Sand, Flow, and Presence: My Story of Destiny, the Desert, and a First Encounter with an Angel

"I deeply believe in destiny, signs, and talismans. I believe that when you are on the right path — the universe, God, whatever you choose to call it — will help you along the way."

These words have been my silent companions throughout my life.

Often, we try project after project, only to feel that something is still missing, even when everything seems perfectly aligned on the surface.

In my search for that elusive feeling, I remembered the book "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

He wrote:

"Flow is the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter."
"To experience flow, the challenge must be difficult enough to require effort but not so difficult as to cause anxiety."

 

When WE began building the WerderArt Platform, I finally understood what Csikszentmihalyi meant. There was everything in the process — joy, effort, excitement, and complete immersion.
It was through this work that I entered a true state of flow.

Oman. The Desert. The People.

We were in Muscat, Oman — a country where the sands still whisper the memory of ancient nomads, and the sky seems so close that you could almost reach out and touch it.
Oman's deserts, like the legendary Wahiba Sands, have been home to Bedouin tribes for centuries. Since the 13th century, these lands have seen caravans carrying frankincense and silk, and at night, beneath a canopy of a million stars, stories of spirits, wanderers, and desert angels were born.

We dreamed of sleeping under the open sky, just in a tent, with nothing but the universe above us.

When we arrived, a small girl named Fatima greeted us. She was like the desert itself — modest, yet infinitely strong. She jumped into a massive jeep and signaled us to follow her.
We deflated the tires and set off, dancing over the dunes and through the shifting winds.

But something went wrong. Our wheels slipped, the sand pulled us down, and anxiety crept in.
Fatima noticed. She stopped, approached us with a serene smile, and said:

"Don’t worry. Just enjoy the desert."

That simple phrase became a revelation.
Sometimes all we need is to pause, spot the mistake (we had forgotten to switch the car into 4x4 mode), correct it — and continue, savoring every step of the journey.

Sunset, Campfire, and Something More

That evening, the buggies carried us into the sunset — golden dunes rolling like the breath of an ancient giant, and the sky blazing with violet and crimson.

Later, sitting by the campfire, we watched the stars and the moon, recalling scenes from "Dune."

And that night...
As I lay down to sleep in the absolute stillness, deeper than any ocean, I felt a presence.
Someone — or something — was near. I knew it. I could almost feel the gaze — gentle, watchful.

And then I saw it.

In the air, moving through the thin veil of dreams and drifting sand, was an enormous figure — long, translucent, radiant.
An angel.
I knew it immediately, without needing to ask.
It moved through another dimension yet was somehow completely present.

I wanted to ask who it was, why it was there. But the only answer was a deep, resonant silence — full of meaning.

Prophecy and Sculptures

Months later, almost by chance, I encountered a sculpture.
It was him.
Exactly as I had seen in my vision.
The same ethereal form, the same silent strength.

Was it coincidence?
I believe otherwise.

As Paulo Coelho once wrote:

"Signs are the language in which God speaks to us. We must learn to understand it."

I fell in love with Ilya’s project as if recognizing a long-lost companion — as if someone had been walking toward me all this time, across the endless dunes of memory.

And this story —
Is just beginning.

Nomads and Angels of the Desert

The Bedouins of Oman have long believed that the desert is inhabited by guardian spirits — beings who protect travelers from misfortune.
Their descriptions are uncannily similar to my vision: shimmering silhouettes, flickering through the shimmering heat, guiding those who dare cross the sands.
Creatures like angels without wings, made of sand and light.

Omani folklore says:

"In the desert, every traveler meets their guide."

And it seems, I have met mine.

Follow for more.

Because miracles — are only just beginning.