AKUT, Lions Clubs International, Fethiye and More

On May 26^th Fethiye had a special guest that we have been having the chance to see three or four times during the past 11-12 months.  The President of AKUT Search and Rescue Association Mr. Nasuh Mahruki was in Fethiye for a day as the guest of honour of the Lions District MD118-R Preparation Camp in Club Letoonia.

As some of you might know, I am a member of Fethiye Lions Club.  Fethiye Lions Club is a local NGO and we are also a member of Lions Clubs International.  (www.lionsclubs.org) Turkey is one of the two hundred and eight countries in which Lions Clubs are active.  I became a member of Fethiye Lions Club, a Lion in 2007 and since then I have been involved in our Club in Fethiye as well as in our Lions District MD118-R, which is the Lions Clubs District for the Mediterranean and Aegean Region in Turkey.  There are many NGOs, non-governmental and non-for profit associations active in Turkey and in Fethiye as well. Fethiye Lions Club (Fethiye Lions Kulübü Derneği) is one of them. 

Lions Clubs in the world use the motto “we serve” to describe what they do.  The aim of Lions Clubs is to create protects where service can be provided in regions needed in our communities, whether it is about health, education or about working with the disabled.  We carry out cultural projects, environmental projects and projects for the youth as well.  First Lions Club in the world was founded in 1917 and the first Club in Turkey was founded in 1963.  Next year in 2013 we will celebrate Lions 50^th year in Turkey.  Lions Clubs in Turkey are non-governmental organizations that have a broad range and area of service.  In our Mediterranean Aegean District we have over 55 Lions Clubs.

The new service term for Lions Clubs will start on July 1^st, 2012 and it will continue until June 30^th, 2013.  And from May 25^th to May 27^th, 2012 we had our Lions District Camp in Fethiye.  The head office of our Lions District is in Izmir, but have have Lions Clubs in Altinoluk, Edremit, Denizli, Manisa, Antalya, Alanya, Mugla, Bodrum, Marmaris and Kas well as many Clubs in Izmir and one club in Fethiye.  In the coming term Lions Clubs in our District want to start to work with AKUT Search and Rescue Association, to create a synergy that will continue over the years.   AKUT has over 30 rescue teams in Turkey, with 27 in full active and 5 or 6 in their startup years and some of these teams are in our region.  There are teams in Izmir, teams in Antalya, one team in Bodrum, one in Marmaris. And we have a very good and active AKUT Team in Fethiye as well. The team leader for the AKUT Fethiye Team, Mr. Sadi Çidem is a geological engineer and he is also the head of the Disaster Management Center of the Municipality of Fethiye.

About a year ago, on June 29^th, 2011 Fethiye Lions Club and many other organisations as well as the Municipality of Fethiye joined forces to support our Fethiye AKUT Team better.  AKUT Teams are composed of volunteers who are dedicated to search and rescue efforts.  Now Lions Clubs in our wider region want to support AKUT’s efforts for disaster and earthquake awareness and their teams’ needs. 

AKUT is a very special NGO in Turkey.  It has a special status which classifies it as an NGO that works for the benefit of the state (Is this called a benevolent association in English?) and recently it has received certain certifications which made it an NGO and rescue team recognized by the UN.  AKUT became a member of INSARAG, United Nations’ Search and Rescue Advising Group.  AKUT members are justifiable quite proud of the worldwide acknowledgement.  It is a very trusted and respected NGO.  I would like to recommend you to look into the work done by AKUT if you have the time.  You can check out their website or you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter.  Facebook and Twitter information are more up-to-date.  Some of the teams also have their own accounts. For example The Fethiye Team has an open Facebook group that you can join.  Some links: ( http://www.akut.org.tr ), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKUT_Search_and_Rescue_Association )

I believe in the power of working together, in joining forces and I believe in the power of sharing information.  Fethiye is a town where it is much easier to learn about what is happening in the community when compared to many other cities and towns in Turkey.  However, there are also many times that we learn about events and activities after they are over and done.  Many people who are interested in working, in helping are not able to take part for that reason.  AKUT is an organisation where both Turkish and foreigners can support.  Actually AKUT organized a seminar for English speakers in Fethiye in the past year on earthquakes and the AKUT Fethiye Team wants to be connected with the British and foreigners’ communities in Fethiye for better disaster awareness and preparation.  The AKUT Team has regular meetings and if you are interested in supporting their activities feel free to contact the team.  There are team members who speak good English.

There are many well organised British groups in Fethiye that create and work on powerful and effective social projects.  FIG in the best known in town and there are many more.  I am aware that these social groups are aware of most of the other Turkish NGOs and groups as well.  I plan to share these various communities when the opportunity comes to create a better understanding and also a better visibility.

I am a relatively new volunteer in AKUT, but having been following the relief and rescue work they have been doing in Turkey since 1995, I feel motivated to ask for your support for AKUT with all my heart.  I trust their genuine concern for the community as well as their professional approach in service.

As a member of Fethiye Lions Club, I will also try to share our club activities and future projects as much as I can in the weeks to come.  If non-for profit organisations and groups that you are involved in are having activities in the coming weeks and months, please let me know.  I would like to share your projects.  Of course I will need to know at least a week in advance to be able to announce them here.  And who knows, may be we can create opportunities to join forces.

I hope, wish and pray that we all have the opportunities to take part in social projects that resonate with our heart, mind and soul.  May our heartfelt ideas find their way to where they are most needed.

Wishing all of you a great week, with love and best wishes...

Zeynep

_______________________________________________________________________

Affirmation of the Week:

“I live and dwell in the totality of possibilities. Where I am there is all good.”

