Grace Pilgrimage 2009 Portugal

Diary October 12 - 15, the end

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In Almograve we found new friends, portuguese men who live here in a close relation with the elements and their beloved ocean. Two of them accompanied us when we headed towards Odemira on Tuesday. Guided by a nature protector we started walking in the dark, along tourist appartment blocks and new roads into a nature reserve. Here we met the river Mira. At high-tide its water is salty for more than 30 km in-land. Some of us went to swim in the beautiful creek.

"What a blessing that so many native plants grow at the banks", Vassamalli from India said. "I decided today to plant a garden with native plants at my place back home. It is very important to honour and to keep those mother plants of a region."

But the land changed, and we walked through extended monocultures of Eucalyptus, olive and apple trees. Our nature guide Pedro showed us again that the pines and cork oaks are dying and how sad the land will look like in some years. The only thing that could help would be a big reforestation in mixed culture, water landscapes in many places and a change of the policy of the industry in Sines. While walking we started to produce ideas over ideas, without thinking how to realise them: "We could start a day of tree planting in the whole Alentejo. Children could give all people at the stations saplings and seeds. With a new theater piece and music. Every person should plant at least one tree in mixed culture and by this become aware how important wild and free trees are in this country. At the same day the people can be informed how much damage the industry of Sines is doing to the trees and what alternatives there are. The whole thing could take place in March on the Clean-the-World-Day."

The last break took place in the Parque de Agua shortly before Odemira, a little oasis with a spring, bassins, tables, a little amphitheater and many trees. These kinds of places will be meeting places of the new culture, too.

After a long day we came to the capital of the district, Odemira, and to our camp directly at the river Mira. The children had made good work, the whole town seems to know that there will be the theater piece tonight. Again the theater is nearly full, many friends have come and also many people we don´t know.

On the two last days we take it easy and there is more time between the sunrise meditation and the start of the walks, so that we have time to write diaries and much more.

In Ribeira do Salto, shortly before Tamera, we are picked up by a group of people of Tamera who walk the last kilometers with us, together with horses. What an image!

A nice surprise of the media team: In a big Portugease paper there is a whole page about the pilgrimage. Sabine Lichtenfels was already recognized in a Café by readers of this article.

The pilgrimage ended like it started: With a ritual in the stone circle together with the people of Tamera and its guests. We carried our prayer stones which we had brought from the stone circle Almendres, into the middle of the stone circle of Tamera, and there they lie -- carrying our prayers, thoughts and changes.

Now the weekend for the inauguration of the SolarVillage TestField has started. The first pilgrims have left Tamera -- after a walk on the pilgrimage paths of the site. Most of us however are staying at least for the weekend. On Saturday, there will be an open day with music, theater and many presentations and demonstrations in the TestField.

All of us are full of gratitude for this time. Thank to Sabine Lichtenfels who led the pilgrimage, to the organisation team, to the wonderful kitchen, to the media team, the group leaders - and thank beyond words to mother earth who carried us. And to the country, to Portugal, which we felt so close theose days. Now the task lies before us how to bring the changings in our lives back to the life we have come from.

Most pilgrims however are sure that their pilgrimage is not over. A pilgrim: "I will continue, even when I now go back to my normal life. But I want to keep this attitude of being on the road, of awareness, of being in service of the planet and of freedom forever."

Diary by Sabine Lichtenfels, October 11th

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Afterwards there was a little concert in the Castelho of Sines. Some of the visitors extra came from Lisbon. Kiko and his band played with creative joy and power.

I received vision of how the Movement for a Free Earth, accompanied by theater and music, will include many different people. We were heartfully invited by the cultural event managers of the town to always come again.

In the next morning, when we were walking the first kilometers through the big port and industrial complex and made our silent meditation, my mind began to sparkle. I saw images in my mind who a new future will develop. How easy it will eventually be that humanity will switch from the matrix of destruction to the matrix of life and love.

I could see it in front of my inner eyes how the new matrix would conquer the hearts. The insight that we were the ones who kept on the patterns of the breakdown and produced more and more movies of suffering. Enough, enough suffered, more and more people will say and step out of the systems of violence. Carefully and gently, without hatred, they will consider new systems of life.

The many isolated people, single mothers, broken families, will see very simply that they have followed a system of love which is not working any longer. A system which leads again and again to loneliness, fear and revenge. And they will discover new the natural system of community.

The insight will grow that our deepes nature is community, and that we belong to a unified family and that we hurt ourselves when we hurt each other.

