2013 October in the UK

My British Autumn started with a metamorphic techniuqe workshop with Helene in Dartington. I saw a few friends and formal colleagues in Exeter, walked and cycled depending on weather and sorted whatever was left behind last year.

I attended the last Community Action day at Bowden House in Totnes and moved in to experience real community life for a week before taking off for Hungary next Tuesday. I decided to fly this time to avoid the hassle of train ticket purchase and lengthy journeys across Europe, will need to find out how to offset that.

With my small PC back in Hungary I could not do a proper update, sorry about this. Further pictures and news to follow in a few weeks. In the meantime, you are most welcome to join me for Bowden House Community Action Day this Saturday :)

Summertime in Hungary

Hayden and Sophie visited me in August

Sophie and Hayden did hiking in the Fogaras Mountin and around Brasov in Transylvania.  Once got back to Budapest, we went to a local restaurant that served traditional Hungarian food and I invited them to see one of the best thermal spas in Budapest that is Lukacs Furdo.  There are a few more popular thermal spas and this one is my favourite.  Another half a day programme was a trip to Szentendre, a nearby beautiful town by the river Danube.  We travelled by the local train and returned by a boat.  It was great to see them again and we had a good time <3

Shops with quite a few traditional / hand made goods in Szentendre

Spring and Summer in Hungary

A field visit was planned at Somogyvamos around mid-March had to be cancelled due to bad weather conditions.  I started communal living in a rented house located near the Krishna-valley in Somogyvamos. 
The house at Somogyvamos is called Place Spotters' Base.  Most of my time one or more housemates lived there with me.  We shared gardening, cooking, cleaning the house, etc.  I was away in the capital quite a few times as I started picking up a few more healing techniques such as Bowen Technique and Kinesiology, attended meetings, etc.  Krishna Valley is like a little India in Hungary. I volunteered in the garden, the orchard, the mower, etc.  I sorted a few things around the rented house and started farming in the garden, only what a household could eat. It felt good to start living in a new lifestyle.

Annual ecovillage gathering @ Magfalva, Hungary

Community life

Both Place Spotters and Place Creators held quite a few meetings in the meantime I participated or co-organised.  In Dunavision, we organised the Budapest meeting and seminar.  Listen to a hang drum plus guitar music from the Meditation Picnic held at Margitsziget I attended.  There were lots more events / programmes I attended :)  My time at Somogyvamos is coming to an end as I am giving up the house and a family is planned to move in with two kids. 
I am looking forward to my trip to UK that will start with a Metamorphic Technique Workshop.  I am hoping to see my old friends, join a Devon based community for a short time and serve a Vipassana course near Hereford. Hoping to see all of you in the UK :)

Margitsziget - Margaret Island @ Budapest

'Prisoner, leave your prison!'

I am going on a journey again, just like I did last year.
I am planning to return to the UK to see my old friends.
I shall continue to write more posts about past and future.
My new style is a little more poetic and I hope you'll like it.

The first poem is a quote from the Ingmar Bergman film 'In the Presence of a Clown'.

'Prisoner, leave your prison!
 Consider then, that you are your own judge...
and your own goaler.

Prisoner, leave your prison!
To your astonishment,
you will find that no one will stop you.

The reality outside prison is indeed terrifying...
but never as terrifying
as your anguish down in that locked room.

Take your first step towards freedom.
It is not difficult.

The second step is more difficult...
but never allow yourself to be defeated by your goalers... who are only your own fear and your own pride.'

Down-to-earth crafts

Aimed to get an idea of a few traditional craftsmanships I met a 71 years old blacksmith in my native town this week.  Like most old people, he was very talkative and enjoyed demonstrating the use of his tools and equipment.  He gave me a list of what is needed to set up a blacksmith workshop.  Place Creators plan to combine traditional and modern methods, e.g. we will sharpen the heated edge of a mattock by hammering if needed but do not abstain from electric welding if the middle of the same tool is broken.  He demonstrated his skills on a few axes that needed sharpening.  I enjoyed the visit and even bought a second-hand axe that should last a lifetime unlike most newly made and imported goods.

