Anam Cara - My Celtic Heart and Soul
(c) Photos by Darren van Dole
For the Celts the Visible and the Unvisible were One.
Men and women were representing different aspects of the one energy coming from the source and making love was seen as the most natural and powerful way to worship creation by uniting the female and the male energy.
The fact, that couples could decide after a five-years-period whether they wanted to continue their relationship shows the Celtic insight into the true nature of love. Only with this attitude you will find your "Anam Cara", your "soul friend".
For the Celts there was just one way to learn - by experiencing all aspects of life yourself with all your senses.
I feel that way my whole life already and so go into every new experience with an open heart and soul ready for whatever the universe wants to teach me...
The Celts were very amused by the Romans who believed that learning could be achieved by reading what wise man had written down ... - the Romans conquered Europe and introduced Christianity and the partriarchial way of thinking!
Pleasure was over now - at least for those who didn't want to participate at the "Devil's Barbecue" in the hereafter...
I think the popularity of the Celtic Culture at the moment is due to the fact that more and more people feel constantly reduced to certain aspects of their true self that fit in the picture of a technocratic world which can't cope with duality and thus cultivated a one-dimensional and digital way of thinking.
But life is not black or white - Life has the colour of the rainbow!
My vision is to contribute my part to make people sense their senses again!Imagine a very special location with a unique energy and a story to reveal...filled with music for the ears, art for the eyes, food, wine and perfumes to taste and smell, different textures and objects to touch ...
(c) Photo by Sabine Poreda
Who Am I?
A Little Girl with Dreams and a Saw
As a little girl I loved to dive into the stories and pictures of my books and my fantasy led me into a world with funny little creatures making artistic performances at the curtains of the window in my room.
My parents were not able to see these little beings I called my "little monkeys"
When I was in Great Britain for the first time I suddenly recognised my "monkeys" in a book about "the little people"...
But, as a little girl, I was also interested in technical matters - so, one day my parents were very surprised to find me in the kitchen with a saw, opening a battery to discover, what electric current looks like....
The Paradise Bird
Having passed my A-Level I started to study languages in 1983 to become a teacher - and decided to stop after just one year.
What now? May be something creative? Communications design? A fashion school?
Well, I preferred something technical - Computer science!
Although I hadn't had any dealings with computers so far and was associating a mouse with "cheese" and bits and bytes with a buffet full of canapés I was convinced it was the right thing to do.
So I found myself in lectures, surrounded by a very special species - mostly male - and when I was missing once in a while the professor always asked "Where is our paradise bird today?"
Well, I have to admit, studying computer science wasn't really my cup of tea.
(c) Photos by Darren van Dole
A Mediator Between the Worlds
But what gave me the determination to complete my course with a Masters Degree was my conviction,that technological progress and emotional intelligence belong together.
So I became a mediator between the worlds.
Someone who is able to speak "Tekky-Speak" and think "Tekky-Think", thus communicating the requirements and needs of the "Non-Tekkies".
(c) Photos by Darren van Dole
Violating the Rules and Overcoming Power Games
In the beginning of my professional life it was very hard to deal with all those people hiding behind the neutral masks of business.
As I didn't know the rules of the business world I was not aware how often I violated them - and as a result I had to cope with the consequences.
But over the years I understood the motivations behind the facades of these people:
due to their fear of being hurt or exposed they simply were trying to protect themselves!
Every human being has longings and dreams, but in this modern world we are taught to suppress them.
We are constantly expected to "perform", in the sense of putting on a show, but also in the sense of "functioning".
I know the rules now - and I still violate them!
But as I now consciously decide to break the rules I now make the facades of people crack.
Mostly power games, pretense and egoistic motivations are overcome quickly and people start to cooperate on a new and personal level.
So there is a way to break the spell!
Care more about others, show your emotions and talk about your feelings and fears.
You will discover that you are not alone with them, because other people will suddenly open up and talk about their longings and fears, too.
If everybody starts doing so, this world will become a better place.
To Show Weakness is the Real Strength.
(c) Photos by Darren van Dole