BondingXperience Connecting People -
Issue 4 – www.TouchedbyArt.org - Free
Inside story: Conny Janssen ‘Are we Human or are we Dancer?’ DJ Isis ‘DJ with Divine Feelings’ 2012 ‘72hrs of Darkness’ The Venus Project ‘Fresco on Love’
Pioneers of Human Evolution This issue’s Pioneers are: DJ Isis (Night Mayor of Amsterdam), Conny Janssen (Leading Dutch Choreographer of Contemporary Dance), Jacque Fresco (The Venus Project), Robert Jendayi (Quantum Realist), The Lost Children of Babylon (US Rap Group) and Joop Teggelove (Reiki Alliance Master)
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Being in the Zone Music: Hip Hop ‘Spirit of the Age’
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CONTENTS 3 30 33
Dear Loved Ones – Message from Richard Voller Totem – The Butterfly for Transformation Reviews: Remember, Remember
CULTURE 4 12 35
Bubbles Eco-friendly ideas for Planet Earth. Being in the Zone with Robert Jendayi. Reiki Alliance Master Joop Teggelove talks about Energy and 2012.
MUSIC 9
The Lost Children of Babylon talk about the Venus Project and Spiritual Rap.
DANCE 20 25
Conny Janssen as seen on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Dutch TV talks about her work and her vision in the feature interview ‘Are We Human or Are We Dancer?’. Melvin Fraenk, Urban Hip Hop Choreographer has been interviewed for the second part of the ‘Are We Human or Are We Dancer?’ feature interview.
FILM 29
Focus on Film Director Christianne van Wijk, who is making ‘Conscious’ Films.
SOCIETY 6 17 31
Amsterdam DJ Isis talks about the Importance of Love in Today’s World. Jacque Fresco gives us the ‘V’ sign and talks about the Venus Project and the Concept of Love. Losing Your Religion Catherine Buckell talks about God.
ART 16 34 39
Voller’s Art and Poetry. Voller’s PlayShops Games, Painting, Yoga and Massage to support the Transformation Process. Voller’s Art Piece ‘Freedom’.
Colofon: Front Cover photo – DJ Isis being painted by Richard Voller Editor-In-Chief: Richard Voller Creative Director: Annemarieke Moes Interviews & writing: Richard Voller Photography: Carsten “Lumière” Sasse, Annemarieke Moes Email: Richard.voller@gmail.com http://issuu.com/the_bondclub
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So this issue is dedicated to pioneers of Human Evolution in our time: DJ Isis the Night Mayor of Amsterdam talks about divine love; Conny Janssen the Queen of Contemporary Dance as seen on the hit Dutch television show ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’ discusses her powerful creative process; Robert Jendayi Quantum Realist explains what it is like to be in ZONE; The Lost Children of Babylon spiritual rap group talk about there new album ‘Spirit of the Age’; Jacque Fresco opens up about love and The Venus Project; and Joop Teggelove Reiki Alliance Master tells how the world will be shadowed in 72 hours of darkness come 2012.
Dear Loved Ones, This is the 4th issue of BondingXperience. I have to admit that things are changing at such a rapid rate, that it is quite difficult to remember the person you were only a couple of weeks ago. I remember seeing a video on You Tube in 2008 by a chap called Ian Xel Lungold about the Mayan calendar and the run up to 2012. According to this video, we are now moving from the Galactic Cycle to the Universal Co-Creation Cycle and we will experience more creation than ever before. It all seemed very far-fetched and a little bit out of this world at the time, but the amazing thing is that everyday it seems to make more and more sense! The ancients had an understanding and belief in the Universe and how to converse with it in order to manifest their dreams into reality. The basis is LOVE. From this high vibration frequency, you call the Universal Laws into existence and slowly everything falls into place. When you get the hang of it, things can move very fast indeed! It really is quite amazing! And the more I believe, the more I am being tested to see that I can break through the karmic cycles I have endured for many lifetimes and actually start creating my own destiny with my loved ones and my beloved, dearest Annemarieke. So this issue is dedicated to pioneers of human evolution, people who are the driving force of transformation in their life and their work. They understand the idea that DJ Tiesto coined: “Just Be”.
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On Saturday 20th November 2010, the manifestation ‘Netherlands Screams for Culture’ took place in the Netherlands. One hundred thousand people took to the streets, getting together, as a unified force to protest about how the new Dutch government is drastically cutting the ‘Arts’ and culture budgets, which is an attack on the very nature of human beings. As more people become empowered and start to love themselves, more of us start to become aware that these protests are only the beginning! As Depeche Mode once sang, you are your own ‘Personal Jesus’, but we no longer have to suffer. In this lifetime we can put ourselves first and then give to others. This is not Selfish, it is putting your Self-First; when your cup is full you can then give to others and unconditional love flows naturally. When I open my eyes, I realize I do have a Soul and I have my own star, as we all do. And when pure love overflows from our hearts, it is our ‘Star’ that shines so bright within us. For when we allow our imagination to run free, we start to believe that we can do anything and we can create Heaven on Earth! So now is the most important time that we support the ‘Arts’ with our hearts and Souls! Love & Light, Richard Voller Editor-in-Chief BondingXperience Enjoy the Love Beat from DJ Dimitri Deman: http://soundcloud.com/d-mi3/the-love-the-sun-the-people-sunrise-housesessions-november-2010-part2
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In this special section we take a brief look at ‘green and sustainable’ things that are popping up around the world. Our lives are getting better, because the power is in the hands of the consumer.
Green Driving Stylish cars with reduced emissions As consumers take on more responsibility for the environment, electric cars become more desirable. The cool new word to know is ‘EV’ (Electrical Vehicle). And as carmakers are scrambling to bring out their all-new EV’s, Tesla is way ahead of the market with their 4th version of the pioneering Roadster. By the end of 2010, there will be at least three types of EV’s arriving at the showrooms. These cars are powered by batteries: instead of going to the petrol pump, you plug them into the wall – preferably a 220 Volt line like your dryer. These vehicles have almost no emissions and their CO2 footprints have been drastically reduced compared with their internal combustion competitors. And these are real cars that you can live with – all the usual features, roomy and motorway capable. In fact electric motors produce lots of torque, so even those with poor horsepower can have a fast acceleration.
In the next few years… Nissan Leaf (2010), Ford Focus Electric (2011), Mitsubishi-Miev (2011), Audi E-Tron (2012), Fiat 500 EV (2012), SMART FORTWO Electric Drive (2012), Toyota RAV4 EV (2012), Volkswagen (2013), Fisker Automotive Project Nina (2013), Mercedes-Benz- SLS AMG ‘Gullwing’ E-Cell (2013) and many more…
Green Living Utilize Natural & Eco-Friendly Materials Green home building, or natural building, utilizes natural and ecofriendly materials instead of man-made construction materials. Products that do not require considerable energy to manufacture or transport also qualify as green home building materials. The main tenet of this practice is to use building techniques that do not further contribute to the pollution of the environment, or use more resources than are absolutely necessary. http://www.scienceline.eu/tag/natural-building
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All Photographs by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse
X-clusive
Amsterdam DJ with Divine Feelings Above: Richard Voller and DJ Isis, after having her heart chakra painted on the streets of Amsterdam. In this issue of BondingXperience we continue our love affair with DJ Isis, one of world’s top 10 female dance techno DJ's who also happens to be the Night Mayor of Amsterdam, supporting the arts. I recently had the great privilege to paint Isis’ heart chakra and got to interview her about her view on Love and why it is so important in the world today. Richard: I went to India for three months and it totally changed my life. Isis: “I did the same thing 5 years ago. Just for the experience, right? I actually found out that I have a really nice home whilst being away [we laugh]. I was just fed up with the same situation, having lived the same life for 10 years in a row and not knowing what was going on in the other side of the city. Everybody just comes to your place and you don’t have to go anywhere. We call it the ‘Canal Belt Syndrome’, which means that everything else is far away if you live within the canal belt.”
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“This thing got a hold of me and I though I needed to break out. To break free! [She suddenly pushes her hands up in the air]. So basically, I asked friends of mine to look after my home whilst I traveled. I went back into my home every now and then, but not on a constant basis. I literary lived in anti-squat places and my boyfriend’s home. This way I was learning a lot about the world, whilst looking at the world from another perspective.” Like the idea of Buddha then? “Yes, learning to live without anything. And I found out that everything you need is there! Everything you need is coming to you. You don’t need to be desperate. If you are desperate, it might not come to you. But if you have a positive vibe and open mind, together with a respectful attitude, then you are going to get everywhere you want in life.”
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I completely agree with you. As soon as I gave up everything, the whole world opened up to me. Someone said to me: “The truth is that you are supported by All that Is”, that is basically it. “Exactly. As soon as you open that door, it’s there for you. If you love something a lot or if your focus on it, it will resonate with you. That is the law of attraction basically. And that’s a good thing actually. Having nothing made me a very rich person.” Rich inside? “Yes”
“Yes, true. It is very easy to judge people by the outside. Everyone can see it instantly. It takes a lot more effort to go under the skin of a person and find out whom he or she really is. Now I think this, because there are so many impressions that we get as people, especially living in the city (loads of people, traffic, heavy competition and little nature). All these impressions scare people away from each other, because they get so many things put in their faces. They prefer to keep their mind tidy, by categorizing people by look, because it is easier and more safe they assume. I am quite sure the biggest crooks wear suits, you know what I mean?” [and we both laugh again]. Yep! “It’s simple, but I guess a satisfying means of keeping some structure in people for those who are not willing to go into the depths. By keeping it simple and superficial, it keeps life conveniently arranged.” So do you think our environment has an effect on us? “Well, it’s no coincidence that children of Muslims become Muslims, just like children of Christians become Christians. Yes, of course the environment that you are brought up in has an effect on you. When you realize that ‘All is One’, then Holism would be the ideal religion in ‘true religion' (religion meaning reflecting your existence in the greater unity).” The ancients believed that people used to be aware of a total infinite consciousness and we experienced life as being God in Richard and you being God in Isis through our five senses. Do you think this viewpoint is coming back into the world again? “Yes, it should. It makes the circle round.” Yes, I realize that there is ‘I’ in you. And you are also in ‘me’. So in that sense, I shouldn’t be fighting with you. Because I am only fighting with me!
