Tag Archives forphotography

ABOVE expectations..


2021 MED Land destinations were Peloponnese and Crete. Ivana Petan, Ida Glušič, Matej Michalec and BB were the team.

MEDLand 2021 Ivana, Maček, bb first days to the first Greek island

Maćek produced 5 WGO films about the trip and Storytelling encounters on the Peloponnese, all on MED Land >WGO 

BB did two main stories, and one together with Ida (yet to be published).

Ivana did report of her geomantic encounters with the beings of the places we stopped (yet to be published).

Ida was making WGO films, and she made the first one, a film with Dimitris Therianos, even before we meet, while waiting for us to pick her up! AND a special film for the main story about Zlatka from Crete (yet to be published).

The last MED Land trip in 2021, from Pylos (Peloponnese) to Stari Grad (Hvar island in the Adriatic) was above expectations.

We decided to postpone “the sailing back from Crete“ to our home port to the end of July, when all planed stories were done, but we still had a 1000 km long sailing trip to reach our home port on the island of Hvar in the Adriatic. We wanted to have additional time for this long trip and focus on yet another theme.

The theme I was longing for on our long trip back to our home port in the Adriatic was to observe, experience and communicate with elements, like waves, streams, winds ...

I could not get the promised crew till the 1st of October and left 16 days later than planned. I met our new crew member Iva here for the first time, when I picked her up with the car on the way to Split. From there, we continued by ferries to Ancona and Patras, and from there on by buses and taxis to the boat. Iva has never before on a sailing boat before, but she is a person strongly connected to nature, especially to Iceland, where she lives now.

There was over 80 NM from Peloponnese to Zakynthos island (main port Zante)  – and since I had to fix some things on the boat, we started late and it was already dark when we arrived at the main port of Zakynthos island.

VIDEO - Iva has never been on a sailing boat before! But in a few hours, she already confidently took over the rudder :-))

 


Jana Prepeluh, an artist from Slovenija, was the second team member, with her last sailing experience on Nalu, when we did our first research trip to Greece for the MED Land project in September 2016! Jana was waiting for us on Zakynthos and spent some time with the Therianos familly.

It was a full moon day when the weather started to turn unstable, windy, rainy, stormy, forecast for several days to come! Uh-oh, what to do? I missed the super stable sunny and warm weather. I knew very well that if the weather changes around full moon, it means it will stay unstable ... And indeed it was.

After two, three hours of sleep in the port of Zante, a strong noise of the boat hitting the pier woke me up! It was a serious situation because of the very strong wind and big waves in the port. Luckily, I found some big plastic drums on the road and tied them between the boat and the pier. Next thing was to find a better place. In two hours, I found a better place, but in the meantime, the wind picked up much more! It was impossible for Iva and me to push Nalu away from the pier. At that very moment, early in the morning, young strong men appeared on the pier and helped us to do the maneuver! The wind became even stronger, and we had to stay in Zante for two more days and hope for a one-day gap with less wind, just enough to reach Ithaca. Jana joined us in Zante, but because the boat was moving so much, she got sea sick already in the port … Not many would be willing to go out sea sick, but Jana, as strong as she is, did it. And all the way for the next four days, she did everything to be positive and overcome sea-sickness . 

..two more days in Zante..in a safest part of the port..

Marketplace in Zante

Late in the night, in strong rain and wind, we reached Vathy, the main port of Ithaca. The port was empty, but a man approached us, greeting us: ”I remember you! Yes, here you can tie the boat, and electricity and water are free – a leftover of previous boat, take it, and welcome!“ On Ithaca, we had a one-day stop to meet with Leila again (MED Land story).

She always inspires me! What she did and how she lives now on her farm, full of experiments, will be in the upcoming update of her story.

The next port was Gaios on the island of Paxos, and the already normal procedure was to tie the boat in heavy rain and strong wind. The early morning ritual was to get some diesel, which happened in15 minutes ... ”Welcome, you are here again!”, with a big smile from the diesel truck that drives through the port to fill up boats. We had to take of as soon as possible, since we had another long trip to reach Othonoi island – the last Greek island before Otranto, the passage between Albania and Italy, and AGAIN with only one-day gap of less winds on the route to reach the destination.

North of Othonoi, we had to wait again, but it was a must-stop anyway to meet Yiannis Katehis (MED Land story) , who also  became a harbor master, apart from being the vice president of three islands. He is a hyperactive activist and a never-ending inspiration for me. My brother, I could say ... He spent with us one wonderful day, in his studio, with his mother serving us the best pasta and with long, great conversations that we had in a coffee shop. The update will tell more! 

Yiannis' success on Othonie is finally a proper ferry line every day ...

... AND fresh SPRING water for the whole island. More in the update >>>  

In the port, there was a single Italian sailor on a much bigger boat than Nalu, also waiting for the right time to cross Otranto towards Italy. I decided to take of early, very early in the morning, when the winds started to go down. And Jana was not ready to go with me this time. She stayed on Othoni for another couple of hours to join the Italian sailor, who decided to do a much shorter route to Italy, which was not convenient for us considering the forecast for the following days. This was the best solution!  After 22 hours on the sea with big waves and also rain during the last hours, Iva was still in a positive, relaxed mood. And finally. the port of Brindisi! I was sure it was going to be calm inside, but it was NOT.

