On religious holidays people tell each other the same stories every year. The Gamma Tao is my basic personal religion, so every year on Sunflower Seeding Day I tell myself how on 12 December 2012 I woke up in the middle of the night with the clear intention to write a book.

Over Christmas I had visited my father in the hospital. We were still unaware that he was terminally ill. Leaving the hospital I started asking myself questions about the use of all the philosophical and spiritual books I had been reading over the years. If they were not useful in such a moment of crisis, did they have any value at all?

My father and mother divorced when I was about 5 years old. Growing up in two different households contributed to my desire for harmony and aversion towards unsurmountable divisions. As a student in Rome I experienced a kind of spiritual awakening when I read Heraclitus’ ideas about the harmony of opposites.

That night of 12 December 2012 I had a vision to bring new life and harmony into all religions and philosophies.

I recognise now that it was quite a grandiose idea. In the middle of the night you can easily become detached from ordinary reality. When similar high spirited ideas arise in my mind, my own critical thinking usually brings them back to the ground soon enough. This time, however, the illness of my father had created a sense of urgency. It felt like now or never. I am still amazed how in the following weeks all the pieces of the puzzle magically fell together into what has now become the Gamma Tao.

All this time the Gamma Tao continues to be a great source of inspiration and support for me. It captures the essence of what I believe is important in all the wisdom traditions that I have studied and it has opened my mind to many others.

If there was some spark of missionary fervour in the original vision to harmonise all wisdom traditions, this has now receded well into the background. I feel a strong connection with the interfaith movement, but I am not actively promoting the Gamma Tao in any way.

The Gamma Tao is composed of perennial and universal insights, but it remains very personal and intimate. It will never be institutionalised. That would create only more division. Instead of becoming something new, the Gamma Tao is intended to inspire people to become active within their own traditions.

I like to think of the Gamma Tao as a silent γ, a consonant that does not need to be pronounced. A silent breath of fresh air.

As stated on the introduction page everyone can consider oneself a γHumanist, γTaoist, γChristian, γBuddhist, γMuslim, γJewish, γHindu, γPagan, γAtheist or any combination of these and other wisdom traditions by simply minding the minimal principles of the Gamma Tao.

Anyway, Sunflower Seeding Day is a great day to plant some fresh ideas and intentions in your mind, so in the coming days they can germinate into New Year’s resolutions.

While I will continue to celebrate this special day for me today, I wish everybody already a Happy New Year!