The Age of Ethics

Newsletter - 22 January 2010

(This is an old newsletter which I am posting so that I can remove it from my website.)

Tiger Woods a philanderer? Impossible!!!

I am sure that many of you were as surprised as I when news broke about the extra-curricula putting activities of the world’s most gifted golfer. I’ll avoid the tempting but obvious references to “balls” and “holes”, or the fact that Tiger’s “handicap” has risen to 14, but I would like to share with you some insights from the numerology of his birth date.

Tiger was born on the 30th December 1975.

Using my system of Transpersonal Numerology we would extrapolate the following: Tiger’s Self number is a 3; his Family number is also a 3; the World vibration he carries is a 4; and his Life Path number is a 1.

Now, on the surface, this is a rather conservative appearing chart which is shared by such upright personalities as sitcom star Paul Reiser (Mad About You) and entertainer Rolf Harris (Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport – which is a well-known song, and not a plea from Woods!)

Tiger Woods also appeared to be a very upstanding (no pun intended!) citizen, and even his name exudes a blend of exotic beauty, strength and down-to-earth wholesomeness. But then came the infamous early morning fender-bender, and all hell broke loose.

The two 3s in this chart come as no surprise, as they belong to a person who exhibits enormous tenacity and who has a huge capacity for hard work, which we associate with Wood

s. The 1 as a Life Path also makes absolute sense, because this depicts a very unique person – one who has the potential to stand head-and-shoulders above all others in their field. This Life Path number is shared by such innovators as Walt Disney; Calvin Klein; George Lucas; Bruce Springsteen; Larry King; Karl Marx; Florence Nightingale; Charlie Chaplin; David Copperfield; Rupert Murdoch; Steve Jobs; Madame Tussaud and Mother Theresa.

The plot thickens, as they say, when we take a closer look at Tiger’s World number, which is a 4.

In numerology, the vibration of 4 is associated with the attributes of honesty, truth, integrity and trust – while on the shadow side it deals with dishonesty, lies, deceit and manipulation. It also has the incredible ability to wear the right mask for the right occasion – or to fool people by hiding behind a carefully manufactured persona that suits its agenda.

The position of this 4 in the World means that issues of honesty and integrity have the potential to play out in public. Those of you with a 4 in the World will inevitably be on the receiving end of dishonesty and people taking advantage of you – or you may find yourself being the perpetrator of unethical behavior yourself. You will have a 4 in the World position if you were born in 1948; 1957; 1966; 1975; 1984 or 1993.

Now let’s take a look at a couple of other well-known people who have the same chart as Woods, to see how differently the same vibrations can be experienced.

One of my favorite artists when growing up was James Taylor. Sorry all you youngsters – you’ll have to Google “Deep Archives” to check him out! On the surface James looked like a gentle, squeaky-clean folk musician, but behind the façade lived someone with a serious narcotics problem. Substance taking is strongly associated with the shadow side of the 4 vibration, because it brings up many ethical questions – it’s legality in society; it’s affect on oneself; its effect on those around us; the lies that are told; the criminal activities sometimes resorted to in order to support the habit; and the Big Lie that often has to be lived.

Actor Samuel L Jackson also shares the same chart as Woods. I was fortunate enough to meet him once, and he is a sincerely likable fellow. But despite being one of Hollywood’s biggest earners - with a successful 30 year-long marriage - behind the veil Samuel had a serious habit which he struggled to overcome for many years. His 4 in the World position also found him experiencing a run-in with the law during his youth that led to him facing felony charges.

Then there is Ozzie Osbourne, who takes this chart to a whole new level. From his debauched days with Black Sabbath when he reportedly bit the heads off a dove and a bat, to his foul-mouthed escapades on the family’s reality show, Ozzie has pushed the ethics envelope to the extreme. No hiding behind a mask here, with everything playing out in full public view.

So what exactly is the point I am making?

