Reflecting Before -and After- We Die

This is the second part of posting for this year's "Die Before You Die" in Osho Afroz. One of the things Kaifi asked me to do was to take portraits of the stuff and participants right before and after we finished the group. Here, I post only the photos of the stuff team and not of the participants, because of privacy. But if you participated, had your portrait and would like to see it posted here, you can let me know. Another reason for this post, is to mention something I forgot in the previous post. That is, about a member of the stuff, which for private reasons didn't want to be photographed or her name mentioned. I would like to send (surely on behalf of all the stuff and participants) love and respect to her and say that eventhough she's not visible in these posts, her wonderfull presence is always felt in our hearts.
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To Live Before We Die (Die Before You Die 2016, Osho Afroz)

Just before I right this text tonight, I was walking through the olive grove in Osho Afroz. I was walking barefoot and I had no flashlight with me. Then I thought that usually people would be scared walking without a light or shoes in the night. For me, after more than a decade of living in this wonderful place, walking barefoot most of the time just feels natural, as well as so connecting to the earth and healing to myself. As for the darkness, I guess I let go of that fear since the time I was studding photography and spending hours in the dark room. And certainly after a life changing experience in Osho Darkness meditation in this place some years ago. So each time I find myself walking in darkness in nature this summer I leave my mind behind and I'm becoming aware of my steps and my environment. Then, as the trees and the stones dimly reach my eyes, they take a form of faitytale, of wonder, of a majestic world. 

So, while walking in woder in the darkness, it came to me that this is a good metaphor to talk about my experience from the “Die Before You Die” group, that my Sufi bro Kaifi facilitates in Osho Afroz and I did last year as a participant and this year as a helper. You see, sometimes I have this feeling that I'm living this life in darkness, kind of like groping in the dark but that doesn't mean that I have to be fearful about it. As a matter of fact I can still enjoy it, marvel and be wonderful in it. And then the light can come from the inside.

As a member of the helpers team, one of my assignments was covering the process with photography and video. Here is a collection of the best photographs. They are unedited and the text is written in a non sophisticated way, by the sea, drinking coffee just before the swim. When I go back to the city, I will retouch the posts of this wonderful summer in Osho Afroz, by editing the photos and the texts. For the meantime, I post them like this as a way to send my love to all the beloved friends with which we connected this summer and as a way of showing my gratitude to this beautiful island, place and the Buddha field.

I am deliberately not writing what the “Die Before You Die” group is about. It is not for me to explain it here and maybe there is no need for explanation anyway. Maybe later I can write about my own experience. The only thing I can say now, is that last year, as a participant, there were sometimes in which somehow I felt I'm dying and these made me come closer to living fully, naturally and in wonder. So, while I'm not going to recommend that you walk barefoot and with no flash light at night through a forest, I certainly recommend this process.

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Dance Me To The End Of Water (An Epic Water Fight In Osho Afroz)

One of the things that I love about Osho Afroz meditation center is not only that it gives space to one's creative channels to open but also that one can allow his/her creativity to manifest in a natural, playfull and simple way, away from the complicated and meretricious mindset of the cities.So there is Nataraj, a top class dancer in one of the bigest contemporary dance companies in the planet, organising a water fight with tons of dancing music in the middle of a heatwave in 2nd of August. One of the highlights of this summer, a literally cool experience! Enjoy the photos, share them if you like, subscribe and shine love to the world!