Don't forget to Thank the Trees!

Thank you for the shade while I ate my sandwhich." -post it and crazy glue.

Can You Feel the Romanian Breeze?

Arad,Romania: "Una cu Viata,Natura bucuriei!"

Today, I opened up my laptop on a sunny Spring morning near Berlin.  

There in my Inbox was a message from a stranger in Romania.

It was her peace portrait submission for the 1Mandala. What a dazzling photo! I could just imagine her standing in a park raising her hands up the sky. So much so, that I flicked on my webcam, stood up and did the same.  

We often wonder, how do you bring peace to the world? How do you make the world a better place?  

First, you find it in yourself! Then, like a gentle breeze it sweeps across from one field to another. Soon thousands of flowers are dancing in its wake. I get these amazing photos in my Inbox and can't help but feel in myself the same emotions welling up in reflection. Its a beautiful example of how good energy spreads from one smile to another. Words and language and material things are just intermediaries in this inevitably contagious exchange.  

And now... her beautiful moment is bouncing into yours.  

Can you feel the breeze? :-)

A German Morning

A very German breakfast with Martina

I write this sitting outside my tent in a wide open field in the middle of the german country side.  

I am about 80 kms from Berlin and pretty much there. The full moon shines above. A lightning storm flickers off in the distance. Every few seconds a burst of light illuminates the clouds in the distance. The stars are coming out one at a time. A light breeze blows. I can hear the rustle of the new leaves in a nearby tree.  

The day began having a coffee with a nice lady who spoke only German.  

We talked about the war and how her family had to flee occupied Poland back to Germany. Super interesting. I told her the story of how my forefathers immigrated from Germany to America. The conversation was all in German. I am overjoyed at being able to understand and to share. What a contrast to my first day in Leer last month when I couldn't even order a coffee. I've been working crazy hard to learn and my efforts are now gloriously paying off.  

Its so rewarding to be able to talk to people in their own language. 

I then hit the road and enjoyed the most beautiful spring day ever cycling leisurely through the countryside taking the backroads and avoiding the big ones.  

I stopped in another small town, found a wifi signal discovered that 40 new people from Romania have signed up to the 1mandala project.  Three new peace portraits of dazzling smiles also greeted me. Beautiful.

I pulled off as the sun was setting and made camp here in this beautiful field. This will be my last night in this tent I do beleive. A new one awaits me in Pottsdam that my parent's picked up for me especially in Canada.  

Ahhh!!! I am so blessed!

An Adventure in Art

Some of you have been wondering about this strange place I have been referring to as the Castle.

Reinhart Zabka converted this old farm baron´s castle into a repository of his art going back to before the fall of the Berlin wall. Reinhart has converted all sorts of crazy things he has found in garbages and antique stores. When East German´s could finally buy western things in the 1980s apparently they threw lots of things out. Reinhart turned them into art. His castle is packed full of it!

It is an interesting place culturally, artistically and historically. His art is the opposite of my minimalistic style! He calls it maximalist! There is an overload of things to see. However, this makes for great photography. I put together this little experimental neandering film that pans broadly then zooms into the specific details of his crazy creations.

Late? I am on time.

I have just learned two new German words.  

Früh and spät. Early and Late. 

In Germay, things go very much according to schedule. These are important words to know! When someone makes an appointment with you for a certain time, they mean that time. In fact, when someone says they will meet you between 8 and 8:30 they actually mean 8. Indeed when you ask what time it is in German, you ask how late it is!  

But can you actually be late?  

I've often been late for things. Even today as I cruised down the road on an unbeleivable beautiful Spring day, I thought to myself... geez I should hurry up, I really should be closer to Berlin now. But, I have no appointments today. I have none tomorrow. Nonetheless, I this nagging feeling I am behind schedule and need to hurry up.  

I am begining to suspect that it is a residual cultural indoctrination. Why should I have this late feeling? I am begining to understand that in fact my moment is perfect. I am not late for anything. I am not early. I just am.  Early and late are artificial constructs that tempt the mind out the moment into worry and anxiety.  

Today, a little tired from two parties late into the night in Berlin, I decided to take a nap. I pulled over found a nice tree beside a pond filled with Swans and closed my eyes. Late? For what? I am on time. I am on time down to the millisecond. The vast intricacies of my moment are unfolding perfectly. Try, worry and fret as I might, it cannot be any other way.  

Going through a small German town I pulled over to take a photo of this Church clock. I had been just thinking about these ideas. In fact I was thinking it would make a great addition to this blog post. To illustrate with divine elegance the verity of my ponderings, the Church bell rang just as I took this photo.  

And technically it hadn't even turned 5:30 yet.  

Don't ask me how that happened!

The Blossoming Mandala of Good Words

What is 'Love' in German? An Adventure in Mandala Making and German Learning.

Apparently the Lugen Museum castle where I am staying has a bit of a violent history. Reinhart, the artist who has made this his museum and gallery, asked me to create an art piece to imbue the castle with some good and peaceful vibes.

I immediately had an idea-- I could merge learning German with art making! Inspired by an idea from my New York friend Amy and an Oosterhout creation for Abby, I grabbed a giant pack of post it notes and I pen.

I set about learning new words. Good words! As many good words as I could think of.

In learning German the last few weeks, it has struck me how the words we know, understand and speak define our experience. If you cannot say "turmoil" in German, its alot harder to experience it.  However, if you understand and speak 'enjoy' and 'love' and 'connection', well then...

As I got going with the mandala, soon kids and adults started helping me! Dorathi came along and Polish words were added. Ben, Celine and Stephanie started adding post-its to the wall. It was a heck of a lot more fun than me doing it alone!

I recorded the creation with stop motion photography. The mandala, this little movie and the week of creation literally took a life all its own.

What a wonderful and beautiful adventure it was.

Bis zum nächsten Moment Stephanie!

Love me - a poem

Here I am in your moment,

Just as you are here in mine.

The universe has conspired in a symphony,

An orchestra of flow so subtle, so sublime

That our hearts meld as our eyes meet.

The current takes us, sweeping us gently together,

My heart speaks to yours:  Fear not.

Love!

Smile, touch, speak the most beautiful words.

Embrace, caress, hold.

Crush the tethers of the past!

Refuse the chains of tomorrow.

Spring with me into the Sea of Now.

It is our moment.

There is no blue sky day so fine.

There is no other time so true.

As when your eyes meet mine.

What else more beautiful is there to do?

Love me.

As I do you.