Living Wholeness Institute

Axladitsa Avatakia

The Land

Axladitsa-Avatakia is a 24-acre olive farm and the home campus and “source place” of the Living Wholeness practice and patterns. Axladitsa is natural, rural and untamed - and has expansive views of the Aegean Sea and the islands of Skiathos and Skopelos. Since 2006, Axladitsa-Avatakia has become a place of learning, farming, retreat, sabbatical, translocal community, gathering, celebration and intentional evolution.

Axladitsa is part of a larger story of people seeking profoundly different ways of living and working. We have hosted, mid-wived and are part of many networks of learners, leaders, pioneers, seekers and change agents who are asking powerful questions about their individual and our collective purpose and potential. The land itself is a participant and host to our living and learning, rich with wisdom and lessons and  creatures including 14 cats and Freddie, the dog, as well as the trees and plants and weather systems all of whom participate fully in our learning ecology.

Axladitsa is a place that calls forth those who are seeking a different way of living and working and being in the world to inquire together into what we can offer this world, to collectively learn and intentionally evolve. The land participates in our gatherings, as a learner, teacher, guide and host.

The Conscious Kitchen

Axladitsa-Avatakia’s pattern is one of self-organisation. The kitchen is self-organising too, and is an important element within the daily rhythm of tending ourselves. We will introduce you to the beautiful practice of the Conscious Kitchen, where we will co-create the food preparation and service as part of our flow and participation. Please bring recipes and a culinary spirit!

The Terrain

Axladitsa’s landscape is hilly and untamed - and includes ravines with steep edges and dry riverbeds, olive groves and diverse woodland, and flat pathways and roads. There is a dirt road accessing the main house as well as other parts of the land. There is also a 1km footpath, steep in places, following the ancient ‘monopati’ route, connecting the land to the sea and requires a reasonable level of fitness and good walking shoes.

For more on what happens when the land and people meet with intention, please read People, Potential and the Power of Place (PDF).

The Region

Axladitsa is located at the southern end of the Pelion peninsula, 5 hours north of Athens, 3.5 hours south of Thessaloniki, and 1.5 hours south of the city of Volos.  It is considered a place of unmatched beauty, with ancient olive groves, woodlands, a distinct vernacular architecture and people through whom the land and its wisdom shine. Closeby is the beach of Kastri and the fishing port of Platania which are the nearest villages, 3km and 6km respectively.

The larger port town of Volos, which at this time of economic crisis in Greece where many shops are closing coupled with high unemployment, is becoming a hub for new ways of organizing around economy and food, with a pioneering spirit of complementary currencies and grass-roots innovations.

The Map


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