No, really. Here in Thingstaette, Heidelberg, a little castle town off to the west of Munich. On the last night of April that beckons on the eve of May Day, we celebrate the coming of Spring with dancing and bonfires. German tradition dictates, too, that on this night, witches congregate and eagerly await the arrival of Spring... Walpurgisnacht.
That night, we, like witches under the power of the pagan gods, came under the dark influence of ... alcohol. Tens and thousands gathered in Heidelberg, drawn by an unknown spell. We and the others scrambled our way in the dark, across the river Neckar, then slowly ambled our way up the mountain Heiligenberg. Up there, the allure of a great altar awaited, and thus the pagan followers climbed obediently, up wooded trails shrouded in blackness. Below us, the innocent city lay glittering like a starry galaxy.
The summit beckons..
Oh, how long the path winded! And how many stragglers fell by the wayside, how many unfaithful followers we saw retreating from above, succumbing to fatigue, to sleepiness. No, we would not fall to these corrupting forces! And we strove on, to hike up the uneven, rocky mountain road.
An hour later, our faith was rewarded. A million times over. For that were the number of fellow disciples that had gathered there in unison too, disciples of the magic of Walpurgisnacht. There they sprawled across the Thingstaette, a gargantuan coliseum that stretched across the mountain summit, surrounded by creepy, towering woods. It was surreal, it was crazy; yet how real it was! Fires burned and glowed like eyes in the dark, and the people brimmed and bristled like they were struggling to keep the energy within them. And i thought, it was the energy of the Universe.
The fires burned. The people sparkled.
And I felt, this was it. A million souls swirling in unity around these fires, and i was but one of them. The feeling was powerfully humbling, and yet infinitely redeeming. I felt liberated. From myself, from society. I felt a deep sense of acceptance. By whom? Well, i can only guess: the Universe. The God that surrounds us all. And it was such a life-changing experience to me.
I wandered around alone. And i spoke to ex-strangers, Germans mostly. Ex-, because i bonded with them in the short time we spoke, about German culture, about nuclear energy, about life. If that sounded a tad weird, you may consider that i was drunk. From a quirky girl, about how to turn your body like a barbecue spit in front of a bonfire, to keep warm. From a friendly guy, about how much Germans love and hate their country.
From everyone, how to be happy being ourselves. It's ok. It's really ok being me. You are loved for who you are. Because there is just so much love in this world, you are accepted without question, without judgment.
There is no God who does not love.
If we had a mic to speak to all these souls gathered here in unison, what would we say?
My message would be...
Understand each other. Understand that we are all the same, that we are all part of this great, beautiful world. Greater than all our petty differences, greater than intelligence and wisdom, art and history. Greater than success and the achievement of kings, greater than the ego and pride of individuals and society. Greater than all religions, of this "God" or that "God". We just have ourselves, and the world. So let's take care of each other, ok?
I'm pretty sure that rang close to Woodstock, didn't it.
I learnt tonight, that perhaps of all the things out there, i treasure basic, simple kindness the most. How should i put it? I now know that i aspire towards kindness. What a strange ambition that would be! "My dream is to be a kind person." Haha. To me, i feel some people (some very few people!) are naturally kindhearted souls. Not me. Yet all i can do is to travel, experience and learn. To talk to people and understand the cultures of the world. Because...the more i know about this world, the more i want to protect it.
...
Someday, i will come back here again.
And i will say to myself, this is where it all started.
My own Woodstock in the Spring of 2011, on top of a billowy mountain, surrounded by a shimmering nightsky, darkened woods and a million beautiful, beautiful souls...
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