We arrived to Brindisi in the night and tried to moor in two places - but still to much movement up and down. Morning came soon, and I walked to all marinas in the port to get a place.

Naval Balsamo was definitely the best bet: very kind family business, also boat-building and repairing site, all that you need was here for a fair flat price! 

Here, I discovered that the engine cooling system is leaking water! I took off the part that was leaking, and since they could not weld copper here in marina, they took me immediately by car to the car cooling system mechanic. In a good half an hour, I was back and the job was done! 

BEST pizza place. Strict COVID regulations in pizza restaurants brought us to this family shop with TOP pizza and all that we needed for food. After two visits, we were already "friends" and we got extras like pasta, vegies etc. as a gift.

As always, I talked to other people in the port who we also waiting for the wind to go down. And that is how I met Tomaž, who was on an even smaller boat  - a wooden sailing boat from Sweden - waiting to cross the Adriatic. “Good, we sail together than“ - and that is what we did, two Slovenes with two funky sailing boats, the only wooden boats in the port. We started the next evening, a 33-hour trip to reach the Korčula island. When we came out from the port, there were still big waves and NE wind - a difficult direction for our route, but we knew that sooner or later the wind will go down :-)) Still in the night, when I could already use autopilot since the sea calmed down, I found out that the autopilot was not working any more. ”Tomaž, Tomaž, Tomaž“, was my call on Channel 9, and I asked him to sail in front of us, so we could follow his lights. The trip over the open sea in a tandem was really much easier :-)) . **We crossed the deepest part of the Adriatic, and observing water, waves, light, clouds here was very inspiring for me. One of  the inspirations was that the see, as well as rivers, are (in many cases) the places where the primeval earth forces can be very dynamic, more dynamic than on solid land.

All in all, the trip was intensive, but also very inspiring . The key for this experience was that Iva, who NEVER EVER did a sailing trip before, was completely “in” all the time, happy, relaxed and reliable to do anything that was needed, including taking over the rudder under the sails for many hours. She was happy being on this trip, so I could be in tune with what was going on and relaxed, even when I was wet, cold and tired. In this way, the true wave that was taking us over was being at the right place at the right time and meet “good” heartful people who were really helpful and touched my heart deeply. The landing on Korčula was a welcome story for as again: the marina stuff did not charge us, and the police and custom registration process upon arrival to Croatia was very relaxed.

We did miss 16 essential days of good weather, but I would not change it after ALL! I had to be really open to observe, experience and communicate with elements such as waves, streams, winds, in conditions that where pulling me to survival mode! Exactly opposite to where I wanted to be ... And what happened was that I reached this blissful in-tune moments, to be first of all in experience mode and be inspired, like in the middle of the Adriatic, above the deepest part of this big bay, in a very deep way. If you feel blessed at the end, then EVERYTHING had meaning ... That is how the life should be ... Ready for next passage.

It took another night and day to reach the island of Šćedro - a small island along Hvar island. Nobody could expect that this small island under its "bigger brother" could be an entire world of its own! I keep coming back to understand more about these two close, and yet so different individuals-islands. “Yes, it is like this,” I heard a whisper, “because these two islands grew up long ago in different evolution times, when dragons were the most active.” Which one is older? “It does not matter, all is also now.”

Šćedro island

Šćedro island

And the last challenge on this trip awaited us on the way back, already in Split, where I have parked the car, a borrowed car :-)), and found out that a whole exhaustion system was stolen! And also the car battery was completely empty, because I left the lights on :-)) It was already the middle of the day, and even though I had battery cables to connect to cars from people that wanted to help, it didn't work. BUT, very quickly, situation started to go in a different direction. The nearby housekeeper of the Naval Museum is a mechanic who had special cables. He managed to start the engine and even take me to a very kind car exhaust mechanic at the outskirts of Split. Of course, there was no way to get the original exhaust system, so he made a new on in just 3 hours :-)) . Meanwhile, Iva was in the port waiting with my luggage, including the money that I needed. Mechanic was far from the port, and luckily a taxi stopped ... "We are the cheapest in town! Take a sweet from me to calm down ... “ were his first words, and quickly we found out that we have common friends since he was from Sarajevo. Like Ibrahim Spahić. The exhaust system was repaired just in time, since I was in a rush to return to Slovenia because my computer was also broken, and a repair specialist was on his way. I reached him in time! I had to leave the computer with him since its motherboard was broken, but Primož lent me one with my disk inside, so I was able to work without any delay for the next few weeks :-))

Why do I write all this?

This time, it all started in Ancona on the way to Greece by ferry with Iva. We had time almost all day, and I went "for a walk" alone and with an open heart. The first encounter was with a refugee from Sri Lanka, and when I sat on the bench next to him to eat, I offered him some food. I saw him as a person in trouble. He refused to take any food, and in short conversation he convinced me that he is not in a bad situation at all! He sees opportunities, knowing where and how to go to continue his life, and he is also in contact with his family!

