Alumni Newsletters

Those of you who have attended workshops at the Centre know how much I worry about fire and how carefully I work to prevent fire in the buildings and on the grounds. Sadly, despite all precautions, there was a fire in the studio building on October 10. The wood shop, including the machines, the painting studio and half the roof are gone. All windows have to be replaced.

It will cost approximately $62,000 to restore and repair the building, with about $15,000 needed immediately to prepare for winter's snow and cold weather. Once that preparatory work is done, I will try to get everything ready for the coming summer courses. It is a daunting challenge, especially as the insurance policy was transferred to an other company and within this one week of no coverage the fire happened.

But I draw energy and inspiration from the support some of you have already sent or offered. In a moment of crisis a helping hand makes all the difference. You may have received a fund-raising letter from a group of alumni in Vancouver. Because they have started the job of raising money to repair the fire damage, I can devote more energy and time to the work that has to be done on the studio building. I am truly touched by their gesture and want to thank them with all my heart. Also, I want to thank everyone who has already contributed or pledged money to the restoration fund. I will contact each of you individually when the immediate tasks are done.

The alumni and friends of the Atlin Centre have always been important to the success of the programs. For the coming year, I ask you again to help promote the unique philosophy and approach, and find new participants for the courses. I promote the Centre in many ways. The most effective advertising has always been the word-of-mouth recommendations of participants to their colleagues, students and friends.

Please share your vision of the "Atlin High" generously when you meet someone who might benefit from an art course or wilderness adventure program. And please distribute the posters and brochures when they arrive. A word of caution: be sure the people you talk to about the art courses understand the challenges so they are prepared to participate as a member of a group of artists. As you know, my approach involves fostering a sense of community among each group of participants as a way of inviting everyone to discover new experiences and respond in new ways. Participants who do challenge themselves will not benefit fully from the program and they may inhibit the responses, commitment and experiences of other participants.
I also urge you to promote the website. It offers a good introduction to the Centre and its programs. To make the web site come alive, it is important to let people know about it. Enjoy it - share it with your friends. I would love to receive your comments and critiques.

A special word of thanks to all the new alumni for your trust and enthusiastic participation. You helped create another successful Atlin summer, and I hope the Atlin High is still with you, helping you open new creative doors with new experiences.

Many of you have already sent testimonies reflecting on your participation in the programs. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, feelings and insights. Your statements nourish the activities in many ways. They help shape future development of the programs. They affirm the value and strength of the school. They truly touch my heart, giving me energy to face the challenges ahead. Also please consider becoming an active member of the Atlin Centre Alumni.
Your $25 membership fee affirms your commitment to the Centre in many ways. The challenge of maintaining and nourishing a creative environment for artists go on every year and need constant attention.

As a way of saying thank you to you, as an alumni member, I offer a 30% discount on all Art Workshops and on the Atlin Quest Wilderness Adventure. I am always gratified by the number of alumni who return for a third, fourth, fifth or sixth time. For those of you who have come here 5 times, I offer the 6th Atlin experience, for free! - An art course or a 10-day Wilderness Adventure. So, count your summers!

Now living full-time in Atlin, I still draw tremendous inspiration from the environment, enriching both my personal and creative activities during summer and winter.

Take care of yourselves. I wish you much success in all your creative endeavors and outdoor adventures.

Affectionately and in friendship,

Gernot Dick, Director

Dear Alumni and Friends of the Atlin Centre,

Itís just a short time since the last alumni letter, but my god, filled with events - some exciting and some dramatic!
People are asking me, " What's the meaning of all this? Is there a message?" Hell, how should I know! I'm just pushed and thrown around by what I believe is just, as we say - "Life". But yes I admit at moments it feels as if I am called to attend my own 'Idea and the Creative Process' course. And I'll be damned if I don't come out with some clearer awareness of what that "life" is.

The exciting part since the letter the Vancouver Alumni group mailed is the response to help with the fire damage financially and with supportive letters and parcels in all their generous and delightful diversity - it all makes my heart soar and brings tears to my eyes. A very special thanks to all of you who helped in so many ways to keep the spirit of the school and the spirit in me alive.

October 10th was the fire. In the same week I was diagnosed as having cancer. It felt like a nightmare for 6 months - until it cleared up as a misdiagnosis with absolutely no cancer at all. Before Christmas, three close friends died and my mother broke her back and she is deteriorating by the week. Recently Petou was killed when a truck drove over him. And finally, two weeks ago - and I hope this is the last strike God throws at me - I stupidly cut off three fingers of my hand.
That meant 10 days in a Vancouver hospital. That meant 10 days of doing nothing, can you imagine? It turned out more something like a holiday, as friends came to visit, lending a hand in this moment of need. I thank you with all my heart for that much love and support. Please accept my thanks to you in this form letter. I sincerely hope that I will have time soon to respond to you individually.

