New moon, new needs..

It's all about manifesting your own happiness. Feeling whole and complete. Setting the intention for what you feel is missing in your life. I finally sat down and realized I have to be more conscious about my relationships. So here goes.

I need a man who touches me. Who is emotionally able and can read my every breath. With many layers. A man who sees can read between the lines of the everyday unspoken and will lead me into adventures in unseen worlds. A man who sees the universe in every living being. A man who makes music out of all things alive. A man who sings songs at the campfire, whose soul will howl with me as we run through open landscapes. A man who looks at me and sees art. Whose gaze comforts my body and makes my every cell glow. A man who feels the energy of male and female and travels between the two. 

A being who has conquered the chains of time, who knows that we are meant to be mirrors for each other so that we can become our greatest selves in this lifetime or the next. Who knows my greatest weaknesses and strengths and is not afraid of facing either of the extremes. Who knows that experiencing the duality and polarities are necessary in order to expand. Who calls me by my true name and knows how to kindle the heat of the ancient stardust still burning in my DNA. Whose touch melts down the frozen layers that have crystallised around a heart which came here for the sole purpose of loving wildly. 

A man who can lead in a tribe and follow in a movement. A man who senses the subtleties of the elements and knows how to use them to his advantage. A man who is not afraid to love. 

The Language of Snow

Today I realised that Norwegians through countless treks into the mountains, have learned to speak the language of snow. In surfing or sailing, you learn to speak to the ocean, you learn the language of the waves. In the mountains, the water takes another shape, and you need to face ice, frost, powder and ‘skare’. ‘Skare’ is a Norwegian word, which means a type of condition where the top layers of snow has frozen to ice, resting on the softer snow underneath.

As you flow down narrow slopes in the wilderness, through pine trees and past frozen lakes, your body will naturally try to keep itself in balance, but like the waves on the open waters, snow is unpredictable. Every small edge and layer of the track calls for a shift in weight and adjustment. From early childhood, we have learned to conquer these conditions by reading and adapting to the constant stream of the snow covered surface passing by underneath our skis.

Adapting to the snow on cross country skis also requires a certain type of wax, from solid to melted. In the stone-age, they used slithers of leather or fur to find the grip, which later evolved to other substances such as tar or resin from pine trees or birch. Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen used liquid stearine under his skis when he trekked over Greenland in 1888. The first know ‘professional’ wax was made in Sierra Nevada in the 1860s, and called Frank Steward's Old Black Dope, containing spermaceti (found in the head cavities of the sperm whale), pine, tar, and camphor.

What blessing to learn the language of the elements, and to go deeper into nature’s shapeshifting qualities. However, as many of the indigenous peoples turn away from traditional lifestyles, the expertise and wisdom held together in both their written and kinetic vocabulary fades. We still have a great deal to remember and to keep alive..

It is a common myth that the inuits have over 200 words for snow. In Western Greenland, for instance, they only use two basic words; qanik which means 'snow in the air', and aput, which means 'snow on the land'. In Northern Canada, they use elaborate terms to describe their frozen landscapes: “aqilokoq” for “softly falling snow” and “piegnartoq” for “the snow that is good for driving sled,” to name just two. The Norwegian indigenous peoples, Samis, were nomads and raindeer herders and therefore needed more words to describe how the snow changed shape, in order to find the best conditions to set up tents and tend to the herds. So fascinating. I wonder how they speak of snow in the Himalayas..

If you set out into the mountains this Easter, reflect on the qualities of the snow on which you are moving, your body's language, and how your mind is constantly working to stabilise on the surface. Maybe there’s a life lesson hiding somewhere in the experience..

Who is the Norwegian Sage?

Author and activist Howard Thurman said: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." I believe that making a difference starts with feeling alive. 

The Norwegian Sage has been whispering in my veins ever since I was a child, closely watching and guiding my spirit as I grew older. She is voice of my ancestors, of the indigenous wisdom carried down in my genes through generations, and the compass I turn to when my balance is disturbed. 2015 felt like the year to honour her energy and begin practicing her teachings. 

Growing up in a modern world that is constantly pulling you in different directions, with an overwhelming amount of available choices will silence your intuitive mind. Although it was always present somewhere inside, it took me a long time to remember and discover my inner self and authentic direction. In 2008, I was in a skiing-accident and spent six month literally getting back on my feet again. For the first time in my life I  had time, a space opened up for exploring and challenging the truths and structures I thought constituted my self.

I dove deep into yoga philosophy and started meditating several times a day. Realized that I can consciously use my thoughts to program my own reality. That everything starts spinning in the right direction when you begin expressing your own energy instead of being influenced by other people's. It felt like I had thrown myself into the universe without map or compass, but it also felt very safe and intuitive.

At university, I studied humanitarian crises and peace processes for seven years in order to find out how living/human systems are constructed and broken down again by war and instability. Realized that nature is more important than anything else and that the destructive dimensions of global conflicts are emphasized by fragile local communities and institutionalized power relations where nature is given less value. 

Traveling around in countries such as Nepal, Burma and Sri Lanka to observe the traditions of indigenous people, political systems, sacred meeting grounds and conflict resolution mechanisms, made me understand, like many a person before me, that the change I wanted to see in the world had to begin with nurturing a sustainable resilience in myself. That my own life had to be 'eco-logical', in accordance with nature's own rhythm, for me to feel happy and calm. I realized that both personal and social development unfolds faster when you work with nature, not against it.

Today I work as a diplomat trainee in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continuously confronted with the challenges and dilemmas in our current global systems. There is no doubt that the world is out of balance, but I believe that the synergy between knowledge, communications and technology, combined with love and a little magic will drive the world forward in a more harmonic direction.

I envision a world with political and economic democracy, ecological balance, strong local decision-making power and creative unfolding, where food is medicine, and we take care of each other and our living environment, both animals and plants. 

The platform 'Norwegian Sage' is an attempt to nourish a community of people wanting to live closer to nature and taking collective action on issues facing humanity today. I hope to share glimpses into my own life and journey, as well as stories and practices from people and traditions I encounter along the way.

Everything is connected, and every step into the light will make a difference.