Many year ago, when the Stuttgart residing artist Stefan Laug asked himself about his actual life-task, he one night had an unexpected dream: he saw himself in a bodiless soul state of being, in a life before this present life, in a crystal like palace together with a group of kindred souls. Masters and angels were also present. While together there, each soul's potential psychic and spiritual evolution had been addressed and discussed, to become clear about each souls future incarnation and what each ones life-task on earth would be. As the round moved to him, Stefan suddenly woke up, having a clear sentence in his heart: "I bring the circle onto the earth". This dream, but more a vision, has guided him through his life ever since.

Stefan, you have become known for your spiritual Land-Art, and especially for your light-circles using butter grease (clarified butter) as burning material. When did you make your first light-circle-performance?

At a certain time in my artistic development, in the late 1980s, I repeatedly had visions of light-circles, but in fact it wasn't until 1991 that I was able to perform the first light-circle. When I finally had performed it, I realised that the power and might which was within the manifestation of the vision, was still much too strong for me.
At that time I travelled with one of my professors, a friend of mine, to his house in France. There the first light-circle happened. It was a small circle, with 57 lights on a field in a valley close to his house. It was quite a remote area. The next house was about three kilometres away. I must admit I was fairly nervous. Although I had made experiments the days before, trying to figure out how to create such a circle, all the requirements necessary, how to make holes, how to get the liquid butter into the holes and how to get the wick to stay upright etc. - but all these things which nowadays are so self-evident, I first found by trial and error.
In the evening of March 18th 1990 I had already prepared everything, when my professor had the idea to just get a short dinner somewhere before the performance. Initially I refused it, but he asked so insistently, that I couldn't say no. When we came back - unfortunately much later than intended - dusk had already fallen, and because the stony ground was the same colour as the butter, I was not able to detect the circle even from a distance of a few meters. I was excited about the performance, about the ritual of lighting the wicks of the 57 butter lights - but when I reached the circle, I discovered about a third of the butter lights were missing their wicks. I was struck with horror. They had been pulled out, all except one single wick, which I had found close to the circle. All the others had disappeared.
Theoretically somebody must have shown up in this remote valley and removed the wicks, but why not all of them? There were no traces of animals, no traces were found in the butter. Nothing. It felt a bit eerie, and my professor was pretty spooked. Abruptly he announced that he was going to bed.
I decided to replace the wicks and to perform the project by myself, however I felt very strong opposing forces, which I didn't dare define. Today I would say there were demonic energies which had attacked me, which did not want me to bring such a lightful power into the earth.
At that time I clearly realised that spiritually I was missing something; an initiation, which I needed to be able to fully do such work. Literally I needed to be able to protect me and my project, and if necessary, to request spiritual support. Not until the mid 90s, after coming back from a one and a half year study visit to Japan did I know for sure that I would be able to deal with such energies and to perform future light-performances without being attacked from outside forces.

How do you proceed in that light-work?

I always respond from my intuition and inner visions. For instance it might happen that I get told in a dream to go to the Himalayas and create a light-form there. In the dream I get a precise picture of that place to go to. In 2002 this happened six months before I embarked on my Global Prayer project in Northern India. I described my vision to a friend who had invited me to join a trekking tour in the Himalayas. He was a real fancier of the Himalayas. To my surprise he instantly had the answer, indicating that there could be only one mountain which matches my vision, and that would be Gumburanjon in Zanskar, and we would pass this mountain on our trekking route.

What are these places like, that you see in your visions and later on frequent?

Mostly these are places of power, energy spots, where there are ley-lines, meridians or energy lines of the earth. Sacred sites are on such places which are defined by these energy lines. Where these ley-lines cross special energies manifest. There is also knowledge; there are entrances to other spiritual and cosmic dimensions.

Why did you choose the spiral and the rhombus for the Global Prayer?

Geometric forms have a particular, sacred power and thus a defined function. In an ultimate sense it is a divine or cosmic power, which flows through them. I was given a form for the Global Prayer, which leads for the spiritual plane into the physical earth-manifestation. This operates through two spirals. Why this is so, I can't describe logically. I can only say, one of these used forms, the rhombus, consisted of 64 lights, we talk of 64 masters. This night there was a unbelievable energy which flew into the earth. The mountain in front of which the Global Prayer was performed, is inhabited by Mahakala, one of the most important protecting deities of Tibetan Buddhism.

In the Global Prayer you call upon invoke Maitreya. Why was especially this light-performance so important for you?

