Further More at the Harmony Festival
(please excuse any spelling errors... spell check on the blink! .... ~* )
By the kind twists of fate and free tickets given to me by Art Kopecky , one of the founders of the historical and newly ressurecting New Buffalo Commune in Taos New Mexico, the vw bus and I traveled to the
Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, California, for the last two days of the fest, to hear Art's speech
"The Communities movement: Key to the New Paradigm ,
"as well as for the experience of the Harmony festival itself, as well as to meet folk that The Hippie Museum might connect up with at a later date. There was overnight camping at the event which was held at the large county Fairgrounds. Need I say .... It was truly a gas!
I arrived in great anticipation of meeting Art, who I had become good friends and co- horts with over the net but had not yet met in person , and who also was going to (and did!) introduce me to some of the Harmony Fest organizers, artists and musicians. He himself spent many hours helping everyone, and besides giving his speech, also had brought his beautiful and beloved Bonzi trees to share in the "vibes" in and around the Harmony tent.
Being myself an older hippie lady and former sixties homie from some Haight Ashbury communes as well as Wheeler's open land ranch, I was also looking very forward to hearing Art's speech which was on the rebirth of the communal spirt, and the need to return to the shared working farms, and teamwork. The speech, which despite being slated to run to overlap almost an hour into the top billed artists, Michael Franti and Spearhead's appearance on the Main Stage, turned out great. There were a group of very groovy back to the landers that showed up , that are involved in the local communal movement, and they where just fascinating folk. Hopefully I will meet them again, and maybe get pictures for ya'll soon and find out more about the starting as well as ongoing communal projects.. They are a fountain of very cool knowledge of sustainability, and sharing ... good down to earth, smart hip folk. One of them was such a delightlightful bringer of laughter with his(?) quick witted humor, I am still smiling as I type. heh.
I must admit, at first I was a little antsy still, sitting in a tent across the fairgrounds while the leading act , Michael Franti and Spearhead started up in the distance. Need I say he rocks my socks?(not that I'm wearing socks in the summer , but if I was wearing them they'd be rockin') Very peacefully powerful dude. "into" Unity. One Love. One World. One Voice. Revolution.... yeah. Add Franti perfoming not too far away to the fact that Art had read me the speech about a half hour previously, warming up for the presentaion, so heareing Franti in the backround, starting up, it was quite a distraction, and I was pretty squirmy until we got to the questions and answers part of Art's speech, where everyone began interacting and throwing thoughts around.Pretty Cool.
Dig this,,,,, just before Franti started, Art was into his speech , and explaining a few things, and this one dread locked and chill mannered black bro that was there listening to the talk, and looking at Art's book, commented on how interesting the speech was , and how that was just the type of thoughts he was into, and thanked Art for sharing , at which point he excused himself, saying that he had to go play with Michael Franti..... ! Now, I am a great Franti and Spearhead fan, but can't say as I've looked at alot of pictures of the band, and this is the first I'd actually seen them perform, so just who that guy was I don't yet know, but later when the speech wrapped up and we made it up to the Main tage, there he was up there singing and playing onstage with Franti and Spearhead.... Freakin' Awesome!
Did I mention that the Harmony Fest was a huge mixture of everything one could desire in a fest, from 5 stages with ongoing shows, booths on everything from sustainability information, to spiritual and physical healing, and many arts and crafts, there was good food, parades, and tents of all shaps and sizes everywhere with different names, and different things going on throughtought the day at all times, All interwoven with a steady stream of very cool people, there was so much going on at any time, that I was at times joyfully overwhelmed. My eyes almost started spinning! I know my mind sure was. Whatta Trip! The experience was truly out and beyond mere words!
JAH LEVI (photo from his home page)
(click to listen to his music) |
At one point, while we where walking through the fair, I was introduced by Art, who seemed to know "everybody" to some very cool artists and musicians, which I hope to hook up with at a later date , and at one point an extremely mellow dreaddy dude came floating by, and Art hailed him over and introduced us and we talked for a short time, and I was struck by his peaceful gentleness and amazed at the quiet wisdom that sparkeled in his eyes. His name was Jah Levi , and though I didn't know it at the time he is an internationally known Reggae star.... we joined him and a group of others in a spiritual acoustic "sing along" in the Wisdom tent, the experience proving to be very spiritual and magical, enicing, enchanting, enriching. It was just beautiful. Later he played with his group "Higher Reasoning" at another part of the fest in a bigger tent with electricity.
I also so saw some very cool vehicles, along with the very cool people.... I didn't take much pictures as I was usually too busy having fun cruising around checking out all the cool folk and things to do, (stiltwalkers are a special delight! ) .... but here are a couple of vehicles I happened by...
 
The Harmony Bus
(note vws on top) : )
Cool Multi-stickered VW
Here's a few other bands I saw and grooved on
Maria Mauldar was great of course, she has such a beautiful voice,,, remember ? swaying sexy cool musical words flowing..
