IEC - Integral European Conference

EC 2025 – DAY 4: Wholeness, Fire, and Collective Awakening
May 31, Saturday

📸 This is the second chapter in our “backwards in time” photo series from IEC 2025. Relive the vibrant energy of Day 4!

The day opened with Karen O’Brien’s visionary keynote Fractals of Change, reminding us how small shifts can ripple into systemic transformation. We then met all Saturday presenters through rapid-fire Elevator Pitches, igniting curiosity for a day full of rich workshops.

Elke Fein invited us to surf the polarities of modern politics with wholeness and nuance, while Craig Hamilton guided us into Collective Awakening as a pathway to invoking a deeper wholeness within and among us.

And then came the night.
The Outdoor Tribal Community Event was a soul-stirring celebration under the open sky: fire, drumming, dancing, and music with Gábor Ölvedi, Bence Gánti, Fatu Gozlan, and their musician friends. A wild, alive and heart-opening gathering that embodied the integral spirit in rhythm and joy.

Explore the photo album and let your memories come alive.

The Fire Ceremony at IEC – A Night of Sacred Connection

One of the most beloved traditions of the Integral European Conference is the Fire Ceremony, and this year, it was truly unforgettable.

We gathered at the edge of Lake Balaton, under the night sky, with the moon above us, the fire before us, and the four elements—earth, water, fire, and air—present in full aliveness.

The rhythm of shamanic drums, the haunting sounds of the ney flute, the primal pulse of the doromb—played live by Ölvedi Gábor, Gánti Bence, Gozlan Fatime, and Vértes Zsolt—wove us into a timeless ritual.

We danced, we sang, we moved in circles, calling in the ancient tradition of fire gatherings, something deeply human, deeply sacred. The fire brought us back to ourselves, to the earth, and to each other.

These are the moments that root the conference not just in theory, but in embodiment, spirit, and shared presence.

Thank you to everyone who brought their voice, body, heart, and soul to the circle.
This is IEC. This is community. This is Integral in action.

📷 Krisztián Bódis

4th day's KEYNOTE

Elke Fein, PhD
Wholeness in Politics – Surfing the Polarities

In a world increasingly shaped by fragmentation and polarization, Elke Fein brought refreshing clarity and nuance. With her background in political sociology and integral research, she showed how the dance of opposites—left and right, tradition and progress, hierarchy and equality—can be engaged consciously, not just endured. She offered a grounded framework for “surfing the polarities” in political discourse and action, not by collapsing into one side or the other, but by holding the whole. Her talk was both visionary and deeply practical—a guide for integral leadership in turbulent times.

Our third keynote was an unforgettable journey with Santiago Jimenez!

In his unique session, we didn’t just sit and listen; we moved, felt, and resonated together as a community.

“A Journey of Sound through the Stages”
IEC 2025

Imagine a global integral community of hundreds of people moving in unison, guided through the stages of human development with live music, meditation, dance, and art. From our earliest expressions of consciousness to the vast space of universal oneness, Santiago led us in a deeply embodied, soul-stirring experience.

The first version of this powerful journey happened during an online edition of IEC, and now, in person, it was even more impactful.

Thank you, Santiago, for bringing the miracle of embodiment and sound to the heart of the conference.