Healing With Movement
Rediscovering Dance
As children, most of us were encouraged to dance on a regular basis, freely and openly, in whatever way felt best. A few of us may have retained or regained our ability to engage in dancing unselfconsciously, but by the time we reach adulthood, many of us have stopped dancing altogether. We may have hang-ups about our bodies, or we may fear being judged. Then again, we may simply have fallen out of the habit for so long that we don’t even realize we never dance anymore. Whatever the case, there’s no time like now to rediscover the healing pleasure of moving your body to music-alone, as part of a couple, or in a group. Opportunities to dance abound, once you start looking for them.
If you haven’t danced in a long time and feel too self-conscious to start in a public situation, find some time alone to reintroduce yourself to the joy of listening and responding to music with your body. Turn the lights down low and remember that it’s much more fun when you’re not thinking about what you look like. It won’t take long before your body remembers how much it loves to move. Feel the music in your soul, feel the vibrations healing your body. Treat the time like a meditation session in which you agree to allow yourself to fully inhabit your amazing body.
If you feel awkward, remember that every culture since time immemorial has celebrated life and the body with dance. All people carry the memory of dance in their blood and bones. In other words, you were born to do this, it is in you already; all you have to do is start moving. If you prefer more interaction, take a class one night a week. In most cities, you can find everything from modern dance to African dance to ballroom and salsa. Whatever you choose, you won’t regret choosing to rediscover your birthright-the healing, joyful thrill of dancing.
Heartland Pagan Festival,
Memorial Day Weekend at the
Gaea Retreat Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2007
Contact: Heartland Spiritual Alliance, (816) 813-8167,
Jenadriene at PR@KCHSA.Org
William L. Whipple, (816) 726-5290, WLW@CampGaea.Org
On Memorial Day Weekend the Heartland Spiritual Alliance will be holding their 22nd Annual Heartland Pagan Festival at the Gaea Retreat Center near McLouth, Kansas.
This season the “Festival of the Three Moons” will run from Thursday, May 24th through Monday, May 28th, and will include Music, Merchants, Workshops, Speakers, Nightly Entertainment, an Evening Bonfire, and other activities for the enjoyment of all Festival Attendees.
The evening entertainment will include music performances from “Skinny White Chick” and “Dreamtrybe” on Friday evening, and “Lezlie Revelle” and “Dana Davis of WyrdGrl” on Sunday evening. There will also be lunchtime acoustic sets in the Merchant area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The featured speakers this year will include River & Joyce Higginbotham, Tatiana Katara, and Mark Stimson.
Pagan Radio returns again this year and will be broadcasting live from the festival site bringing music and interviews to attendees at 91.1 FM on their radio dial.
Day Passes are available each day at the gate for $60 per person. These cover admission from 9:00am until the following day at 9:00am. For those people wishing to tent-camp, Full-Run passes are available at the gate for $180 per person. Full-Run passes cover admission from Thursday through Monday. Meal plans are available for purchase at the gate for $95 or ala-carte at the dining facility, and food will also be available in the Merchant Circle.
This is the 22nd consecutive year that the Heartland Pagan Festival has been hosted by the Heartland Spiritual Alliance, a Kansas City-based organization dedicated to promoting the appreciation and acceptance of a variety of alternative religions and philosophies. HSA is a 501(c)(3) educational, not-for-profit organization. For more information on HSA and the 2007 Heartland Pagan Festival, including driving directions to find Camp Gaea, please go to http://WWW.KCHSA.Org.
HPF 2007 is being held at the Gaea Retreat Center, a 168 acre wooded property in a rural setting within an hour drive of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is a Non-Denominational Retreat Center that provides Camping, Cabins, Shower Facilities, a Dining Hall, a Meeting Hall, a Performance Pavilion, a 12-acre lake for Swimming and Fishing, and Festival Facilities for local organizations. Gaea is owned and operated by Earth Rising, Inc., a Kansas City area, 501(c)(3), tax exempt, not-for-profit organization. For more information on the Gaea Retreat Center or Earth Rising, Inc., go to http://WWW.CampGaea.Org.
Submitted by William L. Whipple on May 17, 2007 – 6:07am.