"Ecology of the Soul" and the Art of Living and Creating Together

BRIDGES association joined efforts with the National Council of Religious Communities in Bulgaria (NCRCB) to organize a youth interfaith seminar in the foothills of Sredna Gora, in Starosel – a place that combines the ancient spirituality of Thracian traditions with the inspiring setting of modern dialogue.

“Ecology of the Soul” took place from March 23 to 26, 2025, and was our latest interfaith seminar for the youth of Bulgaria, following the successful other formats made during 2024 – interfaith youth camp “Seeding the Peace” in the Hague, August 2024 and interfaith weekend - in the town of Yakoruda, September 2024. The project would not have been possible without the financial support and kind hospitality of the Starosel complex, represented by its owner and benefactor Angel Angelov.

Over the course of four days, the forum brought together 59 participants from 6 religious traditions across 13 locations in Bulgaria.

Day 1: Opening and ice breakers

The first day began promisingly. The "Thrace" hall gathered the participants for the opening of the forum, where each had the opportunity to introduce themselves in the symbolically arranged circle of unity, with the center being the soul. 

Angelina Vladikova, Chair of Bridges, introduced the team and the main goals of the initiatives over the years. The members of the Board, Dr. Petar Gramatikov, Svetlana Karadjova, and Silvia Trifonova, enriched the concept of these seminars, which are aimed at young people, dialogue, care for the soul, and ecology in the metaphorical sense of relationships with society and its behavior towards the world around us. 

From the side of the National Council of Religious Communities in Bulgaria, Robert Djerasi, Chairman of NCRCB, which includes five of the six monotheistic religions in Bulgaria, Birali Birali – former Deputy Chief Mufti of Bulgaria, Greta Ganeva – Secretary of the United Evangelical Churches in Bulgaria and a member of the NCRCB Management Board, Prof. Garabed Minasyan, and Hayri Emin – Head of the External Relations Department at the Grand Mufti’s Office, spoke. Among the participants were Catholic priest Father Ivelin Genov and Evangelical pastor Traicho Stefanov. 

Over the years, an excellent partnership has formed with the Yordan Yovkov Secondary School in Tervel, from where five young people participate in this seminar along with their teacher, Rositsa Stratieva. Another school that successfully partners with the initiatives of "Bridges" is the Vaptsarov Secondary School in Aytos, from where five outstanding youth come with Krasimira Karadjova, geography teacher. 

The youth facilitators of the seminar "Ecology of the Soul" were Silvia Trifonova and Yoan Portarov. They had prepared a rich and engaging program that combined both educational and fun activities. The seminar aimed to offer a holistic experience, blending personal growth and environmental consciousness, allowing participants to learn in an interactive and enjoyable atmosphere. After the opening, the participants were divided into two groups for initial discussions and set the framework for their work over the coming days. 

Day 2:  Religious Traditions and Ecological Ethics, visiting Thracian cult complex

The second day began with morning gymnastics and Zumba dance, led by Yoan and Yordana. After getting their bodies moving, the participants delved into intellectual challenges and the movement of thought.

In the panel discussion "Religious Traditions and Ecological Ethics" moderated by Birali Birali, former Deputy Chief Mufti of Bulgaria, representatives of different religions participated, who were introduced chronologically according to their appearance.
Maxim Delchev, Chairman of the Central Israelite Spiritual Council and ex officio member of the NCRCB, currently also the educational director of the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria "Shalom", shared reflections on the difficulty of understanding the concept of "soul" today. The body is cared for by doctors, therapists, and coaches, but where is the "ecology of the soul"? The connection between purity in the world around us and purity of the soul is essential. The Jewish tradition distinguishes between two categories – "clean" and "unclean," and they are not related to physical cleanliness but to communion with God. It is impossible to have communion with God if something unclean is in us. "Uncleanness" comes from contact with death. Jewish priests lived in seclusion to remain ritually pure. For Jews, God's name is always associated with life – the meaning is to live with God. The ecology of the soul means to separate from the unclean, from what brings death, and to focus efforts on building life.

Dr. Petar Gramatikov, representative of the Orthodox Christianity, Plovdiv Municipaly directorate of Religious issues and a member of the Bridges Board, presented the ecological problem as an entirely religious and theological issue – an issue of faith and religious activity – orthodoxy (correct worship of God) and orthopraxy (correct actions in our earthly existence). Our efforts pass through thoughts and words to become active deeds. Incorrect moral grammar leads to low spiritual temperature in our time.
Father Ivelin Genov from the Catholic Church started his speech by noting that for 12 centuries, Christians were united before the split in 1054. During the Middle Ages, Catholicism attempted to "marry" philosophy. On one hand, the light of faith, which is supernatural, and on the other, reason. These are the two wings for elevation – faith and reason. In ancient times, there was no concept of "soul," but rather "heart." This was the center of life, and blood was its symbol. "The soul" is the principle of life that animates our bodies. The layers of the soul are several: feelings, emotions, and passions are closest to the body, to the outer shell; deeper is the mind and the freedom to make decisions; will is the next part of the soul, with which we choose good and avoid evil; in the deepest part of the soul is our human spirit, which is visited by God, and through His grace, we develop and deal with chaos. We build the order of love within us when we arrange the hierarchy of values. When we arrange ourselves, we step into the macrocosm to witness.

Birali Birali presented the Islamic faith and his reflections on the ecology of the soul. When a person prefers to follow their own path rather than the one predestined by God, they fall. Human existence is not limited only to this world, and faith and religion are the mental map of the believer in this and the afterlife. Everything is a test, and this seminar is also a test for those gathered to reflect on the ecology of the soul. This ecology must be a balance between the material and the spiritual. When a person is in a certain position, they begin to think that everything depends on them, and they impose their own order on their "world." Conversely, the more one realizes that what they have is entrusted to them and they fulfill God's will, the more responsible they become for the balance.

