Hi there, friends and music lovers everywhere, this is Barbara Swetina and I’m on the road! This message is meant as a journal of a wandering minstrel. Some people suggested this because they wanted to keep in touch with where I am and what is happening, so a journal is the best way for me to let everybody know, whoever is interested!

Well, at the moment I am travelling in Holland. Last weekend I met up with my Sufi teacher Leilah Be to help her as a musician at her workshop: Sufi dance, chanting, and Zikr practice, the 'rememberance' of the Divine. I’ve known Leilah since 2001, when I went to my first ever Sufi camp in Maui, Hawaii. In that week of camp I felt I had met another Soul family, a bit like Findhorn, the only difference being they don't live together but meet twice a year to praise God and sing and dance together.

After last weekend I am now Barbara Amrita Swetina, which is my new Sufi name. Here is what Wikipedia says about it:”Amrita or Amrit is a Sanskrit word that literally means ‘that which is immortal’, and is often referred to in texts as nectar. In south Indian tradition, amrita can mean ‘She who provides the nectar of life to those who thirst.’ Amrita is thus considered an excellent name for a potential female companion. Only the most beautiful and intelligent women were considered to have grown to fit their name.”

Well, something to live up to!!!



In July, I taught my first ever music summer camp, with six days of dancing, singing, sitting around the fire and using my very own method of teaching music. 'Music forAnalphabets' I call it, that is, making music easy to understand. The summer camp took place in France, just over the Swiss border, in a large old farmhouse off the beaten track. It is so secluded, that at one night a whole family of wild pigs walked into view!

In early August I went to the Provence, to a Satsang with Pamela Wilson. Satsang is a gathering with friends where we look for truth, or reality, following the Advaita traditition of Ramana Maharshi. Usually it is with a teacher, and here it was with Pamela Wilson, who has such a sweet presence. Check her out at pamelasatsang.com. Again, I enjoyed lots of dancing and singing with friends there, and having great fun with all my new French friends, who I had dancing Scottish and sacred dances and singing Hawaiian songs, of course!


After the Satsang week I stopped in Avignon to visit with Dennis Shibut, who is part of our sacred song team, looking after the mailing list and web posts. Yeah, Dennis! The next day when we went to the train station, we noticed we were both dressed in 'Angel blue'. Then my train arrived... colored 'Angel blue'!

On September 2, I travel to Greece for more adventures. I'll send you all more news and pictures to let you know where life is taking me!


Blessings and love,

Barbara Amrita Swetina

As some of you may have heard, Barbara would like to offer some very special workshops in the future that she calls Sacred Pilgrimages. She envisions these as sacred journeys to places of natural power and beauty, as well as to the heart, to our inner place of stillness and connection with all living beings, which is the God quality within that is our birthright.

Since Barbara and I, her friend Patricia, will be in Hawai'i (the island of Kauai to be precise) this fall, we wanted to offer you the possibility of joining us on our first sacred pilgrimage there. This is a pilot project, an experiment, in which we will all join together as fellow travellers. As such we want to offer this pilgrimage at a reduced price that includes accommodation, breakfast, car rental, and a boat outing, as well as seminar participation.
 
Since this is the first pilgrimage, we invite you to be spontaneous while Barbara and I adapt the program to the group. Of course, there will be singing and dancing, meditations on the beach and in nature, hikes and time with Hawaiian elders (German translation available for those who need it), and opportunities for real hawaiian lomi massages. This first pilgrimage will be from Oct 20-30, 2009. Please find more details in the PDF linked from the Events page.
 
The cost is as follows:
Private single room: 1275 € / 1850 $ / 1100 £ / 1950 SFR
Shared double room: 1000 € / 1450 $ / 860 £ / 1500 SFR 
 
Naturally, you are free to come early and stay on after the workshop.

We chose Hawai'i as our first pilgrimage because of it's innate spirituality that instantly appealed to both of us. Plus, it's just a wonderful place to be with its slow rhythm, wonderful beaches, and warm ocean.
 
This is a unique opportunity since there is no guarantee that we can offer this price again. So, act quickly. We invite the angels of Joy, Spontaneity and Laughter and look forward to finding a few fellow pilgrims for this journey!

For inquiries, please contact Patricia at pasa@edenstreet.com or phone her at +41 62 892 2045.

AloHa and a hui hou (see you soon!)
Patricia and Barbara

I wanted to share with you an article I wrote for the COMMUNITIES magazine, entitled “Celebration as a Way of Life” (published in the Spring 2009 issue). You can download the whole article as a PDF (426KB).

Link zum Flyer des Lichtbaum Ritals (als PDF), welches am 7 November in Zürich stattfindet... [Below please find the link to a PDF describing the Tree of Light Ceremony, coming to Zurich on 7 November 2008...]
DerLichtbaumZH