From Deborah Roth: John called us into the Light and set us off on this grand adventure.  Having him with us on this trip is an incredible gift.  He anchors a consciousness of love and lights the way for the spiritual work we’re here to do.

As part of the intro, each person stood up and stated their intention for participating.  So many beautiful intentions, e.g., “To bring Light and peace to the country,” “To see and walk through the eyes of love” and “To experience the nature and beauty of the land.”

Hristina Kirimidchieva and other local MSIA assistants greeted us with love––and got us all settled with beautiful journals and radios to get going!

Then we were off to Dobarsko, a cute little village with a gem of a church.  What made the church so special were two things.  First were the incredible frescoes in the church itself––for example, on the ceiling were images of three spiritual giants: Mother Mary, Archangel Gabriel, and Christ.  As our tour guide explained, Christ was closest to the altar, because that was the most sacred part of the Church.

Then, there was the garden, which was FULL of gorgeous flowers, plants, and healing water coming out a well welcoming us at the entrance.  It was a still, peaceful place to reflect, and the water itself is known to be healing for the eyes (and many of us tried it out!).

Our next stop was Bansko, an adorable hilltop town with traditional houses and cobblestone streets.  We walked through the town, blessing and being blessed by the land and people who we met there.  A highlight was when we stopped at one of the houses.  The tour guide started to explain what was special about it, and all of a sudden, a woman popped out of the second floor window and waved at us with a big grin.  It was her house, and she invited us in!

We were treated to a gorgeous tour of her home, which included artistic, historic furnishings and creative paintings and blankets that she herself had made.  She even showed us an old garment she made for her son to wear at his wedding, and one of the tour participants (Win Hampton from the U.S.) tried it on with a smile.  What a lovely surprise and connection of the heart.

All topped off by a lovely dinner and then bed to get ready for Day #2.  More to follow, so stay tuned.

From Deborah Roth: Day #2 started with a two-hour bus ride to Sandanski. It was so relaxing––John Morton called in the Light, we passed through trees and rolling hills, and heard more about the history of Bulgaria from our sweet tour guide, Costanza. Then, we arrived!

Sandaski is one of the southern most towns in Bulgaria and that means it’s also the warmest. Temperatures today reached 40 degrees celsius, which is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. More on that soon. The city is also known for its healing mineral water, and our hotel has mineral baths and steam rooms to enjoy, relax, and let go.

After a restful lunch, our peace tour continued with a visit to Rupite. If you haven’t heard of it, wow! It was incredible. Rupite is the home village and burial place of the oracle Baba Vanga. She made many predictions about world events and leaders, and was known as a spiritual presence in the area. We had plenty of time to walk around her home, gardens, and church and partake of the sacredness.

The energy was beautiful and nurturing. Baba Vanga also saw people who traveled from around the world to heal and let go of worries, and many of us talked about the presence of caring and loving in her home and the grounds. We planted Light, washed our hands and feet in the healing water, and did se’s in the chapels. (And did our best to stay cool in the hot temps!) It was a mystical experience, and having our Traveler John Morton physically with us anchored a Light consciousness as we brought love to the land.

We then relaxed with dinner at the hotel and a free evening. Some folks took advantage of the spa––thank you Hristina for arranging such great hotels for the group––and others went for a walk after dinner. The evening temperatures were cool, so we strolled down to the park and spread Light as we enjoyed the sights. We laughed a lot and connected in friendship and family.

All in all, a sacred and joyful day in Bulgaria with our Traveler. One more day in Sandanski to come tomorrow––update to follow soon!

From Deborah Roth:  Today was a full day of blessing and being blessed by the land and people of southern Bulgaria. We started Day #3 with a fantastic buffet breakfast, including homemade crepes, eggs, yogurt with honey, fruit and more. Everyone seemed really happy as we got on the bus and ready to go as Light Ambassadors of the Traveler! Vincent Dupont called us forward into the Light in French, and we were on our way.

