By modeling a micro-cosmos where education, culture and art are approached holistically, the Hara-Goe project frames an experiment where Life can be experienced as a whole. Furthermore, its core values and essence are being distilled into a concept that can be adapted to different scenarios. The Hara-Goe project is about people forming an organism, creating networks, living together.

The need

The need which brings the Hara-Goe project to life is the longing for meaning, freedom and joy. In a world that reflects our personal imbalance and collective confusion, showing us an ugly and cruel face, it’s not possible to shift perspective while being stuck in old patterns and structures. Being open-minded and agile will help us breathe, pulse, connect and evolve. Listening to our hearts and to one another will help us raise awareness and manifest new ways of being.

The vision

According to the Japanese culture, “hara” is the center of gravity of human existence. It is this particular point on which we can rest, in order to act decisively through time-space, but also the point through which we can evolve beyond it, becoming transparent and transcendent. “Hara-Goe” is the vibration of this center, our inner voice, our singing soul.

We are creating this educational, cultural and artistic hub. A micro-cosmos where people can flourish and relate in a less mechanical way, where possibilities are left open and new things can emerge. We wish to share and hold this space as a healing place in the widest sense. A space where humans can share Love and Consciousness, a place where transformation is promoted and nourished.

The story so far…

The Hara-Goe project also reflects our personal journeys, gradually extracting what persistently shows up to be of value and truth: relationship, acknowledging situations as they are, accepting our self and all others, seeking to be aware, authentic and honest.

We (Andreas and Stella) both grew up in the 80s, when the neighbourhood culture in Greece was still alive, even in the cities. The supportive environment of friends and family gave us a healthy enough basis to gradually become aware of the conditioning happening around us (despite the good intentions and unconsciously, most of the time). Our experiences where often full of contradictions, outlining the misconception of who we are and who we were supposed to be. After living a big part of our lives as expected, as being told, we decided to try our own thing. Since we both value being in nature the most, dropping our careers and diving into the unknown seemed easy at the time.

The birth of our daughter Zoe gave us another reason to permanently leave our city lives behind. Our first shelter was our caravan and, over the years, we built a small house combining straw bale, timber frame and cob techniques. Re-inventing ourselves and our lifestyle wasn’t an easy process but we became more agile and conscious. Having lived more or less as “outsiders” for the past 8 years  - occasionally facing scarcity and isolation - we now feel ready to create a space where people can be inspired in many ways.

The situation now:

After many years of intense labor, both physical and mental, we now feel the need to take a deep breath. Reconsider, digest, honour and celebrate the decisions and steps that brought us so far. Before entering the next creative phase -and to make sure that it will unfold in a more organic and less stressful way- we want to focus on the practical issues of our everyday living, regain strength and inspiration, exit scarcity.

In the next 2-3 years we wish to complete the infrastructure needed to support the activities and events we want to host. Primarily the multi-purpose Studio-complex, but also an indoor kitchen and sheltered area for being weather-proof throughout the year, as well as shelters for a small core-group of people (by using low-imprint, high-outcome designs and building techniques).

Furthermore, we intend to refine the Hara-Goe concept, and its application in our current scenario. This includes the design of a legal entity that will allow the project to be viable and “real-world compatible”, but also be able to explore and support new ways of relating on both a professional and personal level, without sacrificing fairness or human dignity. Side projects like the Hara-Goe Label for producing and distributing music and other media are also on the list.

Want to engage?

In order to make all this possible and move forward effectively, we are reaching out to our friends and allies, people who want to participate or support the project in various ways. In particular we need a design team, a building team, a programming and support team and a legal team. If you are interested in supporting or engaging in any of the above fields, please get in touch.

Thank you : )