I went on towards my destination, an old big palm tree in the middle of the town ... A friend. I could not find her ... I circled persistently around the area. Finally, I came to the "no tree any more" place, just a tree stump! WHY? Last time, it looked heathy, strong, biggest among many in the park, which were still there. For me, this palm tree was playing an important role as a pilar of vital connections and interactions blessing and interacting with Ancona. I stayed there for a while, and slowly, the palm tree appeared to be still there! Still existing on a nonphysical level, but actively present ... Still living. This is beyond imagination, but to grasp some of this, I had to open my heart very much, and this kept me going. Focused, peaceful observation, as well as acceptance of the adventures that come my way, being aware that I am doing my best, gave me a very special experience that I love to share with you, straight into the universe. THANK YOU ALL!

Ancona >>>

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Released by MED Land project, photos by BB, film by : Ida Glušič;  voice, words : ZlatkaFerlez

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago

Zlatka from Crete

Zlatka grew up in Slovenia, but "I was hitchhiking from Chania to Kissamos. It was 1985 or 1986. So somebody stopped, and it was him." After 35 years, many of which alone, she is still an olive grower and producer of very high quality olive oil. She takes care of 800 trees and a small farm around her house.

"You don't need a lot of machines and you don't need a lot of olive trees. You don't need to go for quantity, but rather for quality. Then, you have to find the market and sell it. There are a lot of olive trees here, a lot of oil, and it is sold very cheaply. People can not deal with life. It's a shame!"

IdIda has been involved in the project since  Zakynthos island, the entire 2022 journey. After completing her undergraduate studies at the university, she decided to improve her storytelling skills, especially through video. She took her challenges in the MedLand project very thoroughly and seriously.

The backyard of and for Zlatka are inspiring nature points. Waking around, visiting places, valleys, trees, rocks, beaches is an essential part of her life. Zlatka also showed us around, and gave us the possibility to fall in love with Crete very quickly!

Be ready to act 

"I think Crete and Greece are regions that will suffer most from climate change. Hot waves can destroy everything, there can be too little or too much rain. Three years ago, it started to rain on the the first of January and stopped in April. In between, there were three floods. Bridges, properties lost, unbelievable."


"Everybody knows that climate is changing and that everything can be different, and it will be different. But nobody knows how, in which way, and when."

"The nature is so rich, the climate is so mild. It's nice to be here."

"I will continue with oil until I get too tired. Because I know I can retire in four, five years. So what I am going to do exactly, I don't know. How many olives will I keep, because they are still family olives. Not all trees are mine, they are also theirs. But we know which ones are theirs and which ones are mine. I'm only taking care of them. So one day, I can just give them their olives back and keep my own. Maybe, I don't know. I really don't know. This is hard work and it's a lot of work."

"I think my life is here, that I belong here. Not in Slovenia. For many reasons. I don't know, maybe nature, climate, social life, everything. I have friends in Ljubljana, many of them from our student days. I lived in Ljubljana nine years. I like to visit Ljubljana and Slovenia, but not to stay there. There is no particular reason. Just that my life is here. Everything, my soul. When I came here, I knew that it was for me."

Be ready to act 

"For a long time, there are people saying that Crete should be green. Organic. But there are different economic interests. There are all this olive sellers, who are Greeks but who became economical strong in this field. They are buying the oil from people very cheaply. First, they were selling oil by themselves. Now they just leave their oil in a factory. So the factory is selling and people get their money on their bank account. The problem is the market, how to get on the market. Because if big companies take the oil, how can you find your own way. The problem is also the disconnection between people, and the government is not offering any help.

There are some people who have a vision of a green Crete. It should be like that. There are a few small olive oil producers, or green houses, that have their own organic label, and their sales are good."

"There are so many changes happening because of climate change. And it all impacts olive growers and us. How to deal with these impacts? We need to be prepared for any change that can happen. We can not wait like we did in the past. But now, we need to be prepared to start watching what is going on: the winters, rain … everything is changing. Heat waves are more common, there are more hot days in summer and less cold days in winter. If there is not enough cold days in winter, olive trees can't bloom. They can not prepare themselves for olive growing. It happens throughout the Mediterranean due to climate change. The farmers need more advice from scientists. How to deal with climate change. How to cultivate soil."

"Crete is becoming more like Africa, warmer, with less water and more intensive rain. All this impacts olive growers. We need help and advice. We know that this change will be more intensive in Crete than in the north. Northern climate will become more hospitable for olives than our climate. There is a problem. People will start to grow olive trees in northern parts. Because they have colder winters needed by olive trees to bloom, and less hot or dry summers."

"The biggest problem is the way they cultivate olives here. They use a lot of pesticides … 

More and more people think that we need to protect the nature on which we depend. They try to find the way to produce in a more organic way. It is not easy here. As I mentioned, I have olives at nine places. Some places have nine trees, some maybe hundred, so you don't have an ecological environment to protect them. Its not easy because many don't want to cooperate."

