I guess the question here is, "are we referencing a film script or some aspect of the reality we may all live in?" Through eyes that have become more perceptive and open, Hannah and I have over time, come to see a very different reality and way of living life. We now see that the one most others inhabit and we inhabited previously is an idea based construct and exists for us now only beyond the gates of the retreat. That reality is built from ideas that are conditioned into people and purposefully shared systematically to become a foundation upon which most of the global population are unconsciously basing their lives, running them like a human program and thinking, speaking and acting in ways the program suggests and allows. At this point in order to understand what we are saying here, it's worth considering some of the ideas that almost certainly currently act as the framework of your own life reality, and that's no matter how awake you may be or aware of the conditioning. The simple one's that format almost every day for almost everyone, like breakfast lunch and dinner which once noticed aren't simply meal times. They are fully structured events that for most dictate not only a specific time to eat but also advise on the kinds of food we eat, and when. Clearly it's not "normal" to eat pizza for breakfast or bacon and eggs for dinner but how did that come about and why? It all brings a kind of structured limitation, governing what we do and how in an unseen way and yet most of us have come to fully accept it all as "right" and the way life is or "should" be, even terming some of it natural or goverened by nature. Simple ideas like meal times follow onto to much bigger concepts. Things such as the idea of work, money, relationships, ideas about life and death, the principles of authority and our obligations to perform in specififc ways as humans to, behave a certain way, to have a family, to pay taxes, get a license or register in order to be "allowed" to do something. The list of ideas that make up the structure of our collective culture and societal existence is extensive and broad but who's ideas are they and how do we all get to know them? The even bigger question being, do we have a choice to play this game of life in this specific way or not? It turns out that being born as what you may call a blank canvas with no concept of what is good and bad, right or wrong, what we should eat when and how or what we have to do in order to live our human lives, including how we eat, quickly turns into an accumulated structure of other peoples ideas, to which we must conform. These ideas appear to have been here forever, they appear to be agreed and may even seem to be there as the "best" way we have found to live together, that simple one that works. On further analysis however, we see that almost all of it is being systematically shared and the collective view on all of this structure is certainly not arriving with us by accident or without the involvement of someone who is motivated to ensure that a specific set of ideas prevail..It soon becomes evident that we learn these ideas from others who have already been persuaded into doing them including our parents, family and friends. The more obvious sharing exists in the form of "educatio" where many ideas are taught, looking like truth or fact but when the surface is only lightly scratched, revealing themselves as subjective opinions. Take religion and break it down to find that it is where so many of our ideas of good and bad, right or wrong and the ways we live eminate from including relationships and marriage, the 10 commandments and so much more being described as the work of god(s). Is it however the work of god or is it the opinions of men or women who came before? School has a many subjects, meaning subjectivities or opinions because opinions are all we have of and beyond our direct experience. The main thread of school being one of a learned place in a hierarchy and respect for the concept of authority, Once this concept is embedded we are ready to be told what to do and dutifully comply for a lifetime. The Truman show has a notable quote saying "People accept the reality with which they are presented" and our reality is a structured set of ideas in which we are all submerged since birth. Media, TV and film shares a specific idea of human life and demostrates by example what should be both true and important for all of us. Avoiding death, falling in "love", being in a relationship, having children, being successful, looking a certain way, eating certain foods and even infers upon us a structure to our day to be accepted. Wake have breakfast, work or go to cschool, have lunch, work some more and then have dinner and then watch your favourite shows on TV. How else would there be a pattern of life that almost all of the human species on the planet are following? These things don't happen by accident and it's certainly not coincidence that everyone is doing the same thing, is it? We are essentially programmed from an early age to behave and respond to our lives based on a very specific set of ideas that act as a program, whether it serves us or not. Even the arguments and conflicts are part of that program, the nature of how we interact and the opinions which divide us, all help us to embed the program while more importantly distracting us from the underlying realisation that there actually IS a program and with it those doing the programming. We go to school, get a job, earn the money, chase relationships, pay the taxes and accept the reality with which we are presented as if there is simply no other way to live. Having been under the authority of teachers at school for many years, we happily accept being told what to do at work or by a policeman or the government. That's the way things are and there's no other way you can live. Is there? This is the matrix. It is a conditioning system that is hidden but so intensively applied to most humans on the planet that they are unable and often unwilling to even see it or consider that they may not have to comply and there may be another way to live. In many ways, awakening is the progressive growth in the ability to see it for what it is. Gone are the