1. The Crucible of Creativity
2. The True New World
3. Touching God in the 14th Century

Most national flags commemorate past conflicts, bloodshed, oppression and the domination of indigenous cultures.
Isn’t it time for society to grow beyond that adolescent mentality, to move from separation to unity? Find ways to glorify achievements, geographic uniqueness and the strength and beauty of each culture.
This is the thought I have carried for many years as I have been privileged to travel among many people.
Imagine my joy then, when several years ago the BBC in London invited me to offer suggestions to create an identifying totem for their head office in White City based on the science/art of Feng Shui?
At first the idea formed slowly, as though I were imagining the fluttering of a myriad of Technicolor symbols created as giant banners by individual artists from all cultures and belief systems.
For these were the symbols of Life which down through the eons have been worshipped and identified by ethnic groups, tribes, communities and untold numbers of individuals.
Such a ‘Crucible of Creativity’ became a living object to me. Asking me to create a project to speak to the long-ignored energies of existence.
Each one a mystery. A touchstone of magic. Consider the Egyptian Ankh – a mystical healing wand; or the Russian Babushka (Matrjoshka) dolls – representing life after life after life; the Icelandic Midgardsomur - the snake that winds itself around the whole planet then swallows it’s tail, recreating itself endlessly; the Greeks saw infinity in a mathematical symbol... on and on these powerful graphics have survived the millennia, blunt, clear, unmistakeable gifts of the generations of questioning, inquisitive humanity.
Is it too untimely to think in these terms? Looking around, we can see so many issues which demand our immediate attention: global warming, currency instability, crumbling infrastructures...
Then is this project just another daydream of a wandering seer? You could call it that.
But I have a Dream!
And it will only become a reality when we are all dreaming the same dream.
Pause for a moment and imagine the flagpoles in the forecourt of the United Nations adorned with the banners of 100s of cultures, and then take your mind to feel how that collection of raw energy would affect you.
Or an array of flags set in the highest hills over-shadowing the Capitols of the world!

Why not a majestic parade of these creations leading an Olympics opening?
Children being taught that there is more to their ancient inheritance than monetary ‘success’.
And maybe, just maybe, some ending of the horrendous ethnic cleansing which is destroying lives, property and most clearly, precious little chance of any ethnic group retaining their individuality or their precious spirituality........
Coming to reality. Think Sponsorship. Our large group of German readers might think of Lufthansa. That company is certainly very aware of the direct and subtle benefits of supporting artistic merit. What about any major international corporation? Banks for example. What a great expression of their reach into individual lives they could touch on.
School projects... posters of our flags and community involvement in approving the right symbol for each culture. Developing understanding and respect for other culture’s values - wouldn’t that create a politically borderless society?

We will create:
- travelling exhibitions for local communities, city councils etc
- educational resources
- documentary film
- printed manuals
- a stage play – I see one that extends for days at each venue
- musicals
- competition to do the original banners
- Youtube and Internet pages
- festivals on as many cultures as will allow
- and now, it is up to you to add to this list

Of course there will be arguments against this idea. Much opposition will be generated. Why not keep the traditional flags only for political and military occasions, thereby actually increasing their status for those who see them as valuable tokens of struggle and conflicts won and lost.
Slowly the project ‘The Crucible of Creativity’ will win even those hearts.
Never forget that ‘Art Has Always Been the Catalyst of Change’.

*waive = to set aside,relinquish, dispense with.

from Galina Sanderson

There are times when we are searching for answers and suddenly we come across a piece of writing which starts “talking” to us, and we are surprised how precise it is in unravelling our quest. We feel that it contains what we are looking for, but we need perhaps to read it several times before the hidden answer becomes crystal clear. And then we are overwhelmed with joy and start seeing directions and guidance and we know that somebody wrote it especially for us, how perfect, how amazing! I had that ‘Eureka!’ sensation when looking into the definition of the word “love” in the Wikipedia, I found a 14th century manuscript of mysterious origin called “The Cloud of Unknowing”(‘Die Wolke des Nichtwissens’). It is a practical spiritual guidebook written by an anonymous English monk who counsels young students to seek God, not through knowledge, but through what he speaks of as a "naked intent" and a "blind love’. I was fascinated by the similarities between its message and the foundations of Deep Field Relaxation. It felt as if two powerful ocean waves had met in resonance. And here is why.
“...Our intense need to understand will always be a powerful stumbling block to our attempts to reach God in simple love [...] and must always be overcome. For if you do not overcome this need to understand, it will undermine your quest. It will replace the darkness which you have pierced to reach God with clear images of something which, however good, however beautiful, however Godlike, is not God” says “The Cloud of Unknowing”
This statement echoes Clif’s approach: “…As alternative practices proliferate, we are beginning to see that there is a deeper truth to be found in discovering our inabilities and drawing from the great power of stepping aside and allowing Universal mind to come in and take over. The honest practitioner admits we don’t know and, instead of pretending channelling energy, or indulging in rituals or repeating the professor’s teachings, just let it all go. The greatest benefit arises from detachment from the desire for results.
All we need to do is provide the venue or place and then facilitate only the deepest relaxation for both patient and practitioner together. The biggest difficulty is the mind’s gossipy interference. Trying to ‘empty’ the mind, as many meditation teachers try to instruct us, in fact just causes conflict since the mind is not meant to be 'quiet'. It is determined to be alert in case it is called on urgently. In contrast once we allow the wandering mind to casually drift onto anything except the problem at hand, the mind feels secure and the Cosmos comes into play. In that easy, undemanding state the dominant tendency is towards harmony and then any appropriate changes are free to arise”.

Years ago in Boston I heard that an auction of some of Einstein’s notebooks revealed that he had changed his famous equation at the insistence of his colleagues because they convinced him that none would accept his original formula.

To suggest that the master got it wrong, or at least gave in to academic pressure is a little hard to swallow. But here is the evidence – in his own writing.
Over the years I had occasionally quoted this odd reference, still not quite confident of its source.
Imagine my excitement, then, when travelling on a train between Munich and Vienna as I was casually reading about Einstein’s 100th anniversary in the magazine of the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) I discovered this reproduction of one of his early notes. You can see that he has deleted the ‘L’ which he hoped was to represent LIFE. Einstein clearly appeared to have considered that LIFE equals ENERGY or ENERGY=LIFE.

“Taking it Easy” postcard, #3 in a series.

This is one of the hippopotamuses in the Karlsruhe zoo.
Alert, but calm; aware but not possessive; neither uninterested nor over-curious.
The world is as it should be.
As I shared some time with him, I was reminded of some of our ‘advanced’ DFR students.
Wouldn’t you like to be like that?