Discover the peace within you, change the world around you

The Jerusalem Friedensmal ('Jerusalem Peace Memorial'), rooted in the Christian-Jewish tradition of our culture, serves as a guide to reconciliation. It opens a space of healing and freedom, inviting all people to embark together on the inner journey of peace. It is a path of unfolding our true being. Through our being, we continuously carry our values outward. We live and act from these values, even when we are often not aware of it. We establish peace, heal our country, and change the world within ourselves.

AWAKENING - Confronting the suffering of German history, born out of ideological blindness, calls for a conscious engagement. This acknowledges that profound processing goes beyond mere remembrance. In the Jerusalem Friedensmal, a significant shift of paradigm becomes evident: remembrance work, understood as an integral part of spiritual development, thus becomes a vibrant and crucial aspect of both individual and collective spiritual paths. This change shows that true healing, which extends beyond historical reflection, requires a collective awakening to transform the roots of suffering and prevent the past from repeating itself. Coming to peace with the German past is a central step in this process.

If, therefore, our goal is peace with the past, then this is inextricably linked to the unfolding of a new consciousness. By moving away from a solely trauma-focused perspective and recognizing suffering as an inevitable, formative experience on the journey of life, we open ourselves to new transformative beliefs, ways of thinking, and behaviors. This perspective, which understands healing not merely as the 'repair' of remembered traumas but as the overcoming of limiting patterns, leads to a concrete, effective spirituality that enables true healing and deep reconciliation – a path pointing in the direction of a 'New Jerusalem'.

SPIRITUALITY - The essential message of the Jerusalem Friedensmal, which was deliberately designed as a symbol of hope and new life and not as a memorial, is the promotion of peace and freedom. This symbol of change invites us to explore ourselves more deeply and to live in harmony with the values of love, peace, and freedom. It marks the beginning of a journey into a new world, into a new Jerusalem, rooted in the heart of our spiritual awakening. By recognizing and accepting the ego, we open up the possibility to transcend it and deploy it positively for our life in this world. In doing so, we gain the freedom to have healthy relationships that enrich our individual existence and sustainably shape the cultural fabric in which we live.

ENCOUNTER - The 'Stone of Encounter' along the hiking trail and the 'Tree of Life' at the heart of the monument are powerful symbols. At the 'Stone of Encounter', the conscious handling of personal and collective boundaries is addressed. This initially involves recognizing them. We reflect on their significance in our lives and in relationships. By understanding, respecting, and questioning our boundaries, we open a space for honest dialogue and deep, authentic encounters. The 'Tree of Life' represents not only the interweaving of the material and spiritual worlds but also illustrates our oneness with the source of all life. This connectedness also reminds us of our shared responsibility for one another. Genuine encounters, fostered by places like the Friedensmal, are essential for individual well-being and are key to bridging societal divides. They nurture the understanding and harmony necessary to collectively overcome the challenges of our time.

SOCIETY - A positive identification with our own culture, which the Jerusalem Friedensmal highlights, offers not only a sense of belonging but also strengthens our awareness of our role and responsibility in the community. Those who are deeply rooted in their cultural heritage gain courage and strength to open up to others and actively and warmly engage in social life. Like a tree that can only thrive with healthy roots, our culture has drawn its life force from the rich Judeo-Christian heritage for over a thousand years. In this sense, the Peace Memorial acts as a reconciling and healing symbol, embodying Shalom in the relationship with Judaism. It stands as a sign of hope and vision for a new world, inspired by the idea of the 'New Jerusalem'.

TRANSZENDENCE - The Jerusalem Friedensmal symbolizes the journey of spiritual seeking and realization. Life and death, injury and healing, captivity and freedom are ultimately all manifestations within this larger framework. The message of the Friedensmal distances itself from the notion of a divine power 'in heaven' controlling the world and humans, and brings responsibility back to the human level. In this, there is no separation from God - on the contrary - it's the realization that man is in God and God is in him. This understanding of God, far from human concepts of power and control, reveals itself as a mystical experience and demands humility from those who believe they know.

DIAOLOGUE - In the interreligious dialogue, the Friedensmal reveals itself as a manifestation of the universal message of mysticism, deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It invites us to penetrate the specific language of our culture while simultaneously discovering the underlying universal truth that connects all spiritual paths. This creates a space where people of different religions have the opportunity to look beyond the boundaries of their own traditions and establish a deeper connection with the universal message of mysticism.

BOUNDARIES - Not only in the physical and social realms do boundaries exist, but also within our belief systems and ideologies. Often unconsciously, they shape our perspectives and relationships. A crucial step on our spiritual path is to recognize and question our own religious and ideological boundaries. This self-reflection allows us to deepen our perceptions within our own belief system, as well as to expand our perspectives and develop a deeper understanding of other faiths and worldviews. Awareness of our own boundaries is essential to grow beyond them. This realization leads to a rich, comprehensive spiritual understanding and opens us to deeper insight into a spiritual unity found in many faiths, which connects us with each other.

ONENESS - The idea of oneness is reflected in the Friedensmal by making it experiential that religious narratives and symbols often serve as metaphors for deeper spiritual truths. They attempt to put the unfathomable into words, making understanding a continual process of growth and learning. The Friedensmal is thus not just a physical memorial, but also a symbol of the process of spiritual awakening. It encourages us to think beyond our own ideologies and enter into a free dialogue with our inner understanding. By allowing our interpretations, conceptions, and perceptions to evolve, we open ourselves to a deeper dimension of being and connectedness. This constant pursuit of knowledge – the awareness of our own ignorance – is the approach to the Jerusalem Friedensmal. It invites us to be part of a constantly unfolding dialogue with life.

Recognizing these deeper spiritual truths allows us to look beyond simplistic enemy images and to invest our life force in building positivity within ourselves, instead of directing it towards external circumstances that we can not change and perceive as negative. In a nondual world of polarities, it is often not the 'against' which presents the real problem, but rather the lack of an internalized 'for', which guides and strengthens us and our community. The nonduality of the world signifies a connectedness that transcends all polarities and unites us at the deepest level of our being.

Summary: The symbolism of the Jerusalem Friedensmal encourages us to honor the rich history and tradition from which it originates, while simultaneously opening our eyes to the comprehensive, universal dimension of our spiritual quest. This monument represents a paradigmatic shift in German memory culture by placing the confrontation with recent German history – marked by suffering, guilt, and responsibility – into a profound spiritual context. It illustrates that the roots of many historical misdeeds and sufferings lie in a lack of awareness and in clinging to limiting ideologies. Liberation from these shackles opens a path to genuine understanding and peace.

The Friedensmal therefore symbolizes not only the healing engagement with the past but also the continuous evolution of our understanding of the transcendent. It highlights that true spiritual development – exemplified by the emergence of Agape, selfless love – is essential to overcome the errors of the past and to foster peaceful coexistence. Thus, the Friedensmal symbolically represents a path to life that brings people of all faiths together in a common process of spiritual development and reconciliation.