Our first stop was the Rozhen Monastery. It’s high up in the mountain, so our bus couldn’t quite make it the whole way. Our driver parked about 1 kilometer away, and we hiked up a forest trail to the site. Once we arrived, our tour guide Costanza gave us interesting pointers in the main church. The church is called the “Holy Virgin” and above the entrance is an image of the Christ with the 12 apostles welcoming us inside. To the right was a mosaic of judgment day with saints waiting at the gates to be let in.

We entered the church and were regaled by more mosaics––they covered the walls! Mother Mary, Christ, Archangel Gabriel, you name it. Once Costanza showed us key facts about the interior, many of us sat in the pews to do se’s. What a beautiful moment to attune inwardly to the Spirit and send vibrations of the Sound throughout the complex. We all really do act as ministers and initiates wherever we go.

It was another hot day, and we drank a lot of water as we returned to the bus and traveled to the nearby town of Melnik. Melnik is an adorable little mountain town right near the monastery. In fact, it’s the smallest town in all Bulgaria with less than 200 residents!! After our walk and the warm temperatures, there was a fantastic lunch waiting for us in one of the local restaurants. Plate after plate arrived, followed by homemade ice cream in little ceramic cups to keep it cold.

We then explored the town of Melnik and hiked to the top of an ancient church and visited a traditional house in the area, followed by wine tasting and a tour of the local museum. Imagine 35 peace bearers walking together in a tiny town with the Mystical Traveler John Morton physically present to bless all––we spread the Light simply by showing up and having an intention to serve.

By the end of all this, and the high temperatures, we were ready to have a relaxing night at the hotel for dinner, spa, and packing up for the next leg of our journey. More on that in tomorrow’s update. Stay tuned!

From Deborah Roth:  Day 4 was incredible, full of Light work, monasteries, and mountains. We started out the day with a 9am check out and bus ride to the Rila. Beatriz called us forward into the Light in Portuguese, and the whole bus was still afterward. It was a moment of peace––what a great way to begin our journey and focus on Spirit!

On to today’s sites. Our first stop was the beautiful Rila Monastery. It’s the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. The heart of the monastery is the founder, Saint Ivan of Rila. He left the traditional monastic world to live a life of solitude and prayer. He became a hermit in a cave near the now monastery, and young people traveled to camp around him and receive a blessing. This is what led to the creation of the monastery––a place for his students to study the teachings of the Christ and tune inside at a time of political and religious upheaval.

Our awesome tour guide Costanza pointed out numerous features of the complex. First, above the entrance is a big bell and wood block for letting visitors know when there’s a prayer or mass coming (the monks walk three times counter clock wise around the monastery, ring the bell, and pound on the wood block to notify us that it’s church-time!)

Then, we saw the only standing part of the original monastery, a tall brick tower with a striking gold clock and ancient Bulgarian writing at the top. Costanza explained that the surrounding Church was rebuilt in the 1800s to hold the expanding number of monks and visitors inside. And, the rest of the monastery had been destroyed by fire right around the same time. What interesting history.

We walked as a group around the Church, witnessing different scenes in the multi-colored frescoes. There was a lot about whether a person was “good” and “bad” in these stories. For example, we saw angels keeping a list of who was paying attention in Church––and crossing the names of people off whose minds were wandering. Whew! At the end of this rich display, we saw a depiction of the Christ and Saint Ivan greeting us as the presence of love.

At the same time we were learning all of this, it felt like we were also acting Light bearers around the church facade and being used by the Spirit to bless and clear the space. As we went into the church itself, there was a cross on the floor and a number of us hugged in a circle right in the center, which is the spot people stopped to say their heart-felt prayers. A spontaneous column of Light! When we finished, other church visitors began to do the same thing!

Before we left, Costanza introduced us to one of the monks who currently lives in the monastery. They gave each other a big hug, and his eyes were so caring. What a lovely treat.

After this, Hristina took our group to enjoy a fantastic lunch at a riverside restaurant nearby. Imagine eating right by a creek deep in the trees and mountains. They served fresh trout and Bulgarian yogurt with jam. This was a nice time to simply be with each other, to connect with nature, and to receive nourishment by the local food and hospitality.