The discovery of community will be like the discovery of gold. People will see its immense value for life. And the discovery of love will spread like at other times the discovery of the theory of relativity. People will see that love is the only real survival principle.

Very clear love will ressurect in our hearts with its own logic. The big and last word will be love. And love is more than a feeling. Love will direct mutual compassion, but also lead science to new paradigms. We will not be directed back to nature, but towards a new and deep insight of the character of nature and its high quality of consciousness.

We will no longer be guided by the thought of separation like it was manifsted in sciense, but a technology of love, cooperation and light will be developped. Eventually the solar age will begin, and a big joy will be initiated by the thought that there is enough energy for all of us. We don´t have to take something from somebody else away to be happy. The age of consumption will be finished by discovering that there is enough for everybody.

While walking I was very happy, something filled me with deep trust that it soon will be over, that the time of pain and separation of an insane humanity will end.

Maybe we will still see earth quakes until earth will be purified. But humanity will have developped sensotory tools to be in contact with the inner processes of the earth and therefore leave the places in which the catastrophies will happen. Just like an Indigenous tribe in 2004 sensed the Tsunami and left their place just in time.

While walking the power of joy filled me, a power that will be very useful to be able to look into the eyes of the coming challenges.

The towns will not dissapear, but new energy movements among people will fill them with new life systems. There will be new communities, and slow by slow the old technology of distruction will dissapear and be replaced by new technologies.

I could write a novel.

Like this we came to Porto Covo and eventually to Milfontes. In this town, a former sanctuary, we were welcomed by the major, while we gave a street concert in front of the old Castelho and passed on our information to people in the streets.

Diary October 8th

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For the first time we were surprised by rain in the night, while sleeping without protection close to a little pine tree of the camping ground. Some built up the tents in the middle of the night, others escaped into the bathrooms where they continued sleeping, and others remained in their sleeping bags and got wet. "If everything around us is God, then it is also God who rains on us" a pilgrim said and knew in this moment that nothing of that can do any harm.

Dieter Duhm, who had come from Tamera, gave a speech, after that we went in small groups to the town. Some gave out flyers and invitations for the theater performance tonight. Others had the task to imagine the future: How does a town of a future without war look like? What do the people speak about, how do they live, what goods do the harbours handle? Every piece of vision building is a contribution to peace work.

Going back to yesterday: One hour before sunrise we started to walk in Santo Andre, accompanied by two men form the regional nature protection. We walked through garbage places of this town which was built specially for the workers of the industry in Sines. We walked through monocultures of pine trees and areas where fires had destroyed the vegetation, and finally through startling dunes with a rich biodiversity.

At on place with view to the coast we listened to a talk by Carlos, one of the nature protectors, about the challenges of his task. "Some decades ago the people here were living only form fishing, the forest and agriculture. The coast has the most beautiful beaches and dune landscapes of the whole Atlantik. However it is in danger by the air and water pollution of the petrochemical industry and the harbour. The social changes caused by the industrialisation and the workers add to the threats.

If we had the means we would try to replace the monocultures through a bigger biodiversity. But everything we can do is to observe the development and to surveille the reserve to prevent bigger damage."

After walking on the beach for many kilometers, facing the huge Atlantik waves, some hours later we stood in front of the biggest polluters of the Alentejo: The petrochemical industry and the worldwide operating container terminal, operated by the harbour of Singapur. From here, goods from the Asian mass production arrive in Europe. 80 % of the petrochemical products for Portugal are produced here in Sines. The result for the enviroment is disastrous: The air pollution leads to a high cancer rate, and 30 % of the cork oaks are dying.

After ten days walking in nature the industrial complex with walls, camera surveillance and watchdogs seem to be part of a different world. How could human beings develop in a way that they think they need such things? How can the inhabitants of this region stay silent?

Why do rage and resistance not grow and why are there no attempts to get rid of this occupation by globalization!

If only sufficient air filters were installed! And: What can we do to help?

At the early evening we host Diogo and Monica, two representatives of Quercus, the biggest enviromental group of Portugal. Diogo says: "It is difficult to start a resistance movement nowadays. Many people are afraid to loose their job and choose to be silent. After the generation of our parents have made a revolution to get democracy, our generation seems to be to comfortable and rather wait than act."

But in front of our eyes the country and many people, animals and plants are damaged. Already today the groundwater of Sines is polluted and is not drinkable anymore. We agree to find a much closer cooperation- Tamera and the enviromentalists can help each other a lot. Diogo and Monica already have been in Tamera to see the permaculture water landscape.

