words: Maria Herrera

 

It is in dark and murky times that we often find our calling, our path. The waves of change often send us in the direction of our purpose. Yet the spark that lights the path often comes in the form  of a blueprint, a roadmap, a sign that shines in the distance that can show us the way — A compass.

So it is that this year’s Lighting in a Bottle presents The Compass — a multidisciplinary haven designed to usher in personal and global transformation in a time when the world most needs it.

Nestled in one of the peninsulas of the Lake San Antonio Recreational Area in Bradley, California, The Compass will feature six separate areas with distinct programming from music to keynote speakers. Divided into 13 educational and healing areas on the areas that previously featured the Temple of Consciousness and Village, The Compass represents a new incarnation of the quintessential workshops and educational programming that many music and arts festivals have adopted from Lighting in a Bottle.

“Our project was initially called The Village, and we did that for five years, and it started with working with elders and mentors, and the first environment we started hosting them was at LIB,” said Isis Indriya, who along with longtime friend Eve Bradford cofounded Living Village Culture, a collective of educators and creatives dedicated to bridging art, immersive experience and activism to build awareness, strengthen relations and align in service with each other, the planet and the Sacred.

Their production work is aimed at exploring and shaping the culture that emerges when people from all walks of life come together with imagination and reverence.

“We literally had a vision of this layout, thinking about all the different kinds of educational interdisciplinary learning experiences that we could offer to festival attendees,” Indriya said.

Indriya and Bradford partnered with a host of organizations and cultural groups to curate what is expected to be the largest transformational hub at any music festival to date.

Among the partners are Bioneers, which founded the influential National Bioneers Conference. This innovative nonprofit educational organization highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), also pitched in to create an environment where they could share their vision to protect the sacredness of Earth Mother from contamination and exploitation by respecting and adhering to indigenous knowledge and natural law. Lastly Planet Experts, a media platform enabling renowned experts and NGOs to directly impart unfiltered research, informed opinions and technological breakthroughs to the public.

 

POINTS OF THE COMPASS 

Here is a breakdown of the Points of the Compass:

 

BEACON: 

illuminating our world

The largest gathering place, the Beacon holds keynote presentations from visionaries and leaders across many disciplines and lineages, including mycology expert Paul Stamets, writer and activist Starhawk, and the Bangladeshi mountaineer, activist, social worker Wasfia Nasreen. There will also be carefully curated live music and performances by artists such as Mark Farina, Brian Hartman and Ultimate Fantastic.

 

LANDING: 

standing up for our world

 

This is center of planetary activism at LIB. The Landing houses the Indigenous Led Hub to learn and support the work of First Nations; the Earth Activist Hub, to engage with current environmental and wildlife campaigns; and the Grid, a place for learning about new technologies and the evolutionary applications that can support humanity in the future. This also houses the Ecology Bazaar, hosting a network of organizations where one can learn how to integrate all of these actions beyond the festival.

 

CRAFT: 

making our world

 

Home to the Community Lodge, the Craft Sheds, and the Herbal Arts and Folk Arts Arbors, the Craft is the place to learn various skills and crafts related to living in harmony with the earth and making beauty.

 

CROSSROADS: 

exploring our world

 

A place for global culture at LIB, the Crossroads offers classes in traditional music and dance and the history of the cultures they come from. It will also be a place to experience intimate performances from world class traditional musicians and performers.

 

HAVEN: 

healing our world

 

The Nest is a place to receive bodywork and healing sessions, as well as to learn about these modalities in the Healing Arts Study. It is also home to the House of Relations and the Entheo Hub, places for intimate classes around interpersonal dynamics and psychedelic studies.

 

CAULDRON: 

intuiting our world

 

A home for mystical and esoteric studies, this is a place of magic, a place to engage directly with the mysteries of the world, and begin to explore our place within them.

 

FEAST: 

nourishing our world

 

The Feast houses the beloved Learning Kitchen as well as the Last Supper Club’s Brunch Club and other opportunities to experience the sensory delights of food culture.

 

And if any of this amazing educational lineup doesn’t get transformational enough, then let the music be the vehicle that gets you inspired to work towards a better world. Full Music Lineup.