When my partner and I signed up for Sisters Academy Boarding School, we had absolutely no idea of what to expect. We jumped into it because it at some level appealed to us, but we could not explain to anyone – let alone ourselves – why. It turned out to be a life changing experience, twenty-four hours of love, discovery, excitement, mystery, learning, exploring, challenges, sadness, happiness, and more love. Being taken care of, and gently nudged along new pathways.

When we checked out we were so full of emotions that we could barely talk about it; whenever we talked in depth about our individual experiences our eyes filled up with tears and we had to pause before slowly continuing. It is a remarkable gift from you to us, and I want to thank you for it.

The Sister. Thank you for putting it all together, making it happen. And for spreading your caring calmness. Poking at my soul with your questions at evening gathering, luring out my poetic self with your stroking voice.

The Shape Shifter. Thank you for showing me my golden self, for making me see that I can, that I dare, that I am allowed, that I have the power, that I have it in me to do what I want and need. It knows no fear, no guilt, no shame. It knows no boundaries. Thank you forever.

And thank you, fellow student, whom I touched, who touched me, who helped me find my golden self.

The Well, Brønden. Thank you for taking me in at the exact right moment, when I was sad for being outside, not there, not fitting in – at that moment you took me and brought me so close to that other man, making me calm, making me find our rhythm, a stillness, a closeness. And a wish: to let go of the fear of letting go.

The Nurse. Thank you so much for being so powerful, wild, fierce, present and perceptive – and for bringing a little bit of that out in me as well. For connecting sexuality with vitality. Thank you for that very physical act of fulfilling my wish, the beating and screaming, and panting, and spinning and finally exploding so hard that I slammed right into the bar. We did it!

And thank you, unknown young man who fought so bravely beside me and The Nurse.

And a big thank you to the student who led the morning gathering on my second visit, an exercise which made us transform three events from the path to the Academy into motion. It showed me that my wish from my first visit actually had been fulfilled – that I really let go of my fear of letting go. At least at that moment. And thank you for surprising me with how close it was between emotion, motion and emotion. I was not prepared to be so physically and emotionally affected by going through the movements I had made to visualize my path. It was powerful.

The Flow, and others: thank you for the Death Wagon. I liked the mechanics of moving the wagon through sound, motion and ritual, and I liked placing my life in your hands.

Oh, The Mechanic. I want to thank you for seeing, acknowledging and inviting with only your kind eyes. I felt so welcome and so muchme by just a look.

Thank you, The Gardener, for the slow, low key, free conversation about the potential danger of naming things. And Sound Seeker, thank you for thoughts, sounds and words. The Octopus, I want to thank you for looking into me and handing out the best classes with such precision, and for your serious, subtle humour.

The (w)Hole and The Untamed. Thank you so very much for your beautiful gift.

Thank you all. I never thought so little time could mean so much, change so much. My partner drew me a sketch of our experiences where Sisters Academy was depicted as a lighthouse: we don’t have to be there, but it is good to use for navigation. That is what you have given us, tools for navigation. Among other things.

I will never be the same again. Nor do I want to.

/ The Lost / Blood / Håkan Eriksson /