4. April 2021 • Katja Laurien
Walking the spiritual path can be very confusing and exhausting. I’ve personally been plagued very often with the question why we’re equipped with an ego and a soul at the same time. And how come it’s easier for most people to follow their ego instead of their soul? Why is the voice of our soul so quiet compared to the voice of our ego? The fact that I couldn’t really come to a satisfying solution at times made me doubt the relevance of a spiritual lifestyle.
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7. March 2021 • Katja Laurien
Why is it so hard to bring about lasting change? Is our will too weak? Our desire not strong enough? Or are we incapable? No, we’re simply human. Everyone feels resistance to change. It’s completely normal and part of our biology to resist change, especially if keeping the status quo doesn’t threaten our survival. Change implies effort and courage to explore which means we might get lost outside of our comfort zone.
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7. February 2021 • Katja Laurien
Are you familiar with this nagging feeling that you’re not doing enough? I’m not talking about the times that you’re procrastinating, but about having this feeling hanging like a dark cloud above your life. I actually thought I had moved past this feeling, but during the lockdowns in 2020 I found out that it wasn’t over yet…When the lockdowns started I was a waitress and therefore couldn’t work for an extended period of time.
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15. January 2021 • Katja Laurien
Last summer I started exploring my own tiny, but beautiful country, the Netherlands, a little bit more. The past years I’ve traveled extensively, but those days seem to be gone now. Not only because of the travel restrictions, but also due to a more stable job and two adorable cat companions who are part of my life now. I’ve already discovered throughout the past years that the Netherlands has quite some nice spots, but don’t we all get lazy when it’s all too nearby?
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3. January 2021 • Katja Laurien
This year one of my New Year’s resolutions is getting rid of my moral judgments. I’ve been wanting to stop judging people for a very long time, but this decision never went further than my mind. In my heart, I just didn’t manage to really pull through and I kept finding an excuse for myself why I was “allowed” to judge.
My anchor was my morality. For some reason I’ve developed an overly strict (and rigid) morality for which even my parents sometimes make fun of me (obviously, they are not the ones who taught me to me to be almost autistically moral).
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6. December 2020 • Katja Laurien
Every single one of us is looking for love whether we’re conscious of it or not. Some of us rationalize their desire away by hiding it under a thick layer of fear and uncertainty, but deep down we all know that we’re yearning for this feeling of experiencing and sharing love. It’s imprinted in our human DNA and there’s no way of escaping it. Unfortunately, many of us have had some bad experiences in the name of “love” which has created resistance towards this blissful experience.
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12. November 2020 • Katja Laurien
This is just another short post on my favourite hiking country: Switzerland! The hike I want to present to you is a short roundhike (approximately 2.5 hours) starting from Bettmeralp hiking towards Fiescheralp, finishing off with a refreshing dip into the Bettmer Lake/ Bettmersee. Both alps are more or less on the same height, which makes this hike also a relatively easy one. I’d recommend starting at Bettmeralp, since the cable car to Fiescheralp is a lot more expensive.
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1. November 2020 • Katja Laurien
The corona virus has quickly turned out to be so much more than “just” a health challenge. As if this wasn’t already enough, the measures and the consequences have led to so many different opinions and viewpoints, highlighting the complexity of modern life, the interdependence between people and even nations. We’ve been bombarded with numbers and “facts” which interestingly enough seemed to contradict each other, making it so difficult to know whom to trust and what to believe.
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25. October 2020 • Katja Laurien
Gérardmer is one of the main towns from where to explore the Vosges Mountains. It’s a lovely small town next to a beautiful lake which is perfect for all kinds of watersports. There’s a path leading around the lake, but there are also many more wonderful hiking spots in the area. In this post I want to introduce you to two wonderful hikes which I can both highly recommend!
Perles de la Vologne This is probably the most famous hike in the area, for good reasons.
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12. October 2020 • Katja Laurien
Actually, this was supposed to be a post about the magnificent mountains in Georgia, but unfortunately I had to cancel this trip due to the travel restrictions. So, my mum (my travel companion for this trip) and I spontaneously decided to grab the car and drive to La Belle France! Coming from the Netherlands, we didn’t want to go all the way to the South, so we decided to go to Brittany which was a really good decision!
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