From Louise L. Hay

Quote of the Week:

“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”

                                                                                              Oscar Wilde

Sailing on the Bosphorus, Sailing in Life

I was in Istanbul last weekend.  As I was looking out my window on Saturday, I started to see sailing boats with open blown sails on the Bosphorus.  This was not a common sight since sail boats can only travel with their engine on the Bosphorus. Normally. But sometimes there is a race and this special straight in Istanbul looks totally different.  No more tankers, no more big ships, but the Bosphorus is filled with racing sailboats big and small with their mostly white and colourful sails.  I felt calm and happy and lucky to have the chance to experience one of these special days on the Bosphorus.

I believe that there is always a purpose for the things that come into our lives.   This does not always mean that it is easy for me to accept what is happening.  This is a belief that there is a reason, a purpose for what is taking place.

I had trainings organised for the next six days in Istanbul and that is why I thought I was in the city.  Reiki courses, Bach Flower Remedy courses, coaching sessions.  I had thought I was in the city for work.  I had chosen the dates to be in through looking at the dates in the calendar and feelings which were the dates that felt good for me to be in Istanbul.  All of training and sessions appointments were taken afterwards.  Well, it seems that there was more reasons for me to be in Istanbul around that time.

It turns there was a big repair planned in my apartment building in Istanbul and my landlord needed to make changes and repairs in my apartment immediately.  I had not heard of the repairs since I had been away from Istanbul for two weeks and I learned this urgent news on my first morning in the city.  Since I had planned to be in the city for almost the week, this would not be a problem for me.  But if they had said this was to be done say next it would be a major problem because after that I needed to be in Izmir for four important meetings in three days. Yet, the bigger surprise for me is that I was asking landlord for the repairs in the windows, actually for her to change the old wooden style windows with single layer glasses on the back side of the apartment for almost seven years. The heat and sound insulation was quite bad and it was hard to repair the windowsill which were more than thirty years old.  I had lost hope and now it needs to be done for the other repairs in the apartment building to be done.  I am just grateful.

There are many reasons of why we need to be at a certain place at a certain time.  And there are many different ways that we decide to be at a certain place.  Sometimes it is just a feeling tells me to go to Fethiye on a certain date, without any apparent reasons.  Most of the time the reason appears on its own.  Feeling to go to different places at different times.  Like the feeling that tells us to do or not to do something, there is always a call to go or to stay as well.  The result of a meeting I had in the city of Elazığ about ten days ago explains the uneasiness that I felt in going.  The team told me that I should be there as their leader and as their boss; I had felt that with my presence we might be cornered into a decision that we were not ready for.

They insisted that I should be there.  I did not say no.  As it sometimes is, it was difficult to come with logical reasons to explain why I should not be there with my team of engineers.  With the almost twenty years of work that I had done as an engineer, I see their point.  However, with the new understanding I have as a Reiki Master, a complimentary healing therapist and coach, how I can I live ignoring my strong feelings?  The meeting in Elazığ was a quite technical meeting and my feelings had told me that I shouldn’t be there regardless of all the mental, organizational and technical reasons. 

Those of you who might have read “Missing Lady” last week might see a pattern.  Last residues of a pattern that I want to call attention to.  In the last five six years there are indeed very very few times that I do not listen to my feelings, that I do not listen to my heart anymore.  My decision to attend the meeting in Elazığ was almost simultaneous with my decision to confirm Lady’s operation that we lost her in.

If something is not calm in your heart when you make a decision, it is a sign that definitely needs to be taken into account.  Do not decide, please do not decide before understanding what it is trying to tell you.  Maybe it is to say no, maybe it is to prepare better, but surely there is part of the puzzle that still needs to be discovered.  I had been grateful for this feelings that has made me happy and that protected me I must say that kept be alive a few times. As I find myself writing about a similar approach to life again, I realize that it is not enough to be grateful anymore.  It is important for me to say that the life I am grateful for was only possible with that compass of feelings.

I have two books published in English and they are the collections of the articles I have written in the Land of Light.  For over five years I wrote in almost every issue in our Land of Lights.  And then an offer came to publish those articles.  One thing led to another and I found myself receiving such interesting email from both Turks and foreigners who have read those two books “Is It Written in the Stars?” and “Imagine Being Lucky.”  In 2006 when I had started to write for our English newspaper, I surely did not imagine that I would have two books in English that were sold all around Turkey.  I had not imagined I would have six other books in Turkish either.  One thing led to another.  One feeling, one insight led to another. 

The late Steve Jobs of Apple had said this may be better than most in his commencement speech at Stanford University in June 2005: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” May he rest in peace and may we find the strength and courage to listen to our heart.

Missing Lady

After being in Fethiye for only a few weeks this winter, I am back in Fethiye.  Whether it is sunny or rainy, there is always a special energy in this special town.  It is one of the places on the planet that I feel more connected to life and to the Divine.

                I have been using and teaching various methods for about twelve years and writing about complementary therapies and life in the past five or six years in Land of Lights.  I am an engineer by training, however it is not possible for me to imagine a life in which our intuitions and feelings are not considered as important as our analytic mind.  Not anymore.  We have tools other than our mind or five senses, tools that we are not using fully, tools we are not fully aware of.  Our intuition is a very important tool and we seem to use it better and better first of all by listening to it, by respecting it and by taking it seriously. 

                It is easier to listen to our intuition when it matches what our mind says.  Yet, how about when the mind and the intuition say different things?

                About a week ago I received a message from the veterinarian of my German shepherd dogs in İstanbul.  She was suggesting that one of two female dogs must be fixed, sterilized since she had been pregnant twice at a relatively young age and our guards at our organic garden have not been able to protect our dog Lady at the time that she was fertile.  Actually the vet had asked me to give an approval for this operation this winter as well.  For some reason it had not felt right and I had said no.  A few days after I arrived in Fethiye, the veterinarian was asking for my approval and confirmation for this operation again.  She had sent the message that it was for the good of the dog and they would pick her up from the garden and do everything necessary and bring her back when she was totally healed.  The message arrived at a time I was quite busy with trainings and sessions.  I read the email sent by the vet to my secretary in İstanbul.  Again it did not feel right. I knew that with five other dogs in the garden, it was not easy for my staff to keep the dogs apart during the fertile times of the females.  It could be done, but for some reason we have not been good at it.  So when the message came, although I still did not feel good about this operation, I found it difficult to say “no” since I did not have any tangible reasons to say no.  It did not feel right, but I did not say no.  I said yes.  I told my staff to take care of the details for the operation.  I remember that I reminded my secretary to make sure that we checked the state of our dog Lady often and to let me know about how she was healing.

