Why this time?

Find out more about Easter and the turn of the year:

EASTER

Easter is celebrated shortly after the Spring equinox – the moment of the year when light and darkness are of equal length and light once more begins to win over darkness.

During the Easter weekend we celebrate a rebirth of light.

No matter what has been happening previously: Now comes the light and with the light arrive life, strength and vitality.

Rebirth is preceded by death: Within the archetypal horoscope the Zodiac begins with the ram. »The Ram« is fighting with the sword undergirded with fiery inner willpower in order to cut himself loose from whatever necessary (this separation is a metaphor for death) and step out renewed with a bold message: »Here I stand!«.

In the Christian tradition, Easter stands for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter festival in Western churches, since the year 1091, starts with Ash Wednesday. A 40-day fast follows. This commemorates the 40 years of the Israelites in the desert, as well as the 40 days that Jesus fasted and prayed in the desert, and also reminds us of Moses, who for 40 days stayed on Mount Sinai, before he came down with the tablets engraved with the 10 commandments. Mount Sinai in the Bible is also called Mount Horeb. Saint Catherine’s Monastery and the 2285 meter high mountain have become important Christian pilgrimage sites.

On Good Friday we remember the death of Jesus on the cross – on Saturday it is all quiet, followed by the resurrection on Easter Sunday – the triumph of Jesus Christ – the return of life and light.

I will be pleased to celebrate this yearly resurrection light with you, and enjoy with you the springtime with its return of life in nature, which can even be seen in the desert.

TURN OF THE YEAR

Why did I choose this time over Christmas and the New Year for a tour through the desert? It is the »time between times« that is, everything comes to a standstill in nature, there is no turning back anymore and there is no going forward yet either.

It is a time to reflect, time for a personal review of the year that has gone by, a time for dreams and new desires – a time to re-orientate yourself towards the year ahead, all this and more is what this space of time between December 25^th and January 5^th will ideally lend itself to. In German these nights are called »Rauhnächte« (rough nights).

The desert, the silence, a being carried by nature, all this offers the opportunity to come to a recognition of what the old year was to you with all its ups and downs and to say your good byes to what is now past and gone. With an inner calmness and serenity you will then be able to align yourself with the new year which awaits just around the bend. The welcoming of the new year in the wilderness will be of quite a different quality from the usual and I will be very much looking forward to sharing this experience with you.