At the risk of over-simplifying his research:

According to Carl Johan Calleman’s interpretation of the Mayan Calendar, we are currently in an evolutionary cycle which is designed to teach us about Ethics. The period where the shadow side of this learning will come to the fore is what is called the 6th Night, which started on 8th November 2009 and runs until 3rd November 2010. During this period there will be an increasing number of people and agendas exposed for who and what they really are.

Already, since November, the manufactured Swine Flu scare has been exposed for the fraud that it was; Copenhagen showed that the ruling elite have no desire to start healing the planet; Obama’s wax mask has begun to melt; and in South Africa ….. Well …… Take your pick!

And of course, Tiger got caught with his pants down!

As we observe this drama and take the lesson from Tiger and company, the message – I think – is very clear. Now is the time for us all to begin operating with as much ethics and integrity as possible. It is time for us to strive to be impeccable with every though, word and deed.

It won’t be easy! We have got into some bad habits and there are plenty of grey areas, but I don’t think we have any alternative. Otherwise we might find (for those of you who are old enough to remember the old petrol ad) that we too have “a Tiger in our Tank”.

Has someone been making a monkey out of us?

Newsletter - 31 October 2010

(This is an old newsletter which I am posting so that I can remove it from my website.)

It is intriguing to me how many metaphysical and esoteric books make reference to “The Hundredth Monkey Syndrome”. It is even more intriguing how different some of those stories are from the original reports, as later authors continue to quote secondary and even tertiary sources of the original story.

I first read about this supposed phenomenon in Lyall Watson’s book “Lifetide” in the mid 1980s. Then in the early 90s I picked up "The Hundredth Monkey" by Ken Keyes, jr. which was already its 13^th printing and had sold over 1 million copies. The focus of Ken’s publication was on the possibly devastating effects of a nuclear war on earth, and he used the hundredth monkey story as a parable of hope, in order to inspire positive change in our society. He claims to have first heard about the phenomenon in talks by Carl Rogers and Marilyn Ferguson, and his book has in turn inspired many other self help authors, including Dr Wayne Dyer.

Over the decades the story has become generally accepted as being factual and true, but is it? The scientific backup for this phenomenon is, at best, rather shaky. But before we look into it, here is the story for those of you who might not have come across it yet. It is lifted directly from Ken Keyes book, which is not copyrighted and so the material may be reproduced.

Taken from the Hundredth Monkey by Ken Keyes, jr.

There is a legend I’d like to tell you about. In its message may lie our only hope of a future for our species! Here is the story of the Hundredth Monkey:

The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.

This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.

Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes. Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose

one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

THEN IT HAPPENED!

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough! But notice. A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea. Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes. Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!

And so it was that the “hundredth monkey phenomenon” came to refer to a sudden, spontaneous and even mysterious leap in consciousness which is achieved when a certain critical mass threshold is reached. But as early as the mid-1980s researchers like Elaine Myers, Michael Shermer and Ron Amundson began questioning Lyall Watson’s research and discrediting some of his claims. Especially his claim that the practice of sweet potato washing spread suddenly to other isolated populations of monkeys.

Watson apparently stated that the Japanese scientists were reluctant to publish their complete findings for fear of ridicule, and admitted that he had "to gather the rest of the story from personal anecdotes and bits of folklore among primate researchers, because most of them are still not quite sure what happened."

And in response to an article by Ron Amundson, highly critical the hundredth monkey claim, Watson wrote: "I accept Amundson's analysis of the origin and evolution of the Hundredth Monkey without reservation. It is a metaphor of my own making, based - as he rightly suggests - on very slim evidence and a great deal of hearsay. I have never pretended otherwise. . . ."

However seductive the “hundredth monkey” myth might be, the idea that there are unseen highways along which informational patterns are transmitted is not a new one. Native Americans and other tribes referred to the “web of life” or the “basket weave”, while the Vedic tradition espouses the idea of the Akashic Records - a library of all the experiences and memories of humans through their physical lifetimes.

