In ancient traditions, it is said that before the lands and seas, before the forests and peoples, a great river of light flowed across the heavens — the Milky Way. It was the first path of creation, through which the stars and stories entered the visible world. The Milky Way was not merely a gathering of stars, but a living memory and a connection between heaven and earth. From this river of light emerged the order of the world, every part reflecting the whole. Just as stars together form a galaxy, human society comes into being when each person finds their place within the greater circle of life.

Today, we stand once again on the threshold of a new birth. Like the ancient river of light that is the Milky Way, this new era calls us to remember that life does not consist of separate parts, but of interconnected relationships — between ourselves, nature and the universe.

Estonia is entering a new era in which culture, education and the economy intertwine to form a living whole. The symbol of this new era is the Temple - Estonia as a Land of Temples.

One of the first steps towards this greater vision is the establishment of the Soul Temple in Estonia.

Kiissa Kojad — The Soul Temple

Kiissa Kojad is where this vision takes physical form.

We wish to establish Estonia's first Soul Temple at Kiissa — a place dedicated to birth and rebirth, motherhood, the conscious journey of women and men, and the nurturing of both human life and the environment in which we live.

Yet the Soul Temple is more than a single place. It is an invitation to remember something that concerns us all: the future of every society depends on how we care for life at its most fragile and significant moments.

Each of us was once a child who needed safety, closeness and love. Every life begins within someone's body, through someone's care and through relationships that allow us to enter the world and find our place in it. With the birth of a child, more than a new human being comes into the world. A mother, a father or a parent is born; a new family and a new generation emerge. A responsibility is born that extends beyond a single home — into the community, culture and society as a whole.

Yet the meaning of birth is not limited to the arrival of a child. Adults, too, may need to be born anew: to have the opportunity to recover, rediscover their inner centre, heal relationships, discover their calling or begin a new journey after loss. Throughout life, we all cross thresholds that require time, support, meaning and the presence of others.

The Soul Temple is a space where human life is not measured solely by achievements, productivity or contributions to society, but where each person is valued simply for who they are.

It is a place where motherhood and fatherhood are not treated as the responsibility of individuals alone, but recognised as a shared cultural responsibility. A place where the birth of a child is surrounded by a caring community, where parents are given time to recover, and where no one has to feel alone or bear everything by themselves during their most vulnerable moments.

It is a place where the different experiences of women and men are respected, and both are given the opportunity to grow into conscious, present and caring guardians of life.

The strength of our society is reflected not only in economic indicators, educational outcomes or the number of buildings we construct. It is also reflected in how we treat a child who is only just learning to trust the world; a parent who is exhausted; a young person searching for their place; someone who has lost their direction; or an older person whose experience carries our shared memory.

This is why the birth of the Soul Temple concerns us all. It invites us to ask how homes, kindergartens and schools, healthcare institutions, communities, cultural centres, businesses and public institutions can become places where life can flourish safely, with dignity and meaning.

We are not simply creating a new building. We are planting a seed for a broader cultural transformation — one in which care is not a weakness, but the foundation of a strong society; where mental and emotional well-being is not a secondary concern, but an integral part of human development; and where our responsibility towards future generations is reflected in our everyday choices.

The Soul Temple reminds us that the sacred need not be separate from life. It can emerge in the way we welcome new life, care for one another, raise children, cultivate a green and caring culture, relate to nature and shape the environments we share.

In this way, a much greater movement can begin in a single place. Kiissa Kojad may be the first visible seed, but the spirit of the Soul Temple can live wherever people, communities and nature are cared for and life is treated with reverence and respect.

This is our vision of Estonia as a Land of Temples: not merely a land containing special places, but a land where every person and community can become a guardian of life, and every meaningful place can contribute to the birth of a healthier society.

A society that learns to nurture life at its beginning also learns to nurture life itself. And a world in which people can safely be born, grow, transform and belong is a world we can pass on to our children.

Four Foundations of a New Era

The beginning of a new era rests upon four foundations: honouring motherhood, nurturing inner well-being, strengthening our connection with nature and cultural heritage, and fostering green entrepreneurship.

1. Honouring Motherhood as a Cultural and Social Foundation

Motherhood is a primal principle of creation. Since the beginning of time, women and mothers have carried our communities and cultural traditions, preserving sacred wisdom and serving as a link between the Earth, nature and the highest values of humanity.

Through mothers, not only new life is born, but also meaning — the understanding that every person is loved and belongs in this world for a reason.

Rites of passage have played an important role in understanding the art of being human, helping us establish connections between the different stages of life. Birth carries a particularly profound meaning and influence: it is a ritual of creation and the beginning of life.

At a time when one in three women experiences postpartum depression and birth rates are at a record low, supporting motherhood must become a central responsibility of society as a whole.