With the three fingers attached back on, it isn't so bad - I will have a functional hand. But at the moment work goes slowly, which makes the repair of the studio building, or maybe we should say of the fire damage, more questionable.
Is there destiny in my life? I don't think so - it's just the bigger clockwork doing its thing. I do know I have to make it my challenge to find my answers in (and higher awareness of how not to cut off fingers) in these "offerings". It also strengthens my belief that I must live by the power of my own spirit and the united force of the love from my friends. What do we live by? The highest thing we can ever live by is the consciousness of being. Coincidences cease to matter because they can never touch our spirit. It is our spirit which empowers us to go beyond the physical events in our lives.

May I share once more the promotional concerns and suggestions for the Atlin Centre. Because my mailing this year is delayed again, please display and distribute the Atlin Centre literature as soon as you can. Your support as ambassadors in promoting Atlin Centre's ventures is appreciated.

You are always welcome to return for a regular art course or a wilderness adventure trip. I am always gratified by the number of alumni who return for the second, third, even seventh time. For those of you who have come here 4 times, I offer the 5th Atlin experience for free! You may choose either an art course or a 10-day Wilderness Adventure. So, count your summers!
Take care of yourselves. I wish you much success in all your creative endeavors and outdoor adventures!

Affectionately and in friendship,
Gernot Dick, Director

Dear Alumni and Friends of the Atlin Centre,

Some of you have never had the Atlin Experience. But a spiritual connection must have happened "out there", as the response from strangers, alumni, and friends to save and help the Atlin Centre was overwhelming. The donations, gifts and loving letters giving support through this period of crisis still touches my feelings deeply.

A special thanks to the Vancouver Alumni Group, spearheaded by Mia Weinberg, who started the idea of fund raising. And a heartfelt thank you to Sandy Naysmith as she, with the assistance of Almut Dale created an exciting event in Calgary--a Dinner, Dance, and Silent Auction--which was an exceptional success and after lots of hard work was also in the end lots of fun for everybody involved in creating it.

And also I want to thank the patrons of the arts who came to the Auction. A very special thanks to the 41 artists. Their work came from as far away as Vancouver, New York, Toronto and San Francisco, Mexico City and L.A. Australia and Europe to make the Silent Auction possible.

It is amazing and rewarding to see how a "little bit" from a lot of people can make a profound difference. It brings memories of the art courses and wilderness adventure experiences alive in me, as it demonstrates that when we unite our forces, we can move the mountain.
And so we did. The Studio Building has been transformed from a black cinderbox into polished white working spaces--new roof and everything. Many times I feared it would never be finished before the summer courses started, everything seemed to take so long. Now it feels almost like magic that it is done. The fire and the re-building are past, but the awakening of spirit it caused and the human element it evoked will feed me always.

The Atlin town, a leftover from the Klondike Gold Rush days, is exceptional not just because of its breathtaking setting amidst the Coast Mountains and nestled on the shore of Atlin Lake. It is also exceptional in its makeup of exceptional people.

I have come to Atlin every summer since 1974, and have since spent six winters here. Atlin and some of its people really took the school and me into their hearts. But to many Atlinites I felt an outsider - "hey Joe, you heard about that crazy Austrian up on the hill with his Artsy-Fartsy school up on Monarch Mountain? Can you believe it--they say he doesn't even let "his" people come to town! And they do crazy things up there, I hear they even CART ROCKS UP THERE and don't even USE 'em--except for hanging 'em in weird places! That sure ain't ART- never gone up there and never will."

And can you imagine - some magic happened in the town. When the Studio building was on fire, they came and lent a hand and when I returned from the hospital with stitched-on fingers, they said "Hello, how're you doing? Heard you had a little trouble with your hand." They wanted to let me know that they cared all along, and I also know now who else in town has had an injured hand, and just where and when and how it happened. Isn't it amazing how much we can open our hearts when we find a common experience binding us together and allowing us to begin communicating and sharing some part of our lives!

