Learning from Life

Teachings are not just found in courses, lectures, books and studies.

Teachings come from a bird in flight tracing signs and directions in the air.

They come from the reawakening of icy river water flowing over bare feet.

From the metratura of the tortoise crossing a rock, sure of his desire and destination.

From the voice of ancient trees, and flowers not yet bloomed, and newborn sprouts.

From children who pull and proclaim, invent and subvert, leaving traces of colors and moods.

From walking and from falling.
From dancing and from staying seated.

Teachings come like this as well,
from life in movement,
from scenes in the daytime
and backstage at night.

They come to us hidden and disguised
arriving and surprising us,
entering within
if the heart is listening.

Quaglia Cocco

This writing came to me in the Hall of Victory of the Temples of Humankind. I am grateful for the Temples and their infinite inspiration.

ITALIANO

Imparando dalla vita

Gli insegnamenti non sono limitati ai corsi e discorsi, i libri e gli studi.

Gli insegnamenti arrivano dall’uccello in volo che traccia in aria segni e direzioni.

Arrivano dal risveglio dell’acqua gelata di torrente avvolgendo i piedi nudi.

Dalla metratura della tartaruga che attraversa la roccia, sicura del desiderio e la destinazione.

Dalla voce degli alberi millenari e dei fiori non ancora sbocciati e dai germogli appena nati.

Dai figli che tirano, proclamano, inventano, e sconvolgono, lasciando scie di colori e umori.

Dalle camminate e dalle cadute.
Dalle danze e dalle sedute.

Gli insegnamenti arrivano anche così,
dalla vita in movimento,
dalle scene del giorno e
dietro le quinte della notte.

Arrivano nascosti e travestiti,
raggiungendoci, sorprendendoci,
entrandoci dentro
se il cuore è in ascolto.

Quaglia Cocco

Questo scritto mi è arrivato nella Sala della Vittoria nei Templi dell’Umanità. Ringrazio i nostri Templi per l’ispirazione infinita.

The infinitely small space between you and your dreams

During the time around November 1st, the Commemoration of the Dead Ritual, there were many opportunities to contact and listen to messages from the Beyond. I’ll share one with you, one I heard and interpreted in the Hall of Metals, close to the niche of the Earth portal, while I was guiding a Dutch group of the School of Meditation. The message has to do with dimensions, perceived magnitudes – maybe because I was translating Gnomo Orzo’s new book on Physics and Spiritual Physics How Many Holes does a Ring Have?, so I already had galactic and quantum dimensions and the elasticity of perceptions on my mind. Here is the message:

You who are there, in the world of forms, you think that all your affairs are extremely large and that there are enormous and sometimes insurmountable distances between you and your most precious dreams and desires. A new role, an innovative project, a life change, a new love, a child, an oath, a responsibility: for you these are steps that often scare you. You sense the risk; you worry about the results. You think about the worst thing that could happen… While here, from the Threshold, from the Beyond, we have a vision that helps us to understand that everything is infinitely smaller than that. There is no space, really. You don’t realize this: there is no space between you and your most important actions and missions. Nothing is too big, nothing is impossible, and there is no reason for fear or hesitation. Of course you may always evaluate situations before making sensible choices, but don’t stop yourself from fear of not succeeding, of not reaching the goal. You are already there, and if you open your hand, you will touch victory, Oro (Gold).

ITALIANO

Durante il periodo la Commemorazione dei Defunti, attorno al 1 novembre, c’erano tante opportunità per contattare ed ascoltare i messaggi dall’Oltre.

As in the temple, so in the parking lot

This time, for my Apprentice Befana sharing, I choose to communicate through an image.

It might seem like a banal image, but for me, there is an entire world behind this pattern of interlocking blocks on the ground that we contact almost every day at Damanhur. For me, they are the symbol of an emotional experience that I’ve been wanting to share for some time, although I hadn’t found the right occasion until now. Let’s see if the Apprentice Befana can transmit this feeling from a few years ago…

I had just come back to Damanhur after a long period in America. I was drifting through everyday life with open eyes observing everything with a deep sense of happiness and amazement. I am at Damanhur, at home. Here I am again, finally! Seeing things, seeing you. Touching you. Touching with the hands, the senses, without the digital or astral filters of distance. Everything was real, present, a tremendous gift.

