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More then a month has passed.
I somehow feel, I have reached the peak at the clean up project about a week ago. With lots of tension inside (and outside).
At least I had to change my way of working. I have to give more space for meditation and I do.
Since about 3 weeks, my body/system gave signals and more and more often I had to surrender in more relaxing days week by week. So then I understood, that I have to change.
The weather is also now pretty humid and hot, so if I dont start in the early morning, then it has to be afternoon.
But there is still a lot to do.
Around ‚my house‘ there is always something going on. Some of the soil is flowing with the heavy rain. So more soil or pebbles from the river have to be filled up. The newly house has alredy to big cracks in the concrete.
I builded up a ‚working table‘ outside (from left over construction stones) for preparing meals and planting…. Because of the moving soil I already had to rebuild it twice. Not clear, if I give up on that.
Some of the sablings are coming out. Already 7 mongo’s make there way towards a tree. Sooo great.
Rest of the seeds, orange, dates, apples, a local tree, avocado take a bit more time. Excited.
And some watermelon came to the light.
I still continue to plant. Its fun.
The clean up project
I continued 5 days a week to clean up the Khujailokh river until I had to slow down a little bit, as written, since 3 weeks.
For me, the actually clean up, the really doing every day, is the best teaching for the people, I can think of.
It works on conscious levels as well as on unconscious levels.
Until beginning of May there was a collection point for trash close to the river bridge. Out of several reasons, this trash mountain grew. One of the reasons was me, cleaning up the river. The other, neighbor’s did not throw in the river, but added there trash there, some other people started not to burn there trash anymore. Some recycle material collectors from Myanmar could not come for a while, because of the coup. So piles of cardboard let the mountain grow. And other people, who did not know, where to put the trash, also added there stuff.
So the little tractor trailor of the WATAM NGO could not manage. The government in this town gives a shit about waste management, so a private NGO came into action, starting in 2016. WATAM’s original and central intention was, to clean up the messy bazar, but they are now extending to more service for the cleaniness of the town.
Because of this mountain of trash at the collection point two other NGOs stepped up, and organized to clean the point up. But also ‚closed it up‘ by spraying there, that from now on, there is a fee to pay, ‚law‘ by this both NGOs.
For my understanding, this was a popular but not wise decision. Because, where could the people put there trash.
Some even put it back towards the river.
It intensified the pressure towards WATAM, to do something. And I felt the pressure, too. People were really confused ‚where to put the trash‘.
And about 4 weeks later, the secretary of WATAM, Shekharjit hold a meeting with a local tribe organisation, to etablish a door to door service. This is now in process. First one street, directly at the river. Then other streets, especially at the channels, which lead to the rivers (and where people dump there trash also into) and so on.
Herefore WATAM now want to buy (this week) a truck. The tractor with the trailor is not able to navigate through the small streets.
My donation.
I decided to donate a bigger amount of money for the truck, because a door to door service is in fact the only solution. Everything else is a improvisation.
I had some ’secret‘ money, which I inherited in 2007, and I always thought, its not for me. So, during the time of the peace walk, I used it as a safety for health issues, somehow a private insurance to myself, but I never touched.
In 2019, for visiting my mother, I used a quarter of it.
Already 2 weeks earlier, in a meditation, I had a strong impulse, to give another quarter to WATAM, for the truck, but I did not immediately react on that impulse. But it came again. Now, already the money is transfered and it feels very right.
Beside its for a really good cause, its also a big THANK YOU for 9 years guidance and lots of help on the way, all time long on the beautiful blessed peace walk.
Don’t know yet, where the other 2 quarters will go later on, time will show.
Today I complete the circle of 9 years (108 month) steppps peace walk. Germany to India (Myanmar just now out of political reasons not possible).
16 countries
About 24.000 km
I wanted to finish officially the peace walk. I felt a kind of vow I had given. I liked to be free of the vow.
Here I am.
Full moon tonight.
Here in Moreh/Manipur/India/PlanetEarth, at the border to Myanmar, I started a river clean up. Since 3.2. I just started, as reported, at the bridge of Khujailokh river close to the bazar in Moreh.
