After Beglika, I felt like I want to have some time on my own again. And so I went east and south. More into the mountains and there I discovered something profound.
On my, way I met two friendly border policemen. I can remember that I felt somehow reserved when meeting or encountering the German police. But since I left Germany, that changed. These two guys were super nice and mostly interested in Rosinante and how the cabin is attached to the pickup. One of the guys showed me enthusiastically photos of the self-build modifications on his jeep.
I found a super nice, quiet, lonely place on top of a small hill. I observed a couple of times before, that after more closed places, I like to go to more open ones again and vice versa. It’s interesting. After all the impressions of the Beglika festival, I enjoyed being on my own. Reflecting on the impressions. Feeling how they changed me.
At that place, I rediscovered the Heart Sutra, and this time I connected so strongly to it. It was magical. The Heart Sutra is kind of a summary of everything Buddhism is about. It’s profound and beautiful. I felt like it was absolutely what I in a way needed at that time. Sounds like attachment, right? And in a way, it was like that. One of the things about the Heart Sutra that I love most is that it states that the world as we perceive it is illusional and that Buddhism and the Heart Sutra itself are illusional as well. So it states that attaching to itself is not a healthy way as well.
The time at the Beglika festival was wonderful. All the people I met were nice, friendly, and peaceful. Maybe there were about one thousand guests at the festival at one point but at that location, it never felt crowded or like a mass event. It felt always natural. Like a good, healthy time with gorgeous people, and nice music in nature.
During that time some topics came up inside me. I observed how my thoughts were questioning things that I was doing. If it was alright to do this or to not do that. It was a profound experience. First, it made me become insecure. I felt these ongoing commentaries of my thoughts and gave attention to them. Shortly after that, I felt like I was accepting these thoughts in a new and profound way and that felt deep and healthy. I felt more authentic.
I did different workshops and went to concerts and it was everything I hoped it would be. The concerts were all super nice and very direct/ without any barriers. The whole organization of this festival was just free. It was totally different than the German festivals (even the smaller ones) I used to know. Basically, you could just do whatever you wanted. And I did not feel any form of aggression during the whole time. People were under the influence of different kinds but never in a very unhealthy, uncontrolled way.
The people did love to spin burning sticks, staffs, Pois, and all sorts of things. I liked that a lot as well and it was strongly connected to my bo staff spinning and striking. After my first experience with burning pois, I gave the burning staff a chance and I loved it a lot.
One evening it took part in a temazcal ceremony. That one was a special experience as well. If you ever come across something like that, consider giving it a try. For me, it was very hot and refreshing, sweaty and cleaning, tight and opening.
The weather was changing all the time. At night it was around 10 to 15 degrees Celcius and in the daytime, it could be anything from 15 to 22 degrees. There were wind, rain, hail, and sun. Everything. These changes, the location, the all-present feel of freedom, and the people made this time so special and just beautiful. Magical. And still, there were people I connected more with than with others. I suppose that will always be the case.
The family I had met at the big lake came at the start of the festival and we continued having a nice time together. We had great conversations about everything and playing with the kids was always pure fun. I hope that I will meet them again at some point. I did not often meet a family that was so lovely, good willing, and open to each other.
I meet so many nice people… When I did have my first contact with a guy who was training spinning a staff, I deeply experienced how I was projecting things from deep inside of me onto other people. I asked him about the spin he was practicing and immediately I was feeling something going on. Something negative, insecure. Something I was rejecting. I kept being friendly and open and after some time that feeling ceased and we did connect and learned from each other. After that encounter, it really came to me how I was rejecting what I was receiving from him because I did not want to be part of me. It was profound and changed something deep inside of me.
One day, I was training spinning my bo staff at the beach when a Bulgarian woman came along. At first glance, I felt something deep. A connection, a warmth. We started a conversation and these feelings increased a lot. Artha and I never arranged a meeting, but we met a lot of times. Every time we met, we had beautiful conversations. Every time I felt something unique, authentic, and pure. I felt seen and a strong pull towards her, but at the same time, I did not want to rush anything. I wanted to feel and observe it. But the connection between us was ubiquitous. Strong and profound. When Artha was about to leave Beglika before its ending to head for a spiritual workshop at another place, we exchanged numbers…
