In meditation, the awareness is raised from the heart to the head, linking the personality to the soul and finally the soul to the super-soul. The head centre is the point of the highest illumination. A yogi meditates on the correspondences to higher centres: in relation to the planet, the head centre corresponds to Shamballa; in relation to the sun it corresponds to the cosmic sun. The other dimensions of the sun are the heart of the sun and the physical sun. With the planet, the corresponding other dimensions are the Spiritual Hierarchy and the humanity.

For this image, I used the picture of the head of a Buddha statue as the head of a yogi. I placed the symbol of sun at the Ajna centre, which is governed by the sun. I visualised the meditative ascent with a stair leading to a gateway of light (using elements of a photo by Till Krech, Wikimedia) in the form of a lingam symbolising Shamballa. I fused two images of the planet, depicting the Himalayas and beyond, Shamballa. They are shining through the head of the yogi. The crown of hair of the yogi is like a receptacle for the downpour of light. I created the flow with a picture of the physical sun (photo: Nasa), visualising the heart of the sun and the cosmic sun with other photos of the sun.

To represent THAT which cannot be portrayed – the inexpressible Oneness expressing into trinity and multiplicity – I positioned the three heads of a statue of Lord Dattatreya at the place of the spiritual sun, at the top, and surrounded them with an array of multi-coloured rays on a starry background.

See more pictures on the site with my paintings. If you want to print the image, you can download the file in medium and high resolution format.
The different zodiacal signs are clustered in groups – you can see here all my Leo paintings.

The video:

From 5 to 8 July, the 4th group life of Sri Kumar 64th tour to the West took place at Platja d’Aro at the Costa Brava in Spain. After Iguazu and Rio, I joined again the tour. At Barcelona airport a friend picked me up, together with another friend from Hamburg. The seminar hotel was located on the tops of rocks with a fantastic view over the coast. (For me it was a special souvenir – in October 1972, when I was 18, I went with a friend in an old Volkswagen to Spain, two weeks before I started studying at the university. We had no idea where we would land; it was the camping site next to the hotel where now the group life took place.)

At the group life, we were about 160 participants, mainly from different parts of Spain, but also from the USA, Germany and Switzerland. It was again like a “family gathering” with many friends and intense exchanges, and of course the discourses of the Master. The topic was “From Devotion to Synthesis”. Here is an excerpt of one of his lectures:

“We emerged from One. This unity is regained by those who are tired of seeing the diversity. When you keep on seeing the details – on the way you get perplexed and lost. This idea of getting back is what is making humanity to think of synthesis. In earlier times a physician had a good knowledge of the entire body.
Today there are specialists due to knowledge of different parts of the body. There are doctors of eyes; they do not care for the nose. There are doctors for the nose, for ear, nose and throat, for nervous depressions, for human psychology, for children – every limb is taken care of by a doctor but no doctor knows the whole human. If you have heart problems you go to a cardiologist. If you have other problems, he sends you to another doctor. Go to ear doctor. If you have some problems with the nervous system, you to a neurologist. No one deals with the entire human being. They are not worried about the entire body. The say if you have heart problem, go to a cardiologist. The science of health has gone so far that no doctor is able for diagnosing one problem that detailed into many problems.
The analysis has brought us out of unity. It is so in every field. If you go to finance field, there are many specialists, the same with accountants. No one has a complete view. We have only viewpoints but not vision. Analysis can know but losing the basis of synthesis, lands you in a complex, very confused situation. From generals to particulars is more important than to try to get from particulars to generals. In ancient times they tried to go from the seed to understand the whole tree, not from the leaves. It is one seed that sprouts, develops a trunk and gives many branches and gives out many sub-branches, leaves and flowers. If you cannot see the one unity of the entire tree you lose sight of the basic knowledge.
Therefore there is the need to devote ourselves to see the One in all. Unless you devotedly see, you cannot see the One in all. Devotion is an attitude, not an emotion. If you are devoted you can see everything. Then you find the One in a different seed. The same seed we see in a different seed. There is only one water – call it Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, but it is only one water. It is all one but for an understanding of the mind we have done divisions. The apparent is seen as real and the real got obscured.
When you start accepting the apparent as real, the real gets hidden. Even if we see the sun we don’t see the source from which the light is coming through the sun. The sun is the form through which the light is coming. It is an illumined globe through which the light is coming. The eye does not see; it is you and me that see. The eye is the window, the window cannot see, the window enables the sight. Who is seeing? The inner being. It is his eye that comes through the eyes.
That is what we have to see when we see the people. We see the eyes of the people, not the other parts of the body. Don’t look to the lower torso. People see not the other person. Oh, you lost your hair, you look a bit older. The inner being neither grows out nor thins down. We say, may the light in me be the light before me, but we don’t see. That is our problem.
When the One is lost, what is it? The One is the basis for all.”

