PRAGUE
We didn’t realize how much we missed this, how much we needed this. To be with spiritual seekers again. To blend the energies in service to others. To share not only a love for this philosophy but – more importantly – to share each other. My eyes welled with gratitude at multiple points during the weekend. Magic is everywhere in a universe made of and by the Law of One, but it really becomes evident and inspiring when like-hearts connect in a space focused upon collaborative work and sharing. Three weeks later I can see everyone’s face, hear everyone’s voice, and bring to life in my heart everyone’s particular energetic signature.
What I am pointing to is L/L Research’s first in-person event since before the pandemic: the recently completed August, 2022 Prague Law of One Gathering. Our last event was, funny enough, the October, 2019 Prague LOO Gathering. Almost three years! A drought that was so gradual we didn’t quite realize how parched our throats were, though our cracking skin was a growing sign.
27 people registered from nine different countries. It began Friday evening with introductions and what we call authentic relating games, which are just mechanisms designed to break the proverbial ice and begin the process of blending the individual into a harmonious whole.
Having been over three years during which the world became…different, we didn’t know what to expect; but from the first moment forward, each seemed to merge in the open heart the way it always happens at these gatherings. We do various check-ins over the course of the event, from beginning with questions about expectations/hopes/desires to sharing reflections at the end. Invariably there are reports of feeling at home, feeling an inexplicable familiarity and kinship, being where one is supposed to be (along with some accompanying sadness at times to return to the routine life and its attendant challenges); this due not to any special powers of L/L Research, but to the way the Creator makes Itself more known when humble seekers come together in shared seeking and service.
Open Space
We utilized the Open Space format that has proven so successful in the past. In this format, each attendee has an opportunity to pitch their presentation to the circle during the morning Marketplace portions. With feedback from the group, they then determine in which venue and time slot to situate the presentation. Offerings can run the spectrum of brain hemispheric activity, from the left-brained intellectual lectures and discussions to the right-brained artistic and emotional explorations, to body exercises, group activities, and everything in between.
Each attendee has a different experience, as no two attend the same exact offerings throughout the weekend. I loved every presentation I attended. To highlight a few:
- Bara, a member of the Czech translation, held a discussion about forgiveness where she courageously shared a tale of traumatic events in her past, her own struggles with forgiveness, and the very recent moment when it suddenly shifted and she moved into that sweet eternal river of light. The discussion that followed highlighted some of the difficulties (which I too grapple with) regarding the lived practice of forgiveness in a world such as ours.
- Jochen, the German translator and L/L’s partner in publishing German and French translations, shared his deep and extensive background with the spiritual discipline of using chanting as a means of communion and purification. (He spent some years of his 20s in an ashram.) He is drawn toward sacred words such as “Adonai Vasu.” We participated in a chant set to a rhythm of those two words. I wish we had had more time, because as we chanted, I could feel an emotional knot of pain begin to open and the tears begin their journey to the eyes as my voice faltered during the chanting. But it was only a hint of a beginning.
- Narek, a multinational friend with whom we’ve shared time at past Louisville and Prague events, led a breathwork session that was very much like the breathwork I did at a Stanislav Grof/Jack Kornfield workshop at the Omega Institute many years ago. Following Jochen’s session, the access to that buried crystallized emotional knot of pain began to re-open. Laying on my back on the ground breathing rhythmically and intensively to music playing in the room, the tears began to flow and the body began to convulse. But again I felt I was not reaching what needs to be processed and released. Outside of my sister Noelle’s sudden passing almost two years ago, which hardly let me stand upright at times, I haven’t had a deep soul cry in so very long. And I really need to cry.
- Radim, another member of the Czech team, spent a whole session examining the Lord’s Prayer, line by line, a prayer that he had integrated into his own practice upon learning how important it was to Carla and integral it is to L/L’s channeling service. It was incredible how much insight and richness of meaning there was in each turn of phrase.
- Sarah, a return attendee from the UK, held what I and others felt was a much needed service: a woman’s circle. Naturally I was not present, but each who did, including Trish, was quite grateful. Trish in fact decided to forgo offering her heartshare in favor of giving space to this woman’s circle.
And many others! This is just a small taste of the great variety of offerings at these events.
We were able to travel with Jim to the 2019 event, but this year Jim had cat commitments (the literal four-legged feline entities). Travel was not in the cards for this home-rooted Taurus. Fortunately, the group connected with Jim via Zoom for some Q&A. And we kept him with us in our hearts.
Channeling
Also in highlight, Trish, Austin, and I did the unthinkable. Prior to the event, we were invited to channel. We conveyed to Vojta not to build a channeling into the schedule. In our years of practice, and thanks in large part to the pandemic which put public meditations on hiatus, we had yet to channel in front of other people. We had taken plenty of live questions, just not with other people join us in the room. (Exception: Morris did once several years ago.) We were expecting to break that barrier when public meditations resumed this fall, but at an event on another continent with almost 30 other people? Unlikely.
