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Dear friends,
I am trying out a new email format to make the newsletter more mobile/smartphone friendly. Please let me know how it appears to you, if the text is more readable, what background color you see, and any other comments you may have. Thanks!
Douglas
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Deborah and I are back on the road, with our first stop at Ozark Camp. There were over 150 people and an epic time was had by all. Bernie blew the roof off the dance hall multiple times, and teacher Forrest Farhad Pierce of Lawrence, Kansas, used his dances to introduce us to deeper teachings found in the words and phrases of Arabic, coupled with unique melodies and movements. There is so much beauty and power in our larger circles!
As we make our way west, we will join the dance circle in Bozeman, Montana, participate in the 4 day Salmon River Dance Camp in Idaho, Meet Dancers in Washington State, lead circles in Oregon (more information below), and then we'll be on to the Mendocino Sufi camp in the redwoods of California before turning back east and making our way to...
Parliament of the World's Religions
Aug.14-18, 2023, Chicago, IL
picture from a past Parliament
One of the most exciting gatherings on the horizon is the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago.
Over 80 Dancers will come together to experience this extraordinary interfaith gathering. Unlike most Dance events which draw most attendees from their surrounding region, this will be bringing Dancers, Leaders, and Musicians from all around the country and beyond.
The recent great news is that the Parliament has granted us space in the schedule called "Dancing a New World into Existence," three sessions from 3 to 4:30 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
There are also additional dances, both scheduled and "pop-ups" in public areas daily throughout the week. Scroll down below for more information on registration discounts, to join our Facebook group, and more.
I hope meet you in a circle, wherever that may be!
Peace,
Douglas
Sunseed , The Journey - A movie of Western Spiritual Awakenings
The 1960s and 70s were a time of spiritual awakening. Sunseed, The Journey is a movie that captures the spirit of those times, and the wave of teachers from the East who brought their knowledge and wisdom to a generation hungry for insights and greater meaning. It has been re-edited from its original release, going back to interview and capture the reflections of key figures like Ram Dass and narrator Peter Coyote, a founder of the Diggers commune.
The movie is dedicated to Murshid Sam Lewis, known then as Sufi Sam, founder of the Dances of Universal Peace, which has become my path of spiritual expression.
However, he is but one of the teachers featured in this film. The movie offers a beautiful overview of what was happening then and how it changed the world we live in today.
In 1973 my wife and I (we were 18 and 19) found ourselves in Phoenix, Arizonaor a couple of months, living at an ashram that trained teachers in Yogi Bajan's kundalini yoga.
Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now, the book that ignited our spiritual awakening, visited for a week while we were there and did darshan (daily talks, with questions and answers). Yogi B got wind of this and arrived right after Ram Dass left to “reclaim” his flock. By that time we had moved out into a nearby apartment. It wasn’t for us.
I could really relate more to Ram Dass, but he was a western version of a wandering Sadhu and there wasn’t any way to do something with him.
Some months later we visited and then joined The Farm Community and have been members now for 50 years.
Founder and "abbot" of The Farm's householder yogi monastery, Stephen Gaskin had his faults, like any human being, but he provided a unique spiritual path that was more universal and did not require you to adopt the practices of one specific culture. He can be seen a couple of times in the film and is credited in the film for the founding of The Farm.
Click here to watch the trailer and to purchase the movie as a stream.
My Dance Calendar
Sunday June 18, Bozeman, Idaho (We had a lovely evening!)
June 21` - June 26 Salmon Wild River Camp
Location: Salmon Idaho 609 West 4th Street, Salmon, ID Hosted by Zareen Connie Delaney and Wayne Talmage.
Friday, July 7 Eugene, OR
Location: The event is at 7:30 pm at the Eugene Friend's Meeting House, 2274 Onyx St, Eugene, OR
Saturday, July 8, Salem, OR
Location: This event is being held at a private residence in rural area of Salem, Oregon. Please email SalemDUP@gmail.com for more information.
Schedule: 3:00-4:00 PM Arrival, Visiting and Optional Blueberry picking (1.50/lb, option of making payment to certain charities. Bring your own containers or gallon freezer bags and cooler with blue ice for storage) Don't forget checkbook or cash to pay for your berries.
4-4:30 Slideshow Presentation about The Farm Intentional Community
5-6:00 Optional potluck (Beverages, paper plates, cups, and recyclable utensils provided) Bring a potluck dish if you can, but not required.
6:15-8:00 Dance
What to bring: Chairs, Sunhat, sunscreen, water bottle, practical shoes for dancing on grass.
Sunday July 9, Bandon, OR 7 PM
Location: Bandon Library Sprague Room, 1204 11th St SW, Bandon, OR 97411
A presentation about The Farm Intentional Community and then we Dance!
August 14-18 Parliament of World Religions
Location: Chicago, at McCormick Place Lakeside Center.
Join us at the early-bird rate!
DUPNA has a block of registration tickets at the early-bird discount.
Contact DUPNA POWR coordinator Hayat Bain for questions and more information about our Dance caravan: hayatdupna@gmail.com!
Click here to join the DUP POWR Facebook group for 2023 to learn about the Dance presence, coordinate registration, lodging and transportation and more.
August 27 and September 3 Dances on The Farm
September 12-25 The Turkey Dance Caravan and Leader Training
November 22 - December 10 The Vietnam Dance Caravan
Thank you for your time and attention!
Douglas
Click here to listen and watch my YouTube Playlst of original recordings, some of my favorite DUP dances and melodies.
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