Bhakti Fest 2012: A Personal Journal
By The Shanti Scribe
September 6-9, 2012 - Joshua Tree, CA: Friday morning. Day break - The campground has grown overnight. RVs now come into the grounds and setup. I meet my camp neighbors. Lisa from Oregon is next to us. Sweet person and so excited to be there. My other neighbor Nancy from Redlands, is on the other side, and is pretty much the same. Bhakti Fest tends to do that. Brings new found energy in you and makes you come alive!
I'm up early to do some chanting. I am into chanting now and love the Hanuman Chalisa that is held early every morning at the festival. It's in the Sanctuary, and with different Kirtan artists performing it, and teaching it to others. The Hanuman Chalisa is a 40 verse poem/prayer to Hanuman. Chalisa actually means "40", and Hanuman, being the deity to the virtue of service or Seva. I relate to this because of the many charity events and work I have done lately in my life and wanting to do more service for others. It is a wonderful room full of devotees chanting this beautiful prayer together. I may not pronounce the Sanskrit correctly, but I want to learn as best as I can and I feel a unity as we do this together every morning.
I get a smoothie for breakfast from one of the vendors and head over to the main stage. I walk through all the product vendors by the stage and meet some I really like a lot! I find a cool tank shirt from Third Eye Threads. The owner is from Encinitas, CA and we have a great discussion on the event, life and more. We are in the same neck of the woods and I plan on heading down there to check out more of their wears later.
By The Shanti Scribe
September 6-9, 2012 - Joshua Tree, CA: Friday morning. Day break - The campground has grown overnight. RVs now come into the grounds and setup. I meet my camp neighbors. Lisa from Oregon is next to us. Sweet person and so excited to be there. My other neighbor Nancy from Redlands, is on the other side, and is pretty much the same. Bhakti Fest tends to do that. Brings new found energy in you and makes you come alive!
I'm up early to do some chanting. I am into chanting now and love the Hanuman Chalisa that is held early every morning at the festival. It's in the Sanctuary, and with different Kirtan artists performing it, and teaching it to others. The Hanuman Chalisa is a 40 verse poem/prayer to Hanuman. Chalisa actually means "40", and Hanuman, being the deity to the virtue of service or Seva. I relate to this because of the many charity events and work I have done lately in my life and wanting to do more service for others. It is a wonderful room full of devotees chanting this beautiful prayer together. I may not pronounce the Sanskrit correctly, but I want to learn as best as I can and I feel a unity as we do this together every morning.
I get a smoothie for breakfast from one of the vendors and head over to the main stage. I walk through all the product vendors by the stage and meet some I really like a lot! I find a cool tank shirt from Third Eye Threads. The owner is from Encinitas, CA and we have a great discussion on the event, life and more. We are in the same neck of the woods and I plan on heading down there to check out more of their wears later.
Third Eye Threads
Up by the front of the stage is a cool vendor where I find the PERFECT shorts! I love these things and have been looking for something like this for awhile! The owner is Curt from Lobos Del Mar and this is one happy cool dude! I wanted a couple of pairs of shorts but didn't have enough on me at the moment, and he actually said "Here Brother, take them and pay me when you can". Wha?! Really?! Are people really that nice in the world still and trustworthy! I guess here at Bhakti Fest, they are. Now, I'm not saying he would do that for everyone, but we did get to know each other and have a great conversation, but it was really righteous of him to offer me that. A few days later, I paid him, and I am still in awe of the guy. You should see the stuff he has and it is all Eco friendly materials, such as organically grown cottons and recycled materials, whenever possible. And they work directly with the families that are descendants of the original designers from Mexico and Central America.
Lobos Del Mar
I get to my seat on the grounds and relax on my sleeping bag to enjoy a day of Kirtan. I hear Prema Hara, the totally cool Joey Lugassy, (who did a Kirtan "mash up" of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic" that I'm still blissing over) my favorite local Kirtan artists: Deepak & The Breath of Life Tribe, and later, Durga Das & Mira.
Joey Lugassy
Deepak & The Breath of Life Tribe
There is a dinner break between groups, so I decide to visit the Luna & Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss booth. They are a sponsor of the event and are offering Coconut Bliss bars to snack on and also these huge Coconut Bliss “ice cream” cookie sandwiches. The cookies are made with hemp seeds and are so filling, this "snack" is actually a meal! I head back to my sleeping bag on the "lawn" to visit with my neighbors, Jory & Maria from back East. I find out they are from my family state of Wisconsin and they said they missed Kirtan artist, Girish, at Bhakti Fest Midwest in June, that they were excited to come hear him at this festival. That's some loyal fans! We enjoyed each other's conversations and company all during the festival. Looking forward to seeing and spending more time with them, years to come.
Friday at the festival starts to show new crowds attending now. Coming in from LA and other areas since they are now getting off work and the weekend is about to begin. The evening's performers are: Deva Premal & Miten with Manose, one of my personal favorites at the festival. Next up to perform is Dave Stringer. He has a cool background (was once a film editor/filmmaker like myself) and also has a great sense of humor on stage. His music is so energetic and I am now a new fan. Next is the always wonderful Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe. Wynne Paris, Surya Chandra and Daniel Stewart end out the evening for me. I head back to camp, and sit on my chair I brought and look up into the stars. I see a meteorite streak across the clear sky. I not only see it but I hear it, as it sizzles into the atmosphere. Do I make a wish? Do I really have to?
Not necessary this evening. It was a blissful day!
Friday at the festival starts to show new crowds attending now. Coming in from LA and other areas since they are now getting off work and the weekend is about to begin. The evening's performers are: Deva Premal & Miten with Manose, one of my personal favorites at the festival. Next up to perform is Dave Stringer. He has a cool background (was once a film editor/filmmaker like myself) and also has a great sense of humor on stage. His music is so energetic and I am now a new fan. Next is the always wonderful Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe. Wynne Paris, Surya Chandra and Daniel Stewart end out the evening for me. I head back to camp, and sit on my chair I brought and look up into the stars. I see a meteorite streak across the clear sky. I not only see it but I hear it, as it sizzles into the atmosphere. Do I make a wish? Do I really have to?
Not necessary this evening. It was a blissful day!
RSS Feed
