Open Sky Newsletter
July 2023
“The Fundamental Nature of Human Beings is to Live in Peace and Love with Their Fellow Human Beings”
John David
A Retreat that could Transform your Life
Click to Watch:
Retreat Program
Drawing from different spiritual traditions, John David’s teachings include meditation, self-inquiry, and embodied practices that help people tap into their inner wisdom and transform their lives.
Open body and mind
Yoga and active Meditation
8 - 9 am
Open the heart
Mantra Chanting with the Open Sky Band
10:30 - 11:30 am
Meeting in Truth
Meeting with John David
11:30 am - 2 pm
Open body and mind
Yoga and Meditation in the Morning
8 - 9 am
Mantra Chanting
Live with the Open Sky Band
10:30 - 11:30
Meeting in truth
Meeting with John David
11:30 am - 2 pm
Falling into silence
Active and Still Meditations
4pm - 5pm
Step into the Flow
Heart Dance from the Sufi Tradition
6pm - 7pm
Inspiration
Spiritual Films, Authentic Theater 9pm
Falling into silence
Active and Still Meditations
4pm - 5pm
Step into the Flow
Heart Dance from the Sufi Tradition
6pm - 7pm
Inspiration
Spiritual Films, Authentic Theater
9pm
Specials
Tantra Weekend with Radha
8 - 10 Sept
Explore True Intimacy in an Accepting and Loving Space. Tantra means to Celebrate your Sensuality and Naturalness. It opens your Heart and is a way to meet Unconditional Love which is Your Essence.
Authentic Theatre with Indira
Evenings
In the protected space "stage" we can trust the Moment and indulge in the Natural Flow of Life. Indira offers a Playful and Experimental field to explore Creativity from a space of Silence, Innocence and Curiosity.
John David
Latest Short Videos
The Team has created Beautiful Videos Capturing the Essence of John David’s Teachings in short Clips. Curated with Film Sciences that Illustrate what is Being Spoken.
Planet Earth
Pathways for a New Humanity
Scientists and spiritual authorities and scriptures speak of a likelyhood that within this lifetime changes in the environment could become so severe that the fate of humanity is uncertain. Unprecedented crises become increasingly unavoidable.
offers an Alternative Direction for humanity
through an high-frequency Energy Field that makes it Easier to Break Free from the Conditioned Mind
Natural Outcomes resulting from this Freedom
new ways for humanity will unfold
cultures which foster a deeper understanding of life
Communities which empower the individual and support a peaceful lifestyle
Leaders who inspire us to seek for truth
and A Heart Full of Love
What will be your next Step?
A passage from John David's Book "The Pointless Joy of Freedom"
The Sangha is a community of people who have the perfect right to cut through your trips and feed you with their wisdom, as well as the perfect right to demonstrate their own neurosis and be seen through by you.
Chögyam Trungpa
Q: I want to make a change in my life. All my friends and family around me are nice, but I see they are more unconscious than me and I feel it is not helping me to become clear. My question is: If I want to transform myself is it necessary to put myself into an environment where the people are more conscious than me?
John David: This is a universal question, but there’s not a really universal answer because at a certain level of understanding we are very different, each one. For the right person at the right time it’s wonderful to spend time alone and it might be very good to go and be quiet in nature. For another it might be helpful to be in a supportive spiritual Sangha.
The danger of being alone for a long time is that you might not really know what you have to look for. Of course if you go and be alone then you could be sitting there quietly but with a whole pile of structures in your basement. Most of us are wounded by our conditioning. We are molded into shape by our families and society and never really know who we are beneath or beyond our conditioning. What causes us stress? What causes us to not feel quiet? Almost certainly it is our conditioned mind.
Our whole community has become quieter over the years and we’ve noticed that new people get the benefit of being able to jump into this pool of quietness. Working together in community provides many mirrors that offer us the chance to see ourselves, to know who we are. Interactions with people who are also interested in knowing themselves provide a profound mirror in which we can see all the things we are not, which is not always comfortable. This mirroring is one of the greatest values of community life. In this process, we then have the opportunity to see who we really are.
Raising Human Consciousness
The current climate crises highlights the urgent need for a revolution in consciousness and culture. The idea that we are separate from nature and can exploit it without consequences has led to unsustainable behaviors and desires that are not in harmony with life on Earth. Humans are depleting earths resources rapidly and are threatening the survival of mankind thereby, having already destroyed countless species within the last century alone. We need to restore the knowingness of interconnectedness with life in order to understand and align our behaviour.
Creating Renaissance Men & Women
The multi facetted challenges we are facing as humanity and individuals call for renaissance men and women, people you have diverse knowledge, adaptability and personal power. People who have the spiritual, emotional and creative capacity to address challenges with love and wisdom, guiding others through their leadership and inspiration towards inner and outer peace, collective collaboration and Self-Realisation in the spiritual sense.
The current education and work culture creates people into castrated robots which are incapable of dealing with unpredictable situations in a conscious way.
Resilience and Adaptability
As the world faces increasing environmental challenges and limited resources, new communities can focus on building resilience and adaptability. They can encourage self-sufficiency, regenerative practices, and localized economies, reducing dependency on external systems that might falter during crises.