Two days later I received the news from İstanbul.  A long list of complications had happened during Lady’s operation and they have not been able to save her.  Our young and healthy German shepherd had died due a long list of reasons that the vet had written in a long email.  I was very sad, but not only for the loss of this beautiful and gentle female dog, but more for not listening to my very clear intuition.  Please do not get it wrong, I make almost all of my decisions with my hearts, my intuition’s approval.  That is my new way of living.  Almost all of the time.  But sometimes, sometimes, when there is an expert involved in the decision, sometimes I make the mistake of not listening to the voice that protected me hundreds of times over the years. 

After I came back to Fethiye, I learned that I need to go to the city of Elazığ in Eastern Turkey for a meeting for a couple of days.  I was being called for a very important meeting for a project.  I would have to make very important decision that would have huge financial and legal effects on the government and the community as well as me, my family and our business.  Learning about Lady before this important trip was a very important message for me, a gift from Lady if I may say. A very sad but an immensely important message for me.

Years ago I had decided to listen to my heart and not to make decisions that do not feel right And I was doing this, this was becoming my way of living However, Lady was telling me, showing me that I had to make a much clearer choice.  Was I willing to live fully and completely what I believed in?  Not 90 percent, not 99 percent, but was I willing to listen to my intuition on a full hundred percent?  Was I willing to say yes or no depending and trusting on my intuition all of the time, and not back out when I cannot come up with logical reasons?

I believe that in life there are things that we can control and things that we cannot.  Sometimes it is hard to say which is which. Yet Lady’s message to me is very clear.  It was clear from the first moment of the bad news. ... “Please listen to your heart, please listen to your intuition.  It has protected you.  It protects what you love as well.” ... I thank her.  For coming into my life. For the four babies that she has given us in the last years.  Lady’s memory will always be precious for me.  May she be in peace and light.  May her message be always clear in my mind...

_______

Affirmation of the Week:  From Louise L. Hay, “It is safe to be me.  I express who I am.”

Book Recommendation: “Biology of Belief-İnancın Biyolojisi” by Dr. Bruce H. Lipton

Zeynep Kocasinan's new book in Turkish "Doğru Yanlış Güzel Çirkin, Findhorn'da Sürdürülebilir Yaşam Macerası" is out. The book is available on all Turkish online bookstores as well as D&R Bookstores in Turkey.

From RUMI

"Inside you there's an artist you don't know about.
...
Say yes quickly, if you know, if you've known it
from before the beginning of the universe."

2012

Happy New Year...

BEGIN from RUMI:

This is now. Now is. Don't
postpone till then. Spend

the spark of iron on stone.
Sit at the head of the table;

dip your spoon in the bowl.
Seat yourself next your joy

and have your awakened soul
pour wine. Branches in the

spring wind, easy dance of
jasmine and cypress. Cloth

for green robes has been cut
from pure absence. You're

the tailor, settled among his
shop good, quietly sewing.

Angel for November

The Angel for November, from Joy Drake and Kathy Tyler is:

AWAKENING

Release all of the Angels that you have worked with so far and invite "Awakening" to support in the month of November.

Wishing you many blessings.

Wordpress Blogs is now open

You can contact with Zeynep Kocasinan through her new blog site

www.zeynepkocasinan.wordpress.com

Enjoy.

Modern British Sculpture

I have been to a strong exhibition today, thanks to a friend to works at Royal Academy of Arts in London: Modern British Sculpture.

This was not what I was planning to do on my last afternoon in London this Saturday. I am pleasantly surprised.

If you are planning to visit London until April 7th, plan to spend some time to visit this exhibition, even just to visit first few halls.

After the entrance section of the exhibition as you enter the room on the right hand side, you start to travel in time. Just that room is enough to take in what this exhibition was set out to give. Even just that room was enough to make my soul travel around the world and through time. Statues from all around the world made from all possible materials. Limestone, marble, basalt, sandstone, gypsum, wood, cheerwood, elmwood, granite... This room in the exhibition was named "Theft by Finding" and as walked around the room, my head started spinning. It was as if each statue was being a channel for the time period and culture it was representing.

Was it the Totem Pole from Canada that touched me more or Statue if Moai Hava from Rapa Nui-Easter Island? Or the torso without the arms or the head from India which felt quite alive?

How about The Seed by Maurice Lambert and Sekhmet borrowed from the British Museum for the exhibition? One from 1932 and the other from 1350 BC seemed familiar with each other. So different and so good together.

London is always full of surprises. It turns I was in the same room with Madonna for a couple of hours this morning and did not even know it until much later. Oh, well, maybe next time.

As I am heading back home, I do feel a little tired, but definitely calm and thankful. Grateful.

May those who share their love and light with me, receive even more.

Where Do You Hear Your Soul the Best?

I am in London again, only for a few days. It's been raining since I arrived yesterday, but I like. It has been a while since I saw rain in London. It has been strangely sunny and warm the last few times I was here and I miss the classic London weather.

My life has not been about patterns, it has been, well at least for the last five siz years it is about change. I do travel almost every week for quite some time. No days are quite the same. Yet, as I was getting out of the plane on Thursday morning, I realised once again that I do have my patterns within the chaos that make me feel safe.

When I come to London, I always, at least when I have a choice, use Turkish Airlines. I might use different ways to get to the city, but I stay at the same hotel. There are more... I realise once again that I balance change and "sameness" in different ways.

