[ ... continued, part II of II]

Eliyahu told me that in a few days there are 60 Peacemakers coming over to Israel from around the world, led by a man called 'The Peace Troubador,' James Twyman. He said James asked him & Ibrahim of all people to give them a tour of the sacred sites of Israel and of the peace movement. And oh, By the way, would I like to come join them?

It was like being struck by lightning. You see, I have seen James Twyman in concert in Mt. Shasta for a few years now. Everytime I see him I left oozing with inspiration. I also felt a deep personal connection with him (it was sealed when I found out his first book was published by Aslan Inc.). He has gone around the world, particularly at troubled spots and performs Peace concerts and organizes peace activities.
(http://www.nbhonline.com/articles/jamestw.html)

I could not believe what was unfolding before me. Starting from a small desire to give a bit of my time in service, suddenly I found myself touring with a group of 60 very dedicated peacemakers, travelling around this land with no fear, shedding light and joy with every step. This is truly a testament to the Power of One - one thought, one idea, if acted upon can truly make a huge impact. In this case, the initial impact was upon me, as I felt blessed beyond belief and knew with even more conviction that I cannot continue on in my selfish ways.

I joined the group in Jerusalem - the call to come to Israel went out to over 100,000 people, and these 60 were the ones who followed through upon it.

Even though I was not a signed up member, nor paid any dues, they took me in wholeheartely. Each one of these 60 is a strong beacon of light and in their own way are living out a beautiful story brimming with inspiration.

The first day we walked around the holy sights of Jerusalem. We retraced the steps of Jesus as he was led to the crucifixtion. I had been to Jerusalem many times, but for me it was always a historical place - this time it was magical. Something was happening and I could not pinpoint it, but it was building in each and every one of us.

Unfortunately, at the crucifixtion spot something else was builing in me too. Days upon days of eating Falafel, hummous and Tahini (chickpea balls, chickpea paste, sesame paste) were catching up with my tummy. I REALLY needed to use the restroom.

Fortunately, they plan for these sort of things, so the way to the restroom was pointed out to me. The toilets left a lot to be desired, what I encountered was basically a hole in the ground and a bucket of water, exactly what I would expect to find in India. Unfortunately, I was not yet in India, and did not come prepared with soap or toilet paper. I will leave out the details, but all in all - in the atmosphere of sacredness generated by thousands of years of worship, Muslim, Christian, and Jew - I managed to enjoy one Holy Shhhhh ...

We were given a tour of recently discovered tunnels running under the Old city of Jerusalem. Tunnels only found very recently, which are said to hold biblical remains such as the Ten commandment, Aaron's staff and annointing oil (he was Moses' brother), Manna bread which the israelites ha eaten in the desert outside egypt, and other fascinating objects which King Solomon had hidden somewhere underneath the streets of this city.

As a group we were really coalescing, recognizing that we were not only here to tour, but really to be Peacemakers and to bring that vibration whereever we go.

That night Ibrahim took me into his house, letting me spend the night. He lives on the Mt. of Olives, where for most Israeli's is an untouchable place - due to the current hostilities, but I felt no fear and I can honestly say we were treated with nothing but respect and courtesy.

I awoke in utter darkness to hear loud singing to Allah blaring from all directions. I did not know this, but in the muslim quarter of Jeruslem they are given the courtesy of a 5am wakeup call to come pray & meditate. In my half state of waking sleep, I enjoyed hearing this beautiful music playing - meanwhile the winds began shrieking and howling, adding a fine layer to these songs of devotion, the door to my room started banging open & closed in rhythm. Deep feelings of wonder & awe struck.

The next day we got on a bus to head to the Sea of Galilee. One of our group members had her purse stolen. Ibrahim, our guide made a quick phone call and at our next stop the thief met us and returned the bag to her. This is the influence of this tiny man who crusades for peace. He knows everyone in Jerusalem, to him there is already and there always was Peace in Jerusalem, he lives it.

On the way to the sea of Galilee we stopped at a Bedouin camp. The Bedouin are nomadic desert people which have been a part of the culture here for thousands of years. They rely on desert oasis for water, and herd Camels, goats and sometime sheep. These Bedouins were upon hard times, they had one foot in one world and one in the other. They had a TV & VCR, but no electricity, and none of them were allowed to work because they are not quite Israeli, nor are they quite Palestinian. Nonetheless, they were very gracious to us.

We next visited a Muslim shrine called Nebu Mose, which means 'The prophet Moses' .. It is where they say that Moses is buried. We were graciously hosted by a Sufi Shiekh, who told us how these grounds have been used as a healing space for over 500 drug addicts the last two years.

Everywhere we went as a group we made sure to stop and do some group meditation, chanting, singing, dancing, knowing that somehow on some deep level this was having an effect not only on our own states of being, but on spreading out this joy to the rest of this troubled country.

I do not talk much about vibrations, energy, and other so called 'wavy' stuff. but regardless, it was happening, and each of the spots we visited held a unique and powerful vibration, each time we would move into a deeper level of awareness with each other.

