What Is in a Name?
October at Eirene Cafe
Recently, I've been asked by different people how I came up with the name for Eirene Cafe and what Eirene means. I love these questions because they take me back to the very beginning of this journey when I had only a vision to contemplate and enjoy behind my eyes.
Visiting this place that existed only in my mind was my favorite pastime, an escape from the grey reality. It was a calming and contemplative meditation, encompassing not just an idea but an entire sensory experience. I entered a place that revealed a charming space, where a lively and closely-knit community breathed like a living organism. Low voices in conversation around a wooden table, cozy corners with armchairs, warm, radiating light from table lamps, flowers on windowsills, floor-to-ceiling shelves heavy with carefully chosen books and magazines. Ceramic cups and wooden floors, wine-red oriental rugs, and plenty of natural light... that natural light infused the material world with serenity, hope, freshness, and quiet joy.
This vision needed an appropriate name that spoke of vulnerability yet was powerful in its essence, much like serenity. How fragile is one's serenity? Yet, how desperately we all need that balmy embrace of inner peace. Everything we do, every effort we make, is not just for happiness but to be as close as possible to that quiet joy, to let it smoothly flow through the meanders of our inner landscapes.
It may not come as a surprise that most people, including me until a few months ago, don't know that the term serenity has its origins in the name Eirene. You might be wondering, who is Eirene?
Eirene was the Greek goddess of peace and the season of Spring. Her main power was to induce peace and calm in others, deflecting anger away. She brought fertility, harmony, and fulfillment.
So, Eirene is not only a name. It's basically a deeply rooted human need for safety, healthy attachment, play and purpose, expressed in space, gatherings, meaningful exchange and genuine engagement.
It’s still far from the image I'm basking in now and then, but the firm intention is stubbornly pushing to open doors, hearts and minds.
Welcome to all kindred spirits who seek and create Eirene, literally and metaphorically.
With love,
Natasha Nedelkovska, Founder and Creative Director