Crazy and true

Well its crazy and its true - in 5 days time I leave Italy and embark on the next part of this Sacred Divine Journey - I am off to Bali until the 27th June. Its amazing how much I have experienced since arriving here on 30 March and that this time is nearly over. My last 4 1/2 days will be in Venice and I am so excited to explore this ancient city that I have dreamed about but before then I wanted to write and share what I have been up to since the 9th May. After Damanhur I went to Torino for 2 days and it was interesting for me how I didn't want to leave the energy and the magic that I experienced at Damanhur - and since then have found everything that is city orientated completely insignificant - its an intriguing space to be in. While in Torino I utilised my time to write and reflect on my Damanhur experience and then moved onto to Milano where I have spend the last 4 days with a friend whom I haven't seen for 23 years - a long time. His name is Che Kahlil Behr, and we met in Cape Town in the 1980's when I lived there with Nicole - its a lifetime ago and it has been really amazing to spend time with him and connect after so many years.

And we have had such a wonderful time - hanging out and sharing and talking - it was a completely different experience for me to have someone to talk to and share with after being alone for much of the past 48 days of my journey. What has been so wonderful is that we both didn't want to spend too much time in the city and so we spend 2 days out of Milan exploring such beautiful spaces and countryside - I am realsing again how much my Damanhur experience has shifted me and I just find that connecting and being in nature with all its incredible beauty is where I need to be - everything else feels unreal and out of place. 

Che and I met on Thursday evening and went to a wonderful Nepalese restaurant, drank a bottle of wine and ate exceptional food, and we connected. Afterwards we decided to go have a drink and by chance discovered a little bar tucked away which just happened to be Senagalese and was like stepping into Africa ! and there was a Djembe drum. I was so happy and got to play - yay !!! the drinks were served in plastic cups and the bar stools were made from wooden boxes with old carpeting on the top - this was so authentic and not Italian at all - it was wonderful. Che's fiance - Francesca is from Milan and her brother Tommy lives there. He and his lovely girlfriend Sara,  joined us.

 

Northern Italy's Lakes District, between Milan and the Alps, is part of the Italian region of Lombardy. Lake Como (Lago di Como in Italian) is a lake that takes on an inverted "Y" shape just a half hour north of Milan. Lake Como is the deepest lake and third largest lake in Italy. To discover this lake we took a train on Saturday to a town called Lecco - when reading on the internet the information was that this town is quiet and off the main tourist track and there is a ferry/boat that leaves each hour to take locals and visitors around the lake to discover medieval towns and villages. Well that is not quite how it panned out - beautiful Lecco is surrounded by the most amazing mountains and rock faces, but it was packed with teenagers - and yes the information was correct, not the main tourist route, but full of locals - and there was a Rural Festival happening along the water's edge so there were lots and lots and lots of people. 

     

We were so happy we were going on the boat to discover the other towns and mysteries but that was not to be as their Ferry Boat only runs on Sundays - that was so disappointing and again the language barrier and google translation seems to have been unclear - so what to do ? We went to a cocktail bar, Che was called an "arse-hole" in Italian by a grumpy proprietor who was irritated because he wasn't sure what the difference between a frozen and normal dacari is, and I ordered a Jamacian Julip which was a complete fruit salad in so much rum - by the end of our cocktail experience we didn't really mind what the proprietor called us and he changed into such a sweetheart - we had fun and drowned our sorrows.

Lake Maggiore, Lago Maggiore in Italian, is a the largest lake in Italy's Lake Region. Lago Maggiore is a popular lake just north of Milan and reaching clear into Switzerland. Che's future parents in law - Lino & Louise Lamantia live in a little town on Lago Maggiore called Porto Valtravaglia where they run a Pasticceria & Gelateria. We decided to visit them for Mother's Day and see the Lago - hopefully to get the ferry ride we had missed out. It was raining and chilly - a pleasant shift from the extreme heat for the 2 previous days and we caught 2 trains to Porto Valtravaglia and walked next the Lago Maggiore to get to the Pasticceria - it is so beautiful and so quiet and peaceful - such an idyllic village. And what a wonderful couple - they were so happy to see us and welcomed us with open arms and delicious munchies. It was so amazing to feel the love of family and connection and to witness my friend in the loving arms of this Italian family - I am happy for him and for them.

And we got our ferry trip - leaving from a town called Laveno- Mombello sailing to Intra and then changed Ferries and went on an adventure around the Lake to an island - Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) where we stopped for an couple of hours - wow it was so beautiful - ancient, filled with history, flowers and amazing trees and of course wonderful birds and ducklings (cuter than cute) - and then to land at Arona and a train ride back to Milan - it was a memorable day.

