by Vienda | 13 Jan 2012 | Travel + Freedom
It is said that change is as good as a holiday. I desperately needed to hit my refresh button …. after all the craziness that leads up to Christmas… I was feeling overwhelmed by social expectations and cultural conforments. And so on a whim, a day before Christmas I decided to go to Confest. An alternative lifestyle festival that takes place in the deep hinterland of NSW, about 10 hours drive inland from Sydney, that I have heard about for years, but it just hadn’t been my time. My friend, who is a meditation teacher Frazer, convinced me that it was exactly what I needed. Confest stands for Conference and Contribution Festival. That in itself is kind of self explanatory. It is a week of workshops given by experts in their fields, voluntarily, on an enormous range of topics from tantric massage to sail boat building. (Yes, I agree….rather strange!)
Being the dreamy, completely unorganised creature that I am and not being at all set up for camping, Frazer organised everything: a lift to the festival from one person, all the camping gear to be delivered by another. Apparently I was set to go. My world had aligned itself. Or not. My initial ride fell through, though luckily I found another within a couple of hours going to Melbourne (and thereby very close to Confest) and early the day after Boxing day we left on our road trip into the dry and rolling landscaped of the Australian inlands. We spent the night in the most gorgeous winery village of Rutherglen (I highly recommend it, beautiful, sensual with a whole 22 wineries to keep you entertained) and the next day my friends departed on their way, whilst I stayed and pondered life and my next move. Finally, once again Frazer came to my rescue and arranged for some friends of his to pick me up on their way through. And guess who my knights in shining armour on their great steeds were?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfWDC6rfFo4[/youtube]
Yes…. that’s right. You guessed it. The two “german” guys from the Le Snack Deli ad above. And yes, I know, very, very random coincidence (if you can call it that). Welcome to my life.
So these two gentlemen and their entourage which consists of the community they run a couple of hours outside of Sydney, were on their way to Confest and hearing that there was a fair maiden in distress in a small town along the way, very kindly offered their services and took me in. They run a community known as White Gums, you can find out more about them if you are interested by clicking on the link provided. Personally, even though I love the concept of communities, I have yet to see them actually work. Anyway, I digress. Not only did these guys offer me a lift but also warmly welcomed me into their community for the duration of the festival and practically built me a palace complete with tent and cushions and everything imaginable to ease the camping experience into being quite enjoyable and luxurious.
Upon arrival and spending a day setting up the community area which included the camp site as well as a workshop space, I came to realise a significant detail that I may or may not have been aware of prior to coming to Confest. I’m not sure, but I can’t remember consciously thinking about it. Confest is a clothing optional festival. Basically that meant there was A LOT OF NAKED PEOPLE. Everywhere. Needless to say, I chose to keep my clothes on, though not without the clear encouragement from our Le Snack brothers to try going nude. No. Thank you. Only in my bedroom. Not that I have an issue with naked people. Not at all. I just have an issue with people staring at me when I’m naked. That’s all.
After an initial day of settling in, I was loving it. I having been going to alternative lifestyle and music festivals all my life. They are like a second home to me, I feel so content and happy and at ease there amongst the freaks, the trippers and the little bit strange (even if there’s lots of naked people!). I met hundreds of amazing, inspiring, creative, interesting people, went to loads of workshops and discussions on topics such as: Quantum Physics, Numerology, Laughter Yoga, Health and Nutrition, Body Painting and Theatre, and danced the nights away to melodic gypsy music and tribal drumming. One worksop that captured my heart and soul was the Spontaneous Choir.
Allow me to first say that even though I am very open and non-judgemental and into alternative lifestyle ideas, I actually really dislike airy fairy hippy shit. I think there are far too many concepts that are ridiculously overplayed and over-intellectualised and create some kind of silly phenomenon that people buy into. I truly believe in keeping it all very simple. There is a very fine line between what is real what is some kind of crazy ideology. Having said that, I believe there are many things going on with-in and with-out us that are very real even though we can’t see them, or measure them by scientific standards.
One of the many exercises we did in the spontaneous choir was when the white-haired wizard-like conductor instructed us to create two lines with our faces to each other. There we are, 200 people, mostly all strangers, facing each other. And one by one we pass through the human tunnel. From one end to the other. Eyes shut tight. And all I hear are hundreds of human voices, some high, some low, some whispers. Saying…. “I love you”. Gently touching me as I pass. I can not even begin to express what a sensation that is. What an emotion that wells up in heart. And how real and true that love feels. From strangers. Honest. Deep. Raw. It was an experience unlike any other.
It shows how words and emotions can stir your soul and reminds me of the water experiment by Masaru Emoto. If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend you read his book Messages from Water. This little video will give you a basic idea of his concepts.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvzsjcBtx8[/youtube]
Days passed like this. A whole week. Including New Years eve. In a contented camping bliss of deep discussions, swims in the river, intermittent naps, but mostly fun and laughter and playing and dancing. I read the entire infamous novel The Road Trip by Jack Kerouac. And then passed it on to an Irish backpacker. The opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward into the future. For me personally the entire week reflected an enormous range of resolutions. Closures and new beginnings. Which makes 2012 a blank slate and an exciting new start. This is going to be a good year. I can feel it!
Image source.
by Vienda | 28 Oct 2011 | Psychology + Soul
Do you remember this post’s title as a lyric from Alanis Morrisette’s All I Really Want track from the album Jagged Little Pill released in the mid 90’s? That entire album soundtracked my teenage angst at 14 and 15. Embarrassing to admit now but also very true. You can hear it here if you crave a little journey down memory lane.
