Closing speech by Erik van Praag

Dear friends,

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. (Richard Bach)

We had, as far as I am concerned, a wonderful week. This we created together. Yes, we created the condition, but you not only were present, but also kept unconditionally giving with heart. And out it poured: your music, your ideas and insights, your feedback and suggestions, your tools, your appreciation, your projects, your compassion. When we think of all we have gotten, our hearts flow over with gratitude.

We are not perfect, and the conference fortunately was not perfect too.

Some of us made mistakes. It sometimes was difficult, and we moved constantly from Heaven on Earth to the grim reality and back. It's called life. However, the process over-all kept going remarkably well. Both within the conference and on a heavenly plane we were guided.

And now we are back in the everyday world. For some of us that is wonderful, being home again in a peaceful environment with loving friends and family. For others it will be very difficult. There may be war, difficult life conditions, loneliness, and conflict. Let it be known that, even now we are physically separated, our hearts are still connected. This cannot be made undone, even if on a conscious level we forget about that sometime. We are with you.

And then it is time to move on. Doing our practice of rigorous self-inquiry, doing our spiritual practice, seeing reality as it is, practicing deep listening and radical compassion, and taking 100 % responsibility for our life. From this we shall move automatically and organically. And, my friends, believe it or not: this is fun, as it was so much fun (and relatively effortless, except for the office in the last week!) to organise this gathering. And extremely rewarding.

Until we meet again. Take care and be blessed,

On behalf of the team (José, Ester, Mels, Jan Paul, Niels)

Erik.