“In retrospect, it seems that the entire journey of Western civilization has led humanity and the planet onto a path of initiatory transformation… It seems that we are all entering something new, into a new development, into a crisis that accelerates maturity, into a birth…”

Richard TARNAS

This year we are taking the Máchov pilgrimage from Prague to Sněžka as part of the project Crossing the Threshold / About Death and Rebirth (dedicated to Stanislav Grof), which we are implementing in cooperation with the Na shledanou Gallery in Volhynia (the first installation will be launched on August 8). As part of this year's journey, we will try to bring closer the initiatory character of Mácha's Krkonoše pilgrimage for his life and work, and at the same time present the stories of radical inner transformations of another trio of personalities, who today open new perspectives for a more comprehensive understanding of reality and for new possibilities of cultural evolution. In addition to Mácha's story, we will recall the "rites of passage" of transpersonal psychologist Stanislav Grof, Dagar shaman Malidoma Patrice Somé and transpersonal philosopher Chris Bache, as well as the insights and reflections of some other poets, artists, mystics and scientists - Novalis, Rilke, Jeffers, Krishnamurti, Campbell, Eliade, Tarnas. Inspired by Richard Tarnas and Chris Bach, who see today's planetary crisis as a great collective rite of passage - a time of dramatic self-transcendence, death and rebirth - we will try to reflect on the connections between personal and collective transformation. It is a challenge to embrace the journey not as a competitive sport, but as an opportunity for inner work, a private rite of passage - a dive into the inner and a connection with nature and the cosmos. 

Kampa "Holan's Plane Tree" "Works of art have always been born from those who faced danger, who went to the very end of experience, to the point beyond which no human being can go."

Rainer Maria RILKE

On Thursday, August 20: We will meet at 9 am at Charles Square at the lower fountain, near the house where KH. Mácha lived. We will introduce you to the project "Poetry Paths" through Prague (including selected verses); we will walk its route from Charles Square to Letná. We will set off on Vysehrad, from there along the embankment to the National Theatre and across the Bridge of Legions to Kampu. Here we will settle under the "Holan plane tree". We will introduce you to the project "Crossing the Threshold" and read the first lines from poems by Robinson Jeffers Shepherdess traveling to April, which will accompany us throughout the journey. From Kampa we will head up the slope of Petřín to the statue of Jaroslav Vrchlický and then through Prague Castle, Chotkovy sady to Letná. We will end the journey at the Alchymista café in Letná, where an impromptu lecture will take place. Macha's rite of passage (SW). The event is expected to end at 4 p.m. 

"Do you agree to be wiped out, erased, crossed out, reduced to nothing? Do you agree to be reduced to nothing? Cast into oblivion? If not, you will never truly change."

DH LAWRENCE (Phoenix)

Pilgrimage of the Giant Mountains

We will embark on our own journey on Friday, August 21st at 8 a.m. from the observatory in Ládví. From the city center you can get here by metro to the Ládví station and from there on foot to the Ládví observatory on a beautiful rocky promontory with a cross. From Ládví we will follow the yellow sign to Ďáblice and from there along a dirt road to Zdib. Further to Zdibsko, Sedlec and through the forest to Panenské Břežany, where we will see the Baroque chapel of St. Anne by architect Santini. From there we will go to Čenkov and through the charming natural monument Kopeč and Netřebská slaniska to Obříství on the banks of the Elbe. Here we will have lunch and then cross the Elbe over the Štěpán bridge and along its course we will walk to the castle in Mělník. We will spend the night on the other bank of the Elbe in the Hořínský park.

Saturday, August 22 at 8 am we will meet at the viewpoint above the confluence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers at the Mělnice castle. From there we will set off along the red trail along the Mácha Way to Bezděz: via Chloumek we will continue to Lhotka, Harasov, Kokořínský důl to Kokořín and then via Vojtěchov, Olešno and Ráj to Houska. We will visit the beech forest behind Houska castle and the Na konci sil pub. We will go down to Hostince pod Houskou, where we will hold a lecture from 8 pm O rThe ritual of transition by Stanislav Grof (SW). We will spend the night in an inn.

Sunday, August 23 we will go through Borejov (where we will visit the church of St. James the Elder with a modern altarpiece of the pilgrim St. James the Greater by Aleš Krejč) Ždírec and Okna up to the castle Bezdez; here we will visit a Gothic chapel, where we will try to improvise a reading of one of the chapters from Jeffers Shepherdesses traveling to April. We will then head to Bělá pod Bezdězem, where we will commemorate Vladimír Holan reading from his collection The triumph of death. From Bělá we will continue along the blue trail to Bitouchov and from there to the ruins of Zvířetice Castle, where we will spend the night.

“If we want to move even one step higher on our life path, we must accept the fact that we will lose something important. If we decide to take a radical action, we must count on suffering, sadness, and pain. It is natural and healthy.”