Our last night in Milan we went to the most amazing little restaurant - I booked accommodation in Milan in the next street to where Che was staying in a fantastic B&B called Cocoon run and created by an architect, Mia Buzzi (http://www.cocoonbb.com) and based on her information we went to Ciribogo. What a wonderful experience - the decor, the food, the menu and they cater for vegetarians, it was a wonderful experience which I loved especially when I could order a chalice of red wine (a glass :-) - they have no website but check out http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187849-d796149-Reviews-Ciriboga-Milan_Lombardy.html

       

My time with Che was great and amazing to get to know someone after so many years - it works out that he and Francesca will be in Bali at the same time as me, and I feel really happy to get to meet her.

And now here I am in the most beautiful town Vecenzia with its ancient and amazing architecture preparing for my last days in Italy and the magic and dreams of Venice. I have a huge amount of excitement within for the next part of my journey and what will be unfolding for me.  As I sit and reflect on my journey so far, where I have been, the amazing experiences I have had, the incredible people I have me, how difficult it was for me in the beginning and how much I miss home, my loved ones and drumming, and the shifts and changes that I am undergoing with my new awareness, I allow my heart to open and I feel absolutely supported and guided in what I am doing.  However it unfolds, is absolutely perfect and I am filled again with gratitude and awe for this adventure.

With love and blessings, until next time, Ciao.

DAMANHUR

Up until now my journey has been travelling from one destination to another, sightseeing, experiencing and indulging and of course learning more and more about myself.  Underlying my sacred divine adventure is the spiritual and sacred aspects that I am exploring and that are in essence, what my journey is about.  I have said before that the planning and creating of this journey was completely divinely inspired and how every destination linked and came together reflect that.  So in each country I visit there will be a spiritual and deep connection to something that I believe and know is adding to my future and how I will live when I get back to South Africa later this year.  


And so Damanhur is the first of the spiritual centres that I have visited on my journey, where I found a connection and kindred spirits living authentically in community, embracing kindness and gentleness and believing that everything is possible.

"Damanhur is an internationally renowned center for spiritual research. Situated in Valchiusella Valley, in the Alpine foothills of northern Italy, Damanhur is a Federation of Communities and Regions with over 800 citizens, a social and political structure, a Constitution, 40 economic activities, its own currency, schools and a daily paper."  They have a "university that attracts philosophical and spiritual students of all ages from all over the world. They describe themselves as the result of the practical application of a spiritual philosophy in harmony with the environment and our Planet."

Damanhur was founded by Oberto Airaudi (1950 -) in 1975.  It is "the largest communal group in the ancient wisdom-magical tradition." It may well be the largest spiritual communal group in the world.

Airaudi and his supporters purchased property in the Italian Alps, in a region of Piedmont less than 30 miles north of the city of Turin. Two dozen pioneers organized the initial settlement. It was named Damanhur after an Egyptian city, located 100 miles "northwest of Cairo in the middle of the western Delta. It was once the site of the city of Tmn-Hor, dedicated to Horus." The group grew to include 200 "citizens" in 1985, 450 by 1998, and exceeded 800 by early in 2000. In addition, there are hundreds of associated members who donate to the community and attend some of its functions. Member satisfaction appears to be high; very few citizens leave the community."

So I spend 3 nights at Damanhur and each moment was filled with so much and I am sharing this based on my experience this magic place.  What I am constantly learning is until one actually visits or sees something for oneself, we cannot judge what it is and often we don't do things because of people's projections and mis-guided information.

As I said, my time at Damanhur was short, each moment was full, energetic and deeply profound.  The people, their energy and the commitment to their vision and their dream is tangible and authentic.  There is such a feeling of kindness and love among the people.  Each of them change their name to that of an animal and that of a plant.  They seem to have their own language and there are so many symbols that come from all the beliefs and different cultures in the ancestral, ancient and modern world.  
The first morning I joined a group of French Canadian people doing a workshop on the Markaba (the flower of life) for a walk in the woods and to experience the music of the plants.  We drove about 15 minutes from the Damjl (welcome centre) and the guest building that I was staying in.  There are many different communities forming the Damanhur community and locally within a 20km radius around the area, each community focused on different projects, all connected and in line with the vision and dream of Damanhur and the whole community is run in a democratic, sharing and open way.  Its like the ideal we all aspire to  - in perfect action.  
Back to the woods - they have many hectares (can't remember the exact amount) of woodlands and forests that they are rehabilitating, re-energising and working with the nature spirits to bring it back to its natural form.  Trees are temples that ground the earth energy and reach for the sun energy and the whole Damanhur philosophy is about light and sun energy (yellow being a very important colour for them hence their flag is yellow).  There are many stone circles and labyrinths within the woods, offering sacred spaces for healing, gratitude, connection and experiencing the coming together of the the plant, animal and humans.  Everything they are doing in honouring of the earth, the trees, the plants and connecting with the nature spirits and the animals.  Its tangible and there are so many nature spirits within the woods where we walked - alive with abundant life.