I love London. I really do.

This city is one of the places on the planet that I can hear my soul clearly. In the middle of this big and busy city.

...

As I remember the different places where my soul feels free to speak, I would like to ask you where is that place for you?

...

With love and light,
Zeynep

Hurriyet Daily News

Zeynep Kocasinan's interview with Jane Akatay is in Hurriyet Daily News:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=the-road-of-spiritual-health-and-happiness-led-to-fethiye-for-zeynep-kocasinan-2010-09-21

Japan Within, Lions and More

On September 28th, 2010 there will be a concert in İstanbul at Aya İrini Museum. As some of you might know already 2010 was declared to be “The Year of Japan in Turkey.” There are many activities around the country. There are exhibitions and concerts in different parts of the country. For example Fethiye Lions Club, which I am a member of, organised a celebration together with The Day of Press celebrations on July 21^st to introduce a few aspects of Japanese culture such as The Tea Ceremony and Japanese Caligraphy. On August 18^th, we also started a Japanese Course that will continue until April 2011.

Where did it all start? Well, the official reasons are explained in the website the Turkish and Japanese Governments had set up for this year. An Ottoman ship Ertuğrul , known as Ertuğrul Fırkateyni in Turkey, sank near the island of Ooshima about 120 years ago. Close to 600 sailors died, and only 69 sailors could survive. They were saved by villagers living in the island. And later on after they have treated and taken care of in Japan, they were sent home with Japanese ships and funds for the survivors. This was the beginning of a deep connection between Turkey and Japan.

My personal connection started with other coincidences which I will not go into the details now. I met very lovely people, great teachers and had the chance to visit different places in Japan in the last three four years. Yet, my path in Japan finally led me to Ooshima as well. Thanks to a Lions Club Member in Japan. I met Mr. Seiji Mukaiyama through many interesting coincidences. I keep using the term coincidence, but I strongly believe that there are no coincidences. I met him first when he was visiting Turkey in March 2010. He was here to attend some meetings about the concerts he would be giving this September. This successful Lions who is the general manager of a gas company has composed music after he heard about and read about the story of Ertuğrul Firkateyni.

When I went to Japan again this last May, Mr. Mukaiyama took me to Ooshima Island to where the Ertuğrul Ship sank. He took me to the temple that the surviving sailors were taken and stayed. He took me to the Turkish Museum and the special Memorial where the sailors who had lost their lives are also buried. Mr. Mukaiyama even took me to the Municipality of Kushimoto where he introduced me to the Mayor of Kushimoto Mr.Katsumasa Tashima.

Mr. Mukaiyama gave two concerts in Japan this year. On July 14^th in Osaka with Kansai and on July 28^th in Tokyo with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. In September he will give four concerts in Turkey. He is the composer of the symphonic pieces and he is also the conductor of the orchestras. One of these concerts will be Lions Clubs Japanese Turkish Friendship Concert on September 28^th in Aya İrini in İstanbul.

I am still surprised at the different coincidences that brought us together, coincidences that brought him to Turkey, that took me to Japan.

I feel very connected to Japan, as if a part of my soul belongs there and does not want to come back. Therefore, I need to go there to unite with it. And I am amazed that there are people on distant parts of this planet who feel that strongly about my country as well.

Japan created a different hope within me, about the power of love and care. The Japan within me keeps me motivated to serve, to do whatever I can, however I can to help others. The Japan within reminds me that distances do not matter. What matters is the call of our hearts.

Thank you very much Mr. Mukaiyama.

Thank you very much Lions Clubs for bringing people from different parts of the world who want to make a difference, to want to serve together. To motto of Lions Clubs all around the world is “We Serve.”

Well, I want to mention one more thing. Last week our Fethiye Lions Club had guests from England. MD105 Past District Governor Lion Wim Hoogerwerf and his wife Lion Pauline Hoogerwerf from Marston Green Lions Club, and Past Term Club Presidents Lion Mavis Crowley and Lion John Crowley from Exeter West Lions Club were with us. They all had amazing stories about how Lions Club Members serve around the world. PDG Wim Hoogerwerf shared their North Sea Lions projects where each year they work on different parts of the world. North Sea Lions is a group formed by Lions from the UK, Germany, Holland and Denmark. Mrs. Pauline Hoogerwerf shared about her project where they opened 10 water wells in Republic of Niger where draught and famines affect the country. Through these wells now 25,000 people have access to clean water supplies. Two thirds of Niger is covered with deserts. They built the wells while the country was going through many military and civil unrests. Mrs. Mavis Crowley from Exeter West Lions Club shared how they collect hearing aids in the UK and send it to South Africa with collaboration with Lions Clubs Members there. Thousands of hearing aids have been sent.

Japan, Turkey, Republic of Niger, England, Germany, Denmark, Holland, South Africa... Different lands, different cultures, different languages ... Yet, we are all connected. I feel we need to be aware that we are all connected. That could be the key.

I hope and pray that as people of the world connect, peace love and prosperity will prevail.

With lots of love,

Zeynep

From Helen Keller:

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

From Helen Keller:

" I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do." ...

Article published in Shumei Magazine

Zeynep Kocasinan's article on The Miho Museum has been published in the Shumei International Magazine, in the July-August 2010 edition.

To read her article "Miho Grandama: Something More" connect to the online magazine link below:

http://www.shumei.org/mag-online/online.html

Hope that you enjoy.

Zeynep Kocasinan's Books in Alper Kirtasiye in Fethiye

Zeynep Kocasinan's all books in Turkish and English are now
on sale in Alper Kirtasiye in Fethiye.

Alper Kirtasiye:
Koprubasi Mevki Sali Pazari Girisi, Fethiye
Phone:
(252) 612 26 09
(505) 825 84 04

Her books can be found in D&R Bookstores in big cities and in online bookstores.

