“Swimming Between Worlds” — By Fabian Atlantis

Hello brothers,

I’d like to share a bit about my experience with the Mankind Project and what it has meant for my life.

I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany. In my 30s, I went through a deep personal crisis — burnout, depression, and a complete loss of direction. I tried many healing methods, but still felt lost inside. Then someone suggested I join the Mankind Project Initiation Weekend, and that experience truly changed my life.

During the weekend, I participated in the spirit animal meditation — honestly, I didn’t believe in it at first. But to my surprise, a vision of a dolphin appeared. That became my MKP name: Powerful Dolphin.

That moment marked a turning point.

Today, I organize retreats around the world — including journeys to Egypt to swim with wild dolphins — and I offer Somatic Water Therapy, which I call Pink Dolphin Therapy. The dolphin that appeared during my initiation continues to guide my life and work every day.

After my Initiation Weekend, I served as a volunteer at several weekends in Germany and later in the U.S. When I came to America, I was excited to be in the birthplace of MKP, but also a bit saddened to learn that Native American elements had been removed from the weekend. I understand and respect the reasons related to cultural appropriation and the pain that Indigenous people have endured. Yet, for me personally, those traditions carried powerful symbolic energy that connected me deeply to the sacred.

I still love this community — the brotherhood, the honesty, the support. And I also believe we are all being called to find new ways to honour the sacred — with humility, awareness, and deep respect for the cultures that inspired us.

During my Initiation Weekend in Germany, one of the participants identified as non-biological male. I know this topic can be sensitive and has brought up discussions in our community. In my experience, it didn’t affect the process negatively. Yes, there was more focus and energy around this person — but what I saw was compassion, care, and inclusion. For me, it was a reminder that every human being, regardless of background or identity, is longing for healing and belonging.

In my own work today, I continue to collaborate with Indigenous teachers, especially in the Amazon, where I guide groups to meet the Huni Kuin tribe, heal their hearts with plant medicine and swim with pink dolphins. We approach these experiences with reverence and gratitude, not appropriation.

I also want to share an experience from a recent retreat I led in Egypt. Ninety percent of my participants were women, and during that trip, several shared that they felt sexually harassed by some of my Egyptian crew members and asked me to fire them. Naturally, I was deeply concerned and wanted to protect the women involved. But after deeper conversations, I realized that no actual harassment had occurred — what we were seeing was a clash of cultures and perceptions.

This experience reminded me of how quickly fear and hurt can lead us to judgment — how easily we can fall into cancelling or condemning, rather than seeking to understand.

It made me reflect on the cancel culture we see in society today — and how, underneath it all, there is deep pain, sadness, and unhealed trauma on both sides.

My wish is that we, as men and as humans, continue to hold the middle ground — to practice compassion, dialogue, and non-dogmatic love.

Whether between men and women, Indigenous and Western people, or political sides — the real work is to keep our hearts open and stop blaming each other.

Because beneath all the anger, I believe we are united by one truth: We are all carrying pain in our hearts — and longing to heal.