So, to give you a deeper look into my life as well as musical journey I want to share something with you. One of my best friends in the world forwarded the following video onto me in which I briefly feature at about 31.37 minutes. This is a glimpse into what was my entire life and world for about 5 years from the ages of 21 to 26. I travelled the world working, dancing and playing my way through myriads of psychedelic trance festivals. Often people ask me what I call home, and to be honest I think the only time I have really felt at home, like this is completely and totally where I belong is at these festivals. It’s where my heart and mind are set free. It’s where I find my people, my tribe.
This little film is about an hour long so I suggest you go get a drink, settle into a lovely comfortable chair and join me in watching this psychedelic peep into what was once an enormous part of my life. Smile and giggle at my friends and gasp with wonder that so many hippies manage to organise something quite so spectacular!
(Love it when they say “love is the message of salvation for mankind“. I’m always harping on about that!)
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/30683956[/vimeo]
Thank you for sharing this journey with me! xox
Image source.
by Vienda | 14 Apr 2011 | Travel + Freedom
On a whim, less than 6 months ago, my sister and I decided we were going to go to California for Coachella this year. The line up was so awesome last year, we couldn’t bare the thought of missing out. We booked our tickets before the line-up was even out, trusting that whatever happens, it was definitely going to be magnificent.
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am!
And today is the day of departure.
I fly out this afternoon and will be arriving in LAX on Thursday morning (time difference joy) where I will meet up with my sister and we will be parading around Santa Monica and Venice Beach for the day, before heading to the festival early Friday morning. We have rented a people mover / 4WD / van type thing which we will rig out as much as us unpractical type girls can, with fluffy pillows and blankets, glitter, dozens of cans of dry shampoo, baby wipes and ridiculous outfit combinations, to make our little sanctuary, our home away from home, for the 3 day weekend madness to ensue.
Who knows what state we will find ourselves on Monday however by evening we have to be back at the airport for the next part of our adventure: San Francisco. We are staying in SOMA (South of Market Street) which is supposed to be the hippest, trendiest and silliest part of town where we will don our sparkly outfits, fur coats and ridiculous high heels and try to blend into the eccentricities of this fair city while exploring every nook and cranny!
I am not going to be adding any new posts during this time, and, since I will miss you all so dearly, I am making a little request from you, my darling friends and readers. I would really treasure your thoughts ideas and feedback. Below are a list of questions which may inspire you, otherwise any comments, ideas, thoughts, concerns or questions are more than welcome.
1. What would you like to read more / see more of?
2. Are you interested in reading about how other people have achieved success / happiness etc in their lives? (Would you be interested in reading interviews?)
3. What have you found beneficial / useful on this site?
4. What would you like to read / see less of?
5. Would you be interested in contributing to this site?
6. What would you do to improve the layout?
7. Do feel like you can relate to some of the posts and does that inspire you to be yourself more fully?
8. If you could add, change, improve 3 things what would they be?
That’s all I can think of right now, but sincerely, any feedback is more than welcome. There are several ways to reach me:
Leave a comment below!!! EMAIL: studio@viendamaria.com FACEBOOK, TWITTER & SNAIL MAIL: Vienda Maria, 231, 122 Lang Road, Moore Park NSW 2021, Australia.
Much love, happiness, peace and joy until soon! xx (I will be back before the end of April to update you with all the photos, fun and discoveries of my little California jaunt).
Her is something inspirational from the Wayseers in the meantime:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlHICT9eNk4&feature=player_embedded
Images: 1, 2, 3.
by Vienda | 6 Apr 2011 | Travel + Freedom
Image from www.weheartit.com
Those of you who know me well, know that I love to travel. Those of you who are just getting to know me, I invite you to share my passion! I have spent the past 10 years if my life living or visiting a little bit of everywhere including different parts of Australia, Asia, India, Europe, the UK, USA, Central America and Africa. I now I am planning my latest trip: to California; Los Angeles for Coachella and a girls week in San Francisco, departing in just over one week. (Let’s just say I am über-excited!!!)
Now, to get back on track, let’s talk about jet lag. Jet lag results from rapid long-distance travel in which you cross several time zones and your body’s circadian rhythm is thrown completely out of whack. As my friend Lisa says, it’s when your soul can’t keep up with your body. I like that understanding of it! Basically, you arrive at your fabulously exciting new destination and feel like you need to sleep at the wrong times for exactly three days. Which is not fun. Especially when you have exactly three days to explore the damn place.
I am one of those specially gifted people who finds her sanctuary in sleep. I can sleep almost anywhere at any time and I love it. Except for when I fly north. For some reason, flying north really disrupts my body and sleeping patterns and apart from sleeping for 3 days, there is little I can do to invigorate myself. Except for this:
I take melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone in your brain which regulates your circadian rhythms. It is released in your brain at night when it’s dark, peaks at the darkest hour and subsides again as the day begins to break. So basically, when your pineal gland releases melatonin into your brain it effectively puts you to sleep. Extensive studies have been done on jet lag and melatonin, with different results. It just seems to work really well for some, and not so well for others. For me, I can say that it helps dramatically in improving quality of life and sleep in the days following a big trip, which means a lot. I get into the time rhythm of my new location much quicker and gentler than I used to and can enjoy the days following so much more. Melatonin is available at propeciarxshop.com most health food stores or pharmacies around the world as well as here on Amazon. It is an over-the-counter supplement which should be taken half an hour before sleep. Normally I take it on the flight if I am arriving at my destination in the morning. That way I wake up ready and in the correct time zone. Then I may take it for a couple of nights subsequent, just to get into the circadian rhythm of things! Perhaps you can try it yourself and see it this works for you too!
Happy travels my lovely friends! x
by Vienda | 12 Jan 2011 | Travel + Freedom
I was lucky enough to go to the wonderful Woodford Folk Festival over the New Year break, and even though it was soooo rainy, as always this festival captured my heart!