Then we were off to our next hotel––the Winter Palace (sort of funny, because it was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit today.) We had a few minutes to get settled in our rooms before we gathered down in the hotel seminar room for an amazing lecture on the Bogomils by Professor Damyan Pophristov.

The professor was lively and entertaining, and he spoke for almost two hours about the history and spiritual lineage in Bulgaria of the Bogomils and eventually the White Brotherhood. He was sharing many of the same teachings we have in MSIA, such as: the spark of God is within us, and that we each have a personal, direct connection to the divine. The essence of the teachings is love, and that is what the Traveler is all about! There’s also a focus on the wisdom of the feminine, Mary Magdalene, and the equal importance of men and women in the spiritual work.

We broke for dinner and then went back AGAIN to get our questions answered, and the professor’s wife explained the basics of the Paneurhythmy, the dance of the White Brotherhood. In the earlier lecture, he explained that our Souls needed to be liberated, and that this happened through music––a particular tempo of beats, two short and one long. This rhythm is what the dance is based on, and it’s a sacred movement of peace and love inside and for all the planet.

All in all, it was quite a blessed day! John Morton and Leigh were with us throughout the day’s activities, and John anchored a consciousness of loving for all as we walked together as Light bearers in the Rila region.

More to come, it’s time for bed and Sofia tomorrow…. Stay tuned.

From Deborah Roth:  Day #5 was a Traveler adventure for all of us in Sofia. We started out our journey with Inge Loewenstein calling us forward into the Light in German. Like yesterday, we were all still for a few minutes after that. It was a moment of attunement in the Spirit and a great way to prepare inwardly for the day to come.

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and an opportunity to spread Light and love in an important center of the country. Our first stop was the National Historical Museum. The museum was the former residence of the last communist leader in Bulgaria and the outside was a bit – um – imposing, yet the inside was open and full of historic relics. A nice tour guide walked us around the ancient times in Bulgaria and pointed out important customs of the times, such as the gold ornaments in a casket from the Bronze Age that served as offerings to Spirit.

One highlight of the tour was an exquisite room in the back of the museum. Parties are hosted here for diplomats etc. in this room, and no wonder! There were floor to ceiling windows, an ornate ceiling, and an outdoor view of lush green trees and fountains. It was such a beautiful spot that we took a group photo right outside. David Sand put us all in perfect configuration and told a joke so we’d laugh as he took our photo.

We then moved on to a magnificent square with churches, elegant buildings and more. We visited a big church with a long line of people waiting to pray in front of an icon of Madonna and child. This is because today was a big holiday to celebrate Mother Mary––and so lots of folks showed up to open their hearts, give her flowers, and ask for blessings. It was sacred to gather as a group of Light bearers during this experience.

Already it was time for lunch! We walked through a cute outdoor flea market to a great Italian restaurant. They fed us a fantastic salad with avocado (first time for avocado during the trip), pasta, and ice cream that was outstanding. At that point, we said goodbye to Marcos and Moira, who needed to return home to Spain.

The rest of the day was mostly a walking tour through this area of Sofia, passing by outdoor fountains, ancient churches and government buildings. One particularly noteworthy stop was at a church to honor St. Nicholas. Downstairs, there’s a crypt where we each could write a prayer to St. Seraphim and place it into a box. Paper and pens were provided for us, and it felt sacred and sweet to ask for what was in our hearts.

And as we walked, our presence brought the vibration of love to this old city. John Morton was with us as our physical Traveler – thank you John for all the ways you show up to support us as Light Ambassadors!

All in all, we laughed, we saw sights, we shared the loving, and gave our peace.

When we got back to the hotel, we saw a movie on the Paneurhythmy, the dance of the White Brotherhood, in preparation for tomorrow’s hike to witness the dance live. Their teachings are similar to what we study in MSIA, and the explanation in the video had many commonalities. Each move of the dance signifies a quality to help people become aware of who they are as divine and included things like “Awakening”, “Ascending”, and “Giving”. They talked about opening to God’s divine love and lifting up in higher consciousness for our liberation, and this is what the dance helps us to do.

