Varna, Benkovski, Kitka, Krusha. And… the road ends. Only forest and fields follow. There are no accidental passers-by here. Whoever comes, comes for Krusha – the last village in Avren municipality. Only 35 minutes by car from Varna. And he does not come for pears. Because… there are none.
But we plan to change that and have pears, says Pavlina Bogoeva.
If you haven’t seen what a man dedicated to a noble cause looks like, here it is… Beautiful. Because he has a spark in his eyes that not only shines, but ignites.
Forest “Awareness”
Pavlina is the founder of the Consciousness Foundation. The forest we came to be named the same. And the forest that brought us to this place is still a project. And it is expected to be the first permaculture fruit forest and garden in Bulgaria. “There are many gardens, but I have never heard of a fruit forest. And not just to make it, but to train families, children, to build it with us”. That’s her mission, which she goes on to talk passionately about, “There will be ponds, there will be different paddies and everything that is needed to create a natural environment for trees. It’s going to be like a wild forest, but fruit-bearing. It will bear fruit,” smiles the woman. And her eyes shine even brighter.
The point of permaculture is for different plant species to grow in symbiosis with each other. To create habitats in which people, plants and animals can live in harmony, balance and peace.
And these are not just pretty, hollow words. Because this woman has set out to fill them with content that people can see, touch and feel.
The Garden of Peace
From 6 to 13 September at this place Pavlina Bogoeva will realized the first Peace Garden in Bulgaria. With the support of friends, supporters and complete strangers. A large, circular stage made of various plants, and between them – pedestals for gongs and other musical instruments. The construction will again be in the form of a training, in which anyone can join. And there will be a concert as a finale. A special guest trainer will be a grand gong master from the USA – Don Conroe, the creator of sound therapy. He builds similar spaces, mandala type, in different countries. The global peace movement initiated by Don Conroe began in 1984. To date, his gardens are in over 50 countries around the world. They are part of the global network “Gardens of Peace”, a concept created by the master. The Aurenian village of Pear will be part of it in autumn. It is here that Don Conroe will celebrate his 91st birthday on September 8, together with his daughter and everyone who came to the training.
The first fundraising event for the extraordinary garden will be held on July 6 at Awareness Forest. They have called it Peace Day, where they will do a special yoga practice with a gong under the guidance of Pavlina Bogoeva. They will then make a peace mandala out of natural materials and end with a peace concert.
People will have the opportunity to touch these instruments, to experience what we will be doing in the Peace Garden, says the woman.
The Permaculture Garden
And now next to the forest “Awareness” there is a garden, but permaculture. And it serves for knowledge – how plants can grow healthy and in symbiosis with each other, without fertilizers and pesticides. In this garden there are cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, lettuces, pumpkins, different kinds of herbs. The soil is covered with hay to protect it from the drought. Watering is done by bottles stuck in the soil. In this way the roots are fed. And they are more resistant to drought. And next to it is a composter built and painted by children.
“This place is my very favourite. My children grew up here. When they were little, I fell in love with this village. I saw how good it is when children are in nature, how useful it is and how much they love being here. And that actually inspired me to create this space,” says Pavlina, who is a mother of three.
She decided to adapt it and open it up for other families to visit. She calls it “Awareness” because her goal is to make both adults and little ones aware of their relationship with nature, with their bodies, with life…
And yoga instructor Pavlina Bogoeva’s connection to Krusha is her husband’s birthplace. She stayed there for almost two years during the pandemic with her children. Then they formed a local community of adults and kids, otherwise all city kids. “They all played outside like they used to. I said to myself, I want to have it after the pandemic, when everything is okay”. And so it did.
Festival in the woods
Last year, for the first time, he realized a festival in the forest, which he also called “Awareness”. And at the end of August 2025, its second edition is coming up – with lectures and creative workshops on nurture, education, health and care. During the festival, participants and guests stay for four days in tents in the forest. They are enriched, inspired, united, entertained…
In the Awareness Forest there are rope attractions for children, as well as a stage for concerts, theatres, film screenings, workshops. Once a month events are held here, under the project “Permaculture fruit forest and garden”. This is part of the exploration. And it aims to educate families and children in basic natural principles. At the time of our report, children and adults were studying the microbes in the soil under a microscope. There’s also a fabulous storyteller presenting a puppet story related to the theme.
They managed to finance all this with donations through the “Awareness” foundation and to build it with the help of many volunteers.At the moment they are building a yurt and a summer kitchen, entirely out of wood and natural materials, using trunks of living trees as foundations. A little further up from the future kitchen is a large tent for guests who are away. Pavlina sewed it herself. There is fresh running water and a shower next to it – in the woods.
“Besides we are doing something useful and learning new things. We just spend time together in a nice place. And everyone is welcome,” smiles Pavlina Bogoeva.
They say that to find your place, you have to get lost first. And what better place to do it than in a forest. And not just any forest, but Awareness.