Above: DJ Isis in her Amsterdam home.
“People think I have a lot of things, but that’s because I get given lots of things. I don’t own a car or a house, they are rented. I never collected enough money in a way to buy a home. I always give it away because I need just a little myself.”
“There are roughly two types of people. There are those ones who always feel best for others; they will try to improve themselves by accelerating above their earlier achievements. Other people do not feel the best for others, so they will try to push them down in order to seem better, but in reality they haven’t grown at all, they just pushed somebody else down.”
I think that a lot of people are living in a material world and thinking: “I need this car to show people who I am.” What do you think?
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What does love mean to you? “Coming from Holism, I see entities and the planet itself, everything that is on it as part of the greater wholeness. So some people call that God, I believe. And to me that is what God is all about. And coming from that perspective, you can try to destroy God’s work, for instance NATURE [she gives me a sharp look], or you can love other living creatures and creations of nature as being part of you, because you are part of the bigger wholeness. And once you see this and you are able to give love without expecting anything in return, because that is the difference between conditional love and unconditional love, then a whole new world opens up.” “And I thought this was the normal world! My parents raised me like this, so I was so confused when I grew up to find out about other people’s conditional love. It really hurt me. It taught me that I need to express myself way better for people to understand me, because if I said something they would not directly understand, they would be … hang on … can’t think of the English word…” DJ Isis being interviewed by Richard Voller
“This is what is happening a lot in commercial activities. And the worst thing is that it is seen as an achievement to do it. I think this is horrible. We need to change this quickly. I think it is really bad if we keep thinking of everyone as competitors. Because there is only one competitor in you life, and that is you.” Yes, because you always want to be a winner! “Yes, you have to win for your own standards. You have to keep on growing. This is the only true growth you can obtain in this world. The other is just fake! It is imaginary and evil too, I think.” Yes, the imaginary world keeps people enslaved. “Yeah, true. But what if the imagination becomes reality? So that is also an option.” “I think that our world is consciously still like an infant child, but we all have these possibilities. It’s like giving an infant a bazooka and saying have fun!” “We are not in harmony with our inner selves and our outer selves. That is what is lacking in the world and also an imbalance between male and female. I do think there could be some more motherly love in politics for instance.”
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“It is ‘Gereserveerd’ … so do you know what that means?” Sorry, don’t have a clue! Maybe reservations? [She reaches for her dictionary.] “Mmmm…. Let me look… reserved behaviour. That’s it! They’re used to other people abusing their integrity… or they [she reaches for her dictionary again]… or they mistrust each other because they are already traumatized in a certain way or they are not convinced by the power of love at all. Not in the way that you are.” [she looks straight into my eyes.] “So to communicate with those people, wow, that’s difficult. For instance, when you give a lot of love to those people and they misunderstand it for something completely different because of how they have been raised. Wow! It shook up my world, realizing that people were not the way I thought they would be.” “And now, all I can do, is share my spirit with the world in order to show that there is an alternative. I believe that people won’t change until they see a better alternative. I see it as my duty to share this information, because I become a happier person if I can light up somebody’s life. I think that there is no greater thing than to promote love!” Brilliant! I think so too! This is it then. Thank you for being so open and I love you very much.
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X-clusive!
These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For... Exclusive interview with American rap group ‘The Lost Children Of Babylon’
I remember hearing a terrible rendition of rap song on ‘YouTube’ about the Venus Project earlier this year; even the singer had written a statement saying that he was aware how awful his singing was and to please ignore it. He was trying to find a new medium for sharing an important message with the world. Anyway, I remember wishing that one day a real rap group would make music about the Venus Project. And then, as if by magic, one day it happened! I was contacted by Heather Odom about the Lost Children Of Babylon (LCOB) and their forthcoming album ‘Zeitgeist: The Spirit Of The Age’; it is about the Venus Project. After a few months of hot pursuit on the heels of LCOB, I finally managed to connect with Cosmic Crusader and Rasul Allah to uncover this exclusive BondingXperience story. This is it!
THE INTERVIEW: Richard: Hi guys, so tell me, when was Lost Children Of Babylon formed? Cosmic Crusader: “LCOB began as a vision manifested by Our Founder, Rasul Allah between 1995 and 1997. After appearing on ‘Jedi Mind Tricks'’Amber Probe Ep, Rasul brought together likeminded Emcees to create music largely based around concepts highlighted by the teachings of Dr. Malachi Z. York.” And was there a cause behind this formation? Cosmic Crusader: “Yes, there was. Much like the European Freemasons who banded together to escape persecution for their true beliefs, so we formed an Alliance to protect what we value as a true artistic expression of our beliefs amidst the Heathenism Of Popular Modern Rap.”
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Above: The Lost Children of Babylon spiritual rap group.
“The group's original incarnation consisted of Rasul Allah, Breath Of Judah, Ancient Kemet, Richard Raw And Cosmic Crusader. Along With DJ Man-E, this is the Crew who recorded the debut album ‘The Equidivum: Where Light Was Created’, originally released in 2001. Since then, we've adopted new members, like Atun Sen Geb, Amun Sen Hotep Re, and most recently Jon Murdock and Lex Starwind of Foundation.” OK, so the group is growing and evolving, great! On a personal note, Rasul, what has music brought into your life?
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Rasul Allah: “Music is a vibration that taps into higher planes of awareness. Music brings a glimpse of an existence beyond the material realm. From the beginning of time, teachers have harnessed the power of music to help their students climb the ladder of consciousness.” And how would you like to inspire the music industry through your music? Rasul Allah: “The word ‘industry’ is defined as an ‘economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and the manufacturing of goods in factories’. As followers of the Venus Project, we understand that the music industry is doomed to fail in the long run. However, we do hope to inspire our fans to search for truth in all things and to reach beyond what is handed to them in the interest of obtaining something more valuable than physical wealth.”
Cosmic Crusader: “We say do not succumb to The Darkness which surrounds you. As a whole, we can create a new day just as the sun rises and obliterates the night. It’s up to us as a race to rise above ourselves and conquer the outdated ways of selfishness and greed.” What does 2012 mean to LCOB? Rasul Allah: “The End Of An Age.” What is LCOB's point of view on the Venus Project? Rasul Allah: “The imaginative glimmers that Jacque Fresco has given us all, are truly powerful. It seems so natural and intuitive to head in the direction of a Resource Based Economy. All the signs currently staring us in the face, clearly show that the modes of power that have been allowed to operate for far too long are Not Sustainable. As a people, there is no limit to what we can achieve if we adopt the basic premises of The Venus Project.”
So you mention that you are followers of The Venus Project, so why did you decide to create music that supported this?
Do you think that the people of the world are willing to give up a Monetary Based System and replace it with a Resource Based Economy? If so, why?
Cosmic Crusader: “Well we clearly see that the current path of material culture will lead humanity into ruin. We believe in the vision of The Venus Project and want to help others realize that vision.”
Rasul Allah: “Generally speaking, the majority of people in the world have little to no money as it is and therefore would most likely not argue if they were told that their basic needs for energy could be provided for ‘free’. Moreover, it is the rulers of the world who are not prepared to abandon their greed for currency.”
So how has it been received compared to your previous albums? Cosmic Crusader: “The album hasn’t actually been released yet, though eight songs were leaked throughout the internet. The response is overwhelmingly positive! It seems many people were craving anthems promoting solutions to the woes of the modern era.” So how does LCOB translate spirituality into music? Cosmic Crusader: “We tell the tale that has been told for ages, that of the Mystic - we just choose to use music as our medium. It’s important that the tale be available for those with ears to hear, that they may do so.” The song ‘The Venus Project’, opens with “We are the sunshine, we are the Light, elevate your mind” ... What message are you trying to convey with these lyrics? Rasul Allah: “Light is the creative force of the Universe - without it, all would be dark. Light moves. We are urging people to unleash the creative force within them, this is the inner Deity.” It then goes on to say: “It’s our time to rise” … What do you mean by this?
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Do you think that the power elite will ever allow such change to take place in the world? Cosmic Crusader: “The easy answer would be ‘No’, but it’s difficult to predict what will happen in the future. One of our fundamental problems as Human Beings is our tendency to view earthly power and authority as above and beyond ourselves. Once we fully grasp that the ability to change lies within each and every one of us, we will be heading in the right direction. Much as Lovelock suggests with The Gaia Principle, we are one huge organism in which The Power Elite is a minority virus – it’s time for us to purge the disease.” I believe that ‘Divide & Conquer’ will be replaced by ‘Love & Light’. What does ‘Love and Light’ mean to LCOB? Cosmic Crusader: “As we said earlier, Light is Creative Force Of The Universe and Love is nurturing component which allows life to thrive procreate. Both are essential to our existence on plane.”
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So how has your spiritual path transformed your life? Cosmic Crusader: “Our spiritual paths transcend the boundaries of this ‘Life’. We have chosen to be vessels for The Spoken Word and have chosen to support each other's creativity in doing so. When each of us assumed 10
the role of The Messenger, we turned to face the only vanishing point there has ever been. Earthly events pale in comparison to those of celestial and existential Nature.” OK! And how are you helping your fans learn more about living from their hearts? Rasul Allah: “By helping them abandon earthly treasures in exchange for esoteric ones. We hope that our listeners are inspired to place more value on what the heart is capable of than the wallet.” Love it! So what role is LCOB playing as part of the global ‘Awakening’ Consciousness that is currently taking place? Rasul Allah: “We play the role of The Catalyst, carrying the torch of ancient consciousness, igniting the minds and spirits of the people who are ready for positive change.”
Details about the ‘Spirit of the Age’ album release: Music videos from ‘Spirit of the Age’ album (linking to the Venus Project) are being planned for completion by this Autumn (Fall). LCOB are planning to leverage ‘YouTube’, the second largest search engine in the world, to reach the masses.
