Celebrating the Apocalypse

4 days to go, less than 100 hours til the end of the world… How exciting!

So what will happen? According to Hollywood, on the 21^st of Decembre 2012 there will be massive earthquakes, tsunamis, wild storms and possibly a bad-humoured meteor hitting our planet. We will all go up in smoke and humanity will be history – the end of everything, the ultimate apocalypse.

Apocálypsis, from the Greek ἀπό and καλύπτω, meaning 'un-covering'. Revealing that which has been ‘hidden from human knowledge in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception’ (Wikipedia).

Strange, there’s no mention of disaster, no doom & gloom at all. But don’t the Mayas talk about THE END? Yes, they do. But they have a different concept of ‘end’. Like many other ancient cultures, they believe that life consists of cycles – the end of one cycle always means the beginning of a new one. Death is not seen as something bad and fatalistic; it’s a transition, a change.

Look at the world we’re living in: Is this the best we can do as a human race? Really? So much greed, so much ignorance, so much hate and fear, so much separation. A few days ago I saw a post on Facebook which summed up our situation perfectly:  

I'm not afraid that the world might end. 

I'm PANICKING that it might stay the same.

Whether you take the Mayas seriously or not, whether you believe in cosmic energy patterns or not, it doesn’t matter: The world is changing because it needs to change! You can try to ignore it all, you can laugh about it and fight against it, but you won’t stop the change from happening. Just as the universe is expanding exponentially, so is our consciousness. All the locked doors in our minds and hearts are being opened and we are flash-flooded with truth. Either you drown in it or you ride the wave – it’s your choice!

The great awakening of 2012 and beyond is about opening our eyes to who we really are. It’s a journey of discovering our true potential as human beings, of finding all the hidden treasures that we carry inside. The mission is simple: Uncovering love!

It’s time for a new beginning.

Daily war

Thank God they are fighting again in the middle East! It’s been ages since I’ve seen bombs and blood on the news. Don’t you agree that there’s nothing better than watching a few blown off legs and dying children while having dinner?

Edwin Starr said it already a long time ago: “War – what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” So why is it still happening? Apart from ruthless power games being played, there are two strong emotions that trigger these fierce battles: fear and hate. One party feels threatened and attacks, while the other calls for revenge. And on it goes...

Considering that the events in the macrocosmos are just a reflection of the microcosmos, we have to recognize that our daily life is filled with constant fighting too. Perhaps less bloody than in Gaza, but equally hateful. Businessmen, neighbours and parents are at war with each other, relentlessly. Nobody wants to give up, everybody wants to win. But winning what?

Sometimes it’s important to fight, no doubt about that. But most times wars between people and countries are totally unnecassary. The problem is that somebody gets hurt and wants to hurt back – yet hurting back never solves a problem, it only increases suffering. I have a sticker in my room which sums it up quite well: “Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity!”

Here’s a common example of microcosmic war: A friend has told me recently that when walking through town and bumping into her Ex she’s getting nasty looks or, if lucky, is ignored. Even years after the relationship ended, hate is still carried around and there’s no sign of healing. Quite frankly, this is pathetic! And I think I am qualified to say this as I am best friends with my Ex (who dumped me) and today I even live under the same roof with her parents. In fact, I am on good terms with all of my ex-girlfriends. Why shouldn’t I be?

We all fuck up at times and do things wrong. But what point is there in hating ourselves or others for something that has happened in the past? Seriously – what’s wrong with forgiving?

I think the world needs profound healing, desperately! And this can only happen if we start to let go of what was, learn the lesson and move on. Hatred needs to be replaced with compassion. Otherwise wars will continue.

Now call me a hippie if you want. Even though that makes you a cold-hearted cunt, I shall forgive you ;-)

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A CALL FROM THE UNKNOWN – the new book by Claus Mikosch, available as a free pdf download. Get it now and if you like it, please share it! 

www.experiencing-ayahuasca.com 

“Honest, moving, scary: I felt really tense and afraid during the hellish bits and moved to tears during the beautiful bits. I don’t know if I’d have the courage to take ayahuasca, but I do know that I have thought, felt and wondered about all the emotions you experienced and come to some similar conclusions myself. Thanks for a fascinating read!” (Sanchia H-S)

Advertising love

The human mind tends to be rather forgetful, hence we need reminders of what to do and how to live. But unfortunately we are being reminded of the wrong things...

It’s no secret that our society is ruled by profit. Much of what we see around us is designed so that we keep on buying things for the sake of buying. Most CEO’s and marketing agencies don’t care if you are happy or not; all that they are interested in is to sell their products.