Malidoma Patrice SOMÉ, Dagar shaman

Monday, August 24 we will set off along the Jizera River to Malá Bělá and follow the red trail through Nová Ves to the Račov National Nature Monument with moorland meadows and wetland alders, around the St. Prokop spring through the Klokočka field to the Hradiště nad Jizerou Monastery and to Mnichov Hradiště. From there we will continue along the red trail to the Bohemian Paradise, first to Mácha's rock castle Valečov and then along the green trail to the Komárovský pond, where we will swim. We will then set off along the green trail and then along the red trail to the Kost castle, from there along the blue trail through Dobšice to Vyskeř, in front of which we will spend the night in a meadow by the forest. If it is clear, it will be possible to uniquely observe the starry sky without light pollution.

Tuesday, August 25 We will ascend the Stations of the Cross to the chapel on Vyskeř (466 m above sea level) and from there we will continue along the blue trail to Hrubá skála and then along the red trail to Trosky. From Trosky along the green trail and then along the red trail through Mladějov to the rock castle of Pařez, near which we will spend the night in a rocky overhang.

Wednesday, August 26 we will follow the green trail through Prachov Rocks to Prachov and from there follow the blue trail through Přivýšina, Brad and Kbelnice to Jičín, where we will have lunch. We will visit the Wallenstein Loggia and Zebín. Here we will hold a lecture Between Two Worlds – about the ritual of passage of the Dagar shaman Malidoma SoméIn the evening we will take the green path to Železnice and further past Bradlecká Lhota and the ruins of Bradlec Castle to the ruins of Kumburk Castle, where we will spend the night.

“Anyone who deeply desires his liberation must voluntarily deny everything…He must come to the point of inducing within himself a state of innocence that would be void of purity.”

Roger GILBERT-LECOMTE

Thursday, August 27 We will hike along the red trail to Nová Paka and then continue along the red trail through Radkyně to Pecky. From there, follow the yellow trail under Jelení hřbet to Borovnice and further under Čistecká hůra (586 m above sea level), where we will spend the night at the edge of the forest.

Friday, August 28 We will follow the yellow path over Čistecká hůra to Čistá and from there we will continue along the dirt road to Bukovina u Studenec and then along the road to Studenec and from there along the red path to Strážník peak (630 m above sea level). From Strážník along the blue path to Martinice v Krkonoše and to Horní Braná. We will pass Horní Braná to Valteřice, from where we will follow the blue path to the foot of the Krkonoše, where we will spend the night in the meadows under the forest (possibly we will sleep in our makeshift hayloft).

Saturday, August 29th we will reach the blue trail at the Křížovka crossroads on the border of the Krkonoše National Park and from there we will follow the yellow trail to Přední Žalý (1018 m asl). We will continue along the ridge along the red trail to Černá skála (1038 m asl) and further to Mechovinec (1074 m asl) and Horní Mísečky, from where we will descend along the red trail to Špindlerův Mlýn, where we will have lunch. From Špindlerův Mlýn we will set off along the yellow trail through the Bílé Elbe Valley to Luční bouda. Improvised lecture: Dark Night, Early Dawn – about Chris Bache's psychedelic journey of initiation and his vision of collective transformation.We spend the night in a meadow hut.

Sunday, August 30 we climb to the sunrise on Sněžka (1602 m above sea level). On the top of Sněžka we read Mácha's prose ""Krkonoše Pilgrimage". From the top of Sněžka we descend via Obří Důl to Pec pod Sněžkou and from there we return by bus to Prague. Or we take the road via Horní Mísečky to Horní Maršov and from there by bus to Prague.

"The pilgrim looked at himself and was terribly transformed, ... an unknown power pressed him forward, an inexpressible desire pulled him along an unknown path in an unknown land."

Karel Hynek MÁCHA (Krkonoše Pilgrimage)

NOTICE

If you do not go with us for the entire journey, you can join us anywhere, preferably at the main points of the route (Mělnik, Houska, Mnichovo Hradiště, Jičín, Pecka, Špindlerův Mlýn, etc.) and go with us for as long as you want. We do not provide accommodation in advance. We sleep under the stars. If you want to insure your accommodation, please book it yourself. We recommend that you bring blister plasters with you. Everyone is free to travel and is responsible for themselves. We only ask for tolerance towards other pilgrims.

Bus connection on August 30 from Pec to Prague

Pec pod Sněžkou / departure: 13:15 – Prague, Černý most / arrival: 16:28Next departures: 14:50 (e.g. 17:49), 16:16 (e.g. 19:28), 17:00 (e.g. 20:00)Next connections with a transfer depart from Pec at 13:37, 17:25

CONTACT

• Jiří Zemánek, sarvanga@centrum.cz, mobile: 777 117 466
• Vladimir Drábek, drabekvladimir00@gmail.com, mobile: 602 646 665
• Tomáš Hrůza, tomashruza@gmail.com, mobile: 775 052 607

"Today the spirit awakens only here and there, when will it awaken as a whole? When will the entire masses of humanity begin to reflect on themselves?"

NOVALIS