Photos By: Ava Pendl
By: Corey McComb
Highland Avenue at noon is filled with the sounds construction and traffic jams. Billboards promoting distraction tower overhead and the feeling is busy. But hidden in plain sight, right between it all, rests WanderLust Hollywood— A four story Zen compound built as a haven from the interruptions that surround it.
The space is the spiritual HQ of WanderLust Festivals, which for today, has teamed up with The Do LaB to present Temple Days. It’s the Lightning in a Bottle pre-party, or “a day in the life of the Lucent Temple Of Consciousness” – a 12 hour interactive preview of the transformative potential of year’s Lightning in a Bottle in Bradley, CA.
Pockets of people, armed with bright eyes and yoga mats, fill up the patio and make their way past the cafe’s offerings of Kombucha, mimosas, and (you guessed it) organic menus before heading towards the main room.
Inside, the opening ceremony begins with sacred songs and the promise of a day full of inspiring speakers, workshops, dance, and magic.
“For those ready to stretch the body and the mind.”
Highlights included:
TANTRIC MEDITATION w/ Scott Schwenk
WanderLust’s resident meditation leader Scott Schwenk led the group through a series of guided meditations where he focused not just the actual practice, but why mindfulness is so important.
“Being lost in our thoughts all day is suffering”, he explained. “Most of us just go on moving from impulse to impulse in our heads, wanting more and more.”
Leading the group through breathing exercises, Schwenk instructed us to focus on the relaxation of key body parts, and to imagine a large fire in the center of the room. “With each exhale, imagine anything that’s no longer serving you going into the fire”
When asked how to track progress in any meditation program he advised asking oneself the following three questions after each practice: What happened? How did I feel? How do I feel now?
An Open Q&A with Bashar
Darryl Anka, mortal medium for the multidimensional extraterrestrial known only as Bashar, was met by a room full of curiosity and a line of truth seekers waiting to have their deepest questions answered from another world.
Bashar’s endearing straightforwardness touched on concepts of having multiple purposes in life, if we are infinite beings, and whether or not the Earth is flat.
SEX AND LOVE GAMES w/ Eva Clay & Robert Kandell
Sex psychologists Eva Clay and Robert Kandell led their group of participants through a roller coaster of awkwardness and vulnerability with their profound, yet lighthearted workshop.
Having less to do with actual sex, the hour focused mainly on the “games” we play. The goal, as explained by Clay and Kandell, was to “unplay” the games of love by practicing upfront communication and escaping the “conspiracy of cool” that we revert to in romance.
There wasn’t much time for insecurity to set in as we danced around the room, waiting for the music to end and place us in front of a random partner for the next exercise. Two long minutes of deep eye contact was made each time before we confessed fears, difficulties, and the things that frustrate us most in relationships.
By the end of the workshop, vulnerability was replaced with a freeing humility. New ideas on how to improve communication and perspectives emerged and a heightened sense of confidence filled the room.
Featured Conversation w/ John Perkins & Dream Rockwell
Best Selling author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman, John Perkins, and LIB co-founder Dream Rockwell led a thought provoking conversation based on Perkins concept of, “Perceived vs. Objective Realities”.
Detailing his three year stint living with the Shaur Tribe in the Amazon, Perkins explained how after only drinking “spit beer” and bugs for a month he landed on his deathbed. It wasn’t until a Shaman and a dose of ayahuasca came along to change his “perceived reality” and save his life.
Touching on concepts of corporate greed and ways to change the world, both Rockwell and Perkins implored the engaged crowd to “follow your dreams”, “read more books”, and to, “Enjoy the revolution! It’s supposed to be fun!”
Between the Yoga classes, tarot card readings, and interactive dance performances, there were springboards for self discovery at every corner. That’s what makes WanderLust and The Do LaB such obvious partners; both groups have the same core concept at heart: Self Actualization.
If Temple Days was any indication of the type of energy to be found at LIB this year, Bradley, CA is the the obvious place to be for Memorial Day weekend.