And what message would like to give our BondingXperience readers? Rasul Allah: “To wake up and be aware of The Global Agenda at play today. To realize that we hold the majority and it’s up to us to make a difference in the world. To harness your personal power and to influence your realm of existence to facilitate change.” Cosmic Crusader: “Don’t hesitate and never doubt yourself or underestimate what you and your brothers and sisters are capable of!!” WoW! So what dream are your trying to create in the world through your music? Rasul Allah: “Not so much a dream, but a reality of self-awareness and harmony among all people.” OK Rasul and Cosmic Crusader, I just want to thank you very much for your time and I’m looking forward to meeting you on your European Tour. Maybe one day I get to paint your heart chakras as well... Because the Love & the Light is certainly shining from LCOB!
European Tour Plans The LCOB are currently working with the Snow Goons to setup a European Tour, something they have wanted to do for a long time. For more information please visit: http://www.myspace.com/thelostchildrenofbabylon And http://www.lcobproductions.com
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X-clusive
Above: Robert Jendayi at One with Nature.
All Photographs by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse.
Being in the Zone Exclusive interview with Robert Jendayi We arrive at the station near Nunspeet and wait to meet Robert Jendayi, a Dutch Producer, Quantum Realist and ‘Light Worker’ for lack of a better expression. Robert was formerly an employee of the Frontier Sciences Foundation and Frontier magazine in Holland. Robert is a tall, striking looking man with a shaven head, holding a staff in his left hand. He has the air of an ancient Soul reincarnated and ready for his final mission. He takes us into town and we do the interview in the open air at an Italian Ice cream salon. Funnily, it serves the same special coffee brand that Carsten shared with a friend in Greece. We feel many synchronicities.
THE INTERVIEW: Robert: “My life slogan is: “Spreading love and Touching People.” Richard: How do you know when you are on track?”
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Robert: “I have this really amazing feeling inside that I can’t really describe in earthly terms or words. I just know. I am just in the flow. Sports professionals and musicians have this feeling. It’s called being in the ZONE. It applies to life.”
“In life you can aim to be in the ZONE all the time, but of course you will drop out of it once in a while, this is only human. But it is very obtainable in every moment.” How does it feel, being in the ZONE? 12
What exactly do you mean by Plutopian vision? “A ‘perfect’ society of empowered individuals who express their uniqueness and passion to benefit the whole, many visions brought together, unity through diversity, instead of the utopian worldview where all people gather under one vision. The latter seems a bit narrow minded to me.” Utopia = New World Order
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“For me it is a slightly tingling feeling, I feel like my whole heart chakra area is pumping. I feel shivers going up and down my spine. Just the sheer peace of mind that comes over me, almost like a Zen Buddhist. Then you know that when all the turmoil inside you stops, you've made the decision, and then you know you are on the right track (and Robert clicks his fingers!). This is my frame reference anyway.”
Robert: “One vanilla ice and one mocha.”
New World Harmony
Carsten: “If you drink this in Athens, it’s even better!”
What is the difference between a tribe and an organization?
Richard: “But then, when you were drinking this in Athens, I would say you were in the Zone (we all laugh). When you are in the Zone, everything is completely different.”
So why the shaven head?
Richard: “I feel that when I am in the ZONE, it feels like this flow of Divine Energy or something. When you are in that flow and you look around, music will start playing that you love and everything starts to connect with you.”
“An organization holds it’s roots in what I would like to call the Matrix from Babylon to deal with all those rules. A tribe, this is just an entity of connected human beings that use the internet to spread messages and come together in a non-commercial informal gathering to heal themselves and also in the same process to heal the Earth. To give love to it and come into contact with new ways of looking at things, of experiencing things and where people can share their talents.”
“I did lots of parties and raves back in the 90's, I used to be a real raver. I suppose I needed that phase in my life to realize stuff. Later it was more of a tribute to the Tibetan and Zen monks in the Far East. I feel very connected to the Shaolin monks, Buddhism and Zen, and I feel very much empowered when I shave my head. I have had it shaved for over thirteen years now and it is part of my ‘persona’. A ‘trade mark’ if you will.” Richard: Great coffee! Robert: “There's a secret.” Richard: What is it?
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Robert: “It enhance the experience amazingly.”
Robert: “Yes, I feel this with the ‘Tribe of Many Colours Movement’ that I am currently involved with.” Is this how you setup your event? “Yes, this is the Dutch branch of the worldwide movement. It is about becoming one people, but not through the Utopian new worldwide order vision, but a Plutonian vision. Utopia is still one vision, but Plutopia is everybody's vision. That is something I would like to help manifest into the world.”
Like? “Some people have very amazing healing abilities, but will never open a practice for themselves, even though they would love to offer it! At gatherings like this, we have music, healthy food, people offering massages, Reiki, tarot and so forth, for the whole spectrum of human psychology, so you can connect the dots of all this specialization that has been going on.” 13
So you are offering an open platform for a bonding experience at your events? “Yes, because many people have this closed outlook on life. If you only go to parties, you miss a very nice bit of wellness experience that can really help you enjoy your partying with less dependence on artificial stuff to get you into a certain mood. The more you are connected with frequencies by people, with love, you only need yourself to be in that ZONE that we were talking about earlier. I've really seen people open up at these parties, in a way I didn’t see before, because they are completely accepted.”
The Message from Little Grandmother “The big message from ‘Little Grandmother’ is to accept every one and see their struggle. You can't judge a poor homeless guy on the streets, who is drunk all the time. What type of traumas has he experienced before? How did he get there?” “I am on a very spiritual, metaphysical path, but I am still dependent on a bit of tobacco and sometimes I really enjoy the ‘Santa Maria’. But you should not be to hard on yourself.” “And allow yourself the gradual detachment of these earthly things and not force yourself. The Buddhist monks say, the worst thing you can do is go cold turkey because your system has been trained into it. Just open up, let there be a possibility to let go, and you feel it slowly saying goodbye to you.”
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This is nice because a lot of people who are on their spiritual journey, want to become a pure being. I have to let this and that go to become pure, and I have to do it at break neck speed, and that causes a lot of problems with the transformation, don’t you think? “Yes, some people come to a complete halt. I look at myself. OK spiritual life; no more smoking, no more drinking, no more this or that. Within two months I was miserable. It is a big challenge in my opinion and my experience here on Earth is to integrate all these things. Not to assimilate, because with assimilation you just become part of something, like Star Trek’s villains ‘The Borg’ would say: “Prepare to be assimilated, resistance is futile.” And they want you to become part of this hive mind without any individuality whatsoever. Whereas with integration, you become part of the bigger whole, but you keep your individuality, the same thing as with the multi-levels of your Being. Everybody has a ‘naughty’ girl or boy within him or her; everybody has a saint inside as well, we are all very much alike in this way. If you can identify those different aspects of yourself, communicate with those ‘separate parts’ of your being and allow them their expression, at least within you and without harming others of course, accepting your ‘schizophrenia’, if you will (everybody has more than one ‘voice’ in their head and that’s not a bad thing, you’re not crazy, trust me) then you become a whole being. It is as simple as putting them together at a chessboard and allowing them to play as a team by using their individual strengths. for the game sake and the fun of it, not the sake of winning.” “We are multileveled and interdimensional beings, and non acceptance of this and forcing yourself to maintain a singular expression or ‘personality’ within this life (especially if copied from a
role model) can lead to madness/ dementia, and to depression and periods of very sad inner dialogue of all the voices trying to make sense of the state you’re in.. Trust me, you don’t want that, life is meant to be fun too! So just enjoy the experience basically? “Yes, don’t beat yourself up over it. You have a set of genes, DNA, and also parental and cultural programming. It is your choice what to do with it. Nobody out there is going to judge you on what you did, because that would be silly. It makes no sense that there will be something at the end of life to judge you. A review and some advice perhaps, but no judgment.” So many people want to be judged, don’t they? “Yes, look at scientists. The whole science community wants to be judged by their peers who are their gods that decide their fates. They are waiting to judge them on what they are bringing out into the world.” Carsten: “It’s all creating fear!” Richard: “Again, it is creating the illusion as a wall to freedom. How do you break through to this freedom?” Robert: “A lot of mushrooms!!!!! Hahahahaha. I have to be honest about that, it really opened my mind. It has been an intense Shamanic journey for me. I have been to the edges of the cosmos and back. I've seen things inside and outside myself. I have been in people's heads literary, where I could see their distorted view of life. Once I was in the head of a heroin junkie. I was sitting next to him and all of a sudden I was sucked into this Hell raiser scenario. His mind was this pillar of distorted bodies!”
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“I was completely shocked that a form of life, a form of this type of consciousness can exist and maintain itself was amazing to me. It was a very amazing and life changing moment for me as I realized that there are people who are living in such pain. Living in complete horror in there own, inner worlds. That was also a big part of my transforming. The acceptance of darkness. Mind you, there are many ways to reach these states of consciousness besides using mushrooms and is not (yet) recommended for everyone to just dive into, exploring your own shadow can be a very unsettling and scary experience and turn your life inside out, so make sure you are properly prepared before doing so.” What would you describe ‘darkness’ as? “Everything you don’t want to look at. Our shadow, if you will, I don’t want to label it too much. The night is also a beautiful thing, yet, it is still darkness. Since the dawn of time people celebrate in the darkness and dance in the night. Why is that? Because there is beauty in there. There is a mystical, magical thing about it, it’s a place where our light can be seen extra clear. I would prefer to call it Light and Heavy, because what people experience as darkness is what they experience as something being very heavy. It is holding them back, so it is not necessarily a negative or evil thing. But it definitely is heavy. To allow it, broadens your horizon and gives you more tools to interact with this ‘virtual’ reality at the same time.”
FREEDOM One thing that I am learning now, is that the more perspectives you get on the reality, the more your view broadened. You expand yourself to see more. What is your view on the 5th dimension? “To be honest, I see the 5th dimension just as a bigger cage. This whole ascension story that is going on, where people want to ascend to this 5th dimension, I really don't have much affinity with it. I would say that the 5th dimension is a gate that leads to even greater consciousness and is not something you should remain in, it’s a tunnel, a gateway to freedom, don’t stay in that tunnel!!! I do appreciate the amount of people it inspires to broaden their horizons and I love that people move beyond that vision. Don’t just blindly trust all that stuff and don’t get to distracted by Angelic beings and ascended masters, it is beautiful they are among us, but don’t turn this phenomenon in the base for your reality.” “Of course it feels good, loving and warm. On Earth we have been devoid of many expressions of love due to our society’s structure, so when a loving guide or angel appears before us we are overwhelmed by their love and immediately put all our trust and faith in them. This is a dangerous trap and could lead to many dramas when the spirit has moved on, most people tend to fall in a gap after such an experience.”
