The Beginnings of the Spirit of Gheel The Spirit of Gheel was founded in 1984 by people whose lives were touched by mental illness. The name and guiding inspiration of our organization comes from the town of Geel, Belgium, whose townspeople have for seven hundred years cared for and accepted the emotionally and mentally handicapped into their homes as valued family and community members. A further inspiration for the founding of the Spirit of Gheel was the contribution to our understanding into the human condition made by Rudolph Steiner, a nineteenth century philosopher and humanitarian. Today the Spirit of Gheel is guided by a commitment to the intrinsic value and spiritual integrity of every member of our community. Empowering people to choose a path to their own recovery is how meaning and purpose is discovered. For us, this involves the development of a relationship of acceptance and belonging where our needs are met and our abilities celebrated.