Holy Fires for Healing the World
Birgitt Heigl
Homa-Hof, Heiligenberg, Germany
Approximately 250 visitors enjoyed the various activities and the loving atmosphere at this year’s summer gathering at the Homa-Hof (Agnihotra Center with farm) in Germany. The well-organized program and the wonderful weather ensured a pleasant atmosphere, good spirits, interesting conversations and new acquaintances.
Some visitors arrived the day before with their motor homes or tents to help us with the
preparations. Lecture and catering tents were set up, benches and tables were provided, and a circular path almost 1 kilometer long was marked out on the farm grounds.
The program began at 2 p.m. The first visitors arrived about two hours earlier, so there was plenty of time to park and settle in.
We held three events in the large tent during the course of the day. The first lecture was an
introduction to Agnihotra. This was followed by the main lecture, ‘Sacred Fires for Healing the
World,’ in which Agnihotra and other Yajnyas were examined from a new perspective. Why and how do sacred fires, especially Agnihotra, work? What role does the pyramid shape of the fire bowl play? How can the amazing experiences with Agnihotra be explained? These and other questions were expertly answered in detail and yet in simple terms.
At the third event, we asked visitors to share their experiences with us. The interesting contributions amazed everyone or inspired them to follow suit.
Three times a day, we offered a guided tour of the farm grounds, during which we passed on
interesting facts about the Homa farm at each station: At our Yajnya pavilion, where an OM
Tryambakam Yajnya ran throughout the afternoon, the Yajnyas were briefly explained. At the bee house with a showcase and 24 bee colonies, everyone learned interesting facts about Homa beekeeping. The tour continued with explanations about the orchard, the vegetable fields, the pond and the foil tunnel where cow dung is dried.
For the children there was a puppet theatre about Agnihotra, written by a member of Homa-Hof and performed with puppets she had made herself. It was well-received, not only by the children.
Visitors kept gathering in the courtyard in front of the Homa-Hof, where a potluck buffet was
provided. Every year we are delighted with the many vegetarian delicacies that visitors bring with them. To drink, we brewed liters of tea from our herbs and served fresh water from our farm well.
In the forecourt there were also stalls selling Agnihotra accessories, Homa vegetables, honey, apple juice and literature. As a special offer, there were book packages at particularly favorable prices and CD packages on a donation basis, an offer that many visitors gratefully took up.
This year we deliberately left more room for simply being there, for joyful encounters and enjoying the Homa atmosphere. A joyous and relaxed atmosphere prevailed throughout the day, which culminated in the evening with the group Agnihotra and a view of the setting sun.
Some visitors stayed overnight to let the day fade away. The next morning, we had breakfast
together and then took down the tents within two hours; benches and tables were cleared away, and the courtyard was cleaned, all in all a wonderful community experience. We are deeply grateful for experiencing how Agnihotra connects us!