So now having said Thank You, there are still endless thoughts and emotions going through me and I don't know where to start and how to say it. Because of the experiences of the last seven months, I feel like it is a new life and perhaps even a "new man". Certainly "new" when I look at my right hand - there is now a half of a finger less, with two of them somewhat stiff and foreign-looking. The surgeon saved two out of three - that is a higher average than what they normally plan for! He said before the job, "we normally plan to save one out of three, since putting fingers back on is a lot of work and takes a lot of time... and what are a few fingers anyway?" To me, at that moment for sure, I knew clearly that my fingers were my life! I felt my toes hide themselves. It was as if he said, "if we save one child out --of three, it's OK." And seeing my own very familiar finger lying there on the cloth, separate from the rest of me, felt very strange. That experience locked in and still is with me as it affirmed an important thought. "Sometimes we have to leave something behind to gain a new insight."

Now, the Studio Building is in good working order for the up-coming summer courses. So if any of you are able to come this summer for some fun and adventure, I offer any program with a 30% reduction. Please hand the literature on to any other potential participants who might enjoy the Atlin Experience.
Below I am adding an excerpt from "Black Elk speaking" about how we are all interconnected--all communities and all of life.

Yes, this is a long thank-you letter, but I wanted to share with you some of my reflections on these adventures and also to say, "I'm OK". My heart is touched by your support and your caring.

Your friend, Gernot

Dear Alumni and Friends of the Atlin Centre,

Itís 4 in the morning with a steaming cup of ginger tea by my side and the key board, my worst friend, in front of me, while I'm attempting to write to you - but before I start - there is a bright moon above Teresa Island spreading a million sparkles over Atlin Lake and again I feel something responding in me - it must be paradise! At such moments the special beauty I can see all around me, reminds me why I came here and how much it expands me to share it with you.

After one year of dramatic challenges in my life, this summer's participants were a healing band-aid for my soul. It was four months of sharing and caring and hard work towards a new awareness and shaping of friendships with such special people. I think we are all richer for it, and not just because the work is stronger, but first of all because we showed and helped each other to realize that people, strangers sheltered together, can awaken a human spirit and can connect even in the most difficult moments. Because of the human element, which highlighted the growing and brightness of all we shared and did, when the close of summer came and you all had left, it brought a sad feeling to my heart. So I appreciated so much when your testimonials and reflective letters and photographs began to arrive. Thank you, it's wonderful. And finally, thanks for coming to Atlin, to make the Atlin Centre a reality for another year. In a year of miserable disasters, I feel Spirit balanced it out by sending me so many wonderful people.

Again, it's reality which teaches and which challenges me to listen once more. My mother died a week ago. During many summers and with many of you I shared thoughts, beliefs and feelings I have about my mother and motherhood. Her passing away is her last offering to me, her last gift she hands over. Knowing the person she was, that's a big challenge she is handing over and inviting me to carry on with. I will live the pain and the lessons which her way of living teaches. It will brighten my life, open new growth and it will help me to see new horizons in my life. As difficult as it is to hear, I think she is saying "celebrate the offer I hand to you in my passing away". I think that's the biggest offering she ever gave to me. That, I feel, demands an heroic act, but you see that's what she was, "a hero".

In past history we created many false and disastrous heroes. I believe it would be just and fair and urgent to begin to awaken, to bring alive the belief that true motherhood is the biggest heroic act life can call to. Motherhood brings many blessings to earth, of which we are robbing ourselves. In conclusion I want to say that her timing is also impeccable. She left in the same week as all the dramas started a year ago with the fire in the studio building. What a year - as she also said in her 90th year "now, it is enough"!

Life in the Atlin Town is entering a new phase; the historic theatre "The Globe" is restored again. Because of much "labour of love" by the community it opened this summer. The Atlin RCMP-officer, Derek Strong, gave a full-house performance of Country music love songs loaded with emotion and tears - and everybody loved it. There have been many cheerful evenings of entertainment already, and the new Atlin drama group is planning their first play.

Also, it seems we are entering here a new phase in regard to climate. We have the warmest autumn ever. As one of my neighbours says - the Banana Belt of the North. So far snow just on the higher planes and virtually no frost. One always wonders if the lake will ever freeze, but almost always it finally does.

Presently I'm very busy getting ready for the next summer, designing new literature and placing advertisements in various art and outdoor magazines. As you all know well, paper work is not my thing, but that's life. Quite frankly, I would rather be skiing and hiking and painting, or even doing nothing.

From March 27 to April 17, there will be an exhibit about the Atlin Centre at the Nanaimo Gallery. I do hope that those of you living on Vancouver Island and in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area will be able to see this exhibit, which will include large format photographs of the Centre's facilities, work by participants, and the surrounding landscape, all accompanied by explanatory text and projected slides.

