Our dream
Daniel and I both have a deep desire to leave the world better than we were born in to it. We are convinced that when you live from your own hart and strength. That when you live from your own true essence: you will place your own unique, indispensable contribution to the world.
It is clear that we as a society still have to grow and develop ourselves in this area. (This so that everyone will soon be able to express his or her heart's desire as an equal world citizen.) Our place TERRA FIRME is a place where we can support this growth. We will support this growth through workshops, coaching, retreats, ceremonies, sweat lodges, bodywork and much more.
TERRA FIRME is a place that brings you back to your true self and makes you stand firmly in your own power again. Terra Firme means "FIRM GROUND" in Portuguese. And firm ground a strong foundation is what everyone needs in his/her life: Because if you stand firmly with your feet on the earth. Then you are able to face everything your heart desires and life has to offer you.
Our story
Sometimes you need the right timing to meet your life partner. Both of us hade lived our own life experience. Both of us learned ourselves what we need and want from life. Both of us learned in our own ways, that it is the small and simple acts of love and kindness that keep darkness at bay. The simple everyday deeds of ordinary folks can safe a life, just by showing up. Both of us feel the urge to pay forward those gifts we did receive from life... And then we found each other: Two like-minded souls who together want to contribute positive change to the world.
When I met Daniel, it did not took long time before he told me about the house where he grew up as a child. He inherited this place (at a much too young age) from his father. This place lights up a few miles away from a remote village. The whole house was built with his father's hands. It was his dream to revive this place and built it so that 2 families could live there. However, that never happened: The house was never finished.
He did, however, live in it with Daniel himself. After the death of Daniel's father, nothing really happened to the house anymore. The fond memories of childhood with his father, also brought feelings as loss and pain. For this reason, Daniel himself initially did not want to acknowledge that he would love to make this house liveable again in the future. (or even wanted to go back to Portugal) So when Daniel first showed me this place, it was actually more about get to know and understand him and his past better... But when we walked around on this ground together, we immediately felt together that this was not only a place of Daniel's past: But also the place of our future!!!
This is the place where we can contribute to the world and chare al the talents we have to offer. For this reason we emigrated. With the dream to start a retreat canter. But before we could start, first we needed to make our house a liveable place. We embraced this adventure.
Out of nowhere, dear friends joined our dream. When Rik and Rozemarijn heard our plans, they also felt the call to live in this place. We feel a deep gratitude that cannot be expressed in words for this. Without them, we would never hade made the quick start of this dream project.
We learned the hard way how difficult the circumstances of the starting proses of Terra Firme was. This took a great tool on all 4 of us. For Rik and Rozemarijn the circumstances of our starting proses did not met the reality of their own needs and life propose. For this reason they did move-on so they could start their own life project's. We have full trust they will begin wonderful projects of their own.
The Road
"Before you start you own the journey. After you start the journey owns you."
We did thought that we knew where this journey would bring us. But we could never oversee what this journey would actually mean.
Life without electricity. No running water. All the comfort we were used to was gone. Even the supermarket offered a challenge because not all products are in stock that you normally have within reach. You adjust your diet and your life rhythm to the new place. Because it is simply not possible to carry out the same structure here in Portugal.
In addition to the daily worries. The system and bureaucracy also seem to be working against everything. Everything is terribly slow. And our health was failing us. This caused enormous stress. Regular visits to doctor's, hospitals and authorities became daily life. It was very hard for us. In addition to feeling vulnerable and worried. We are confronted with fear, pain, sadness and anger. The relationship became under enormous pressure. We had to work really hard to gain some right of existence.
We named our project "Terra Firme". This means "Firm Ground". It seems like the dream we are creating is forcing us to look on our own foundations of life. We can not "talk-the-talk" without "walking-the-walk".
For us this meant first create foundation: Getting our health back on track, creating solid income and from there re-create a healthy life so we can create "Terra Firme".
Our situation now:
We have running water. And in if it doesn't freeze in the bathroom even hot water. We have a working kitchen and electricity will be installed in may 2024.
We are also busy with a lot of preparation work for the B&B and activities that we want to offer. Janna is working very hard on the education program "Shamanic teaching's" that we want to offer with Terra Firme. Daniel is working very hard on the installation of the electricity. And we are looking for way's to move forward with our dreams.
What will be our next steps?
In practical manner there are some things we do need to create before our guests can be received:
- We need a outdoor bathroom for our guests + a new septic tank
- We need to create cottages and camping-spots so they have a space to sleep and rest.
- We need to create an outdoor oven for the sweat loge ceremony's. (This so we can always build a safe fire)
Also it is important to get our licenses so we are allowed to receive guests. For this we need help from the local authorities.
In the mean time we will start our activities: such as the workshops, massages, acupuncture sessions, sweatloge ceremony's and the education program strong roods.
This tasks are our main priority's at the moment.
Co - creation
Changing the world for the better, is not something you do alone. If you get inspired by our story and you feel this is in line with your own life purpose: We are open for collaborations. Who knows what we can do? We hope not only give space for ourselves to give workshops, teachings and retreats on our property. But we also hope we can help others to give space to share their own medicine to the world.