                     


Next we visited a tree-house community who have undertaken a project to build their community in the trees - and they are researching aspects of living amongst the trees and how it differs with living on the earth.  I have photos of the houses but they asked us not to publish these and I am respecting their request but there are some photos that I feel I can show you.  This was amazing to experience and to walk on the walkways among the trees as all their dwellings and communal areas link with walkways.  There are approx. 20 people living there and a baby has been born - their research has shown a marked difference in dreaming.

The last part of our tour was a demonstration of the music of plants.  I cannot put into words the absolute profound experience and resonance this music creates.  All over Damanhur there are plants - beautiful, lush, happy plants, all growing in their glory.  So we all sit in a gathering space at the end of the walkways amongst the trees, and our guide (I can't remember her name - as I said the names are sometimes long and very different to what I am used to) does a little talk, attaches a mechanism to the plant, and suddenly this unbelievable music starts to come from the plant. I will attach a video to my facebook page Adventure with Nidhi.

The tour was over and it was only 13h00 - the day had just started and the amount of energy I was feeling from this tour of the woods and the music from the plants was astounding.  I know more and more where I resonate and where my capacity and expansion happens - where I am happiest !


I had a wonderful organic healthy lunch at Damanhur Crea - this building and centre was originally Olivetti and they have utilised this space as a living organism of work and co-existence as if it was a space ship - each enterprise  that happens in here feeds and enhances each other from food, to art, to healing, to business and all inline with Olivetti's values of human resources coming first.  And then back to Damjl where I spend the afternoon exploring the different labyrinths and circles.  The whole central area of Damji honours the elements and there is an Open Temple where all beliefs are honoured and respected.  All the statues that line every part of the gardens and grounds of Damanhur have been made by Damanhurians as offerings and tokens to the elements and of themselves and there are so many magical and amazing creatures everywhere.

Travelling and physically carrying my bags has had taken its toll on my body and I have been having lots of pain in my a achilles tendon and needed body work so much - and of course at Damanhur there are wonderful healers who do massage, prana-healing and well-being treatments and I booked a session for 7 that evening.  My session was amazing and I learned about Selfic tools that heal  - I felt like I really released and rejuvenated from this.  

And then the most amazing experience - as it was full moon, The Rite of the Oracle of Damanhur was being held.  This takes place every month at full moon, in the Open Temple and is a culmination of profound and attentive ritual work, carried out by the members of the Way of the Oracle throughout the previous lunar month.  This ritual is open to visitors of Damanhur.  The Damanhurian Oracle is a group of divine forces, including all the Oracles of ancient times integrated with new forces of the 3rd millennium.   We all entered and took our seats - there were 2 fires burning and many Damanhurians, in different coloured robes busy with various activities.  We entered to the sound of amazing drumming (there were 5 or 6 drummers playing various drums and percussion instruments) and then once all present, the Priestesses introduced the ritual - in Italian and English and read the following prayer :
"May the millennium ritual of the Oracle, source of joy, light and inspiration give us the ability to receive insight.  May it reinforce the sacred bond, that links the divine forces to humankind unfolding, through the spiritual channel f this precious divine presence"
And then the drumming started - and the dancers of the Way of the Oracle traced with their movements prayers and propitiations accompanied the ritual, and each Damanhurian performed their role or activity to contribute to this ritual.  And the drumming continued for nearly 2 hours, and it was absolutely amazing - sitting outside in a sacred temple, experiencing the fires, the dancing, the ritual, the moon rising and this unbelievable drumming rhythm .  
The ending prayer :  
"It is a spiritual nourishment, to have shared the sacred ritual of the Oracle.  May everybody bring to the world the force of love of this precious divine presence."


That night I slept in a cocoon of peace and bliss - the massage and the drumming and the days experience filled my cup so much and felt a completion and a belonging to something so much greater and it was amazing.