Not surprisingly, TV commercials and billboards send out constant messages that remind us to consume more. They suggest that we are lacking something, that we need to get a new car and the new ipad or else we will feel unsatisfied. A desire is created which soon becomes irresistible – crisis or not, on most days the parking at shopping malls is full.

Imagine a world in which profit was not the highest goal in life. Imagine there was space for different kinds of advertisment. Opening the online newssite in the morning, you might be reminded that, “if you go shopping today, remember to take a bag from home”; you scroll down and see a big banner, “Smile! It could be the best day of your life!” Then you leave the house and a bus passes by, bright letters on it saying that “Cyling rules! It’s better for you and the planet.” After lunch you switch on the TV and just before the 3 o’clock news you watch a three minute long promotion for a new ethical bank that invests in organic farms and solar energy projects. When you come home at night you read your favourite magazine and on the second page there’s an ad talking about the importance of eating a healthy diet. On page fifteen only two words are printed: “Live now!” And so on…

Imagine what kind of world we would be living in. Imagine what each one of us would feel like if we were constantly reminded of good things.

You might think that this is a utopia, that it’s not possible. But the question is: why shouldn’t it be possible? Why can’t we live in harmony with the enviroment and in peace with each other? Why can’t we change and make the world a truly beautiful place? Who says we can’t?

True, right now it’s impossible to change the profit-driven commercial ads that we are surrounded by. But what we can do is to make publicity ourselves. We can post positive affirmations on facebook; send good news by email; wear t-shirts with meaningful messages; have a coexist sticker on our car; put on a happy smile…

We could become human billboards, advertising love!

Jellyfish, or the story of cause and effect

I was sitting in my kajak, counting – 1...2...3...4,5,6...7...8, 9, 10, 11, 12... Then I stopped counting. There were jellyfish all around me! Small red ones which moved gracefully through the Mediterranean sea, causing nice little burns if you came in direct contact with them. Swimming was definitely not an option.

This summer there has been a huge plague of jellyfish all along the coast of Southern Spain. Thousands of these slimy creatures were infesting the water and covering the beaches, mainly small ones but also some with tentacles as long as 10 metres. Bad news for tourism! The big question was – where had they all come from?

Here are the two most popular explanations I’ve heard: 1) it was the fault of global warming; 2) bad luck was blamed. Yet neither global warming nor bad luck are responsible for the sudden and unprecedented invasion. Higher water temperatures certainly don’t help, but the main reason for the dilemma is a different one – lacking competition! Take the natural predators of any species away and they will multiply without control. Just look at us humans! It’s like a cancer, an eco system out of balance.

The biggest enemies of the jellyfish are sea turtles and tuna. I don’t know about turtles in the Mediterranean, but I do know that over 90% of all tuna have disappeared from the sea in Southern Europe in recent years. Coincidence?

We’ve decided to consume all tuna and now there’s noone left to eat the jellyfish and keep the tourists happy. Bad weather and bad luck are blamed for our spoilt vacation, when really it’s our greedy and unsustainable way of living which makes swimming impossible. What goes around, comes around. Cause and effect. Simple.

A few days ago a friend of mine went out with some local fishermen to spend a night at sea. He left with excitement and returned depressed. Large quantities of fish were caught, but only the ones which had a high market value were kept. All the others were thrown back into the water, dead. Common practice, he was told. To make things worse, when my friend asked where to put the plastic rubbish from the food he had brought, well, guess which bin he was directed to? Yep, the big blue one right next to the boat.

So let’s get this straight: We take all the nice stuff from the sea to get cheap and tasty protein and we return dead fish and plastic, and then we complain about evil jellyfish invading the coast... Seriously, if I was Mother Nature I’d make those jellyfish walk so they’d invade the land too!

Here’s a question: Who is buying the fish?

I wonder… When will we finally learn that we can’t keep on blaming others for our problems? Not the weather, not the neighbour, not God and not even politicians and bankers. It’s us! All of our actions influence our daily reality. Every time we consume something, we decide what kind of world we want to live in. And considering that we have free choice, we therefore also carry the full responsibility for our decisions. As Nina Simone has said: “If I die and my soul be lost, nobody’s fault but mine!”

What world do you want to live in? With, or without jellyfish on the beach?

It’s our choice. Every day!

You can do better

I buy local and organic food whenever I can, I use my car as little as possible, I recycle most rubbish, make my own bread, drink tap water to reduce plastic pollution and I write a blog to raise awareness. Enough contribution for a better world? Far from it!