From inside the hotel you could go down 4 storeys to reach a public path along the rocks. In a distance of about 100 metres there was a beautiful little bay and next to it the beach of Platja d’Aro. There were breath-taking sunrises later transforming into resplendent light transforming the water into multiple shades of turquoise. In the morning, before the beaches filled with sunbathers, I went for a swim in the crystal-clear water with some friends. With the goggles of a friend I felt like flying over silent underwater landscapes, where groups silvery fishes were looking for their breakfast. And when the day slowly cooled down again, we went for another swim.

Sunday morning, the group life ended with a question-answer session followed by a marriage ceremony of an elderly couple and the blessing of children. And then, some gifts were presented to the Master and the accompanying team. From a dissolved activity at WTT-Global, I had brought a small bag with crystals from all over the world as a present to the group. The Master presented them to the group: “Let the stone select you.” It was a very special situation for me to let all members take out a stone from the sack, without knowing what stone it would be – and then looks of joy and surprise. And thus, I looked into the eyes of most of them.

It had been planned that after the seminar I would visit a friend for 3 days, together with another friend. However, due to a private situation popping up on Sunday morning, this was not possible. So we decided to stay at the hotel for 3 more nights, together with some other friends who had planned their stay. This way, we had a beautiful conclusion of the group life with some more swims, meditations and exchanges. Then, Wednesday very early morning, a shuttle took us to Barcelona airport. Flying back to Switzerland, I felt deeply grateful for having been able to participate in three group lives of Sri Kumar’s 64th tour to the West.

Sunday, 24 June. A part of the group from the WTT seminar at Iguazú joined the flight with Master Kumar to Rio de Janeiro. At the airport in Rio some members of the group of Rio gave us a warm welcome, and soon we were in the bus which took us to the hotel in Niteroi, a quarter of Rio on the opposite side of the bay.

While we were crossing the bay via a long bridge, black birds flying over the water caught my eye. I never had seen them before but they later also appeared flying along the beaches near the hotel or at the places we visited – frigadebirds, elegant wind gliders.

The hotel had 20 storeys, and from its top there was a breath-taking view over the bay. The evening started with a grand sunset symphony full of intense colours. We had a short look into the seminar room – a great canvas with the statue of the Christ and pictures of Master CVV and Lord Maitreya at the dais and a poster of Master CSG at the backside – beautifully realised by Gustavo, a group member and designer from the Posadas group in Argentina.

The next morning after some welcome greetings, Sri Kumar started the seminar on “An Approach to Synthesis”. He gave a brilliant introduction into the foundation of the hierarchical work and the mission of Master CVV:

“I have been travelling since 1981, sharing wisdom at various parts of our planet and many times on my way to Argentina I have first landed in Rio and then to Buenos Aires. I was always fascinated by the city of Rio, it has its special beauty and depth and it promises much for the future. Brazil is very much connected to India, if we understand the combinality of the rays. ‘I hide the light’ is the message coming from India. The keynote of Brazil is ‘I hide the seed’ One hides light, another hides the seed of light, meaning, the hold the light for the future. That means, in future, Brazil and India; they tend to be leaders in matters of light and wisdom. That is what is said by Master Djwhal Khul in his book on Destiny of Nations. Master Djwhal Khul says many things about the future of Brazil. Brazil has been going through many changes. There is also a plan for manifestation of light. It is in tune with the Plan of the Hierarchy the manifestation of the teachings and the related service in tune with the plan as conceived by the Hierarchy the events keep happening for manifestation of light…
The major teaching that the Hierarchy intends informing the humanity is that there is one light that manifests through many forms. At different times through different forms the light manifests. But always the teaching is the same. The teaching is always in relation to the knowledge and in relation to the light. The teaching is always in relation to light and the related knowledge. The knowledge and the related light is more important than the forms. We may study under this light or that light. To relate more to light than to form is the work of the Hierarchy. When our emphasis shifts to the light and life, then we come out of the various differences we have in the name of religion. There are so many religions, there are so many sects, so many belief systems and people only see how different they are. They don’t see what is common between us. Among all humans there are many things that are common. Every human has two eyes and every human has one nose and one mouth. We have an upper jaw and a lower jaw, two shoulders, five fingers at every hand. From head to feet we have so many things in common. There are a few things that are different, for example what you eat can be different from what you eat, what dress I wear can be different from the dress you wear, but these are all peripheral. We are all common because we wake up and we keep on thinking like every human does, we have the same activity of senses. The energy and the Masters of Wisdom, they want us that we unite in what is common with us. … . Essentially we are all humans. Other identities, they cause differences. That is why when a Master of Wisdom speaks, he speaks to the entire humanity. He does not speak the to the French, the Germans – wisdom is to humans. Once wisdom is gained, we realise that we are humans. We realise that we are global citizens.”

