Menno is one of the community members of the circle over in Holland. Recently the circle there has been displaced from the property (Antropia) where they have been gathering and doing sweats on for years. Menno remembers to us his early experiences of meeting Carl, the circle, and growing fond of the land at Antropia:

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The first time Carl Big Heart came to Holland, the sweatlodge ceremony was held within the organisation of a festival.  Several years the ceremonies were held every weekend at a different place of the country. So the little group around Carl was traveling  with stones, wood en some tents all over the country five times a year.

This information reached me by my wife Joke who attended the ceremonies from the second year.

I quite remember the first time she came back from the ceremony. “How was it” I asked.

‘I can’t really tell you”  she said “ but it was very special”.  Later on I got some idea of the ceremony but it did not really appeal to me. Some years later , one of our daughters asked if she could come with her. And some years later the other two also accompanied Joke.

All three gave a similar answer: beautiful, inspiring , consoling, but for the rest difficult to put into words.

So then I decided to see that man and decided to attend a talk on a Wednesday evening.

The camp was that weekend for the first time at Antropia in Zeist, not very far from where we live. The talk was in the big Mongolian tent called “the castle”. It was  really amazing for me. I don’t really remember the content but I vividly remember the radiance, the compassion, the broad wisdom Carl expressed. He immediately conquered my heart.

The next year all three weekends were at Antropoia in the spring and I decided to bring Joke and have a look at the camp. In the corner under a few trees was the outer covering of a tipi as a huge umbrella. The sweatlodge , the pit,  a lot of wood, two or three Mongolian tents and a bunch of people, some strangely clothes, talking and embracing each other in a way I never experienced. To be frank , it was rather confusing, so I left rather soon. The next weekend though, I went there again to bring Joke and was introduced to some of the man and women, and from some I got a warm and well meant hug. I stayed there till  the stones were laid and the fire was lit. 

When the fall visit was announced it happened to be in Groningen ( in the far North-East of the Netherlands) which is my town of birth. So I suggested Joke that I would come along and spent the days in town. Instead I went into he lodge and attended my first ceremony there and have been there ever since.

It happened to be that from the next year on both the spring-visits and the fall-visits were on Antropia because of the nice site there and because it was in the middle of the country and 5 minutes walk from the railway station.

Till then a group of five to seven people organized the whole thing; which they considered as their Sewa (service to Carl). But slowly,  some a bit reluctantly , they started sharing activities with the newcomers.  Froit as campmaster  placed an increasing number of  Mongolian tents (from his own company almost free of charge). Ben followed with his tipi’s. And due to increasing numbers of visitors camp expanded every year. Besides the people from the first hour, a circle of people formed to support  building up and building down and maintaining the camp. Also a family week was started; a opportunity for parents with children to have the spring holidays in a nice and special place and atmosphere. A whole program was made for the week divided for small children( til 4), little children (4 till 10) and grown ups. Beside the team, parents participated in the activities and Carl and later on also Stephanie where there on the camp the whole week. Carl participated in small talks with children, giving a children’s lodge and leading the final ceremony. Stephanie participated in all kinds of activities including women activities.

In the meantime (2006) a part of the Big Heart women, started to follow the women and Moonlodge teachings, given by Grandmother Nanatasis.  From that time on, the Moonlodge became a permanent part of the sweatlodge ceremony. The result was also a beautiful red Moonlodge-tent designed and made by Froit , who also made a new fire-keepers tent in the same desert design.

In the last years the board of the society changed quite often. Most members of the first group have stepped down, and the new boards are trying to find new ways supporting the process of arranging everything for the sweatlodge ceremonies of Carl and the “community” which formed around it.

When you look at the people attending the ceremonies you can divide them in three groups. Those who are always  there and support the camp and the activities also. A group who comes one or two times a year and do some small activities announced that very day. And a group of people who are new or who once in a while to attend the sweatlodge.. Camp shrinks and expands according to the number of visitors.

The last years the Waldo – a big tent designed and constructed by Freud – is the eye catcher of the camp. In there registration takes place as well as sitting around the  fire and potluck in the evening after the lodge. In case of rain everybody can shelter in that big tent.

We thought  and wished that we could  continue to gather at Antropia. Then the news came that we had to leave Antropia. The property is sold to a financial institute. The field we rent there has to become a temporally parking place. And afterwards we are not allowed anymore to have the lodges in place permanently with the wood, the stones and other equipment..

So the first weekend of August we have abounded the place. We have taking care of all the stones used in the last 15 years; we did give them a temporary place. We also managed to store the wood and the equipment.

That weekend we worked hard in an atmosphere of peace and friendship and ended with the ceremony of burning the lodges and filling in the pit. So an era has ended: our days at Antopia.

Menno October 2014

P.S

In the meantime we have spotted 4 possible locations for continuing the ceremonies and the family week. They will be visited by some of us. In the weekend of 24-26 of October we will gather on the property of Ron and Karin to  meet, discuss and have a lodge.

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Continued:

This reaction of Erik ( the blacksmith who is part of the family and has his smith place beside the lodges may be nice to add in the newsletter.
Love, Menno

Dear people from the big heart,

Early in the evening I have taken the bicycle towards the estate to have a look and to say goodbye from those who would still be there. There was nobody left there. The field was empty. From a distance it looked that it never have been different as it ever was, as if you have never been there. Some smoke came from the temporally fireplace in the middle of the field. I saw the read rose and the white rose lying on the ground. It was very quite; over the site there was great saddness. You all have taken leave of the place. I felt it must have been a dignified farewell. I thank you that you have been here. I thank you for all you have contributed to this place. There is nothing left to see, but what remains is invisible, permanent in value. You are gone, I will stay a while, and will hold on………

Warm greetings.
Erik ( the blacksmith)