Finally I'm coming closer to the stars. The Observatory was installed yesterday! It's a great feeling to see the white dome on top of the hill. Also it's a step closer to a winter workshop which will include an introductory course to astronomy. Imagine our new perspectives on moonlit landscapes, "nearby" galaxies and sister planets. So get your warm socks, mitts and toques ready!

I hope I will have the 1999 literature ready for mailing by February. You, the Alumni/Friend have always been important to the success of the programs. For the coming year, I ask you again to help promote the unique philosophy and environment of the Centre, and help finding new participants for the workshops. So please share your vision of the "Atlin High" generously when you meet someone who might benefit from an art workshop or wilderness adventure program.

Please accept my sincere thanks for your support - and your friendship. I wish you much success in your creative journeys and outdoor adventures and hope that the Atlin High is still with you.
Affectionately,

Gernot Dick, Director

Dear Alumni and Friends of the Atlin Centre,

Imagine this view which leaves me breathless - my heart pounding - looking over the lake towards Teresa Island and Cathedral Mountain. A white blanket is pulled over them, right down to the water's edge. Looking south, the sun rises over frosted trees - and the only sound is my breathing.

Today I tackle the mountain that looms so large in my imagination, on this, the shortest day of the year. Monarch Mountain, a pleasant stroll on a summer day, today it's an adventure, one that all my heart and soul can handle. But it's not the challenge of the deep blown snow or the sting of the cold, it's the bombardment of all my senses to experience visual heaven and hell all at once.

Here, on the top I feel transcended into a crystal palace. A quilt of millions of diamonds is spread over the wintry slopes and looking against the sun, every frosted rock and branch sparkles with thousands of glittering crystals. But looking down, it's hell. The lake steaming and boiling with volcanic fury. Steam rising from the deep blue-black water, forming a thick cloud, like a curtain of death hanging two hundred feet above the lake - no daylight can penetrate this darkness.

As I stride and slide, jump and roll down the mountain and as I look above and below, a signal goes off in my mind - "THAT'S CONTRAST!" It is contrast which brings me alive! Every fiber of my being vibrates - is electrified by this experience of OPPOSITES - this experience of heaven and hell.

I love life - I love all life - and I love you for being in my life for ten days, or three or four weeks. Especially I love you for refreshing me with those sharings in the mountain of Christmas cards and letters which have poured in, like a wonderful beautiful snowfall, in the recent days. Please accept this letter, sharing my thoughts and feelings, as a response to your refreshing correspondence. Over the years this volume grows and grows, and you all know how I feel about writing!

Atlin Centre is in deep freeze - at least somewhat, as we have so far the warmest winter ever. And so, there is life at the Centre. Sue Pilling, on her fourth visit to Atlin, lives in the log cabin. She skis on sunny days, skates on the pond, does not miss a dance in town, sings at the choir, invites and is invited for dinner, house- and dog-sits on occasion. Come February she will head off to New Zealand for sailing. That is responding!

There is also life in the Residence Building. There are Celine and Philippe Brient from Affortville, France, resting and preparing for the next adventure. They came north to Atlin on a 23 day struggle through the northern wilderness over mountains and wild river crossings from Telegraph Creek, on a trail where many had to turn around and some never came out. They appeared two month ago, and have not lost the spirit of adventure at all. Now they are training six huskies to head by sled to Dawson City - should the day come when their lead dog Nanuk understands that hoooo means run and hiiiii means stop.

I'm just in the process designing next year's colour brochure. It's frustrating for me to work with the computer, to juggle words and images together! But also I know this task will pass me by and my nerves will heal, eventually - and when I look out the window and reflect on the paradise around me, I know that life is okay. For me, the key to creativity and renewal is here - right here on the mountain amongst the trees and inside me.

During the peak of the autumn colors is the most exciting month to be in the north. As a way of saying thank you to you as an alumni member for having come to Atlin, I offer you 30% discount discount on any programs. You must be an active alumni member ($25 membership) to take advantage of this opportunity.

Take care of yourselves. I wish you much success in all your creative endeavors and outdoor adventures! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

----- January 31, (there is trouble with the literature - the mailing is delayed)----

To be in a particular moment of the year in a particular place, is something I have done for many years. That is to be on New Year's night on top of a mountain. When I lived in Ontario it was Silver Peak, the highest spot in the land. This year, on New Year's night I was on Sentinel, although not the highest in the land - it is the highest in the Johnson Range. It was New Years Eve, breathing the frozen air which stings my nose and throat, I walked by moonlight through the winter forest. It is magic! The slightest touch on a branch or tree unloaded a mass of snow on me - and I disappeared as if I was beamed up by Captain Kirk. The weeping branches springing free from the load - saying something like "thanks" - as I already search past the next tree, hoping not to wake him up.