But, we kept our minds and hearts open. Austin performed the Banishing Ritual every day in the space we might use just in case, and, come the day before, Trish, Austin, and I combined hearts and decided… yes, we would try it. We gave appropriate disclaimers to the circle and set a time for the next day.
Come Sunday evening, one of the attendees, Miroslav, played sacred sounds for the circle while we three human instruments performed our individual tuning/challenging process in the space to be used for the working. (Miroslav is one of those entities who anchors a grounded and expansive presence that gifts the circle tremendous light. He spent much of the weekend in meditation.)
We finished our processes a minute or two before the group began solemnly streaming into the space, Trish had tears flowing. In what I think may be a first, she reported seeing Carla “clear as day.” Trisha said that Carla was present and aglow with pride for her proteges, and also some light admonishment for taking ourselves too seriously. Trish received the message that we should essentially loosen up and enjoy ourselves—we were supported and would serve great. We were quite nervous.
It was an ordinary channeling like any other non-Carla (read: extra-ordinary) channeling. It was positively oriented information, but ultimately just a perspective inherent with its own incompleteness and biases. But special for us because we did what we thought we wouldn’t be able to do. In the moment after the session, my eyes were water-filled as I looked over to my companions. Austin transcended the role of colleague/friend and Trish transcended the role of colleague/wife, and I saw each as something… larger… a brother and a sister, each an equal peer and teacher to me, the three of us with arms linked taking another step on a long road of fulfilling the incarnational mission of service. It was a moment I and we will cherish for years to come.
By the end of the day with eyes I could barely keep open (dinner was very…celebratory), I excitedly report the event to Jim by email to receive a very heartfelt and supportive reply in return.
The gathered circle was so supportive in their beingness and attitude. What seemed a daunting prospect was made possible because of the generosity of their hearts. It actually turned out to be a highly conducive space to take this leap! Now, so long as we never have to do it again, because there are still apprehension-causing hurdles to cross, we can rest easy and put up our feet… : )
A Few People
Readers of L/L Research may recall the name Romi (or Roman) mentioned over the years by us or by Carla and Jim. A Czech transplant to Louisville in the early 90s, having defected when it was under the Iron Curtain, he was a very faithful friend to Carla and Jim, and then us, over the years. In 2013 he gave up his life in the States to return to his native country to care for his mother. He and we were eager for a reunion at this event, and then just days before it was scheduled to begin… he contracted covid. It was quite sad to be unable to see our old friend.
I wish I could speak about each person and shine a light on just some facet of the beauty I see in each, but that’s not possible. There are a few other highlights I wish to make.
Vojta, the lead of the Czech translation team and our dear friend, really came into his own. This was his second effort to lead the production on the ground in Prague following the 2019 event. It is always a lot of work, and it always presents new challenges, but there is a certain quality of copy + paste when you establish your precedents, so we were able to carry over the good work of 2019 and improve upon it. Thanks in large part to his efforts, the event ran without a hitch! Including filling our bellies with delicious vegan food for dinners and lunches.
Vojtech (nickname: Vojta) is someone with an irrepressible quality of energy and zest for life. A tall entity, he speaks loudly and seems often incapable of modulating to lower decibels (I joked that I imagine he is permanently banned from libraries throughout the Czech Republic), and he fills up whatever room he occupies. He is always laughing, whether at other people’s jokes or his own, sometimes halfway through what he is saying; and oh, he is ever on the lookout for a new English idiom. Vojta welcomes all into his heart and is very much himself with little pretense, an authenticity that he’s learned to embrace over the years.
And while I’m at it, a shout-out to Prague in August! Weather was a bit on the hot side but amazing nonetheless. It was great walking to the local small vegan restaurants for dinner.
It was also a first partial run for L/L’s first-ever dedicated Event Manager, Tiffani. (Since 2005 when Carla threw me into the ring and asked me to produce an event without training or preparation, I have been leading the production of L/L events.) Tiffani had helped to produce the event, processed all the registrations and various attendee-related questions and needs leading up to the event, but this wouldn’t yet be the platform for her to put her skill set to use—that is still upcoming. She was able to lend support and did a fantastic job designing and leading Friday’s authentic relating games and keeping the European attendees flowing from one session to the next.
And Sheyla! A member of the Serbian translation team for the TRC. We previously had correspondence and “met” through Jonathan Tong’s live zoom Q&As, but this was a first in-person meet-up. Among that which I personally needed was her humor. A barrel of laughs, that one; and fluent in the sarcastic arts, but not in the condescending or cynical way that many are. She threads that very fine needle of imbuing each quip with the green ray so there is always a sense of embrace and safety, even as mutual barbs are being exchanged. A delight to share energies with.