Here’s a little story that happened to me recently: I live in a shared house, in a nice little room with pool and garden view. A couple of months ago I quit smoking and so I got rid of my ashtray. Not long after, I went back to having the occasional spliff at nighttime. Hanging stoned by the side of the window, I threw the leftovers outside – right onto the terrace, under a big table that was surrounded by all sorts of junk. ‘Tomorrow I’ll pick it up’, I tried to convince myself. But of course this never happened. Instead, the number of dirty buds increased gradually. Then, a few weeks ago, we had a big party at the house and James, my landlord, started to clear the space outside my room. While I was inside working on the computer, he suddenly appeared at the window.

“Claus, I noticed quite a few cigarette buds lying around…”, he commented with a friendly voice.
“Oh”, I answered, quickly looking for some excuse, “it’s because…”
But James didn’t even let me finish my stupid attempt of defending myself. Very calmly he looked me in the eyes and smiled at me: “You can do better”, was all he said. Then he turned around and continued sweeping the terrace. Needless to say, I sat there feeling embarrassed and disappointed with myself. I could go on now about how much of a hypocrite I am, telling others to recycle their rubbish and not even keeping my own backyard clean. I won’t, because it’s obvious. I’m a dickhead!

Instead, I’d like to draw attention to James’ words, because they are so true – 'you can do better!' No matter what you are doing and how much you are doing to improve the world – in many different ways, every single day,  
WE ALL CAN DO BETTER!

The choice is ours

Life can be very depressing these days. The economy is accelerating into a downward spiral towards disaster; banks continue to invest in weapon companies, causing violent wars for many and 10% returns for a few; food is becoming more and more toxic and clean water a privilege of the rich. Rainforests are being destroyed in the name of progress, politicians keep lying and diversity is dying. Greed, fear and polluted minds. Dark times.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Well, it depends on what direction you are looking at... Despite all bad news – we are being given a real chance to create a better system, a better life. Something truly beautiful. There is a growing revolution of local and organic food; there are factories which run on renewable energy, businessmen who invest in trees and enemies who talk about peace. We can choose ethical banking, fair trade, alternative healing and holistic schools. We could be heroes, instead of fools.

I feel that the ongoing battle between light and darkness has entered the last round. And it’s us who will decide the outcome. Will we keep sleeping or will we wake up? Will we choose to trust in our own powers and the power of the good? Will we take on the responsibility to create a better world for us and those to come? The choice is ours. The time is now.

It’s so easy to lose hope,

To say ‘I don’t care’,

To let life turn into a nightmare.

But what if we gathered together?

Joining our forces, willing to share.

Holding on tight, to love, peace and light,

To keep the faith that, as Bob said,

Everything’s gonna be alright.

To wake up and follow the sun.

Becoming ONE.

The randomness of countries

What would the news do without countries? There would be no bankrupt nations that need a bailout, no wars, no jubilee of the queen and no hunting trips of the king. Worst of all – no European football championship! Nothing to fill the endless pages of daily news coverage.

Countries are weird though. Have a look at this photo:

On the right, where the lighthouse is, you see Spain. The rock in the middle is Gibraltar and the mountains to the left are Morocco. We have Africa, the EU and the Commonwealth, all happily represented within a radius of 50 miles.

Now, on the far left of the photo is Ceuta, a little town in Morocco which, at time of writing, is Spanish. Gibraltar used to be Arab, then Spanish and now it’s kind of British. Morocco used to be French, Southern Spain belonged to the Arabs. A few hundred years ago neither the EU nor the Commonwealth existed and a few million years ago it was all Dinosaurland. Pretty messy, to say the least.

One morning last month my 9-year old daughter was staring at the silly rock between the two continents and asked following question:

“Dad, is Gibraltar a country?”

“No, not really, it belongs to England.”

“To England? How is that possible, England is far away.”

“I know, it’s just like that. Not that long ago, even India belonged to England.”

“India? Really?”

“Yes. Stupid, isn’t it?”

The conclusion: The best word that decribes countries is RANDOM. Because that’s what they are, random lines on the map! They are totally unnatural and only exist because we decided that we need them for some reason. They are political constructs that are subject to constant change, they come and go – in fact, most countries have probably less survival chances than the Orangutans in Borneo.

Culturally they are of little use either, because culture is rooted to a certain area. Geographically, culture is far more permanent than a country. Take Flamenco – it’s from Andalucía and it will always be from there, no matter what country Andalucía may belong to in the future. Using Flamenco as an example of Spanish culture, although common, is simply wrong. Same as if you use the Oktoberfest for an example of German culture – it’s Bavarian, not German, and it will always be Bavarian.