An estimated 33 Mio olive trees live on Crete! And the number continues to grow. It is a monoculture!  Carob and Chestnut trees that saved them from hunger in WWII are now almost extinct.

What we need from science is that it shows us how to reduce the impact of climate change on olive growth. How to use water. They know about the weather. They know when the weather will change. They should advise us on when we should react so that we are not too late or too early.

We need to be ready all the time. Be ready to act. 

 

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Released by MED Land project 2021 June/ film Ida Glušič  editing:Ida Glušič, BB, photo: BB, voice : Zlatka

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago

Exhibition »VENICE – EMBRYO OF THE NEW EARTH SPACE« is extended

 'Summary' : Six years ago, MED Land project started in Venice, and in 2020, Venice was again inspiring me in a new way. This year, the book “Venice - Embryo of the New Earth Space” was published, and the exhibition with the same title, on display in ZRC SAZU Atrium gallery from 22 December 2021, has been extended to 21 January 2022
NA DAN ZAPRTJA RAZSTAVE BOM V GALERIJI, da vam predstavim zgodbo projekta in da podpišem NOVO fotografsko knjigo, »Benetke – seme novega planetarnega prostora«, ki ponovno nagovarja izvorni prostor projekta MED Land: Benetke. Projekt je potekal v letu 2020, kjer nič ni ponovljenega , in se spogleduje z Benetkami kot prostorom inspiracije za preskok v novi svet in nove čase.


Še posebej pozivam tiste, ki ste podpirali, donirali in na različne načine sodelovali v projektu, da vam poklonim podpisano knjigo! Sicer pa je glede na izredno malo, butično naklado (120 knjig) in zelo kvaliteten tisk cena le 35 EUR! Pričakujem vas med 12h in 20h!

Risbe Marka Pogačnika (originali in fotografije Bojana Breclja, serija 3+2, natisnjene na arhivski papir in unikatno uokvirjene – format 27x41cm + okvir) – so zelo ugodno naprodaj: 250 EUR.

Kontakt: Galerija Fotografija, +386 1 25 11 529; info@galerijafotografija.si

NAJPREJ PA SI JIH OGLEJTE: Atrij ZRC SAZU, Novi Trg 2 do petka, 21. januarja 2022 do 21h (vstop brez PCT!)

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago

From Peloponnese(GR) to Hvar islaland, sailing and photography

 IZREDNA priložnost, da veš več o fotografiji in jadranju 

EXCELLENT opportunity to know more about photography and sailing >> in english below 

 pridruži se na deset dnevno pot po morju, na barki-jadrnici iz Grćije (Peloponeza ) do Jadrana (otoka Hvara -Stari Grad) kjer boš lahko ispopoplnjeval v fotografiji pod mentorstvom Bojana Breclja- Delavnica je idividualna-usklajene s tvojimi usmiritvami in izkušnjami-znanjem. Osnovna tema delavnice je sporazumevanje s svetlobo ( in senco ki rišeta podob,. mi pa jih dojemamo v neštetih oblikah- procesi opazovanja, tehnična znanja…

> Točka kjer isplujemo je Pylos, zahodna stran Peloponeza.  2-3 oktober 

>jaz bom v marini  1 oktober - petek zvečer

potujem iz Lj : 

29.9. GoOpti > Venezia ferry port 6.30,  38 Eur 

Venezia > Patras  33h(21h naslednji dan ) 95 EUR , prespim 23 EUR in naslednji dan bus do Pylos via Kalamata xxEUR

Prispevek za ućne ure, hrano, gorivo in vsi ostali stroški( dovoljenja za plovbo in pristanišča) so 280 EUR 

Pluje se z nočnimi postanki in malo daljšim na Itaki in Othoniju in Korčuli kjer bomo vstopili v Hr vode… 

Dan za tem pristanemo na Hvaru -Stari Grad, od koder je veš trajektov dnevno v Split. Od Splita do LJ , bom potoval z BlaBla car .. kar sproti urejam .

Priporočam da pogledaš MEDLand stran >> WGO da vidiš kako potujemo in  STORIES >> da vidiš kaj ustvarjamo 

Za vse pojasnila in prijavo SE JAVI NA 041765714 oz’ in bojanbrecelj5@gmail.com

PROSTORA JE ZA MAX DVA !    Srečno, bojan

in English : 

Join a ten-day trip by the sea, on a sailboat from Greece (Peloponnese) to the Adriatic (island of Hvar-Stari Grad) where you will be able to perfect your photography under the mentorship of Bojan Brecelj- The workshop is individual-coordinated with your composures and experiences- knowledge. The basic theme of the workshop is communication with light (and shadows that draw images, and we perceive them in countless forms - observation processes, technical knowledge…

The point where we start sail is Pylos on the  W side of the Peloponnese. October 2-3

I will be at the marina October 1 - Friday night

I travel from Lj:

29.9. GoOpti> Venezia ferry port 6.30, 38 Eur

Venice> Patras 33h (21h the next day) 95 EUR, sleep 23 EUR and the next day bus to Pylos via Kalamata

Contribution for lessons, food, fuel and all other costs (permits for navigation and ports) are 280 EUR

WE sail with night stops and a day or two stop on Ithaca and Othoni and Korcula where we will enter Hr vode…

The day after that we land on Hvar - Stari Grad, from where there are several ferries a day, to Split. From Split to LJ, I will travel with BlaBla car ... which I will reserve whene we anchor in Stari Grad.

