Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe at Bhakti Fest (Upper Panels) | Krishna Das (Lower Panel)

There is something very magical about retreating into a wide open desert filled with dancing Joshua Trees.  The static airspace of the city disappears; tuning in with the spirit feels as simple as breathing.  Add four days of chanting the names of God with our Bhakti community to the mix, and a whole new level of ecstatic heart opening and connection is possible.   To be honest with you, I hadn’t truly experienced the full shakti of Bhakti Fest until this year.  I am sure that it wasn’t that Bhakti Fest was any less magical the last two years – I just hadn’t fully experienced the magic because I wasn’t playing full out; I hadn’t dived into the deep ocean of the festival.  Last year after our transformance at Bhakti Fest we had to hit the road quickly because we had a show booked in Northern California the very next day.  The year before, while we did attend some of the other artist’s kirtans, we also spent a day hiking through the national forest.  This year I was much more intentional. I focused on creating a deeper community experience so that’s exactly what I got.

The synchronicities began as soon as we arrived. As we got out of the car and walked over to the registration table, Benj and I were delighted to run into Brenda Patoine of the Bhakti Beat!  She and her partner Jim had traveled all the way from the east coast and arrived simultaneously with us.  Brenda and I had been planning on meeting each other in person at Bhakti Fest anyway – and there she was, one of the first people I saw upon entering that sacred ground.

Shakti Tribe presented our musical offering on the first day of the festival, on Thursday at 6:00 p.m., that magical time just before the sun sets.  It had been a hot day in Joshua Tree but we were blessed with a desert breeze.  The wind helped me connect even more to my own heart as it reminded me to breathe deep and open to the moment.  It was a beautiful sight to see so many of our peeps in the audience, along with many new open-hearted souls.  As a community I felt us open together to the tangible energy of the divine and amplify that energy for the world as we sang the mantras “Om Krim Kalikayei Namaha” and “Om Nama Shivaya”.  My favorite moment in the set was our final song.  I felt like I was nestled in the audience’s lap as I sat on the edge of the stage and we sang from our song “Guru Life” together.  Singing “I am here to love you, help you remember when you forget, Om Mani Padme Hum, help me remember when I forget.”

Our transformance went by so quickly, but filled me so completely.  Then came the realization that I was free – just like everyone else here – to experience the multitude of shakti-filled classes and performances at Bhakti Fest – woohoo!

A high point of the weekend came on the second day.  My body ached to move and stretch, and I had always dreamed of taking Kristin Olson’s class.  After all, she was one of the very first yoginis to host shows for Shakti Tribe, at her Urban Yoga studio in Palm Springs.  So it was a wonderful gift to finally have the opportunity to experience her class.  Showing up I had no idea that Girish, Marti Walker and Masood Ali Khan would be backing her up.  It was beyond the beyond.  Marti and Girish took turns weaving their lush vocals, creating pure heaven while Kristin led the group with humor, love and unbounded energy.  Upon the closing of her class I felt freer, more open and alive in my body temple.

And then the music! As many of you know I am a co-founder of the internet radio station Sacred Sounds Radio; as such I have been a close observer and fan of most of the artists that perform at Bhakti Fest.  But to see them live is a whole different treat.  Donna DeLory had performed at our Shakti Tribe Foundation fundraiser just weeks before, and like the many times I have seen her perform in the past, I was taken by her angelic vocals. But at Bhakti Fest she rose to new heights in her self-expression.  She was off the hook electric, dancing with abandon, inviting everyone to let go.  It was beautiful.  It was shaktified.

Every artist that I took in that weekend lifted me up in different ways… Benji and Heather Wertheimer with their pure devotion, the Mayapuris with their high energy, C.C. White with her soulful ecstatic vocals, Breath Of Life Tribe with their innovative twist on kirtan, Dave Stringer with his foot-stomping, amen-provoking set …and, and, and… the wonderful performances are too many to mention here.  But I can’t write this without sharing about the epic Saturday night, headlined by the most recognized father of western kirtan, Krishna Das.  Like thousands of other yogis, KD was my induction into this holy land of sacred sound.  To say the audience was packed to the hilt in anticipation of his set would be an understatement.  But the Sky Goddess had a gift up her sleeve…perhaps it was Kali…the Queen of contraction before expansion.  The sky began to laugh with thunder and dance with lightning.  And it was pushing closer and closer to the stage.  For the safety of the crowd and the performers, a decision had to be made: to cancel, postpone, or move the concert.  The latter was chosen.  The concert was moved to the largest indoor space available, the sanctuary on the land of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. Although the building appeared too small to accommodate the crowd, out of necessity it became the de facto location for the crown jewel kirtan of the festival.  It was kirtan, Indian style – for every space where normally one body would occupy, three had to be accommodated!

By the time Kimo and I made it to the new space, there was no room to sit… another moment of contraction before expansion was waiting for us.  The only place that had any room left was the stage.  So smiling, we made our way forward. I found a spot on the stage right behind Krishna Das, and Kimo planted himself up on the ledge next to an electric fan and became “fan boy”, taking it upon himself to serve by directing the fan’s airflow. Then, like the audience below, we had to make room for many others, which created an even bigger experience of community.  When I finally looked out at the thousands of glowing faces in the audience, I felt the magnitude of light in the sanctuary.  We all sensed that something beyond the ordinary was taking place in our willingness to open and say yes to the ever-changing NOW moment.  Together we took a very special ride, a ride that would carve itself into the “epic moments” category in our memory chamber.  We were blessed to all be together, nearly sitting in each other’s laps, singing the names of God – “ram ram sita ram!” – raising the vibration with every note we sang, consciously moving energy, consciously awake in that knowing.  See the panoramic picture Kimo put together above that captures the moment.

Synchronicity, alchemy, epic moments, community in unity…a handful of words that touch upon the experience we call Bhakti Fest 2011.  It’s what naturally happens when we say “yes” to the fullness of this unfolding magical moment.

BHAVALICIOUS 2011 by
Larisa Stow