The next day - Monday - they had arranged for me to visit the Temples of Humankind, something that Damanhur is well known for and I was really excited.  In the morning I was given a special tour of Damanhur community by a wonderful woman, Gazza, who explained to me much of how Damanhur works and answered my questions.  I commented on the kindness and peace that I had felt while visiting and that exactly is the essence of this community.  Everyone there is there because they choose to be, the all contribute and work for the vision and dream of Damanhur and all their work, projects, plans and visions are for the greater good of humanity and for a future of living in harmony.  On their website they say :


 "Damanhur is a collective dream transformed into reality thanks to the creative power of positive thought." 


and its so beautiful.  I learned so much from this experience about how having a vision and working for the greater good, to contribute to something bigger than the individual and that sustains beyond the lifetime of each individual is how community works.  Damanhur Works ! and its beautiful to witness and to see it in action.

And then my final experience of Damanhur was visiting the temples.  For me the visit was far too short and to take it all in, in such a short period of time is impossible.  The temples are under the ground and all the history of how they started in on the website together with many photos, virtual tours, and much information so I am not going to go too much into it.  My experience is hard to express in words, the creative outpouring of such beauty and symbolism, the essence of each Hall and how it represents the elements, humanity, ancient traditions and wisdom, the richness of sound, of going so deep into the earth and experiencing being part of something so profound was an experience I will never forget.  The pictures that I am inserting are not mine - we were not permitted to photograph - so they are from the internet, but I urge you to go to the link, and experience Damanhur - its something that is such an amazing expression of EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

                  


 http://www.damanhur.org


Be blessed - thank you - until next time - Om Shanti Om 

A little time out

Going to Antibes to connect with Ursula and having some time out of Italy and the busy travelling schedule I have had since I started was such a wonderful interlude and I got to experience the Cote d'Azur - the most beautiful coast and a touch of France. It was so funny to get used to another language and to now remember to say Bonjour instead of Buon giorno and Merci instead of Grazi. I found the French so friendly and warm and it was really easy to communicate with most of the people I came into contact with.

I organised an apartment for this trip where I planned to chill and buy food and cook and hang out with Ursula - in my mind I would have had a view of the ocean and at least a balcony - I did read the blurb on the website for the booking but didn't take it all in - well first of all there were 4 flights of the steepest, winding stairs to climb up to the attic apartment - which is really good for building fitness but a 'bitch' to carry the 23kg suitcase up, and when they said in the blurb that the ceiling was low, we didn't realise how low exactly and that half the tiny attic apartment was accessible on your hands and knees.And there was a tiny little window overlooking roofs and that's it.  But it all worked out well in the end and my fitness increased - I think had a I stayed for 2 weeks I would have been running up and down the stairs - but I managed, each day it got a little easier - and getting out of bed was something that I am happy to say no-one got to experience - and this morning (my last morning) I got out the bed so easily - time is the most amazing thing for settling in :-)  But what was amazing about the apartment is the road it is situated in - Rue James Close - what a wonderful old road with clothes shops, soap shops, restaurants, smoothie and sushi bar, a tea shop that sells rooibos tea, galleries, etc.  - an adventure and so much to see and experience - well worth it and made staying there something very special.

It was such a lovely time, especially to spend time with a friend, talking and chatting and sharing and laughing - one of the hi-lites was shopping at the local food market in Antibes, for fresh wonderful food and cooking and eating veges and salads - aw how I have missed it so much - and realised that much of my lethargy and feeling flat is from eating all the carbs and a diet that is not good for my body at all - eating fresh, home cooked food showed me clearly what works and what uplifts me completely.  My challenge for the rest of my stay in Italy is to find and eat energy food for me - food that gives me the vitality that I have been missing so much.

On Thursday I took the train to Cannes - about half an hour away from Antibes, to see this metropolitan, movie capital of the French Riviera, and that is what is was for me.  Very smart and up market, with all the right shops, the cars, the hotels, the people - but for me it just does nothing.  I prefer the quaint, old villages with character and quieter pace.  But while walking up a road I came upon a Billabong shop and stopped to chat with the owner - in his broken English - about Jeffrey's Bay and Billabong in SA - there was a lady there who has visited South Africa and spoke so positively about her experiences in SA travelling around visiting places and loved the scenery and the people.  Anyway we spoke about surfing and I mentioned the Ross Taylor Benefit Surf Competition that we are now hosting each year and the owner of the shop has heard of it - that was amazing and I felt so proud of our special Garden Route and the magic that happens there - well done guys :-)

Our last evening - Friday evening - Ursula and I went to a organic vegetarian restaurant Chez Helen - Restaurant Salon De The Ve'ge'tarien Biologique (at the end of Rue James Close),  run by Helen and her husband (I didn't get his name - oops).  A lovely little space with a warm atmosphere and the meal that we were served was so absolutely delicious, healthy, loving and nurturing.  Helen is the cook and loves what she does, she has a sparkle in her eye and wants to create the most delicious food - and she does - www.chezhelen.fr