I was walking through the Damjl parking lot, gazing downward with slitted eyes due to the brightness of the summer sun, and all of a sudden, I stopped. For the first time, I saw these interlocking blocks that I had ignored for so many years. I observed their uniform rectangular shape, with colors ranging from brick red to orange-grey. They – the blocks that is – started talking to me. Some had sweet voices. Others were more enraged. Each one reminded me that someone had put it there, someone who had worked up a sweat. I saw a vision of wheelbarrows full of blocks, emptied and filled up again. Every piece in its place, one after the other, gradually completing the covering on the ground.

I felt such a strong wave of emotion in my heart that tears came to my eyes. I was struck by how much love and effort was invested in building this parking lot ground cover, so simple, essential and taken for granted. I felt as if I were in the Temples of Humankind, in the Hall of Mirrors, with feet planted on the ground, neck craned and mouth agape, astonished by the stained glass dome above, appreciating every color, every piece of glass that had been traced, cut, broken, ground down to the perfect shape, covered with a strip of perfectly balanced copper tape, and bound in liquid metal, slipping and densifying.

In that moment, I understood. They are the same: the thousands of blocks underneath my feet and the thousands of glass pieces above my head. As above, so below. The only difference is that the glass is gazed upon and admired every day, and the interlocking blocks are hardly ever noticed. Although, they are the same because the love, attention and devotion that is in each piece is the same. I quickly started walking toward my office again, to avoid the embarrassment of having to explain why I was standing there crying in the middle of the parking lot at Damjl.

Sometimes, when the everyday efforts of constantly moving forward and building Damanhur start to weigh on me, and I feel tempted to stop, retreat, fly away with my imagination to a less demanding reality, I think of those parking lot blocks. I think of the anonymous hands that have placed them there in perfect right angles. I am strengthened by this image and the certainty that one day, every piece that has been built in whatever material will speak to someone who is listening.

ITALIANO

Questa volta per la mia condivisione da Apprendista Befana, scelgo di comunicare attraverso un’immagine. Potrebbe sembrare un’immagine banale, ma per me c’è un mondo dietro questo intreccio di masselli che contattiamo quasi ogni giorno a Damanhur. Per me è simbolo di un’emozione che volevo raccontarvi da tempo, ma non trovavo l’occasione o le parole giuste. Vediamo se l’Apprendista Befana riesce a trasmettere questo sentimento da qualche anno fa…

my first San Francisco Bay Area Damanhur events

I’m excited to share Damanhur experience and energy with familiar and new friends around SF. These events are in North Bay – San Rafael … East Bay and SF events coming up!

Ballad of the Flying City – Damanhur Sacred Dance

A performance at the Damanhur Damjl amphitheater on July 1, 2012 with Damanhurian Sacred Dancers, musicians and choir, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Temples of Humankind opening to the world.

Preparing for this Sacred Dance performance was such a joyful yet disciplined affair. I feel that the laughter, fun and love shared between us as we worked out the choreography and harmonized our moves shines through. In the end, what matters isn’t so much the perfection of the final performance—there were some slight mishaps—rather the spirit of lightness and beauty, discovery and magic that accompanies this commemoration of opening the Temples of Humankind in 1992.

Un performance all’anfiteatro di Damjl a Damanhur il 1 luglio 2012 con Danza Sacra, musicisti e coro, celebrando Il ventennale dell’apertura al mondo dei Templi dell’Umanità.

Preparando per questo performance di Danza Sacra è stato un percorso gioioso e disciplinato. Credo che si sente il divertimento ed amore condivisi fra di noi che brillava mentre lavoravamo sulla coreografia e armonizzavamo i nostri passi. Alla fine, non importa la perfezione del performance finale – c’era qualche cosa da aggiustare – ma conta invece lo spirito di luce e bellezza, scoperta e magia che ha accompagnata questa commemorazione dell’apertura dei Templi dell’Umanità in 1992.