Reiki Lessons from Zeynep Kocasinan

Zeynep Kocasinan has been a Reiki Master since 2004 and has been trained in the Traditional Usui Reiki.

Reiki Initions are done individually and in groups, at the first, second and third levels.

Reiki-1 Initiation Fee: 150 usd
Reiki-2 Initiation Fee: 300 usd
Reiki-3 Initiation Fee: 750 usd

Service fees are subject to %18 vat/kdv.

Reiki lessons and initiations are given in 2 days, in total of 5 hours, in 2,5 hours on each day.

The student is able to start to use Reiki starting from the first initiation of the appropriate Reiki Level.

Reiki lessons are given in Istanbul and in Fethiye.

For appointments contact Zeynep Kocasinan at zeynep.kocasinan@gmail.com or (532) 312 33 54.

From "Many Lives, Many Masters" By Brian L. Weiss, M.D.

"Patience and timing... everything comes when it must come. A life cannot be rushed, cannot be worked on a schedule as so many people want it to be. We must accept what comes to us at a given time, and not ask for more. But life is endless, so we never die; we were never really born. We just pass through different phases. There is no end. Humans have many dimensions. But time is not was we see time, but rather in lessons that are learned..."

From Herman Daly

"There is something fundamentally wrong in treating the earth as if it were a business in liquidation."

...

MIHO GRANDAMA Arte della Lucce - An Exhibition or Much More?

I was in Japan again this May, to attend The Grand Sampai, Annual Ceremony and Meetings in Misono, The International Headquarters of The Shumei Foundation in Japan. This was my third year in a row to attend. I arrived in Japan on May 1st with directors of The Shumei Istanbul Center and two Turkish friends. Kyoto was our first stop. The next day, on May 2nd we were headed for The Miho Museum.

Miho has been a special place for me since I learned about The Japanese Organisation Shumei. I remember clearly the day that I watched the movie “The Museum on the Mountain.” I was amazed by the ingenuity of both the Founder of the museum, Mrs. Mihoko Koyama, known as Kaishusama in Shumei, and the famous Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei who was able to understand Kaishusama and was able to execute her desire to create a sacred place for beauty, art and spiritual healing and transformation.

The path to Miho Museum is an adventure in itself. First of all going to Shigaraki Mountains in the Shiga Region in Japan means going to the mountains and leaving the busy-ness behind.
After you reach the entrance area of the museum, a different adventure begins. Oh the path from the reception area of the museum to the main building... I was almost mesmerized by the view of this path when I watched the movie about the construction of the Miho Museum.

I know that my words will not be enough to express my feelings, especially since English is my second language. Even in Turkish, in my mother tongue this could be tough. Miho Museum is a place that both my soul and my body want to return to. I have been to this special place three times. I went there each time I was in Japan since I learned about its existence and every time departing has been tough. For the last three years I have been spending a day of my each year in Miho. I was there on May 2nd in 2009 and this year I was there on May 2nd as well. And I feel as if, if I was late to go for one more day, it would have been too late. Strange feeling. Strange, but true.

This museum has been built on an environmentally protected area in the mountains and surely it has achieved that intention of protecting what is valuable and beautiful both in nature and in art. I have been to many museums around the world; I have been impressed by many artists and museums as well, however, I have never fallen in love with a museum, never before Miho.
The Miho Museum is one of the places on this planet that I crave to visit, that I long to be on the grounds of. The buildings are amazing, the walk path, the tunnel that takes you to the museum is to die for, but it is not just about these pieces. There is something more. Maybe it is the intention of its founders to create a sacred space for the soul that would heal with love and beauty. Would I have a better idea if I had the chance to meet Mrs. Mihoko Koyama, Kaishusama, before she passed away in? I don’t know. What I know is that I am in Turkey now and I just cannot wait to go back.

Strange feeling.

The Miho Museum has a permanent collection and also each year a new exhibition welcomes its visitors. The first year I visited Miho there was a Yosa Buson Exhibition. Buson is a very famous Japanese poet, but in the exhibition a different facet of Buson was in front of our eyes. I had deeply appreciated that exhibition.

Last year what had impressed was the newly acquired Jibo Kannon, named Miho Jibo Kannon. This special tapestry piece had a different kind of energy. The figure of the child in the tapestry had given me a sense of hope, of growth and change. Yet, this year seeing Jibo Kannon for the second time, as a part of a new exhibition, Miho’s Merciful Mother Kannon, Jibo Kannon seems to speak to me on a lot more personal level.

This year’s spring exhibition, “MIHO GRANDAMA Arte della Luce” is a celebration for the 100th Birthday of Mrs. Mihoko Koyama, Kaishusama. This exhibition is fabulous displaying the best of the best from the Miho Collection. Yet, still it is not only why the exhibition is great. The energy of Kaishusama seems to be lingering in the exhibition rooms. I have always felt her presence and especially her intention for this museum when I have been in Miho. However, this time the feeling has something different and more. It is as if she let the veil down for us to see who she really is, through her letting Miho display what she loves, what she chose, what she cared for. And what she thought was necessary for others to see as well.

The Jibo Kannon was the last piece of the exhibition. Impressed as I was last year, this year The Kannon seemed at home and ever more shining. As I was looking at the details of the tapestry, listening to the sound of the music in the room and looking at the flower display chosen for The Kannon, I realized that The Kannon was talking to me. “Kid, when you grow, a whole world will open up to you. We are protecting you. Smile and be patient. When the time comes, you will grow. Take your time to grow. Smile....” I found myself looking into my bag to find a pen and paper, and started to write these words on the Miho notebook I had just bought. The words continued “Ask and God will give you. There is always light.” It was as if golden light was sparkling from the tapestry as I was trying to write these words down in my notebook. “Be patient and you will know. Come back when you feel like it. Allow yourself time to grow.”
Yes, there had been questions in my mind. As I always seemed to do. And my questions were heard and answered in quite an unexpected manner. And not because I was told to smile, I just could not help but smile as I left the exhibition rooms of Grandama.

