*Sanctuary* in Fet – How It Began

*Sanctuary* in Fet– How It Began

All my life I have carried a whisper in the back of my mind about creating a community.

For the last 20 years, I have read and studied about sanghas, ecovillages, collectives, and monasteries, trying to shape the idea of what has now become Sanctuary.

My name is Komyo Sebastian. The first is the dharma name I received when I became a lay brother in the Japanese Rinzai Zen group One Drop Zen. For three decades, Shodo Harada Roshi has been teaching me at numerous retreats in Europe and at Sogenji, his monastery in Japan.

I am Danish, living in Copenhagen, married, and blessed with five wonderful grown-up children and four grandchildren. My working life has centered around educating children, youth, and people with special needs, as well as training institutional staff. Currently, I spend my days with 50 children in a forest kindergarten and, on the side, I teach qigong, offer one-to-one counseling, and lead Zen meditations.

I assume you are familiar with climate change as well as the stress and emptiness of modern life. I find these conditions unhealthy, stupefying, and life-draining. They—together with the weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field and its consequences—pushed me into action.

One day, while looking at satellite images on Google Earth, I searched for isolated ruined villages with surrounding fields. I found one—an abandoned village perched on a cliff that stretches out from the mountains, surrounded by a nature reserve with a lake and home to several kinds of eagles.

I spoke about this ruined village, named Fet, for months. One day my wife suggested that we go to Spain during our next vacation to visit some of the places I had been looking at.

A Reality Check

After a long drive along a mountain track at 15 km/h, and an additional one-hour hike, we arrived in Fet and met Nikita, Kris, and Ramon. They were working on creating a community there called Dharmahari Fet, with yoga as the core practice. I fell in love with the place immediately—my wife Tilde and my youngest daughter Nimue, however, not so much!

There was a strong calling, yet I felt fear. My wife, family, and friends were not aligned with the idea, and the thought of leaving comfort and everyone I knew was daunting. I spent many hours sitting outside, contemplating everything I would leave behind and the challenges ahead. Still, it felt like the right thing to do—a calling I had to follow—so I moved forward.

I reached an agreement with Nikita and was planning to find a house to rebuild, but then Dharmahari Fet closed. It could not end like that. I got in touch with Jaume Mulet, the owner of the land and ruins. We began negotiating and exploring possibilities. Things became more concrete with each step. However, the first draft contracts contained major problems, and the rebuilding task seemed overwhelming. After a couple of months, I abandoned the project.

Losing it left me drained. A flame of hope, inspiration, and meaning went out. I slipped into being a happy consumer rather than a dedicated practitioner. I was, for a time, mildly depressed.

Then one day, I received an email from Señor Mulet, the owner of Fet. He gave me an offer and a helping hand I could not refuse. Sanctuary was alive again—and I was reignited with energy and inspiration.

A ruin in Fet

Facing the Magnitude

It is a huge project: rebuilding 36 ruins, re-establishing 50 hectares of farmland, and creating a functioning community. My youngest son, Eljas Doken—who is also a Zen practitioner—challenged me with hard, realistic questions that revealed the weaknesses and problems of the project. My answer was:"Yes, you are right. I can’t do all that. I am only the torchbearer, the one to open the door of Opportunity. I can take care of children, counseling, qigong, meditation, and leadership. But Sanctuary has many open roles that I need others to fill."

He was silent for a moment, then asked: "And where will you find them?"

Yes. How would I?

The first step was to write a short description of the project and register it on the GEN Ecovillage platform. Being a fan of Serirot’s cards, I used Brando to clarify how to present the project and Fabula to guide this story. Step by step, the plan led me here—to you, the reader.

Moving Forward

There is a huge amount of work to be done. The owner encouraged me to take action on my idea and supported me by involving an architect to create the required plans for the local government. We also worked on a new contract with legal counseling.

To test my resolve, I had to spend nights in Fet to feel whether I could truly live there. Another important step was meeting the landowners, father and son, Señores José and Jaume Mulet. Meanwhile, Jaume was already in dialogue with the local government. They required that the ruins be restored to resemble traditional Spanish houses.

I also reached out to my architect friend, Simon Seigan. His response was very positive—he even considered involving Polish university students to develop rebuilding projects. With his experience in permaculture and large-scale architecture, his support felt like a spiritual blueprint for the future. Encouragingly, others I contacted also responded with positivity and help.

The journey to Fet itself was long: 25 hours by bus and train from Copenhagen to Toulouse, where I met my Zen son and hiked for three days. From there, I continued alone by bus over Andorra to Lleida, Spain. Spending two days there gave me confidence about navigating without speaking Spanish and helped me connect with the spirit of Spain and her people. I felt welcome—almost at home.

Later, I met Nikita in Benabarre—where, to my surprise, Kris and Ramon also joined us. After sharing pizza and stories, they showed me around Fet. What they had already built was far more advanced than I had expected: I even had a bed in a house with a stove and running water from a rainwater tank!

That first night, alone in Fet, I sensed a spirit checking me out. Neutral, but accepting. I had no trouble sleeping.

Signs and Omens

In the morning, as I drank tea, eagles flew overhead. Then a larger one began circling above the church at the cliff edge, higher and higher until it vanished into the heavens. I took this as a sign—that Sanctuary will also rise heavenward.

My early 20s were filled with shamanic practice, though even in childhood I had the gift of spirit-sight and otherworldly connection. In trance journeys, I often fly with an eagle over a medieval town on the edge of a deep chasm. Arriving in Fet, I was struck by how much it resembled the town I had seen in those visions—as if I had been prepared for this moment for 40 years.

I felt at home.

During my week there, the weather was unstable—except for the one day I explored Fet. The sun shone brightly as I walked and photographed the 36 ruins. The next morning, thunder and rain returned as I hiked out into the fog. Losing my way, my 15 km hike stretched into 24 km. Eagles crossed my path while thunder cracked directly overhead. It was frightening but powerful.

Partnership and Next Steps

The next day I met Señores José and Jaume Mulet over a meal of lamb cutlet, steak, and cuttlefish. Their warmth and good intentions shone through. They even arranged for the former mayor, Alfredo, and the current mayor, Chordi Piqué, to meet me. Since I do not yet speak Spanish, Jaume handled negotiations and Don José translated for me.

I felt blessed by their support. Together, we clarified the project and began shaping concrete plans. The path ahead became clear.

Now, the next steps are to gather pioneers to form the seed group of Sanctuary and to complete the preliminary project with our architect, Sonia Ricoma, so we can secure government permission to build.

Has this story inspired you?

Do you have questions or comments?

Please reach out to me: sanctuary.fet@gmail.com

With heartfelt greetings and gratitude,

Komyo Sebastian Gundel