Refugium update – April 2024

With the arrival of spring, I felt the need to make some additional changes to Norgaard Village, greening it up and allowing a lot more space for various nature features. Refugium, too, has seen another facelift. (One of many in recent months, but you know me – I keep decorating and redecorating!)

And so as of this month, our small meditation group meets in a lovely little cottage designed by Ria Bazar. I loved this build from the first time I saw it, although I initially thought of using it as our village café. However, once I started terraforming and adding bits and pieces to that part of the parcel, it just gave me a different vibe.

As you can see, the part on the left now houses the Refugium chapel / meditation space. The area is pretty small, but it just adds to the cozy and intimate feel.

The sunroom annex serves as the library / reading room. (Yes, that’s where I’m writing this blog post from!) I just love the view of the pond and all the trees and bushes surrounding it. I have to say, this has quickly become my favourite corner of the parcel. It’s so peaceful!

Pretty much everything else in the Village has been redesigned and redecorated: there’s now a small video store, the cinema, and the village café. At this point, I’m just playing with small details, but I don’t intend to change the layout of the place any time soon.

I’d love it if you’d stop by! And if you want to get regular updates from Refugium, consider joining our inworld group, ‘Refugium Announcements’.

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Additional information

• Meditation sessions at Refugium are held daily between 2330 and midnight SLT. You are welcome to use the space for your personal quiet moments any time during the day. To visit, click here.

• Music stream on the parcel currently plays ‘Christian Country Channel‘ radio station, based in Essen, Germany.

• To get regular updates from Refugium, consider joining our inworld group, ‘Refugium Announcements‘.

“Refugium Quarterly – Issue #3”

Spring is here – and so is the next issue of our very own Refugium Quarterly!

The current issue comes with our regular features:

• the Editorial,
• Welcome to Refugium – brief explanations for first-time visitors to our meditation centre,
• Out & About, with Spring 2022 schedule of silent movie nights at Kino Babylon, plus the information on Book Lovers Coffee Hour held at Shoshin Cafe,
• Parting Thoughts, this time with a wonderful peace poem by the celebrated American poet Wendell Berry.

You can pick up your free copy at our inworld landing point or by clicking here.

Finally, a reminder that we welcome your contributions in the form of short written pieces or inworld photography. Don’t hesitate to email me for more information: norgaard@posteo.eu.

My piece of Spruce Woods

Last September I made a big decision to leave my parcels in Odie, on one of the ‘old’ mainland continents, and move to a much smaller one in the SL equivalent of the New World – Bellisseria.

After a few weeks of experimenting with different neighbourhoods, I was eventually successful in getting a home in a region that checked all the right boxes – lovely woodland area with a great network of country roads and good access to nearby rivers and the ocean. And, mercifully, in a region that doesn’t have one of those silly names (don’t care much for those). Spruce Woods. The moment I saw that name, I somehow knew it would be the right place for me.

Since the end of September 2021 I played a lot with the parcel, changing some of its features as holidays came and went: pumpkin patch was replaced by Halloween display, which was then replaced by piles of snow… It was only after New Year’s Day that I’ve had the time to think about a more permanent look and feel of the place (which again took some experimenting and negotiating priorities in relation to the rapidly shrinking parcel capacity!).

Instead of writing too much about it, here are a few snapshots to show you the place. Taking the pics, I wanted to capture some of the things I love the most about the place, which are otherwise easy to miss unless you know where to look – the frog in the small pond, a family of robins nesting on an old basketball hoop, the blackbird that has been a constant presence on all my parcels for years…

Norgaard in Spruce Woods, also home to the Refugium meditation centre. A view from the adjacent public road.

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If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, feel free to stop by. The kitchen is fully stocked and you’re welcome to whatever you can find in the fridge 🙂 And as mentioned earlier, the parcel also serves as the home to the Refugium meditation centre – we meet on the ground floor of the house for the daily half-hour sessions between 2330 and midnight SLT, but you can use that space for quiet reflection or yoga practice whenever you feel like.

To visit, please follow this SLurl.

“Refugium Quarterly” – issue #2 is out

After the successful launch of the inaugural edition of Refugium Quarterly, I’m happy to report that issue #2 is now ready!

As a reminder, RQ is meant to serve as the newsletter of the small meditation group I’ve been running over the past several years. It includes our updates, but also quarterly Kino Babylon schedules, and other SL-related pieces.

Contributions in the form of short articles and art work are most welcome! If you have a sim you would like others to learn about, or artwork you’d like to share, I’d be happy to include it in an upcoming issue!

You can pick up your copy free of charge at our inworld location. A simple click on the red newsletter board will take you to the download page; RQ comes in the PDF format, and you can also download it by clicking here.

The launch of “Refugium Quarterly”

Seven years after the foundation of the Refugium meditation centre in SL, here’s the next step: the launch of our quarterly newsletter!

The publication is available free of charge to Refugium visitors . The pilot issue is already displayed on the premises, and you are most welcome to pick up your copy by clicking on the magazine vendor near the entrance. (or you can just click here to download).