The seminar concluded already in the afternoon with a question-answer session. Next morning, the group went to Mount Corcovado. A mountain railway took us up to the famous statue of the Christ. There was a deep blue sky and a grand view over Rio and the bay area. The Master explained earlier that at the Christ statue there is the presence of the second ray of love-wisdom and at the nearby Sugarloaf Mountain there is the presence of the first ray of will – it is a huge lingam-shaped rock. Together with the Master we stood at the feet of the Christ and intonated 21 times the sacred OM. Later, the group went to the Sugarloaf. We took the ropeway in small groups. On the top of the “lingam” I did a little “water ritual” spreading some water onto the rock and together with some friends a visualisation of the energies present there. Later we assembled in a larger group singing mantrams from the water ritual.

Cancer (Lunar calendar: Gemini) full moon over Rio. I slept outside on the balcony, a great experience.

Next morning after the prayer, there was a small good-bye celebration, where the Master spoke about the seeding of impulses through this meeting which would eventually sprout in the future. The Brazilian group members presented to Sri Kumar a box with a beautiful amethyst and all participants got a manually decorated little violet box with a crystal.

Later we went for a boat ride through the bay to a landing near the old town of Rio and later returned to the hotel.

The end of our stay was already approaching, while a small group walked to the nearby seat of the “Fundação Cultural Avatar” (Cultural Foundation Avatar). It was founded in 1973 by Jayme Treiger, a disciple who had done the tremendous work of translating the books of Agni Yoga (Helena Roerich) and of Master Djwhal Khul (A. Bailey) into Portuguese. I remembered having met him at conclave meetings 20 years ago in Europe. The institute was in a little villa, and there were paintings by Boregar, a Russian painter and disciple of Nicholas Roerich. In the hall at the front side you could also see pictures of the Masters. Sri Kumar emphatically spoke about the need to focus on the oneness of the Light and not to fall again into divisions in the name of the various Masters of Wisdom.

Jayme Treiger

Painting of the bay of Rio de Janeiro with view of Corcovado, by Boregar

I had to rush back to the hotel, quickly pack the suitcase and then say good-bye to the members. Some moments later, the bus took our small group to the airport.

In the night, while the plane was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, I saw a science fantasy film, “The Wrinkle in Time“. It reminded me of what the Master had said – the wisdom teachings are given out in many forms as per the demands of time and place; and the exuberant fancy of the movie also carried some wisdom messages. At the end of the journey I felt tired but filled with many seeds of light.

An intense week of the WTT group life in Iguazu, Brazil, just came to to a close. It was a fascinating time in a hotel near the famous waterfalls with group members from different parts of the world.

The seminar on “The Temple” started Sunday morning with a fire ritual and later the seminar started. Here is a extract from the beginning words of Sri Kumar:

“At the very outset I should thank Sister Alicia for the sweet words about the relentless work that is happening through me. Normally I don’t count what is happening. It is not that I chose to work. I am not choosing to do the work, the work has chosen me, and it is using me in every possible way. It looks for you that I am doing so much but the truth is, the truth keeps happening and happening. We are all used for the work. The nature puts all of us into work. The moment you wake up till you fall into sleep, we are used by nature to carry out work according to the quality of the personality to do work. The nature uses the personality to fulfil the work on the planet as per the Plan. All are busy, including the birds. Even before the dawn they keep moving in groups and share things with the various places with the group until the sunset. Be it plants animals, humans, planets, solar system, all are used by one nature which is cosmic, solar and planetary work. To see that we are doing the work is childish. The nature does the work through us. The quality of the work done through us is not depending on the soul but the personality, and therefore work happens. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, I am not the one who propels beings into work, it is my nature. It is the nature which propels the beings into work. It puts all beings into a kind of glamour. She puts them to work so that they transform themselves into mobile temples. The mother would like that every one of her children that they perform best. And then carry out the work. Even very early in the morning the roads are filled with cars. It is the nature within every being that propels the beings. The one who knows that he lets the nature do the work through him and he is witnessing what is happening through him and around him. He is an observer. He witnesses all that is happening through him and around them. We being the sons of the one father, we too should learn the characteristics and learn to be a witness.

We should first get out of the feeling that it is our doing, it is a happening. The seasons are happenings, all is a happening. We are grateful to nature. Alicia is thankful to me, I am thankful to nature. The work is happening for the well-being of so many persons. There are so many persons who are engaged with the work over three decades. They related to the work and the related transformations happen…”

During the week, we had 10 lectures on various aspects of the work of building the inner temple (If you are interested in my notes of the seminar please contact me). Besides, I participated in three organisational meetings of WTT-Global. It is always fascinating to witness the Master dealing with organisational matters.

Wednesday the group went to the Argentinian side of the waterfalls – the other buses were faster; our bus with the European members had to wait 1.5 hs at the frontier before the necessary custom procedures were through. In the afternoon again about an hour “enjoying the frontier”.

The national park of the Iguazu Falls is a splendorous area with gorgeous waterfalls. In the midst of the long falls there is the St. Martin’s Island – a place where you normally cannot go; there were no boat transfers. The Master explained that in the subtle dimensions there is the centre of an ashram of a great Rishi called Brahmanaspati. We aligned with the energies of this sacred area surrounded by thundering waters and varying rainbows. Eagles were circulating over the place and the sky was filled with brilliant blue. Other birds and butterflies were also flying around. It is most impressive to see the calm waters suddenly gushing downwards with millions of jumping drops.

We stood for a while at the “Devil’s Throat” – a roaring abyss of descending waters and ascending spray. After the pick-nick in a small amphitheatre we returned to the Brazilian side.

There were two more fire rituals, one Thursday morning at the moment of Cancer equinox – here in the southern hemisphere the winter equinox, in the northern hemisphere the start of summer; for the planet the beginning of the seeming southward march of the sun till 21 December. And another fire ritual at the close of the seminar Sunday morning. There was also a blessing of babies and introduction into first writing of a group of children.

Saturday the group went with the Master to the Brazilian side of the waterfalls – again breath-taking views to the sublime cascades on the Argentinian side, as symphony of water movements, majestic rainbow bridges and luxurious vegetation. I felt grateful to be able to witness.

Saturday evening there was a thanksgiving by the organising members to the Master and certain persons. All members received a thoughtful gift by the Argentinian group. And there was a special poster for thanking the staff of the hotel, which had been extremely attentive and caring. It was nice to see the team of nannies taking care of the group of children. When the expression of thanks were given to the manager of the hotel, there were tears in her eyes – she said they never had such a beautiful experience with a group.

It was later night when the plane took off from Zurich. And it was still night, when it landed about 11 hrs. later – on the watch just 6 hrs. – in Sao Paulo. Inside the plane it felt like being in some abstract space; only once when I could glance through the window there was the coastline of Portugal as a sign that the outer world was there below.

I was traveling with a friend of mine to a seminar with Sri Kumar at Iguazu, a beautiful place with its famous huge waterfalls at the border between Argentina and Brazil.

At Sao Paulo airport we met Sri Kumar with his son and three accompanying friends – and the group of friends who were coming via Frankfurt. Outside, it was fresh, 15° C, and later, at Iguazu, it was even a bit colder.

Approaching Iguazu – above the triangle between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

At the airport, members from the Argentinian group gave us a warm welcome and then a bus brought us to the nearby hotel. I had been there already at a seminar with Sri Kumar in 2001, during my first visit to South America, but the hotel had been renovated and enlarged since then. There is a beautiful park going down to a little river in a jungle-like surrounding.