Equals, not Gurus or Masters “When you use a more academic approach to this ‘new age’ information and that’s what a lot of spiritual people refuse to do, it’s like they abandon their logical reasoning, you start to see patterns that are normally clouded by that burst of love, you see the deeper meaning of
their visit, they are our equals and not our guru’s or masters.” “I prefer to integrate that logical side of me. When I see a lecture by David Alan Wolfe about Quantum Physics, it helps me to understand a piece of esoteric knowledge I have come across that I didn’t understand yet. You can feel the significance of certain things with your intuition and go with the flow of the ‘river of life’ and let it guide you, but the moment you understand it with your logical mind, you master it and you can start riding the wave instead of merely going along with it. These times ask for conscious cocreators, and invite each of us to become the architects of a new paradigm. Using and combining your infinite intuition with the power of your logical intellect is the key.” “A lot of people in the spiritual realm or in the new age field, are going completely into the intuitive side and seeing all these signals in life and they follow them, these chains of events are beautiful and empowering to a degree. Yet there is always a form of decline once the experience has past, few people realize architect of life, you also need to know the basic structure and dynamics of how to build something. Your left-brain needs to know about sacred geometry, certain math, frequencies and dimensions. For someone who is combing logic with intuition these fields of knowledge are easily accessed and easy to comprehend; no real study is required, just a complete observance. Just another way of saying what being a spiritual being really means.” Thank you Robert, I think we have found the answer for living in the ZONE.
For more information, you can visit Robert Jendayi’s website: www.jendayi.nl
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‘Divine Trinity’, hand-painted by Richard Voller (2010)
The Missing Glove One day I found a glove, A colourful glove, Very warm and protective. I offered it to many friends, But no one wanted it. I couldn't understand why? Then freedom came my way. Again I offered the glove, but now with love. And wow what a surprise, within no time at all, Both my hands were warm and snug. For I had found the missing glove. *** Written by Richard Voller (Feb 2010) Buy his Poetry Book: https://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/love-poems-from-source-february-2010/6419759
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All Photographs by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse
X-clusive!
Photographs by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse
Jacque Fresco gives us the ‘V’ sign! Interview with Jacque Fresco and Roxanne Meadows, co-founders of The Venus Project. This was a monumental day in my life; I am going from one leap of faith to another. The more I experience freedom and share it with you, the faster and higher we all climb. I recently had a private meeting with Jacque Fresco and Roxanne Meadows at the International Centre of Sustainable Excellence in Eindhoven to learn more about the Venus Project and help them promote their Lecture Tour in the Netherlands. Jacque Fresco is a 94-year-old social engineer, who could easily pass for a 60 year old. Jacque lived through the Great Depression of the 1920’s and was inspired to make sure that it never happened again. So with Roxanne by his side, over the past 35 years he has dedicated his life to the Venus Project. But it was not until 2008, and the creation of the highly successful online documentary directed by Peter Joseph ‘Zeitgeist Addendum’, that things really started to fly. Now Jacque and Roxanne are on a global mission; holding lectures in key countries throughout the world and spreading the good news. But time is running out. Within me, I heard them calling and asking for my help. I answered. What struck me most about Jacque and Roxanne was their compassion. They are two passionate, open and loving people. They really care about humanity. They have vital and important information to share with us, to help us reach our full potential. This is it folks!
THE INTERVIEW: So what is the Venus Project all about? Jacque: “With the Venus Project we bring all nations together and take care of everything on earth, we pledge allegiance to the environment and all the world’s people. The end of separate nations, the end of artificial boundaries that separate people, a sharing of all the world’s resources by all the world’s people.
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Anything less than that will create the same problems over and over again.” “We have to maintain a population within the carrying capacity of the earth. We are proposing the intelligent management of the earth’s resources for the benefit of all the world’s people.” 17
A REAL ALTERNATIVE? Our children are our future, but they feel that the older generations have made a big mess of things. Why should they trust and listen to a 94 year old man? Roxanne: “Jacque is talking sense. Although many people complain about the state of human affairs, no one is suggesting a possible alternative. They try to fix thing within the establish systems that cause the problems in the first place.” Jacque: “No new system came in smoothly, man is the dumbest animal. He pollutes the air, rivers, the atmosphere and people. Man has put himself on a pedestal and said we are the highest point of life. That is an ego trip. We are not civilized yet. As long as we have prisons, police, armies and navies, we are not civilized.” “Until the world starts to live together constructively, then we will be in the beginning of a scientific age. We are not there yet.” “I am afraid of the direction that man is taking. We have bombs now that are a thousand times greater than the one that was dropped on Hiroshima. How stupid can that be! What can we accomplish with that? A burned out, radioactive planet. You won the war!” “It is much better to bring nations of the world together, not to kill those who do not agree with you.” “If I took every soldier, I would educate him to become a problem solver, not a killing machine. Man is stupid, but only because he has not been educated properly!” This sounds like communism, is it? Jacque: “Communism has war machines, prisons, money and banks. The Venus Project does not have any of these. There is nothing in common. We are proposing a social system that benefits the people with fair distribution of goods without money, servitude, trade, barter or taxation.” So what is wrong with society today? Jacque: “The system creates corruption, exploitation, separation and scarcity. The public thinks that they are in control, but in a monetary system everything is controlled by the corporations and the power elite. Politics was great 100 years ago, but today it is obsolete. All governments throughout history are corrupt.”
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Well many people say that the elite will never give up their power, so things will never change. What do you think? Jacque: “All over the world banks and financial institutions have failed, but who bailed them out? We did. We bailed them out with our public funds. So it was not about the elite not giving up their power. It is up to us to make a choice to continue to support this corrupt system and continue being shafted. Or do we take personal responsibility for our future? Do you understand me?” “If few nations control most of the earth’s resources, then you are going to have territorial disputes, going to have war and all the problems we have always had. That is why people think it is human nature. They think that man is basically greedy. And they think that this is why we have problems. This is rubbish!” “A gangster, a serial killer, a banker and a priest are made by the environment. It’s the environment that we come from that generates our human behaviour. We are victims of culture, and that is why we have a distorted view. We believe that some are good and others are bad, that some are creative and others less creative. That is BS (Bad Science)! Everyone can be creative!”
ALL CIVILISATIONS ARE ESTABLISHED TO KEEP THE POWER IN PLACE But this goes against what we have been taught throughout our lives. Jacque: “Yes, it does. All the things that you have been taught, teach you to fit in with this culture. All civilizations are established on the basis that they keep those in power, that where in power, so they still run the show.” “You think within the context of the way you were brought up. It’s very hard for so called ‘normal people’ to think outside of the box, to step outside of their environment.” “But in the future, you will be raised in a society that understands human behaviour so you do not have all these variations. Through the direction of the Venus Project you can receive the education to live constructively together. We will move from an Established society (which serves the interests of the leading, controlling group) to an Emergence Society. With this there is no Utopia and nothing is fixed. In this society there are no great men or women, rather all people are creative and able to achieve their highest potential.”
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So how do we get to an Emergence Society? Jacque: “The Venus Project is proposing a new direction for humankind where the shared resources of the earth are available to everyone without a price tag. We have researched human behaviour and set out plans for how humanity can constructively live together with the intelligent management of earth’s resources to benefit everyone.” OK, what does this mean if I want to buy a cheese sandwich? There is no money, so how do I buy it? Roxanne: “In the future there will be communal eating places where food is freely available for everyone. You can if you wish make your own cheese sandwich at home, but this is not an efficient way to manage your time, because there will be so many exciting options to choose from, that having to cook everyday will probably something one would not want to continue doing.”
Roxanne: “The Venus Project is about taking care of our planet and fellow human beings.” “As you know, politicians are there to perpetuate the established systems and serve those in positions of differential advantage at the cost of many and the environment. They are not there to serve the needs of majority of the people. Many people are searching for spirituality but sadly in today’s world this can only be a verbal hobby. The Venus project is the closest thing to putting the ideals of spirituality into a working reality. I don’t know how much more spiritual one could get than helping to create a world with no war, hunger, poverty, homelessness, and unnecessary human suffering. So Yes, The Venus Project is spiritual.”
Great! So how can everybody help with the transition process? Roxanne: “You have to get involved. Visit our website www.thevenusproject.com/ and download free information and films. We also have a web store where you can get other books and videos. If you identify with this direction, join The Zeitgeist Movement www.thezeitgeistmovement.com , which is the activist arm of The Venus Project. Here you will find many chapters throughout the world, various activities to participate in, and meet others of like mind. To go to a Resource Based economy is a giant step. What happens in between? Jacque: “Yes first one must acquire considerable information about the direction of the Venus Project. No new system came in smoothly. But we do have the knowledge to help you get there. There is no doubt the transition will be difficult. With world economic systems on the downturn this is the time to get the information out there. How soon this will happen depends on the effort people put forth to help bring it about.” “Unfortunately for many people it may take economic and social hardship before people begin to look for other alternatives. Things have to get really bad before people finally realize that things have to change. The system will break down; it is only a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’. So it really is best to be as prepared as you can and know which direction to take – The Venus Project.”
Above: Jacque Fresco and Roxanne Meadows in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
JACQUE ON THE CONCEPT OF LOVE So what does love mean to you? Jacque: “The concept of Love can often confuse and hurt people. Often people are looking for ‘unconditional love’. But Love is not a fixed thing. For instance do you Love everything you’ve ever done? I’ve never gotten a yes to this question. So sometimes you love yourself, sometimes you don’t. If you lived with a replica of yourself, how long do you think you would be together? This is the same thing when you take on a partner. You don’t love everything about them. Sometimes you love them, sometimes not as much; sometimes you wonder how you ever got in this situation. When we understand this, we can better understand what we may love about others and what we do not identify with. It is when we are looking for a fixed notion and absolutes with the term ‘love’ that we often get confused when we don’t find it. This is an honest evaluation the meaning of Love.”
