It is said that we are all equal before God. Standing naked in the temple, we become aware of the universal source within us. On the last hot day in September, I make an appointment with two friends to meet at the Herzquelle, an almost secret place on the outskirts of Weimar. We are already looking forward to the invigorating refreshment. A little while later, we are standing like three nymphs around the edge of a springwater basin that a joyful spirit once poured into the beautiful landscape in the shape of a heart—a small mountain lake in the city. Our eyes wander over the crystal-clear water, knowing full well that its temperature never rises above 8.5 degrees Celsius [47 degrees Fahrenheit]. I breathe in and out deeply, and then the ritual begins. Each of us has our own way into the spring: quickly and decisively, circling around in three stages, and then full immersion. We emerge similarly: happy, proud, admiring ourselves and the others for our courage. While we slowly thaw out again and enjoy the vitality in every cell, other people enter the small valley. No two approaches in the same way either—respect, surprise, and joy have many faces. At the end, one of the men is still standing in water up to his thighs. He is undecided—he hesitates, doubts, and breathes fitfully. I think about the effort it takes me every time to descend to the bottom. I smile at him and think: we are all the same at the source.
Translation Laura Liska
Image Cornelia Friedrich, Begegnung mit dem Licht [Encounter with the light], 2012