It is always very touching to meet the many friends from different parts of the world uniting at these group lives with the Master. Hearty exchanges, many faces who remember, partly vaguely, and many names washed away in my brain to be slowly retrieved.

In the evening we had our first meditation in the beautifully decorated hall – dipped into magical blue light.

The night was fresh, also inside the hotel – I had not discovered that the air condition could also work as a heater. After morning meditation nature greeted us with a gorgeous sunrise shining into the fog over the brook.

After breakfast our small German speaking group set out for a first visit to the Argentinian side of the waterfalls. All clouds had been pushed away from the sky and a brilliant blue vault was filled with light. I had to get accustomed that in the southern hemisphere the movement of the sun is different from what we are used to in the northern hemisphere – its highest point is in the north, not in the south.

When we got out from the bus which brought us into the national park there were some coatis running around, waiting for some food falling down from the bags of visitors – or they tried to catch it directly from the bags or hands…

And then, like a curtain opening, the view fell on the vast panorama of the falls – breathtaking scenery. All tourists, including me, were standing, fascinated, and taking pictures. Plants were growing along the way which at home are just found in small pots. We walked along the slope where the foliage opened changing views over to the Argentinian side of the falls. And then the climax approached – the “Devil’s Throat”, Gargantua del Diablo (it should be called “Angel’s Throat”) with the thundering roars of water decorated with resplendent rainbow bridges. The rising sun slowly increased the intensity of the colours.

Early afternoon we returned to the hotel. After lunch, a short nap, and then saying “hello” to more members arriving. About 230 persons mainly from Argentina but also from other South American countries, different parts the US, the Caribbean, of Europe and even of India.

Some intense exchanges, evening meditation and dinner, then I dropped into bed – the jet-lag was still in my system.

With gratefulness I am looking at a new flower next to my office table – an audumbara plant. I would like to tell you the story of its background.

2015-16, when I was translating the biography of Srīpāda Srīvallabha to German, I came to know about the spiritual importance of the audumbara (ficus racemosa), which is said to carry the energy of Lord Dattatreya. In the book there are many mentions of the audumbara and in one part a saint is quoted saying:

“When the period of death approaches a sadguru may subject His disciple to terrible mental agony, horrible dishonours, unbearable troubles and losses and erase accumulated karma and grant him rebirth. An incarnation may subject His dependant to slight trouble and grant him rebirth. However, Srī Dattatreya attracts the life force of His dependants to the audumbara tree where He always lives and rescues the body of the dependant from the life force released from the audumbara tree. The ignorant dependant thinks that he is alive from the life force in his body, but the fact is that the life force emanating from the audumbara tree is conducting the bodily functions of the devotee uninterruptedly. The moment the period of death elapses the life force issuing forth from the audumbara tree firmly establishes in the devotee and the devotee lives for some more time. The audumbara tree will remain perfect however much the life force may be released from it. The reason for that is Srī Dattatreya remains well established at the base of every audumbara tree in a subtle form…
Whenever any difficulties arose in our house we used to solemnly go round the audumbara tree and present our troubles to that great tree. Our suffering was reaching Lord Datta. Our troubles were solved in an unanticipated way. The audumbara tree was acting like a bridge of friendship between us and Srī Dattatreya.
Sir, worship of the audumbara tree is a very important duty of Datta devotees. If an audumbara tree is in the house, it is as though Srī Dattatreya is verily in our house. However much the efficacy of the audumbara tree is described it amounts to an understatement only.”

When in January 2017, I presented the book to the temple at the birthplace of Srīpāda in Pithapuram, South India, I received some small fruits from the audumbara tree at the temple. I later gave them to Elli; she is a group member from Germany and regularly participating in the online study groups I am organising. Elli can make plants and flowers grow; she has a “green thumb” and a deep inner relation to plants. Two weeks ago, she brought 60 pots with audumbara plants for the members of the May Call celebration in Germany grown from these audumbara fruits (and she will distribute about 40 more plants at the seminar with Sri Kumar end of July in Billerbeck, North Germany). Their entire apartment had been filled with pots containing the saplings, and her husband had managed to store all the 60 plants in their camping bus, without accidents… I spoke a bit about the importance of the audumbara and Elli asked the members to chose their audumbara trees. Thus, the 60 saplings started their journeys to several parts of Europe – and one came to my home.

