Campfire in the Heart

18/01/2026

Don't miss this free series starting in March - ideal for those drawn to self-knowledge, meditation, art, and the dialogue between spirituality and contemporary culture.

Register for the Full Series for Free.

Being Human, Being Real --
Authenticity, inner listening, sacred vulnerability, and our communion with the Earth.
Being Human, Being Real is a series of four online conversations exploring the depth and beauty of being human in a world often driven by speed, appearances, and disconnection. Each session brings together voices from different paths to reflect on authenticity, presence, vulnerability, and compassion—bridging spirituality, art, and contemporary life. A space to pause, listen, and remember what it means to live truthfully.

These talks are especially aimed at young adults seeking a living spirituality grounded in everyday life; People sensitive to questions of meaning, authenticity, and inner depth—especially those tired of superficiality and longing to reconnect with themselves, others, and the Earth. Ideal for those drawn to self-knowledge, meditation, art, and the dialogue between spirituality and contemporary culture. Register for the Full Series for Free.
For full details see https://wccm.org/events/being-human-being-real/

16/12/2025

The same week our Contemplative Book Club finished up, ABC Radio National ran this interview. Great timing! The stoics live on...👌

"Author and journalist Brigid Delaney lives her life according to the teachings of men who’ve been dead for thousands of years.

She is devoted to the Stoics, a philosophy that encourages its followers to focus on what they can control, accepting what happens outside of that sphere of control, and mastering inner peace to have a good life.

These ideas have helped Brigid prepare for grief and take the edge off her anxiety by putting it in context.

One of the most powerful Stoic ideas is that all the wonderful things and people in our life are “on loan” and can be taken away at any moment.

Instead of taking them for granted, the Stoics wanted us to run toward them at full speed, and wring as much fun and juice out of them as we can."

Journalist and author, Brigid Delaney looked into the ancient philosophy during an assignment from her editor. What she discovered led her to years of study and a brand-new outlook on life that focuses less on happiness and more on meaning and contentment. Brigid is devoted to the Stoics, a philosop...

10/12/2025

Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for our final evening reading 'The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius', the last Contemplative Book Club series of the year. We learned that there is so much more to stoic philosophy than what we thought, and that it's consistent with universal spiritual principles seen in the world's great traditions. 💫

📖 "Stoicisim was the most highly spiritual form of philosophy in ancient Greece and Rome. It was so spiritual is is as accurate to call it a religion as a philosophy...

For Marcus Aurelius the universe was one perfect harmony, above all things to be loved. It was God's abode, was in fact God. Marcus had an enthusiastic acceptance of Nature and the universal law. His attitude to God was one of worship and love.

Philosophy became, in a way, the third religion of Greece. It was a religion without ritual or priesthood, though Marcus Aurelius realized that each individual philosopher made himself holy through the activities of his mind." - Mark Forstater

10/12/2025

Enjoy this beautiful Christmas video from Central Australian cinematographer Chris Tangey, dedicated to a local legend - the late Ted Egan.

09/12/2025

Campfire in the Heart is a meditation retreat in Central Australia, inspired by the the world’s wisdom teachings and affiliated with the The World Community for Christian Meditation.

Visit our website to see more details about next year's offerings.

Retreat, reflect and renew in 2026.

More info 👉 https://campfireintheheart.com.au/whats-on/

(Numbers are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.)

01/12/2025

The newest addition to our gift shop is a 2026 calendar! ✨

Featuring beautiful photos of Central Australia, taken by Michelle Vass during her time with us as Meditator-in-Residence.

Michelle has paired the photos with quotes from scripture, saints and other inspiring spiritual writers, such as John Main of the WCCM.

🎁 $25 each + $10 for postage.

Place your orders now, and have them arrive in time to put underneath the Christmas tree! 🎄

All proceeds go to keeping Campfire a beautiful place for all to enjoy.

More info >> https://campfireintheheart.com.au/news/2026-calendar/

01/12/2025

Big thanks to Dianne Schaefer, National Coordinator for the The World Community for Christian Meditation, for organising a wonderful gathering last week in Adelaide!

A chance to make new connections and see old friends (including Sue Woods!) and hear inspiring talks by international guest speaker Mark Burroughs, about the teachings of Meister Eckhart, the German mediaeval mystic:

"The most important hour is always the present. The most significant person is precisely the one sitting across from you right now. The most necessary work is always love." - Meister Eckhart

25/11/2025

Last Wednesday's topic around the fire was inspired by our current Contemplative Book Club reading of "The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius" (Tuesdays 6:15pm, no prior reading necessary)

🔥Do you think that everything happens for a 'Reason'?

**Campfire Reflection is a free weekly event held in Alice Springs on Wednesdays at 6:30pm. A pot-luck dinner, followed by a time of reflection and sharing around the campfire. Open to the local community, as well as travellers passing through.

15/11/2025

***Read our Spring Newsletter for upcoming retreats in 2026***

"Meditation and the contemplative life is at the heart of Campfire’s offerings. Our winter retreats have been enthusiastically supported, with a recent participant commenting "The landscape of central Australia is both visually dramatic and, in its endless and timeless spaces, somehow freeing. To go on a retreat in this landscape is truly time out of time. Stepping into an external and internal landscape that is new and different just invites an openness to explore new ways of being."

We will offer again several weekend deep silent retreats in 2026, in April and August initially. Also two other weekend retreats especially appealing to locals at the beginning and end of June. And 5-day offerings in May and July, of interest to those living locally as well as those who come from afar. A rich variety, all based around meditation as taught by the World Community for Christian Meditation, which like Campfire, is grounded in Christianity and welcomes all.

As well there will be yoga and drumming retreats, together with all the wonderful school and cultural groups who choose Campfire as their ‘place’, who bless us with their presence. The website is being updated as we speak, have a look and see if something calls you..."

Read the full newsletter >> https://campfireintheheart.com.au/news/spring-newsletter-2025/

13/11/2025

Congratulations to Celia Kemp, former long-term resident of Campfire in the Heart, on her new app! 👏🤩

"Weaving a stronger spell is a thought-provoking app-based study resource from Celia Kemp, a Melbourne-based writer known for her works such as A Voice in the Wilderness: Listening to the Statement from the Heart and Into the Desert. This one is wonderful because it’s theology about place, and that place is right here, right now, in Melbourne.

The study resource is for the 2025 Season of Creation. With its daily reflections about the stories of Scripture, and the stories of Melbourne and how they resonate today, it could well be used beyond this for thinking about life differently.

The title comes from a CS Lewis quote: “Do you think I am trying to weave a spell … you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly the past 100 years.”

And weave that spell Kemp does, through her daily offerings organised into three parts: Read, Quotes and Questions. Designed for individual reflection it could just as easily be used for small groups or even an interactive sermon or five.

It’s easy to navigate and it needs to be because it’s packed with content: local images, considered theology, quotes from thoughtful writers and Kemp’s own experiences both by and in the Yarra River and beyond..."

Read more >>

Weaving a stronger spell confronts and discomforts, offering raw reality about life in Melbourne.

12/11/2025

Join former retreat guests and friends of Campfire from around Australia who gather each morning to greet the new day in this reflective and peaceful online space.

Here is the new SUMMER timetable for our weekday online offerings.

🌿 Meditation:
NSW & VIC: 7:45-8:20am
QLD: 6:45-7:20am
NT & SA: 6:15-6:50am

🌿 Morning Prayer:
NSW - 8:30-9am
QLD - 7:30-8am
NT & SA - 7-7:30am

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7794705793?%20pwd=RmJKNm5IcVdXekVXRm5XdlBhcXA3Zz09