"Heaven holding a half moon
Shining just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune real soon
Kick up a little dust ""
(From Midnight at the Oasis)
Later I learned that Art had helped her and the band with some things the night before, and had wound up finding himself having dinner with them! : )
 He had also the night previously helped the most funny and high Swami Beyondananda and his troupe and gear by piling them in the truck and getting them from one side of the fairgrounds to the other through the "back lots" after the main walk was closed to traffic. heh. Well, this very much was a Harmony festival, and everyone's spirits where synchronistically harmonizing just fine! : ) |
I heard the music of the band "War" more in the background while I was checking out other treats, ... and their music was a great back drop! I couldn't remember who they where, just that I remembered the name "War" didn't seem to fit their music, and soon as they started playing, the memories came musically floating back, with their songs such as "Low Rider,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Spill The Wine,” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”. Cool band.
I didn't know who Cake was right off hand, but some folk wondered at their being at the Harmony fest, being that they where known to be rather "angst" ridden ? I dont' know about all that, but I do know their performance was great! I couldn't understand all the words, but those I did "get" where funny and warm, and John the lead singer reminded me of a cowboy Ringo Starr! He was great, as was the rest of the band. They made me feel Smiley and clappy! Dancey too!
With all that was going on at the fair, and not enough time to see it all, added to the magic mix of synchronicity, I only had the pleasure to hear two speakers speaking, (besides Art of course), and their words and spirits still resound in my mind and heart as I type .
The first speaker I heard in the gorgeous Earth Dome tent was Jose Arguelles, who was among those that founded Earth Day, and he also founded The Whole Earth Festival. He is a proponent of the 13 Moon Calandar and a revered Shaman and flute singer.
(from 13moon.com)
"Currently serving as the President of the Foundation for the Law of Time - the organization that promotes his cause - Argüelles was honored on March 3, 2002 as “Valum Votan, Closer of the Cycle” by Nine Indigenous Elders atop the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan who awarded him a ceremonial staff for his efforts in helping to wake humanity up to the meaning of 2012..."
See The Foundation For The Law Of Time.
He spoke of the total shift from one age to another that was now taking place, and thus the great duality of light and darkness we are experiencing, which is leading us into the dawn of a new age of consciousness, as we will be re birthed anew as the Mayan Calandar ends 2012 and the new world begins. He spoke of how we where becoming telepathic with our awareness, and we where being drawn to share and grow through Love and Healing, as the old ways dissolved in wars and greed, the New world is being born and we are it. We are here to learn to live in Harmony with each other and the Earth, as we fulfill Native American prophecies of our arising to save the Earth. |
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 I also had a chance to hear and "experience" the enlightenly positive pusher of Love, Rob Brezsney, that does Free Will Astrology, as well as the author of "Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings ".
Rob was a delight to watch as well as listen to, as he moved around the small stage orating like some pro love psychedelic preacher ...... letting us know "Evil is Borrrrrrrrrrrring"! His words spoke of going up and beyond negativity and shock jock journalism and the news that's designed for sheeple people stuck in it's grip, and reform ourselves and our world through positve thoughts and actions and goals as we go along being awakened in these new days . Time to come together through Love! It was very trippy how Rob's words and Jose's were so different yet so interweaveable...... as was everything that "was" the Harmony festival, from booths to entertainers, artists, musicians, people, parades, vibes.... all good, all diggin', all knowing in some place in our hearts that this was what folk where meant to do.... live in celebration of peace and harmony and knowledge, diggin it all the way ...... and we know that path is not only in festivals and get togethers and living with and FOR the Earth,,,,, the true path is in our Hearts, and our Spirits, and we are
coming back together as family. Learning to live again.
And it feels so much like Home.
 Later, we brought Art's Bonzai trees, which had been on display , to his house, where his very lovable wife Sandy took me on a tour of their beautiful gardens, and told me about the wildlife that hung out there, and gave me some starts of some plants that particularly struck my eye! They had gotten the last edit from the publisher of the upcoming New Buffalo book, and had to go over the entire thing once again, to submit the final draft for publication , before they left on Friday for the New Buffalo Solstice doings. While they are there, the new book will be going into print! Whew! What a lotta work! I learned alot about the process to write and publish books... I didn't realize all the tedius proofreading that needed doing!
Well, now I'm back home, and here with you All, which is like another festival in itself, and a form of that telepathy that was spoken of, and we are part of that "web" of souls, connected 'cross the land, and I'm thinking...even though there are many festivals and happenings still to go to, and as the consciouness rises, it is also reflected in this
cyber space, where we are coming together in communitys, to share and unite. Lotsa color and music here too!
There is no denying, we are at a time where we are returning to our tribal roots off caring and sharing, not only for each other, but in honor of ourselves as a people here to enjoy this glorious world in which we live,,,,, and to save it.
For as Art Kopecky is quick to point out.....
we CAN change the world.
We just gotta work together. With Love
Onwards and Upwards,
Char ~*
Find out more about Art and his books on New Buffallo at his web site, www.aurthurkopecky.com
Check out his Harmony Festival closing speech HERE
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