Rumi

Sometimes I find a poem that so eloquently puts into words the feelings I know without a doubt in my heart. I want to share this one in particular with the people I know who will appreciate it, especially those of you I find myself dancing with again and again. You know who you are....


The Privileged Lovers (by Rumi)

The moon has become a dancer
at this festival of love.
This dance of light,

This sacred blessing,
This divine love,
beckons us
to a world beyond
only lovers can see
with their eyes of fiery passion.

They are the chosen ones
who have surrendered.
Once they were particles of light
now they are the radiant sun.

They have left behind
the world of deceitful games.
They are the privileged lovers
who create a new world
with their eyes of fiery passion.

Earthdance & Symbiosis '06

Every time I return from an adventure, I always feel like I've learned something new about myself.
That's why I'm always seeking adventures. :-)

Earthdance was the most spiritually alive festival I've been to in years. The amount of loving intentions that goes into the making of this festival was apparent upon arrival. From the inspiring tarot card paintings hanging in the trees to the massive natural mandala created throughout the weekend by festival attendees, love was all around.

There was also a great selection of music, including lots of hip hop like Wisdom, Blackalicious, and Ozomatli. Awesome DJ's like Bassnectar, Cheb i Sabbah, and DJ Logic. And other new favorites like Kid Beyond, Luminous Fog, etc, etc, etc. I had so much fun bouncing around the festival and making new friends.

I volunteered at Earthdance this year for the Rainforest Action Network. I spent a lot of my time at the festival walking around with petitions for their various campaigns, and running the booth. It was a good experience, and I gathered a lot of good information talking to people about corporate power.

After Earthdance, I headed straight to the Symbiosis Gathering which started with a four day permaculture intensive workshop. We went over the basics of permaculture, surveyed the land where the festival would be held, and discussed concepts for how we could make this festival and other festivals more "green." The workshop served as an awesome preliminary to the four day festival.

The festival itself was full of some really interesting electronic music. My new favorite of the weekend was Shpongle! Check him out if you haven't already. Off the hook, yo. Nothing but good things to say. I won't even try to explain, just listen!

Other than that, there was Sporque, Zilla, Hallucinogen, the Goddess Alchemy Project, etc, etc, etc. All the good music in my life is overwhelming sometimes! I love it!

And now life has taken me to the woods of northern California for some farm work during harvest season, and camping out in the beautiful redwoods of Humboldt County. I moved out of Santa Cruz for good last week, packed up a few important items, and gave everything else to Good Will. I'm moving onto a new phase of my life starting RIGHT NOW. The Peace Corps has nominated me for a possible position doing agroforestry in Africa. I'm starting to study French now to prepare myself, and will most likely be leaving for two years starting this February, assuming all goes as planned.

So that's the update for now.
Living, learning, loving.... what else is there to do really?

High Sierra Music Festival 2006

Another beautiful festival in the high sierras, and the perfect re-entry to life in California!

I had another great year camping with the
Happy Brigade, who always knows how to BRING IT! With the Stoke-O-Meter perpetually gauging the level of stoke amongst passerbys, a Rock the Earth benefit party with members of Railroad Earth, and a kazoo marching band parade through the festival grounds, I couldn't have asked for a better crew to spend my festival with.

This was my fifth consecutive year at High Sierra, and I'm positive that each year gets better. Friends and families coming together, constantly growing connections, and a palpable feeling of love all around. This year was also my first year volunteering with the Hospitality Crew at the Big Meadow stage. I am so grateful for the opportunity, and can't wait for more good times in the years to come.

Oh, right, and the music! Lots of great music, all day long, all night long... Who needs sleep anyway!? At High Sierra, there's always something for everyone. There were a couple of great sets with the Hot Buttered Rum String Band for the bluegrass-inclined.  Lotus, with their ambient psychedelic grooves rocked the house late night with Hairy Apes BMX, if you're looking for something more alternative. Brother showed up for an odd combination of world sounds, including didjeridoos and bagpipes. Toubab Krewe became my new favorite band this year with their afro-caribbean surfer style. Then there was Chris Berry and Panjea who made an impression on me with their conscious lyrics and positive message along with danceable beats and some fine horn players. Another new favorite was Stymie and the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra who really brought the FUNK!