And in the way that Ra describes the exponential possibilities of the mated relationship, Vojta’s life mate, Emilly, also passionate about the Law of One—and oh what a story of synchronicity, their coming together—supported the production and synthesized so effortlessly with Vojta and the rest of us in keeping the event not only logistically viable, but energetically clean and vibrant. While grounded, greatly intelligent, and pragmatic, she has the energy and the light of a flower. She just shines.
Holding physical space for seekers of the Law of One has been part of the lifeblood of L/L Research. The absence of that space was beginning to become acutely felt. Being in a live circle of seeking again, giving and receiving service, was so reenergizing, uplifting, and heart-restoring. And hearing the same from others… I wish I could hug each one once more. I never want to again go three years without this
BRUSSELS
Among the translators that have remained dedicated to their service over the years is one entity forever rooted in our hearts: Misha Deschreider. A professional translator by trade, she has gifted L/L Research 13 different books in the French language. As she said recently, “Translating L/L Research books is always a great joy for me since it gives me a feeling to be closer to you all, and it is also the best way for me to learn fascinating things. How fortunate I am in this respect!” But it’s not her service alone that she has gifted; it is her energy, conversation, culture, and charm. Misha has been a friend since we crossed paths in September, 2007.
Sadly, she had to cancel her registration for the Prague LOO gathering. At almost 80 years old, her knees wouldn’t allow her the journey she made for the 2019 Prague LoO gathering, so we knew what we had to do: go see her. In between Prague and Berlin, Austin, Trish, and I made a stop for a couple of days in Brussels to spend with Misha.
Living in a well-maintained and comfortable senior living center, one of her neighbors brought over a paella dish for us to share together on day one. And we were joined by one of Misha’s LOO study group members, Mia, a transplant from Finland, for a blend of spiritual and personal discussion. The next day, Misha guided us through the public transit system to make our way to Brussels, the Grand Plac in particular, where with great care and meditational speed, we were able to walk, visit shops, and share a lively meal together. Though operating an aging body, she has such vitality of spirit, wit, good humor, questions, and stories to share.
It was sad to say goodbye. We all agree that the time was too short, though next year there is scheduled to be a sleeper train up and running that will allow her to travel to Prague.
This visit also intensified the repeating clock digit phenomenon. They arrive in clusters, and our first day with Misha I experienced five of them. They’ve continued, but less intensely.
BERLIN
And for our final stop, we were met by Vojta and Emilly (the latter of whom organized much of our weekend) in Berlin, the home city of Jochen Blumenthal who is the head of Das Gesetz des Einen Verlag. For the few who follow this Blogworthy, you’ll have seen Jochen’s name repeated over the years. In 2014, with Carla and Jim’s blessing and joy, Jochen officially pioneered something new for L/L Research: a satellite operation authorized to translate and publish L/L’s work in German. (Later Misha would join the arrangement to bring in French.) And since then he has been a faithful and much valued partner in the mission of L/L Research.
In conjunction with Daniel, a German student of the Law of One who we met the weekend prior in Prague, Jochen hosted a small public gathering that Saturday. We met at Daniel’s workplace for an event live-streamed via Zoom. As with the channeling effort the weekend prior, we were a bit nervous because being in front of a camera recording and streaming us, that’s still pretty new after all these years. But it went so well. As with Prague, the atmosphere itself was just beautiful—seekers gathered together in shared focus and positive spirit.
It was the first event we’ve participated in that was bilingual: every question that Jochen asked or relayed, along with every reply, Jochen translated into German. And extra exciting: Trisha finally joined Austin and me for our three-person panel. Uncharacteristic for her, she was nervous but spread her wings and, in our opinion, soared. It was strengthening for us three to be upon this adventure as a group, from the channeling the weekend prior to this live Q&A. We three have gone through a lot together, and thanks to catalyst both wonderful and not-so-wonderful, we’ve grown closer into a tight-knit, well-oiled operational unit, each of us dedicated to the mission and each other.
I had never seen Jochen in this role before. He was great and much more at ease than us. Jochen is a good speaker with a melodic voice. He is a great (albeit often meandering) storyteller who’s lived like an ascetic much of his life, including some years in an ashram, and has undergone a good deal of hard experience.
Being with him in his home environment gave me a deeper window into soul. He loves the streets. He loves the people. Smoking his rolled cigarettes and observing the world around him, he interacts with all walks of life, talking compassionately with whoever he encounters—from drug addicts, to the homeless, to religious sectarians, to business people, to young, old, and all manner of mind/body/spirit complexes.
