THE SEASONS Some days are quite cool, with chilly morning mists that soon lift to sunny days. It’s quite mild and there hasn’t been much rain. Some local deciduous trees are full of colour; the grass is green and growing. It’s been a pleasure to have a steady flow of courses and caring people here at Origins.
MAINTENANCE Our team gets tighter and better although some projects are slower than we would like, due to changes and events outside of Origins itself. Room 10 is very much on the radar, but behind schedule. Same for the Tusita shower room and the Coorain roof. It’s all OK though, we are still on track.
BALINGUP BROOK A fence that’s acted like an animal trap for kangaroos has now been dismantled, thanks to Logan who also is continuing his work to help the brook.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN We are planning and discussing how to better serve children of all ages through to their emergence into adulthood. We all realise how vital it is to support, nurture and guide our young in this world of ours as they become responsible for so much. Professionals used to working with children, as well as those of us who have already been involved, are ready to help with this endeavour in the near future.
KINDY Anne has returned from over east, she hopes to see many kids and parents at the next kindy on Wednesday May 31st. It should be a good one.
WELCOME BACK KIP Kip is house sitting in Balingup. He’s taking a couple of weeks to settle and plan his next move – but we are glad to say he will be in the area for some time.
TIGLE MARGARET RIVER It was a joy to have Ian at the May Retreat, he has taken some time off from Tigle House in Margaret River in order to study and do personal practice. Ian is deeply experienced in permaculture, bush regeneration and dharma teaching. We look forward to his being more involved with Origins in the future and recommend people to connect with Tigle House once it reopens. You can find contact information below.
NEW THREADS We are slowly investigating and planning outreach and engagement, IT development and use with new courses and facilities, further energy generation, climate mitigation strategies and community sharing. These projects require real expertise and take a bit of time to develop but they will contribute strongly to the future of Origins. We look forward to focusing during July when the Centre is closed to guests. New courses in the dharma will be announced next update, they are being planned now.
2024 Although course givers are interested in booking for 2024, we will not be making scheduling decisions until September/October.
CHARITABLE REGISTRATION Sondra has brought all our registrations with ACNC and Donnybrook-Balingup Shire up to date. This is required for us to be exempt from taxation and local rate charges. It is up to us to ensure that we remain ethical and focused on charitable purposes. All this, of course, is within the practice of Dana – a dharma principal so vitally important in all we do. We are deeply grateful to be supported both federally and locally. The same sense of responsibility and gratitude is offered to all who help support Origins Centre. We continue to seriously consider how to offer our facilities and experience in ways that are needed, meaningful and charitable: socially, environmentally, culturally and economically.
Frienship is the essential foundation, so thank you friends!! :)
Keep well and happy, Team Origins.
Upcoming Events at Origins
Nature's Song Retreat with Darrell - 25th - 28th May Darrell Henry is an Aboriginal psychologist who is a student of many traditions. He brings together Western Archetypal Psychology, Buddhist meditation practices, and Aboriginal spirituality for a holistic and grounded approach to healing. For more information, click here.
Origins Work Bee - 3rd & 4th June Saturday June 3rd at 9am to 2pm with a pot luck lunch, and Sunday June 4th 9am to 12pm. This is the first work bee we have called for a long time, of course it’s also a social event. We will attend to the kindy play area, the gravel garden and the road into Origins. We will let you know if we are also asking people to bring tools. We hope you can make it, it should be a good time. If you would like to stay the night, please book through Melinda: melinda@originscentre.org
Mindfulness Weekend with Chim - 10th & 11th June The goal is to build an independent practice that can be used in conjunction with many activities, inner or outer. The purpose of mindfulness is to support common good and healing. Sessions are Saturday 9:30 am and 3 pm and Sunday 9:30 am (three 90-minute sessions). To book accommodation, or for more information contact: melinda@originscentre.org
A Story is like Water....a weekend of story-medicine, poetry and community nourishment with Jaya - 23rd to 25th June Join poet and story-welcomer Jaya Penelope to hear an old folktale told with reverence and wonder over two evenings. During the days we will explore finding other doorways into the story and how it speaks to our own lives through journaling, poetry writing, dream-tending, altar building, storytelling, time alone in nature and time with others in community. For more information, please contact: mistressmadrigal@yahoo.com.au *A gentle reminder - please care for others and yourself, and do not attend Origins if you are feeling unwell, especially with cold or flu symptoms. Thankyou!
Weekend Retreats & Dana Deposit to Confirm Booking A wonderful balance of health, art, nature and mindfulness with these weekend retreats. Appreciation to everyone for contributing to such a vibrant centre full of good energy and creativity. We will be asking people planning on attending retreats to make a $60 - $100 non refundable contribution to your dana for accommodation to confirm your booking ($100 for the May and September retreats).
Regular Programand Services Mindfulness Sessions on fb streaming Live practice stream including commentary. Venue: Coorain – Balingup, and Facebook Time: Tuesdays from 8.30am to 9am with Chime and Fridays from 7:30 to 8:30am with Anne.
Donations: We are a charitable organization and your donations make the difference! If you would like to support us financially, our bank details are: Origins Centre BSB 066504 Account Number: 10017993 PayPal account http://www.originscentre.org/support-origins.html
Origins Centre Coorain Account BSB 066504 Account Number: 10056415
GOVERNANCE The Origins Committee of Management has full responsibility for all administration, management, landcare, finance, maintenance, media and teaching at OC and Coorain. The responsibility is represented on-site by committee members or on-site duty managers. Many friends help. OC is a registered, charitable not-for-profit NGO that offers its services, land and infrastructure on a donation basis. Origins is run and used by volunteers and supported by core paid work.