 

Visiting Antibes was a little time out for me, and my time in Italy is coming towards its conclusion quite rapidly.  I have the total of 16 days left in Italy and this will be spend visitng Damenhur, Torino, Milan (where I will be connecting with a friend whom I haven't seen for more than 20 years), Vicenza and then Venice (where I am planning on a gondola ride) and then its Ciao Italia and the next part of my journey begins.  I feel blessed to be on such an amazing adventure and as I celebrate the full moon and the Rite of the Oracle of Damanhur (Sunday 6 May) and experience the treasures and honouring of this sacred community near Ivrea, I take a moment to reflect on the absolute gift I have given myself and I say thank you  once again to all the powers that have made this possible.

Until next time, be blessed always. 

Where am I now ?

Monday 30 April 2012

Its been a month since I landed in Rome and as I reflect back of the past month and the amazing experience I have had, the moments of deep loneliness and isolation, the physical aspects and my own limitations, and see where I am now - both in the present moment and metaphorically, I smile to myself and see how far I have come.  And how much further I have to go.

 After leaving Bagni di  Lucca, which was really lovely and gentle and a hell of a mission to get to for such a short period of time, I caught 1 bus and 3 trains to arrive at my next destination - Sostio A Levante just outside Framura which is on the coast just after Cinque Terra.  This farmstyle B&B is run by Laura and Lucca - and they are so hospitable and warm and welcoming.

www.sostioalevante.com

What an absolute treat it has been staying here, chilling and just being in the fresh country air, and the peace of being in the countryside once again.  I have spent 4 nights here and its been wonderful.  My first afternoon, I met the most wonderful couple from Sweden - Christina and Lief, who have visited and stayed in Knysna and loved South Africa so much.  We got on so well and spoke for hours and hours about South Africa, life and its many splendors, their wonderful relationship and how they met, our children, and generally had the most wonderful connection.

Catherina and Lief from Sweden

My first day and second day here the weather was perfect, and I spend the day after arriving, sailing around the whole of the Cinque Terra in a ferry going all the way to Portevenere and then exploring Palmaria, I.Tinetto and  I. Tino on the beautiful blue, crystal clear water, surrounded by snow capped mountains, and even seeing dolphins playing the the water, a blissful extremely beautiful experience.  The towns are amazing and built on high rocks, grapes and vegetable grown on terraced gardens created by hand on the slopes of the rock faces that are just absolutely amazing.

 
 



The rain then set in and its been wet and cloudy since then, with a hour or 2 of clear skies where I have had an opportunity to explore  the farm and the wonderful things on offer.  I love the goats and spent much time coaxing them out of their hock to come and say hello.

Last night (29 April) I met 3 wonderful Italian women who live part-time and work in Milan, Patrizia, Anna & Patrizia - so amazing to meet like minded women and we had a really good chat again about life and the magic of Findhorn, Damenhur and all those kind of interesting things.

Patrizia, Anna & Patrizia

And then today while sitting in the dining room listening to a talk by Drunvalo Melchizedek, met a wonderful couple from Arizona - Julie and Karen who are both police officers - Julie teaching self defense and Karen doing administrative work for the police department - inspiring and again we just connected and there was a wonderful re-pore and energy between us.

Julie & Karin from Arizona 

Laura in her amazing kitchen

Lucca - the butler, taxi, wine maker and many other things

This has been such an awesome space for me and just being here, quiet and content, I have met some absolutely amazing people and made some really deep connections for which I feel so blessed.  I reflect over the past month and realise how amazing this sacred adventure is and how much more I have to look forward to.

During my stay here my beloved daughter Nicole has arrive in China and learning a new way with a completely new culture.  The first couple of days have been really challenging for her and its amazing how, no matter how old and independent one's children are, their happiness and well being is paramount. I have carried each emotion and fear that Nicole has gone through settling in and it has touched me so deeply feeling so at a loss of not being able to go and make it better.  But with all the amazing technology I have been able to chat with her on skype and she is settling into a rhythm - for this I am greatly relieved.

And tomorrow I am off to France - to Antibes to be exact to visit and be with my friend Ursula.  I am so excited not only to visit the Cote d Azur but to see a friend from home, to be able to hug and chat and cook and drink wine and just be in familiar territory for a while and share.  This is so important to me and the part of travelling alone that I missed so much, the intimacy of friends.  I leave very early tomorrow morning and catch 3 trains to get to Antibes but should be there by 4 tomorrow afternoon and then have 4 nights and 3 full days to just experience and play.  What bliss.

'Till next time - be blessed.
Om Shanti Om