Renowned psychiatrist Carl Jung’s version is the theory of the Collective Unconscious, while biochemist Dr Rupert Sheldrake contributed to the debate with the theory of Morphic Fields and his view that memory-traces are “non-local” and are not located in the brain. Rupert Sheldrake has claimed that his theory of Morphic Resonance explains "the increasing ease with which new skills are learned as greater quantities of a population acquire them.” The concept of the Morphic Field is believed by many to fall into the realm of “pseudoscience” and Sheldrake’s concepts have little support in the mainstream scientific world.

But anyone who has witnessed what happens in the “Field” during a Family Constellations workshop will be far less skeptical. How can a total stranger take on the mannerisms, the speech patterns and even spontaneously express the feelings of someone whom they have never met, with such uncanny accuracy? How can someone on the other side of the planet experience the exact same symptoms, at the exact same time, as someone representing him in a constellation? Why does someone whom a client has not spoken to for months or even years because of a fall-out suddenly call within days – and sometimes hours - of featuring them in a constellation?

When you have represented in countless roles and facilitated hundreds of constellations, you can have no doubt that we are connected to each other in far more subtle ways than we have ever though possible.

When you have stood in the queues with millions of fellow South Africans of good will in 1994 and felt that combined energy that transformed the country, it is impossible to doubt the power of the collective intention.

When you have witnessed a Nation’s combined enthusiasm overcome global skepticism to stage the most magnificent Football World Cup ever, you know there is more out there in the Matrix than we can even imagine.

So whether the Hundredth Monkey” story is accurate or not, I don’t really care. It is a myth which is far more useful than Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy - which may be why Lyall Watson remained largely unrepentant about his “hundredth monkey” claims until his death in 2008. He wrote: “I still think it’s a good idea!”

I must say that I tend to agree!

2012 - Golden Age or Armageddon?

Newsletter - 13th January 2010

(This is an old newsletter which I am posting so that I can remove it from my website.)

I knew I’d be disappointed if I went, but still – I had to go.

Having presented a talk on the Mayan Calendar so many times over the last two years, and being fairly well-read on the subject of 2012, a movie bearing that title was simply impossible to resist. Besides, I used to be something of a “movie buff” in my television days, and still try to keep abreast of the product coming out of Tinseltown. It is essential for me to do so in a way, because Hollywood productions have long been used as vehicles for the subtle influencing of the masses, and I like to keep an eye on what they are up to.

Not that there was anything subtle about “2012” – the Movie. It is well over two hours of clichéd, over-produced, CGI-dominated chaos, inhabited by a drab caste of thinly-sketched characters. It is a long time since I have seen a movie with less soul. (Oh, I forgot about those tacky Jean-Claude Van Damme movies that e-TV is currently slopping out – they would certainly qualify!)

I have to admit that the computer generated effects in 2012 are quite remarkable, and there is a delightful cameo role from Woody Harrelson. Other than that this multi-million-dollar exercise-in-excess was, for me, paradoxically quite empty. Not that I expected it, but the film does nothing to expand one’s understanding of the incredible Mayan culture, or their knowledge of the relationship between time and consciousness. It is simply a good old-fashioned disaster movie, shamelessly cashing in on the current interest in 2012, which could have been more aptly titled Noah’s Ark on Steroids.

In a way, this movie represents one extreme point-of-view of what might unfold as we head downhill (at least that is what it feels like to many!) towards the famous 2012 date. It is the celluloid equivalent of those fear-mongering, placard-bearing nutters who used to announce that “The End is Nigh!” Other titles in this genre include The Return of Niburu; Collision with a Comet; THEY are Coming; Oh No! No Ozone and Gorey Al’s favorite, Global Meltdown. (Oh sorry, because of dropping temperatures worldwide that has been re-titled Climate Change Chaos.) They are scripted to create fear – because people who are fearful are more likely to do what they are told, rather than to think for themselves. A fearful person is also far less likely to take responsibility for their own actions and the raising of their own consciousness – which should be the bottom-line for those of us who are even slightly awake.

