Your hosts are Shirin and Aaron Weber, the children of the owner of Il Convento retreat center. We feel very honoured to make this project happen as sister and brother, alongside a dedicated team of helpers.
The idea to gather on this magical land with friends was born in 2016. Since then our Convento Gathering grew from year to year, not only in the number of friends who join us but also in the diversity of our program, which has blossomed into a rich bouquet of self-organized workshops. After a two-years break, in summer 2024 we felt the clear call to gather again - this time with more friends than ever before!
CONVENTO GATHERING...
...EVOLVED INTO...
...CONVENTO FESTIVAL!
We have many sweet ideas how we can awaken and strengthen an integrated community feeling during the festival. One of them is that we would like to start the mornings at the festival in silence. This means we invite you to spend the early morning hours in silence. How does it feel when an entire festival falls silent? When eyes and bodies are allowed to speak instead of words? Goosebumps!
Please note: All our wishes are simply wishes and invitations to you. You are free!
Where to find balance?
In this new age spiritualism where you can buy your shaman title on a zoom webinar and consume cacao rituals like you'r daily morning coffee, we try to find a balance between the often severe and strict lifestyle of our ancestor's , where the individual's emotions were seen rather disturbing than enlightening and on the other hand the individualistic ego trip and erratic searching for fullfillment of every desire of the younger generation.
We invite you to take responsibility for your inner voices, recognize your behavioral patterns, engage in self reflection and choose consciously whether it's time for you to settle down be caring and gentle with yourself or to wake up and vanquish the inner temptations.
"Wake up!" - "From what?" "To what?"
All around us, we see people with a deep longing to belong, to find meaning and connection in a world that often seems dissociated and shallow. We just yearn to belong to a place. To a tribe that resonates with our soul's song. We seek to come back to really sensing and feeling our heart.
To allow our humanity to be. To be loved for who we are and love without fear. To be part of something greater than ourselves! But the world around us is often designed to chase after material possessions, status, and fleeting pleasures, all of which can never truly satisfy the profound human need for connection and belonging. We find ourselves entangled in a web of consumerism and external validations, losing sight of the simple and profound joys of genuine human connection, of finding our tribe, of nurturing our soil and souls. So, the call to "wake up!" is a call to mindfulness, to awareness of our deepest desires and needs. It's an invitation to peel back the layers of distraction and materialism and rediscover the beauty of real connections, of authentic belonging, of a life that resonates with the beating of our hearts. It's a reminder that, in the midst of the noise and chaos, there is a path to a more fulfilling existence, one where we truly belong, not just to a tribe or a person, but to ourselves and to the world around us. In humbleness we can finally become quiet inside while each one of our cells becomes vibrant and full of life. Together, we slowly let a different world appear. The seed has already been planted 30 years ago, when our parents bought Il Convento with the intention to create a different reality. A place to retreat from the world. Now we are making our next move. Taking in our hands with respect and gratitude this place, to start opening it to you. Our vision was, and still is, to craft a sanctuary where people can come to find respite from the relentless pace of the world. Here, they can finally pause and let the rich harvest of interconnectedness gently fall into their laps. It's a place where time seems to slow, and the embrace of nature and community offers a unique blend of solace and inspiration.
We are not aiming to organize just another healing festival.
There is much more behind it.
We find ourselves in a truly special position to utilize our parents' lifelong project as a venue. Our awareness of the immeasurable value of this infrastructure grows with every year that passes. However, the treasure lies in our ability to extend this gift to our friends. And the birth of the festival is only the first of many steps in this direction.
For us, this festival marks the next chapter in opening up our space to a wider circle of friends and possibly igniting your curiosity about forming a more enduring connection with it.
Over the past few years, we've been lucky to cross paths with countless interesting humans who are happily sharing their unique gifts with the world. These teachers, healers and role models are supporting us wholeheartedly in the development of this festival.
So we have the location, the motivation, and the friends to hold space. This forms the fertile soil where we sow the seeds, giving rise to the birth of the Convento Festival.
Now is the time to come together in this profoundly powerful and sacred place, to drop out of the folly of societal norms, and become pioneers of a fresh way of life. We aspire to change our perception about time, surrendering ourselves to the eternal present moment and naturally aligning with the rhythm of nature.
It wants to be a time to ask life’s profound questions while also embracing our shared, humourous humanity. A festival that harmoniously blends the sacred and the profane. With room for both lightheartedness and the pure joy of play, as well as opportunities for profound healing, soulful connections, and heart opening experiences.
For pleasure and for humility, for intimate meditation and screaming dance. An opportunity to meet old friends and to find new ones. Aren’t the new ones maybe anyway old friends from past lives??
It is gonna be unforgettable, we can feel it in the very tips of our toes and in the warm depths of our hearts. …Can you feel it as well??