I report every day about the Clean Up on Facebook (Thomas Heinrich Schmöckel) if you like to follow. (Today day 84)
It is a lot to do.
And there is some progress.
In the mean time Khakhai builded me a house at the Lamlokh/Lailokh river. Since I moved in here, I feel day by day better and better to be here.
I even started a tree nursery yesterday. (I just feel to do so, so why not starting it, even while not knowing how long I stay?)
The Lailokh/Lamlokh river is a beautiful oasis of nature. Here, where I live now, its so fresh and pure (little further down the pollution starts)
Tomorrow, 28.4.2021, 9 years after doing the first steppps of this long journey, I will plant about 9 trees.
There, where I plant them, it’s a very complicated place. It was a total rubbish place. Everything is cleaned up now. Even though there is one water tank left, which the people (miss)use as a fire place. I clean that place up every day I am there.
People want change, but everyone sees the impact of ‚dramatic‘ change. Everyone need to change with there habbits, not to throw garbage eather in the river or to burn it.
And people also need really help, support from outside, living in such condition and surrounding.
Anyway, I am looking very much forward to plant these trees tomorrow.
The Forest department is supporting me with the sablings (as many as I wish to have).
The peace walk
I have the feeling, the peacewalk/peacework will not be finished. It just continues.
I just love this work/walk so much. And I love to continue.
I do not know (a little bit I know) where and how it continues. But its beautiful and I love to follow ‚It’s‘ plan.
I even dont know, how long I will stay here in Moreh (to my Mother I promised to come visit her end of June/beginning of July).
But signs are showing maybe other plans?
I love to follow my hearts advice.
I love to be with this work.
I love to be.
Thank you so much for supporting me all the years.
(Also post-walk news will be updated here)
Steppps is still alive and continues its work.
With Love
Thomas
Myanmar???
Finishing the Peace Walk in April????
Its not clear, if I can enter Myanmar at all.
If I can, I would like to walk until Yangon. But now, with the wish to complete the Peace Walk in the end od April it seems, even when the border opens, impossible. Yangon is at least 1.200 km away.
If I could enter Myanmar very soon, I could prolong the walk one or two month to reach the goal or end up in another place. Both possible.
(I guess a 2 weeks quarantine is needed by entering Myanmar)
Or, if the border does not open, I am also very fine to finish my peace walk here in Moreh with the clean up. So that would be maximum another 2 month on the project.
I am happy to announce, that I am happy with both options.
(But, if leaving to Myanmar, I would like to finish the clean up beautifully)
Love
Thomas
Dear friends.
I am still in Moreh/Manipur/India, border town to Myanmar.
Until the end of January I stayed in my room, somehow retreating.
It was a surprise, that the need of relaxation, relaxing, rest, just doing really nothing, was so big.
Then there was a rumour, that the border maid open at the 1.2.2021. That was the day of the coup in Myanmar. Finally I heard some days ago, that the border remained closed, not because of the coup, but still because of Corona.
Now there is a new rumour, that the border now maid open at the 1.3.2021. But I not really believe it.
CLEAN UP at Khujailokh River/Moreh.
At the beginning of February I started to clean up the Khujailokh River here in Moreh. I started at the bridge, where the main road bridges the river. Its quite in the center of Moreh, just 100m away from the main market.
Moreh town is somehow dusty, and even at my first day in Moreh I had the feeling, that people dont care about there town.
But surely I have also learned, that there are a lot of nice people, who like to have a better situation for Moreh.
Anyway, at that specific bridge people used to put there garbage directly in the river or to the side of the river, followed by making fire. So the place was somehow a dump for that surrounding area.
On the bridge is maybe 5 or more cm of dust, lots of sand… and the bridge is even a little bit broken. On the bridge and on other places close by there are rest of contruction material, like sand and stones. The whole area looks somehow like a mess. Every time a bike, car or truck drives by, a big wave of dust makes the main road unbreathable (but its paved) Luckly in this times we wear masks, so I have a protection.
So I made that place my starting point. Before I checked, if the town has a dump. I learned, they make fire there sometimes, so I walked towards the dump, to learn, that the dump is on Myanmar ground. At that time no fire to see, the dump area was visible, but I could not go very close.