The Grandama exhibition had other messages for me as well through Kaishusama’s selections. And also through the curators of the exhibition. These people have been excellent channels whom I feel have put their hearts and soul to reflect who Kaishusama really is and what she wants to conveys with the Miho Grandama Exhibition.

...

You could tell me that The Miho is just a museum; I would have to tell you to look again...

From MEISHUSAMA

In Miakarishu, Page 97:

"Even the greatest tree that stretches to the sky was once a tiny sprout."

From The Great Poet Matsuo Basho:

”Do not follow the tracks of the old masters, but follow what they strove to seek."

...

With love from Kyoto,
Zeynep Kocasinan

Inspired by John Randolph Price:

Connect with The Angel of Loving Relationships in this first week of 2010.
Let your mind, heart and soul connect.
Allow yourself be curious and accepting to the new and different.
Allow yourself to connect with the love of the Source.

Happy New Year,
Z.

From Henry David Thoreau:

"Every superfluous possession is a limitation on my freedom."

How free are you?

From Daniel Quinn:

"If we continue ... to consume the world until there's no more to consume, then there's going to come a day, sure as hell, when our children or their children or their children's children are going to look back on us -- on you and me -- and say to themselves, "My God, what kind of monsters were these people?"

The Party's Over

Have you ever read or listened to Richard Heinberg? If yes, you probably know what I am about to tell you. If your answer is no, it is time. For even if the party may be still on, it will really be over quite soon.

...

This October and the first week of November I was in the UK. With only two days in London, I spent this time up in Scotland in the Findhorn Ecovillage by the Findhorn Bay. It is a forty or fifty minute ride from Inverness airport. I was in Findhorn to attend a training of trainers by Gaia Education titled “Design for Sustainability - Ecovillage Design Programme”. It was quite an amazing training with participants from all around the world. Literally all around the world, from Burma/Myanmar to Argentina, from Canada to Australia, from Mexico to Japan… And there I was from Turkey.

It was my second time in Findhorn. Last summer I was there to attend a training to be a facilitator of the Transformation Game. The focus of that training was on personal growth, personal healing and empowerment. This game which is also available in Turkish is one of the best personal development tools that I have seen over the years.

Well, last summer I thought I had been to Findhorn. This October I realized that although Findhorn is essentially a spiritual community and offers many opportunities for personal growth and empowerment, it is also a very important place for sustainability awareness in the western world. It is a centre working hard to create awareness about climate change and peak oil.

Findhorn Ecovillage has the lowest ecological footprint measured in the western world. Their footprint is about one half of the footprint of the UK. Findhorn’s footprint includes the national factors for health services, infrastructure, and all government related activities, which needs to be included in the official calculations and definitely increases their footprint.

In the east countries and the global south as well as in Turkey especially in rural areas and in smaller rural towns, sustainability is still a way of life. People have not forgotten everything. Not yet. Our ecological footprint in Turkey is lower than many of the countries Europe and Northern America. Our villagers are still self sufficient in many aspects. However, it is also a way of life that we are forgetting fast. It is a way of living that we need to keep it alive, that we need to learn from, in order to survive when the party is over.

What is this party all about?

I have a lot of things to say, and I am finding it hard to decide where to start.

Have you heard of 350? When I was in Findhorn on October 24^th, there was an interesting event that took place. It was about 350. People gathered in the Universall Hall in Findhorn to sing and dance to connect to Mother Earth and to the people all around the world who are concerned about the future that awaits us all. Actually many interesting events took place all around the word. On that day in 181 countries about 5200 events were organised to rally for cutting CO₂ emissions.

In short 350 is the number of particles of CO₂ in the atmosphere [350ppm (parts per million)] which is thought to be a safe limit for humanity, in order to stop climate change, to prevent the melting of the arctic ice and all of its ripple effects. In December this year in Copenhagen a very important event will take place and it could be a historical event for the world, for the existence of human life on this planet. It is the UN Climate Change Conference COP 15 Copenhagen. This could be a historical time when we humans start to take responsibility for what we have caused on this planet, our home in the last few centuries with industrialization, our inconsiderate use of world’s natural resources especially fossil fuels.

The current level of CO₂ in the air is over 387 ppm. We are over the limit that is considered safe by scientists. We are in quite dangerous waters. There is a very urgent need to cut carbon emissions all around the world. We are all sharing the same planet, the same atmosphere, the same seas and oceans. There is no private salvation. All governments need to come together and work together to find a way to radically reduce the use of fossil fuel energy resources. Countries need to find ways to use carbon free energy sources. There is no other way. We all need to reconsider our way of living which has turned into consuming Earth without consideration and respect for it, for all other forms of life. And especially in the western world. In big cities in Turkey we are modelling ways of behaving that has brought this trouble to the world. We are copying so called western countries which are waking up to the dangers waiting at the door.

For more detailed information about 350, I would like to recommend checking out the website www.350.org. This web site is quite up to date about what 350 really is.

Life on Earth will change as we know it. There is no doubt about it. Especially climate change and peak oil will change the way we live. We will wake up, voluntarily or through the waves of change. At this moment in human history, we are at a very critical point. It is a point where although difficult it is possible to make a change. Difficult, but possible. Yet, it is not a light decision. And I cannot help but think that so many of us are not aware of the changes that are about to happen.

There are things that governments need to do. By being aware citizens we can affect our governments to take this threat seriously. And we can do more. In hundreds of cities, towns and neighbourhoods around the world people are gathering together to find ways to bring resilience to their communities. In Findhorn I had the privilege some of these people who have started such initiatives in their towns. They are working together to organise their lives to make it les dependent of oil and are re-skilling themselves to prepare for both climate changes and expected increased oil prices.