In my work I very strongly refer to Maitreya, the Christ, the world teacher for the Age of Aquarius; before each light-performance I unite with his all-encompassing love and ask for protection, power and guidance. With the Global Prayer I wanted to call attention to Maitreya. Only if more and more people draw attention toward Maitreya his presence can become more known and approved as a fact. People must get the information, to be free to decide themselves what to do with this information they have received.
From December 2002 until January 2003 I sent out more than 1400 emails to all 192 UN member states - to prime ministers, ministers and different representatives of each nation, who according to their position were able to induce changes.

Spiral, rhombus, oval and circle are the central forms which recurrently appear in your artistic work. Are all these forms elementary forms, which we can find in nature?

All forms I work with are from a spiritual point of view fractals. These are multidimensional signs of power and structures of energy, which have a particular function and through which special energies manifest and flow through. We can find the spiral for instance to appears in many natural forms. The rhombus however is less. Although it appears in the wonderful crosses of light, which we experience worldwide in numerous window panes, but lesser in nature. The circle - in its not perfect shaping - we may find represented in nature as we can find the oval too. Circle, oval, spiral, triangle, square, are central and amongst the most powerful geometric forms we know.

It is apparent, that the circle seems to have a special role in your Art. Why?

The circle, for me, is a symbol of the Divine, the Eternal and the union and unity with God. I often use it in my art as a way to unite pure divine energy with the earth and letting this divine energy flow into the earth as healing power - and thus to humankind and all lifeforms. Hence the circle is always transformative.

Are there certain materials that you specially love to work with?

I love working with wood, with gold, and of course with butter, in the past with flour and earth. I have gold-plated many wooden objects. Gold radiates a special light, an energy of the sun, which we physically can feel and which goes through all natural elements. The more pure the gold, the more clear the power it radiates and the better it is perceived.

Why butter in particular?

Butter is the essence of milk - just as soul-consciousness, self-realisation and fulfilment of the Self are the essence of our very being, which lies in ultimate realisation of the unity with God. I love to say: butter is the love of the earth - and the circle is the union with God and the universe. If we would bear this simple wisdom within us, it would be a grand release for the world - a synthesis and liberation for humanity. I would also add that in India they call clarified butter Ghee, well known from Ayurveda, which has a tremendous purifying effect.

Is your work transformation or is it art?

Both is correct. It is art. But it is art in its primordial sense: the embodiment of the relation of humankind to God and to the Cosmos. Over thousands of years humankind has realised that it is embedded in the whole of Creation and has made its search inwards visible through art. On one hand art was a servant to priesthood, on the other hand art was the expression of a culture, being a part of creation and its cosmic laws. Modern Art now represents personal psychograms that deal with profane matters. I try to go back to the roots with my art, pointing toward the essential values of existence, toward the eternal quest of humankind and its union with God. However it is also transformation, which changes humans and nature.

What significance do the forms, symbols and materials you use, have for us humans?

We as humans have somewhat lost the natural and God given connectedness with the realm of nature and our own soul. My projects are all about the restoration of this erstwhile consciousness. When we again learn to understand the forces of nature and the cosmic laws we may again experience this wonderful flow of love energy therein, also within us. The consciousness of harmony and unity got lost because we got deracinated from these dimensions. We lost the connection, or do not give it space within us; material things seem to be more important than the deep inner connectedness to all forces of the Creation, which define and conduct us, but in most parts do not see it. The Indigo and Crystal children, which are increasingly born on earth, bring back this natural ability; for them it is fully normal - they see angels, they see masters, they see nature spirits, they eventually see demons and spirits of the dead, also that is normal. I want to show people, that these energies are actually present. Therefore I use the Great Invocation (see link) as the ritual aspect in my art. The Great Invocation is a tremendous potent instrument and valuable help for humanity. However today many people know about this and call upon higher dimensions by invocation, which connects us with the Divine to receive its energy. In the very near future this instrument shall be used everywhere in the world and thus reinstall the covenant with the Divine, the spiritual, and the earth.

Quote:

"We humans must understand, that we are connected with the earth, and thus also with all sacred centers of the earth - consciously or unconsciously, but indeed we are. By changing this earth and these sacred centers, filling them with love, light and respect, and connecting with it, humanity certainly changes."

Stefan Laug has studied at the State Academy of Art and Design Stuttgart and has been awarded several national and state scholarships. His artistic projects, his prayers and his chants reflect his experience of stillness and transcendence and further his realisation of the Light.

Published 2004, in the October issue of the German 'Esotera' magazine.
www.esotera.de