So are things going to get really tough, before they get better? Is this why more people are choosing love over fear? And why spirituality is increasing?
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All Photographs by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse
Are We Human or Are We Dancer?
X-clusive!
Interview with ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ choreographer, Conny Janssen In this feature interview, BondingXperience speaks to three dance choreographers who are all interconnected. First, we speak to Conny Janssen, the Netherlands’ leading choreographer of contemporary dance; and then to Melvin Fraenk, Hip Hop choreographer and one of few urban dancers who got into the School for New Dance Development at the Amsterdam School of Art. And in the next issue we will be speaking to Daniel Renner, who is well known for his ‘Round Corner’ technique.
A Warm Human Welcome As Carsten and I walk into the Conny Janssen dance studios in Rotterdam, Conny’s administrative team of beautiful and happy girls warmly welcomes us. We instantly feel at home. And then the woman herself, the Dutch Queen of Contemporary Dance, Conny Janssen enters the room. She is radiating with positive energy. I crack a joke and the room suddenly fills with laughter. Sitting in Conny’s office, which used to be a classroom, I feel very much at ease as we get to know this remarkable woman and learn about her vision and her life’s work. I explain how we are also interviewing Melvin Fraenk and Daniel Renner, who are inspired by her work.
Conny: “They are inspired by me? Great! I look forward to meeting them! It is nice that when you teach, it is more than just a nice hour. It is that things develop in a way that goes further than just in the moment of what I did.” That is what I like about the BondingXperience, what we do in our lives has a whole knock on effect. Our love opens doors for others, and others through them, and on and on… Conny: “Yes” That is why it is wonderful to inspire others. All these people who we interview, I call them pioneers. Because they are standing with a vision and they are going for it! And they have absolutely nothing around them to hold them in place. They are doing it because they believe in it. They are doing it through dance, music, film, cooking, education, therapy, and all sorts of things. So Conny, please tell me about your journey. How did you become a choreographer?
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In the Beginning…
“It helped me to become richer in my teaching experience and discover why dancing made me feel so free.”
“Actually I never had a wish to be a dancer. It is not about achieving the final result, it is about the process. It was the process that made me become a choreographer.”
This is quite fundamental really, because the richness is within.
What do you mean? “First I started with ballet, as lots of young girls do. It is good for posture, physicality, development, musicality, it was not a decision that was made by me, it was something that my mum did for me. But when I was there, I liked it. After a while, I think when I was in puberty I got curious and I wanted to experiment with other things. I stopped dancing and I learned about classical guitar, classical singing, and I was always very fond of sports. So I was searching around for different things. At 18 years old, I saw a picture of a girl in a ballet school, something inside of me exploded! I had forgotten about it.” You forgot it? “Yes, I was so busy searching for other information, I forgot about dance. When I saw the picture, something came alive in me. I wanted to dance again.”
“Yes, the whole road that I am walking, it is always based on that.” So why did you start choreographing? “I noticed that I found myself trying to understand choreographers, how their mind works and why they make certain choices. The only way to experience it was to take a chance and dive off into the deep end! So I did. I created something. It was performed in the theatre on a very low budget, based on a workshop idea.” How did it feel? “When I was sitting in the audience, after working so hard and seeing everything come together, I really felt very excited and vulnerable at the same time. I felt very naked. I had nowhere to hide, because I was responsible. In every aspect I felt like I was coming home. I felt I should go on with it.”
Do you know what that was? [Conny goes silent for a few moments as she really thinks back about it.] “Yes, difficult, no. I think it had to do with me moving and expressing myself. I didn’t realize it at that moment. I just felt that something inside of me opened up. I had to do ballet again.” Do you think that this had more to do with your Soul? “I think it must have been. Because I don’t know why it was so strong for me that I wanted to dance again. I just reacted instinctively.” Carsten: “You follow your intuition.” Conny: “Yes, you follow your intuition.” And you went on to become a teacher? “Yes, there is something in me that wants to teach others, to guide, to coach. It is something very natural in me.” So what was happening inside of you on your journey? “I had the feeling that I wanted to express who I was in dance. Before I could teach other people, I had to explore myself. On my journey things happened within me, dance opened up doors in me. These closed doors first had to open and then I could become me.”
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Above: Conny Janssen being interviewed by Richard Voller at her dance studios in Rotterdam.
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Like an island, you were going to put all the life onto it?
In the Eye of the Storm It’s beautiful, because when you said: “… it is I”, your hands expressed the feeling from your heart. It really is you! Beautiful! “It is from the heart and you want to share it. So often when I create I am not sure about what it is yet. Because I am in the eye of the storm, it is often that when it is done and I get a little bit of emotional distance that I start to realize what I was doing and then maybe I can also see what I should not have done. That is why it is always important that you go on and try to find the way that fits you the most.” What makes a good performance then? “The performance is the sum of so many choices. If it is going well, then you don’t see the choices any more. Then it just happens. It looks like it just fell down from the sky. Hahahaha. But it’s not!!!! It is manipulated, it is searched for, it is broken and it is turned around…” This is really interesting because I always think that life is like theatre. “Yes, I am somebody who works out of inspiration from so many people. The last performance I created was ‘Common Ground’ and my next one is ‘Zout’ (‘Salt’). I like to work on location because I have to face a completely different reality than being in a big theatre. And because it is a different reality everything that might have become a habit breaks down.”
Dutch Weather…
“Yes. But the difference was that although it was an island, I felt there was still a city living around. That’s what I loved about the performance; I felt the city being alive around it. People talking, shouting and singing, a dog barking and trains passing by.” Yes, because of the football World Cup and people were singing in the streets. Carsten: “It felt like it was part of the performance.” Conny: “Yes, there were moments where it really looked like I had choreographed it! It was coincidence…” But do you believe in coincidence? “I believe that I am open to see it.” What do you mean by that? “Things are happening. Life is going on. We can try to ignore it or we can try to embrace it. And I embrace it! Then if you can react like that, everything that happens is not an enemy, it is enriching the performance. The basic idea of the performance is that people are meeting each other on this common ground, to share something for that moment.” “So they arrive and think, I can get something from the other and the other can get something from me, otherwise I would not come here. And while they do this, they make there own little habitat, while this whole world around them is going on.” “Slowly in the process, I wanted to open up and have more magic, have more fantasy. I wanted it to become more unpredictable and poetical. That is the process of creation, that I start somewhere and then break my first impression loose to become more free.”
‘Common Ground’ was on top of a railway station in Rotterdam, so how did that inspiration come? “I love to place dance in a different context, where the location becomes the stage. Thomas Rupert, the Stage Designer, showed me this place. It was such a weird experience because we were standing on the roof of a railway station, it is in the heart of a city, and there is no sign of life. But if you look at the environment, it is piled up; flats were people work and live. And in this spot it is an abandoned spot, but it had so much potential. I found it scary working outside with the Dutch weather!” Well, you had God on your side because the weather was amazing. “Yes, I had a Guardian Angel on my shoulder. I felt that I wanted to conquer this abandoned place. Step by step, I wanted to inhabit it. It gave me the freedom to create my own story on it.”
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Open up your fantasy “Our imagination is bigger than reality. Instinctively I felt like I have to open up the first macabre impression of this place seducing me to make a dark introverted performance; I have to make my own world. If you are able to open up your fantasy and create, the world is much bigger and many more things can happen. My fantasy influences every choice that I make, from colourful costume design to lighting.” “Eventually I wanted ‘Common Ground’ to appear as an Italian Square on a summer’s evening as the atmosphere transforms from day to night. And in this twilight zone, the audience goes from looking at a formal closed setting in the daylight gradually into the performance as darkness falls; full of emotions. In the darkness often emotions become more extreme. Everyone can become more free, open. People can fantasize and bring magic into their lives.” So this is a vision in you? “Yes, because when you open up your mind without judgments, you create the chance to discover new magical things. An open curious mind brings one further than a mind full of fear and judgment. So for me, being able to create dance performances is a tool for me to do this.”
the skyline is part of the experience of the performance, so it is difficult for the audience to stay focused. The performance started in the twilight, as the atmosphere transforms from light to dark. As it gets darker, everyone’s feelings, dancers and audience, transform. Magical things start to happen.”
Making a Mark in Time Are you experiencing a massive change in human consciousness on your journey? “Yes. I would never make a performance about the war. Who am I? I never experienced the war. I would feel a little bit embarrassed to do it. But I can make a piece about the conflict in you. So with big themes I always bring them back in perspective of the person. And I work with so many different types of dancers, that I can create a sort of mini world on stage.” You say different? “I don’t want you to go away after the performance with the feeling that you saw 10 Conny’s; the dancers are different in everything but they do have a common ground.” They are not clones of you! “I am already 24 hours a day with myself, that is enough!”
I liked the whispering effect in ‘Common Ground. “Yep, you don’t have to know exactly what is being said, it is the curiosity to see and the wanting to know what is going on. You may think ‘Oh! I missed something’. This is good, because you always miss things. [We all start to laugh again – so true Conny!] And when the audience arrives at the location on the roof, they see all those chairs in front of them and they are so confused.” Yes, we were thinking were do we sit? How many people are coming? “Yep and also it gave the idea ‘Is it now abandoned?’ ‘Are we too late?’ or is it still to come? And then the questions come, ‘What is happening, is it happening in the city?’ because all the chairs are focused towards the city… And then slowly the dancers come in and they conquer the space.” It was the first time I had watched a performance where I had to actually move my head from left to right to watch it. “It was almost like a tennis game. It makes it very difficult to make the performance in the open air because you have no framework. The environment,
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So it’s good to be different?
So who has inspired you?
Conny: “Yes, I always tell young dancers who come here that it is good to be different. It is only more interesting. It is good to find out who you are and at the same time we have one common aim. We can create something and it’s teamwork. So within the difference we have to search; so I use the difference and at the same time underneath it, I try to find something in common!”
“It can be anything! It can be somebody on the street, a painting or a sculpture I see in a museum, it can be a poem, a song I hear from a window when I pass by…”
“We have to find something in common, ‘Common Ground’. But not by loosing our personality. And that is what you see in every creation of mine.”