Actually, the best axe I've seen was Tony Wrench's at Brithdir Mawr ecovillage that I visited in Aug 2001.  This was the time when the authorities ordered him to demolish his roundhouse.  I remember, it became a strong example of how activists with no other power than love and non-violance can win against building bureaucrats.  (Sounds odd, but there were quite a few times in my life when I've found myself at places and at lesser known historic but not party political events.  It feels a bit like Forrest Gump :)

Busy weekends in 2013

I had meetings in the last three weekends, two in the capital and one nearby.

On Friday 18 January, the Place Creators meeting focused on agriculture was held in the building that is owned by MagNet Bank, the first and only community bank in Hungary.  One of our members managed to get a room in this building for free :)  She also organised a chance for us to introduce our aims and activity on their open Saturday full of free intruductions and taster sessions.  A closer check confirmed my positive impressions and I opened an account at the main branch on the very same day.  ("Put your money where your mouth is", said David Mezzetti at the set up of the RealFood Exeter and I remembered this advice.)

I attended the Hungarian Ecovillage Network meeting at Galgaheviz on the 25-27 January weekend.  This bi-annual meeting has grown from a few participants to over a hundred in the last few years.  Being a bit shocked by the size of the audiance, I managed to introduce our work.  I also wrote a report to the national ecovillage newsletter (Élőfalu Hálózat Hírlevél) that will be published shortly (only Hungarian, sorry).  I do not intend to translate this report or their website but keep an eye open for further written news in English to share.

The last combined Place Creators - Place Spotters open day was held all day last Sunday.  New initiatives were introduced, development plans of the Krishna Valley neighbour Somogyvamos village were unfolded and we had some time for internal issues such how we can get more Place Spotters involved in any activity, how to improve internal and external communication, etc.  Quite a few of us recognised the uplifting spirit of this last meeting and some even marked this meeting as the best one so far.

This coming weekend I plan to continue the never ending job of sorting my books and university notes.  I'm not sure if I ever get to the end...

Develop your self

As a new year gift I decided to share a few techniques that worked for me.

I started doing ten days Vipassana meditation course / retreat near Hereford in April 2009.  It was not the kind of experience one particularly enjoys and some do not understand why they repeat it again and again.  The reason is simple, it works.  Observing the reality as it is, one can see truth without reflecting on it.  The Vipassana course is not for beginners.  My meditator friends in Exeter meditate on a daily bases and do long silent retreats regularly and have much more experience to share. 

I had my first metamorphic technique massage in Dartington around a year ago.  It is a gentle message of the feet along the the spine zone.  The goal is to amplify your own life force energy that transforms old, negative and unhelpful patterning.  You start doing what you meant to do in this life.  It has various names and sometimes specific sound or vision is used.  No matter how it's done, it works.  All you need is to book an appointment and enjoy the experience. 

The Art Of Living technique is an ancient breathing technique to eliminate stress, to balance mind and life.  I learnt it nine years ago in India and started daily practise in Hungary during the refresher course called "Waves of Happiness" in November 2012.  Yoga practitioners might know one element called Pranayama.  There are more elements including a short OM chanting.  It is an ideal 20-30 minutes 'start of the day' exercise.

Some people recognise 2007 as the year when a major shift of the human consciousness started gradually and expect further changes.  Ancient texts or spiritual teachers give little guidance.  If you nourish positive emotions and thoughts while remove negative ones (Sankara, karma, trauma, whatever you call it) you are on the right path. The best time to start is now and the above techniques will help your journey.

MT and AOL techniques are easy to understand, to learn and to practise.  Combined with Vipassana meditation, these helped me most.  I invite you to share your experiences, what worked and what can be recommended?

(31-12-2012)