As I listen to them, I realize that in Fethiye, people are already doing, have been doing what these people are trying to remember, are trying to learn again. They are learning about producing their own food through organic farming methods. They are supporting local producers, shops and products. They are relearning the skills their mothers, fathers, grandparents used to know to build their homes, to fix appliances, to sew, to knit, to cook, to make preserves and many more.

I do realize that I did paint a dark picture. My intention is not bring hopelessness or despair. Having seen Findhorn and what Findhorn Foundation has been trying to do to create sustainable settlements, to be a model or rather a laboratory for sustainable settlements, I have great hope. I have great belief in what humans can achieve once they are aware of the need to change and act with the will to change using proper tools and methods. We will need to change. If we change consciously and proactively, we can create a sustainable life that is fun and joyful.

Fossil fuels do not bring about health, joy and happiness perse. We created systems and life structures using fossil fuels. True. We thought that was the way. We lost track that we were using world’s precious resources as if there was an indefinite supply. We forgot. We got drunk with abundant energy. We thought it would last forever. Using fossil fuels is a method. We can change that. We can use these historic times to make life better, and reconsider what the words good and better mean to us.

This has been a very long beginning to what I would like to continue to talk about in the coming weeks. For the next two weeks I would like to invite to read about climate change, peak oil and 350. Until we meet again…

With lots of love,

Zeynep.

Back from Findhorn

Finally I am back in London after a month long training on sustainability in Findhorn.

It was quite cold in Inverness this morning, yet London seems to be enjoying much warmer weather.

So much to say.

About "climate change".

About "peak oil".

About sustainibility.

About 350!

About communities, and especially Findhorn.

...

For tonight, I just would like to send love from London.

May our path be filled with love and compassion.

Z.

One Heart

In Fethiye we are used to seeing people from different parts of the world and especially from the UK. Yet , last week there was a youth group visiting Turkey as a part of an International Youth Camp and Exchange Program of The Lions Club. There is a Lions Club in Fethiye. The current president of the club is Mrs.Nurcan İnce. This year I became the secretary of the club.

With this exchange program 27 students from 14 different countries came to Fethiye for 4 days of activities. Of course these students stayed with different host families before coming together as a group and also travelled to Pamukkale before coming to Fethiye.

The Fethiye Lions Club is the supporting club for this international activity. On July 21st, the group was welcomed to Fethiye with a lunch at Taş Fırın in Fethiye. Then the group went on to their 2 days/1 night boat trip. Later on they stayed at a hotel in Çalış for the remainder of the program. Apart from swimming and enjoying the wonderful nature, the youth group went on a jeep safari and also to a Turkish bat, hamam.

On the day that the group arrived I had the chance to talk with some of the visitors. One young lady was from Ohio in the US. One was from Poland and it was her second time in Turkey; she loved lokma and tulumba deserts of Turkey. And one young lady was from Germany and I talked with her about my visit to Germany, especially my trip to The Neuschwanstein Castle near Munich, the original castle that The Disney Magic Kingdom Castle was designed after.

I did not have the time to talk to all of them in detail, yet one young man from Italy shared that he found Turks and Italians really similar. I agree. I find Italians a little more joyful than Turks though.

When I visited the students at their hotel with my fellow Lions Club members the night before they were to leave Fethiye, it was wonderful to see them so very connected as if they were all from the same country, as if they have been friends for a very long time.

The language of the exchange program was English and this made it possible for us to connect and communicate with them as well. My French was quite insufficient when I tried to converse with two young ladies, one from France and one from Belgium, so we continued to talk in English.

On their last night in Fethiye, the youth group had a surprise for us and for the guests of the hotel they were staying at in Çalış. They had prepared a show of traditional Turkish dances of about 30-40 minutes. They danced to tunes from different regions of Turkey. The students told us afterwards that they have been practicing for one hour every day. They were quite amazing and we really had fun watching them and so did the guests of the hotel. The students seemed to be enjoying themselves, too.

The Fethiye Lions Club is quite active with educational and youth projects in Fethiye. Also, for those of you who are interested or who are already Lions, I would like to remind you that The Lions Club in Fethiye meets twice a month, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, at noon at Ata Park Hotel in Fethiye.

For more information on Lions Clubs, check out the website http://www.lionsclubs.org/ .

I will try to share our local activities and projects with you in the coming weeks.

May you have a week filled with joy, fun and happiness.

With love,
Z.

Angel of the Week: Patience

Affirmation of the Week: “There is only one voice worth listening to, the voice of my own heart.”

Zeynep’s Book Recommendation: Many Lives, Many Masters By Brian, L. Weiss, M.D. The name of the Turkish translation of this book is Birçok Yaşam Birçok Üstat. I heard that the Turkish translation is now out of print. Yet, if you can get hold of a copy, please do read. I really recommend this book on past-life therapy by the prominent psychiatrist Brian Weiss.

Original or Pirate?

I was visiting one of my friends in İstanbul. She had visited me in Fethiye a couple of years. She showed me a book she bought in Fethiye, a very good book by Trevanian. The name of the book is Shibumi. It is one of my favourites. All is good so far. Yet she tells “Zeynep, I bought this book in Fethiye and I think it is a pirate copy.” Now, I do not know the proper term in English, I am not sure if there is one, but in Turkey we call books that are illegal prints of original books - pirate books (korsan kitap). I also looked at the book. The cover looked original yet the pages seemed a little strange. This book surely was not an original. She was really sad and so was I. My friend could not remember exactly where she bought the book, since it had been a couple of years. But she recalled that it was on the main seaside where tour boats take off.

