Prime Minister Tony Blair and Gaia House

In a question time in Parliament on February 25, 2004, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Totnes, Mr Anthony Steen asked the Prime Minister Tony Blair if he would be visiting Gaia House. The Prime Minister told Parliament that Gaia House offers insight meditation throughout the year and so he would keep question of a visit there under review.

Mr Steen replied that if the prime minister attended a retreat at Gaia House he would have the time to reflect on how to protect council taxpayers from the spending of Liberal Democrat councils. The PM said he would have time to reflect on that and added: “I would gain another insight as well – the huge increase of money given to Devon Council. He then said: “The insight I would gain after this retreat would be “Vote Labour.” The comment brought laughter from both sides of the House.

Two years ago, Christopher, who lives in the Totnes constituency, took Mr. Anthony Steen on a tour of Gaia House. He asked Mr Steen to encourage the Prime Minister to come to Gaia House to meditate on both his foreign policy and internal policy. Christopher said he felt the Prime Minister looked overstressed, overworked and overpaid.

Following the Prime Minister’s mention of Gaia House, Christopher, co-founder of Gaia House, has written to Mr Blair to encourage him to come to Gaia House for a retreat for other insights as well such as:

constructive engagement rather than destructive engagement with Arab nations, resolution of the walled-in plight of the Palestinian community to establish a Ministry for Peace in the UK government to end our long history of going to war a compassionate view towards immigrants and asylum seekers, new taxes on the rich and shameless to help Britain’s poor and marginalised strict implementation of the Kyoto Agreement to protect Mother Earth, examination of the cost of globalisation to poor nations integration of conventional and complementary medicine comprehensive education for heart, mind, body and spirit
pointing the way to a post consumer goods obsessed society seeing the emptiness of the pursuit of power and a place in history experiencing ways to know natural happiness, non-duality and natural freedom
and realisation of immeasurable reality free from the mind’s determining of reality.

Christopher wrote that the managers and guiding teachers of Gaia House would offer Mr Blair a single room, excellent vegetarian meals, selfless service, spiritual guidance and an opportunity for deep insights into the human condition and the forces that shape consciousness. He said that the palpable silence and stillness of Gaia House, along with the disciplines of insight meditation, have a transformative impact on the inner life. Christopher says the power of such practices and profound Dharma teachings would not only benefit the Prime Minister but also indirectly prove beneficial to countless others. We all need time to stop and take a deep look at ourselves, Christopher wrote. He added that Gaia House offers forms of scholarship for those in need.

Christopher is awaiting a reply from the Prime Minister. He also e-mailed Mr Steen to thank him for his reference to Gaia House.