The Arabian caravan guides call the Sahara “the sea without water.” Truly a place of oceanic proportions. They say that Allah removed everything superfluous so that we humans may recognize the true essence of things.
This had been the goal for Andrea and me from the start. Far away from the experiences of Central Europeans, free from the noise of traffic and civilization, as well as the compulsions imposed by society such as phones, deadlines, dates, terms and television. We wanted the laws of nature to guide us and to determine our days.
The two-week adventure began, after a distinct training phase, with three to four hours a day through the desert on foot or on the camels. We had two new Avatar students, and in the second week eight more Avatars would join us with the intention of experiencing the thematically centered review of The Avatar Course in this sea of dunes, with its magically singing winds and far horizons. Sunrise woke us each morning, and the swaying movements of the camels who ambled along the desert transported us into a different state of being. New dimensions opened for us, and the everyday life quickly dropped away. We learned to shift our fixed viewpoints. Dreams and reality began to merge. Our channels of perception opened and we became more sensitive to all aspects of the world.
By noon each day we would pitch the tent and start an intense experiential session. The fine sand of the Sahara formed the floor of our group room, and the shade of bushes protected us from the intense sunlight. On the third day the forces of nature showed us that they were determining our routine. After more than two years of aridity in the Tunisian Sahara, it began to rain. Our Arabian team quickly set up the Berber tent, and it became our classroom. In order to avoid the cold and wetness, we wore warm clothes and slipped into our sleeping bags. The only dry place was in the center of the tent so we moved close together. Our communication had to be very loud to be heard over the raging wind. This did not diminish our good spirits or our thirst for knowledge. Andrea and I were surprised at how open our new students were toward these challenging outer conditions. Although the rain kept us from breaking camp the following day, it did not stop us from continuing with the Avatar exercises.
In order to rendezvous with the second group, we had to travel for seven hours on the camels the next day.
This was ideal for continuing with the exercises and integrating the experiences of the previous days.
After a heartfelt welcome to the newcomers, we held an open forum so that the twelve participants could get to know each other. Our two new Avatar students had some interesting comments. We learned that Christof had gotten much more out of the first week than he ever expected and with such caring attention. Reinhard remarked that he felt he was in his power and very present.
On the first evening with the large group the desert showed us its romantic side. A starlit sky, a clearly visible Milky Way, many large shooting stars and no wind invited us to sleep under the open sky.
On the following morning, after the newcomers were instructed on the proper way to bind their Tschech (the Arabian headgear) to protect them from the burning sun and the wind, we set off again. Some of the reviewers spent time between breakfast, camel trekking and lunch in silence, open to the stillness. In the following days we were exposed to a sandstorm. Our Arabian guide bound our Tschechs in a new way that also protected our noses and ears and left only a slit open for our eyes.
All the different happenings in the Sahara helped the students to quickly recognize their limits and shift them. The final exercises under the open sky in the endless vastness and stillness of the Sahara were a highlight for everyone. The reviewers told us that they had experiences that they felt more deeply than before and said they had entered new spaces.
During our last meeting back at the Djerba Hotel, we saw fulfilled people with shining eyes. Christof felt a clear change in his approach toward greater tolerance for differing opinions and felt showered with gifts to take back to civilization. Jürgen experienced himself quite anew in the silence of the desert. As a reviewer he experienced new planes of self by applying the techniques that he could integrate playfully. Reinhard is now able to take responsibility for his life and to form it as he chooses. His confusion is dissolved. Susan was very happy to have penetrated to greater depths with her topic: longing for the divine. And the stories continued...
For Andrea and me, the two weeks were challenging in various respects, but nature advised us when and how to work. Our vision has manifested for the first time, and we are pleased to state the desert supports the Avatar processes and makes them more intense.
Oh, and the dates for our next desert seminars are already set: February 5-19, 1999, and October 22-November 6, 1999.
Viola Stollenmaier, Tübingen, Germany
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