Physically I clean up the river and area around since the 3rd of February. I learned that Shekharjit founded a clean up group, called WATAM, and works since 2016 for a cleaner Moreh. He is super engaged and there is still a long way to go, to change the habbit of the people. Since Corona times, there was not so much more done.
The press got interested and reports where done in several media, including TV stations, even in the news. ‚A German man started cleaning up the historic Khujailokh river in Moreh‘
Its a sensitive topic not only for the state of Manipur, but for all India. Everyone would like to have a cleaner surrounding and its so difficult to make it happen, because people are used to through everything whereever and citizens like to make fire to burn all the trash.
Several people from different organisations came to help me, for example Surjit from the reforestation hill area in Kakching / Binay (Binay Kumar Shahu), a Paracyclist and engaged for tree plantings (Give me trees) / Valentina, 9 year old girl, who became a award for taking care of trees and is now the Green ambassador of Manipur / Dimbeshwor, from Imphal, socially and environmentally envolved in many projects….
And many more. Officials got involved.
The neighbourhood looked sceptical in the beginning. Its not the first clean up, after a while they got more and more interested and want to be partly envolved, to keep the situation after my leave stable. Kids helped here and there and once in a large group.
These days I speak with a principal of a nearby school. I am also invited to the college of Moreh. Also some other meetings. In the background Shekharjit is working continuesly to organize volunteers and he speeks with officials to get support for changings and laws with fines…. He also arranged all the media at the end of the first week.
And one princip is, not to talk to much, but do every day something. To take every day bags and bags of collected trash out of the river.
Until now, three weeks after starting, there is a strech of 50-70meter done, but 3 more intence places in this area still need attention.
A tree area of 4, who stand and hang somehow with there roots and stam at a kind of wall close to the bridge. This tree roots and stams are full of trash, from the time people where throwing even more trash in the river.
On the other side of the bridge, on a higher level, there is an area, also from earlier times, where people threw garbage down. It has a level of 1,5m in height. Hard to reach.
And another area has to be worked with a rag through. That maid take another 2 or 3 days for one person. Also about 1m high.
At one side, there is a little place, really small, some tree saplings where already there and we planted two more.
The idea is to make this place a little bit cosy. Two or 3 benches are planed.
I have the feeling, that people quickly feel, that you want something from them, by cleaning up. Sure, they appreciate the clean up, but changing habbits, not to burn and to bring the trash to a collection point let the feeling of uncomfortableness rise.
By giving not only nature back, but providing something beautiful, like a relaxing area, could help, to see the positive side of changing habits….
Some days ago, some big frogs layed there eggs in front of us at the cleansed strech of the river. Such a joy. And they came so close.
The idea now is to clean the river towards the source and to see, where the trash enters the river. Which side arms are dry in the dry season and will spoil the garbage into the main river during Monsoon.
Its complex and still is fun, when I feel, nature is breathing again.
Every day through this period, I write a post on Facebook: ‚Thomas Heinrich Schmöckel‘
Dear friends.
You know, that I stuck at the border to Myanmar.
I found a lovely house, where I stay now since end of November 2020.
All together I am in Moreh/Manipur since the 22.11.2020.
It is not clear, what will happen.
Will the border open again?
Will I get help by some officials, diplomats or members of the Myanmar government?
Mainly I am fine with the situation and quite calm.
I am still clear, that the peace walk, I have started, has to end this year, best would be end of April, 9 years after I started in Germany (plusminus 1 month).
So its clear.
Today is the 11.1.2021.
The border is for sure closed until 31.1.2021.
Supposed I could enter in the beginning of February (but not clear at all) I had to be another 2 weeks in quarantine on the Myanmar side.
Then it’s already mid of February (most ideally)
Walking to Yangoon/Myanmar (1.200-1.400km) would take me about 4 month.
I would reach Yangoon mid of June.
So it seems, I maid have to let go of the final destination?
Anyway, its wise, at least to think about that option.
So, what whould be the alternates?
I do not have the real answers yet.
Yes I have some ideas.
So yesterday at around midnight, I just asked a question, into the room, to God….. ‚What should I do?‘ ‚What do you want me to do?‘
And immediately I got an answer:
YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT
I am holding the energy to complete the Peace Walk since I knew about this walk, since I was 26/27.