So – who the fuck needs countries? My suggestion: Let’s keep the flags so we can have the Eurocup, Worldcup and, if necessary, the Olympic games. For everything else we are much better off without countries. After all, why do we need borders to live together on the same planet?

Writing

Most of you will have heard by now the exciting news – my book
THE LITTLE BUDDHA has been taken on by a big German publisher and will be re-published in early 2013. Time to celebrate? Yes and no.

Yes, because it took many years of hard work and endurance to make it happen. It’s fantastic to finally be able to harvest some fruit. At the same time, no, there’s no reason for endless celebrations. As always, life goes on! Also, I am still as poor as most other artists so I can't afford enormous champagne bottles. Saying that, in times of crisis and financial chaos that’s probably not a bad thing – if you don’t have anything, there’s nothing you can lose.

Writing a book, or doing any long-term project for that matter, is similar to climbing a mountain: You need to really motivate yourself, you got to invest a lot of energy, you struggle and there are many moments when you want to give up. If you continue, at some point you will reach the top, that wonderful place you’ve dreamt of all along the way. However, most mountaineers don’t climb to reach the top – they climb because they enjoy climbing.

I love holding a finished book in my hands. But even more I love the actual writing process. So since January 2012 I have been working on a new book. To sum it up: It has been one of the most intense, difficult and also most satisfying experiences I’ve had so far. And with a few chapters left, it ain’t over yet!

While the new book is a fictional story, it also overlaps with my own reality. It’s very personal and, at least for me, very emotional. As a result, I have been spending much time during the last months locked away in my little room; battling with sanity, protected only by four crumbling walls. I know I have been (and still am) a bit weird and distant, and I’d like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. But I am sure – if you entered into my skin for a day or two, experiencing the ups and downs of an author, you’d understand. Just look at me...

Finally, once I have finished this book, you might have to send in some happy messages to remedy my sadness – ‘cause when a journey ends, the traveller will be sad. After all it’s not about reaching a destination, it’s about travelling itself. Just as life is about living.

Friday the 13th

I was lying in bed, thinking about various projects, when it dawned on me – today is Friday the 13^th! I had an unpleasant feeling creeping up from my gut, this feeling that something might happen…something bad. I might burn the food, or lose money, or even die. So I decided to investigate…

Wikipedia says that the first mentioning of Friday the 13^th was about 150 years ago. There are some theories which suggest older origins, like the thirteen apostels who had to be twelve and thus expelled one. One source says that the myth around the doomful date kicked off when a book called ‘Friday the 13^th’ came out at the beginning of the 20^th century. The story went that an “unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th”. With our financial world falling to pieces, this could easily happen in real life – no matter which day.

Millions of people are said to suffer because of their fear of Friday the 13^th, ranging from mild states of anxiety to full-blown paranoia. Some avoid plane rides and risky business, others hide for 24 hours in bed. There’s even a pathological name for it: friggatriskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13.

Looking at it rationally, I don’t have a problem with Friday the 13^th. However, I can’t say that superstition doesn’t affect me at all. It’s a bit like, ‘I am glad when it’s Saturday the 14^th’. And it’s also very difficult to simply ignore the day, given all the attention that it gets. So, what to do?

A basic law of physics states that ‘energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted’. So I have decided that, from now on, every Friday the 13^th I will take on the mindset of an Italian – because in Italy, thirteen is considered a lucky number. Transforming bad luck into good luck, just by changing the perspective.

Friday the 13^th might turn out to be a beautiful day, full of success and wonderful experiences. Who knows? Friday the 13^th might even be the best day of your life. Just like any other day really...

Creating time

The following conversation will be a familiar one:
"Hey, do you want to meet up tomorrow?"
"No, sorry, I can’t."
"Just for an hour."
"No, really, I don’t have time."
Isn’t that weird? How is it possible to not have time? I mean, seriously – isn’t it always there?

As evolution has progressed, human life has gotten busier and busier. We have so many jobs and responsibilities, so many hobbies to do and TV series to follow, so many dreams to chase and emails to send – it seems that there are just not enough hours in each day.

We have started to believe that we lack time. But do we? Just think about it for a moment – all the stuff that you do each day, how much of it is really necessary? All the news you watch and read, the never-ending shopping trips, boring lectures and useless meetings. All the worrying. All the hours on the phone or on Facebook. Aren’t we wasting a big chunk of our time with random crap?

Ultimately it’s a question of priorities – what do you really want to do? Because when you really want to do something, you always find the time. When you are ill and want to get better, you find the time to go to a doctor, even if you are really occupied with work. When you want a career change, you find the time to study; when you crave love, you find the time to date. As Ernst Ferstl has said:

“When we don’t have enough time, ususally we don’t have enough desire.”

