Practicing Peace by Yannis Angelis

Desire for peace is nothing new.
It has always been there
shimmering under the heavy blankets of history
paling in insignificance
as being heavy-lightly stepped upon
by the boots of the young soldier who is yearning for victories.
Sinful us, we have not been so much aware.

-We are used to war…you told me once

I love hearing your story of peace.
I make a talisman out of it
so that you feel
your story was worth telling.
And I wonder…
What kind of language does your memory speak?

What are the weapons of peace, my sister?
Oxymoron!
What is the smell of peace, my love?
Can you tell me?
Or better…
can you dance it for me?
Can you dance me the smell of peace?

What are the weapons of peace, my friend?
Our ever-born kindness,
our neighborliness,
our yearning for connection and community,

our nests of healing and repair,
our thirst for harmony and happiness,
the co-creation of the boundaries which stitch our differences?
…following the breaking of them once more with tenderness and love?
-We are going to bud them again, don’t be scared…you told me once

What are the weapons of peace, my brother?
A paradox!
Maybe…our new learning “what I practice, I become”.

Desire for peace is nothing new.
It has always been there
shimmering under the heavy blankets of history…

And now?

Now, I love watching you making it a practice,
for all nightingales swarming out of my chest
taking refuge in the warmness of the South
away from homelands laying in turbulence, hopelessness and dust
wanting to be reborn…

…in peace.

Poem by Yannis Angelis

It was back in March 2021, where the 3rd COVID wave was challenging my loneliness in isolation at my small flat in Germany. Already since last year, a collateral benefit of the pandemic was a profound awakening of the artist in me. I am a musician but during the lockdown, I have experienced myself taping into other forms of art creation as well, not so much familiar to me, like making small films, indoors photography, and writing poetry.

No matter how much I was enjoying the virtual gatherings with the various communities that I belong and co-work with, the need for physical contact was there …shouting voiceless. I gave it a voice by writing this poem, inspired by the people in the communities that were accompanying me through various screen meetings, day and night, for a long time the last 2 years. You, my INTAGIO friends, have been part of this new inspiration tribe, the “…weirdos of our time” as I am mentioning them in my poem.

I am sharing it here being so grateful for our past and continuing the journey together, wishing that it could shepherd and accommodate your Gestalting soul into that deep melancholy and unquenchable longing that is imbued with.

An ode to my Warmrades

I am daydreaming

night and day, from dawn to dusk
that defining moment where we stand in front
of each other and a pure power of connection
will pull us into each other’s desirable hugs,

those hugs that break the bones,

that blend our juices of passion for life into the
galactic milk as we pale into the stars, upon we
have made our best wish

And from there,

we witness our tears of gratitude and blessing
sliding down freely from our eyes to the earth
like crystal bugs and worms who fertilize the soil
that is gifting us back the rich ground we stand
upon.

I daydream a festival

to manifest the rim, which shapes the container,
which holds the space, where our tribe
blossoms in humanity

… for these and other dreams that light up with
dignity and love and illuminate us … we …

… become the meadow of the crooked trees
interweaving with each other with compassion
and fluidity and serendipity … we …

… the weirdos of our time.

I have …

an unspoken sleepless dream hatching under
the warmness and novelty of our relationship
that we tend tenaciously in front of the campfire
as the night goes by

and I will hold on to the afterglow, I hold on to
the afterglow, and from dusk to dawn I will pray
for the blessing that brought us together.

I am yours and you are mine.

We are the unprotected foolish kids of audacity.

by Yannis Angelis, Digital Learning Mentor & Change Maker

Reading tip: From Here to Later

Talia Bar Yoseph Levine, member of INTAGIO, edited a new book with the title From Here to Later. The art of staying with, while playing ahead, during a global crisis.

She wrote the following lines on the cover of this new book: in 2020, the world was hit with an unexpected challenge. What had worked until then was either no longer relevant or needed thoughtful adaptation. What would be the new normal remained to be seen. Each and one of us, and especially those who work with, or lead systems, had to face almost total uncertainty, while at the same time we were obligated to plan a future based on minimal foundation. It became evident that the greater good would stand to benefit from our shared experiences, reflections, developing thoughts etc.

Consultants and leaders around the globe gathered to contribute their reflections and understandings in a professional, palatable, succinct, personal manner. They tell how they found a way to thrive and develop at a time of stress, distress and uncertainty through flexibility, connection and an open mind in the hope that each reader will find some valuable nuggets to support them in ‘staying here and planning for later.

A good number of INTAGIO members contributed their learning to this book.

Are you curious about this book, which hopefully have at least one pearl of wisdom for you or your clients!? You can order it now on Amazon.

Good reading!

Energy!

“We people like to measure, so we can control and predict. We will never stop inventing instruments to dot it more more and more precisely and that’s great. What is a pity though is that we tend to forget about an important part”, says Ien van Duijnhoven, member of INTAGIO. Watch and listen to her story about Energy on YouTube!

Continue reading

Gestalt is ….

By Eugenio Moliní

… firstly, a philosophy that successfully explains life at the fringes of the mystery of existence, without ever attempting to explain the mystery itself;


… secondly, it is a personal practice that allows us to intentionally approach, embrace and experience this mystery, without ever fully understanding it;

Continue reading

Exploring a new topic: Decolonising psychology

By Frans Meulmeester

I like to share my enthusiasm about a new inspiration and challenge. Since a few months I am in contact with Kirti Singh, a colleague from Canada, who originally comes from India.Together we are exploring the topic of power and privileges and by doing so, I came in touch with the topic of ‘decolonising psychology’ and in relation to that the topic of ‘liberation psychology’.

Continue reading