Monthly Archives: September 2020

by | September 29, 2020 · 8:34 pm

Food for thought

„Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” – Thich Nath Hanh

Day  2 on the Via Francigena – Gambassi Terme to San Gimignano

On a hilltop between the medieval Tuscan towns of Gambassi Terme and San Gimignano the pilgrim enters the village of Pancole famous for the 15th century painting by Pier Francesco Fiorentino of the “Virgin feeding her Son.”

The original sanctuary was built in 1668 on the site where the sacred image originally stood along a country road where it had been abandoned and covered by undergrowth. Several miracles were attributed to the Madonna.

One of the miracles is the survival of the painting itself after the Nazis destroyed the original sanctuary in an act of indiscriminate vandalism in a bid to destroy the very soul and ancestral roots of a nation.

The sanctuary was reconstructed in 1949 and along with the nearby Monastero di Bose offer wonderful spaces for quiet  contemplation.

Landscapes that inspired poets and artists throughout the ages

It is no surprise that spectacular landscapes and the quiet pathways throughout the centuries inspired poets, musicians and religious orders

Spending hours in the heart of nature after only a few days of walking opens the heart and mind to the whispers from the universe.

You are forced to go slow up the steep inclines and then you begin to notice the small creatures on the ground such as the lizards, beetles, ants, and butterflies.  When in a hurry it is easy to mindlessly trample on these small creatures who are all fighting for survival when perceiving the heavy boots of an oncoming pilgrim.

St. Francis – the original ecologist

There are numerous stories of St. Francis, the patron saint of the animals, communicating and preaching to the animals as fellow creatures of God.  The saint was well known to walk long distances to spread his message and there are no numerous shrines on the Camino in Spain and along the Via Francigena dedicated to him.

St. Francis can be described as the original ecologist and his central message of social justice and greed causing harm to both the victim and the perpetrator ringing more true than ever.

Spending time in nature creates awareness on how complex the interaction of plant, insect, bird and mammal are intertwined and co-dependent on each other.  Nature starts tilting into imbalance when one species gains dominance and threatens the livelihood of all others. It is offers much food for thought.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bookcovers_sideview.jpg

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina Germany

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Filed under Camino de Santiago, environment, meditation, Pilgrimage, self-development, spirituality

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by | September 29, 2020 · 7:27 am

One step at a time …

Day  1: Via Francigena – San Miniato to Gambassi Terme

The question often arises about the differences between a hike and a deep walking pilgrimage. The easiest way for you to find out would be to follow in the footsteps of the ancient pilgrims on one of the famous European routes.

Experiencing it cannot be explained in full

I have met many people who started walking the Camino de Santiago as a hiker and ended it as a pilgrim. Experiential spirituality cannot be explained. It can only be experienced.

Today I started my 13th pilgrimage walk on the Via Francigena in Italy. The original plan was to once again walk one of the Spanish routes but Covid-19 forced a change of plan. Italy is currently  a safer country to travel after initially suffering the worst outbreak of the virus in Europe  earlier this year. It is now hailed as one of the countries that have  been more successful in containing the virus.

Like the Camino de Santiago the Via Francigena is one of the ancient pilgrimage routes dating back to the Middle Ages with the exception that pilgrims walked to Rome rather than Santiago.

A blessing from a stranger

Our walk started in the northern Italian town of San Miniato  near Pisa. On leaving the town a friendly granny stamped our pilgrims’ passports, handing each of us a small shell with the blessing of the Holy Mary.

We would not be able to comfortably enjoy these marvelous pilgrimage paths without the support of thousands of such local volunteers who maintain the paths with way markers, first aid kits, and offering their service in the pilgrims’ hostels. It is not uncommon for these people to spend whatever they have left from their small pensions and salaries to maintain these old paths, chapels and other holy sites.