After the movie, John ordained one of the group members as an MSIA minister – yay! – and we began preparing for the next day’s early departure. We’ll be on the bus and ready to go at 6am to make our way to the Rila Lakes to watch the dance. More to come in tomorrow’s update!!

From Deborah Roth: Today’s Light adventure started early! We met at the bus for a 6 a.m. departure to Rila Lakes. Our day was focused on one thing––hiking up the mountain to see the Paneurhythmy, the dance of the White Brotherhood. (See updates for Day #4 and #5 for more on the White Brotherhood and the dance.)

To call us into the Light, Barbara Schwark came to the front of the bus and did it in Hebrew. Each day so far, we’ve had a different language from one of the participants, which has been so great! Then, Hristina gave us logistics to prepare for this sacred time together, as our awesome tour guide Costanza made coffee for us on the bus. It was a full service operation.

The time really flew during the two-hour ride to the sky lift. We stopped at a bathroom along the way, and so much joy was present that while we waited to get going, some of us started dancing or doing Light Body right in the parking lot. We must really have been a sight to early morning passersby. 🙂

And then we arrived. Two by two, we got on the lift to take us partway up the climb. It was only 8 o’clock in the morning, and so still and peaceful. Imagine going through a forest of evergreen trees nestled in a skyline of mountain ranges––all with your spiritual family nearby in front or behind you.

There was a hut at the top as we exited the lift. We gathered for a few minutes to get our bearings and could see the path up the mountain where we were going next. After one more bathroom break (did I mention there are no more restrooms at the top, other than nature??), everyone started climbing to the lake where the dance would be.

The beginning was steep and then the path leveled off as we walked along the top of the mountain. We were treated to vistas of glorious views, mountain peaks, and the first of the Rila Lakes––there are seven in total, and our destination was lake four.

It was a walk that was at the same time Light-filled and physically challenging, though definitely doable. Looking back now, it felt like we were walking a path of the Beloved with our Traveler John Morton present with us. Hundreds gathered to participate in this sacred event, and we planted seeds of Light every step of the way!!

We arrived with just enough time to get settled, and some changed into white clothes they brought with them––white is the color recommended for the dance to signal purity in Spirit. We then paired up to join the other dancers. There were two circles, one for experienced folks on the inside and another encircling along the perimeter for the rest (including us beginners!). Inside in the center, a music group played the music that went along with each dance.

It was an incredible experience. John and Leigh were paired up and following more experienced dancers, and the rest of our group were paired up in the line of couples behind them. The music wafted through the air and was meant to awaken us to the divine nature inside as we moved to the rhythm. It was so quiet, except for the music and our flowing arm and leg movements as we danced along. All together, there were about 200-300 people present, and we danced to song after song signifying different qualities of awareness to lift into the higher levels. What a profound experience of One Accord to be still and move together so gracefully.

After the initial paired movements, we gathered in groups of 10 to continue dancing together more closely. And as we completed, everyone just started hugging everyone else and saying words of blessings for each person we came across. It felt like one big family and that we had completed a world prayer for peace, harmony, and opening to God’s love.

Once we finished greeting and hugging, we gathered down near the Rila Lake so John could address the group. He called us forward into the Light and talked about lifting into higher consciousness, which is much of what the dance was intended to do. He and Hristina and Costanza shared reflections of the Paneurhythmy, and then a few local MSIAers led us in a song in Bulgarian and Angelic languages (which was awesome). The words were a message to remember the beauty of who we are as Soul.

Our time on the mountain was wrapping up. As we returned to the bus, many bought berries grown on the mountain––they were delicious and refreshing after our experience. Thank you to Hristina and her assisting team for organizing such a novel witnessing of mystical movement and esoteric teachings in action!

After this, we traveled for about an hour or so to Sofia and checked in at our last hotel on the tour, the Grand Hotel Sofia. The rooms are incredible, a welcome luxury after the day’s activities and full week of touring. We refreshed and went out for a fantastic dinner that included…..fire dancing! We watched locals playing the accordian and singing in traditional garb. This display was topped off with two men dancing on coals outside, similar to fire walking that some MSIAers have participated in since the 80s.