Whatever you want to do in life – there is time for it. It just depends on how you spend those precious hours… If you prefer to stay lazy on the sofa when a friend invites you out, that’s fine, but don’t blame the lack of time. Equally, if you prefer to stick to a secure job, don’t blame the rigid working routine for not allowing you to explore the world. Don’t say that you are too busy too cook a healthy meal when you spend all night long watching TV. And if you really want to iron your pyjamas, don’t complain that there isn’t time to read a book.

Whatever it is we like to do – by setting priorities, we create time for it. Whether it’s realizing a dream, having a drink with a friend or simply watching a sunset. Giving importance to what we love, the stuff that really matters to us, and reducing all the unnecessary things that keep us so terrfibly busy.

There is always time. The question is – what do we chose to do with it?

Planting possibilities

What do fears and dreams have in common? They both represent possible manifestations of life. It’s like having the idea for a film – it’s real, even though it may never be realised.

Life is full with endless options. There is no written script, there are no limitations. As they say in India, „Sir, everything is possible!“

Many people argue that this is not true, that not everybody has the same possibilities. An African boy who hardly goes to school won’t have the same chances of becoming a scientist or a rich businessman as, say, an English boy who gets private tuition four times a week. But there is a big difference between chances and possibilities. Chances talk about whether something is likely or unlikely to happen; possibilities say whether it actually CAN happen.

If you want to make friends, but you stay at home all day, then meeting somebody will be impossible. You have to make an effort, you have to create situations that favour whatever it is you want to do. In other words – you have to plant seeds.

Lots of things will grow in any garden, even if you don’t put out any seeds. But most probably nothing will grow that could be of any interest to you. Only weeds and fruitless trees. If you want to be able to harvest something that you want, an apple for example, you have to go and plant that apple tree first. And then you have to wait – because seeds need time to grow.

It’s the same with possibilities – you have to create them. Sometimes they arrive with surprise, like when you suddenly find a full fruit tree in a hidden corner, planted years ago and already forgotten about. But somebody, at some point, must have planted that tiny seed which made the tree become possible. No seed, no tree.

So whatever it is we want to do in life, whatever our aspirations, dreams and hopes are – if we want them to become real, we have to first create favourable circumstances. Planting the seeds of possibilities.

Being patient

Here we are in 2012 – might be an exciting year...

With the economy, environment and even society all moving rapidly in a downward direction and stress coming from all sides, I’d like to dedicate the first blog entry of the year to something we probably all wished for on new year’s eve. Something we all need – good health!

When we are ill, we usually become a Patient and go to a Doctor. But what does it actually mean, being a Patient? And who's a Doctor?

Although the origins of the word have to do with suffering, PATIENT, in common use, means to be able to wait. Of course there are the waiting rooms in each health centre, but being a Patient is much more than that. Looking at illness and the healing process leading to health, patience is possibly the most important remedy for any complaint – giving your body and mind time to rebalance.
While quick treatment is vital in the emergeny room, with pretty much all other problems it’s best to allow for a slow approach to getting better. That doesn’t mean that it always has to take forever, but taking copious amounts of drugs to speed up healing is not really what being a patient is about. The best cure for a nasty cold is still to have three days of hot lemon and bedrest. Everything else might be good for the pharmaceutical industry or your employer, but it won’t provide what a sick organism most needs – time.

Fast-food has become almost a religion, we love fast communication, we value fast transport, fast careers, fast growth. Fast, faster – who’s fastest? What is it with our 21^st century’s obsession with speed? What is wrong with slowing down?

Looking up DOCTOR in the dictionary, this is the first definition that comes up: ‘A teacher; one skilled in a profession, or branch of knowledge learned man.’ 'From the latin docere – to teach.’
This means that when you go to a doctor, ideally you would be taught something – that’s what you would expect from a teacher. The reality looks very different though: Impatient patients give the responsibility of THEIR health to the doctor, who takes on the role of a car mechanic – that is, fixing things.
Despite massively increased wealth and scientific advance, the people on this planet are as sick as they always have been. Just the names of the diseases have changed.
The problem is that, really, we have hardly learned anything yet. And how can we, without guidance from a teacher? And without wanting to take responsibility for our own health?

So the next time you see a doctor, ask for some decent advice on how you can improve your health. If your doctor doesn’t want to teach you anything, find someone else who will. Whether it’s helpful information related to diet or exercise, the power of the mind or what to do with gut feelings – there is so much to learn! All we need is a little patience.