Pastor Traicho Stefanov shared part of his personal story of moving from the Orthodox Church to Evangelism. His son now shares that he would have become an Orthodox priest, which is an example of spiritual transition and the unity of spirit. God breathed into the body of man, and he became a living soul. Placed in ideal conditions before the Fall, man was not freed from work. He had to tend and protect what was entrusted to him. Pollution came from contact with death when man chose to follow his own path. Death entered man and nature after the Fall, so ecology is also connected with human spirituality. For believers, it is important to place others before themselves, and in doing so, they contribute to the balance and fulfillment of God's will.

After the panel group visited the Thracian Cult Complex in Starosel. It is an archaeological sensation with global fame, consisting of two Thracian temples buried under a mound. In 2000, Georgi Kitov discovered the main temple (from the 5th century BC) in the Cetinova Mound. In 2002, the only tomb-heroon with a colonnade located in the Horizon Mound came to light.

In the afternoon, especially for the "Ecology of the Soul" seminar, Maria Valkova and four facilitators from the "Opportunities Without Borders" association arrived with the innovative board game "Barabar." Barabar means equality, together, shoulder to shoulder, embodying the main idea of the game and the seminar – to build bridges of tolerance together and create a better tomorrow. In an hour and a half, the participants, divided into five groups, enriched their knowledge about human rights, promoting tolerance, and accepting the diversity of people and stories in the world around us.

A tour of the complex, a presentation on winemaking, a meeting with the host, and a conversation about the role of wine in different religious traditions followed. A movie night followed, with the participants watching the animated film "Soul" and having a short discussion afterward.

Day 3: Ecological Practices in Different religions; Golden Rule and Green Rule; Garden of peace; Cultural evening

After the morning physical exercise, the participants dived into the third day of the seminar with enthusiasm.
The morning session began with a blessing and a short story from Father Ivelin about the great feast of Theophany, which the entire Christian world celebrates on March 25.

This was followed by a presentation on "Ecological Practices in Different Religions," prepared with great love and dedication by Silvia Trifonova, the youth leader of Bridges, who has recently become a part of the Management Board. She shared a number of interesting facts about good ecological examples and initiatives from various religious communities. Some participants shared opinions and good practices from their schools and hometowns, where they had been or are currently involved.

Next, the facilitators introduced the group to the concept of the "Golden Rule" and the "Green Rule." The Golden Rule summarizes the idea of treating others with the same kindness, respect, and fairness that we would want to receive. “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” The participants were divided into 5 groups, each tasked with recognizing a quote from a specific religion related to the Golden Rule and associating it with its symbol.

In the second part of the morning session, Professor Garabed Minasyan spoke to the youth on the topic "Entrepreneurship and Challenges for the Eurozone."

After a short break, the work in the three groups formed on Day 1 continued intensively, and each group prepared a presentation and poster to present at the end of the seminar.

The afternoon sessions on the third day took place outdoors, under the active "applause" of the peacocks from the complex. The youth leaders organized a water olympiad in the form of three games related to water. The goal was to save as much of the precious resource as possible, which was provided at the beginning. The saved water was later used for planting in the "Garden of Peace." The participants planted 6 Thuja trees, further enriching the green space at the Starosel complex.

The rich and very intense day of activities ended with an emotional charge and a rich array of talents. The cultural evening "TOGETHER," which the participants themselves prepared over the two days, was rich in music, dance, performing arts, songs, and a quiz. Specially for the concert, Sister Elka Staneva, a nun from the Franciscan Sisters' Monastery in Rakovski, attended. She congratulated the initiative and wished success to the young people in their spiritual endeavors.

The hosts of the cultural evening, Vladi and Ivaila, did an excellent job motivating and inviting many participants and some religious leaders to join in with their talents. The program ended with a joint performance of the song "Together" (Zaedno) by Grafa, Lyubo Kirov, and Orlin. Sharing music and dances from different religions and cultures was a beautiful and magical experience and a wonderful conclusion to the hard work of the youth over the past three days.

Day 4: Sharing results; Closing

And so, we reached the final day of the seminar. The group gathered for the last time to share opinions and suggestions and to outline future plans for similar formats and events.

The morning began with the presentation of the results from the work of the three groups. Everyone had worked diligently and with great attention and depth. Each group had selected one holiday from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to present to the others. The condition was that each person would talk about the holiday and traditions of "the other." This was a challenge that the participants handled wonderfully, with great respect and understanding for what those different from them celebrate and honor. We heard about the holidays: Shabbat, Forgiveness Sunday, Ramadan Bayram, Theophany, Kurban Bayram, Purim, Passover, and Easter.
Angel Angelov, the owner of the Starosel complex, came emotionally to bid farewell to the seminar participants, and as a sign of gratitude, Silvia presented him with a special gift from the entire group. It was a painted panel titled "Ecology of the Soul" by Dilek and Aylin, with colorful fingerprints and names of all 57 participants.

Robert Djerasi expressed his gratitude to the host on behalf of the organizers and the entire group and thanked him for the generosity and hospitality of the entire team at the complex. The final part was feedback from the participants – everyone had the opportunity to write what they liked most, what they would change, and what new things they had learned in Starosel.
Angelina thanked the facilitators, Silvia and Yoan, for their excellent work and responsible attitude, who guided the group through the "Ecology of the Soul" experience and were the heart of the seminar.

We concluded with gifts for the youth participants from the organizers – cosmetic products from the Starosel complex as a memento.

Until we meet again – and look forward to the continuation!