Answers to the question: 'Do you still feel the impact of the conference now?
If the answer is yes, in which way?'

"I've met some of the Israeli participants when I travelled to Israel and Palestine in October, together with another participant. We also went to the Peace Vigil in Jerusalem that they introduced during the Conference."

"For me, the conference happened in the midst of a period of personal development, and fitted in perfectly. The most suprising effect was that after the conference I became very calm and serene, and this is not my usual state of being. Some of it still sticks, but it is hard to maintain in everyday life, I notice."

"The most important experience I have had during the conference is the experience of belief in personal development. I cherished the experience of the security I have felt in the midst of the group and I continue to feel it."

"I still think a lot about all the people I have met at the conference. All my experiences there have been very precious and also very instructive. I feel like I am only ready now for LTTE. If I ever get the chance to participate in a similar gathering I will participate more actively and go more to my own edge."

"I found Marcel Derkses lecture so inspiring that I immediately bought his book "Free as a Butterfly" and asked him to sign it. Being busy and travelling a lot I didn't start reading it immediately. A couple of months after the conference I had to prepare a speech for a lecture I was supposed to hold in Istanbul. My topic was "Making Genuine Contact with Yourself , Others and the Universe". It was a story about my own way to discovering myself and finding my wholeness. In order to prepare the speech I read several books about the process of self-discovery. And one of them was Marcel's book. In one of the chapters he quotes the ancient Turkish poet Yunus Emre: "Every scrap of knowledge starts off with self-knowledge." I immediately felt the connection with my subject and used the quote during my speech. In this way, even several months after the conference, Marcel helped me in making contact with a Turkish audience of 1000 people at the Gathering in Istanbul."

"Each time I am about to make difficult decisions, I imagine myself just before dying, and try to feel which decision would give me the biggest fulfillment or the best feeling. Furthermore, I will never kill a bee again but protect them from now on and voice their interests and those of all other living creatures instead."

"I read and reread my notes of the week. It helps to see my live in a greater perspective."

"I am still busy with the conference every day: this gathering was the kick-off for the "School for leadership"."

"I keep the feeling of being connected to a larger network."

"I stopped smoking as a personal commitment after participating in the council of all beings."

"I remain with the feeling of a tremendously good group of people in a great environment. It seems that the longer it is away the bigger the impact is. It also feels like all the teachings are more and more incorporated in my daily life, like a little seed that was planted in July and that started to grow ever since."