Representing the other extreme point-of-view are some of the many channeled sources of information that keep assuring us that we will soon be experiencing the Dawn of a Golden Age. These faceless sources continuously implore us to “be patient” and reassure us with platitudes like, “everything is unfolding as it should”. I don’t know about you, but if I hear that one more time I am fearful that I might have to rip their eyes out! Which may be bit difficult really, seeing as they are supposedly on some “other dimension”?

So what do we do then, us ordinary folk who sit right in the middle of these two clanging cymbals that are about to collide on our heads? I often get asked, “What is going to happen between now and 2012?”

The answer is really simple - “I don’t have the foggiest clue!” And nor does anyone else as far as I can tell. Oh there are plenty of theories, and even more opinions, but “knowing” – ah, that is something quite different. There is only one place where we can find such “knowing” and that is deep within ourselves. And each of our “knowings” will be customized and unique to us - so no-one else’s option matters really.

What does seem clear, however, is that “something is up”. When you look at all the evidence and observe all that is unfolding on the planet at the moment, it is difficult to deny that some major shake-up is probably quite imminent. So here, humbly, I share with you what that I think we can do.

Practice living in the moment.

This is something that Eckhard Tolle and others have been extolling us to do for years, and I think they are spot on. 5 year plans are a thing of the past – 5 days should be considered long-term planning as things speed up during the next 2 years.

Focus on raising your vibration.

It is all going to be about your personal energetic resonance “going forward”. (Don’t you just love that term “going forward” – I don’t really know what it means, but I hear intelligent sounding businessmen using it all the time). This includes watching what food and drink we put into our bodies; what people we allow into our environment; and the books, newspapers, music, films and television to which we expose ourselves. (I feel I have to mention at this point that most of the programming on e-TV goes 180 degrees in the wrong direction for anyone who consciously wants to expand their energy field.)

Trust your “gut feel”.

Many people are getting the impulse to make great changes in their lives at the moment, whether that is in their career, primary relationship or place of residence. I would suggest following your “inner knowingness” because I believe we are all being called to be with the “right” people, at the “right” place, and at the “right” time for the great adventure which is about to unfold as we move through 2012.

I sincerely hope we can all meet again on the other side!

Crude Oil....Crude People

Many of the millions of people around the world currently being enthralled by football’s World Cup are probably barely aware of the catastrophic man-made disaster that is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico, due to the explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig on 20th April. A clampdown on open reporting of the situation, and the belief that it is happening far away from us, cannot compete with debates on the performances of Ronaldo and Messi; questionable refereeing decisions and the arrest of Paris Hilton.

Some of the Oxford Dictionary’s definitions of “crude” are - “rude; blunt and indecent”, and these adjectives could well describe some of the crude men who’s insatiable thirsts for wealth pay scant regard for the planet and her many species – including us. Scientists estimate the release of oil from under the Earth's crust at up to 100,000 barrels a day - that is nearly 16 million liters pouring into our seas – every day since 20 April! This is a disaster which is likely to have profound and far-reaching negative affects for decades to come.

As many of you know, I keep abreast of what is reported in the alternative press as most of the mainstream media does little more that spew out the official lines of the controlling power brokers in politics, banking, the military, big pharmaceuticals and big industry. But I have learnt that most people get defensive when you discuss things that are considered Con. Ts. (I won’t use the term because there is nothing “theoretical” about many of them, and spam filters love seeking out the term – but I’m sure you can figure it out!) For those seeking to look into it there is plenty of information available, here is one article you might like to read:

http://www.realitysandwich.com/gulf_oil_spill_unfolding_prophecy

I would like to share a different perspective with you.

The other day Ronnie watched a video on what was happening in the Gulf and was tremendously upset, angry and tearful in the days following. This highlighted for me the sense of helplessness we may experience when a crisis of this magnitude takes place. It seems so big and we feel so small! This had me pondering what we, as individuals, can do when confronted with such a situation, so as not to feel completely helpless.

