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?