Think about contributing to RQ by submitting your work for the upcoming issues. It can be a photo taken inworld, or a short piece on anything to do with the intersection of culture, literature, spirituality and living in SL. Feel free to contact me and share your ideas!

My 8th rezzday

Another belated post, as my rezzday was almost two months ago! September was quite busy for me, so I didn’t organise anything special – I didn’t even think much about it, to be honest – but I was grateful to everyone who sent notes and messages on FB and elsewhere.

As always, Duncan redecorated my place, making sure that when I logged in at Refugium for our meditation session on the morning of September 9, everything would look very festive there.

And in the evening hours, after Ciska logged in, we had impromptu fireworks (not the best snapshot, but the sight was lovely!)…

…and we did some dancing at the Norgaard pub.

All in all, it was a perfect day in SL. I’m so grateful for such inworld experiences!

Norgaard Village – Summer 2020 Updates

I’ve been making lots and lots of changes to Norgaard Village lately (surprise, surprise!). I do love experimenting with different builds and features, it’s a lot of fun to work on that elusive perfect feel to a piece of virtual land. And over the past few weeks I’ve been doing that a lot, on an almost daily basis! It must be due to the pandemic and the fact that I’ve been spending most of my time at home – spending a little bit of extra time in Second Life helps to distract you from thinking and worrying about all the crazy RL stuff…

So anyway, let me give you a brief walk-through. The landing point is by the public road (Route 12), in the central part of Norgaard Village, right at the small police station / village office.

Following the path up north will take you to Refugium – our old meditation spot (also filled with fortune tellers, magic potions and Voodoo stuff!).

There’s also a small Shinto shrine – pretty much the only feature that has survived all the recent changes intact.

The area to the south is where you’ll find a small gas station, and a garage / service station / workshop – a man cave, basically.

Nestled among lush grass and wildflowers are the remains of a mysterious phallic cult. These rocks must have been here for thousands of years!

Up in the hills is where you’ll find the local brewery…

…the diner…

…and my home on the floor above.

To me, the single most important feature of the Village is one that occupies about the quarter of the parcel – the swamp. Ever since I left Second Norway and moved all my stuff to this mainland parcel in Odie, the swamp has been there (initially a small lake that I gradually turned into what it is now), with most of the builds placed around it and somehow gravitating towards it.

The waters are crocodile-infested, so think twice before jumping in!

The whole place is open to public, feel free to visit and use whatever you like! To get there, you can follow this SLurl.

Winter at Norgaard Place

This winter I’ve changed quite a few things around my place. Soon after Christmas, the large church and the Advent display were gone, and it took me some experimenting with different builds to see what would fit in their stead. The snow is still there, as is the ice sheet over the frozen swamps, but about half of the builds have been replaced.

The central part, also the landing point close to Route 12 and the rezzing area, remains my little office. It’s the oldest surviving building in all of Norgaard, withstanding all the many transformations and additions to the place.

Following the path to the south you will soon reach the brand new area, containing the gym, the small diner, and the boxing club.

Speaking of the gym, you’ll find that inside the building there are displays of the covers of gay magazines from the year 1980. Initially, it was supposed to be a full-blown exhibition in a much larger space, but given the time (and prim limit) constraints, I gave up on the idea. Still, as a compromise, many of the covers I’d prepared are now displayed all over the gym building as a sort of 40-years-later tribute to these now extincts mags and the men who adorned their covers.

Following the path above the swamp, you’ll reach the new Refugium building where we have our daily meditation sessions. There you can also get some nice winter treats: roast chestnuts, a cup of warm cocoa or coffee and such.

There’s also a bit of a naughty twist to it, as behind the Refugium building there’s a small sex shop!

The northern part of Norgaard Place has been left intact: there’s the small Shinto shrine, and finally, at the end of the path, my home.

In a few weeks the snow will melt and the ice will thaw, but until then you can come and enjoy the winter at Norgaard Place. 🙂

Landing point

Direct TP to Refugium – meditation sessions take place daily between 2330 and midnight SLT

Posada 2019

In keeping with an old SL tradition, based on the RL Advent season custom of las Posadas, Refugium has one again hosted the display of the Holy Family as it travels throughout SL, from host to host. The handover  was on 9 December, and we took it as an opportunity to enjoy winter snacks and drinks, music, and a bit of snowballing on the frozen pond of Norgaard Place.

Here are a few snapshots from the event…

 

Posada 2018 at Refugium

Another Advent season is here, and with it the lovely tradition of Posada. Volunteers from various faith groups in Second Life take it in turns to host the figures of the Holy Family until they eventually reach Anglican Cathedral on Christmas Eve.

I’ve taken part in it almost as long as I’ve been in SL, and was happy to host again this year. I received the figures on Monday, 10 December, placing them inside a small holiday display at the back of my home.

Following a very brief ceremony, we had some refreshments.

Once most people had left, a few of us went inside to warm up, and play a game of Christmas Chatterbox.

The following day, Tuesday, 11 December, after about 24 hours, it was time for another handover. The figures were sent on their way, to the next host.

As always, it was nice to be part of this event, and I’m already looking forward to next year!