I emphasized repeatedly on my Mayan Calendar talks that the first thing we must try and avoid is slipping into fear. I believe there are going to be many more frightening events happening, before we move through the Mayan Calendar end date and into a new paradigm, so many of us are bound to become fearful at some stage. Fear can arrive by itself in frightening scenarios, despite our best efforts to not be afraid. So what is the alternative?

In the therapies I use, the most powerful techniques are those which invite us to explore the feelings behind the emotions that present on the surface of our lives. Through gentle inquiry we are able to “drop down” to deeper levels of our experiencing and find a more real, more lasting truth: We are absolute consciousness and we never die! The realization – the “knowing” - of that truth, dissolves the fears created by the shenanigans of our three dimensional world.

So too we can investigate the emotions that arise in response to our feelings about what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico. Does the situation make me feel angry? Do I want to do harm to those who are responsible? Do I feel helpless or sad? Put to inquiry we can ask: Where is the anger; need for revenge; helplessness or sadness within me? To what degree am I partly responsible for what is happening in my world?

You may object to this last question, but put it to inquiry and you might find some interesting answers! Yes, you and I are not as culpable as those who are directly responsible for the Gulf disaster, but to what degree do we all share responsibility? We are co-creators of everything “out there” and recognition of our role – however small – can be immensely liberating and healing. I am absolutely sure of this from what we witness in Family Constellations.

A good example of shared responsibility comes from my work with couples when there has been infidelity in the relationship. Let’s say, for example, that I am working with a married woman who has had an affair with an ex-boyfriend, and her husband has discovered her indiscretion. The victim of the infidelity may take a self-righteous stance and present with anger, the need for revenge or a strong sense of self-pity – or all three! It can be quite tempting to hold the woman 100% responsible for what has transpired, and to sympathize with her husband. But work in the “Field” very often reveals a different picture. Maybe the husband has been too involved in his work, and hasn’t shown his wife the appropriate attention and affection. Maybe he also had an affair some years ago and has never acknowledged his part. My experience has been that - however large or small – there is always shared responsibility in this type of scenario. When each party acknowledges - and most importantly - takes responsibility for their part in what has happened, healing can begin.

We can apply this insight onto a larger canvas and inquire as to our individual responsibilities for what is happening on our earth. Do I suffer from “Ostrich Syndrome” when it comes to what is actually happening on my planet? Is there some way in which I can make a difference, no matter how small?

We do not have to be a Gandhi or a Mandela to make a difference – any of us can.

For inspiration, I invite you to take a look at what Annie Leonard has done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Another thing we can do to make a difference is to add our names to petitions that circulate on the internet. Some of these are merely devices for validating our email addresses and getting our details for companies that are compiling email lists to sell, so I very seldom complete them. The one group that I have subscribed to, and whose petitions regularly have an impact on major issues is Avaaz. If you have not yet signed up with them, you may like to take a look at http://www.avaaz.org/

We can also take a look at our own lives and see if we can start making more conscious choices about what we purchase. Y es, I know it is not easy with everything coming wrapped in plastic, but let’s try. For example: Should I really still be purchasing water in plastic bottles when there is such overwhelming evidence of the negative impact they are having on the environment? Well done to the little town in Australia that banned the selling of plastic water bottles – you are making a difference!

Love & Gratitude - courtesy Masaru Emoto

As those of you who have experienced a workshop with us know, for years we have filtered and programmed our water with “Love and Gratitude” as suggested by the research of Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto. His research reveals that the physical structure of water responds to emotions, and we can therefore affect water – even large bodies of it – by sincerely, powerfully and humbly praying for it. We need to remind ourselves that Love is the greatest power in the universe, and to make it our “weapon of mass construction”. Here is Dr Emoto’s prayer for the Gulf of Mexico, which you may like to use:

"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the waters and all living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, planktons, corals, and algae ... to ALL living creatures ... I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I Love You."

These suggestions may seem small, given the scale of the current assault on our environment, but the accumulative affect can be huge. It is the raising our own individual vibration and consciousness through these endeavors that is important. The whole world doesn’t have to change; we just need a critical mass to create a shift in consciousness, which will make this all look like a bad dream!



