“Today we have declared world peace”

Hi dear ones,

-  just returned from the World Cultural Festival in Berlin.

Feeling something very significant just happened, not just in my life, but in European history.

Will talk candidly about what shifts happened energetically, as well as on a physical level – as I think the time has come to be much more open about what is now an undeniable part of life.

A story a traveling teacher told us recently comes to mind. Some years back in 1989, Guruji was conducting a Silent Meditation Course in Germany. On the final day of the course, he offered said ”You have all done very well – your sadhana has helped to bring down the Wall.” At the time, most disregarded this – both because it seemed unlikely that meditation in a group could have such an effect, or even that the Berlin Wall would fall any time soon. Within a year there was a united Germany.

On 2 July at the Olympic Stadium, Sri Sri Ravishankar talked of the significance of choosing the Berlin Stadium for the world peace event.

He described Berlin as “the place where the walls came down between people”. He also talked of the stadium as the physical place where Hitler declared war on the world. “Today” He said “We are declaring peace”.

The sheer quality of the acts, and the diversity was amazing – the St Petersburg Ballet, many pop stars from across Europe, and dancers and drummers from across the world. What was truly different from any other event I’d attended was that this wasn’t just a new-age/ world-music/ alternative event – this was a mainstream embracing of the critical importance of spirituality in creating world peace, and in everyday mundane life.

Dignitaries including a number of former prime-ministers, a member of the Saudi Royal Family, a prominent jewish Rabi, and leaders in all walks of life came out of the closet to declare peace, brotherhood, and the importance of ancient wisdom in solving modern problems.

The weekend of the event it pelted down with rain, and a cold chill that rivaled a bad winters day in Auckland. Atypical of the normally hot Berlin peak-summer month of July. In fact, both other major events that weekend, including the Berlin philharmonic, were cancelled. It made it even more moving to see the unreasonably high commitment of all the performers to perform in torrents of freezing rain and a puddle-rich stage – even when doing some challenging dance manoeuvres. Can you imagine a top Russian ballet company performing in the rain, in puddles?

The most moving performance for me though was around 500 people all performing yoga on the central field in unison to
the tune of ancient sanskrit shlokas. As the rain started to pour from my own eyes watching this I started to become conscious
that each performer was performing with such love, that was having a transformative effect on everyone. In a place built for war,
progaganda, and competitive sport – to see the human body used to move in unison, beyond competition, for the betterment of
all was profound.

The vibe of the whole event was incredibly feel-good, undoubtably drenched in more love than rain. It showed me the power of music and the arts to unite and bring people together.

But nothing could compare to the meditation that occurred on day 2. Can you imagine an entire stadium of people having come from 151 countries, being lead by an enlightened spiritual master?

It was unlike any other meditation I’d had. I lost consciousness of time and then felt a shockwave go through me – and everyone – at high speed, eminating outwards in a circle or oval shape like the stadium itself. Afterwards I tried to describe my experience. All I could say was that it was like an atomic bomb had been set off, but the shockwave that accompanied it was not one of hate, but of love, and as it went out with great speed, it left everyone in its path changed in some way.

Later I wondered whether I’d imagined this, and began to doubt the experience. Then, I found myself talking to Manu and Awhitea. They are highly intuitive Maori (Hawaiian and NZ Maori respectively) who’s work includes purifying and clearing the energy of people and the land. Manu told me exactly what happened during the meditation and why it rained.

He told me that the energy in the stadium and in the land was disturbed before the event. Something I’d sensed too as I first was the powerful imperial stadium built by the 3rd Reich. Constant rain was needed to cleanse the entire environment, he said. Also, the cold of the first day was needed to make sure that the energies locked under the stadium in the ground did not escape – but rather could be transformed. Once this had occurred, then the weather heated up again on the second day. And the second day of rain was blessing us all. Indeed, it was soft – like the hands of the divine falling on us all. Guruji also described the rain as a blessing. And it arrived again on queue in one final flurry as the event was closed.

Manu then said that during the meditation, what had happened was that a very high column of energy had gone from the ground right up to the sky, and that had been concentrated and concentrated, then at the critical moment unleashed outwards in a circle at high speed.

Hmmm. I guess that put my doubts about my own experience were put to rest.

We also realised that there was something significant in bringing people together from the world over, creating this experience, so that those people could all go back and contribute in whatever way the essence of the seeds that were sewn in Berlin with 151 corners of the world.

After the event, the shift in energy was highly apparent. Feli – one of the organisers – talked of how she’s always felt guilty about being German because of their history – but now she felt nothing but happy.

I felt a shift internally too – to do with a lot of my own feverishness to want to “do big things” being replaced with a state of utter desirelessness, and a simple urge to live fully and happily in each moment. It was a lifting of a great weight.

We stayed a few days afterwards in Berlin, and after a third day of rain, the skies lifted into brilliant sunshine and we explored the city, as well as attending a course and satsangs in Guruji’s presence. Being a techno fan from way back, I was elated to get to groove with the “So-What” project – from Argentina.

They raved while Guruji was onstage and started to groove himself! Another experience to behold.

The last day of my trip, I got the icing on the cake. As was usual, Guruji was followed by crowds wherever he went – yet this time I was in such utter contentment, I couldn’t move from my spot. Then without warning as I waited for a friend upstairs after one of the sessions ended, he took the upstairs exit back to the Hotel room and ended up walking right past me, looking me in the eye, recognising me and saying Hello, after touching the rose he was carrying to my head. I felt 1 … 2 … 3 …. 4 waves of energy pulse through my whole body from the head down and instantly had to sit down and went into a state of deep meditation. Apparently, everyone around me went into meditation too. When I resurfaced, Manu smiled and said “that was nice!”

After a “day off” being 100% tourists exploring the city with several of our beautiful kiwi Art of Living family – Will, Bindi, Manoj, Awhitea, Manu, the irrepressible Josefina and our amazing guide from Dresden/Christchurch – Feli – we were all feeling thoroughly treated and the following day the journey home began.

Many other stories to share – but they are best shared in person.

Machts gut,
Love to you all

&

Jai Gurudev!!!!

Daniel