Diary entries: Colombia Pilgrimage  from October 27 to November 1, 2024

Diary entries: Colombia Pilgrimage from October 27 to November 1, 2024

 

 

The first morning in Bogotá.

Early in the morning, I sit in the idyllic courtyard full of plants for the morning meditation. “Transformation of the Warrior” is the clue for the week. The first birds are around me, a small finch greets me.

courtyard of the guesthouse in Bogotá

The transformation of the warrior is my life’s theme. I continue to maintain the life practice of receiving three clues for the day every morning:

“Imagine you are an extraterrestrial person, firmly anchored in the peace matrix. How do you behave when you end up in the war matrix?”

I take up the image of being a microcosm in the macrocosm, and with this image I go into the day. War is like a virus that sweeps away entire ethnic groups, highly contagious.

“How do you behave if you don’t want to be infected, but on the contrary, if your goal is to cure this disease?” A high-level adventure. Start each day ready to receive the necessary information. Are you ready for this adventure?”

I drink my morning tea, watch the birds, and write down the first thoughts. At the same time, our host Margarida sings her morning mantras from the Agnihotra fire. This is her morning practice to start the day. Then she invites me to dip my feet into the cold water for ten minutes. “Good for any kind of inflammation,” she says. She always has new health tips. Now she is inspired by Wim Hoff. After the input of the morning, I am happy to join in.

Evening: A strenuous day lies behind us. Our little group body begins to form. I am struggling with the altitude and the many formal things we have to do – get phone cards and much more…

From left to right: Elisa Gratis, Phöbe Andrea Regelmann, Katja Müller-Long, Sabine Lichtenfels

In the text “Transformation of the Warrior” from the stone circle book, the transformed warrior speaks to us:

In the divine presence, only peace exists. In it, everything else is suspended. Conflicts are always resolved at a higher level of order. I have come to lead in the space of consciousness where war can be ended.”

Our visit to Gloria Guartas was remarkable:

She cries when she greets us. We have a long history together. In 1995, Gloria became the “Mayor for Peace” in Apartadó and was instrumental in founding the Comunidad de Paz de San José. Today, she is the new head of the “Unidad para la implementación del acuerdo de Paz” unit, which has been set up by the Colombian government to implement the 2016 peace agreement and organize truth and reconciliation talks in the country.

My policy was centered on life, which I wanted to bring back to Apartadó with all my might. Peace is not the opposite of conflict. A society is peaceful when it has learned to solve problems intelligently instead of with weapons.”

She said this in 1995 when she took office and this attitude still characterizes her today. She puts her heart into her work. The conversation with her resonates perfectly with our weekly schedule.

Her staff greet us warmly and Gloria begins to talk about her work in her warm and determined manner. She mentions the most important concerns of her work and we sense in her stories that she trusts the current president Gustavo Petro very much.

Despite powerful opposition, they have developed a comprehensive peace program. From my extraterrestrial point of view, this sounds very plausible, but to an earthly realist it probably seems rather unworldly. Mistrust of politicians runs deep in the soul, but here there seems to be genuine human interest.

I will mention a few key points that she mentions here: at the center is the idea of cooperating with nature and returning land to expropriated farmers through land reform. Together, we should learn and experience how we recognize the values of nature. “It’s about recognizing nature as a subject, instead of treating it as an object, as we have done so far,” says her assistant.

Another central point for her is the destigmatization of the various groups such as guerrillas, paramilitaries, military and the population. Furthermore, a kind of truth commission has been formed, modeled on the one in South Africa, which tries to bring the truth to light using methods other than punishment. She cites the formation of decentralized communities as an essential aspect for a new social structure.

October 29

We are enjoying our retirement in Bogotá. I still have a bit of trouble with the altitude. In the morning, we decide to take the cable car up to the Black Madonna on the Monserrate. This has already become a ritual for us. We visit this place on every trip to Colombia and so the tourists do not bother us.

