Gratifly Festival – July 24 – 27
Hosting an Evolution in Transformational Festivals.
http://www.gratiflyfestival.com/
I can taste the magnitude of transformation and activation awaiting every tier of our community this year. There is profundity in the passion, support, commitment and the synchronicity that is felt in the spirit of gatherings like this; and that spirit weaves and reveals itself in waves, with glances of the bigger mythos that continues to unfold in our collective culture. Something truly special happens when we join together in these powerful containers, share sacred space and our gifts, and bring our hearts close to the Earth with intention, love, celebration and togetherness.
There is some serious magic brewing in the Southeast at Gratifly Music and Arts Festival this year. Gratifly is a second year transformational festival that has brought together a powerful all- star team of visionaries, community builders, and producers from all over the country. Gratifly is evolving rapidly in its unique flavor, not only because it’s bringing the movement to the Southeast, but because of the quality of its programming and the passion of its intent. This year, Gratifly has created a holistic model of production for a unique exchange of energy for everyone on the team, which improves the quality of connection as a community co-creating an experience together. Both behind the scenes and in the public eye, everyone engaged in the process of Gratifly 2014 is essentially involved in a transformational process,–one could say this about any major project– but it’s the quality of intention, core values and community co-creation that enhances this experiment in expansion. Not only because of the blueprint of Gratifly, we can’t help but to be deeply touched when we find ourselves on beautiful land with incredible people from all over the world celebrating the act of joining in creative passion. Similar to the uniqueness of Envision Festival, there is a surreality in journeying to a foreign place that is a completely different context and yet a luscious, green & sanctified environment for community celebration. When we find ourselves out of our normal surroundings and familiar patterns, on ancient land, with an overwhelming amount of beautiful friends from our international community, it changes how we relate with reality itself. Within this container,there is more safety and permission to truly expand.
Aside from hosting the most activating and integral musical and visual artists from the scene, the workshop department is bringing in a whole new design for festivals. We are birthing a template that offers participants the opportunity to fully immersive themselves in an experience that develops over the 4 days. Inspired by the Tribal Alliance Gathering, this workshop template touches the growth edge of what it means to create a village by offering quality, intention and care equaled to a summit or retreat intensive. Festival participants have the unique opportunity to discover amazing featured wisdom keepers, world renowned teachers, and presenters that bring a sequence of offerings that expand on each other throughout the festival. Within the myriad of activities there will be plenty of room to celebrate, integrate, be inspired, be supported, and be you. The programming for the Village–main field of the workshop area allows a diverse arrangement of offerings for participants to not only explore, but create their own itinerary. This new style of immersive workshops blossom alongside some of the traditional festival offerings, allowing for a wide spectrum of themes to choose from. The featured presenters, ceremonial space holders, and co-creators of the event offer an opportunity for participants to really dive into their processes if they so choose.
This year also hosts a series of ceremonies, panels, councils and themed categories making available endless expansive experiences. Themes within the total Village of Gratifly 2014 include: Temple of the Sacred, Land of Emergence, House of Creation and Movement Mecca. These sets of themes helps one to identify, choose and experi
ence the categories of workshops that you want to explore, or one can simply discover as they go.
The “Movement Mecca“ hosts the dedicated Yoga and movement space, working both with local teachers from Asheville, Atlanta, and others from all over the country. The Movement Mecca not only includes various Yoga styles but also brings contact improv, poi, hoop classes, and more. Featured presenters include Beth Leone (Tao Lab* LA), Leigh Anne Neal, Devon Sweeney, and Jesse Johnson (NYC).
“Land of Emergence” hosts featured visionaries, community leaders , sustainable experts and more where new paradigm solutions, sustainability and challenges of our times and culture are explored. Look forward to amazing panels with themes likes: “For the next 7 generations : Conservation, Activism & Spirituality”, featured presenters includes Reality Sandwhich’s very own Daniel Pinchbeck (NYC); as well as Jamaica Stevens (OR), Adam Apollo (CA) , Joyous Presence (OR), Ehren Cruz (NC) and more.
“The House of Creation” hosts an amazing arrangement of visual artists, poets and all things creative. Not only will there be a full gallery but a specific genre of workshops will be focused on building creativity, self-expression and empowered connection. Some featured presenters include Biko Casini (Rising Appalachia) , Ayla Nereo (Wildlight), Lily Fangz (CO) & Sri Kala ( “Srikalogy” / Unitribe ).
The“Temple of the Sacred “ hosts an arrangement of renowned wisdom keepers, and amazing workshops spanning the gamut of sound healing, mystic practices, shamanism, and more. Some featured presenters include Grandmother Kaarina Turquise Heart (Vancouver), Adam Yellow Bird (AZ), Alokananda Star Bear (CA), Achintya (BC), Luba Evans (NYC) and others. There will be nightly kirtan, sound healing, councils, ceremonies (including a massive cacao ceremony Friday night) will be offered to assist the intentions within the unfolding ceremonial flow of the weekend that is guiding some of the subtler energies of the Village. Themes within themes; this year’s “Temple of the Sacred” also hosts a concentrated amount of gender alchemy work such as: tantra, women’s circles, womb wisdom, men’s circles, sacred relating, specific ceremonies, & integration processes. We feel that this a tremendously valuable part of being a participant in evolving community; to begin to connect to the larger healing that is taking place on the planet right now where gender and relating is concerned. We do this work so we can become fully embodied sovereign souls and to free ourselves from the patterns of projection, blame, victimization and manipulation that plagues the planet.
The whole Village section o
f Gratifly will be a true sanctuary dedicated to hosting the sacred unfolding of the individual and collective journey, holding space for the myriad of themes, interactions and discoveries that this unique container offers. There will be multiple workshop areas, stages, decompression spaces, a healing dome, teepees, a tea sanctuary, Kid’s & Family zone, one of Nature’s Nests (headed up by brother Freedom), and Gratifly Cafe, which will have poetry, film screenings and more. All of this juicy fun happens on beautiful sacred grounds that host a flowing river, vast green landscapes, art installations, shaded areas and a beautiful international community. Gratifly’s venue, Avalon, will cradle you in deep southern hospitality and serve you up a nice plate of inspiration. Join the magic if you feel called….
I hope you enjoyed the overview of this year’s workshop offerings and some of the evolutionary pieces Gratifly is bringing in 2014. The focus of this article was to specifically focus on these evolutionary aspects, but just know that there are a ton of other things to write about in regards to the rest of the festival; from music lineup to its conception and more.
See you in the South!
-Aloka