The 24 kilometer route to Gambassi Terme is challenging for a first day, lacking the typical cafes and small towns that you find on the Camino de Santiago. The countryside nevertheless offers marvelous views of the Tuscany landscape and after some hours of walking, the town of San Miniato can be seen in the distance with its unmistakeable hilltop fortress tower.

The physical challenge

Forced by the circumstances to carry more weight than usual in my backpack, this first day was physically strenuous. I would always advise first-time hikers to start with short-distance walks of no more than 12-15 kilometers so that the body can gradually become attuned to long-distance walking. I was reminded of my first walk on the Camino carrying too much weight and starting wholly unprepared. The back pain, blisters and other physical and mental ailments followed inevitably.

Lessons in humility

The pilgrimage path is an important lesson in humility. “If you don’t walk  the path with humility it will teach you humility,” a pilgrim once said to me.

It is in the recognition of one’s own brokenness, and in opening up to the beginners’ mind that possibility and elevation  of consciousness is possible.

Especially in the current situation it is easy to get pulled into the maelstrom of news negativity and doomsday prophets. A pilgrimage walk is the perfect opportunity to realign and center the mind to higher purpose and meaning.

Walking a path more than once is like reading a good book several times over. What you have not seen or read the first time will be seen differently, from a different angle and new window of consciousness.

The lesson of the day:

  • Take one step at a time. If you look at the mountain ahead, your walk will be so much more difficult. On the other hand if you turn around you will be amazed as to how far you have walked.
  • Looking at the mountain to climb is the trap that leads to procrastination.
  • One blessing, one good thought at a time, one positive action at a time leads to the compound effect that makes all the difference both to you and the world.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina, Germany

Leave a comment

Filed under Pilgrimage, self-development, spirituality

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by | September 22, 2020 · 5:55 am

Are you lost?

Are you finding yourself lost and alone? Just when you thought you were on the right track you find yourself hitting a wall and not knowing a way out.

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

We have all had those moments. At times I have not only found myself lost on a remote mountain on the Camino in northwestern Spain but also on life’s journey. Inevitably I would get lost when I missed an important way marker while daydreaming and avoiding the warning signs from the universe.

Heeding the early warning signs when something is wrong

The universe will always be whispering to you. Especially when you are on the wrong track the whispers could turn into a “shout out”. Inevitably there will be those early warning signs where you feel intuitively that something is wrong.

A person is asking you to lend them money. They tell you they will most certainly pay you back within a month. There is that first feeling that you shouldn’t be doing this but the person is so convincing that you push that first doubt aside. Of course you remember that thought again when the person never complies and you have lost your money.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior

Despite a person’s charm the best predictor of a person’s future behavior is that person’s past behavior. Very few people can disguise for any length of time their true character traits. A pity then that falling in love often gets in the way of making a realistic assessment of a person’s character.

There are those small tell-tale signs. Small lies turn into big lies. Repeated assurances that it will not happen again. A change in the tone of voice, a look in the eye and you know something is just not right.

Trusting what the body is trying to tell you

The body is an excellent compass when it comes to trusting your intuition, and knowing. When does my energy expand? When is my energy getting depleted? Ignoring the inner voice of truth for any length of time will inevitably impact your mental and physical health.

Sleepless nights. A common cold not wanting to go away and pointing to a more serious underlying health issue? Regular high blood pressure problems indicating a high stress level and putting you at risk of a stroke or heart attack?

Very few crisis situations simply come out of the blue. Like getting lost on a walk it takes some time before you realize that you are on the wrong path. A call from a passing farmer might alert you to going back onto the right path. Advice from a good friend might prevent you from making a bad decision. But sometimes you do end up getting lost hopelessly. Such crisis situations however can be important lessons in the elevation of consciousness.

Lessons to be learning in a crisis

If you have the feeling that you have placed your ladder against the wrong wall, are unhappy with your situation, and maybe going through a period of sadness and depression, here is something you might consider doing:

  • What is my current situation trying to teach me?
  • What has the universe been trying to whisper to my soul?
  • What past experience feels similar and how did I get out of that situation?

