Dear friends.
The longest day is behind us and we are living towards the light again. A good time to describe my feeling of winter as I experienced last weeks.
The real winter feeling started a few weeks ago, in the initiative week. It started to snow on an afternoon of bookkeeping in the White House and yippies were running around throwing snowballs to each other. The next day in the lunch break we gathered outside and made music by a campfire (hot chocolat milk). At that time the darkness was embracing us and the candles just came. That weekend I spent at Solvik again, while many others were hitchhiking to Dornach, and did Intuitive Pedagogy. I stayed at the school for some days and spent time together with some Estonian people. We went to an outdoor learning centre, a castle, and went to sauna together with Victor. Also: walking through the dark forest in the snow with lanterns, singing, Victor improvising on the pian, dancing in the white room, having discussions. That week I also slept under the stars outside in the forest with Anatoli. We made a fire with one match and snowy wood and survived without being frozen.
A couple of days later the snow had melted. But before that I had been cross country skiing out in the forest near Molnbo, something that I never had expected to happen this year. I wish I could get on my snowboard now… Saturday evening I took off to the Gulla Villan where I met some really good musicians that also live in Ytterjarna.
Anyway, the next time of real winter experience was at the light festival that sunday. I think I wrote already about all the candles that were put out on the seminar, the many people from all around Stockholm area that came and visited and the inspiring meetings I had, presenting the Freedom project through word and sight in the greenhouse.
Comparable with this feeling was the fair in Jarna a few weeks later. Light in the darkness by many candles. I started at the little cafe oposite the station, where glog was heated in a big pan on a fire and young families, youth and old people standing outside in the ligth of the fire listening to three girls singing Christmas songs, on music of the piano outside. Under the stars again. The fair was on the other side of the station. Some people were selling crafts, there was a pancake caravan, and a little cafe. I met some very nice/interesting people, for example a documentary maker that lives in a community close to Jarna (I visited a couple of days ago and it was great to see the place and hear about the ideal), an artist and some conversations with people I knew already.
Also nice was the Solvik Basar. As I arrived it was like a little elf village. Children in magic clothes doing all kinds of art work in the different buildings, including painting, singing and crafts. In the metal work building the fires were burning hot and people were playing violin and harmonica. Back in time, or – again – life in a fairytale… On the second hand market I found roller skates, a saddle, ice skates, glasses, a microscope, a warm pullover, a clock and a blouse for about 80 kronor. Someone gave me real old white classical ice skates ‘a contribution to a better world’. They fit me perfectly.
Just a couple of days before the end of the semester of YIP, on thursday, we had a storytelling evening in the big room with the fireplace. We started the evening with the Advent Ritual – green branches in a spiral on the floor, with candles in the middle and supported by singing everyone lights a candle in the centre and puts it at a spot of the circle. It was a magical experience to walk through the path and hear all the voices humming around me. A feeling of warmth and protection that held me. Imagine that some people did this every year of their life!
Then we had the storytelling. We put all the burning candles in the room, lighted the fire and shared stories and songs. There were poems, self-written fairytales, the story of the Nightingale (from the old book I found in Stockholm), songs and the story of the life of Marcel. The next day was the last day before the holiday. In the morning we finished the course and in the afternoon we reflected on the first term of YIP and looked forward to the second term. After that we had a fika together and also a goodbye for Ana and Bjorn, who will leave us this year. The candles in the Christmas tree were burning and all of us were a bit silent. We ate chocolate cake and drank Julmust, a traditional swedish drink made out of apples and a lot of spices. At five a clock the Solvik Play started and I was in the choir. Special to be part of a performance of this greatness and humour, even in a foreign language. Huge papiermache puppets on the stage, and beautiful sentences and music. The angels sound like Arvo Part.
After the play I took of with Pablo to go for a midwinter hike. We walked under the stars untill we found the shelter, where we slept. The next morning we took of and explored the forest, including little mosses and old trees. We visited Gnesta when it got dark and after that we went to a party. Eating pumpkin soup with bread, making music together (djembe, violin, guitar). I learned some new hippie songs like ‘pure earth, warm fire, fresh air, deep water, I can feel you in my body, I can feel you in my soul’. It reminded me on the Circle Dance that I joined one week ago, where I met some really nice people that feel so connected with India that you can see it the first second you meet.
Sunday morning, back in Ytterjarna. A nice breakfast followed by a morning dive toegether with the brother of Rose, and a Brazilian woodcarver from the Craft Village. After that Steff and me took off with the bus to Tullgarn Slott, a castle not too far away from Jarna. Unfortunately we took the wrong bus. Poor Steff for trusting me, but actually it was a very nice drive and we had great fun talking and looking outside. When we got at the right busstation we switched to the Green Line that brought us to the place that we wanted to go to. And the driver let us use our old ticket… We walked around in the lovely garden (with the atmosphere of an English estate), pet the sheep and even some lambs, cracked the frozen ice on the ground and as a highlight we climbed on the roof of the castle and watched the sunset. Beautiful colours in the sky, a fresh breeze touching our skin, and a stunning view on the fjord and forest that is surrounding Tullgarn. Then we had a wonderful Christmas Table at the restaurant, with all kinds of fish, meat and traditional Swedish dishes – even a whole section with cheese and deserts. Afterwards we even got a ride to the bus station from the nice waitress – we had to pay one fifth of the original price…
That evening my parents arrived. After a sauna and cozy gathering at Reinouds place (Finn and Rebecca cuddling up in front of the fire, me reading stories) I prepared the room with the plants in the white house for their coming. This was the first meeting since summer and it was great to see each other again. Monday morning I showed them around and for the second day in ages the sun was shining again. First we went to the farm to get some fresh milk, yoghurt and cheese. In the afternoon we left to Stockholm. Me and my parents stayed in a house in the centre of the city during Christmas. I have celebrated New Year at home…
Back in YIP again, I have been working on several projects, including bycicles, the documentary, Nepal, the conference and the outdoor experience. In the afternoons we have spent a lot of time outside together, in the snow and on the ice. We built an indian swethut on the ice, broke through to go swimming, went iceskating, I crossed the fjord to Morko (the island), visited some friends, worked on the farm, went ice fishing and walked through the white forest in the moonlight. Now the course has started again and the snow has melted. I really enjoy Sacred Geometry and I am very excited to work with this topic for two weeks.
But actually that excitement is for the rest of the year. One thing that I want not to forget to breathe. Go to www.wordsofpeace.net and learn more about inner peace and forfillment. Because this is something I realise is essential in anyones life, including mine…
Greetings Zinzi
