inpassionpublications: The Power of Conscious Choice

Day 13 - 19th May 2017

Back Home

Everything is smooth and simple on my journey back home and today is a very special day.

We are having our Art in Motion Finds a Voice fundraising concert today, in Tomar and in Abrantes and for the past two weeks the teenage organizing committees have resolved all issues themselves. I am so proud and happy for them! We have so far managed to accomplish all of the aims of this concert, one of them being sustainability. There have been sponsors for all expenses and we have made sure that there is no waste. These kids are amazing when given a chance to shine.

As soon as I arrive in Tomar I go directly to the general rehearsal and may I tell you it is a mess! The sound technicians are still connecting cables which should have been ready over an hour ago so the bands and solo artists are faffing around on stage not doing much. They are taking ages to start rehearsing and ages getting off stage. It is a complete shambles. And you know what? Nothing bothers me! I don’t feel the slightest tinge of worry or anxiety, not one single moment of doubt that when the real stuff comes they will all get their wits together and perform like veteran stars.

India has soaked into me so deep that my heart is an immense pool of peace. This is Who I Am.

9.30 pm. A crowd of people is standing outside waiting to come in. The rehearsal has to end now.

“Everyone off stage” call the technicians and soon enough people start pouring in. In no time the whole theatre is full and there are still people outside wanting to come in. Our tickets sold out yesterday evening and there have been people calling all day to reserve tickets, but there are no more.

People in Portugal tend to leave things for the last possible minutes and then regret having done so. We manage to find a few extra places anyhow.

We start 15 minutes late – but as soon as we start a special atmosphere is created. The first band goes on stage - Extempore - and totally blasts it! The public are ecstatic, the performance is awesome and the tone is set for a fabuous show.

I can honestly say that it is one of the best live shows I have ever been to and this one is moved on raw talent. No special light effects or fancy smoke screens, no laser or video, nothing but the young artists’ absolute talent.

My heart is so fulfilled and I feel such boundless joy. The public is mesmerized. No one expected something so good. The sound technicians had been very skeptical about the whole thing, not really believing that these kids would manage to pull the gig off the ground. But they did, and with flying colours.

Some solo performers are on stage for the first time and one of the bands are actually performing together as a band for the first time too. It happens to turn out to be one of the best bands in concert and is an improbable combination of friends who got together to perform at this Event. As they are sitting, waiting for their turn, they decide to form a band instead of being just a bunch of talents who joined each other for only this occasion, and call it “Paz na Terra” – Peace on Earth.

They later on decide to call the band Full House -as a consequence of a lucky Poker game. They are now booked for a load of performances during summer, mainly at summer festivals as a consequence of their brilliant performance. After the concert I was asked several times who these kids were and how they could be contacted! I take my hat off to all of them. Thank you for gracing me with your exquisite art.

This event has taught me so much! Once again it is living proof that the seemingly impossible does become possible when we believe and stick to our heart's choice.

The big challenges I placed before myself with the coordination of this Event have been:

Trust – knowing that it cannot but flow because that is my choice with all things in my life and this is no exception. Even though it involves others, I have made my choice for me so energy and consciousness adjust to conscious choice.

Delegating – knowing how to do things but handing them over to a bunch of teenagers for the purpose of their ongoing education, letting them discover through trial and error and avoiding to fix things as much as possible is not an easy task for an adult, but I managed to do just that and even took off during the last two weeks prior to the event! Of course when I left I had taken care of the things I needed to so I knew they could handle the rest perfectly well. I left in complete trust. My main function throughout the whole process was to inspire, to encourage them never to give up, to teach them how to trust in their capacities, to steer their rudder towards the final aim not giving all of the answers but rather asking the right questions, to help them learn how to delegate and how to assume responsibilites from beginning to end, helping them lead and cooperate, negotiate and decide, solve issues with simplicity and never ever doubt it would all fall into place.

Letting go of the need to control – when one chooses the path of surrender to Essence, one thing that is required is letting go of the need to control so it is no news for me. There is a difference between not controlling and doing what needs to be done. To not control does not imply to not do, it just means focusing on the main aim and following our inner rudder, taking care of each situation at a time. Knowing that each and every one has the same wisdom inside and helping everyone work in synch with their inner flow - this is letting go of the need to control.

Several times during the show tears of awe fill my eyes, a bubbling joy that cannot be described, only felt in the deep love that I Am. I could not have asked for a better ending to my magical experience in India and somehow having had such a special time there added exponentially to this concert as well so not being here for the last two weeks, rather than being a miscalculated absence, was a precious addition to the whole picture.

The show goes on until almost 2 am and it's like no one wants to go home! The backstage atmosphere is strong and supportive, happy, caring and friendly and everyone on this show - around 50 artists - is bound by that invisible stream of belonging that makes human relationships all the more meaningful.

We are all overflowing with gratitude! We have managed to raise 1600€ for Getrude Matshe's Africa Alive Education Foundation and 404€ for CIRE (Integration and Rehabilitation Centre for People with mental and physical disabilities) and for CAT (the temporary shelter home for orphan children and children removed from disfunctional families). Also in Abrates two Associations of the same nature get a donation of a similar amount and the concert there is also a success.