I think it can also be helpful to view things from a “meta” view, as I learnt from the dolphins earlier this year. One of the processes we engaged in during our workshop in Mozambique in February was what is called a Nature Constellation. In these constellations we decide on a theme and then members of the group are invited to enter into the “Field” and represent a certain aspect of the natural world - when they intuitively feel the impulse. We had watched the Oscar-winning movie “The Cove” the previous evening, and so decided to set up a constellation for the dolphins. Very quickly participants felt called to represent different groups like the whales; the dolphins; the dolphin killers; the dolphin lovers; the “asleep” on our planet; the more “awake” humans on earth; the trees; the seas; the fish; and even the snails! Very little intervention is needed in these constellations and they move forward with a life of their own. The whales and dolphins were clearly in distress right from the beginning, and the dolphin lovers were deeply concerned. One of the aspects that I immediately found fascinating was how the “dolphin killers” showed no sense of remorse for what they were doing. It is how they make a living in order to support themselves and their families, and they appeared to see no harm in their actions at all.

There were many other interesting insights in the hour-long process, but the one that is relevant to this discussion and which really gave me a whole new insight, was the response of the dolphins. Rather than being angry with us human they expressed something at the end of the constellation that really touched me, and which I leave with you in closing. The representative for the dolphin species said something to the affect of:

“We are prepared to sacrifice ourselves in the hope that our suffering will open up your hearts. And through the doorway of the pain you experience when you see what is being done to us, you may become conscious of what you are doing to the rest of the planet, and to the others of your species.”

Newsletter 23 June 2010

Holocaust History

Why would you want to go there?

This was the question a number of friends asked when I mentioned to them that I had visited the Dachau Concentration camp while in Germany last month. It is a good question.

In Family Constellations work we discover that the traumas inflicted on millions of people during the horrors of World War 2 are still very much “alive” within the generations that have followed. This is particularly prevalent when working with the descendents of Jewish Holocaust victims and the offspring of their Nazi perpetrators. I therefore felt that it was vital for me, in the interest of better serving my clients, to gain greater insight into the human tragedy that took place in establishments like Dachau Concentration Camp. I was particularly blessed by being able to share the experience with my friend and fellow Family Constellations facilitator Janet Goldblatt, who is Jewish and whose ancestors were amongst the many victims of the Third Reich.

Getting to the camp, which is situated on the outskirts of Munich, is very easy by underground and a regular bus shuttle from the station to entrance of what is now a major tourist attraction. Very few visitors bother to amble through the adjacent picturesque medieval town of Dachau – apparently a sore point with many of the inhabitants – choosing instead to head straight for the entrance to the camp and its notoriously famous iron gate.

The first thing that struck me about Dachau was how beautiful the area is, and it was hard to reconcile the attrocities that started happening here nearly eight decades ago with the very peaceful and verdant green environment. It was quite surreal actually!

Dachau Concentration Camp was established in a unused former First World War munitions factory and was officially opened on 22nd March 1933. On 10th April the SS took over the guarding of prisoners from the Bavarian police and within two days the first prisoners were shot, allegedly while trying to escape. They were the first of over 30 000 inmates who would meet there demise while being interned at there. Many people believe that Dachau was the first concentration camp to be established in Germany, but this is not entirely acccurate. There were other camps which were provisional arrangements with spontaneous acts of terror being committed, but Dachau was the first permanent concentration camp facility of the Bavarian State. The camp's layout, organization, regulations and punishments were all developed by the Kommandant, Theodor Eicke, and became the prototype and model for all later camps - for which Eicke also became the chief inspector.

From 1933 to 1938 the prisoners of Dachau were predominately German nationals – including members of the clergy – who were detained for political reasons. Then from 1938 onwards a significant number of German Jews were interned. Many new prisoners, particularly Jews and public figures, were welcomed with 25 or more lashes from a bullwhip in order to start breaking down their personalities – some didn’t survive this initial ordeal.

