And every beginning holds a magic of its own,
One that protects us and helps us live.
(translated from Stufen, by Hermann Hesse, 1941)
Kurt Roth-Fauchère
I’m setting out… from the deep canyons of my cemented ideas… going farther and farther out into the wide-open countryside… the paths fade away… the countryside fades away…
Perhaps this is also where your path out of your canyons begins.
The Introduction gives you an overview of the path here and the material on this page. Above all, it highlights aspects of the practice of meditation and points out potential challenges. It is, however, quite long. You can also start directly with Exercise 1 and read the introduction later or alongside it.
exercises
1 — sitting relaxed
2 — the candle flame
You should do this exercise in a darkened room. A white candle stands on the floor about a meter in front of you, burning with a quiet flame. There are no bright objects near the candle, and certainly no reflecting ones. During the exercise you will keep your gaze focused on the flame for a long stretch. If your eyes start to burn, blink quite normally, but without changing your gaze.
3 — breath
stories
desert – ocean
We lived in the desert, we knew only our own land, with its dry sand and its rough stones, its wind-whipped dry shrubs and, yes, the wind, the storm that drives the sand, that takes our sight away again and again and forces us to close our eyes. …
my barrel of sauerkraut
In thick clothes, heavy shoes, a large barrel of sauerkraut on his back, he comes down to the shore with heavy steps. He wants to get to an island far out there; you cannot see it from here. He wants to learn to swim, he has heard that this is how you get to the island. …