Audumbara trees on the window sill at the May Call celebration

When a member from Miami wanted to get seeds, Elli said to me that growing the audumbaras was not so easy: “I opened the small figs and put the tiny seeds, like yellow sand, on kitchen paper. And I sprayed water over them, several times a day. Over two months, nothing happened. Then 7 seeds started to sprout, and suddenly the entire paper was filled with green sprouts.”

Now, after more than a year, beautiful little plants have developed. Elli was very enthusiastic: “They were spreading such a lovely atmosphere all around. And when by accident a leave fell down, I rubbed them a bit and they emanated a wonderful smell.” And she felt the healing powers of the plants and described them to me. I was wonderstruck by her great love for the plants.

She then wrote a care sheet for those who got a plant:

Please note that the tree is growing in the tropics !!!! It cannot stand frost. The plant needs a lot of sun and heat.
Water: Test: Touch the earth with your finger to see if the earth is dry or damp.
Only water the plant when the soil is dry. The amount of water the plant needs is very varied.
If the leaves roll or hang down, the plant gets too much water. Please check if there is water in the planter. Pour the water out.
Place the tree, only in the plant pot, on a saucer 2-3 days in the sun. The audumbara tree does not like wet feet.

Plant mantra: OM Srim Hretaja Namaha
(Please contact the Devas for this plant to be beautiful.)

From July on every tree needs a bigger pot. The audumbara tree also requires a special soil: tub plant soil for “Mediterranean trees.”
If a leaflet is accidentally broken off by the audumbara tree, put the leaf on the spot causing pain or just on the forehead. If the leaf has dried for more than 2 days, it smells wonderful and the healing powers are more intense. Just try it.

My flower is now already in a bigger pot, of course with tub plant soil for “Mediterranean trees.” And with a little Dattatreya statue in front of it.

The primordial light permeating creation is called the Mother of the World. The seers realized different stages of reflection of this light into the various states of creation. The reflection is called with different names at different planes but all are understood as expressions of the moon principle. The satellite of our Earth is just one dimension of this principle. Neptune is seen as a higher dimension, and on a supra-cosmic plane the principle is called Soma in the Eastern scriptures. The reflective principle functions in us as the mind, mirroring the light of the soul. The sixteen phases of the ascending and of the descending moon phases are called the sixteen syllabled name of the Divine Mother. They correspond to gradations of light and of consciousness.

For the illustration of the Divine Mother I reworked a Chinese painting of Quan Yin. The halo around her head is formed by merging an image of the Sun and of Neptune. She holds Neptune in her hands, lying in the crescent. From there, water, the vital energy, pours down to Earth. For the downpour I used a photo of the Staubbach Fall in the Bernese Alps. The bottom is created from a view over the lake of Geneva seen from an airplane. In the background of the Mother there is a dark blue moon representing the background of the cosmic moon principle. It is surrounded by the bright and the dark halves of the moon phases, where the lower sphere forms another crescent. Above the upper half you see a sphere of stars indicating the vast dimension of the Divine Mother.

See more pictures on the site with my paintings. If you want to print the image, you can download the file in medium and high resolution format.
The different zodiacal signs are clustered in groups – you can see here all my Cancer paintings.

The video:

Last week there was an international May Call celebration in the Bildungshaus Neckarelz, in South Germany – a beautiful place near the river Neckar. It was conducted under the auspices of WTT Germany and organised by the WTT group of Lake Constance. The group life started on Sunday but we, a small group, came already on Saturday for preparation. The May Call Day meetings are always very inspiring; last year we had met in the Vosges, France.

The team of the Bildungshaus (education center) of the Catholic church was very welcoming and we enjoyed the preparation work very much. Elli and Peter had brought about 60 little audumbara trees – sacred trees related to the energy of Lord Dattatreya – which Elli had nursed from the seeds I had received at the birth place of Sripada last year.

Little audumbara trees on the windowsill

Sunday afternoon all 60 group members had arrived – from Austria, Belgium, France, Switzerland and from various parts of Germany. Manfred and Sabine had organised the group life and the program had many facets – besides the morning and evening meditations there were a water and a fire ritual, yoga and qigong exercises, talks about various topics: a short introduction to NLP, Sacred Geometry and the mystics behind numbers, Blavatsky’s influence on the art of the 20th century, an innovative project of community living and about Master CVV, the comet tail and the energy of synthesis.