And then, cabs back to our hotel to rest for our final day of the trip. Tomorrow, we’ll be visiting a rose distillery and garden, followed by our celebration dinner. More to come!

Accommodations: Grand Hotel Sofia

From Deborah Roth: Today is Day #7––the final day of the tour. It came up so quickly, and here we are! To start out the day, Yolanda Liras called us forward into the Light in Spanish. We’ve heard a participant call in the Light in a different language each day, including English, Bulgarian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Hebrew!

We took a bus ride to our main activity, visiting a Rose Distillery called Damascena. It was a long journey, and we spread the Light all along the route. (Imagine a bus full of MSIA Light bearers doing se’s and bringing a vibration of love to the land.)

As we arrived at the distillery, at the entrance were the most beautiful bathrooms of the whole trip! Very important if you’ve been traveling for numerous days. Marble counters and floors, and wood doors, and super clean.

Then, we began our tour. Roses are abundant in Bulgaria; in fact, the country’s rose oil make up almost 70% of the world’s supply. We learned about the process of rose production from a lovely young tour guide. The roses are picked early in the morning, and distilling rose petals to rose oil takes place in big barrels designed to extract the oil from other components of the flower. Water is added, the mixture is heated, and more!

We walked the grounds, enjoyed the gardens and swans in the lake, peeked at the amphitheater (the distillery is based near an ancient Roman City), and then sat down to lunch. Each of us received a number of gifts at our place, including rose water, rose liquor, and honey with rose. A nice touch!

At that point, our lovely tour guide Costanza gave us a bit more time to shop and explore the complex before heading back to Sofia. The shop was full of rose and other essential oil products, from sun screen to face toner and lotion. Costanza gave pointers on how to use the products and the rose’s healing properties, such as helping to relax the body.

On the way back, we stopped at a quaint old town, Koprivshtica. This was a time to get a coffee, walk a bit and enjoy the ambience. The National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore takes place there every five years to support amateur musicians. As it turns out, during our visit a group of young dancers were entertaining the crowd and passersby in the main square. It felt like we were there to bring them––and those watching––the Light and love of the Traveler.

Another claim to fame of the town is that our very own Hristina designed the garden running through it! Hristina is a talented landscape architect, in addition to planning Traveler tours. 🙂 The gardens were truly lovely and designed full of peaceful greenery.

Then, it was time to get back on the bus for our last leg of the journey. As we drove back to the Grand Hotel Sofia, John acknowledged Hristina for all of her work to plan this amazing tour of Bulgaria. He expressed how all of us wish Hristina many blessings physically and in the Spirit. And, he thanked all of us for being here on the trip with him. We did three “Hip Hip Hoorays”!

The gratitude continued. We appreciated Costanza and our bus driver for their incredible service, and Hristina presented Constanza with a gift from all of us. And, Hristina also gave her thankfulness to each of us for showing up and sharing our love with her, the community and the land. She said that this was simply a foundation for the MSIA work she envisions creating in Bulgaria (yay) and welcomed John and Leigh back anytime.

The peace and calm of Hristina as she spoke was beautiful to experience. It was a testament to the joy of serving the Light action that was taking place here, in this beautiful place––what an honor to participate in the tour. She excited all of us with her vision for MSIA community and it was a blessing to listen and hold the Light.

We wrapped up the evening with a celebration dinner to connect and of course eat delicious food! We talked, ate, and really just enjoyed one another. One neat thing is that at one point, John’s table held hands and called in the Light, and at that moment, the background song in Our Song of Love began playing! (Our Song of Love is a prayer from John-Roger that’s used at some of our events, such as PAT trainings.)

We hugged and said our goodbyes. That wraps up the formal tour, with the exception of a “goodbye for now” breakfast in the morning. And some of us will be continuing on for one more evening tomorrow––an open seminar with John Morton for the Bulgarian community. And so the work goes on.

Baruch Bashan to all, and thank you for sending the Light and all the ways you were participating with us. God bless the Bulgaria community and all our spiritual family!

While the tour was officially over, John and Leigh stayed for an MSIA Open Event for the Bulgarian community.