Falco, Oberto Airaudi

Falco Tarassaco, Oberto Airaudi

The story of Falco is the story of a man who believed so strongly in his dreams that he was able to involve many other people and make them dream as well. It is also the story of a man who has always lived ahead of his time.

1950

Falco was born in 1950 in Balangero, near Turin, from Dovilia and Giovanni, and from a very early age showed very unusual abilities: he could heal the injuries of his friends, enliven their games with visions and wonders, continuously testing the co-existence between natural and supernatural laws. It was not so much his friends who were frightened by this abilities but rather, sometimes, his parents. The anecdotes, told by him and by his mother are unforgettable: his rides on a bicycle on which he had fixed two handcrafted little rockets, or how he sometimes “gave orders” to the washing machine to chase his parents!

1967

Falco published his first book “Poems of my sixteen years” (Poesie dei miei sedici anni), followed by “Chronicles of my suicide” (Cronache del mio suicidio) in 1968.

1969

he successfully applied to the Juvenile Court and was emancipated, becoming an adult, which should have normally occurred two years later. He opened an insurance agency and became the youngest broker in Italy. Still in 1969, he married and had his first child, a daughter, Valeria. A year later his son, Adriano was born. His youngest daughter, Laene, would be born much later, in 2001.

Early '70

In the early 70’s, he was already well known as an energy healer, parapsychologist, medium, hypnotist, and was touring Italy participating in meetings and conferences. In 1975, he founded the Horus Centre in Turin to share what he felt was his mission: to create a spiritual society based on research and practical actions in which men and women could experiment a new balance between human beings, divine forces and natural forces. An enlightened society and a spiritual People that could serve as a magnet to orient a new relationship with the Gods, and be the spark for the awakening of humanity. This mission was the reason why he received such unusual powers, and a charisma that went well beyond his friendly and gentle demeanor.

1976

in order to give his fellow researcher active access to his knowledge and reservoirs of knowledge and powers, Falco gave birth to the School of Meditation, a path of Initiation, both collective and individual. It is an original Initiation path, uniting the common essences of all traditions. It is an inner discipline applied 24 hours per day towards knowledge and self-empowerment through a ritual connection with the Sacred and the Divine. The School of Meditation still is Damanhur’s spiritual heart, and its Initiates are now active in many countries of the world.

The physical community

1977

From the foundation of the Horus Centre and the School of Meditation onwards, Falco’s life has been linked to the project of Damanhur: in 1977 the idea of the physical community was born in order to turn spiritual principles into a shared life and practical achievements. Falco and his friends of the Horus Center – who were to become the co-founders of the community – traveled around the world looking for special “power points” of the earth, in an endeavor to find the place where the energy of the Synchronic Lines – the great rivers of energy that surround our planet and link it to the universe, carrying information, life and events – was greater and more accessible. With a pinch of divine humour, the most suitable area turned out to be the valley of Valchiusella, right on their doorstep one hour north of Turin.

At this time, Valchiusella was largely unpopulated and derelict because most of its farmers had moved from the countryside to the industrial areas of Piedmont. One weekend, while driving through this deserted valley, Falco and a small group of friends reached a hilly portion of land overgrown with brambles and nettles. Falco asked them to stop the car, and start walking up the little hill. A scruffy old man emerged and – to their great surprise – started complaining for taking so long to find him. He told them that many years before he had had a dream in which he saw a new settlement full of children, art and laughter situated on that same piece of land. A voice had instructed him to buy the land piece by piece so that one day he could hand it over to those who were to settle there and realize the vision. The week after they signed the deeds to the land the old man peacefully passed away

1978

In a nearby hill, in 1978, in complete secret, the construction of the Temples of Humankind had began, the great underground cathedral that was an essential part of Falco’s vision, and an important gift of Damanhur to humanity. The Temples had to be confidential because, although the land belonged to the community, in Italy it was not possible to obtain a permit to excavate such a monumental underground building. The Damanhurians felt that the Temples were so important, that they decided to take the risk.

1979

On that land, now called Damjl, in December 1979, there was the opening ceremony of Damanhur’s early community.

1983

In order to bring in new citizens and start a period of more intensive cultural and artistic characterization, in 1983, Falco launched an initiative called “The Game of Life” based on the concept of the need of constant change and renewal towards awakening, both personal and collective. Along with this initiative, Damanhurians could choose to take an animal name, and thus he became Falco. With the “Game of Life” Falco also launched another initiative, that would become a characteristic feature of how he shared his teachings throughout his life: the “Viaggio,” (the Journey). Moving with cars and tents at first, and with big campers later, Falco would bring different people with him for movements also very far from Damanhur, to conduct experimentations and explore many fields of research on a deeper level.

1992

All along the 80’s, new people joined the community and Damanhur grew slowly but steadily to a few hundreds citizens. In the beginning of the 90’s the social atmosphere in Italy was one of great suspect against all new spiritual movements and Damanhur was under frequent attack, from the press and the legal authorities that suspected illicit activities. Falco encouraged the Damanhurians to continue working and growing, to refine themselves and create art and beauty, while trying to be as self-sufficient as possible. In 1992, the Public Prosecutor’s office in Ivrea discovered Damanhur’s great secret: the underground Temples.