I recommend you look at the MEDLand page >> WGO to see how we travel, and on STORIES >> to see what we createFor all explanations and registration, CALL 041765714 or bojanbrecelj5@gmail.com

SPACE IS FOR MAX TWO! , Good luck, Bojan

Nalu, Med Land Project

 

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Released by MED Land project 2021 June/ film Ida Glušič  editing:Ida Glušič, BB, photo: BB, voice : interview with Korinna Miliaraki

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago

A discourse with Ikaria island

    Can We?        talk to the island 

Bojan >

The cause:

the inspiration to do the project in the Mediterranean was asking the Mediterranean cosmos about the present times: Who are you now? What is going on, who is taking advantage, if there is any, that goes beyond the wealth of the Mediterranean melting pot, where three continents meet over the great sea, and is now exploited by the principles of making decisions between people to control land and (mis)use resources ... Commercially, the Mediterranean stopped being interesting a long time ago. Trade routes go elsewhere ...

The way I can understand the evolution of civilization as recorded till now is based on "fertile land", generated by potentials of the "land", a place ,river, region, island, valley, mountain ...

I love to "go" ... Go around landscapes and seas. And connect, reflect and express "the beauty" that inspires me. But honestly, people who do live here, connected to the place, developing more sustainable, in-depended, inventive and community sharing-orientated lives, can really speak of the potentials for a new peaceful, compassionate, interconnected civilization, which I am longing for. The Mediterranean gave birth to many advanced civilizations periods, which meant a big push, especially for the Western civilization. Now? Now it is beautiful, pleasant, highly vibrant, with strong streams of deep sea and moving air, strong winds, hundreds of “chill out” place, islands. 

The future in general, as the Mediterranean actually thought me, it is not only something new that is being born in this place(s) , or in the Andes, or in the Himalayas, or on the Nile ... But it is based on the connected world of numerous entities, places, living beings, elemental beings, strings-streams like harmonious resonances led by life itself.

My lead to Ikaria >> "I wanted to meet Christodoulos Xenakis" and here is his STORY, after we did quite some special things together and I spent great time with him, being his guest and visiting places, people together... Connecting with Ikaria.

But, there is another side: Ivana, Tea and Marko DID "speak directly" to the land land and sea winds of Ikaria, and I also responded with images ...

Ivana Petan / ivanapetan.com

Ikaria &Ivana

I recognized the shape of Ikaria island as a phallus, where life energy enters and accumulates on its west side and travels up to the east side. While the west side of the island felt deeply connected with fire and earth element, as a place where cosmos information gets embodied, I sensed the east side to be more of water and air quality, embodying the uniqueness of Ikaria and sharing it with the outer space. The deepest and crucial experience which shaped my understanding of Ikaria's primal quality was a visit to an ancient Ranthi forest in the middle of Ikaria. Ranthi forest opened to me as the centre of the island, formed as a double pyramid, one up to the top of the sky and the other down to the earth core. There, in my vision, I met a woman, with closed eyes, her hair gently swaying in the air, continuously caressed by the wind. I recognized her as the primal quality of the island, a feminine strength as an aspect of every human essence, which embraces acceptance, patience, openness, a silent open heart and invisible endurance, until the time for a cycle-change arrives. But, as I sensed, this cycle-change has not yet arrived, it is still being waited for. Therefore, a woman is getting frozen, unrealized, but without worries, she continues to persist, forever.

During the time spent on Ikaria, I felt its connection with the island of Crete. One of its aspects is named in the sole name of Ikaria, coming from the ancient Greek myth of Icarus, who didn't obey his father Daedalus, flew too high and too close to the sun, burnt his feather wings and ended his life falling down to the sea. For me, this myth also verbalizes the important quality of Ikaria. Distancing from the usual understanding of the myth, I focused on the flying aspect, pointing to the element of air, which among human qualities goes hand in hand with awareness. As such, awareness (Icarus, new) is always in relationship with tradition (Daedalus, old). In other words, the present moment is always in a relationship with the past. For me, it is important to reflect here on the question of the connection between the past and the present, and the embodiment of its answer. The past, reflecting in our ancestors and old knowledge, acts like grounding, the roots, and is not to be neglected and forgotten. But at the same time, can the past ways be taken as a priori ways of being in the present time? Did Icarus “fall” due to his “wrong”, un-traditional (patriarchal) decision, or did he choose, responsibility, to apply traditional ways in his own creative way, regardless of the consequences?

