by Nicola Pitt.

The recent rain has washed the parched eucalypts clean and left green shoots sprouting across the red desert. It has been a long, hot summer in Alice Springs, with far more days over 40 degrees than anyone can remember. But the rain has finally brought the crisp, dewy mornings of autumn.

As we prepare for the retreat season, we also farewell our volunteer Hugo who has graced Campfire with his special presence these past two months. Since quitting university and leaving his home of France at the age of 19, he has been on a heartfelt spiritual quest for the past 6 years that has taken him to India, Nepal, New Zealand and Australia. Unlike most 25 year olds, he has been without a mobile phone for the majority of his adult life, and travels a little like we all did fifteen ago. (That is, using public computers to send emails home, and asking strangers for directions – which doubles as a lovely way to make new friends).

After living the solitary life of a hermit until recently, Hugo was “like a rusty wheel” in his words. “But with your patience and kindness, you’ve all helped to get me going again” he said to us around the fire on his final week. Gentle reminders to take himself lightly, to have fun and not court suffering were sometimes heeded. After resisting a dentist when he had a painful and inflamed jaw, we were then relieved a few weeks later to see him sleeping on a picnic table instead of the ground, where the ants had been disturbing him each night. “Don’t  you think you deserve to have a good night’s sleep?” I’d asked him.✱

Dawn from Hugo’s picnic table/bed

Remembering the very soft voice he first used at Campfire Reflection, the change in Hugo was evident two months’ later, after some communal living had greased his rusty wheels. On his final Wednesday with us, he led the topic for reflection in a clear and sure voice, inviting us to reflect on how we connect with nature. (An area he thinks I need to work on, although I say he can keep the ants.)

Some of his growth has been slower than others, however. The ardent spiritual seeker in him asked me earnestly one evening, “How long until I get this ego in check?” I replied that I wasn’t sure, but following instructions would be a very good start. This is something he cheerfully owns he’s still working on, as shown last week when he disobeyed Huss’ direction and promptly hurt himself by cutting his foot. (An outcome that satisfied Huss, the law of karma and even Hugo.) 

It’s the first time that Campfire’s property manager, Huss, has had a long-term volunteer to help with maintenance work and they both enjoyed the opportunity. Huss’ daughter Gracie said “Whenever I can’t find my Dad, I know he’s off somewhere having deep and meaningful conversations with Hugo”.

I’ve also delighted in our long and wide-ranging chats about the spiritual path, but it’s Hugo’s reverent devotion and spiritual hunger that has most impressed me. I know it will be a source of much inspiration to others.

It’s actually thanks to Hugo’s arrival that we are reading “The Interior Castle” by St Teresa of Avila in our present Contemplative Book Club. On his very first day at Campfire, he spied it on my bookshelf and finished it in just a few days. Seeing as now I had company in my enthusiasm for Teresa, I decided to swap books and redesigned the existing promotional material at the last minute. Teresa’s relatable and practical wisdom (“God lives among the pots and pans”) as well as her gusto for life (“When praying, pray; when eating partridge, eat partridge”) have made fans of us all.

When talking about the third mansion of the Interior Castle, Teresa says “Don’t assume that God has any need for our doing. What he needs is our being.” Which is the same as what our beloved Campfire regular, Betty, likes to mention to us all around the fire when we get caught up in our spiritual striving. Hugo says it’s a lesson that he has taken to heart during his stay with us. And it reminds me of a realisation I recorded in my old travel blog, back in February 2013 when Jorge and I first moved to Alice Springs:

“All I know is that the worries and irritations that had been accumulating over the last few months fell away at the same rate as the urban sprawl receded behind us and the expanse of sky unfolded in front. The nagging questions of “What do I want to do? Where do I want to live?” suddenly didn’t seem as important as just being. I can be in Mexico, I can be in Australia and I can be in Alice Springs.” 

In closing, it’s hard to describe how delightful, bemusing, inspiring and exasperating Hugo is all at once. Or as Teresa puts it “I know that I have presented all this in a jumble, friends, but I’m not sure how else to explain it.”

Perhaps one of the most wonderful people I’ve met because he is, quite literally, full of wonder. 

We love him. We’ll miss him. He’s always welcome.

“Friendship is noble, fruitful, holy —
When two separate souls march in difference
Yet in harmony, agreeing and disagreeing,
Glowingly improving diversely,
With one common longing to find solace in true pleasure.”

– Excerpt from Paramhansa Yogananda’s poem ‘Friendship’,
Whispers from Eternity

Hugo, Jorge, Nicola

✱ To read Hugo’s perspective on sleeping amidst the great outdoors, CLICK HERE.

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Interested in volunteering at Campfire in the Heart? Find out more information here.