There is something very enticing I’ve always found about winter and northern climates. As a teenager growing up in ever-sunny Athens, Greece I would be dreaming away hours on end about the dark, gloomy, rainy weather of Edinburgh, Scotland where I would eventually end up spending five years of my university studies. And that is exactly what I found there - dark, short days, vapour rain and mist covering the whole place revealing the tops of black medieval towers and of course the Edinburgh castle standing there tall on the hill above the Grassmarket. Winter and the dark was a signal for inward time, for pause, for introspection; back then I never really saw it like that, but now I see, I was deeply craving some personal exploration, away from the standards and norms of what I was supposed to do in life, I wanted to get away from all of that and find my own way, through the darkness and into the light.

Winters in Edinburgh were long, and without the awareness that I have now about the beauty of nature’s cycles I did suffer from the sense of endless hibernation I felt as a young adult who eventually wanted to go out there in the world, explore and create. In the end Edinburgh gave way to London, and there I certainly got my chance to see more of the world, and with that explore my inner psyche with passion…blood, sweat and lots of tears. My once usual fall back on complaining about the weather has now given way to awe and appreciation for each place of the planet and its unique landscape and elements. Still, something about winter and darkness, and an urge to head north still remains to guide my steps.

Sweden in the winter has been a somewhat frequent place for me to visit, from a new year’s eve I once spent in Stockholm with my first boyfriend, to my travels to the Arctic two years ago to spend time in Jokkmokk and the local sami culture of reindeer herders, then back again one year ago to look for a location for our @intothewild.within expedition that took place two weeks ago near Skinnskateberg in Västmanland County, about a three hour drive north west of Stockholm.

The vision we held for creating this experience with Joren was rooted deeply into our love and awe for winter nature. Nestled in forest, and right on a lake with a platform and a floating sauna perfectly positioned to enjoy immersing into the water again and again with ease, was the ideal terrain to turn our vision into reality. An unexpected tippi that happened to be there in the grounds of the retreat centre where we held our event made it possible to enjoy fire making and story telling at night as the rain poured outside. Practicing friction fire making was one of the elements of the experience, and so having a place outside to practice wood carving and bow drilling was essential. Our group took on the challenge of making fire in such cold and wet conditions with passion, some were so determined that found various ways to keep working on their kit in the absence of space or enough light - as it got dark so early in the day.

In the span of six days we ended up creating a home out of our retreat space, sixteen people living together for one week, working together to provide comfort for each and every one, making fire, cooking, while immersed in daily practices of breath, sound, movement and cold nature, dropping into their bodies, opening up to their sensitivity and awareness of their inner world and the point where it meets the outer landscape. Whole afternoons and evenings were spent by the lake, sweating intensely in the wood-fired sauna, dipping in the lake, only to go back into the sauna to shed some more of what is excess. That is some deep healing right there I can tell you - and perhaps my personal favourite element of this event.

But most of all, what made this experience so special for me was how fire was such a central element of everything we did. Everything we did was about taking care of the hearth, our home, our centre. Something deeply natural to us all, and the epitome of being human, to gather around the hearth, the base of fire, to share living, food and stories.

Through the practices that we did we saw the forest, water and earth coming alive, we heard the birds and saw the deers, in flesh and in their tracks. We saw and heard each other in circle, we witnessed the humanness in each of us, in the form of vulnerability, emotions, kindness and taking care of the hearth in whatever way everyone was able to contribute.

As cyclical beings living in a cyclical nature identifying the qualities and elements of each cycle and how they affect us is a step towards a more conscious way of living. Appreciation for the beauty of sleepy cold nature, answering the call for inward time, creating homely space and gathering with other humans around the hearth, whatever that means for everyone, from a fancy dinner table in Amsterdam to a fire inside a tippi by a lake in the north of Sweden, are all ways to connect to our humanness, to remember what is important, why we are here on this planet at this time.

Our time in Sweden this December made me realise that my fascination about the cold and dark winters of the north are all about my yearning to create a home! Having grown up in a home that I didn’t want to be in as it never felt safe or loving, and coming from a family with little to no ties at all, creating a home has been my lifelong dream, and nourishing the hearth my life’s deepest joy. There isn’t something I love more than creating comfortable and loving space for ourselves or to receive friends and guests, wherever it may be. Now I see that is also part of the work we do with Joren for Into the wild within; bringing groups of people together for a whole week, working towards a common transformational intention, and nourishing a co-living community with everyone is like a dream coming true for me, I couldn’t feel more grateful for this work.

For a taste of the event you can check out the instagram story, most of the photos were taken by our sweet Clara.

Our next event to Sweden is set for next December, you can register to receive updates on tickets going on sale in the new year.

Top spot in Stockholm

The theme of creating fire and nourishing the hearth in the midst of the winter dark followed us in Stockholm after the event where we spent a couple days recuperating and of course going on our yearly pilgrimage to Ekstedt, the wood fire based restaurant by Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt. A short tour in the very small kitchen of this place and you will be left in awe with how every dish on the menu is cooked only with fire (no electricity for cooking whatsoever) in this trendy Stockholm neighbourhood. Check out their instagram to see some of their creations; hands down my favourite restaurant ever.

ABOUT ELENA & LIVING ON SOURCE

Welcome to my online portal!

I am a former Googler reborn as conscious living advocate, transformational mentor, conscious business advisor, yogini, sound healing practitioner and workshop & retreat facilitator.

I help people connect to their authenticity and harness their innate power so that they can manifest the life they truly desire through individual sessions, group events and retreats.

It is my passion to inspire people into reconnecting with their true desire; I write regularly on the Living on Source journal and curate events to bring the LOS community together in London & Amsterdam.

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