PustUka 2021 - back to life force
We challenged one of the participants at PustUka 2021 to write some reflections about his experiences at PustUka 2021 💨 This was the result!
I’m up in the woods
I’m down on my mind
I’m building a still
To slow down the time*
For someone who is fairly new to the mindfulness universe (still, three years after the first encounter!), the word 'pust' – said in the right way – can be enough to send a shiver down your spine. It's a word that contains an incredible amount. Life. Core. Calm. Balance. And not least; awe. I believe that for anyone lucky enough to be curious about this wonder – the very life force within us – there is gold to be found.
Anyway, when I was asked to write about my experiences from PustUka, I knew right away that it was something I really wanted to do. Although I was only present from Thursday to Sunday, I had great ambitions to make the most of the long weekend. I wanted to take in as much as possible, and take in all sensory impressions from start to finish. It was possibly a good strategy, because considering the amount of experiences and inspiration, these three days could just as well have been three weeks.
PustUka, which was held for the first time last year, had gone completely under my radar. Maybe because the festival takes place in Tromsø, and I live in Oslo. Maybe because the pandemic was ravaging and I didn't do much research on events that particular summer. Or maybe it was fate? Timing is everything, as they say.
Pust inn
Already in the air - on the plane - on the way from Oslo, I had a special experience that in a way marked the start of these days. We cruised through blindingly white, velvety clouds while catching many small glimpses of magnificent scenery below us. The light was very special. It was simply strikingly beautiful, and my expectations increased as my head changed from everyday life in Oslo to a new adventure in a foreign city.
When the plane landed there was less than an hour until the first workshop started, so I jumped into the first and best taxi. I decided to take advantage of every little opportunity to explore and feel the culture of this island, the roughly three days I was going to be here.
Hold your breath for a few moments
The first stop on the PustUka program for me was the workshop with Laila Stange and an introduction to the Core Quadrant. For those of you who were not present at this, the Core Quadrant is a model that in a rather entertaining way gives you tools to learn more about yourself and your own reaction patterns. For someone who (read: the undersigned) is well above average fascinated by psychology, this was definitely a great start to the weekend.
I don't think I'm wrong if I say that there were several of us who had some aha experiences in this workshop. There is something very exciting about becoming aware of how we all have so many automated reaction patterns within us, and how it shapes our lives and choices.
For my part, I took with me a dose of new self-awareness when it comes to daring to take up more space, which was very nice. It also made me think of an expression I learned a couple of years ago; ' Replace fear with love '. Because what are we really so afraid of when we hold back? When we don't say what we think? When we make ourselves smaller?
The next few days were filled to the brim with new impressions, inspiration, special moments, new acquaintances and a good dose of new knowledge and insight. It must be said that something that added an extra dimension to my experience was the fact that I was traveling all alone. "Are you going to a festival alone, where you don't know anyone?" a friend asked me the day before I left, with poorly concealed skepticism in her voice. "Yes, I will", I answered rudely and felt my stomach tickle a little.
I’m lost in the world
I’m down my whole life
I’m new in the city
But I’m down for the night*
Pust out
I don't quite know what I imagined, but my experience of Tromsø actually exceeded all expectations. The city felt like a very small, but at the same time vibrant city, filled with people who welcome you with a big smile and a hello. I got an impression of a sense of unity and a culture where "everyone" knows everyone, a community that is reasonably distant from big city life where you don't even know the name of the neighbor in the block.
The Paris of the Nordics is perhaps not the expression I think best fits (why compare apples and pears?), but exotic - absolutely.
Anyway – back to the next post on the programme. After the workshop with Laila Stange on Thursday afternoon, I managed to take a short break before the next stop was a backyard party at Mack beer brewery. This Thursday night gave me an experience that I will not soon forget. It's one thing to go to a workshop or two by yourself. Going to a party all alone, on the other hand…
I'll certainly admit that I didn't feel particularly high in my hat for the first hour/and a half of this evening, where I was 100% loner frolicking around Mack's backyard trying to find some new PustUka friends. With really loud music, it was hard to start a conversation in the first place, and combined with my attempts to point down an imaginary festival wristband (which I hadn't got my hands on yet) to check if we had anything in common, nothing success.