“And of course the dancers, anything they say or do can trigger a creative spark in me! I could even be reading something in the newspaper that starts of the thinking process. I do not realize in that moment, it is so intuitive and there are so many lines at the same time.”
Carsten: “… a T-Shirt!” [This brings a lot of laughter into the room because both Carsten and Richard are wearing the Heart Chakra TShirts.]
So you need to trust your intuition. “When I started as a choreographer, I used to plan and prepare everything. I needed to because of security. But I eventually found that I was creating my own prison where I had no chance to experiment. I had to force myself to stop following old habits, otherwise I disconnect a lot of possibilities because I have the whole frame already in my mind. The more I trusted and I allowed myself to let go, the more I could open up in the moment.” “But of course there is always something in the back of my mind. When I start the rehearsal period I have a bag full of ideas, I could make 10 performances so I have to make choices. I have to communicate with the dancers and they have to communicate with me. In this dialogue, I can start here and expand outwards. If it goes well, I can come back to my backbone again. That is how I create.” “I go into the studio, alone and I begin to create movement material out of what I think I am looking for. Should it be round, should it be square, should it be aggressive. I create an amount of phrases, and in the first two weeks of the rehearsal period, I just teach the dancers the phrases. To observe the dancers, is part of the creative process, I have to see how they eat my material. How they digest the material. So does it stay with copying me? Or am I able to get so deep in their system that I can see something coming through from their individuality.”
Carsten: “This is what I love about your choreographies, the dancers are all individual beings, human, flesh and blood.” What do you want to do with your work?
“I need two weeks for this process. In this period I get them in my system and I get into their system. And when I feel that the first seeds are sown, then we can start to create.” (Photographs by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse.)
“Everyday I want to create the best work I have ever made. And I have to recognize that maybe it could be better. I like it when you said that Melvin Fraenk and Daniel Renner were inspired by my work, that is actually what you want!”
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In this second interview in the series ‘Are we Human or are we Dancer?’ about three inter-connected dance choreographers at different stages on their career path, BondingXperience speaks to Hip Hop Choreographer, Melvin Fraenk, who has been inspired by both Daniel Renner and Conny Janssen.
Melvin Fraenk Are we Human or are
we Dancer? Photograph by Annemarieke Moes
You said that your father’s death had an influence on becoming a choreographer?
HIV from it. So I really didn’t know him at all. It was unreal for me.”
“It was a very personal experience that I had with my father. My father died from HIV, for me it is difficult to talk about it. So I have really kept it to myself. But yes, it was the main motivation that created my passion for dance.”
That must have had a big effect on your foundation?
then
“I use it as a process to deal with it, because I was very young when it X-clusive happened. I was only 13 years old. My father actually left when I was two and then I saw him one time when I was 13 and then three days after it he died.”
How come he left? “He was a player. After the relationship with my mother, he had a relationship with two other women. So I now have three brothers and two sisters. And then after that he slept with an African woman and got
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“Yep, that’s true but in another way I didn’t know better. My mother raised me. But then after a while the questions came: “Did my father love me?”, “Why is it happening with me?”, “How can I deal with the situation?”, “It’s HIV, I can’t tell anyone!”. And then I started to let it go in my dance and choreography.” So all of these things are very strong emotions? “Yes, these are very strong emotions. If you see my professional work or conceptual work, it is always based on emotions in my past life experience. And that is from my father.” “At this moment, this age, I have the balance of it. Before that, I was really searching.” So all of your emotions where released through dance? “Actually I started with choreographing. I never danced in a company. I was 14 years old and living on my own, when I was sitting in the living room and saw a video clip 25
of Missy Elliot and Timbaland. And suddenly I stood up from the couch and I started to dance. And then I thought, OK, maybe I can make a phrase of it.” Wow, what happened next? “Well, I had a lot of friends that would come to my home and one time I just said: “Hey, shall I teach you a dance?” And then it started like this.” So it started from just copying the TV? “Not just copying TV, Missy Elliot was at a time of great innovation. She was doing something totally different than what was happening at the time. And I was so intrigued that she dared to do that, that automatically I started to dance.”
who where doing criminal activities, they were smoking, doing drugs, which I never did. I felt I was stuck in that, but I also felt I was smarter than that. And then I needed to make that step to escape from it.” So you were actually seeking this foundation? “Yes! So I got into the Amsterdam School of Arts, a choreographers education that is focusing on professional and conceptual art in relation to your own style. So for example, if I am a Hip Hopper, I get tools from the school to develop and explore my style to create something new in the dance scene.”
“So I taught it to a few friends of mine and then we decided to do it every week. I developed it like this.” OK, so then you got into the International Dance School? “After 5 years, I felt I could do something more, but I didn’t have the ability to develop it because I didn’t know how to do that. And then suddenly we applied for a competition at the Muiderpoort Theatre.” When you say “We” who do you mean? “The groups ‘Dance Control’, ‘Ilmelas’ (Mela was my short name from Melvin, and Ill means like sick crazy!) and ‘X=IQ’.” So you are a sick crazy Melvin! “Hahaha, yes sick crazy Melvin! And the third group was ‘Ordinary Illusions’. We won the competition and then I got a workshop from Daniel Renner. So we had four sessions with him.” You won a Daniel Renner workshop? “Yes, it was great. And through his ‘Round Corner’ technique, he opened my vision.” What is Round Corner? “It is difficult to explain, but it is a technique that he created by himself by using elements from outside to deconstruct your body. For example, you make words on the ground and then you place your body limbs in the positions of the words and you can create movement from there. He gave me a lot of concepts within his ‘Round Corner’ technique. Then I thought, that is the way to develop and explore your own movement. I thought: “If I really want to achieve something, I need to do something!” I was really afraid to go to a professional school, because I didn’t have technique and I never went to dance classes. I thought: “You know what, fuck it! I will apply, do the audition and they will take me.” And so I did.” “It was also an escape from the ghetto where I was living. It was always dancers from the neighbourhood
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Above: Hip Hop Choreographer Melvin Fraenk. Photograph by Annemarieke Moes
So you where one of the first urban dancers to get into the school? “Yep. I am one of the first really urban dancers who came from the streets and started out of himself and developed it into a professional education. And that is why I am also a big role model for the people in Amsterdam South East because I really did it by my passion and by self-belief. I am also a person who does not have technique. But still I managed to accomplish my dream… or it is still being accomplished!” 26
So you have actually broken the mould! “Yes, I want to inspire people to go to an art school. The African based culture is more grounded and the dance culture at this moment is more a Western Culture based on contemporary and classical ballet. A lot of people do not want to neglect their roots. So they think: “I am not a white person” so this creates the gap at this moment.” So how where you inspired by Conny Janssen? “The first week that I was at the School of Arts, we made a trip to Conny Janssen’s dance company in Rotterdam. We saw one dance performance of hers and then she invited us to see the realization process of a piece. So she was on the spot creating movement, showing her working methods. Wow! That really opened my professional eyes on how you use the body to create a professional choreography.” OK! “Conny was one of the first to really open them; Daniel Renner did it from the streets, how to develop and explore your street styles in a deeper way, and Conny Janssen did it on a professional level. I really adore her and the way she works, because she has a kind of ‘freedom of movement’ … I call it.” So freedom is important to you? “Yes, freedom of the body. Not being deconstructed or labeled by a style or technique. Just create and then afterwards use your professional knowledge or skill to deepen it. Not to work from a structure but to be free. Yes that is my goal for X=IQ. That is why this group is called a movement group and not a dance group, because it is not limited by a style. As a movement group it gives me more freedom in my mind to create as an artist.” Maybe it is a more personal thing? “Hahaha, yes a Melviness thing!” So you want to show that Hip Hop is a style? “Yes, Hip Hop is not a style yet like classical ballet is, but I am trying to achieve that by combining all these techniques. I want to build in all the theory to give it grounding. It is a long-term achievement of course, but I feel that is my mission to do.” So what are you trying to do with X=IQ? “X=IQ is a continuation of what I started in my own living room.” So it is evolution?
choreographer I started X=IQ, so I could express myself, inspire people, give them opportunities to be on stage.” Why did you choose the name X=IQ? “IQ is my nickname and X is the group, so we are equal to each other.” Who are the people in X=IQ? “The main goal for me was to create a platform for amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals. Because most of the professionals don’t work with amateurs, they think: “I am to high for that!” But I really wanted to erase all this thinking and just have a platform where people can come together and get inspired by each other to create something. So part of the group comes from the School of Arts, from the teacher department and the jazz musical department, and another part comes from the Amsterdam Dance Centre. I just pick the best of them.” This is progressive then, you are actually saying: ‘Take down the borders, let’s support each other to create.’ “Yes, I am. Because in making art or living for dance there are no borders. We live it, without fear of judgment.” How do you deal with the judgments? “Yes, I’ve been through a lot. People were judging me “You should be doing more technique” or “No, it’s bullshit” or they didn’t understand because it is new or something different. I would be crying in my home, but I just went on. Just go on. That is how I achieve it. And still today, I find that people’s criticism can be very painful. It really affects me. I am dancing with my life. So if someone says something to me, I really think about it. But at the end of the day, I am still keeping my dream. I want to be an Innovator, I want to be the choreographer who creates new dance. And I want to be in the history books!” OK Melvin, you will be remembered, that is for sure! (Photo above: Annemarieke Moes, during a performance of the X=IQ Movement in August 2010; Photography by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse)
“Yes, it is, but also with education. Even through my education, I still want to create things without being judged. I just want to create things. That is why as a
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YOUR SPACE When you feel it, you know this space is for you. That’s all that matters. Issue 4 Global Reach (27 countries in 4 continents) Regions in North America, Latin America, Eastern and Central Europe, Scandinavia, Asia Pacific and Far East.
ONLY !498 Available for Responsible, Sustainable, Conscious and Respectful Companies. For more information email: info@touchedbyart.org
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Who Am I? In each issue of BondingXperience we put the spotlight on a special creative person that inspires others through their creative work. This time we recognise Christianne van Wijk for her talents. Christianne is a Dutch filmmaker and owner of ‘Art of Life Films’ Film Company. She is a Sister of the Light and is helping to create ‘conscious films’ to engage the masses. In 2009, Christianne manifested a full-length feature film, on an incredibly tight budget with the whole cast working on a deferred payment scheme.
