Swiss Alps, Winter 1974

We were no match for the Swiss Army. Until that day, we had never even interacted. 

The mountain troops spent all day outdoors, training in the snow, ice and steep Alpine rock so that they could fight, maneuver and survive in one of the most challenging European terrains. They wore heavy jackets, sturdy trousers, knit caps and mountain boots.

By contrast, we spent all day indoors becoming masters of our inner terrain, learning how to teach Transcendental Meditation (TM). We aspired to create world peace by awakening inner peace and only ventured out of our remote mountainside hotel for short walks after lunch, when the weather was nice. For exercise, some of us climbed up and down the hotel stairs instead of using the elevator. 

What's more, to differentiate TM teachers from the hippie drug culture of the times, the men had to wear suits and ties, and the women had to wear conservative dresses. To further add to our oddity in this snowbound wilderness, many in our group wore Birkenstock sandals, red coral beads, sagging socks and crooked eyeglasses.

Minding Our Own Business

We had enjoyed pleasant summer weather during the first three months of our teacher training course in northern Italy. And we were not prepared to spend our final three months on a Swiss mountaintop buried in snow. We were in complete isolation for the entire six-month course without normal access to transportation, television or radio. In 1974, cell phones and the World Wide Web did not exist. Letters from home informed us of the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, the Watergate scandal and U.S. President Nixon's resignation. The deceptive and destructive politics of the White House were worlds apart from the peaceful country I had been living in for three months.

The rugged mountains surrounding us had helped protect Switzerland from invasion during World War I and World War II. Switzerland's neutrality allowed it to officially serve as a protecting power for both sides, mediating diplomacy, looking after civilians in enemy-occupied territories and being a safe haven for 300,000 refugees. During World War I, Switzerland accepted 68,000 British, French and German wounded prisoners of war for recovery in Swiss mountain resorts. I wondered if our hotel was one of them. 

We were going to leave Switzerland in four days, and I had not yet connected with its people. I wanted to feel the living essence of the country through the people who carried it in their bones.

Ice Yields

We had finally passed our teacher training tests after six months of intensive work. Now it was time to celebrate. I peeked out the front door of the hotel. It was the first day in a week that it had not snowed. I felt a magnetic pull to walk up the winding Alpine road, as if the mountain itself were inviting me into its quiet magic.

Ten course participants accompanied me up the mountain road. Majestic conifers bowed their limbs laden with snow. I was glad they had not broken. I felt at one with the vast white landscape, the azure sky and my companions—as if everything were living within me.

Amidst the intense whiteness, I noticed the black roof of a car half buried in snow alongside the road. I peered in the window to make sure no one was trapped inside. As we rounded the next bend, we saw eight Swiss Army troopers walking in our direction.

I did not see who threw the first snowball, but soon we were all flinging them. Even though outnumbered, the Swiss Army had perfected the art of maneuvering while making and throwing snowballs. They fanned out behind a snowy ridge and launched hordes of them with great precision. We used the buried car as a shield and hurled snowballs back. Then they managed to surround us. Fortunately, they were careful not to hurt us, so we all giggled and had a good time. Laughter was the common language everyone understood.

In the days that followed, we greeted each other with enthusiastic waves and warm smiles. Our playful exchange had dissolved the invisible walls between "us" and "them." Beyond military uniforms and meditation shawls, beyond different languages and cultures, we were one humanity meeting in joy, attuned to that same inner pulse.

Group Healing Experience

The following beautiful experience from Victoire is another example of joy and connection. This happened during my monthly Group Healing for people receiving Distance Healings:

"From the very beginning of the Inner Circle Group Healing session, I was connected to Suzanne. It was incredible, a miracle of kindness, love, peace and infinite joy. Bubbles of love enveloped me in softness, harmony, safety and happiness. They were sparkling around my solar plexus. I felt great. It was an extension of infinite bliss emanating from my heart. I experienced more clarity, precision, stillness and joie de vivre. I felt part of a vast field of possibility. It gave me wings. I even danced while preparing lunch for my family. Thank you for a wonderful time. It was a taste of paradise vibrating in a harmonious symphony."
Victoire B.

More

Each encounter we have is an opportunity to share the sweet unity that binds all hearts. May your interactions with others magnify love and bliss all around.

I would love to hear your thoughts about my artwork and the contents of this post. You are welcome to do so in the Comment Section below. I love to read your comments! You can use your name or a pseudonym.

With love from my heart to yours,
Suzanne