There were also dreams escorting my days on Ikaria, where many of them, in different aspects, touched and actualised the theme of feminine quality, abiding in every human being, in relationship with the current patriarchal system, and absence of its balance also on present Ikaria. In this sense, as another dominant quality of the island, the connection with the god Dionysus appeared to me. Dionysus is said to be born on Ikaria, which makes this island much prone to his character. In my understanding, the Dionysiac qualities could be (generally) seen as the prevalence of the heart quality over the reason, and are shown in the Icarian way of living still today: a slow way of living, patience, joyfulness, kindness, solidarity, having time for friends and celebrations, much distancing from the tourism and other aspects of consumerism. On Ikaria, time itself has a different quality and the way of spinning, and contains many feminine qualities. But simultaneously, it is being suffocated and challenged by patriarchy, often unconsciously and unquestionably as “the normal way things are”. My vision of the Ranthi forest woman is one of its witnesses. Ikaria is the place where this imbalance between two main dwelling qualities can be deeply sensed and reflected upon for possibilities of its re-tuning. 

For all this, I sense Ikaria as an important place for supporting and implementing the changes needed for a new world cycle to begin, primarily growing from a different human relationship philosophy.



The Place where Icarus landed 

Friday, November 13, 2020, canyon at Raches

In my vision, I saw dragons circling over the canyon. One descended mightily, grabbed a large egg in the canyon, and watched it with great enthusiasm. The egg cracked and a yellow chicken looked out of it. Its energy was that of joy to be born, openness, joyful anticipation of further events.

As I understand this experience now, this place has the quality of the original primal energy in its purity, or perhaps a quality associated with new space. Is it possible to get an impulse of the new space in this place, also connected with the gift of the inner power to live this impulse?

Saturday, November 21, 2020, the same canyon at Raches, by the rock in the sea (Bojan sent a photo), near the outflow into the sea

This place was shown to me in the form of a huge golden vessel of a round Yin shape, bottomless, from which the seeds of the primal Gaia energy are supposed to arise, be catapulted into space to fertilize it. But the vessel looked more like a memory from the past, not present here and now, perhaps even turned upside down and thus closed? Perhaps this was done with some ritual in the past for protection? Nonetheless, now, with the vessel being like this, the Gaia powers of the new space remain unattainable.

Bojan and I decided to turn over the vessel by inviting the cosmic dragons to do the work with our support. In a vision, I saw the dragons turning the vessel. Other dragons flew out of it and connected with the ones helping. There was a joy of reunion and re-connection. Their flight was accompanied by little dragons – in the form of egg-like seeds that freely “buzzed” around the space. And it seemed to me that we were both recognized by the dragons and blessed.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020, valley under Katafigio

In my vision, I saw turquoise water, an enormous amount of it, falling from both banks into the valley and filling it. From the sky, golden water is falling. A man is swimming upstream, up the valley, and at the end of the path, a golden sun awaits him. Over the valley circles the eagle, observing intently the whole valley and its particular places.

My reading of this vision recognizes this valley as a place that supports individuality, intuitive decisions and intentions based on the heart and dedication, with no consideration of their consistency with the majority. opinion. Support for these decisions comes from the sky, that is, from the spiritual world.

And the eagle, he is capable of both: observing intently both the whole and its parts. So does the eagle bring awareness of the whole and its building parts?

Wednesday, November 25, 2020, by the river Meganitis, 1 km towards Karkinagra

When connecting with the place, a beam, a ray of light entered my heart on the front side and exited through the heart on my back. I felt the place as not soli, but as a water space with waves.

I experienced this place as a place that allows a contact with the causal body – the causal bodies of our incarnations, to give us an insight into who we all are (in addition to the present embodied self), and from this knowledge to build our current path.

I looked at Bojan – he turned into a “fan” of Bojans: to the left and right of his last incarnation, there were many more Bojans …


Tea and Marko (as well as Ivana in some places) "connected", observed and experienced places telepathically! Marko and Tea were never physically on Ikaria ... How did it happen? Many times "through" Gregor or me or Ivana, being physically on certain spots and meditating at the same time. It is very strong and truthful. 

Tea & Ikaria

I visited Icaria a bit differently than people usually do. I went there in my inner space of perception, connecting with the MedLand people there, who were exploring the island in a geomantic manner. While connecting to the ethereal space, I started to float above the landscape of Icaria, above the entire island. Partly, I was present in its embodied form, partly in its realm of emotions and consciousness. I felt strongly intertwined with Gaia, which allowed me to be present on both those levels.

I felt the omnipresence of water and its important role in creating new levels of being. In this beautiful experience, I sensed that Gaia is transmitting the archetypical inscription of Life into new dimensions of sustenance through the water. The water in that regard was not only perceived in terms of a vast sea surrounding the island, but especially as a consciousness enabling the manifestation of all living creatures. I sensed the primordial connection of the island with the Sun, but simultaneously, I experienced that Icaria started to cooperate immensely with the Moon – the celestial entity, which is attracting the massive water of the oceans and seas and the water within our body to the dancing tides. I perceived this cooperation as the evocation of the female principle, as a Yin symbol, which is yet to become balanced with the Yang. There was a strong impulse within my heart space, through which a specific sensation emerged: we have to raise the vibration of our heart and of all our being, and thus become deeply attuned to love and joy. Only this transformation can open us to new dimensions of harmonious living. When attached to them, we can become powerful co-creators of new realms emerging out of our heart coherence with All-that-is. Gaia is calling us and wants us to participate in this loving co-creation. I was deeply touched by the gift that Icaria gave me through my sensations.

I went deep into my heart, aware of my breath. I connected with my inner space of perception and attuned to the MedLand group, which was present physically on Icaria at that time. This allowed me to establish a profound connection with the Island. I opened myself to the new experiences that were waiting for me there. I found myself on the rocky part of the landscape. I was surrounded by rocks and stones. They looked very prodigious to me, resembling great wise elders from some other time. In a humble manner, I took a seat next to them and listened to their whispers in the light wind. I sensed them as entities with strong individual awareness, though at the same time, as those who are inextricably connected to the whole rocky layers of the Island and to the sea surrounding it. I approached them with a loving intention of establishing a connection. They revealed themselves as beings who are not just materialised but also strongly present in a plasma form. Accordingly, they are able to communicate with the subtle dimensions of the planet Gaia. Their whispers brought me closer to the Gaia’s songs and narratives of the new world, which is awaiting for us to come. I felt a warm stream in my plexus, which I understood as a connection of my own elemental being with those significant rocky beings. My heart was full of joy and happiness … In the evening, Bojan sent me an email that the location for the geopuncture circle was decided. I felt that new cosmograms, which are yet to be carved, will be echoed in the new spaces of harmonious cooperation between all earthly and celestial beings. 

 Marko & Ikaria

IKARIA – A PLACE THAT NEEDS A LOVING HAND OF CHANGE

At the end of February 2020, I was supposed to fly to Ikaria to get to know the place for a possible Geopuncture installation that we were planning to carve there in stone with an international group of artists. But the lockdown as a measure against Covid 19 pandemic prevented my flight. Luckily, my collaborators Ivana, Bojan and Gregor arrived there before the lockdown, so I was able to connect to them remotely and get some insights about the island. I would like to share three experiences that reached me via telepathic connection and with the help of a dream.

The day I was supposed to land with the airplane on Ikaria, February 28th, 2020, I had the following vision: 

I see the island turn upside down so that its mountains reach through the sea deep down into the Earth. Than, an arch like a large diadem appeared over the island (turned upside down) , embellished with animals and human figures showing unknown forms of some very distant culture. Under the diadem a feminine face of a Goddess appeared with a mysterious smile conveying the memory of a distant era of the planetary evolution.

I interpret this vision as saying that Ikaria has roots in a culture that existed beyond the horizon of our space and time. It treasures memories of that distant culture that could be meaningful for our time of great changes. But there is obviously no connection yet between then and now. This notion was confirmed after I imagined holding hands with Ivana, Bojan and Gregor who were also on Ikaria at the time. I had a clear experience that we were not standing on the firm ground, but floating over the island in the air.

According to my experience, Ikaria is in a deep sleep, dreaming about its distant past, not fully present in here and now. The following dream of mine may hold a key to what needs to be done to open the treasures of Ikaria to the present time.

The night after I realised that no stone was found on the island that would be appropriate for our carving project, I had the following dream (March 4th, 2020):

I prepare myself to go on a boat for America. The path towards the harbour is under water, so I consider undressing and swimming towards the boat. But how to deal with my luggage? (1) Yet, there is another path leading to the harbour, which passes the top of the island. Heading there, I suddenly remember that I may have forgotten to take my passport with me. I search in my backpack – to no avail. (2) Arriving to the top of the island, I realize that the path to the harbour is grown over with thick bushes and thus useless for my intention (3). Now I look down to the harbour, but the boat for America is not to be seen. Instead, I see several half-rotten boats lying there, partly under water. (4)

After I tuned myself to Ikaria and meditated at the four points, my interpretation of the dream was as follows:

(1) I feel a strong connection to my coccyx, and then I see an etheric net, similar to fishing nets that are spread under the water all around the island. My insight says that some beings from the parallel worlds spread the net to protect the spiritual treasure of the island from being robbed in the era when Ikaria is asleep.



2) I connect the passport issue to the identity of Ikaria. The absence of the passport would mean that the true identity is lost. Looking with my inner eyes, I can see that the causal body of the island as the carrier of identity exists as a ball of etheric matter outside the island's body.

(3) Arriving to the top of the island and realising that the path is overgrown told me that the connection of Ikaria with the higher worlds is blocked. If this blockade is removed for a moment, I realize that Ikaria is a bridge between the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. I marvel at the beauty of the spiritual dimensions that Ikaria could open.

(4) The old useless boats are symbols of lost energetic connection lines to other parts of the Mediterranean, Greece and Asia Minor, which Ikaria once had and which need to be renewed and tuned to the present epoch of the planetary change.

On 8 March 2020, I was asked to experience in a telepathic way the place where we should build the mentioned Geopuncture installation with stones and carved cosmograms. My three colleagues called me on the phone when they arrived to the place, so that I could feel the place simultaneously with them.

