escaping to peace village

Co-written by Magdalena Polec

At first glance, I really wasn’t sure what Peace Village would be all about. From pictures alone, it looked like a resort of some kind, but that assumption would be half-correct, since it used to be a resort. While you are provided a room like a hotel, there are subtle differences (that actually make a big difference in atmosphere) such as vegetarian food, and being a completely alcohol and smoking free environment. Not to mention the picturesque scenery. All of this is to help set the atmosphere to find peace of mind. The workshops and events, which are themed, in place to help people get that peace, or that reconnection, or that rediscovery to something that can be so easily lost in the maddening busy world that we as a society call “living” life when in actuality we are only surviving it.

Frozen waterfalls on the way to Peace Village (Photo by Magdalena Polec)

But once you get there, (and getting there can be a challenge for some as you discover the winding twists and turns four miles up the mountain where Peace Village is located) taking note of the residents, especially the staff, I would think I was at some sort of sacred temple or religious area. In some sense, that could be a valid way to think of this place. It is a sacred place, meaning sanctified—set aside for special and specific purposes—and people who seek to find their inner strengths within gather there to get a better sense of who they are, and what their purpose in life may be. As for religion, what I like about this place and what they do is that they don’t focus on your exact beliefs. It’s more about you than your connection with any divine being, yet you are welcome to interpret and apply that to what you are learning and experiencing while there.

This place deals more with your inner-self, or your soul, than anything that you might think of as “religion,” which some people equate with spirituality. In my opinion, I feel that getting to know and understand what and who you are is just as important to the building or strengthening to any spiritual or personal relationship you may have to a higher power. Your personal beliefs are not tied in to the spirituality that this place offers to tap into. Whether or not you have a religious affiliation, as I met people who were of various backgrounds, one can still benefit from the workshops that in an essence, re-teach, yes, re-teach how to bring peace of mind to ourselves through the idea that we all once had it. One of the ways this was done was through different lengths and types of meditation; and meditation is key to Peace Village as it should be to all human beings that want to live a better life, rather than trying to survive it.

In a few days or so, I’ll write about my own experience at Peace Village and what I got out of it. Learning things is great, but it means nothing if you don’t apply it and even worse if you don’t remember it.

Read more about Peace Village.