Dieter Duhm said in his talk: "Portugal might be the country which is connected to the dream of the Goddess the most. But the most Portuguese do not know this. It seems that they are sleeping and dreaming the dream of the Goddes. Your pilgrimage - working on the little steps of transformation and vision - can contribute to the hope that Portugal one day can be the first country which awakens and begins to act."

Today we have to say goodbye to some fellow pilgrims and new ones are joining. In the evening we will see the theater piece of the children in the city theater of Sines, and after that have a concert in the Castle.

Tomorrow we will be heading toward Porto Covo.

Diary October 6th

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The second week has begun and with that the issue of Europe and responsibility for history. In Melides, on the stage of a sport place, which was also our camp for the night, we listen to a speech about the history of Portugal, about its colonial history and the revolution. It seems as if this country has been either occupied or was the occupier of other countries. And today? Today the occupier´s name is globalisation, and its footprint can be seen everywhere. The alienation of earth and nature, the break-down of the village communities -- how urgently positive examples are needed for a culture where people like to live together, where they care for nature together, and where this does not mean to live without joy, knowledge and the sparkling anticipation which we usually associate with city life. In Tamera, with the SolarVillage, we want to create such a model. In some of us the wish increases to connect our project much more with Portugal and to make it understandable also for the people in our neighbourhood.

We receive the news that just recently a bus full of students had been in Tamera, who wanted to study the ecological innovations.

In Santo André, we reach the ocean. What a power. After days on the countryside, in forests and towns, we are exposed to the power of wind and waves. The wild nature in us is cheering. Not far from here, there is the most western point of Europe. It is obvious that the small country Portugal turned to the ocean and felt inspired to sail around the whole world and to conquer a big part of it. Portugal became the first and the longest existing global empire. But the colonies also led to its downfall. The officers and soldiers became tired of fighting the people in the colonies, people like themselves who just wanted to be free. They were the thriving power of the revolution and finished the longest existing dictatorship in Europe.

With this background information we are walking and work with the issues of guilt, victims and perpetrator. Where do we have fought and oppressed others? What do we have to change in ourselves to be the change that the world needs?

At a protected place on the beach some of the pilgrims share their experiences. The first week of the pilgrimage and especially the day of paradise led to deep impressions. A pilgrim says: When I only look at a tree now then I know that there is a universal power I can always connect to. This gives me the protection to expose myself to the reality of the world with its violence without having to close my eyes."

Tomorrow we have another long walk, the aim is Sines.

3rd to 5th of October - Diary of Sabine Lichtenfels

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After celebrating Gandhi´s Birthday in an abandoned school house, we walked on, partly protected by friendly police, on the road as there were no other ways possible. The feet quickly got tired on the hard ground. Walking with the children in front, we created a song: From silence comes power, clapping and singing we repeated the sentence again and again, and the children made the surprising experience that power really comes back.

After half an hour of singing we arrived at a little pension. When we looked for ways some weeks ago, the host invited us to stay in her garden.

What an impact a little café can make! At once the joy of consumption increases. We allow ourselves to follow it a bit, also to make a little income for our hosts possible. Then an evening starts with different groups. An Israelis group celebrates the Shabat, young people have come into the Café and challenge Charly to sing for them. A group is meeting to the topic of the visions: Where is the place that the Goddess wants to have me?

The singing is going on until late at night.

For Shmuel and Zohar from Israel it is nearly the last day.

There were so many moving and touching talks that is was not easy to already say goodbye.

With Shmuel I could talk in a special way about the question of the landscape and the healing aspect which nature can contribute to our personal development. Besides that he is in a special way connected with the Kabbala and the Egypt mythology - a lot of stuff to speak about, always with the focus: How does the planetary family come together which has started for peace on this planet, which is not living together but still wants to cooperate in a deep way?

On the next day we call out paradise. To magic hours we practise prehistoric utopia here and now. For many it really comes to a paradise-like experience.

Then we have to say goodbye to our Israeli friends, Zohar and Shmuel, both of them active in the peace movement in Israel.

Although some international representatives could not come, mainly because of visa reasons, we are a rather international group.

Vassamali of the Todas tribe of the Nilgiri mountains in India surprises us often with her deep comments.

For her it is quite normal to "read" the nature and to understand her signs directly. In the night when Sarah´s father died, Vassamalli thought she could read in the shape of moon that a great soul has gone.

The death of Sarah´s father was long expected, it felt rather like a birth, and we blessed his cosmic journey with the group. More than 90 years old was it time for him to go.

