In November – December 09 I went through some deep experiences, which found an expression in a series of 12 paintings. The pictures speak for themselves. I called them “Images of Synthesis”. You find them for download and as powerpoints here. The content of the images relates to the wisdom teachings as given by the WTT – Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar. (Due to a technical mistake this blogpost published on Jan 14th stayed as an unpublished draft in the admin until Jan. 18th.)

Spring Awakening – Silent Joy – Jubilating

Since one week we are now in India, at a seminar of the World Teacher Trust. Yesterday ended the 3 day celebration of the Guru Pooja in honour of the great masters of wisdom. It was a very inspiring event. In the centre of the celebrations were 3 rituals: On the first day a water ritual, related to the energies of the first ray of will, on the second day the Lalitha-ritual, for the divine mother, to be conducted by women only, and on the third day, yesterday, a fire ritual, for the second Logos, Vishnu, the inter-penetrating and vivifying energy of creation. It was a deep and touching experience to be in this intense aura of vibrating energies. Here are a few pictures from these rituals.

During the water ritual: Water is being poured over a Siva lingam, as an expression of the energies of space surrounding manifestation.

The ritual causes a strong vibration of joy in the entire surrounding atmosphere

Camphor flame in front of the altar, at the end of the ritual

During the celebration in honour of the divine mother

The fire ritual: Powerful energies emanating from the flames

After a very smooth flight we yesterday arrived again in India, where we will follow for the next three weeks the yearly meeting of members of the WTT. We only had very short stops in Dubai and Chennai before landing in Visakhapatnam.

Starting in Zurich and leaving back the winter for a short interval

We arrived at noon time and there was a very warm welcome in the Retreat Centre. Sri Kumar just was there and asked my wife and me to come into his office, where he very cordially greeted us and we had a little conversation.

The afternoon was filled with unpacking and greeting the friends from Europe and South America who already had arrived. The evening and morning meditation thrilled my heart to be again in this beautiful ambience. This morning after breakfast I went with two friends to the Planetary Healing Centre to be in the silent presence for a deep exchange.

At noon we had a beautiful meditation in the healing centre before returning back to the retreat centre.

Inside the healing centre

Last Wednesday we went to visit a friend in another part of Switzerland. She had invited us to the full moon meditation meeting of a well-known astrologer, at the lake of Zurich. On our way we had to cross the lake with a ferry-boat, through the night. The glittering lights on the surface reminded me of the far-away stars hidden behind clouds.

The meeting was in a meditation centre at the board of the lake.The astrologer, as the cashier for the entrance fee, welcomed the people. I saw her for the first time, she cordially welcomed me, for we are exchanging our newsletters since several years.

By and by almost 80 people assembled in the hall, around the circle of candles in the centre.

The astrologer gave a vivid introduction into the qualities of the current time and then conducted the Capricorn full moon meditation, enriched with elements from the Arcane-school full moon meditation. At the end she went around with a big singing bowl, bringing a constant, vibrating sound to all people present. The atmosphere was filled with this OM-like vibration.

After meditation an “apero” was served, a little buffet with snacks and sparkling wine, as a New Year’s Eve celebration. My wife and me felt the atmosphere strongly turning. We talked with some friends who also had come and then went outside, joking that it seems we had been in the wrong film. Later in the night we exchanged a bit about the experience. Social convenience and outer shine can easily cover the magic of the inner light. Is it star-like glitter or glittering of the inner star?

Angels in the garden of our friend, where we passed the night.

I sometimes get e-mails from different people with texts about the state of the world or about some atrocities, often containing some appeals for action. I feel them written out of an indignation about the way things are going on, wanting to denounce abuses or deplorable situations, to stir the conscience, to stimulate to action or at least to create an awareness.

They speak out of a dismay and concernment. Often I feel like there is a wound in the writers or, with some, a missionary zeal. It reminds me of mine which I had for years.

For a long time I got myself infected from these calls of indignation. I either did some mini-steps into these direction or at least got a guilty conscience, out of solidarity or co-indignation.

I feel that this has faded away in me, it hardly lingers on. It’s true that I feel some of the waves, but there is nearly no more echo in me. For a while I asked myself if I have become indifferent. I know that’s not the case. I perceive what good and less good things are going on in the surrounding, in the world, through observation and the media. But some kind of a discrimination has developed which makes me focus my forces on where I can contribute something in a constructive direction, for strengthening, at least wanting to be something like a rock in turbulent waters, for a more human life.

Where I feel that indignation gets me nowhere, I don’t invest anymore energy except a loving thought like: “May pain bring due reward of light and love…”

I have become more calm, also more composed and focused. I welcome these mails, mostly not because of the content, but as a sign of a communication flow, an expression from heart to heart. This can be felt between or under the lines. About this I’m happy.

Blind-folded Fortune on the turning wheel, relief at a house in the centre of Brussels

This morning I read an interesting section on the symbolism of the phoenix in the book “The Divine Plan“, by Geoffrey A. Baborka, a commentary on The Secret Doctrine. Googling this information, I found that the book is also now published in German. I bought it 4 years ago after a seminar of my spiritual teacher, Sri K. Parvathi Kumar, on the Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky. The book is part of my Saturday morning reading, and I just read 2-3 pages, so the progress is quite slow, but sure 🙂

Baborka writes that according to ancient Greek and Roman writers the phoenix represents the reincarnating Ego: Gathering twigs from spice-trees the bird fashions a nest. The next bursts into flames consuming the body of the bird. From the ashes a young phoenix springs into life, and when strong enough, flies to Heliopolis, the city of the Sun, dropping the remains of the nest upon the altar of the sun: From the ashes of the old personality springs the new personality. The fiery nest is of the same essence as the sun. The city of the sun is the citadel to which the divine spark of man returns when the old personality is consumed. When reincarnating like the new phoenix, the Skandas, the seeds of the personality, spring into life again. So the old personality isn’t lost, but remains a pearl on the Thread of Life, the sutratma (the thread-soul), which carries the imperishable records of the reincarnating ego.

