Integral Budapest in Pictures

Left to right: Terry Patten, Jeff Salzman and Bence Ganti, onstage at the beginning of the first Integral European Conference.

Left to right: Bence Ganti, Örs Horvath and Jeff Salzman at Örs’ restaurant Nemo’s, around the corner from the venue. We declined the proseco-on-tap that Örs offered us. Bence said “They are saints from Boulder,” to which Örs replied “We are saints too, but we drink!”

Brett Walker on the tour bus that took us around Budapest.

Jeff at the famous Citadel lookout. Budapest is spread out below, bisected by the legendary Danube River.

Phone pics from the castle.

The day before the conference and everyone is arriving in the lobby of the Hotel Belvedere: Left to right: Jeff Salzman, John Dupuy, Pam Parson-Dupuy and Terry Patten.

Looking out from the 6th floor of the Hotel Belvedere. Dusk light bathes the neighborhood.

John Dupuy on the bank of the Danube, getting ready to board Attila. Bence arranged a boat party the evening before the conference and we were treated to a Hungarian meal and a view of the city at night.

Left to right: Elmar Lorenz, Pam Parsons-Dupuy and Cyndi Lorenz aboard the Attila for the boat party on the Danube.

Eva-Maria von Selzam and Jeff  talking on-board the Attila.

Left to right: John Thompson and Sean Wilkinson of Circling Europe, on-board the Attila.

“Stop taking pictures of me taking pictures!” Pam Parson-Dupuy at the boat party snapping phone pics of the Parliament building lit up at night.

Talking on the boat. It rained a little almost every day.

Last minute preparations for the conference: The elegant and able Alistair Langer, left, and volunteer Marton Visi of Integral Mentoring.

Örs Horváth (left), teacher at Integral Academy and co-producer of the conference, and Bence Ganti, founder of Integral Academy and driving force behind IEC 2014.

Jeff talking to Aftab Omer while waiting for Sergei Kupriyanov to begin his workshop, Holoscendence.

The Russian contingent: Sergei Kupriyanov (left) and Eugene Pustoshkin. Eugene led a workshop to talk about the state of integral in Russia.

The film crew doing interviews in front of the venue for the IEC film. From left, John Dupuy, Terry Patten and Alistair Langer.

Alistair Langer helping to mic Terry Patten for an interview while the film crew reflects Terry’s glory back upon Him. The organizers decided to produce a film about the conference for the purpose of getting future sponsors. They raised the money needed to do so during the conference.

Susanne Cook-Greuter getting interview advice from Terry Patten outside the venue. Alistair Langer holds the microphone.

The main stage in the cavernous conference center. Bence, Jeff and Terry are onstage while participants do an ice-breaking exercise.

Dennis Wittrock receiving a gift from the U.S. to Europe, and Jeff receiving a gift from Europe to the U.S.

Jeff giving thanks for the gift — a flag representing all the countries of Europe that reads “Integral Europe”. Dennis (red shirt) holds the gift from the U.S. — an Apple laptop under glass containing the complete works (so far) of Ken Wilber.

Jeff in the interview room at IEC, sitting with Alex Howard (right) who produces integral online television. Photo by Bence Ganti.

John Thompson and Sean Wilkinson lead a circling workshop.

Peter McNab,(left) founder of excellenceforall and author of Towards An Integral Vision, and Frank Visser, editor of Integral World, talking with another participant. Visser and McNab both led workshops.

The bonfire at the gulyas party, in the spring meadows outside of Budapest. Photo: Mathias Weitbrecht

Bence Ganti (left) and John Dupuy playing and singing under the stars at the gulyas party. Photo: Mathias Weitbrecht

Dancing around the bonfire at the gulyas party. Photo: Mathias Weitbrecht

Susanne Cook-Greuter being introduced before delivering her keynote where she warned the integral community of the dangers of preferencing higher developmental capacities over the fuller experience of being human.

Integral Flow Process workshop led by Bence Ganti.

During the European Constellation Ritual Bence asks Jeff to represent the U.S. in a psychodramatic way: Who are you USA? What do you need from Europe?

After an intense psychodrama, where participants represented over thirty countries, we joined in a celebration of unity and oneness.

Non-Europeans on the main stage addressing the European contingent toward the end of the conference.

The Daily Evolver’s picks for IEC’s Best Dressed, left to right: Andras Szabo of Hungary, Augustine Bissa Kono Salome of Cameroon (with Krisztina Kopasz of Hungary) and Mike Herzan of Hungary, Production Manager for the IEC movie.

Szilard Vereckei of Hungary showing off his tattoos, which had something to do with the story of humanity, involving an ape and a black banana. I don’t remember.

Sebastian Stark (left) and Felix Krolle of iMove: Integral thought and action for young adults. Integral is in good hands if these guys stay in the game.

A slide from Susanne Cook-Greuter’s workshop Stages of Ego Development.

There was a good mix of theory and practice and people where very willing to dive in.

The entrance to the venue, Millenaris Center.

Street dancers performing in Millenaris Square. It was an industrial complex that was renovated by the government and is now a cultural center.

Left to right: Aftab Omer, Dr. Robin Wood and John Dupuy looking tough in a rough area of Budapest.

The beginning of a three day tour through Hungary, starting with the Castle District in downtown Budapest. Here, looking out from Buda over the Danube toward Pest.

The Castle District. Zoltan, our politically inclined tour guide, pointed out houses where Hungarians hid Jews during WWII.

Jeff and Kaya Brandt looking out in the distance toward Slovakia on the other side of the Danube, which used to be a part of Hungary.

Shaman Istvan Somogyi  leading us in a chant on top of the mountain. He learned one of the chants from Native Americans.

We meditated in nature before gathering at the sound of the drum so Bence could lead us in a chant. The wet woods, the singing and the movement were welcome antidotes to a heady conference.

At a medieval restaurant where we stopped for dinner, Susanne Cook-Greuter took her turn playing the Fool.

George Por, integral intellectual now living in London, sharing the story of his imprisonment by the Hungarian secret police as a student during the unrest in the 1960’s. “It is my duty to tell my story. I don’t have the right to be shy.”

On the tour after the conference we were taken by horse and buggy to the ruins of a church and monastery built in honor of Mary Magdalen, 12th century, Hungarian countryside.

Many people felt a special energy to this place. The monastery was destroyed by the Turks.

Jeff inside the church.

The beautiful creatures that pulled us over the muddy country roads.

We stopped in a small village to hear a sacred music performance. The singer, whose name is Jesxensxky Istvan (good luck pronouncing that!) entered from the back of the church singing in an ethereal falsetto that echoed throughout the building.

Everyone was transfixed by the beautiful bhajans. Istvan sold out of CD’s afterwards.

Bence Ganti, our fearless leader, on the tour bus bathed in the dusk light.

A couple from the tour looking out on Lake Balaton, early morning, Hungarian countryside.

Members of the tour in the thermal lake. Oh, the humanity!

Michael Scott of South Africa (left) and Jeff  taking a walk by Lake Balaton in a small town in the Hungarian countryside.

Bence (left) and Zoltan, our tour guide. “Since 1456 we’ve been losing everything,” he said, “there is a pessimism here because of that, a depression.” Bence is working to wake up the country and shake them out of this pessimism. Here he is giving a toast before passing the glass around for everyone else to do the same.

Susanne Cook-Greuter accepting the microphone to give a toast.

Alistair Langer, best dressed man on the tour and an excellent conversationalist.

Left to right: Aftab Omar, Marilyn Hamilton and Bence Ganti.