We enjoyed meeting some new seekers at the Berlin event, re-seeing some faces that had been in Prague the weekend prior including Lin and Maximillian, and seeing some old ones like Matthias Galke who had helped us to produce the series of YouTube videos in 2019. Matthias led the Berling event in a couple short yoga sessions and spoke about his own Law of One-based tour de force: Intelligente Unendlichkeit . (Kids in the 80s may remember Johnny 5 from the movie Short Circuit. Matthias’s reading habits remind me of Johnny 5. He has consumed thousands of non-fiction books in years of research and study, the fruit of which he synthesizes into that book.)
I could also add a personal note about the fascinating and…painful history of Berlin. I am forever passionate about history, one of my great loves after metaphysics, and Berlin was a particularly rich place to be in that regard. Among the historical places we visited while in Berlin on our time was a walk along a preserved section of the Berlin Wall, which now features a variety of painted murals. (I didn’t quite realize that West Berlin was totally encircled by the wall, though being an enclave in then East Germany, that would make sense.)
But in the way of positive transmutation, we also walked by the site of the future House of One. From their website:
“Berlin is soon to become home to something truly unique. Jews, Christians, and Muslims are planning to build a house of worship here – one that brings a synagogue, a church, and a mosque together under one roof. The three separate sections will be linked by a communal room in the center of the building. This will serve as a meeting place, where worshippers and members of the public can come together and learn more about the religions and each other.”
Berlin is a hotbed of clashing and cross-pollinating cultures. Jochen called it a microcosm of the world.
HOME
Returning home, we were faced with a backlog of accumulated work that converged with the need to kick the engines into gear to ready ourselves for TWO more in-person gatherings coming in mid-September! (The first of which is this coming weekend.) This was not the universe’s brightest scheduling idea.
Time moves soo fast. It’s difficult to soak in and savor any one of experience. I blinked and Prague was over. And I am back in this fast-flowing river of duty and commitment in the service of this organization. But the aftertaste of the two events in Europe grow sweeter.
On the organizational level, to return to form after a three-year hiatus, to feel oneself of service, to see impact, to actively support other seekers in their journey, and to play a part in holding a container of connection, healing, and transformation—it was well worth all the effort. Also, the opportunity to work more closely with Jochen (who may one day head up a European publishing center for a variety of foreign languages) and Vojta (who is growing into leadership for European event production) was in good support of L/L’s mission.
On a personal level, Trish and I are somewhat isolated in our day-to-day lives (which was especially intense during the first year of the pandemic given that Trish is an immunocompromised person). But generally, much of our human interaction comes mitigated by technology. Outside of a week here and there spent with birth families, I can’t recall the last time we both spent such a span of time with loved ones/peers/fellow adventurers on a path of service on this strange planetary outpost. It felt so good.
My mom has six siblings. My dad seven. I had cousins galore growing up, combined with friends in school. Living with my grandmother from grades 7 – 12, my parents loved to host. We always had family members and friends over, whether something my parents organized, or our school friends visiting my brother and/or me, and all the dumb things that kids get into. When adulthood and the spiritual path commenced, I drifted and detached from all of that, losing a universe of relationships, along with the identity that was part of that world. While I’ve welcomed many beautiful people into my heart thanks to the Law of One, it’s been over 24 years since I had that sense of local community. It took some years to make peace with its loss, but I still feel its ache; perhaps an echo of that faint subconscious memory of being one with a planetary society of loved ones…
The above accounts of our journeys of service are not to be read as being experienced by perfect beacons of love and light. We are dumb, imperfect, ordinary mortals. I struggled with low energy at various points. One afternoon in Berlin I became somewhat withdrawn. After abstaining in the lead up to the Prague channeling, I keep my system clear for channeling, I succumbed to the inner seduction of nicotine and vaped on an off. But, save for a private moment of tension between Trish and me unrelated to the event, the venture was conducted in harmony. I love people. I love their stories, their aspirations, their talents, and their humor, especially. I love their individually unique light. I will miss everyone encountered during our European journey. The sights now are upon our upcoming events!
Addendum
After the event, Radim reached out to a few of us regarding his presentation on the Lord’s Prayer at the Prague event. With his permission to publish here, he wrote:
I wanted to describe you what I imagine during the prayer but we were running out of time. So let me do it now. I altered this after digestion of the words and inspiration/thinking that came to me after our session.
I imagine space, infinite space and try to feel love and gratitude
– Our Father who are in Heaven, I imagine how this space forms Sun, logos, as a concentration of love, as a facet of the One
– hallowed be Thy name. Sun, its surface starts to move in a dynamic endless process
– Thy kingdom come, Sun starts to glow more into outer space being its Will to be received on Earth
– Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Moving to Earth where all people have what they need in 3rd density, no thirst, no starving.
– Give us this day our daily bread I imagine people smiling, then hugging, all nations doing that
– and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. I imagine a person(s), balanced, knowing his/her incarnation purpose
– And lead us not into temptation I imagine people in great armor of light – but deliver us from evil.I pause here for a while, trying to feel what comes back, no words
– (For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever.) Amen.