Film Showing Christianne is in the final stages of editing the film, ‘The Scandalous Four’ which will be shown at the BAFTA cinema in the UK. With the money raised from this project, Christianne is planning to buy land to build an eco-village community.
TRAILER: http://www.vimeo.com/12174100
About Christianne van Wijk Some people aspire to become filmmakers because of the glamour and fame. But Christianne decided to become a filmmaker when she realised how many people could be reached through conscious media. She explains: “I have devoted my life to the creation of films to help with global awakening. This is not always an easy path. With my Business Studies degree I could have chosen a path of 9-5 work and a regular income. Instead the Universe had a different plan. I went to Film School and never looked back. Ever since, I have been living a simple life so any financial means can be invested in my projects.” Many films are being produced at the moment with conscious and/or spiritual content. In these changing times, Christianne believes it is important to create entertainment that contains messages that can help with our collective awakening. She believes that Planet Earth is moving from a 3rd dimensional reality to a 5th dimension via a bridging 4th dimension. She expresses: “Most people will look at you as if they have seen a ghost when you start speaking in ‘spiritual’ jargon. Therefore I believe it is important that the masses need to be shown films that are not ‘airy-fairy’.” Art of Life Films is specialized in communicating visions and ideas in a way that everyone can understand without being moralistic. Their aim is to empower, not to disempower. What on Earth is Going On? Her latest project ‘What on Earth is Going On?’ is a documentary which looks at the change in consciousness leading up to and beyond 2012. Christianne has interviewed three specialists in their field; Geoff Stray, Chris Bourne and Patricia Cori. Investment Opportunities If you own a private company or are an individual who would be interested in investing in the project ‘What on Earth is Going On’, then please email Christianne at christianne@artoflifefilms.co.uk for further details. 29
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The Butterfly is a symbol of change, joy, love and metamorphosis. Photograph by Annemarieke Moes
The Butterfly Totem Butterfly: Symbol of change, transformation and love Butterfly is a powerful symbol in myth and religion. For Early Christians, it represented the soul itself. In China, it symbolized conjugal bliss and joy. American Indians call upon the butterfly for guidance in change, colour, and happiness.
Butterfly Dance The ‘dance of the butterfly’ can teach you not to take things so seriously. The butterfly has taste sensors on the front legs, enabling them to experience life through motion (dancing, walking). Butterfly brings colour and lightness to your life. Colour is an important part of our daily life and can affect how we respond to various situations.
Change and Transformation All change is good - even if it may not seem so at the time. Change is what life is made of and is necessary for growth and accomplishment.
For more information: http://crystal-cure.com/protection-butterfly.html
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Losing Your Religion? Interview with Catharine Buckell (below).
Catherine Buckell receiving her third eye at her Birthday party. All Photographs by Annemarieke Moes
Catharine is a 24-year-old student, studying language and culture, majoring in Religion and Culture. From the first time that I met her in December 2009, there was something about her energy that intrigued me to want to know more about her life and what she has experienced. Today, with my trusted friend Carsten at my side, we went to visit her in her home and find out more about this inspiring individual. We were not let down. In the wake of massive change in the world, here is a woman who has experienced more change than most of us could imagine. She has lived through it to share her story with us.
My Mormon World Fell Apart Richard: So what was it that made you decide to choose religion as a topic to study? Catherine: “I was brought up a Mormon, which meant that even though I was living in England, it was like being brought up in a different culture. For example, we could not drink alcohol, or even tea or coffee. We had our own set of values as we lived by the church. However, at the age of eighteen I had an
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epiphany moment and realized that what I believed in didn't make any sense to me anymore. At that moment it felt like my whole world had fallen apart and after that I found it difficult to accept any ready-made value systems anymore.” So how did it feel? “I like to describe it like a card tower. When you pull away the card at the bottom the whole thing collapses into nothing. That was what it felt like at that moment.” 31
How did you cope with this?
What do you believe in?
“Well some people, when they lose their faith, go to the other extreme and turn to drug abuse or prostitution. They lose their morality completely. I wanted to keep a sense of control in my life, however, and I managed to gradually acclimatize to the new situation. I do think, though, that I still feel a little bit of guilt deep inside somewhere.”
“Good question! Whatever makes you happy enriches you as a person. I want to believe that there is a force that balances things out. You create your own positive energy. Although sometimes I doubt and just take things the way they are. I am constantly changing; it depends on the day and how I feel. One day I can be an agnostic and the next an atheist.”
Guilt, what guilt?
An old man sitting in the clouds
“It’s the small things like having tea or coffee. Every day I do something which is against the rules of the church and I think deep down inside I probably still feel bad about it in some way even if I have managed to erase all the conscious guilt.” So since everything collapsed, it’s taken six years to rebuild your life? “Yes, six years of freedom. By now, though, I feel like I have more or less rebuilt a system of moral values. I have kept what I want to believe in from the beliefs of the church, but only follow it if I’ve chosen it myself.” So going back to your studies, many people say that religion causes conflict. What do you think? “I think that corrupt politicians, for example Hindu Nationalist parties in India like the BJP, use religion for their own purposes as a way to control people. Especially when large groups of people are illiterate and don’t know much about their own religion, it can be easy for religious leaders or political groups to stir up violence between religious groups as a way of gaining power. This is known as a weak religion, when people have a lot of feeling, but not much knowledge. Certain groups have even been known to rewrite the religion to suit their own purposes. The idea then that religion itself causes violence is debatable.”
Do you believe God is within you? “We all create our own God. You shouldn’t just take what your parents believe as God to be God. Everyone should have the freedom to create his or her own God. Whatever God is and however much I change my mind about that, I certainly don’t believe in an old man with a white beard who lives in the sky.” What is your God? “I guess positive energy. In the end though, it doesn’t matter if God exists. What matters is the idea that you have, how it guides you and affects you. I believe in myself and what I want to achieve.” [Carsten suddenly interrupts and says: “This sounds just like you Richard.” I agree.] “I realised one day that my life was boring and I decided that I really wanted to enjoy myself more. I decided that from then on, I would live my life the way I wanted to.”
How is religion helping on a grass routes level then? “Well, later this year I am going to be completing an internship with The Henry Martyn Institute in India. They work with people from different religious backgrounds who have social problems. They encourage different religions to work together to solve these social problems and through that discover that they have more in common than they previously thought.” “And there is ‘Engaged Buddhism’ where Buddhists are encouraged to get involved with society and share their wisdom and knowledge rather than only living a life of isolation and meditation. This is practiced all the way up to the Dalai Lama.”
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As I write up this article, I am aware that I had the privilege, once again, to sit before the energy of God. And I am inspired. 32
ReMemBeR, ReMemBeR… In this section, we review memorable events that we have been involved in since the last issue was published.
World Day of Interconnectedness On 10/10/10, the people of the world celebrated ‘oneness’ in 170 different countries around the world; Leo Sonneveld and Robert Westerhout organized the highly successful Dutch event in Doorn with hundreds of people attending creative and spiritual workshops for the full day of interconnectedness. Many independent events are held on ‘The World Day of Interconnectedness’ around the globe, connecting all that ‘IS’. For more information please visit: http://www.interconnectedness101010.org
Photograph by David Aizenkott
Temporary Art Space Exhibition Although ‘temporary’, this art exhibition organized by Visual Artist / Wearable Art Designer / Video Maker Marlijn Franken, had a wonderful and contagious effect on the people who attended and the artists who took part in this memorable event. The love flowed naturally throughout the day with spontaneous and random acts of love; from free gifts of food to people taking to the stage to sing or play their music. Artists included Marlijn Franken, Ferry Reijnders, Mirjam de Nijs, Yola Galinsky, Frank Porcelijn, Meta Joanknecht, Richard Voller, Marjolein Innemée, Piet Linnebank and Carsten “Lumière” Sasse. The event organizer, Marlijn Franken recently one 1st Prize in the OBA Amsterdam Film Contest for a short video about the Amsterdam library: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOed3uIOQSA. In cooperation with the artist Bosch, she is now working on organizing a new monthly art video event for Amsterdam; each 3rd Thursday in the Kunstkerk, Prinseneiland. http://www.marlijnfranken.nl
Niels Moes’ 25-Year Symposium ‘Life & Profession’ (TU D elft U niversity)
In October, the Symposium ‘Life & Profession’ of Dr. Niels CCM Moes was held to celebrate his 25 Years service in various academic positions at the Delft University of Technology. In the next issue of BondingXperience magazine, we speak to a number of key spokespersons that attended this important occasion where science, spirituality and art intertwined. To some, this combination may have seemed strange, but to Dr. Niels Moes it was completely ‘normal’. Delft University of Technology is a modern university with a rich tradition. Founded in 1842, Delft University of Technology is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive technical university in the Netherlands.
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Photography by Annemarieke MOES
STAR Attraction: Live ‘Touched By Art’ www.touchedbyart.org Richard Voller creates unique hand-painted clothing for the STARS! For outgoing, confident and passionate men and women who love to shine in the Light! Richard Voller is available to give live chakra painting at events, parties and festivals in front of large crowds. He offers the ultimate in crowd sourcing, high quality entertainment & fun through his interactive ‘Touched by Art’. He injects a boost of positive energy into any special occasion! In 2010, Richard Voller performed live at DJ Isis ‘All is One’ summer festival in Ruigoord, at the ‘World Day of Interconnectedness’ in Doorn on 10/10/10 and at the ‘Temporary Art Space’ exhibition in Amsterdam (click link to see video: http://www.youtube.com/v/7PkjK2hOVlk?fs=1&hl=nl_NL ) to name a few. To make your booking please email: VOLLER@touchedbyart.org
Photography by Carsten “Lumière” Sasse
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A New Era is Dawning
X-clusive!
Left: Reike Alliance Master Joop Tegelove shows were the energy is coming in on our crown.