After X number of questioning looks from hipsters in their early 20s, I eventually realized that I had to change my strategy. Eventually I also realized that the party was combined with an event via DebutUka for new students in Tromsø, students who of course didn't quite understand what I was doing. I ended up giving up on finding common ground and instead joined the dance - literally.
So - new experience this Thursday: If there is one setting where you don't really need to have anything in common (read: hang around like Viggo Venneløs), then it's the first proper party after a year and a half of pandemic and lockdown. I was lucky there.
There was so much joy to see in people's eyes this evening, and a very special atmosphere. It was like a kind of reunion with the break from everyday life that a party can actually be. A time and place where everything stops for a bit, and you stop thinking. Just be. Just enjoy the moment. Forget everything else. It was like a collective feeling of happiness that everyone seemed to just melt into. A special moment I won't soon forget.
And speaking of atmosphere: The fact that the evening's DJ played happy party tunes from the last century on a cassette player(!) while grinning about the lighting in the backyard did not make it any less memorable. It really felt like we were celebrating life.
Feel the silence after exhaling
The next day, somewhat by chance, I got the chance - via a waiting list - to join what was called The Shaman's workshop - A journey in your inner self. Self-development nerd notwithstanding, the word "shaman" was not really something that had caught my attention when I looked through the program, but after tips that this was going to be a highlight, I became curious.
My preconceived notion of a shaman (to the extent that I had any particular thoughts about it, I actually had to google the definition) was that these were slightly half-shabby types in fluttering clothes, with a fierce happy Christian vibe. This shaman, Louie Valotti (founder of Genesis Holistic Medicine, modern day shaman, mentor and visionary) was definitely on a different street. In terms of appearance, he could just as well have been a PT from Oslo west, but his steady gaze and confident aura did something with the atmosphere in the room and in the circle we sat in.
I think that most people who have been involved in something similar know that it is difficult to recount or explain. It is somehow difficult to put into words what happens in the interaction and in the room, because there is so much happening at the moment. Something that is almost undefinable. It becomes an interaction with so much more depth than most of us are used to sharing with strangers, and it is unfamiliar. It is simply as far away from everyday trivial small talk as you can get. It is a space – in a double sense – filled with openness, security, emotional freedom. A room for learning. A room for new insights. A room for reflection.
There are many opinions about sitting in such a circle and sharing very personal things with strangers, and it may not be for everyone. But if you are open and curious, it can be quite an intense experience.
On Saturday afternoon, the workshop was rounded off with a bonfire ceremony outside the Port Terminal, in lovely afternoon sunshine. After two days of a lot of gray weather, the sun's rays peeked out as the closing ceremony was about to take place. It was so beautiful down there by the lake right then, as if nature gave us exactly the mood we needed. Sometimes you can be fooled…
On the way home to Oslo on Sunday afternoon, I was completely overwhelmed by impressions and impulses, and it was nice to have some peace to digest everything. PustUka gave me a large dose of inspiration, learning, aha experiences, goosebumps, music experiences, new friendships. And last but not least, hope.
When you meet so many warm and nice people gathered in one place, with many of the same values, I am convinced that we are heading towards a world with more generosity, genuineness, understanding and connection.
THANK YOU for magical days in Tromsø, everyone!
I’m up in the woods
(Run from the lights, run from the night)
I’m down on my mind
(Run for your life)
I’m lost in the world
I’m down my whole life
I’m new in the city
But I’m down for the night*
Tip for more mood report: Check out the full song * 'Lost in the world' by Kanye West and Bon Iver while you look through the rest of the photos from PustUka .
Author: Minna Fjeldskår (PustUka participant, søring and text creator)