What I found out is that another purpose of this group trip is what they call The Great Experiment. This is one millions of people around the world gather at a specific moment to pray and meditation for peace, focusing on a particular area. In this trip, the experiment was going to take place on February 9th, when James is going to give the Peace Concert, and we were going to do a few hours of meditation and energy work.

February 9th is this sunday.

We moved on and got to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on the water and performed miracles. I had swum in these waters many times as a child, but never knew until now their historical significance. I cannot over email explain to you what occured when we reached the sea, there is no way I can convey it.

Simply, It became apparently clear, if it wasn't before, that our group was guided by a higher intelligence, a deeper presence. On those waters that presence made itself known. We were on no ordinary peace mission.

After leaving the sea, and much hugging and crying, we went to visit Zfat, a mountainous town high in the northern reaches of Israel. These mountains are called 'The Himalaya of Israel' as many of the ancient and modern sages go here for seclusion. The town of Zfat is also the origin of the Kabbalah, which is the essence of Jewish Mysticism. The kabbalah is often called 'The Inner Torah' or 'The inner Bible.' It has many deep teachings, very simply put though - The Kabbalah aims at transforming each of our desires to receive, into desires to receive ONLY so we may share. The Kabbalistic teachings say that if we can do that, we are in harmony with nature and the Creator. They go very very deep though.

(can read more at
http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/)


We were given a tour by a Jewish Mystic, a man filled with joy - whom I will attach a picture of to this email. We also stopped by the house of a Kabbalistic Artist, David Friedman. A quiet & humble man he is, but when he showed us his art and explained to us its meanings, our minds were blown to bits and pieces In fact, the message he gave us was the same one we were receiving from all the Shiekh's, Rabbi's, Mystics, and teachers we had been meeting - Love, Serve, Meditate, Enjoy!

(his art & teachings are at:
http://www.kosmic-kabbalah.com/)


Upon returning to the Hotel, we met with another Sufi Shiekh. This was no ordinary Shiekh. He is the Shiekh of Shiekh's! He has embodied the form of all the Sufi traditions, as well as achieving a very high black belt degree in Martial arts. To him, a Sufi is some who is "clear, educated, cultured, humble, carries a clear conscience, well behaved ..." He was telling us all this, and suddenly he switched gears and told us how he has met the Prophet Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Mohammed, and only two days before, he had had his first vision of the Prophet Yeshua (whom we know as Jesus).

This is when everything went haywire. As he was speaking we again felt the strong presence we felt earlier in the Sea of Galilee earlier that day. Before we knew it we were singing and dancing ecstatically, wildly and absolutely marvelously. We were struck by the spirit. I am including a picture of the aftermath.

Yesterday we went to the River Jordan, still feeling this strong guiding presence, and performed a baptizing and cleansing ceremony, releasing anything that may hold us back from truly giving ourselves to the cause of peace, within and without. I will also include a couple of pictures of this day.

Why am I writing all these to you? It is not to brag or show off 'how good a time I am having' .. I am trying to convey the strength and power of what is going on here, and what will happen on Sunday February 9th. We have seen such miracles and unbelievable coincidences, we have felt something building, which we know will lead to this sunday, the great experiement. I was supposed to leave Israel saturday for India, but I have delayed my leave, life has brought me together with this group, and I have to stick it through to the end.

Jerusalem means 'city of peace' and it is truly that. Jerusalem is within us all - If you walk with peace in your heart, then no stone can touch you, no bullet can hurt you. In the media there are only stories of violence and hate and bloodshed, this is such a small small part of what is truly taking place here. This country is a Holy land, and is playing out some major story. I don't know how I ended up here, nor where this will take me. I know this presence we all feel as a group is the presence of that which we are Becoming - We have walked the streets of Jerusalem with no fear, we are tasting peace, we are realizing it, we are living it, we are drowning in it. Peace is already here for anyone to find. In these last few days we have been graced to see - everything is All good. There is no need to worry about war, about violence. Bush and Saddam are but tiny waves on the vast ocean, and in the time span of eternity their story is but a microspeck. It is up to each and everyone of us to find that everlasting Peace and Joy within ourselves and link hearts with all around us.

The message we got at the sea of Galilee was: "Remember before every breath, that your nature is Love. Remember before every spoken word, that your nature is Love. Remember that before every gesture of the body, your nature is Love."

This is the core of what we need to do in life. If we can do this, we have mastered it all. We will then both Enjoy life, and In-Joy it!

If you have any free time this coming Sunday, please do take some time and join in this great worldwide experiment. There are already hundreds of thousands of people joining in, sending their good wishes, and we here feel it Strongly.

Here is some more information:

http://jamestwyman.com/prayervigil.htm

I believe that these experiences we are undergoing here are not meant in order to make us feel 'special' in anyway. They are happening as a signal that major transformations and changes are already in place, and they are happening so that this inspiration can flow out of here and out to the rest of the world, inspiring others to find that own transformation in their own heart, to let go of fear and negativity and step in a greater possibility of cooperation, of harmony.

I left the group yesterday (two days late) to change my flight, and will meet with them tommorow in the dead sea. I have no idea what Sunday will bring, but I hope in some way I see you there!

I will write more from India ..


In Peace, In Joy & with Much Much Love,

Yaniv