The Universe opened up, giving me a window of opportunity, to uncover the truth about our essence and to bring it to the surface to share with the world in this exclusive feature interview. Joop Teggelove, owner of Centrum ‘De Ruimte’ in Vierhouten, the Netherlands who is a member of the Reiki Alliance, consisting of only 800 Reiki Masters worldwide, had a message to share with the world. This is it! Carsten and I had planned to be awake at 6am, catch the train at 7.37am, do the interview and be back in Amsterdam by lunchtime. But things started to change, things were moving out of our control. It felt that there was a greater force at work here, separate incidents merged together to form a day of quite extraordinary outcomes. The only thing we could do, was to keep centred and go with the flow, otherwise we would be spinning out of control like wet clothes hanging on to the walls of a washing machine. We eventually arrived at Zwolle around lunchtime and Joop arrived a little bit later than expected to pick us up. But everything was changing, so we just went with the flow. As we arrived at Centrum ‘De Ruimte’, Joop explained about the wires around the complex where to stop the pigs getting in and the huge wholes in the ground where from the mice. This was really living in Mother Nature. I noticed the higher wire above our heads and joking said that must be for giraffes. Laughter suddenly swept through and positive energy erupted as we walked through the front doors. Once inside we took of our shoes as a sign of respect and quickly were introduced to his loving partner Titia. I had so many burning questions about the essence of life and I had the feeling that this Being was here to help me on my quest for the Truth. Joop had mentioned that I must have misheard his directions yesterday over the phone, as there was a closer railway station than Zwolle. But rather than getting angry with us, he just accepted what had happened. That is why it took so long to pick us up.
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The Interview: Holy Ghost, the Spirit, comes in. Nowadays, we will all be touched. The question is, what do we do with it? Do we listen to ourselves? Do we transform ourselves? We can go on the old way, or we can listen to ourselves.” So what is transformation? “Transformation to me, is that you listen to yourself, to the message and do something with it. Feeling the love in your heart and living out of your heart.” Many people are doing spiritual workshops, but how can we ensure that when we are tested in the real world, we can still put into practice our spiritual work? “OK, you are touched. That is the beginning. A few weeks ago I met a 40-year-old woman who was celebrating her Birthday; this was her point of Awakening. She said that in the coming 40 years, she wanted to live in a totally different way. But then you start looking at how can you change your life? How can I forget everything that was a problem for me? And then it can happen that you go to a workshop for a weekend and in the workshop you are absolutely certain that this is what you want.” Yes, just like it is here at Centrum ‘De Ruimte’, it is a really relaxed and comfortable place. "Yes exactly and then you go back home with perhaps somebody else who is watching television, saying no, no not now. He or she is drinking something, perhaps looking football. That can be a different world. And Monday you go to work and it is different again.” So there is a lot of pressure, just to give up? “Yes there is! You realise that everyone is looking at you and saying: “What are you doing? Is this some kind of sect you are involved in? Are they really trustworthy?” Richard: There is so much change happening in the world today, how can we explain to people that it is not personal? Joop: “Since 1987, civilization has moved into a new period of time. The 4th dimension into the 5th dimension. This period is a time of transformation. A lot of people are being touched.” Touched? What do you mean? “They are being touched by the Universe, by energy; it comes in here at the back of your head.” [Joop points to the crown of his head] What at your crown? "Yes, the monks in the Catholic Church would shave their heads here, because this is the place where the
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So there's a lot of attention on you. “Yes, and it’s good to receive so much energy and have such good contact with the Universe so that you can go on.” But it’s very difficult! “Yes, but you can go on. People see you have changed. It’s just like when you drop a stone into the water. It causes ripples, one after another.” [We move into the meditation room and Joop jumps onto the chairs to pull back the curtains. He seems like Superman, as fit as a fiddle at the age of 70 years. And then Carsten asks us to climb into one of the chairs for a photo. Joop enquires: “Richard that is a great name! What does it mean?” I reply: “It’s the name of Kings, King Richard the Lion Heart!” [Laughter erupts again!] 36
So what's your belief in re-incarnation? “I believe that we are all from one big family group. Everyone is a Brother and Sister of the world. In the beginning there was one family and from this we have created 6 billion people. It can happen that you can meet someone and you have a heart connection, you hug and you feel a deep bond.”
“Stop!” But it’s just the same, except they’re now coming to us and we are melting to each other, we cannot change it, even if we want to change it, they are coming in boats loads, so we have to integrate.”
[Just then I think of meeting with a person, where I felt this explosion in the heart - my heart went boom! And then Carsten mentions that Joop was at his Dance Performance at the DanceStreet Studios in Amsterdam a few years ago. And then I suddenly remembered that I had met Joop before. Carsten: “Yes, it’s all falling into place.”] “When we are open, we start connecting on deeper levels, as if we have met before.” I respond: “Yes, I am noticing that I am meeting people who are literary speaking my own words. Recently I had a meeting that was cancelled at the last minute and the person said:” “Well think positive, at least you have the whole day free to yourself now.” It really made me laugh, because these are the exact words! How could she possible know them? Then I think, don’t take it personal, because what I am saying comes from a higher place and now it’s coming through someone else's mind as well! I used to find these things shocking, but now I experience them more and more everyday. Now I just accept them and have fun every time is happens! What is the most important thing about being a Reiki Master? “It’s important that you can deal with everything that comes your way; emotions of fear, rage, anger, jealousy, guilt, lust. You are the person who has been inside with yourself. Once you have cleared up as much as possible of your own life, and then you can help others.” Do you think that natural disasters are another sign? “It’s difficult to say to everyone that we need earthquakes, Tsunami's and we even needed people like Hitler in our lives, otherwise we will never change. Never. The earthquake in Haiti has pulled us all together, for the goodness of humankind. In our time, the world is getting smaller and everything is melting together.” “In England they opened up the prisons and migrated people to Australia and New Zealand. And said OK, this is our country now. And today, different races are coming back to Europe and we say: “What are they doing?”
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I met a girl the other day, who said that people in Holland seem to be talking about energy all the time, and where she comes from in Norway, people don’t really talk about energy. What do you mean by it? “Everybody has energy points in there body, meridians. We have a lot of energy lines that go through our body and so does the Earth. In nature when you are walking through the woods you can see this. Yesterday we did a walk for 15 km...” 15 km???? “Hahaha... Yes it was just for exercise”, explains the 70year-old Reiki Master. “When you see a tree on top of an energy line, you have not one tree, but from this same place are coming several trees. Churches used to always be built on energy points and the same is true of Stonehenge and Avebury Rings in England.” [I suddenly remember when I had a route canal filling. It was really painful and was very complicated because I have five roots instead of the normal three.] “I didn’t believe about the Crop Circles. We had read stories in the newspapers, talking about how it was just a hoax to increase tourism in England. But then one day we came across one and went for a closer inspection. We thought: “How do they do it?!” Hahahaha?” Richard comically interjects: “Can we copy it?” and everyone laughs. “We both sat in the middle and meditated for about 30 minutes. Then we went, had dinner and then went home. It was incredible, we were so full of energy, we couldn't sleep for hours and hours.” [Again the laughter erupts like sparks through the space in Centrum ‘De Ruimte’.] 37
Have you heard of Planet X? Will it destroy Earth?
OK, I wanted to talk to you about your interest in the Mayan Calendar and 2012, as this is a very hot topic at the moment. There are a lot of stories, some people think the world will be destroyed and others say it will be a new beginning. So what do you think? “I think that something special will happen in the Universe. The Sun and Earth in our Solar System will align and the earth will experience 72 hours of darkness, which will seem impossible to some. And maybe, we might also experience a Polar Shift.” 72 hours of darkness? “Yes, the planets are aligning and the sun will be blocked out completely.” So what's 2012 all about? “It’s about forming a new consciousness, a new way of thinking. It’s a transformation.” When did this start? “Well in June 1997, 400 Shaman met in the Amazon for a meeting to send a message out into the world that was recorded in a film called ‘The Year Zero’. In the documentary, they interviewed two real sjayamnes, Don Cirilo and Don Julian; you know the ones with only half a tooth! They told a lot about the calendar and the inscriptions on the temples. They predicted the financial crisis way back then, so the people who were aware of this knowledge where not shocked. We just accepted it.” Do you think the Mayans where given privileged information from aliens? “I think that in earlier times they had a different connection with the Universe. They were people from nature and they had a different connection with nature.” [This suddenly reminded me of the film Avatar and the Na'vi]
“Our future has a past, but the past has, if you want it, no future!”
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“This Planet is called Niburu and comes around on a 3,650 year cycle. It will pass around the Earth and then leave us. But as it comes closer, we will feel its affect. Much like the effect of a full moon on our oceans. I think it is already having an influence on our planet with the Tsunamis and earthquakes. But I really don’t believe that it will destroy the planet. Other people think it will bring us in contact with outside forces.” Why is Niburu coming? “All planets have a meaning. Niburu means ‘Openness’. This planet is coming because we need more signals before everybody knows that “I have to transform myself. It’s not only my neighbour, it’s me too!” When this planet comes, everybody will see the Light.” What do you mean? “All the financial failures, corruptions, etc, are all coming to the surfaces. 50 years ago everyone could do what they wanted and get away with it. Nowadays, everything comes out in the open. So until this planet comes, maybe we will have some heavy years.” Do you think that what is happening will make people become aware that they are living in a co-created reality? “Absolutely. More and more people are transforming in Holland every week and month. That is why we have more spiritual festivals and magazines than ever before in the last 20 years. Everyone knows that we cannot go on like this any more.” “Everyday, worldwide, thousands of people are killed in traffic accidents, but no one speaks about it. When I was a child I was in a Catholic family, I stood outside church on Sunday's collecting money for Africa. And today, we are still collecting money for Africa.” “Last year the United Nations reported that it only needs $70 billion to make Africa wealthy and healthy. America has already spent $700 billion for the recovery of the banks. The question is “Do we want to make the world a better place? Or not?” I shake hands and thank him. Joop drops us off at the local railway station. We cross over the tracks and purchase our tickets. As we turn around he is waving us goodbye and points to the distance. We see the train arriving. Perfect time. 38
‘Freedom’ Hand-painted by Richard Voller (2005) www.TouchedByArt.org
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