The music, the people, the perfect weather, the trees all around, the free sunscreen (!).... yeah, it was the perfect welcome home. High Sierra rocks my world.

Buena Vista de Corazon

Over the weekend, I decided to take a trip back to Antigua to see some live music. There aren´t too many opportunities to see good live music here in Guatemala. Also, my friends Rob and Carley were making the trip from Xela, so I thought it´d be fun to meet up with them for the show.

First on stage was a group from Livingston, Guatemala called the Jovenes Garifunas. They´re a Carribean band with unique instruments like the ¨tortugas¨, drums made from tortoise shells, and conch shell horns. The music was lively, like what you might expect from the Carribean with drumming, chanting, and full figured women on stage shaking their booties. Good times!

Next up was Sol Latino, a band from the Andes. Their music made me nostalgic for Peru with the sound of the pan pipes and their colorful alpaca shawls. It wasn´t too interesting of a set though. I was ready to hear some Cuban salsa.

The main act was a Cuban band formed from some of the remaining members of the Buena Vista Social Club along with other musicians. The music was really great. And occasionally they would have these amazingly gorgeous salsa dancers on stage. Once the VIP seats were overtaken in favor of dance space, the show got to be a lot more interesting with everyone dancing in front of the stage. It was a fun show, and the night ended with a fireworks display that would put 4th of July in the U.S to shame.

I think Rob and Carley would agree with me on this. The night of live music and dancing under the stars in Antigua was ¨muy especial.¨

Muy especial.

Then Sunday, we hit the road back toward San Pedro la Laguna, stopping along the way for fantastic views of Lago de Atitlan from the highway.
Today I´m back to my studies in Spanish. I also decided to move into a new hotel with a bigger room, a better kitchen, and a view of the lake for the same price as I was paying before (Q 20/night). What a deal. I intend on staying in San Pedro for at least three more weeks, although anything could happen. ;-)

Love Parade 2005

The second annual Love Parade in San Francisco was super fun once again. Our crew headed down Market to catch the parade in route. I was on a mission to find the Pink Mammoth. After last year's excursion on the Pink Mammoth, I felt like keeping with tradition. So I hopped on the giant pink float as it passed by and felt right at home. Elise even took photos! Too funny!

It was a fun day in the sun with electronic beats in all directions around that city block in front of city hall. Then late night at the Opel Productions party was most excellent. I'm a fan of the Love Parade, for sure. Love is the best reason to celebrate, after all.

Hornings Hideout 2005

Hornings was such a different experience for me than in years past. That place holds a lot of memories, not all of which I prefer to recall, unfortunately. Nothing can change the magic and allure of that forested faerie-land for me though. I remember last year how grateful I was for the Happy Brigade. And this year being camped with the Happy Brigade, and being a part of the success of our Stoke Lounge was exciting and fun. It feels good to be involved with such a loving and caring group of people.

Some of my favorite memories this year include hijacking a canoe late-night and crossing the lake with max in the dark. The Gang Green Lime Machine will also go down in history, I think. It was a beautiful festival. I hope String Cheese is allowed to return next year, so we can enjoy the lands of earth, fire, air, and water once again.

Soul of the African Drum

I took a weekend workshop at Esalen on African drumming. I had the best time and now I'd love to get myself a djembe so I can keep practicing all the rhythms I learned.

Gun-Go-Do, Gun-Go-Do, Gun-Go-Do-Go-Do-Gun, Gun-Go-Do-Go-Do-Gun-Pa-Ta!

We had a drumming ceremony on the final day of the workshop. All of us dressed in white drumming in a circle, singing traditional African songs, and praising Yemaya, Mother Goddess of the Ocean. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I felt like I could drum forever!

Joshua Tree Music Festival

I couldn't have asked for a better location for a festival. I love that desert.

There was a great selection of music on both stages. Definitely the highlights for me have to be Zilla on Saturday night, and then Hamsa Lila playing from midnight to sunrise afterwards. Beautiful. Trance-inducing. Hypnotic. I also really enjoyed the Benevento-Russo Duo on Sunday. I look forward to seeing those guys again when I'm not completely exhausted from a night of ecstatic dance. ;-)

The intimacy of the festival made it particularly special. I feel like I left with some new good friends, and connected more deeply with old friends.