Moving towards localised economies and political and social systems not only decreases dependency on increasingly unreliable state based systems but also foster individual power, participation and authority.
Education and Consciousness Shift
Current education systems barely encourage Self-Exploration, Awareness and Creativity. New cultures within communities can prioritize education and consciousness shift. This means raising awareness about the interconnectedness of all life and the impact of individual actions on the planet. By cultivating a deeper understanding of the universal principle of interconnectedness, people are more likely to make informed decisions that benefit both their community and the environment.
Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding
With increased scarcity of resources, conflicts over essential goods may arise. New communities can focus on conflict resolution and peacebuilding strategies, promoting non-violent communication and fostering a sense of shared responsibility for the well-being of all community members.
If environmental changes create threats to our survival it is vital not to fall into animalistic survival traits based on fear and anger but to be rooted in a state of inner peace and collaboration amongst community.
Diverse and Holistic Livelihoods
Relying solely on external jobs and the state as caretakers may prove insufficient when traditional systems are disrupted. New communities can promote a diverse range of livelihoods, including sustainable agriculture, renewable energy projects, local craftsmanship, and other community-driven initiatives. This diversity can provide multiple avenues for survival and prosperity even amidst global crises.
Beauty
Impressions from Monet's Garden in France
A Group of residents has visited Claude Monet's Garden in Giverny, France, in July. Monet created a garden containing a huge lake of lilies from which he made many famous paintings. Countless Flowers are Blooming all year around and you can't but be totally taken in by the Beauty.
Join us in Spain
As a VOLUNTEER
August
Working Holiday
If you like to benefit from the incredible beauty and energy of Open Sky Villa and the residential community, you can join our Working Holiday Programm FOR FREE this summer and get the Summer Retreat with John David for a reduced rate.
We look forward to meeting you!
Upcoming Events
Free Volunteer Week
at Open Sky House Hitdorf
31 July – 6 August
27 November – 3 December
Get a Taste of Living in Spiritual Community
Join the flow of the community and take the chance and discover how spirituality can be lived in everyday life. Come one week for free as a volunteer, meet like-hearted people and John David, the spiritual teacher of the Open Sky House Community. Take part in the daily activities and meditations and the evening program.
Vipassana Island Retreat
at Open Sky House Hitdorf
13 – 15 October
Silence is the Language of the Heart
With the support of John David and the energy of the Open Sky House Community, you will go deeply into yourself. Based on the teachings of the Buddha, Vipassana aims to develop insight into the nature of reality and liberate oneself from suffering. By observing the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self of all experiences, you will cultivate equanimity and wisdom.
Meditation Weekend
at Open Sky House Hitdorf
24 – 26 November
To understand the Miracle of Life, the mind must be very quiet.
In this weekend members of the Community will introduce you to a variety of still and active meditation practices. In Satsang with John David you can ask questions and share your experiences. This gives you the opportunity to find the right practices for you which you can bring into your every day life.
India Retreat
at Arunachala, Tiruvannamalai
17 Dec – 7 Jan
“Who am I?” – Solve this Problem
and you solve all other Problems
Join us for a Pilgrimage to one of India’s most powerful spiritual sanctuaries at the feet of Arunachala Mountain. From December 2023 to January 2024, John David and the Open Sky House Community will offer the 23rd Indian Retreat in Hommage to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the Saint of Arunachala.
Free Volunteer Week
at Open Sky House Hitdorf
31 July – 6 August
27 November – 3 December
Get a Taste of Living in Spiritual Community
Join the flow of the community and take the chance and discover how spirituality can be lived in everyday life. Come one week for free as a volunteer, meet like-hearted people and John David, the spiritual teacher of the Open Sky House Community. Take part in the daily activities and meditations and the evening program.
Vipassana Island Retreat
at Open Sky House Hitdorf
13 – 15 October
Silence is the Language of the Heart
With the support of John David and the energy of the Open Sky House Community, you will go deeply into yourself. Based on the teachings of the Buddha, Vipassana aims to develop insight into the nature of reality and liberate oneself from suffering. By observing the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self of all experiences, you will cultivate equanimity and wisdom.
Meditation Weekend
at Open Sky House Hitdorf
24 – 26 November
To understand the Miracle of Life, the mind must be very quiet.
In this weekend members of the Community will introduce you to a variety of still and active meditation practices. In Satsang with John David you can ask questions and share your experiences. This gives you the opportunity to find the right practices for you which you can bring into your every day life.
India Retreat
at Arunachala, Tiruvannamalai
17 Dec – 7 Jan
“Who am I?” – Solve this Problem
and you solve all other Problems
Join us for a Pilgrimage to one of India’s most powerful spiritual sanctuaries at the feet of Arunachala Mountain. From December 2023 to January 2024, John David and the Open Sky House Community will offer the 23rd Indian Retreat in Hommage to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the Saint of Arunachala.
Sat TV
John David’s Meetings are archived and freely available.
Wherever you are you can access this Archive for free on your phone and tablet
via the App and on your Computer.
