Living passionately...

I could always feel very clearly what made my soul sing, what made my heart dance, what nourished my joy and inspiration. These things were precious treasures for me, which I guarded lovingly and which I allowed to guide me throughout my life....

Most of my life choices were not rational ones, not ones built on security and predictability. In the end, I was mostly followed my joy and enthusiasm....

And yet over time, slowly and insidiously, this passion in my life, this brightly shining fire of inspiration had gradually reduced to just a tiny little flame.

My energy levels were unusually low, my senses were tired and dull, and the feeling kept creeping in that something was wrong.... that something was missing.... But what exactly was it? Where was this irrepressible joy of life? Where the spontaneous prayers of gratitude? Where the sparkle in the eyes? Where the timeless experience of the eternal moment?

What had happened? This was not the dream I wanted to dream.

Without realising, I had fallen into the rut of habits, responsibilities, conscientious seriousness, past decisions....

I had become inattentive. Or maybe I didn't want to hear the inner voice that was uncomfortably calling me in a different direction from the one I was moving in.... And now it felt like I was stuck in the mud, it seemed like I couldn't move forward or back and I wondered how I had gotten into this situation.

Do you notice how difficult it is to change direction once the wagon is rolling?

The path you chose may have been right and important at one time. And perseverance is an indispensable quality if you want to create something substantial.

But aliveness means staying connected and in communication at every moment with our passion, our joy, our enthusiasm, with what is really important to us, and being willing to readjust the direction to unconditionally follow that light within....

Often it requires us to give things up and leave things behind without knowing where it will take us. This can be very frightening!

Last winter, like so many of us, I had the chance to examine very closely what is really important to me, how I want to use this precious life. The externally imposed restrictions in all areas of life, the social isolation, the dependence on urban supply systems, the social direction I was forced to follow even though I couldn't identify with it... pushed me over the edge.

Often it takes this enormous pressure from outside for us to finally come into our power, to finally move, to reclaim our lives fully and completely once again. The voice inside became unmistakably loud.... "You have a choice....either you continue to live like this, with the securities you are used to, and submit to a system that feels suffocating, or you dare to be fully alive, and follow your wildest dream!

And suddenly there it was again, that vision that first surfaced in me in December 2019 in Auroville/India (3 months before the world as we know it was thrown off its hinges) . I remember the moment clearly. The golden light of the evening sun fell through the leaves of the mango tree into my room. We were sitting on the floor having a home-cooked dinner when I said to my closest confidant, full of childlike exuberance, "I dream of a Sri Vidya temple on a Mediterranean island." In my mind's eye I simply saw a place in nature, under the open sky, high above the sea, a small centre for puja, prayer and ceremony, nothing grandiose, simple, humble and close to nature.... It was a delicious idea, which I enjoyed, but which seemed far too fantastic to take seriously....

But suddenly it was there again... It doesn't have to be a temple! But a place dedicated to practice with Devi, the great goddess. This Goddess who was loved and honoured not only in India but also in Africa, the Mediterranean and all over Europe until 5000 years ago. Magna Mater! The universe as the primordial mother...

More than ever, time is calling for a return to the feminine qualities of surrender, receptivity, integration, living with the cycles of nature....

Humanity is about to embark on a path of which the majority does not seem to be fully aware of the direction and consequence. For me, the time has now come when it is no longer possible to run along....

And so I began spending many nights researching frantically, like a woman possessed....

Where could the right place be? Where should I start looking? In which country? On which island? In which region?

I was suddenly determined to find a place where this vision could become reality. A place that yearns to be recognised as the sacred womb of the universal mother. A place that nourishes, welcomes, gives peace, joy and beauty.... A place that waits to release memories of times long past and bring them to life. A place that offers the possibility to walk new paths, to live in new old ways, to cooperate with like-minded people and learn new skills, to invite friends and companions to practise together.... with the elements, the sun, the moon....and to shake off the dark collective dream.... To offer an alternative...

And so it came to pass that I spent the last 9 weeks on one of the Greek Ionian islands. I won't reveal much at this stage, as freshly planted seeds need the protection of darkness.... But what I learned on this trip is to keep the fire of my enthusiasm burning like my most precious treasure! Especially in times like these!

I have learned that it is ESSENTIAL for me to do the things that feed my passion.... To dance, to sing, to see sunrises and sunsets, to feel the wind, to look into the distance, to allow my body to feel with all its sensitivity, to receive the world through the 5 senses like a lover, to be in sensual exchange with the Divine that touches us, embraces us, calls us, speaks to us in every moment....

Can we hear it? Can we feel it? Can we taste it?

Are we ready to follow the Beloved?

Our closest ally in this is our body! Have we ever discovered what a fine instrument it is? The way beyond the body is THROUGH the body!

The Tantric teachings show us how to use the 5 senses to experience the Divine! It is a path of joy, of ecstasy!

Ma Anandamayi, the extraordinary 20th century Indian mystic whose name translates as "the blisspermeated One", fell into supreme divine ecstasy at the mere sight of the surface of the water rippled by the wind.... or at the sounds of spiritual songs.... she became so one with the music, with the elements, that one would think she had completely dissolved into it....

How awake are we to the sensations in our bodies?

How present are we with our breath? How connected are we to the life force at our root? How much do we allow ourselves surrender and enjoy? How many evaluations override the power in our pelvis, the infinitely creative energy from which the whole universe arises.... How much do we allow ourselves to be alive?

How often do we escape into the mental realm instead? Instead of feeling, the mind formulates concepts, reasons, makes plans, evaluates situations, puts on masks....

The spiritual journey begins with the body.

Do you remember the joy you experienced as a child romping around freely?

Do you feel the rhythm of music? Do you feel how powerful you are when you laugh at the top of your lungs?

What makes you feel alive?

How much room does your passion have in your life?

What are your wildest dreams?

What kind of life do you dream for yourself, for all of us and for the earth?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)