Damanhurians at home

You have heard of Damanhur. You have seen the website and maybe a documentary about us. You may have even come to visit our communities, centers and Temples.

It’s not always easy for us to transmit a true sense of the human beings behind one of the most superhuman communities on Earth, to all those who want to know more… who are curious about who we really are and the stories we carry in our hearts. Lars Wartenbergh a photographer, video and graphic artist from the Netherlands came to Damanhur with a mission to capture the essence of Damanhurians in their personal space, sharing a special belonging with a significant story. Here are some of the portraits, objects and stories he captured.

Name: Aringa
Personal belonging: a book called Il libro del risveglio (The Book of Awakening) by Falco Tarassaco
Story: This was the first Damanhurian book I read in my life, and it was like love at first sight. It’s a friend to me. I always read it looking for advice, and I always receive the right one.

Name: Barys
Personal belonging: A book about esoterism
Story: Every time I read some lines, this book gives me a new point of view or a new topic of reflection.

Name: Capriolo
Personal belonging: painting
Story: A gift from good friends of mine when I was ten years old. It traveled with me wherever I went. It says, “Freedom is like wings of a bird, joy is like his song.”

Name: Goura Loto
Personal belonging: my favorite Selfic painting
Story: It is special because when it was given to me (it was a gift), its title helped me to start a new chapter of my life, and it is still giving me inspirations and suggestions
about my direction.

Name: Hobbit Margherita
Personal belonging: painting stand
Story: My true passion is painting. After art school, I started helping to recuperate old buildings, and after doing that, I wanted to create my own artwork. Now I’m a painter in the Temples of Humankind.

Name: Luca
Personal belonging: guitar
Story: Music is my life. Music is my girlfriend.

Name: Napea
Personal belonging: Rimowa carry-on suitcase
Story: If there were a fire, the first thing I would grab is my special suitcase. It is special for many reasons, mostly because it’s been with me around the world. It has helped me along many journeys and I feel like it’s a part of my story. It’s been on so many amazing adventures, and even though it is currently empty, it contains so many beautiful memories.

Name: Rondine Ibisco
Personal belonging: my own tree
Story: When the photographer explained to me what his project was going to be about, I said immediately that I want to have this picture taken with my own tree in the Sacred Woods Temple. If I had the chance to make this my bedroom, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. This is my most intimate place.

Name: Suricato Dattero
Personal belonging: My spheroself
Story: Until three or four years ago, I was dedicated to building the bodies for Selfic beings. I love them, and I know they are our best companions.

Name: Quaglia Cocco
Personal belonging: stained glass art piece
Story: It is because of stained glass art that I found out about Damanhur. Piovra Caffè, a Damanhurian artist was teaching stained glass art at Esalen in California. Even though I wasn’t taking the course, I met her there and she told me about Damanhur as I was driving her to San Francisco during a “synchronic” ride. So, nine years later I am living in Damanhur, and Piovra asks me to volunteer and translate a stained glass art lesson with an American. So, during the lesson I made this, my first glass art piece. Creating it felt like a beautiful achievement: leaning a new art skill, understanding the glass work of the Temples of Humankind on a new level, and concluding a circle of events involving Piovra, glass art and discovering Damanhur.

Name: Zigola
Personal belonging: personal self (necklace)
Story: The pendant on my necklace is a Personal Self. It is made of materials and techniques that connect a conscious being with me and my path.In Damanhur, we make contact with these Selfic beings (Selfica) in many different ways, including through paintings and other objects that you can see in my room. It is more than just an object. These are points of contact with beings who are kind of like friends from a different dimension. For me it is a point of inspiration, friendship, magic, admiration and respect for all that is and can be.