ReConnection Magazine ~ Summer 2008 Issue

How many times have you been in a celebration, a rally, a concert perhaps, and heard these words? A theme that is not unfamiliar yet easier sometimes to stomp and pump the fist to but maybe a bit more challenging to do on a daily basis. In the chaotic rush of the world how do we manage to bring our energies together collectively? Why do so many organizations and movements come up through time and subside? Which carry on and evolve over time? Which movements are capable of bridging different audiences? Should there be a world for hippies and a world for conservative people? Where is the common ground?

Obviously more questions than answers. Guess I'll just go to Burning Man and keep reminding myself that there is a good population of freaks I can exist with who understand something about the power of unity and celebration beyond subcultural genres and social classes. I mean, if we can be partying a bit more than working to make the revolution why not? Some people are really directing that energy I witness in local Burner communities and also in camps set up at Black Rock City. I guess I should consider myself fortunate to be amidst some great networks of people who continue to produce conscious events and bring alternatives closer to the surface. I see more people getting into collective households, studio spaces, sharing childcare, keeping their culture alive with expressing their art, their music, their crafts and working day jobs together to survive the onslaught of Babylon and introduce bits of cooperative living into the world. Here are some examples I like to share that demonstrate things that need to be expanded upon.

I spoke with the Regional Burner Liason recently while she was in town and we both knew of similar collectively run community spaces doing good things worth using as models. I was hoping to hear a few more but she did mention Chicago was developing strongly as a unified community. Static Factory, Cellspace, Do Lab and Symbiosis are all strongly influenced by Burning Man and service many Burning Man members.

Static Factory Media   www.staticfactory.org (Seattle)
Static Factory Media is a creative solutions organization for artists and businesses. We provide a large scope of services while maintaining a focused course. Static Factory Media offers a sustainable media alternative in Design, Development, and Event Services. We act as entertainer, educator, collaborator, community resource, and media tool.

Cellspace   www.cellspace.org (San Francisco)
Our mission is to provide a safe and supportive public environment for the exploration of art, education, performance and community building. Through cooperative relationships and multidisciplinary programs, CELLspace encourages the celebration of intergenerational, cross-cultural collaborations and the promotion of social justice.

The Do Lab   thedolab.com (Los Angeles)
The producers of the Lightning in a Bottle Festival, a bioneer of the Green Festival concept . The Do lab is an "open source" artists network dedicated to creating dynamic interactive environments with a warehouse studio based in downtown Los Angeles.

Symbiosis Events   symbiosisevents.com (Northern California)
Symbiosis aims to create experiences that are transformative and inspiring, based in a deep respect for our community and environment. We seek to provide a space for the fusion of aesthetics, sound, and natural living, in an atmosphere of interactive co-creation.

Eco Gatherings   ecogatherings.com (California based)
EcoGatherings is a cooperative of Eco-Conscious Event Planners. We use our unique combination of contacts and resources to provide Eco-Logical solutions for gatherings of all kinds. EcoGatherings specialists consult with clients about their specific goals and needs to create a plan of action that is both ecologically and financially sound.

Local to BC are a number of growing networks which are established and coalescing creative people to work together and play together utilizing the power of dance and music to keep it all together. Many of the people involved in these networks cross pollinate with each other through retreats, working on festivals, and providing each other with services and products.

Tribal Harmonix www.tribalharmonix.org

Tribal Harmonix is an umbrella organization that promotes the growth of sustainable community and tribal culture through dance, music, celebration, creative expression, and education.
Our mandate is to encourage new ways of thinking by supporting gatherings, workshops, and special events that raise consciousness of environmental, social, political, spiritual and youth issues.

Tribal Harmonix produces both a winter and a summer retreat called Intention to enable a temporary autonomous zone for the co-creation of community with workshops, caberet, cinema, art, music jams, dance celebration and community ritual. Intention gatherings have served also to prepare social networks that align for uncertain times beginning with its initial preparations for Y2K. Tribal Harmonix also presents the annual global dance for peace known as Earthdance in the month of September. Through it's website a collective sense of events mainly in the Lower Mainland of BC but also beyond have been kept archived while fostering community in ways that pre-date other social network sites while being centered in neotribal dance culture specifically.

www.intentionsummercamp.org (July 4 weekend in 2008)
www.earthdance.ca

Rainbow Cathedral http://rainbowcathedral.com/
The Rainbow Cathedral organizes and hosts events, produces and distributes publications, creates and amends policies, regulates the founding of congregations, mentors prospective congregation organizers, works to further the development of the Rainbow Religion and coordinates all official activities of the Rainbow Religion.The Rainbow Religion is a non-dogmatic religion with its roots based in the ancient practice of trance-dancing.

Entheos Conference and Gathering www.entheosgathering.com (Summer Solstice on the Sunshine Coast)
The intention of the entheos summer solstice gathering is to showcase, explore, and evolve an emerging interconnected global culture of sound, energy, positivity, and visionary creativity.The conference platform features speakers on key subjects of interest to our collective future.
Entheos includes an ethos of environmentalism, permaculture, and sustainability which is integrated into the planning and presentation of the festival.

and

Damanhur Federation www.damanhur.org
One last example that has influenced a great number of people worldwide for their power of unity and cooperation has been the Federation of Damanhur in Italy. It stands an ever evolving model of a community dedicated to researching spiritual, social and sustainable directions for humanity. Damanhur features a Temple of Humanity to preserve this planetary story of our collective evolution inside a mountain to be preserved beyond any earth changes.