If you feel lost or are finding yourself in a personal crisis situation it always means that something needs to change, has to be reconfigured, realigned, surrendered, let go-of.

But the fear of change and moving out of a comfort zone is one of the biggest human fears. The suffering in the silent misery of procrastination comes from the misconception that we are victims of external circumstance. But it is only half of the truth.

Our greatest freedom is the freedom of choice

The universe, or God, has at the same time given man the freedom of choice. The freedom of choice starts with your mindset. Am I programming myself into a victim mentality? Or am I programming myself to becoming a co-creator in the firm belief that whatever challenge I am confronted with is part of the lesson to be learned of an eternal soul on an evolutionary path of the human experience.

We make mistakes, take the wrong turns, trust the wrong people, make bad choices. It is part of the human condition. We are on a journey, picking up the cues and lessons while on the way.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

BookCovers_Sideview

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina, Germany

Leave a comment

Filed under mental health, mental-health, Uncategorized

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by | September 15, 2020 · 4:59 am

Prayer or meditation?

There is sometimes confusion on the differences between prayer and meditation. It can mean the same thing but could have differences and meaning, depending on the individual or the faith.

The Oxford dictionary defines prayer as “the relating of the self or soul to God in trust, penitence, praise, petition, and purpose, either individually or corporately”.

In the biblical stories God is perceived as an external creator, deity, or strict father who punishes or rewards. Natural or personal catastrophes were perceived as punishment where penitence had to be sought or sacrifices had to be made.

The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in the Middle Ages was primarily an act of penitence. Today the pilgrim to Santiago reflects many of the changes in the collective on the spiritual level.

Prayer is a direct conversation with the “universe”, “God,” or the “creator”. From a very early age my grandmother taught me how to pray. It was first a prayer for the well-being and protection of family members who were named by name, especially if they were going through a difficult time.

Praying for the well-being or healing of others is a way of transcending the ego and the direct needs of self. There have been events in my life where I even had angry conversations with God.

“Why did this have to happen to me?” “If you are out there why are you allowing such bad things in the world to happen.” It is something many people were asking after the 9/11 terror attacks. “Why does God allow evil? Why did he not prevent all those people from dying.”

In what is the eternal polarity of life there will always be good and evil. God has given man the freedom of choice. Where there is the evil of division, incitement of hatred, and destruction of life there is absence of God just as much as there is presence of God in unconditional love, compassion, kindness and generosity.

God cannot be explained. God can only be experienced.

In essence meditation is experiential spirituality. It is going into a quiet space and allowing God or the voice of the universe to whisper to the soul.

I have experienced the most intense spiritual experience just after some of those “flat on the ground” moments. On my second Camino pilgrimage walk I got hopelessly lost in the Pyrenees mountains during a massive thunderstorm. It was early May. I was badly prepared wearing summer hiking clothing at a time of year when subzero temperatures at night, often claimed the lives of hikers. After wandering about aimlessly in the dark for hours, close to the point of complete surrender, I noticed a light in the distance that finally led me to a village and safety.

When faced with a problem or having to make a difficult decision it helps to go into silence or to take a time out for introspection. The answer can come sometimes in the most unexpected of ways: A passing remark by a stranger, an image, a dream, a sudden thought or idea where you instantly know what needs to be done.

We are living at a time where the senses are being bombarded with distractions that pull the mind into the confusion of all directions. Meditation calms and centers the mind. There is no right or wrong on how to meditate.

One of the most popular forms is the mindfulness meditation originating from Buddhism. Attention is paid to breathing in the sitting position. When the mind inevitably starts wandering, attention is focused back to the breathing. In the Zen tradition everything can be meditation if done with awareness. There is a saying: When I eat I eat. When I talk I talk. When I walk, I walk. When I listen, I listen.