One of the most touching exhibits for me was the line of glass cabinets containing the photographs of loved ones and other personal items which were taken from prisoners upon arrival. It was moving to ponder how these treasured items, which had once been lovingly carried in a jacket pocket or in a handbag, were destined never to be returned to their owners.

Dachau was liberated by members of the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions of the U.S. Army on 29th April 1945. Our visit to the camp coincided with the 65th Anniversary Memorial Service, so the camp temporarily housed a massive marquee filled with dignitaries who had come for the wreath-laying service. It was auspicious timing, but didn’t detract from us being able visit all areas of the camp, which is very well geared for receiving visitors. At the reception to the memorial sight – it is not considered appropriate to call it a tourist attraction – the visitor can hire an audio guide (a handheld digital player) for about R40.

Richard using the audio guide next

to one of the reconstructed barracks.

This, together with a map of the site and its audio stations, allows one to explore the area without the assistance of a guide and to listen – in a choice of eleven languages – to information, eye-witness accounts and interviews with survivors. I found this to be an excellent, introspective way in which to experience the history of the location.

The former maintenance building at Dachau is now a museum which houses a comprehensive exhibition documenting the camps history. This impressive series of displays is quite overwhelming and, in my view, impossible to absorb in a single visit. Fortunately visitors are able to purchase – for about R120 – a book and CD which contains all the texts and photographs from the entire exhibit, which is based on the latest research and was first opened in May 2003.

The 34 rows of barracks which occupied the camp were torn down after 1945. The first two rows were reconstructed as part of the memorial site, while only the foundations from the remaining barracks are still evident. At the end of the long tree-lined avenue that runs between the barracks are a number of churches and memorial buildings which have been erected since the 1960s.

Richard at the bridge leading to the crematorium area

Tucked away on the edge of the memorial site is the crematorium area. As we crossed the bridge which spans the moat that separates this area from the rest of the camp, I noticed that Janet was becoming increasingly uneasy.

The final area we visited on our tour of Dachau was the crematoria and gas chamber. Janet felt unable to go inside, so I ventured alone into the stark areas where so many would have spent their last living moments. Standing and looking at the four ovens designed to burn the bodies of murdered prisoners, I tried to visualize those who might have worked here - with the searing heat and pungent smell of burning human flesh - and wondered how they were able to live with their actions afterwards. I asked myself: What are the systemic implications for their children and grandchildren? And how is it that ordinary people, who in another time and place might have been your local grocer or chemist, get swept up in a tide of hate and persecution?

I had expected that standing inside the actual gas chamber would be eerie and uncomfortable, but this was not the case. There was a most remarkable stillness in the dark enclosure - that was until a group of chattering German school children broke the silence. A fellow visitor informed me that all German school children are taken to visit a concentration camp as part of their education into the darker side of the country’s history. As I watched their bright faces flash by I pondered how innocent they looked, yet many of them too would be carrying the trans-generational impact of the “sins of the fathers”.

Dachau’s records reveal that in its 12 years as a concentration camp 206,206 prisoners from more than 30 countries were interned there and 31,951 of them died - primarily from disease, malnutrition and suicide. In the final days of the war, marches to and from the camp caused the death of large but unknown numbers of prisoners – and even after liberationof the camp, many weakened prisoners were beyond recovery and died.

As only the second camp to be liberated by Allied forces, Dachau holds a significant place in the public memory. It was here where journalist accounts, photographs and newsreels exposed to the world the previously widely unknown, practices of the notorius SS and the Third Reich. Rather than being the depressing and morbid experience many might expect of a visit to Dachau, I found it hugely informative and humbling.

What I did find depressing afterwards was to realise that, despite what stands to be learnt from this dark period of our species' history, the genocide has continued in so many parts of the world.

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The Family Healing Circle

3 Tana Road, Linden, Johannesburg, 2195

Tel: +27 (0)11 888 7288

Fax: +27 (0)86 6890255

pygprods@mweb.co.za

www.familyhealingcircle.net

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