It was close to midnight when I got past the treeline, the fluffy powder was up to my hip. Many more hours over iced up rock faces lay before me, as I paddled in powder snow at times up to my neck. The underbrush, the temperature, the hazardous snow conditions, the frozen rock faces all at its worst, quietly saying "you won't make it!"

It was early morning, the eastern sky just announcing the New Year's Day - the cold-faced moon still hung over Atlin mountain when I got to the ridge - and still five more hours to the peak!
"You can't!", it echoed from the peak, now only some hundred feet away. As the voice became more convincing, every step became more painful. As I climbed, pushed and crawled, setting off little avalanches below me, I got to the top. At least what I thought was the top - there was yet another ridge above and the voice got louder "you can't, you can't". Will the year be any different if I don't make the last 200 feet? Hell no - or maybe! My mind traveled back to climbing in Austria - trying to find a connection with what I did then, or what I am, and what I'm doing now. Some " Into Thin Air" episodes popped in my head and the pain, and the voice saying " you can't". But when I stood on top, the voice was silent -- and it made me breathless as I was looking over an endless ocean of mountains.
Descending, I followed the route I came up. As I went back down on my trail, I could not believe I came up that way. It surprised me what I had done. It told me again, to never measure, what I'm capable, when I look onto an experience, but taking the biggest measure I can reach for, when I'm in the experience.
Are you going where the excitement is? For me, it is in my mind. That way I can go anywhere and my body will follow.
----- February, -----------
After so many "Happy New Years" to you Gernot, the first small disaster has already struck. So, what else is new? Life is once again re-editing my plans. My mailing got delayed by one month . When I received the colour proofs for the brochure - they were not acceptable. So I think it's time to climb the mountain again! The mountain inside me that is!

Affectionately and in friendship,

Gernot Dick, Director

Dear Alumni and Friends,

It's the time of year for looking back on the previous summer, contemplating the future of the Atlin Centre, and reaching out to re-establish contact with you.
Good news: no disasters this year, no fire, no fingers lost! As you know, it has been like "walking through fire" for the last two years, with many challenges to overcome. But thanks to the strong support of the alumni, we pulled through for a sixteenth year. The Centre relies on your commitment (it only exists because of you!) and year after year you show what is possible when people stand behind what they believe.

This year came with its own surprises and gifts. The human element in the workshops stood out more than ever before. What a privilege to experience this warmth! Usually it's the intensive working attitude that makes me feel the strength of the Centre, but this time the atmosphere created by sharing and caring is what moved my heart. I believe, especially with our speedy lives, that we must celebrate it highly when a group of strangers come together and create an atmosphere of such humanness. Achieving this is more important than making great art.

Other privileges came my way this year. Whenever Life lets me look into the mystery that is around me, out there and beyond me, I feel I gain a bit of that spirit that makes me a better human. Like when the Ichneumon wasp entered my life, or when lying on a rock in Ontario, a snake looked me in the eye and went on its way again. Last winter when I was skiing around Theresa Island, I met a wolverine coaxing and running in front of me for a mile wanting to play. And two weeks ago, by pretending not to be there, I ended up in the middle of 15 mountain sheep, looking at me sheepishly and accepting me - a human! Being trusted by wild animals is one of the greatest privileges I have ever been granted. But also having been trusted by you, coming for an Atlin experience and supporting a cause, as some of you have done for 16 years, moves me deeply. It has changed my life profoundly.

To the new alumni: Welcome to the Alumni family! I hope that you have all made the adjustment back to your every day life with a new and refreshed vision. Thank you for being there and expressing in so many ways the Atlin spirit. And thank you for your statements. They are testimony that the Atlin experience can strengthen one's work and renew one's life. You might still be digesting and reflecting on your Atlin adventure. If you have more feedback you would like to share, I would be happy to receive your letters.

I am beginning to advertise for next year and this is a good time to start talking to your friends who might like to experience Atlin. Word of mouth is our best advertising, because it is the look on your face when you talk about your Atlin discoveries that lets other people know they should come. This is the most important way you can help. Without your powerful influence, the centre would get swallowed up by the monstrous advertising costs that would be necessary to reach a global market! This past summer, more participants than ever before came through word of mouth. This year I am daring to cut the advertising budget in half.

