Beglika part two: Connections, projections, anxieties, and something unique (August 2022)

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 peopleā€¦ 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…

Flow, new friends, writing, and music at a big lake (August 2022)

My idea was to drive from the car service in Plovdiv south in the mountains. But because the friendly mechanic recommended me the area and lakes/ reservoirs from Batak to Dospat, I went there. It was just a little further west and I felt like it would be nice to stay sometime at a calm lake in the mountains.

The lake was really beautiful and its appearance and the weather changed every day. It was so nice to witness these changes and I had a very calm time there. After I had faced my boredom and experienced kind of a liberation from whatever I somehow felt I should do and not do, and getting rid of the stuff, I felt very easy.

During my time at the UFO, I had got more and more into writing a lot of micro and short stories and I kept doing that. My love for writing, especially with making up all sorts of universes and the simplicity of writing got deeper and deeper.

At the lake I did come up with a story, that I only built in my mind: I did not write anything down. I just repeated it over and over again in my head and every time I did so, it was changing. I feel, that all stories are somehow alive and keep on changing but that one was and still is as alive as a story can get, I think. If you like to have an experiment, just try it. One of the good things about it: you don’t need anything apart from yourself and you can do it everywhere and every time. For me, it felt like having some kind of a pet or a weird type of companion. Now that I’m thinking about this story, I feel like it is more a real memory than a story I’m remembering.

In addition to writing, I did make more music on my iPad, again. This was super nice as well and both, writing and making music, felt very free to me.

But the most beautiful at that lake was, that I met a lovely and gorgeous family. They were living in their big van and traveling around for months. We had an awesome time together and a lot to share and feel. Playing with the kids was so creative and free. I loved it.

One day, they told me that they had been at a festival about music, nature, and spirituality some weeks ago. I had been looking for exactly that kind of festival in Greece and Bulgaria as well. I missed it just for a couple of weeks. But they told me, that in just two weeks there would be another festival of the same kind at one of the smaller lakes just a little further south and up the mountain! I was super happy about that and appreciated how things were developing/ flowing.

And this festival… Let’s say it will have some impact on me and my journey…