Yesterday I went to a concert and had an interesting experience. Next to me, in the crowd, there were two parents and their teenage son. I noticed that just like me he had scoliosis.

This triggered a wave of memories of my own back problems and the several years of physiotherapy and wearing orthopedic corrective (and quite painful!) measures that I had to go through and that could have been prevented if it had been discovered earlier.

It was clear to me that I had to speak to the parents and make sure they are aware their son`s problem.  Upon thinking about it I felt more and more insecure. What if they would not take me seriously? Or they would get pissed off for invading their personal space? Or perhaps they had been already doing something about it and my comment would be totally unnecessary? And in the end, who needs to have such discussions at a concert? Maybe it would be better to just forget about it..

And then I saw things from a different perspective. What if someone had noticed my back problem at an early stage and informed my parents? How cool would that have been and how many unhappy and painful memories would have been avoided? This realization triggered me to speak to the parents.

It turned out they also had some doubts, but as they hadn`t had any experience with such issues before they couldn`t grasp the severity of the potential consequences. Having heard my story, they got determined to see a doctor as soon as possible.

It made me think about the importance of not only helping others when there are in need, but also mustering the courage to intervene even when you are not asked for help but you still feel the importance of it. Think about how good you would feel if someone would have told you about that unzipped bag from which your wallet got stolen. And isn`t the best way to inspire such behaviors through personal example?

Today I watched a fascinating documentary investigating dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a molecule found in all living beings on the planet. DMT is and considered to most potent psychedelic on Earth and the authors of the documentary refer to it as “The spirit molecule”.

The documentary describes Dr. Rick Strassman’s government-sanctioned, human DMT research. The effects of DMT’s effects are considered from two at first sight opposing lenses that in this case actually complement each other – science and spirituality.

I am not planning to reveal the findings presented in the documentary as I would highly recommend you to watch it yourselves.

A very important insight for me was that it implies that we are actually capable of entering a “higher” level of awareness by going” inwards”. Of course this is something that has been widely communicated from the school of spirituality. However, backing it up from a scientific perspective and furthermore showing actual evidence through a scientific research makes it much more tangible, actually imaginable and extremely empowering.

Of course, similarly to other times when I`ve been sharing metaphysical and spiritual insights with you, my advice is to take it with an open mind and always- with a pinch of salt. In the end, we are the ones who choose what to believe in. The key is to have awareness and documentaries like “The spirit molecule” greatly contribute to this.

Lets all be like candles and spread the happiness!

Today we Bulgarians celebrate the anniversary of  our  independence from the Ottoman empire which we were a part of for 500 years (from 1396 to 1898). This happened many many years ago, but the lesson is supremely valid and inspirational- perseverance,  courage and sticking to our own unique values are key in overcoming hard times. Enjoy this great Bulgarian song and always have the courage to stay true to yourselves! 

For me Gandhi is one of the most inspiring historical figures – starting with the huge impact that he made, going through his amazing approach to conveying his point and inspiring others (through non-violence and leading by example) and ending with his humble personality and desire for constant self improvement. His autobiography “My experiments with truth” is not just a smooth and interesting read, but a compilation of invaluable  lessons.  Gandhi has a number of simple yet incredibly deep and thought provokin thouhts – the one above is one of the two most favorite ones.

On the 1^st of March one of the most beautiful Bulgarian traditional holidays is celebrated. Its name is Baba Marta and it signifies the ending of the winter. 

According to the legend, on that day grandmother March (‘Baba Marta’ in Bulgarian) scolds her brothers -January and February and commands them to put an end to the harsh winter times.The legend also says that she is a quite short tempered lady and it’s important to improve her mood, because it determines whether the spring will be good or bad.

On that day, we wear and also gift each a thread in red and white – Martenitsa, with the wish to be healthy and happy. The thread is worn until we see a stork (symbolizing the upcoming spring) and is then put on a blossomed tree so it grows healthy and fruitful. We give each other red and white threads called Martenitsa with the wish to be healthy and happy 🙂 It is a really nice activity to make your own Martenitsas and make good wishes for the recipients while making them.

This tradition is a great example of the uniqueness of the Bulgarian culture and holidays and also brings back happy childhood memories. 

Happy first of March!