My Soul Compass
My tendency has always been to seek out hotels and places that are trendy and immaculate in quality. But for this trip to Varvara, I knew I wasn’t after a traditional fancy vacation. I was listening to my soul.
That call led me to the Zen Hotel in Varvara.
At first glance, it wasn’t a place I would normally gravitate toward — small, simple, unassuming. The owner, Joro, greeted us at the door. The check-in process was easy, almost invisible in its simplicity. Above the reception counter, a phrase was inscribed:
“Wherever you go, you will find what you carry within yourself.”
At the time, it didn’t strike me. But later, those words became the very essence of what I was experiencing.
Behind the hotel stretched a pool and a lounge area where guests gathered for breakfast, or to rest on the shaded daybeds by the water. My daughter and I needed a day and a half to settle into the energy of the place, but by the end of our stay, we found ourselves questioning whether we should leave at all.
Pulling away from that calm vibration was harder than expected.
Looking back, what I felt in Varvara can be distilled into five qualities that touched my heart — my Varvara Compass:
Tranquility — a quietness that nourishes me, like waves against the shore.
Belonging — being part of something simple and real, no need to prove myself.
Beauty — art, colors, fabrics, and spaces that awaken my creativity.
Groundedness — steadiness, reliability, care (like Joro’s presence).
Community — people around, not perfect, but warm and present.
The Zen Hotel itself whispered to me the exact teaching I needed!
The message above the desk was a mirror of what I was already sensing: the belonging, the beauty, the tranquility, the community, the groundedness — they are not bound to Varvara or the Zen Hotel. They live within me, and in places like this, they awaken and come alive.
No wonder I felt tears of joy when I walked through the door — I wasn’t just entering a hotel, I was stepping into a reflection of my own soul’s inner home.
One more image has stayed with me: when you turn from the reception to go up the stairs—or when you descend back down—you are met by a simple painting of a rose on a wooden board. I had already chosen the rose as the first theme for my Varvara pop-up long before this trip, yet seeing that rose in the Zen Hotel felt like a gentle confirmation. It was as if the village itself was nodding to me: yes, you are on the right path.
The rose, for me, is more than a flower — it is an emblem of love, soul, and beauty that holds you even in your fragility. That painted rose was not just decoration; it was a mirror of my own inner choice, showing me that what I carry within always finds me again.
And now I wonder: What might your compass look like?
If you were to name five qualities or values that define the home of your soul, what would they be?