For the new alumni, your receipts for your workshop/retreat expenses are enclosed with this letter. For most of you, I am able to send some prints or slides (from which you can have prints made).
To all of you, please phone or e-mail anytime you want to. Meanwhile, I wish you all much fulfillment in your creative endeavors and hope the "Atlin High" is still alive in you.

Affectionately, Gernot Dick, Director

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Good News: The millennium greeted me and the Atlin Centre Kingdom with arms wide open. A flood of hundreds of your best wishes poured in. Also a heartfelt thanks for your helpful questioner feedback and your membership commitment. The receipts are enclosed.

Your continuous support for the Centre heartens and affirms me so that I continue to polish the diamond....a friend told me that the best diamond takes the most friction in order to polish. I still love the diamond and do my best to welcome whatever it takes to polish.

In recognition of your support: I offer an opportunity to refreshen your spirit and creative process, and to bring your aspiration alive for this summers Alumni Refresher workshop. At present 1/3 of the places are taken so please register soon. I am offering a new approach in inviting people to come for the Atlin Experience. Instead of paying $15,000 each year to magazines for advertising, I would prefer to spend the money on you! In recent years I paid $50 for every participant you created. Now I will send in cash a percentage of the total course fee for which an Alumni creates a participant. For the:
10-DAY CREATIVITY RETREAT.............................$180.
FOR THE 3-WEEK IDEA WORKSHOP.................$250.
FOR THE 10-DAY WILDERNESS ADVENTURE..$260.
I hope that this approach will be of benefit to all, and I wish us both much success. Please let me know if I should send you more brochures.

Atlin Life: "Hard cold northern winter"!? Nonsense - Atlin Lake is still not frozen over. We are having the warmest winter in memory. Except for yesterday when I looked out the windows, I could not see the mountains! The lake started to steam looking like a big curtain hanging over boiling water, but above me is clear blue sky!
The town-talk is about "will it freeze over or not, this winter". I hope it will for I must ski around Theresa Island again as that's my annual "mark-making" in the winter landscape and also mark-making inside me. In the mean time I'm deeply involved doing environmental art, drawing daily 60 circles around the frozen pond. Leaning forward kicking with the weighted ski, gliding onto the forward ski, the momentum of my mass moving with a scissors action out of the hip, in the turns shifting the body weight into a rolling action to the left or right, planting the pole not more nor less than 4" besides the ski. In intuitive rhythm, I move over two humps and a dead tree in one minute around the pond. That is mark-making with 175 pounds and a single necessity of 60 circles in one hour of ecstasy.

It is much like "professional doodling" and just another way to keep my pencil sharp! But an interesting observation I made: when I do the circles during dawn or dusk (which in the north is two hours each), I'm better, faster, more focused at it. I believe that during the transition of light-change my senses are more alert. Is that why most animals are out on the hunt during dawn and dusk responding with all their senses alive?

The CNN millennium TV-journey around the globe had for me a delightful as well as a sad offering. When it turned midnight, the millennium arrived in the Pacific, on the islands called the Kiribati. One of these islands which is now renamed the Millennium Island is inhabited by 800 Maoris. At midnight they did their dance which shook me to my very core. Their dance with the expression of their hands, the words they called out, and sounds they reached which came from their deepest core was an experience for me which shifted some things in my life.

But it also gave me a perspective on how sadly far we have come in our empty western civilized world. When the CNN coverage came to New York Times Square they talked about how many coffees McDonalds donated for the event, how much the crystal ball weighed, and they debated endlessly whether New York or Washington had a bigger audience and so on....There we leap ahead in the western world celebrating our freedom of individuality and progress without knowing were the roots are. We also have lost the value of a collective core as our "progress" has also robbed us of any collective values to celebrate. We are confused about two words. Growths, like annual growths, just means getting bigger as development would mean we are getting better.

The Celestial Trip on December 22: As many of you know, I usually sleep on New Years night on top of a mountain. This year I made the "climb" at solstice as the moon, they say, was closer to earth that night, than what he was for the last 100 years. So I thought I would respond to that occasion and greet him half way from the top of Monarch Mountain. Tucked away in a snow hole for the night, I slept up there for three hours squinting at the moon at times. In the early morning hours , bright moonlight, I hopscotched down the mountain disappearing at times in deep powder snow realizing how fortunate I am to be alive in paradise which renews itself constantly before my eyes and inside me. So I would love to invite you back this summer for new refreshing discoveries in your Art and your Life.

Affectionately, Gernot