Chapel with the black Madonna

We meditate for a while in front of the black Madonna, admire the new statue outside the church on the bench, where Jesus is depicted as a homeless person.

Statue of Jesus as a beggar

We do our little thank-you ritual in a secluded place in nature at an altitude of about 3,200 meters. Now we have really arrived here in Colombia. The rest of the day, everyone goes their own way. I myself have a Zoom call with the German-speaking group “Vision for Peace in Gaza”.


October 30

We travel to Apartadó via Medillín.

We are lucky that the flight is taking place at all, because there has been heavy rainfall in Apartadó. When we arrive, it is already dark. We are informed that we have to wait for a taxi because there has been a major accident.

After about fifteen minutes, a very friendly taxi driver arrives, loads our luggage, and we set off. We are just talking about how difficult it was to travel to Rojava and that Salim probably won’t get a visa from Africa. At that moment, there is a loud bang behind us. A large truck had crashed into the back of our taxi. The taxi driver just managed to turn the wheel and we flew into an embankment.

We don’t know if we would still be alive if he hadn’t reacted so quickly and clearly. At the moment, it’s difficult for me to write a report.

Many helpful people are on the scene immediately. I hit my head hard and am covered in blood. Two young men help us past the overturned truck, which is lying across both lanes, and into a bus that takes us straight to the hospital. It’s hard to describe, but despite the intense pain, everything inside me remains calm and clear. The staff at the clinic are very helpful. The others are uninjured. We feel surrounded by helpers.

Sabine in the clinic after the accident

Andrea (Phoebe) uses her knowledge of Spanish to ensure that I receive immediate treatment. The doctors examine me with various instruments. They find no skull fracture, and so I get off with a laceration that requires stitches and probably a slight concussion.

Interestingly, during my morning prayers, I was warned that something unpleasant would happen that day and that I should not forget that this too was happening under guidance. This helps me and us a lot to stay connected and calm.

We spend the night in a small hotel. The peace community has gathered to pray for us and Ledys came from the community to Apartadó to spend the night with us in the hotel. We feel very safe and cared for.

All this is happening on our so-called Ancestors’ Day. Interestingly, I dreamt about Eduar Lanchero, a leading figure in the community who passed away in 2012.

October 31

After a relatively quiet night and a shopping trip in Apartadó, we drive to the peace community around noon. We receive a very warm welcome. Despite all the threats facing the community, we repeatedly experience this place as an oasis of strength and true peace.

The first women of the community arrive. Brigida, one of the “elders”, welcomes us with a warm embrace and we have our first arrival discussions. We are well looked after.

We feel like we are in a five-star hotel, listening to the rain drumming on our tin roof. Elisa, Katja and Andrea make sure that everything is comfortable. With nails, boards and bricks, they set up a cozy apartment for us with tables and shelves.

I myself am still a bit in a daze and lie a lot. After all the events and errands, the other three are also exhausted in the early evening. By 8 p.m., we are all in bed and turn off the light. We hear the sounds of animals and the rain around us.

November 1

At 3 o’clock in the morning, I hear the first motorcycles and men’s voices next to our house, which is directly behind the entrance gate. The first people in the village wake up around 5 o’clock.

At around 7 o’clock, Arley, one of the core members of the community, welcomes us. He gives us a brief summary of the planned days during the farmers’ university, which will take place from Monday. Various peace initiatives are coming, and indigenous representatives have also been invited.

They are concerned with a solidarity movement that is not only locally but also globally committed to escaping imperialist structures. They are committed to life and to all oppressed peoples, especially those about whom hardly anyone knows anything because they are hardly reported on in public. One day is also to be dedicated to solidarity with Palestine. Arley and Marta, also a member of the peace community, took part in our peace pilgrimage in the Middle East (Fertile Crescent) in 2005.

In the early evening, our Defend the Sacred delegation arrives and there is a warm welcome.

Until the next entry.