At the evening in Grandola, Elke and Felix Maria Woschek visited us. Together celebrated a music evening and listened to the touching songs. Many started to dance or sing. This was the end of the first week.

We had to end the evening early because this morning the longest walk started. Finally we had the opportunity to walk through vivid nature. We started at six in the morning, the way was enlighted by the still almost full moon. In a surprising speed we quickly walked the 26 kilometers. It was like a change of the field that the group could switch to be able to do this physical effort.

Was it the living nature which gave us the power, was it the "geistig" field building in the group?

In the evening in Melides we said hello to the newcomers of this week and dedicated ourselves to the topic of the colonial history of Portugal and the Revolution.

It is not easy to look on the senseless dying and the violence of the last centuries without loosing one´s courage.

The question becomes more and more challenging: How will the peace movement get the power which it needs to make a change? Where are our planetary brothers and sisters who with all their power create the field of information which is capable to create global peace?

How many Portuguese soldiers had to die in the colonial wars until they found the courage and power for the revolution!

However a historical example which can give courage even when still occupation takes place, not only in Portugal, but in whole Europe. How painful this occupation is! A visit in Melides made us speechless: Last year there still had been a beautiful little fishermen village, now a modern tourist place financed by the EU. How many houses and little cafés of fishermen had to be cleared! The official reason: Nature protection.

Now there is an ugly concrete building which will serve as a restaurant for rich people. What kind of nature protection is this where still people are displaced! The inhabitants shrug: What can we do?

All the best and may you be blessed in your work.

Diary October 5th

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We encountered the energetic presence of totally unknown prehistoric places. In the midst of destroyed landscapes we came across an olive grove with age-old olive trees to found in but a few places on Earth.

As we are confronted with the destruction of the landscape,we come in touch with and closely feel the immense energetic tiredness of nature that has befallen her. What a land this could be if only the prehistoric places with all of their powers were to be discovered again! A land with pilgrim's paths and nature preservation areas! So much is ready!

A land were no one has to protect himself by means of fences. The way the farmers welcome us on their land is very touching. Shy but from the heart. At a farm near Grandola we celebrated the 140th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. This day also marked the beginning of the World Peace March in many places on the planet..

Surely there are reasons to have critical thoughts about Gandhi. However, we wish to recall how it was possible for one man to launch and develop such a huge movement reminding us that violence can give no answers to the pain and suffering of countless beings on this planet. With his actions, Gandhi set first examples of how deep an inner determination is needed to create a desired effect.

Diary October 3rd

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Today we have the topic Paradise -- in walking and in Sabine´s Talk. "I don´t have anything against that what is. This was Krishnamurti´s secret which he told his disciples. And with that we open our own ability to create paradise. Acceptance of a situation is also the first step when you want to change it. Where there is consciousness there can be no more war."

Our camp of today is at a farm which could be also in South America or Palestine -- a picturesque environment from scrap parts, scales, and no man's land. We are in the universe. Here, we celebrate our paradise -- a temple of love. On our carpets, different meeting places are created: for art and creativity with children, for the consciousness of life and death, for silence, for women and for men -- and a place to celebrate the sensuality of life.

After the evening meditation a man says: When in such a nowhere land people connect so intensively with the universal spirit then healing will take place.

Diary October 2nd

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Today, the worldwide march for peace and nonviolence begins -- our pilgrimage group feels deeply connected with it. We are walking through rice fields and pine wood -- and we have police protection. The monocultures give no big inspiration -- we receive them through our talks. When we are not walking in silence we are walking in couples with a question, for example: How do you imagine the holy land? Or: What does your higher gestalt look like? It is remarkable how fast the talks are getting deep. Often they are supported by nature -- a little snake in front of my feet when I say a special word, a cloud or a call of a bird.

After only 10 km we come already at 12 am to our goal today: Bassao. A heartful couple runs the Café of the village, we are welcome to place our camp in their vineyard.

The café creates a challenge for us not too much to loose ourselves in consumption but to stay awake when enjoying a milk coffee or a beer.

In a geistig hour Shmuel Shaul speaks about his perception of Portugal. He feels the land in its georgraphic position parallel to Israel: Like Israel in the east, Portugal builds the transition to Africa.

"I could immediately connect with this beautiful land and its nature and power. However it is remarkable that the Portugueses seem not at all be connected with the depths of their history and its power."

A statement that for sure can be made for many countries.

