About Gaea

Gaea was founded in 2001 by Keri Manning and Mark Dedman as a centre for spiritual growth and wisdom. We chose the name Gaea as it represents Mother Earth. We pronounce our name "guy-er".

The business was based for several years in an old building in the town of Wendover until in October 2006 we moved our home and our work to Emerald House just outside Wendover in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The 3-acre plot we acquired comprised a house, a garden, several polytunnels, lots of trees, a plant nursery, tons of rubbish, lots of dead nursery stock and weeds! The property had been unoccupied for nearly 5 years and has taken a lot of effort from us and our friends to get to where we are now. It will continue to be a working project for some time.

Why Gaea Was Created

Gaea was set up with the aim of offering people ways for dealing with life, ways of regaining control, and ways of reducing stress.

Both of us had experienced events in our lives that left us vulnerable and unloved. Through different ways and at different times we both found people who were able to appreciate our situations and as a result we found we had the ability to help ourselves.

We want to provide nourishment to others just as we ourselves have been nourished.

Our People Focussed Work

Over the years Gaea has supported thousands of people on their spiritual journey towards peace, tranquillity and healing.

This work continues and we offer a diverse and evolving programme of courses and workshops on subjects including Reiki, Crystal Healing, Meditation, Shamanic work, Dowsing, Wicca, Women’s Gatherings and much more.

We also offer therapies and readings to support and nurture you and events to lift the spirit including storytelling and concerts. Full details of what is happening can be found on this website or you can download a printable version for later reference. We can also email our schedule to those of you who wish to be kept informed of changes to the programme, visit the contact page to sign up for this service.

A number of highly experienced and respected course leaders and therapists offer their services through Gaea and this Community has a huge wealth of spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Each member of the Gaea Community has been chosen by us both as an expert in their field and also as a supportive and compassionate communicator. We can guide and nourish you wherever you are on your journey.

Visitors come from all over Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and London, whilst some travel even further. Events are held in the supportive and calm atmosphere of our dedicated space and we have several outdoor spaces for celebrations.
Within the grounds there is a labyrinth constructed from local chalk which is sometimes used during courses and workshops. There is also a holistic shop which is well stocked with crystals, crystal jewellery, books both new and second-hand, CDs, ethically sourced giftware and much more.

Extending the Vision

We cleaned up and repaired some of the old nursery and re-opened the plant centre in early 2007. Our plan at this time was to focus on UK grown plants in order to support our own growers, reduce plant miles and offer good quality plants that were acclimatised to our environment.

In early 2009 our spiritual practice led us to see that we should recognise more than just the needs of human beings but also the needs of everything else we share the environment with and indeed the Earth itself.

In response to this we are now starting to move our focus towards plants that support wildlife, the birds, the bees and the myriad of other beings we share this earth with. In many cases these will be the same plants as we already stock but we intend to help you be more aware of how important the wildlife is and how it benefits our own lives. We are also starting to look at practical things we can do to reduce the impact that our lives have on the earth.

There is work to be done before we can offer courses and workshops but by Spring 2009 a programme of events will be available.

How Gaea Can Help You

Ask yourself a few questions.

Are you stressed?
Are you worried about your health?
Is your energy at low ebb or are you on hyperdrive?
Do you feel angry with life?
Do you think you are putting in more than you are getting back?
Have you got a dream but don’t know how to live it?

Many of us are so busy rushing around from one thing to another that we fail to realise the detrimental effects that our lifestyles are having on our well-being.

Work pressures, crowded roads, vast supermarkets, depressing TV programmes, rules & regulations, family instabilities, financial pressures, insecurity. The list goes on but we are sure that you will all recognise some aspect of your life that causes you stress.

Our lives are shaped by our thoughts and our beliefs. With so much negative input then no wonder that we end up losing control of our own destiny. Life can then become a treadmill and we find it hard to feel at ease.

We are losing touch with our spiritual roots; we are giving up our own power. If we don’t recognise what is happening and deal with it we may become vulnerable and this can lead to disease and possibly even major illness.

If you have concerns about any of these issues then Gaea has a community of people who are trained to help you.

The Gaea Ethos

We offer options, knowledge and support – it is your choice, your life.

We respect everybody and everything for whom or what they are – we are all connected by Spirit, if we harm one then we harm all in some way, including ourselves.

We recognise all beliefs – there are many different paths.

We are compassionate – we know what it’s like to hurt.

The Gaea People

The heart of Gaea comprises the team of people who run the courses and workshops and do the treatments. Some have been associated with Gaea since its inception, some have joined the Gaea Community more recently and others will doubtless join us in the future.

We have all chosen to do what we do and we do it from the heart, drawing upon our own personal experiences and knowing of what is true. We teach with passion, so that you can be empowered by the knowledge, enthusiasm and personal insights that we share. We are flexible, we listen and we love questions.

If you come to one of our events it is your time and we want you to get the most benefit you can from the experience.

Gaea –The Centre

The 3-acre plot that supports the centre is teaming with life, trees, plants, birds, insects, hedgehogs, toads, badgers, foxes, deer, the Fae people - we share the land with all of them.

There are secluded areas outside dedicated to connection with the spirituality of nature and ourselves.

There is a labyrinth which provides a place of meditation and contemplation, as well as being a gateway to other realms.

There are two significant lines of Earth energy meeting here. The Michael line and the Mary line. Michael is the champion who brings drive and energy to support spiritual initiatives. Mary is the mother who embraces us and nurtures us. There are also other energy lines here which you may wish to discover for yourself.

Events and therapies take place in a dedicated space called the Oak Room. This is sacred space and a lot of effort is put into ensuring we provide the best environment for our work. Once inside the Oak Room you won’t want to come out as you feel embraced by the supportive and guiding ambience of the energies. The room comfortably seats 12 people on large cushions, chairs or a combination of both and we have had 40 people seated to attend a concert. Ramp access is available to this room - prior notice would be appreciated.

Washroom facilities are available at the house, however these do not allow wheelchair access.

Facilities for hot drinks are available.

We keep chickens that have lots of room to wander and scratch around – we sell any surplus eggs. They will soon be relocated to a site amongst the trees – their natural habitat.
We grow some vegetables in an organic way using raised beds and plan to extend this.

The Gaea Future 2009

You will see the environment which makes up the centre evolving alongside our spiritual evolution. We don’t yet know what all the things will be but some short-term changes are:

Soon we will have bees. We already have two hives and in the Spring we will bring in our first small colony.

By Spring 2009 there will be a Moon Garden dedicated to the feminine aspect of nature.

We have recently removed an overgrown conifer hedge and are planting a native food hedge for wildlife.

We are planning to develop a pond in the front of the property to encourager and support wildlife.

We will be planting nectar and pollen plants around the property to support the bees and other insects.