I have always been very careful about pirate books. Since I get to travel to various cities and towns in Turkey, I also buy books when I am travelling, and I see many different shops that sell book. In the cities in Eastern Turkey I have seen a lot of pirate books on sale, and I try to be very careful to check the books. The ministry of culture puts on a lot of effort to stop illegal copy publishing of books, yet maybe this is an issue much grander than I give it credit for. My friends comment was not the first I heard about copy books in Fethiye, but it was the first time I heard it directly from a friend. And the topic suddenly became more real.

There is so much effort in writing, preparing and publishing a book that I find publishing and selling illegal copies of original books is something not to be tolerated. And since I have published three books this year, I am becoming more and more aware of the effort that needs to be put into a book until it makes it to the shelves. I would like to request your help to stop selling of pirate books in Fethiye. Let us inform in each other and protect the rights of authors, publishers and all of the people who work in editing, publishing and selling of book.


This March and April, two of my books “Reiki’yi Yaşıyorum-I am Living Reiki” and “Görüşler-Opinions” had been published. Recently, about a week ago, my third book “Dönüşüm Oyunu Gerçek mi?- Is The Transformation Game Real?” has been out. All three books currently only in Turkish unfortunately. I am really enjoying the process, yet I am also becoming more aware of the issues and problems of authors in Turkey.

In Fethiye you can find my books at Natur Bookstore, or in D&R and other major Bookstores in Turkey and through the internet sites such as kiapyurdu.com, netkitap.com or ideefixe.com.



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I was intending to write about a wonderful exhibition I had the chance to see at Tate Modern a few weeks ago. Yet, a visit to a friend in Istanbul took me elsewhere this week… Yet, I would like to remind you that the exhibition at Tate Modern is on Futurism and I really recommend it. The selection for the exhibition is filled with light, love and passion.

I wish you a colourful week.
With love,
Zeynep

Madonna, Jyorei or The Kyoto Garden?

I came from London to Istanbul tonight. I am happy to be back in Istanbul, yet I miss London. Although I got the chance to do a lot, it still was not enough.

I really like London. It is a city that I feel at home in. The weather was quite nice when I was there. Friends told me that London has been especially hot this summer although quite cool in these last days. They told me that about a week ago the temperature was over 30 degrees.

*

On the first day that I arrived in London, I visited The Shumei London Centre in Swiss Cottage. That Centre seems to have a lovely energy and to me it resembles the energy of The Shumei Centre in Istanbul. They both have high ceilings, light colours inside and have special calming and cleansing energies. Of course The Shumei Istanbul Centre has a wonderful view of The Topkapi Palace and The Sultan Ahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque) and The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya). It had been a while since I received Jyorei last; so I really appreciated receiving Jyorei at the Centre. I feel empowered with this strong and cleansing energy. Some of you might know that Jyorei is a Japanese energy healing technique developed by Great Master Mokichi Okada known as Meishusama (Master of Light), who is also the founder of the Japanese organisation Shumei.

The head of The Shumei London Centre Joe Amanai Sensei was in Milan for an event that day and I would have to wait for my last day in London to see Joe Sensei. He is such a strong, wise, yet humble and friendly teacher. I feel his continuous support. Joe Sensei came to Istanbul quite a number of times, and I really hope that he can visit us in Fethiye in the future as well. At The Shumei Centre I had the chance to see two old friends, one originally from France and the other from Bosnia. Another friend who has Syrian origins was also visiting the Centre and I had the chance to talk to him a little as well. I always appreciate groups like Shumei who bring like minded people of all origins, nations, religions and traditions together.

*


When I was in London, I went to the Madonna Concert, from her Sticky & Sweet Tour. It was the first time I watched Madonna live. I must say that this lady who is 12 years older than me seemed to have endless energy. And I think that she made sure that all in the audience saw it clearly as well. Her show was very well planned and organised although Madonna came on stage about an hour late and the audience was about to get restless as we kept on waiting. It was my first time to go to London O2 and I really liked the stage. Since the Jubilee Line was closed that weekend, we needed to take a longer route through Canary Wharf to make it to The O2. Still, I believe it was worth the trouble.





This weekend in London I went to several restaurants and some casual fast service Italian ones. If you like Italian food and you would like good food with fast service, you may want to try Princi or Vapiano. Also, I went to Babylon at The Roof Gardens very close to the High Street Kensington tube station for Sunday lunch. There was quite a breeze outside so we sat inside first. Later on for coffee we had the chance to sit outside and see the garden on the 6th floor of the same building. If you are in the neighbourhood you can just go up and see the garden.

The next night I went to The Oxo Tower for dinner. This was the second time. I think it was 10 years ago that I went to The Oxo Tower restaurant for the first time. The view from that restaurant is one of my all time favourites. There is a lot you can find in London, especially when it comes to good food. Yet I need to say that over the years Istanbul is starting to compete with cities like London when it comes to food and restaurants. And The Bosphorous in Istanbul with its shades of blue and lovely breeze welcomes all…

*


Kyoto in Japan is a city that I also like a lot. Yesterday I went to a special garden in Holland Park in London, called The Kyoto Garden and while walking around the pond in that small garden, for a few minutes I felt like I was in the garden of a temple in Japan. I realized that I miss Japan a lot already. This Japanese garden in Holland Park had been constructed as part of The Japan Festival in 1991 as a gift. … There is a special stillness and timeless energy in Japanese gardens. It is as if the time stops, and life goes on in these gardens forever…


*

When I was in London, I could not stop thinking about the sustainability training I attended a few weeks ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about preserving nature and also about "Transition Towns". Tonight in Istanbul I am reading the book The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins, who is the founder of the Transition movement. I keep asking myself, “Is it too late? Or can we still make a change?” Norman Cousins says “All things are possible once enough human beings realise that everything is at stake.”

I am in Istanbul, a part of me is still in London, and I am thinking of a lot of things…

…

Angel of the Week: Respect

Quote of the Week: “Man is asked to make of himself what he is supposed to become to fulfil his destiny.” Paul Tillich

I wish you a wonderful and lucky week. With lots of love,
Zeynep