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

Yesterday in my office I went through an online questionnaire concerning customer satisfaction with an agency and a Microsoft related product. I had to evaluate the quality of the cooperation and the introduction of the product.

When some minutes later, in a pause, I looked up my private e-mails, I saw an e-mail of an old friend who sent me the link to an online questionnaire: She is going to a workshop on personal effectiveness, where colleagues/collaborators should give a personality assessment with some 60 questions or so. I went through the questions. It was strange for me doing this profiling, an abstract form of evaluating my friend, not only about the chocolate sides, but also on more difficult personality traits in cooperation and organisation.

Two days before, at home, I had seen the assessment which the military had done about my son who at the moment is going through a lieutenant formation, and the profile showed his strengths and weaknesses in leadership qualities, very similar to our perception, giving recommendations where he should focus on… Somehow I felt strange reading this assessment without further reflecting on it.

My wife mentioned a talk with our homeopath yesterday, who said that the qualities of homeopathic remedies, when used to qualify an individual, are somehow simplifying and reducing the complexity of the individual. A plant or a mineral is much less complex than a human being, and so the way to find a remedy is an approximation to the problem of the person.

When we meet a person, we perceive him or her in his/her totality, in a split second (the so-called “first impression”). When we focus on specific aspects, we tend to narrow the individual down with our categories to see his/her aptness as per our expectations or needs. It is important to keep the broader perspective of the whole, to feel the other as a seed, his potential development through time instead of just the present form.

My wife and I spoke at noon about a young friend. Seeing in her the profound potential, which will unfold through time spurs the unfoldment. It is fascinating to feel this dormant power. My wife said, she had missed this view of her deeper potential in her youth, and that it is a great encouragement, knowing that someone sees the beautiful tree in the seed and believes in it, and also expresses his/her trust in the vision. This is much deeper than any personality assessment.

A work of art in Girona, Spain, symbolising stages of unfoldment

A friend sent a YouTube link to sublime songs of Loreena McKennitt – a Canadian singer, composer, harpist and pianist of Irish and Scottish descent. She is famous for writing, recording and performing world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. Have a look at these beautiful videos:

Here are some more songs:

• Caravanserai
• Night from the Alhambra, a DVD document of her performance at Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain.
• The Mystics Dream
• Dante’s Prayer

This is the text of “Dante’s Prayer” (an excellent video):

When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say
there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone

I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in
the light of the stars

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and fire

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me

Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars

Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We’ll rise above these earthly cares

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Please remember me

You find more songs of Loreena McKennitt on YouTube.

In the last weeks the topic of swine flu and prevention, information and disinformation penetrated strongly into my life. In my office you can feel it, not only through the business continuity plans for pandemia situations and the related communications. We now have disinfection devices in every toilet and since last week also at the entrance:

Vaccinations had been going on, and as a member of the job health committee, I was witnessing discussions on prevention and on an info event. I published news, I read articles, I decided already a longer time ago not to do the vaccination.

At home the flood of e-mails with texts about the dangers of vaccination or, rarely, in favour, increased. about the political pressure and the profits of the pharma multis. I saw videos, read, replied to e-mails. I somehow felt an overkill of information. Nevertheless I followed the discussion. Some people asked me what our spiritual teacher, Sri K. Parvathi Kumar, said on the subject, so I wrote to him. He replied:

“It is helpful for people if they take this Swine Flu vaccine, to avoid the risk of the swine flu attack. The swine flu deaths are significant, though in many cases it is cured. Therefore the recommendation for vaccine.”

Some people felt irritated by his reply, the discussion went on. Then a few days ago I got an e-mail from a Canadian friend with a story about a bio-war outbreak in Eastern Europe disguised as swine flu. It was just spreading pure fear, with a mix of details where I didn’t look through. I don’t want to mention further details. I sent it to Sri Kumar and also discussed the matter with my superior at the Red Cross. We analysed the text and found several inconsistencies in it and came to the conclusion it must be a hoax, a very bad, even dangerous disinformation riding on the waves of disseminating panic.

Sri Kumar gave a very good reply to the matter:

“There is fear in humanity and there is business that attends to it. Much can be said on both sides. There are many topics of this kind. Swine flu is but one. There are people who take vaccines and come out of fear. There are people who are bold who do not take it. Nothing happens to them. There are others who follow the bold but are not bold enough; to them their negation could lead them to fatality. By taking a vaccine, you may loose a few coins from the pocket. Vaccines do not stay in the body permanently. It is therefore better for each one to decide. But when generally asked, considering the emotional nature of our groups, it is safer to say yes to the vaccine, than no. … In effect, we leave the decision to each one. According to their conscience they may proceed.”

Today I got a very intelligent and profound e-mail from a friend, a German homeopath with a very long experience, writing about homeopathic vaccination, prophylaxis and treatment in case of an epidemic, proposing Eupatorium perfoliatum C200, saying that an experienced homeopath can treat swine flu, bird flue and other kinds of epidemics with success. She later added about the homeopathic vaccination, that you take a double dose of 4-5 globules of Oscillococcinum C 200 with an interval of 5 – 10 minutes. That this is called a homeopathic vaccination, where you always take a double dose. This gives protection for about 6 months and would need to be repeated again after this time.

I found it a fascinating perspective, and so I like to share it.

These are times where high discrimination is needed to stand through waves of fear and irritation. I think it might still increase. So a steadfast anchoring in one’s higher self is of utmost importance.

Pig in the field – tired of Swine flu news?

We now enter into the hours of Scorpio new moon. Scorpio energies are always somehow mysterious. In a seminar in 2005, our teacher, Sri K. Parvathi Kumar said: “Scorpio gives the message that the apparent is not real, because the real or the original is veiled by layers of illusion, and hence Scorpio offers illusion, Scorpio also offers initiations. It is a sign which is the profoundest among the zodiacal signs. Its secrets are unfathomable.”