In the walking meditation every movement of the foot is connected to an inhaling and exhaling breath, while at the same time opening the senses to the surroundings in awareness of “presence.”

As you learn to meditate while sitting or walking you become aware of the importance of standing guard at the doorway of the mind. What you think you become.

Going into dialogue with that inner truth, whether in prayer or meditation, helps answer that age old question. Where do I come from? What am I doing? Where am I going.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

BookCovers_Sideview

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina, Germany

Leave a comment

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by | September 7, 2020 · 7:04 am

Is it really true?

“If a lie is only printed often enough, it becomes a quasi-truth, and if such a truth is repeated often enough, it becomes an article of belief, a dogma, and men will die for it.”

The quote above often attributed to Russian revolutionist Vladimir Lenin was in fact first written by the 19th century woman writer Isa Blagden and is more applicable than ever in an age where the truth becomes ever more blurred in social media bubbles.

I grew up in apartheid South Africa where the truth was hidden behind a thick veil of censorship laws. Anti-apartheid activists such as Nelson Mandela, or dissident theologian Beyers Naude could not be quoted in any publication. They were vilified by state-owned media as dangerous terrorists. Like all white South Africans I believed the narrative that the government was fighting dangerous communists bent on controlling the world.

As a young man I began my career as a cadet reporter for an opposition newspaper where an entirely different world began to open up before my eyes. I interviewed opposition activists who had been brutally tortured by white security policemen. Normal, decent black people came to the newsroom on a daily basis telling us about forced removals, police brutality in the townships and how the discriminatory laws shattered their lives.

Nelson Mandela statue, Sandton, South Africa

Defining the truth

My older very experienced deputy news editor chided me for my initial naive outlook on life. I have never forgotten the fundamentals of news journalism that he instilled in me:

  • Is it really true?
  • Have you reliably sourced the story?
  • Has your source got a track record of trustworthiness?
  • Have you heard the other side?

Truth always wins the day

After moving to Germany in the 1980s and then witnessing the fall of the Iron Curtain, the dark side of the corrupt communist regime and the machinations of its secret Stasi police were open for all to see. I also had the opportunity of going back to South Africa and meeting personally such remarkable personalities as Nelson Mandela and Beyers Naude.

The current global events, especially in the United States, have me deeply concerned. How is it possible that a man of such toxic character can become president? How is it possible that a solid base of 42 per cent of Americans still blindly follow this man whose administration openly admits that the violent protests, fanned by the divisive language of the man in chief, will benefit him in the upcoming elections? If only he had addressed the nation calling upon every responsible citizen to abide by social distancing and to wear a mask, ten thousands of lives could have been saved?

Much like in the South Africa of my childhood the white rulers peddled the narrative of the “swart gevaar” or danger of black majority rule supported by the communist Soviet Union so often that any alternative argument was simply not heard and terrible human rights abuses were shrugged off as necessary collateral damage in the fight against the bigger evil.

Truth is being buried in a swamp of conspiracy theories and different reality bubbles. A general consensus on democratic norms and values is being eroded in much of the western world. Beliefs and interpretation of truth are affirmed in parallel universes. When basic facts, knowledge, history and sound science are dismissed dialogue becomes impossible, and confrontation is inevitable.

Democracy thrives on the foundation of common values, and consensus building in a culture of differing opinion.

Trump as the only person capable of establishing law and order, reviving the economy and restoring the proud nation to its former glory, introducing a miracle vaccine against Corona. And even if he loses the election, he will shout “fraud and manipulation”. Millions of perfectly decent, ordinary law-abiding citizens are believing the narrative. It is the same fear strategy employed by Adolf Hitler where many scholars today are posing the question: How could a highly educated society, civilized society, the land of Goethe, Schiller and Bach fall prey to such a madman. Now we know why. We are seeing the demolition of a democracy being played out before our very eyes.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

BookCovers_Sideview

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina, Germany

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized