Out of the Tunnel…

…Today I found a copy of Rachel’s book in Waterstone’s in Amsterdam. Even if you already know the story this book is still remarkable. Once you start you can’t put it down. Rachel likes to say dammit just like Manon. The style is fast and dramatic and makes you feel as if you are there with her when it all happens. This is not another book written by a victim. Rachel does not ask for sympathy, she just tells her tale. There is much here to give hope to anyone who has suffered a life shattering trauma such as rape or violence. The message is that one can start again and learn to live with the scars. I don’t know what amazes me most, Rachel’s courage or the mindless idiots who caused all this suffering. I watched the news of the 7/7 London attacks on TV in an Amsterdam cafe as it happened and have been reading Rachel’s blog from the beginning. She has become a voice of freedom at a time when politicians have passed one stupid law after another. Every politician should read this book. Rachel stands up for the rights that took many generations to achieve that are being so carelessly eroded. It was touching to know that J proposed marriage right here in Amsterdam, and that she has such a great partner to support her. She sure deserves him. Read this book and it will move you as it did me.
The Friday Project (book info)

Changing networks…

Photo copyright: Leighton Cooke 2007
…on Facebook from the Netherlands to Wales. My prayers have been answered when I saw these prayer flags and the beautiful mature trees that I first saw planted many years ago. Our permaculture project has a home that is a beacon that can inspire others to follow the same path. Lam Rim, the gradual path, the slow path, the path of Mother Earth. In Wales we say heraith for the longing for that which one does not have. “The wyrd weaves through everywhere; it also weaves its way back - which is often just what we don’t want to happen! Every choice has its echoes in the wyrd, with the result that our ‘preferred mistakes’ will often have predictable echoes. Since this is the wyrd we’re dealing with, the form those echoes take will vary - sometimes imperceptibly, but often radically - yet the fact of the echo will not. This general principle is known throughout the world under a variety of different names: in the common, if rather simplistic, Western interpretation of the Indian concept of ‘karma’, for example, every action has its equal and opposite reaction, and every inaction leads to an equal and apposite re-enaction, another ‘lesson’; whereas the witchcraft tradition, by contrast, argues that whatever we send out to others - for good or ill - comes back threefold. Either way, they all suggest it’s a good idea to be careful of what we say and do!” says Tom Graves. So it is that my wyrd weaves its weird way. No more heraith! I have found my home and found that I always had it. My precious teacher never left my heart and thus I am blessed to live in a world of miracles. Trees grow. We just need to let them. I am excited like a little boy. This was the best birthday present ever. Il faut cultiver notre jardin. Candide (1759)

Montelbaanstoren, Amsterdam by Bettie Klomp…

Montelbaanstoren, Amsterdam by Bettie Klomp…, originally uploaded by Leighton Cooke.

…as, once again, I spend a lovely Friday afternoon in Bettie’s Atelier Galilea in the heart of the Jordaan, on the Eerste Leliedwaarstraat. I’m going to take a picture of this tower to see how it looks now. Bettie is a classic Dutch landscape artist with an eye for the beauty of Amsterdam. The summer has finally arrived here and some Swabian friends brought a very tasty Riesling from Baden, so I’m having a chilled out evening on the balcony. As good as it gets again, listening to Leonard Cohen’s Songs from a Room, my favourite sixties album. All in all a timeless moment.

Quiet Green Tara Sunday…

Green Tara mural, Jokhang…, originally uploaded by Leighton Cooke.

…after a hectic week. This beautiful Jokhang mural is one of my favourite pictures. Sometimes when your head is full and your spirit perplexed it is good to simply sit and reflect. Green Tara is the active aspect of compassion and one of the most powerful female “archetypes.” She transcends time and space to watch over our spiritual growth. The past few months have been an intense time for me with much to be grateful for but also a few growing pains here and there. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they stand alone and fearless, knowing their strengths and weaknesses and not afraid to look in the mirror, even though what they see is not always pretty. That is why I love Tara. She reminds me of all that I value most and how rare the morning dew on the lotus is. In spite of the stormy weather it is summertime and I am lucky to live a life surrounded by people who help to make each day a rich experience. My garden is small but growing. Many friends have left for the holidays and I wish them well. Manon is off to Italy soon and I shall miss her. My own compass is also pointing south to the mountains of the Iberian peninsula. It is the end of an era and a new beginning. Om tare tuttare ture svaha

Ecotopia 2007…in Aljezur, Portugal…

…This year Ecotopia, the European grassroots activist summer meeting will be in Aljezur in the Algarve in Portugal near to the beautiful west Atlantic coast. The theme will be migrations.
“People have always migrated in search of better economical, ecological, social living conditions.. Today, for many people migration becomes not a choice, but a necessity since the economic model we live in increases the inequalities between regions, and puts the social and environmental conditions of many people under risk.
Migration is becoming (has already become!) more and more a sensitive subject and the themes such as refugees, borders, illegality, cheap labour, rural exodus, desertification, racism and many others become more and more relevant subjects as they effect and include everyone’s daily life.”
Ecotopia will be from the 4th to the 19th August and there are still places free for anyone wishing to take part. The meeting is being organised by:
EYFA in Amsterdam and:
GAIA
- Grupo de Acção e Intervenção Ambiental
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
2829-516 Caparica
Portugal
There is a direct Eurolines coach to Lagos, from where there are local buses to Aljezur. For anyone interested in grassroots sustainability Ecotopia offers the opportunity to network and meet people from all over Europe who share the same ideals.

Very new, very big…and no internet…

…on day one of the new Amsterdam public library. It must be the largest public space with a roof in the city. Its modernity will take some getting used to but the view from the OBA 7th floor terrace is spectacular. The location near the Centraal Station is a bold move but the surrounding area is still a building site so it will take a while to become part of a living community. Everything is fully automated and its so big that it fels like an airport terminal. When I asked about wifi I was told that the whole system was down and nobody knew how long it would take to get it all working. Still I’m looking forward to my next visit and curious how it will develop.

Dirty washing…two weeks later…

…after Kristin Steele was killed on the corner of the Overtoom another woman was knocked over on the same spot and is in a critical condition. Amsterdam’s streets are a dangerous place. Yesterday I washed the red fleece that I wear on my bicycle. I washed it by hand Three changes of water and the water was still black. I mean black as soot! What are we breathing into our lungs on the streets. This is unseen pollution that is slowly killing us every day in our hurry to get nowhere. So I’m planning a small experiment with some of my chemist friends. I’m going to wear the fleece for one month then wash it and analyse the water to see what’s in it. We’ll repeat this process every month to see just how dirty our roads really are. Change of topic but still on the theme of the dangers of modern living Out of the Tunnel, Rachel’s book, is out soon and I’m really curious to read it. Hope it comes to Amsterdam soon. She has the courage to speak for those who suffer the shame and fear of trauma in silence.

That was the week that was…

…used to be a satirical TV show in sixties Britain. My week was also like an intense reality show, although I’ve yet to see the funny side. This afternoon I took a nap out of sheer exhaustion. Life in the fast lane can be tiring sometimes. Reports I got from people who went to G8 seem to indicate there was not too much violence. Was anything achieved? Awareness was raised about climate change but no real decisions were taken, Everyone agrees that as the Daily Kos puts it, “there is indeed a dead skunk on the table…” but we “still have to pick the dang thing up and move it.” We are governed by idiots. As Blair leaves by the back door Sarkozy comes in the front and they all give Putin a ticking off for being a bad boy. Heiligendamm was a kindergarten run by Angela Merkel but the kids failed their exams. They understood the question but did not have an answer. Business as usual is not an option boys. Grow up! Meanwhile in my little Amsterdam reality show mayhem rules. We had our own fill of bad boys this week, including me according to some. My crime? Mostly just being there. Walking over people’s mental flower beds like Lucifer at a mass. I’m busy learning French before going to Paris next month. This evening I realised people like me best when I play the fool but when I point out it don’t pay the bills and we have to get our hands dirty they all scream “Subsidy!” and run off and have a meeting about nothing in particular. I dared to make the simple suggestion that we try to make it possible for people to change their light bulbs and save some energy. Far too radical! I must stop ranting and go and get some chocolate.

Good vibrations…mea culpa…

…or Catch 22 for dummies. When the Beach Boys brought out the surfers’ sound in the sixties our MP3 player was the humble transistor radio, then the ultimate in portable music technology. Growing up in Cardiff the beach was not far away and we also had the Bay, one of the most remarkable multinational communities on the planet. In those days it was still a tough part of town near the docks with a strong sense of its own identity. We used to go to the Casablanca Club and dance and drink and smoke. The smoke came from Jamaica and was natural, brought to Wales in the banana boats. The odd snake would also hitch a ride. When marijuana became fashionable in the mid sixties because of the Beatles, the rest of the UK started to catch us up. The Beatles first drug of choice, like Johnny Cash, was amphetamine. It was Bob Dylan who introduced John Lennon to pot in New York in 1964. No drug in the world has such a confusing status as cannabis. On the one hand there are clear medical benefits in the fields of cancer care, MS and AIDS. Yet there is some (disputed) evidence of psychosis connected with cannabis. Certainly there is much anectodal evidence of paranoia reported by many who have unpleasant experiences while trying to get high. However the side effects of the drug do not justify the witch hunt that the authorities, particularly in America, engage in against the users of cannabis. The resulting criminal structures of supply cause far more damage and waste far more resources that the supposed negative side effects. My own experience is a good case in point. All my life I have suffered from chronic asthma and hayfever and over the years used cannabis to mitigate the symptoms. It has helped me many times to cope with some very severe attacks of asthma. I don’t smoke but instead eat organic cannabis in cookies. It should be everyone’s right to grow their own supply. John Lennon’s conviction for cannabis possession was the reason why the Nixon Administration was able to try to get him thrown out of America as he was perceived to be a threat to Nixon’s re-election prospects. Tricky Dicky was more paranoid than any toker. As for the current incumbent of the White House, “I wouldn’t answer the marijuana questions,” says Bush . “You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.” When Bush was reminded that he had publicly denied using cocaine, he replied, “I haven’t denied anything.” A convicted drunken driver is now President of the United States. Yet we don’t hear anything about alcohol prohibition any more. Al Capone taught us that the social consequences of prohibition are an increase in crime. We live in perplexing times. We always did. That’s one reason why I wish my good friend Soma good luck in the coming days in his fight to use marijuana as a natural medicine in the Netherlands. We must end this social farce that causes so many so much misery. There are a whole load of UN Conventions that need to be changed and that won’t be an easy task. The hallmark of the best tradition of European civilisation is a respect for the human individual and pluralism. The need for public order can never be an excuse for private persecution.

Tous les garçons et les filles…

…She was my first pinup girl and sealed my francophile fate at an early age. While Satre captured my imagination Francoise Hardy captured my heart. My first love was also French and ever since I’ve been a fan of la grande nation and when this weekend I had an emotional meltdown while tripping on mushrooms I reached a decision I’ve been moving towards for a long time. Ceri has finally persuaded me that we should move Ceridwen Media to Paris and get on the barricades in Sarkoland. When I first bought this single it had the sexiest cover on the planet. Each of us should have the chance to realise our dreams and a chance to fight for what we believe. At heart I am a European humanist. Paris is facing a crisis that reminds me in many ways of the months that led up to May 1968. France will be going through some painful times in the near future and I feel I want to be there when it happens. The last time I felt this sort of intuition was before the fall of the wall when I moved to Berlin. As Ceri put it, “Leighty, you’ve got to get this out of your system or you’ll never be at peace.” She is right. Ceri is always right. The sixties were a crazy time for me, not a happy period of my life. There was a golden thread that got lost in a cave and I want to find it again.