Stories of Kindness from Around the World

What moved me to create and now walk with you through the challenge?

The topic of beauty came through my mothers presence into my life. On a europeen beauty rating from 0-10 her physical look would score on a 6-7, depending on her emotional wellbeing. Yet her education as dancer had taught her to capture attention and though she did not work in that field, she used it.

As a child I was convinced my mother was the most beautiful being in the whole world. At the same time I witnessed her using physical 'good-looking' mixed with willpower to reach goals, no one made happy in the long run.

I also observed the hypnotic magnetic power pulling men toward her. And knowing her sadness and desparation first hand, i was puzzled how comes these adult socalled smart male humans could not see beyond make up and a big smile.

Looking for spirituality my mother joined a religion when I was 8 years old. Going to church taught me very different values, values not really applied in my family.

Seeing my mother achieving almost anything she strove for and others believed to be worthwhile, while she grew more and more unhappy inside, changed the value I gave to 'beauty'.

I dedicated my life to follow a spiritual path age 14. And sought an education in that field age 17. Though i was dedicated and passionate, it took years to slowly outgrow my childhood experiences, including the way my mother stressed outside appearance.

Besides this different aspects shaped my relationship to inside and outside 'beauty'.

Growing up with creative, in anarchistic, 68ies-parents was one element. Choosing creativity as a spiritual practise has influenced me.

Living most of my life in Berlin, Germany, has shaped me, too. Berlins' measurement of 'beauty' is authenticity: 'Everyone is good, the way they are.'

My need to do countless retreats has taught me how the combination of release of emotions, rest, diving into the inside, brings forth the natural beauty within every woman.

Listening to women i have often thought 'I know something about being beautiful, surpassing physical shape.', becoming aware not every women seems to know this.

I am not as good-looking as my mother. Yet my 'beauty' has been to be authentic and natural. And being on a spiritual path for many years does create a very own kind of beauty.

To be an attractive person avails a lot of pitfalls as does being wealthy. One is, lazyness and its companion boredom. Loss of priorities, motivation and focus follows.

One gets a lot of offers or shall I write 'distractions'? Beauty has become a market value, seen disconnected from the soul of a person. It raises greed, jealousy and envy in a competitive soctiety, it isolates and breeds fear.

I always wanted one day to share and exchange on the very different aspects of that topic. And as it has worked out, this 'one day' is now. It is very moving to be here with you and there have been already several spiritual guidance moments.


"With great power comes great responsibility. Why? Because power is an illusion. The desire to yield that is weakness. An exercise of ego. And the fact is: that all you hold when you hold power is all the rope you need to hang yourself." (From 'Being Erica')