I am holding the energy to fulfill my commitment since I started the peace walk.
It was said: You will walk from South Germany to India when you are 50 (years old). Later I added Tibet (did not work out) and Myanmar because of some deep insides.
And in September 2018 there was another information coming through saying: If you go visit your mother next summer (2019) you can walk all the rest (of the way) in one row.
So, here I am, totally crossed all India from West to East…. not knowing, what will happen.
Somehow open, if thats ‚Gods will‘, to round up, finish the walk, here, where I am —— and also still open, if thats ‚Gods will‘ to wait a little longer, to see, if I can enter Myanmar…..
….and receiving last midnight the message
YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT
This YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT is something!!!!
It makes me feel realising, that I do whatever I want …. so long already. On a very overviewing observing level of my life at least since I grew up. Even more observing from a much higher level since I choosed to be born in that family, I was born to. (Including all the struggles life has to offer)
This sentences makes me feel so free. Releases some tension in my system also.
Its freedom pure.
YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT
Border/Visa issue
All together I am pretty calm about this issue. I do not to much about it, and when, only the things, where I have an impulse to do so.
In the beginning I was busy with the Immigration officer here. 10 days ago I contacted the Myanmar embassy in New Delhi, but also not with a real positive result, except that they have been really friendly.
In the moment, I think, the only possibility is, because the border is closed because of Corona, that I get connected somehow to someone important enough from the Myanmar government or high ranged Diplomat from Myanmar embassy. So I started a call on some media in the hope to find someone who knows someone, who can connect to someone, who can solve the issue
This I published:
‚MYANMAR VISA
CALLING OUT FOR HELP
Who has connection to Myanmar foreign ministery, Myanmar embassey, Myanmar officials or others who could help me with my Myanmar Visa during this time.
I am since 5 weeks at the border (which I have used for relaxation) to Myanmar in Mohreh/Manipur/India and I would like to cross the border on foot.
In 2012 I started the Steppps Peace Walk in Germany. In the last 8 years I crossed 16 countries on foot and walked more than 23.000 km. My final country on this peacewalk is Myanmar. I like to walk until Yangoon. This is another 1200-1400 km.
After completing the Peace Walk I plan a 4-6 week meditation retreat in or clise to Yangoon.
I have the feeling, especially in this time, there is no other way to get a 6-month Visa, except with some direct connection to Myanmar government, embassey or other officials.
Who can help?
Please contact me here, by PM or WhatsApp +91 7807254511‘
I must say, I am really impressed by the kind way, Indians responded on the ‚Call‘ and the willing to help. But in this case, not so much can be done, except by high ranked people….. but there is now something on the way…. lets hope and wait…..
Yesterday I heard, that the border will be closed until 31.1.2021. Further order comes before the end of this order
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Dear beautiful, happy and lovely friends.
Happy New Yeah to all of you. May you be carried by love, peace, care and support during all the year and may freedom surround you.
I am still in Moreh/Manipur/India, at the border to Myanmar. Time went by, but the border is still closed.
For me its until here not utmost a waiting time. Days went by so quick. Days went like hours and weeks like days.
There is always so much happening inside of myself. So many levels want to be relaxed and viewed. And I don’t know where it all comes from.
After relaxing different levels reguarding the body and the walk, other levels started to come up. Pain here and there, feeling paralized there and there….
There are always so many levels of life who want to be looked at.
At the moment, since at least a week, I am again busy with one old trauma. I mentioned it already so often here on the blog from time to time. Its again another level and somehow very painful.
First I thought, its again about not loving myself enough, for what I am. Not loving myself enough for being in this life a gay person, a person with gay feelings.
But its not this only. Yes it is related to it and how this chapter in my life had manifested during the time I came out….
But this time its related how I was handling it in the 80th to myself, in myself. I kept it so much as a secret. I did not tell a single person. I was so much in love with a guy, I met in 1983/84 in Poland. During that time the Wall, the Iron curtain was still a big barrier between East and West Europe. So travelling there was so complicated. And communication by phone or letter was also so nerv racking. A letter from one side to the other took about three weeks and phoning was almost not possible. If I wanted to call him, I had to dial for hours and hours. Because his family had no phone I had to call the neighbor. A phone call try could sometimes take several days and countless hours to get through.
