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This is a brief description of our vision for a Sanctuary of Arts and Consciousness:

SCA is a community based in coastal Uruguay, and our intention is to procure a large parcel of land (we are looking for funding) to be designated as the sanctuary grounds, a place where many people can live together in a creative and contemplative atmosphere, with the intention to move beyond the pressures of the rapidly decaying system of pseudo “reality” that is threatening to strangle all life on planet earth.

We envision a large piece of land that can also be a nature preserve, where we can learn and participate with each other on everything from basic survival skills such as growing food and plant medicines, to permaculture, and eco-building, but also a place where the practice of music and the arts can be taken to a new level.

The world of commerce has ruined so much of the arts, as the city life and pressures of “making a living” have begun to dictate and co-opt all parts of the creative process. We can see the effects in the artistic life of virtually every place on the planet, that commercialism has undermined the creative process, leaving genuinely creative souls with no place to turn.

As an example, the music business has devolved to the point where musicians are expected to work for free, and are expected to give away their music for free, or for “exposure”. The long term effect of this is that music is made more and more by those who have money already, or by hobbyists, who do it in their spare time. Imagine the effect this has on the quality. And the “music” that is pumped out by the entertainment business has become nothing short of toxic, a kind of GMO simulacra of the real thing.

Meanwhile, musicians who are truly gifted and dedicated are forced to live in poverty if they want to remain true to their creative expression. Funding for the arts has reached an all time low almost everywhere, leaving many artists without options.

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It is time for this to change. The Sanctuary is intended as a place where those who have mastered their art can meet with those who are learning to master their art, in a new and free atmosphere of learning, without the pressure of money. It is a place for artistic projects to be born and realized, and for spiritual awakening to be supported and encouraged, combined with the grounding energy of working on the basic skills of self sufficient living. Hopefully this can be the seed for the growth of an entirely new way to practice the arts, as an integral part of spiritual practice, and an essential component of daily life.

We are developing a new format of learning music, which actually harkens back to an ancient format in the Indian culture, and that is to learn in the context of “satsang”. Satsang is a word which comes from Sanskrit, meaning "to associate with true people", to be in the company of true people. We are finding that learning the practice of music can move much more quickly while done in a meditative context, including even the theoretical parts of music. When one’s mind is clear and open, and connected at the heart, we begin to see that learning is more a process of remembering what we already know, than one of consuming information. Rather than filing information in the brain to be regurgitated later, we am at assimilating and digesting information and experience, to make it available as part of our own knowing.


It has been said that realization and renunciation are two side of the same coin. But what is the true meaning of renunciation? Simply this: as one wakes up to what is really going on in the world, one sees more and more, that ALL of it is a lie, a deceptive illusion, or Maya, as the Buddha called it. Then, what follows is a period of disillusionment, a dark night of the soul, so to speak. But when you can see clearly that something is an illusion, you can no longer believe in it. So awakening to the truth brings this with it, a lack of enthusiasm for things of the world of commerce, greed, and violence, and a greater desire to be of service to the truth.

So these are the people that we are looking to collaborate with,creative souls who are seeing through the lies, and have no desire to participate in those lies. This is a far reaching and comprehensive subject, as one thing leads to another, once we really begin to accept the ramifications of what we are seeing. So it is not for the faint of heart. We are looking for courageous souls, who want to see and be part of a REAL change.

We are looking for courageous explorers of the unknown, who know in their hearts that there is a better way, and are willing to take steps towards the new way.

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less university, more universe

the basis of learning at the Sanctuary is to bring together mentors and teachers with students and practitioners of various arts and skills and meditation, and preferably artists and musicians who have developed their own spiritual practice (in whatever form) as well, in an informally structured but satsang based atmosphere, for explorations of unusual approaches to creativity and sharing. The SCA is a new kind of university, a “unidiversity”, with the emphasis on real time presence, creation, and manifestation in the eternal now. We operate beyond the realm of certifications and “job security”, and invite those who have seen through the limitations of such an approach to the arts and creativity. We recognize the limit that is placed on creative expression when forced into the box of commercial considerations.

We recognize that there are new ways looking to be born, based on merit and responsibility, where one’s work is certification enough of their abilities. Who better than ourselves to certify the strength of our existence, when the lie of competition is removed from the equation? We follow the intuitive force of the self-existing Source Consciousness, which needs no “external” verification of any kind, and is freely available within the heart of every one of us.

We invite masters in music and the arts, who have their own inner process as well, certified or not, to come to SCA to give workshops and retreats, performances and ceremonies, with the vision of bringing together artistic, shamanic, and meditative practices in a cross-fertilization of cultures, with the purpose of finding the mutual honor and respect between all peoples.

We leave our egos at the door, and enter as fully conscious divinely aware beings, dedicated to finding the new way to share the privilege of being alive with the planet Earth and her magnificent ongoing metamorphosis.

We envision many such centers all over the world. If you feel moved to help or participate in any way, please contact us:

Click here to contact us
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People who have experienced the Great Eastern Sun are constantly gentle and fearless…

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche: ‎"People who have experienced the Great Eastern Sun are constantly gentle and fearless, whereas those who are still trapped in the world of the setting sun are aggressive and fearful. Whenever genuine sadness attempts to enter their minds, they try to block it from happening. To counteract the feelings of sadness and emptiness, people... seek entertainment to distract themselves. This world of entertainment is designed to help you forget who you are and where you are. The setting-sun version of enjoyment is to forget your gentle sadness and instead become aggressive and "happy." However, what you're experiencing is neither real happiness nor enjoyment. This perverse notion of happiness is based on forgetting that you exist, forgetting that your mind and body could ever be synchronized. Such a notion of happiness is based on separating mind and body altogether. You try your best to do this by putting your mind on a TV screen while your body is slouched in a chair. That's the closest to magic that exists in the setting-sun world. All sort of entertainment have been developed so that your mind is kept away from your body. The objective here is completely opposite of joining heaven and earth. Joining heaven and earth is not separating this and that, but making them indivisible. That unity or harmony is "it" or "That" with a capital T, without qualifications." -CTR