1996

The following four years were spent fighting a tough political and legal battle which ended in 1996 with the official authorization to keep and re-open the Temples of Humankind. Falco was personally committed to save the Temples and always kept the morale of the Damanhurians up, even at moments in which it seemed that their precious spiritual heart would indeed be destroyed.

From 1996 on, pilgrims from all over the world started to visit and meditate in the Temples of Humankind, and Damanhur became popular at an international level, appealing especially to spiritual researchers, innovators and artists. Falco’s inspiration is clearly visible in the Temples, as they are one of the main vehicles through which Damanhur communicates its message: an eco-society able to combine metaphysical aspirations with politics, solidarity, service and business companies, innovative educational services, a cutting-edge healthcare system, and a fully satisfying life for its citizens.

Falco's mission and attitude

Falco was a man deeply convinced of his mission and therefore capable of dedicating himself to it with incredible energy and consistency. Besides his smile, his sense of humor, his vivid intelligence and his ability to constantly think of new ideas, what was striking about him was his constant commitment to make a new world come true, with Damanhur as a starting point. To this he dedicated his total attention, and his vitality, desire to take action, devotion and optimism were very inspiring for all those who met him.

In the first years of Damanhur, Falco defined himself as a “Governor” and was actively involved both in steering the collective decisions and in choosing the people who should implement them. Gradually he stepped back from direct involvement, leaving the management of the community to the citizens that were elected to the different decision-making roles. In 1989 the Constitution of Damanhur stated that from that moment on he would have no social roles in the community. He was of course always highly regarded and his input was considered very important by everyone. For this reason, he was very keen to be informed of all the activities relating to Damanhur, but he was reticent in expressing his thoughts, as he did not want people to feel compelled to follow his opinion.

Throughout his life, he never wanted to promote his image, nor was he involved in promoting Damanhur personally in public events. He preferred to dedicate himself to his activities of painter and researcher in the field of Selfica – an ancient art/science to build conductors for highly specialized intelligent energies –, healing and human potential, but he was available for public meetings with Damanhurians and guests of Damanhur. During the meetings on Thursday evenings he shared an intense dialogue with the Damanhurians about his findings. On Fridays he would answer questions by guests interested in understanding the principles and dynamics of Damanhur. For many years, several evenings during the week, he animated a very complex life-action game, called “Damanhurian Risk”, to teach in a practical way the effects of the social, political and economic dynamics that shape the history of humanity.

As years went by, Damanhur’s popularity across the world continued to grow, and many people and groups from all over the world started to join Damanhurian citizens to participate in the ritual celebrations of the Solstices and Equinoxes, and the monthly Rite of the Oracle at the Full Moon.

Damanhurians looked at Falco as their spiritual guide, a man who had the ability to tap into the great reservoirs of universal knowledge in order to extract the wisdom and the power that could lead to new scientific discoveries and spiritual paradigms. Among his many contributions to the understanding of the human role in the universe are: Spiritual Physics, the path of the “Quesiti,” his vision of the divine planes as an eco-system. These insights are at the basis of the Damanhurian School of Meditation, the heart of the new paradigm that Falco created.

In order to explain universal truths Falco presented many uplifting myths, images and stories full of emotions which stimulated new, different interpretations of the meaning of life and evolution. The existence of a moment, far ahead in time, when an evolved galactic being is sent to Earth to trigger a “separation of time planes” and restore balance on the planet; the Divine Presence seen as a mirror that breaks into a myriad fragments in order to enter every form in our universe; the alien-gorilla Enkidu messenger of the Gods, manifesting on earth to bring help; the “Four Seconds Café” where the primeval laws meet and originate the universe in four seconds; the divinity Horus, as an example of a divine force which has always been an ally for the evolution of humankind; the Triad, the divine alliance of the Third Millennium; and the new form of the Grail force, in this time of awakening of humanity; bringing together the gods and godesses of all times and all peoples… All of these themes give shape to a vision of the world and of life, an integrated ensemble of esotericism, philosophy, tradition and innovation which informs Damanhur’s experience.

2013

After a life lived fully, intensely and with joy, in March 2013, Falco finds out he is seriously ill. He is not dismayed by the news. He works closely with his collaborators to pass on the knowledge relevant to all the ongoing projects. Gradually, he leaves all his estate to Damanhur and is open to meet the Damanhurian that so wish, in individual talks. On Monday, June 17th, he appears in front of his people for the last time. On June 21st, Falco sends his last message via Skype from his home to all the guests in Damanhur, who, like every Friday, are gathered to meet him.

June 23rd, 2013

The Falcon flies away at 11:12 pm on Sunday June 23^rd.He is in his home, with his mother and a few people that were very close to him. It is the night of the Full Moon – a “super-moon” actually as it is largest full moon of the year and it presents the moon’s closest encounter with Earth. In that moment, in Damanhur, the Rite of the Oracle is being celebrated. On that very day, Damanhur also celebrated the Ritual of the Summer Solstice, shared by hundreds of people who felt the calling of Falco’s dream.