of Kavoussi. We learned of it over Workaway and had email contact with the visionary, Serena. Serena wrote, 'Dear Gary, I feel we are on a similar path at this time in our lives so I think you will understand me when I speak to you from the heart. You contacting me has come at a time when I am trying to surrender completely to Grace, to the divine plan of the universe and come out of the 'person mode'. Seeing how going inwards has changed my life and filled it with love, I feel a strong calling to come together and guide others on this path, and this is where my heart lies. 'I can say this with certainty: We go with the flow, have trust and see how things unfold. The farm I do not see as my own property nor do I have a fixed plan but as an opportunity to come together with others and do what is best and see what naturally unfolds, without personal gains in the background - this must be a common vision of all who take part in this venture in order for it to work authentically. We used to purely cultivate herbs, harvest them and make products but this has now come to a standstill.' From Agios Nikolaos we drove to Kavousi and visited the land of Votania Herbs. Then we were onward to Lerapetra where in a 'sin bar' on the boardwalk we wrote an email to let Serena know we would move on and not meet her as planned. From Lerapetra we drove until we could drive no more, at the end of our nerves again at the end of day. The next morning it was onward through Agias Galini with some unplanned side trips (wrong turns) which gave us vista views. We ended the day with two very pleasant surprises including a dental visit for Kati in Kissamos and two delightful sisters managing the apartments where we now stay. Though I did not meet Serena in person due to our need to move on and find our next room for the night, I count my email connection with her and my meeting with Lucky in Azogires as jewels of my Cretan adventure. Other jewels are the small quartz crystal stones which stood out to me in the most meaningful places of Azogires, near Votania and along the Mediterranean Sea in Kissamos where we are now. Opportunities have presented themselves to share with those interested the Heart Breathing practice which has been developed through me and which has given me such strength for this journey. On our walk to Votania Herbs, I looked down to the water and had a deep feeling of recognition of the small rocky beach as that of a dream in the night from years ago, where I and others levitated in our torus field bodies. Our Cretan adventure has taken all that we saved, without apparent results of finding a physical home on earth, yet I am happy and at peace. We have booked a flight to our next destination, in another country, for this coming weekend.
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