A most sublime image. It made me think of the death and rebirth of the phoenix in the volumes of Harry Potter. In the last chapters of the 7th volume there is a great scene of near-death experience, when Harry is going through the sacrifice of his life on his way to the final overcoming of his bond with the evil Voldemort, a very occult scene.

The reborn phoenix Fawkes with Albus Dumbledore, from the Harry Potter Wiki (copyright note)

The present month of Scorpio is precisely related to the mystery of death and rebirth, of the fight of the eagle (the spirit) with the serpent. I found a picture on the web with a Scorpio and a phoenix, for copyright reasons I can’t show it here. But here are some other photos related to this myth, and a third one, a  nice one of Blavatsky, which I found this morning.

Painting of a phoenix by Barthélémy de Glanville  (”Le livre des propriétés des choses”, Manuscrit (Burgundy, XVth c. Bibliothèque municipale d’Amiens, France)

End of a fire ritual – like the nest of a phoenix

Blavatsky (photo: London 1889) calls the phoenix “the bird of resurrection in Eternity”. “The death and revival of the Phoenix exhibit the successive destruction and reproduction of the world, which many believed to be effected by the agency of a fiery deluge.” Through the work of H.P. Blavatsky the eternal wisdom teachings reappeared to the world like a phoenix from out of the ashes.

This morning when going with my bicycle to work there was a beautiful golden sunrise. So I stopped in the park next to my office and took a few shots.

Sun rising over Berne, with the Alps in the background

Autumn ambiance over the Swiss Federal Office buildings

Illumination of the statue of the World Postal Union – a globe with women from all continents dancing around

The golden globe and the globe of the planet Earth

Leaving my bicycle back, I went on the little hill in the park for a better panoramic view

A statue greeting the morning sun – a yoga posture?

Enchanted ambiance

Church and, at the left, part of the offices of the Red Cross. My office is just behind

A Buddha statue (at the right) on a balcony, with a spear-like top bearing a Dodecahedron – symbol of spirit penetrating through matter – scene just opposite of my office.

Time is not flowing like an even river, there are rapids as well as stagnating times. The qualities are constantly changing, but there are rhythmical movements of smaller and larger cycles, be it the daily succession of dawn, noon, sunset and midnight, be it the monthly cycle of full moon, new moon and the two half-moons, be it the annual rhythm of the ascending and descending arc of the sun with the solstices and equinoxes. If you are not attentive to these rhythms, you will not feel their pulse in your life and make use of the ebb and flow of vital energies. But if you live with these rhythms, you become more and more sensitive for the currents of time and their subtle changes of motion – during the day and in the succession of events. Everything has a beginning, an unfoldment and a reflux into dissolution. (See: Basics of spiritual life, on Rhythmical Living, and the Lunar Messenger on “Rhythmical Living“.)

Yesterday there was the new moon of the month of Libra. In the annual movement the fresh vital impulse starts with Aries around spring equinox, especially the first spring full moon, where Easter is celebrated. In spirituality Aries is regarded as the noon time, where the new manifestation of spirit is at its maximum. On the reverse side we reach the low point at autumn equinox, the midnight of the year, and Libra new moon is considered to be the darkest time of the year – not winter solstice, that’s the time of the new dawn, the rising of the light celebrated as the birth of the saviour.

At Libra new moon they celebrate in the East Dipavali or Divali, the festival of light to disperse the darkness. It’s good to remember the inner light, so that it can grow and shine through. So may the light spread around and give some rays to you, too.

An Indian friend sent me the following story about our being a pencil in God’s hand, for writing our story – an encouragement.

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.
“There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.”
“One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.”
“Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.”
“Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”
“Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s inside.”
“And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.  Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you’ll need it to become a stronger person.
Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside.
And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.
Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Wood “Pencils”, from a powerpoint, author unknown

A friend from Buenos Aires today sent me the link to an article of NY Times from Sept 16 on “The Holy Grail of the Unconscious”, about the “Red Book” of the psychiatrist C.G. Jung, unpublished up to now and which is going to appear soon. The book looks like a medieval volume, with paintings and decorations. There is a screen which gives some impressions. The writer describes the content: “Between the book’s heavy covers, a very modern story unfolds. It goes as follows: Man skids into midlife and loses his soul. Man goes looking for soul. After a lot of instructive hardship and adventure — taking place entirely in his head — he finds it again.” An interesting article about a life along the borders of genius and madness.

The dream stories reminded me of another person who lived nearly 900 years earlier, Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179), a great German visionary, healer and naturopath, composer, herbalist and abbess. Her impressive mystical pictures resemble Eastern paintings. There is a film about her life (in German) coming out this week, “Vision“, and you can see some trailers. Her images have impressed me very much already years ago.

Both sources are deeply spiritual journeys which influenced many people on their path.

“Cosmos”, by Hildegard von Bingen