Me with my ‚in love pain‘ and actually not allowing myself to believe, that I was gay, even I was in love with another guy, and with a super conservative family in this field, to that time, not knowing anyone who felt the same, not admitting my ‚gay status‘ to myself, in fear so looking for help, in fear I would not being accepted by society,…. and so on, I looked myself up in a ’secret prison’….. This took place for 7 years, with only myself dealing with the situation.
In this time I created a shield around my true feelings, and this was hurting me so so much. I dont know, if family history, ancestors history or karma pushed me to do so, and this is also not the point, because in the end I had to deal with it. During this 7 years, after I came out and still until this day.
So in this last week, the field around that old painful trauma opened up and I still carry the pain… in my left side, from my left hip up to my heart and shoulder. And its still so strong, that I am so surprised, that again and again I have to deal with my behaviour around the fact of being only a man, who has gay feelings. I am ‚out‘ since 1991 somehow, this is not a secret anymore since then, but still its a topic in my emotional field…. I can’t believe, that this is only from this life…. how can it be, that this is still bothering me so much….
So I do care about that area, and I hope so much, with lots of love in myself and towards myself and this areas, it can peel, level by level, so this trauma can heal and free me more and more.
So this is also my or a inside ‚border‘ to overcome. My inside border, which is still not open, where I have to work on – while the outside Myanmar border is also still closed.
Somehow I am tired of again and again, dealing with my identity and another level of it…. but also grateful, I can see it now, that it turns up again on the surface to enroll, to show up, to heal, to make me more free, free at all and at all levels.
Morey
At the 22.11.2020 I arrive in Moreh, a dusty border town. I have crossed India. Wow.
On Facebook I write
I arrived at the border from India to Myanmar.
Here I am open for a miracle. Because border is closed. Visa is not there yet.
8.420 km I only walked in India/Nepal in the last 3 years.
23.434 km since I started in Germany 8 years ago.
Myanmar is the last country on the official steppps peace walk.
David hosts me for the first 2 days. Then I do stay in a simple hotel, I call it a hole, because it does not have a window and it makes me depressiv.
Finally I move to a Rest House. It is owned by the government of Manipur, Electricity department. Its just great here. I am here now already 2 weeks, I enjoy the big room, bed with mosquito net, and the silent at night. Fresh air and the kind of garden, a pavilion…. good place for resting.
The Immigration officer at the border has started a request to the central government, to open the border, Indian site, for me, so that I can walk over the little bridge to the other side. After that allowance he can request the Myanmar side officially. Because of Covid19 and a lockdown in Myanmar (until 15.12.2020) the border currently closed.
Sadly, after 3 weeks in Moreh, there is still no answer.
In the mean time I did rest. And again, lots of things came up, in my body and mind, and I don’t have a clue, where it all comes from. But there are levels and levels of stuff, who needs to be diguested……
Since yesterday I feel, that I come to another stage now, where I can actively do more now, for getting the Visa. Lets hope.
Angaan Ching Eco Park in Kakching
I stayed a week at Woods and Earth. Taking rest and good food. Enjoyed here and there company. I am surprised how many people come here to book a place at the riverside just for picknick.
But I need rest rest rest.
Sometimes I sit on one of the two swings. Andy installed them over the creek, so you can relax and have your legs to the same time in the water. What a good idea.
After two days walking I reach Kakching. People advise me, to stay at the hotel opposite of of a gas station. But arriving there, there is no hotel at all.
But there is a big building, so I try. But the entrance does not look like a hotel entrance at all. Its a privat house. Today is ’sisters day‘. The female married women come back to there parents house. One man gets very angry at me, so I leave…..
Why do people tell me with such a conviction such a thing, if there is no hotel in town.
Outside I have a little rest, then start walking towards Pallel.
After 2km the son of the ‚big house‘, Param, comes behind me and apologise for the behaviour of his unfriendly relative, in the name of the whole family. I really appreciate this a lot. And he comes with an invitation. I can stay with the family.