The experiences of conception, pregnancy, childbirth and recovery during the forty sacred days following birth affect more than the woman alone. They help establish the foundations for an entire generation's mental well-being, sense of safety and sense of belonging.

We recognise that the sustainability of society begins with how we care for the source of life — the mother.

Education must restore knowledge of the body, birth and the circle of life, so that the girls and boys of our land grow up with respect for life, themselves and one another.

2. Inner Well-Being and Harmony with Nature at the Heart of Education

Education is not merely the transmission of knowledge, but the holistic awakening of the human being — a journey towards connection with one's inner world and, through it, with all life that surrounds us.

True learning emerges where people experience meaning and belonging: where they are not merely components of a system, but living participants in a greater whole.

Just as the Milky Way connects countless stars into a single galaxy, conscious education connects people with their inner light and fosters a bond with other people and all life.

Inner well-being is a central axis of education, because only a balanced and present person can create, understand and care.

Learning environments that value silence, deep focus, movement and time spent in nature help young people sense the rhythms of life and establish a profound connection with themselves and the world.

Such education nurtures people who seek meaning not only in external achievement, but also in inner connection. They learn to listen, to notice and to build relationships founded on respect and conscious choices.

Learning in harmony with nature is not merely a method, but a worldview — the understanding that human beings are not separate from nature, but an inseparable part of it.

When education supports inner development, a generation emerges for whom connection, meaning and belonging are not values to be searched for, but the natural foundations of life.

3. Protecting Nature, Forests and Cultural Heritage as the Groundwork of Collective Well-Being

Forests, nature and cultural heritage are spaces in which we can experience our connection with the wholeness of life. They are not merely resources, but living systems that carry memory, wisdom and balance.

Forests and nature hold layers of time within them, while cultural heritage — sacred sites, customs, stories and rituals — keeps alive the experiences of our ancestors and their understanding of the world.

Just as the Milky Way is the memory of the heavens, the forest is the memory of the Earth. Both tell us that all living things are interconnected.

The stars in the sky, the trees in the forest and the people within communities form an invisible network whose integrity determines the continuity of life.

Being connected with nature restores our natural rhythm and gives us a profound sense of meaning. Living cultural heritage does the same: the sauna, rituals and sacred sites are spaces through which we can experience belonging both to the land and to our community.

Caring for nature is a choice of values that reflects our relationship with life. When we treat the Earth with respect, we also preserve our cultural heritage and build a society founded on care and responsibility.

The forest teaches us slowness, patience and endurance — qualities essential to the development of both individuals and cultures.

Sacred sites and rituals offer the same lessons, creating space for silence, presence and deeper understanding.

4. Green Entrepreneurship as an Economy That Serves and Cares for Life

The economy is one of the ways in which society expresses its values. How we work, what we produce, which forms of creativity we support and where we direct our shared resources all shape the world in which we live.

The economy of a new era cannot be based solely on growth and profitability. It must also take into account its impact on people, nature and future generations.

The Estonian Association of Business and Professional Women (EENA, BPW Estonia) initiative Women in Entrepreneurship — A GREEN AND CARING WORLD is founded on the principle that businesses can be developed consciously and sustainably.

Within the vision of Estonia as a Land of Temples, green entrepreneurship is a way to transform care into a thriving economy.

This means entrepreneurship that creates value, supports human well-being, protects natural resources and carries forward our cultural and ancestral heritage.

We see an opportunity to unite culture, art, music, education, handicrafts, nature tourism, ancestral wisdom and new environmentally responsible solutions into a living network of collaboration.

In this way, ventures can emerge that give people opportunities to express their talents, strengthen local communities and create new ways of caring for culture and nature.

The economy of the Land of Temples is born through collaboration. Entrepreneurs, creators, researchers, educational institutions, communities and the public sector can work together to develop solutions in which economic viability goes hand in hand with social responsibility and environmental protection.

Green entrepreneurship is a bridge between the heart and the hands — an opportunity to turn values into action and creativity into a sustainable livelihood.

In this way, the economy becomes part of the same circle of life that connects people, nature, culture and future generations.

Schools, communities, local governments, businesses and people themselves — as spaces* — can become living temples, where everyday actions foster connection and a conscious way of life, and where every choice takes into account its wider impact on nature, cultural heritage and future generations.

Thus, a new story of birth emerges in the world — not in some distant past, but here and now.

Just as the river of light that is the Milky Way connects stars across the heavens, a new consciousness connects people across the Earth.

From this, nature-culture is reborn: a Veelinnurahvas** — a people deeply connected to one another, carrying the wisdom of their ancestors, rooted in reverence for life and flourishing through a living sense of belonging.

The ancient path of light between heaven and Earth continues within us.