Project "HALTS"

Project "HALTS"

Nowadays everyone knows how to find the meaning of life inside himself.
But there was a time when mankind had not recognized such a happiness...”
Kurt Vonnegut “The Siren of Titans”

There between pines a bit of fire is seen
And by the fire a friend is expecting for me...
Yury Vizbor, a song

PRIVALY (HALTS) is a project of club family travel in Russia.

Idea: To create spaces for new positive forms of rest, for association and development.

Whom for?
The project is directed to People who search for their place in the Universe and their Ways of Realization, or to who have found them. To people having healthy and happy way of life.
The project does not propose any age, sex, ethnic etc discrimination of delimitations. Just being bore is forbidden. The main reasons for participation are being open for experience and loving life. Beside that, in our routes and halts we do not eat anyone (vegetariancy), no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs - but no other limitations. You can just be yourself.

What and what for?

We make the project for those who are at least a bit obsessed by the idea of the Way. For everyone who is searching the way or beginning to walk on it, or feeling himself going. We think they know what are halts for.
Here no one can destroy the wonder of your loneliness, no one would teach anything, be boring, making you choose a route. We just offer you some tea and bread, chance of quiet talk and silence, also information – maps, advice on dangerous turns on the way, equipment etc.
Here you can share your feelings, or just live with them. Just being in company of wanderers can be useful.
On the halts – it can be quiet and comfortable, or buzzy and funny, but both are always in time.
They are people, I call them “those who are going to the Light”. Nowadays there are number of them.
Why does a person need people – for not feeling himself in a social isolation (against loneliness) in presence and in the stream of time. For feeling as a part of a group which has past and futere. Past for roots, principles, traditions. Future for meanings.
V.Dale (Russian famous dictionary) determines People as “Persons born in a defined space”. There are a lot of them, born in the new space of the new times. This space is the world scattered on the Earth, it is in Auroville and in Puttaparti, in Tibet and in Grishino, in Okunevo and in Voronezh, in Moscow and... These people have common rules of life and basic values, way of life, physiologic features and character, specialities of national dress and kitchen. The most important – common language and music. They recognize each other, they are pleased to be relatives.
“The space where we were born” is the Light certainly coming to us through the tree leaves, it is the wind of change and motion, it is the search. The main rules and values: God, Love, development, search, understanding.
These people are young though they have been here forever. Almost everyone can “suddenly” find that he/she is a part of the people –

Where?

Russia. Moscow, Yaroslavl, Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Voronezh. Village houses in nice places. And the places of Strength around them.
Each place is very individual.
Although there are common features:
- village wooden small houses for 2-6 guests (sleeping in tents could raise the number up to 10),
- simple comfort: water from well/spring, traditional village WC, russian sauna and shower, open fire warming,
- vegeterian food, mostly vegetables and cereals (variety of dishes, pies and pan-cakes etc.),
- nice, merry hosts.

Divnogorye (Wonder Mountains), near Voronezh, has unique historical and archeological routes, and wonderful nature. Two separate guest houses. It is possible to rest isolately, or together with nice hosts, or with us.
Near Yaroslavl there ia a funny settlement of intelligent many-children families. A lot of sightseeings here – but the most interesting is to get inside their world.
In Khrabrovo (between Kolomna and Kashira), on Lyubinka river, our People have built The Ecohouse in the Ecoplace. We mean it is impossible to come by car. You must walk 2 km through the forest and after that find the river, huge strawberry glades and small pines. They have a very strong place there, they work on it. Wooden house where no one can find you, but you can find something important…
There you have unique chance to live in forest in monk’s total loneliness. Only bread and water would be brought unnoticeable...
There is Bibeevka village near Vladimir, in fabulous Murom wood. Behind the forest you find a river full of creeks and whirpools. A lot of space. A young withch lives in the big log hut. Mushrooms from April to October. From here you can start excursions to Vladimir, Suzdal, Murom...
Moscow also have a lot of strong and interesting places. Parks, Bridges, boulevards at sunrise. You can be a guest of our funny family.
Taman. Wonderful place between Black and Azov Seas. Living and breathing volcanos. The land flowering with lotuses and sweating with salt, the land keeping secrets of the Faraway fabulous realm.
And much more –

What is expected on a halt?

Maximum of individuality, chance for being alone.
Alone meeting sunrise. Alone wandering on advised routes, finding new ones. Alone sleeping under the stars. Baking bread himself.
Although all these you can make in a chosen company.
Separate line – meetings with the Teacher.

How to get to?

Every “halt” can be reached by car or another transport means using schemes and instructions.
From Moscow you can come on our Wanderer La (8-place VW) with good company and nice music.

Main criteria for our activity

Creation / liberty, open mind, fantasy, live things.
Real things / honesty, quality, respect.
Anew / provocation, experience.
Business / usefulness, independence, perspectives.
Ecology.

ECOLOGY

Is any ECOsettlement, or just an ECOlife, possible in a city?
Certainly yes! Since ECO is not a place but attitude to living, to Life on Earth.

How do we try to ECOlive in Moscow?
1. Firstly it is better to leave the city as offen as you can...;-))
2. Moscow has great quantity and quality of green places (parks, country estates, Botanic Garden, Elks Island National Park etc). You can find everything here – forests, lakes, rivers, swamps. There are a lot of animals, birds and unique trees. We simply look at them and see them, communicate with them, find a bit more time for them than for buildings, transports etc.
3. There are a lot of people in Moscow. Nice ones, you can ECOcommunicate with. Various ones, you can smile to.
4. In a separate Moscow flat it is possible to practice and widen the ecology of mind, communication, living.

How do we co-operate with ECOsettlements?
We are wandering roamers who like to associate with people living on their own land in Voronezh, Grishino, Yaroslavl, Kolomna, Murom etc. We love to turn out of the blue by a good people’s company, bringing gifts and news and – to have some tea on sunset quietly, to help with keeping house in the morning, to roam somewhere...