Next morning, Oken, the father invites me to stay longer. I accept for another day. ‚Why do you need such a big house?‘ ‚My wife, Momeza, is a doctor, partly working in a hospital, but I want her to work at home. So, in the ground floor she also has already a office and patients are coming‘. There is also very nice entrance area and in the ground floor is my guest room. ‚I the first floor my family lives there‘. ‚But why do you need two more floors on top?‘ Until now, there are also not completed. But on top of the 4 floor building is a very nice roof. ‚Maybe one floor for my son‘ ‚And the 4th level?‘ ‚This could be for a Yoga studio, some froends of mine are yoga teachers. In the moment, they teach in Russia, but when they come back….‘ So the whole building will become a ‚community center‘, great. Oken shows me around the garden. Some 100 meters away he builded a fabric to dry fruits and pack them.
Then we do a visiting tour to his relatives. Really nice family – some of them saw me already yesterday. A niece is practicing also Vipassana, so we have a nice chat. Then we visit an uncle, who just extends his house. He plans to open a laboratory to breed eatable mushroom, who grow on Branche. So people can buy at his laboratory to cultivate there own mushrooms.
And then, he says, while sitting again in the car ‚Now, there is a big surprise coming, a really big…..‘ I am looking forward. We meet his uncle Surgit, a little outside of Kakching. Its a Eco Park. Angaan Ching Eco Park is an NGO, to reforest a whole hill. Its a project where the whole town is involved. Lots of people plant and adopt a tree, to make the whole reforestation possible. I am really happy to be here as a guest and say ‚Yes I am on a peace walk, but sometimes, I think, I mainly walk for Mother Earth. And I walk also for such projects to happen, that people get open, to do something, like you do here. I try to plant seeds and open consciousness of people, so they can invent projects like this….., thanks for doing this. I am so greatful‘. Finally Surjit invites me to plant a tree, he will adopt him, water him and so on. Excellent, this visit.
The other days, I have to cross some mountains again, highest is 1.500m. I meet really nice people and hosts. Nature is ahain so beautiful.
Perception
One day, I learn something about my perception and especially I learn to let go of some fear and be more free. I admit, that perception of recognition of names anyway, but also faces, is often not there. It has been so often in my life, that I felt so awkward and ashamed, that I can’t remember names or even faces, when I have seen the person only once or sometimes twice.
It was, when I met Amarjit again. I met him first at the exit of Jiribam, 10 days before that second meeting. He was a policeman, controlling me back in Jiribam, but later we communicated on WhatsApp. He was interested whats going on etc, gave some advise….
When I saw him second, I did not remember anything of his person, he handed me water and chips, said the day of my fathers death… and I was confused. Then he said ‚I gave you some bananas, when we met first…‘ A big question mark arose in my mind. I searched all the moments of connecting with anyone in the last 5 days or so…. but could not find any solution of my thought loss….. and I searched for a situation, where someone gave me 5, 6 bananas…. Then after a long while I finally remembered ‚But you did not give me some bananas, it was a bunch of 12,15 or more….‘ but I still could not remember his face…. but all of the situation. Faces vanish or change in my mind, when I dont see the person anymore or only by writing, phone…. and I little bit later I could confess freely, thats, how my mind works…..
Thanks Amarjit ❤❤❤
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In den Fußspuren des Buddha Es gibt jetzt ein Buch zum steppps-FriedenspilgerProjekt.
Wir (Magdalena, Paulin, Bruno, Annelie und ich) sind im Sommer 2012 in Rumaenien unterwegs gewesen.
Annelie hat ihre Erfahrungen in einem tollen Buch aufgeschrieben.
Schon im Januar 2013 konnte ich das Manuskript lesen. Und mein Kommentar damals "Beim Lesen leuchtet das Buch von innen".
Als ich dann vor etwa 3 Monaten hoerte, dass es bald soweit sei, es also in die 'heisse Phase' vor der Veroeffentlichung ging, hab ich hier und da kurz mal reingeschaut, und wo auch immer ich gerade schnupperte: "Das Buch leuchtet von innen!!!!" erinnerte ich mich selbst.
Also, dieses Buch kann ich euch ans Herz legen und Viel viel Spass beim Lesen. Mehr....
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