This afternoon while walking through the nearby park of the Elfenau (Elves’ Meadow), I captured some impressions of the autumnal melancholy in the air, where nature withdraws and prepares for the deep rest of winter time.

View over the meadows to the old villa in the park

The villa seen from nearby

A pond next to the house with view down to the river Aare

“Sitting” on the bench

Reflections

A wooden woodpecker

Mushrooms on an old tree trunk – beauty of decay

Between the river and a lake of an old river arm

Swan reflecting on its beauty

The river Aare in autumn light

A little chapel in the forest, an ancient hermitage

Evening light

Flower elves dancing in the greenhouse in the park – timeless green

Colourful orchids in the greenhouse – messengers of a remote summer time

At my office, I started 3 months ago some activities using new communication instruments. One of them is the use of Facebook for corporate communication, a social community website, the largest of the world, allowing to build-up groups of so-called “fans”.  It is fascinating to see the growth of the fans of the site, thus expanding the range of the communication target group.

I observed it with a critical interest, for I didn’t want to expand into trashy communication. I read a lot about the questionable sites of Facebook. I came to consider it a valuable instrument and pondered for a while upon using it as another communication channel for the Circle of Good Will. So profiting from the skills learned, I now set up two pages, one for the Circle of Good Will, and one which will be communicated a bit later…

When done with discernment, Facebook is a real Aquarian instrument: very easy to operate, networking and “pervasive” – though it might take some time until the “dynamics” of this instrument will develop.

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.

Yesterday I got an e-mail from a Canadian friend with the following stories on the healing influence of onions. I don’t know the truth of it, but it’s worthwhile giving a try in case. I added some thoughts from the wisdom teachings saying that onions are absorbing consciousness, and in Spiritual Astrology it says, that they are therefore related to the month of Scorpio, in which we are now…

“This is pretty interesting, I’m going to have to give it a whirl. I know friends who used to wrap an onion in a hankie and pack in their pocket:

A friend of mine told me a story about how when he was a kid he was in the hospital and near dying. His Italian grandmother came to the hospital and told a family member to go buy her a large onion & a new pair of white cotton socks. She sliced the onion open then put a slice on the bottom of each of his feet and put the white cotton socks on him. In the morning when he awoke they removed the socks. The slices of onion were black and his fever was gone. The following story that someone sent to me might have some truth in it and we are going to try this winter.

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then).

The doctor couldn’t believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none other staff got sick. It must work. (And no, she is not in the onion business.)

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.

Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!!!!

Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:

“Weldon, thanks for the reminder. I don’t know about the farmer’s story… but, I do know that I contacted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill… I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar… placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs… sure enough it happened just like that… the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.”

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.”

Some remarks about onions and spirituality:

In the classical yoga onions are seen as impediment. In a lecture, Sri Kumar, our spiritual teacher,  explained: “If we are given anaesthesia, the spirit recedes into its centre; that is how onions also cause the arresting of permeation of Consciousness, like tobacco, and poison.” But he explained that Master CVV didn’t mind people eating onions, but to focus on the master consciousness: “The Master said: be with the master, don’t be with the onion. You can have food as you like, but be moderate. Do not be excessive with anything.”

In another occasion he explained that the onion gives the message: “I exist on different planes, not only in the gross physical, but even beyond.” The last envelope of the onion is what we call the soul, because the soul is also an envelope for the spirit. The final envelope exists throughout creation; it takes to gross manifestation and withdraws again from this gross manifestation. From spirit to gross matter there are degrees of matter. When the outer layer of the onion is removed, the onion still exists. The same is true with every living being, not only with the students of wisdom. He exists even after having shed his gross physical envelope.

P.S.: Nov. 17th, 09: Update: I saw in “Snopes” about web rumors that the onion story is wrong. I nevertheless leave it here.

Onion – photo from Wikipedia

Communication is a main topic in my life – establishing good relations through a fluent, transparent communication. It is not by chance that I’m working in a communication job.

Communication is not just speaking to others, but to be open-minded and inclusive, and trying to eliminate blockages in the way of a good flow of energies. I yesterday came across a situation where insufficient information caused wrong ideas in my head and shed a wrong light on the situation. I observe this again and again. It can only be cleared by asking and speaking about your perceptions.

This morning I found a beautiful passage about communication in the book “Uranus – The Alchemist of the Age“, by Sri K. Parvathi Kumar, which I would like to share:

“Men tend to be islanders, they build walls around them and do not let others transmit energies nor do they share their problems and sorrows through communication. … From telegraph to telephone, from telephone to cell phone, from cell phone to e-phone there is a progressive invention for most rapid communications. To feel lonely in an age of communication is to fall into a loophole. Try to be communicative and be sharing. …

Men of ego who are highly individualistic and full of pride suffer from self blockage of energies by not communicating adequately with respect to various aspects of life. Catharsis is the need of the hour especially at the emotional and the mental plane. Through the so called privacy and secrecy man built unhealthy but strong forts which do not let even air or life from without to within. Jumping out into the common stream of life, coming out of the fetters of pride and separativity is the true solution of this age. If one tries to sit on the top of the pyramid, the stream of life that flows at the base cares not. Such a one has to climb down to quench the thirst of life. It should be so with a teacher of wisdom, it should be so with the rulers, with the healers, with the specialists, intellectuals, aristocrats and the like. Support of the group though seemingly not strong, is the strength. Uranus drives one towards it.”

In order to get beyond the barriers and fix ideas in your mind communication is of utmost importance.