So often in routine life we experience phenomena unexplainable by the current western paradigm. What then to speak of understanding superconsciousness, a phenomenon we all experience throughout our lives.
“Aha! I’ve got a name for our festival!” Citralekha Dasi called to ISKCON Communications Director Anuttama Das from her office across the hall. And she told him what it was. He grinned. “It’s perfect." The first annual Festival of Inspiration, held in 2001, quickly lived up to its name. It put New Vrindaban, which had recently rejoined ISKCON, back on the map as an important place of pilgrimage for North American devotees.
The Vaishnava tradition is famous for its festivals. And within ISKCON, the New Vrindaban community in West Virginia has become one of the most renowned places to celebrate. As New Vrindaban finds a fresh start and rebuilds itself, festivals have been found to be one of the best ways to inspire and bring together devotees, as well as to develop a mutually appreciative relationship with the local public.
It’s a brave and bold step to strive for purity in a world of degradation, to embrace simplicity amongst rampant materialism, and to cultivate selflessness in an atmosphere surcharged with exploitation.
As I patiently waited for a tyre change on Monday, I began thinking of how a spiritual movement is just like a car.
The Dramatic Edge: A workshop for those interested in utilizing the dramatic arts