I felt as if I was being lifted vertically high into the air over the island. Then the association came with the famous story from Greek mythology called “The Fall of Icarus”. Icarus had wings from feathers glued together with wax. Because he flew higher then proposed by his father Daedalus, the inventor of the wings, the wax melted under the sun, and Icarus fell into the sea close to the island that has since been named Ikaria.

Pondering over my experience and the myth, I believe there is a clear connection to the present conflict between the human civilization and the Earth, including her evolutions. Human culture develops technologies that overpower and control nature and its beings. In that moment of our evolution, when it seems that civilization is almighty, we must face severe consequences of the so-called “Climate Changes” and pandemic dangers that show the truth that Icarus had to experience at Ikaria.

Marko Pogačnik, UNESCO Artist for Peace

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Released by MED Land project , photography, editing: BB text editing - proofreading: Tadej Turnšek, godfather of the story Barbara Ćeferin

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago

Coming back to the carob trees

In Crete, a true magic happened. By meeting Korinna, we got a chance to learn about the great value of carob trees, which they are willing to share with us.

Thanks to Korinna and a network of farmers and experts who actively promote, grow, breed and farm it, the carob tree is “coming back“ and bringing good to our common future. We visited Korinna’s friends, “carob activists“, old carob trees, and a carob forest in southern Crete. It became obvious there, that carob tree doesn't need much water to grow and bear fruits which can be eaten directly from the tree. Carob trees can be over 1000 years old and regenerate similar to the olive tree.

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Released by MED Land project 2021 June/ film Ida Glušič  editing:Ida Glušič, BB, photo: BB, voice : interview with Korinna Miliaraki

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago

Bringing forest back to Earth -The Southern Lights project

film by  Ida Glušič

»The older the tree gets, the harder you can manage. If you have an avocado tree, which is like 5 m tall and you still pick avocados it is not the same thing as if it's 25 m high and you can not pick them anymore … So you just leave this avocado tree. It will still producing, but you will not be able to manage it. So you just go to the new land. It depends where you are on the earth. In the Amazon it will goes faster as you are in the Alps. It's gona take way more time to go into a primary forest. That's the idea to take the evolution of agroculture to the primary forest, which is defined by the death. Natural death of adult trees.«

http://thesouthernlights.org/ 

Quote about forest farming: Chan Sac Balam (collaborating with southern lights)More about Chan: https://permalab.fr/

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Released by MED Land project 2021 June/ film Ida Glušič  editing:Ida Glušič, BB, photo: BB, voice : interview with Sheila Darmos  

#6 Coming and Going – MEDland Project (June 2021)


Three hours by car could be three days traveling with the wind and currents - it actually took us three days to touch each finger of Peloponnese.
Traveling over the sea brings you to the other places and experiences, especially if you depend on elements and movements of the air and sea - winds and waves and safe ports.

In MEDland project this is an essential method to tune to the Mediterranean world which actually the vast majority is the sea.
Sea is not just flat but also very deep, in some points where we went is over 5000 meters!
MEDland project is focused primarily on islands which are from the tiniest to the biggest each its own world with specific beingness and culture that found its roots on Crete, Ikaria, Samos, Lesbos, Chios, Syros,Andros, Paros, Samothraki, Zakyntos, Itaka, Othoni..
 
Going over the sea from island to island this time, gave me a strong impulse to observe how Mediterranean islands and three continents are connected and interact as one living organism, including countless “individuals", places and inhabitants, and layers of parallel worlds.

Sea is only a natural boundary...the other side is that sea-water is, in my observations, the most perfect “internet” where infinite information interact, merge, change, create something new, transform…
HOW to connect to this “internet”?

When I do it just a little bit, I can observe a miraculous world which is actually already all co-connected…harmoniously interacting and waiting for us humans to step into this for US new cycle of living, which is being, learning, and co-creating together with Gaia. 
On MEDland flag, representing the project and hanging from the first day from the boat, is written Mediterranean - united by the sea.


Video: Filming: Matej Michalec, Editing: Matej Michalec, Bojan Brecelj, Ida Glušič

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Released by MED Land project / film,  editing: Matej Michalec text bb -  MED Land productin (WGO 2021)

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a couple of years ago

Dimitris Therianos an expert for polyphenols, update 2021

..and some pics from IDA >>>

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Released by MED Land project / film,  , editing: Ida Glušič text bb -  MED Land productin (WGO 2021)

#5 Between Ionian islands – “A good stop at the Therianos family” (MEDland Project, June 2021)

From Othoni through the Paxoi to Zakynthos - journey goes on. This time meeting Therianos family again - that was an important stop in our voyage.

We came to Zakynthos to pick up new member of our crew - Ida Glušič, which joins us - MEDlanders, and also to meet Dimitrios, who leads the family farm. (About Dimitrios you can find out more here in the story.)

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Released by MED Land project / film, photography, editing: BB  text editing - proofreading: Tadej Turnšek, godfather of the story Barbara Ćeferin

Posted by bojanb
a couple of years ago
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