May Call Day itself, Tuesday, 29 May, started with meditation followed by a fire ritual in the amphitheatre at the Temple House church. With the singing of mantrams, Agni, the deva of fire, was invoked and all of us offered a stick of wood into the fire.

Later, I could give an introduction to the significance of the May Call, and this was followed by the cake ritual and distribution of presents – the audumbara trees, natural ointments prepared by the Lake Constance group, honey, bookmarks and crystals. Since we could not do a candle ritual inside, the group formed the symbol of perfection, the symbol of WTT, with white roses.

In the evening, after some musical presentations and reading of poems by Tamara we gathered outside with candles in a big circle and sung some songs – a magical moment, with Venus shining above the dark trees.

Wednesday morning I spoke about “The Unusual Ones – Jewels of the Divine”. I had prepared a presentation with 10 short sketches of extraordinary Indian saints and yogis but time allowed only 6 ones. With a review and an outlook on how to continue with the May Call celebration this very uplifting meeting ended.
The same small group which had arrived one day before the group life stayed one more night to slowly conclude and reflect on the events. A touching time.

The point of the birth of objectivity from subjectivity is visualised as the gate of the temple linking the inner space with the outer space. It is symbolised by the glyph of Gemini ♊ or the Greek letter ‘Pi’, Π. Pi is the path from the circumference to the centre or the origin; it is called the path from visibility to invisibility. Pi stands for wisdom; the upper line of the symbol projects two vertical lines meaning that the duality emerges from the unity. Gemini is worshipped as the birth of the first Androgyne, the male-female God, the divine pair of Shiva and Shakti.

The centre of the image shows the gate of the temple formed by a duplication of the Greek letter Pi. The gate is standing on the periphery of the circle whose centre is the sun. The sun is located in the middle of the upper line of the symbol. The circle reflects again in the lower part of the image representing objectivity. On the surface of the water the light reflects like a path of light leading to the gate. In the inner of the gate there is a lingam of light, a symbol of the divine. From out of it comes forth the first pair.

See more pictures on the site with my paintings. If you want to print the image, you can download the file in medium and high resolution format.
The different zodiacal signs are clustered in groups – you can see here all my Gemini paintings.

The video:

2 February 2018, pencils and photo work

Today 18 years ago, on 16 May 2000, I passed a threshold in my life. It happened at the beginning of a group life with Sri Kumar at the then Taurus full moon, and it was my active joining the World Teacher Trust. I already wrote about it in two blogpost four years ago, “How I joined the WTT” (WTT: World Teacher Trust), and “Fire and Flame for the Fire Ritual”. I do not want to repeat these memories but I would like to share some facets of the unfoldment which started from that date on and was speeded up ever since.

Step by step, new activities and responsibilities crept into my life. For a long time, I did not realise their inter-relatedness. But looking back, I notice that while the scope and intensity of activities grew new skills developed. New activities build upon existing ones, and the latter always had to be maintained as a basis. For example, when I started publishing a newsletter, the related activity  had to be maintained and incoming new activities had to be integrated.

This way, the activities gradually started spreading into other fields, mainly by writing, structuring, condensing. The growth took partly place in my profession but it was more so in the realm of my volunteer activities for the wisdom teachings. For a long time, the two fields developed in parallel. Later, when I left my job, I focussed intensely on the latter activities.

I don’t want to give a list, but looking back, I see that the inner blessings came following the power of rhythm. I think this is nothing specific with me but of a general relevance. When you pick up an activity of goodwill and follow it with the related attention and continuity, its rhythm generates a magnetism attracting new and similar aspects.

I witness that although I do things with an active commitment, its impact is much better when it is not related to my personality. Things grow by themselves, through me as a doer but not by my feeling as a doer. It might sound strange to some but it contains the “magic trick”. Another, more “magic trick” is to stay aligned with the inner, the divine, to keep contact and follow the rhythm of inner work. Without this, the outer cannot thrive.

A basis topic in what I am doing since many years is: How to reduce complexity and make complex ideas or systems available in an easy manner. I started synthesizing themes of the wisdom teachings already in the 1970s with meditation seminar and in a way it has accompanied me in many forms. But only since I receive the conscious guidance of Sri Kumar, my mental structures became clearer and more fluid. And by following great role models, I got deeply formed, inside out.