thoughts of simply living this wonderful life, catching or growing your own food, eating what you want when you want without the need to be, do or have things that you have been programmed to want. This embedded program forms a matrix and it takes away your ability to be free to enjoy a life into which you were born equal and makes you into a cog in a wheel, who need to perform the expected tricks and in the expected way. The matrix is the framework of life that we never chose but have been sold the illusion of being bound to. It controls most if not all of our thoughts, words and actions and has us chasing a small set of possibilities while ignoring the infinite possibilities of life itself. The matrix has us do what we are told blindly in a play of life where this one version has taken control and ownership of a whole species by submerging them in the ideas and creating such a strong belief in it as a framework that we see no escape, and more to the point we don't see the cage of programmed behaviour that it creates. The matrix is not about who is creating the ideas, it's more that it exists ethearially and only while we believe in it. It's an invisible idea structure that we have unkowingly accepted and dutifully act out in every aspect of what most have come to see as human life and all it takes to see the exit door is to start to see it for what it is. As we awaken inside, we also awaken to the world outside and see that nothing holds us there unless we believe it does. The retreat is becoming a demonstration of that, as are the life choices Hannah and I make. What we share here the route to the exit door, which starts by help more of us see and realise the true nature of the self. This then provides the path out of the reality most percieve, one that is simply made of subjective ideas and provides only restriction and limitation, sufferring and mental chaos. Living withing the forced structure of the matrix brings so much planning, so many things to be, do and have, and so much to chase, fear or avoid. In it, we get locked in the past, worry about the future and never feel the fulfillment within. As we exit the subjective ideas that ARE that matrix, the overthinking ends, limitations fall away and the forced authority and obligations to conform melt away to be replaces with inner peace, choice without reason, flow and intuition. A journey that starts by making the matrix visible in all of it's aspects unlocks freedom and limitless potential. It removes the pressure of the imagined prison we all feel and finally allows us to simply be, connected and at peace with this magic we call life.

Zen Jungle Retreat has been in the making for over two years now. As with any project, we've had incredible successes and spectacular failures (although we wouldn't necessarily see them that way), and we've been doing our best to learn as we go. Along the way we've connected with an abundance of beautiful souls. Whether it be the amazing team that work here and have helped us to create this magical space, unique characters that have stumbled across us by accident and stayed for a while to share their gifts or the dedicated guests that attend our retreats, we've really loved building connections that will last a lifetime. The one thing we have been repeatedly asked along the way is "how's it going?". Last night, when we were asked yet again, it occurred to us that in fact, we never really share how it's going! We've always kept ourselves separate from the name 'Zen Jungle', believing that it's its own thing... a way of life. But the truth we've come to realise is that it's not just a way of life, it's OUR way of life. So it's time we own it and say what Zen Jungle really is. It's us, the Jungle family. Hannah and Jason, our daughter Bodhi, three dogs, a cat and a large handful of chickens. It's our 40 acres of land tucked away in the middle of nowhere on the border of Devon and Cornwall. It's our quirky little life, our choice to live differently by exiting the conditioned beliefs of the matrix. It's our dedication to joy, personal freedom and independence. It's our commitment above all else to our own inner and outer peace. Zen Jungle is us sharing this with you if you want the same. It's us saying that you can change your life forever, just as we have, helping you to take that leap of faith and showing you a magical journey to get there. The same journey that we ourselves have taken. So, here's to 2024 bringing a new era of Zen Jungle. This is the year that we start opening up and making it personal. We've got so much to share with you, covering what we've been up to the last two years as well as what's going on for us and the retreat moving forward. Of course, we'll still be keeping up with our transformational and awakening content as always, but we'll also be giving you more of an insight into how we've integrated it and how it helps us every single day. As well as that we'll be sharing other aspects of our lives and experiences including: Parenting & Birth with topics such as wild pregnancy out of the system, unassisted freebirth, age appropriate independence, parenting without screens and unschooling/homeschooling. Energy & Water with topics such as solar, wind and water power, alternative energy sources, water pollution and chemical free water sources, water filtration and bore holes. Food Independence with topics such as outdoor and indoor growing, permaculture, compost, livestock, foraging and hunting. Holistic Health with topics such as natural remedies, plant medicine, foods and conscious wellbeing. Meanwhile in The Matrix with topics such as life outside the jungle, news stories and propaganda. Natural Law & Freedom with topics such as false obligations, authority, consent and the global crime syndicate. Financial Independence with topics such as money, banking, trade, barter, energy exchange, small town initiatives and alternative currencies. Updates with all the ins and outs of daily life here at Zen Jungle such as retreat builds, creative projects, musings and reflections, behind the scenes during retreats and much more! We are so excited to finally be welcoming you into our family, stay tuned for all the new content coming your way. Jungle love xx