Bassao is a village which is not at a big road, a place to study the very normal everyday life in Portugal. Sad to say but this includes a contact with animals which does not respect their souls and beings. Our group of the animal defenders cleaned a cage in which ducks were kept with very narrow space.

In the evening the Café is full of people. While Charly with his guitar sings all the songs he knows and makes the daughters of our hosts happy with that, we come in contact with the other guests and have some interesting and moving talks.

On of our cooperation partner has come, a farmer who brings us organic food. We take him immediately into our heart, he radiates a big power and sensitivity. How great it is that this kind of people exist who with all their power and consciousness work for change.

Diary Torrão -- the pilgrim´s group forms.

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The landscape is changing: less trees, dryer -- signs of destruction of the landscape become visible. A perception that makes us feel uneasy. For the first time we have to walk along a road -- in a humorous way Sabine prepares us for it: We will see strange animals here, our ancestors have known that they will come one day -- animals on wheels. Later we come to a fence which seems to be unclimbable. Eventually we dig ourselves under it.Is this the day of the resistances? If yes, then it is also the day of their overcoming: A farmer passes by with his car. He had seen us from far, and knowing we would come to a locked gate, he took his car and came to open it for us.

We find a beautiful owl -- it must just have died at the street. We make a minute of silence and put her carefully back into the forest. A young woman gets the message that her children are sick and she has to leave the pilgrimage.

"Take everything that happens to you thankfully as a gift and a message", Sabine says. "Not walking through a outer area of crisis holds different challenges: we are facing our inner issues."

At the dam of Torrao we reach our camp. What a cut into the landscape! But the pines are mostly beautiful, and we hold the morning meditation in a very old olive grove nearby. The trees must be thousand years old, they have an impressive character. Sabine: "This is the power of the stone circle reflected in trees."

Charged with their energy we are going to the fifth day of the pilgrimage.

Diary, 29th of September

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Again and again Megaliths, big stones testify the first settlings of this region. We follow the traces of Nomadic culture in these first weeks of the pilgrimage. How did life feel like within an intact community that did not destroy but took care of the environment about 7000 years ago? Maybe similar to the Indian native tribe of the Todas? Vassamalli Kurtaz – a respresentative of this culture - recognises several things as we reach one of these Stone Circles. At noon we reach a place named “Monte da Casa Branca”; it consists simply of a ruin of a famer's house. Next to it is a group of Megaliths in a small circle. We almost passed it without noticing. Small and wheathered stands this prehistoric prayer site – neither on any map nor protected. Already garbage sums up in its centre.

The pilgrims stop and form a circle around the small stone ring. Sabine Lichtenfels, who is guiding the pilgrimage, points out its meaning. “I have the impression that this place is very old like the Stone Circle of Almendres and that they are conntected.” An interpretation that is shared by Shmuel Shaul, Geomant from Israel: “ I feel this place as an acupuncture point that supports the Stone Circle.” Vassamalli Kurtaz explains how the Toda culture constructs and uses such places: “On such prayer spots of stones we donate sacred soil and buffalo milk and we pray. Like this a place turns sacred and from such a place we can name mountains and trees of the environment.”

At this moment news arrive from the other end of our pilgrim’s group: Michael G. – a student and co-worker of the ecology team of Tamera – got a lumbago. Later on he will tell: “A real soft, almost tender energy got hold of me when the landscape changed. And out of a sudden it stroke through my back.” To it is impossible for him to walk on. With a face wreathing in pain he lays on the ground, looked after by the medical team. Sabine Lichtenfels reports what happened then: “A small group took care of him. I had the clear call to bring him to the circle and to have a healing ritual with him.” Some people who have experience with healing stand around him when he gets up and stands in the middle of the circle. It is probably impossible or quiet hard to describe the inner processes in this situation.

The few who accompanied this process, saw the pain and the huge energy reflected within his face. “I had no fear.”, he says later on. “I put myself fully into the situation.” Some moments later he is ready continue his pilgrimage. His luggage is carried by the other pilgrims. Sabine Lichtenfels: “For me what happened here was a reminder that full healing is possible - always and for everyone.” 18 km later we reach Alcáçovas; a little town with 2000 inhabitants. A marvelous chapel of shells is close to the village square. At the times of the big discoveries shells and symbols from all over the world were presented here. By then Alcáçovas became an important pilgrim’s place that is forgotten by now. This and many other historical events are told to us by two inhabitants of the place who visit us in the evening. Today we sleep underneath a stage of a market place and its rooms. The rain may come. Tomorrow we continue walking towards Torrao.