GAIAN MIND SUMMER FESTIVAL 2006
June 22nd-25th, Four Quarters, Central PA, USA

REVIEWS

GMSF2K6:

Pictures and videos -

http://flickr.com/photos/28354417@N00/sets/72157594180161704
http://ilyagulko.com/photos/gmsf2006
http://flickr.com/photos/serena-n-gosha-pix/sets/72157594191296376
http://n0rp.chemlab.org/photos/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1351
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/lauryn604/Gaian%20Mind%20Festival%202K6%20Four%20Quarters%20PA
http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c111/glowingdragon/Gaian%20Mind%2006-Pennsylvania
http://tekgnome.com:70/gallery/v/Parties/GaianMind06
http://touchsamadhi.com/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=22967
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1309559320890561351&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2740901335622195374&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4635334114073010344&hl=en
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56664512@N00/sets/72157594178605036
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justmajors
http://www.ganesha.ca/Media/photos/Gaian%20Mind%2006
http://www.lightomatic.com/images/gmsf2006
http://www.mumstudents.org/~rschreiber/goaspirit_com/2006_06_23-25_gaian_mind/page_01.htm
www.digivill.net/~binary/p...page.shtml
www.flickr.com/photos/72108301@N00
www.flickr.com/photos/ser...4188835929
www.funkyclouds.com/gallery/music/gm06

GMSF2K5:

06/27/05 – many thanks…

Amanda and I both greatly needed this break and it delivered all we hoped for and more... Even with the large number of people and warmer weather this was our best year of the 4... The music, the dancing, the camping, the crowds... I heard the same echoed from others as well... 'this was the first time in a long while we've had fun at a party' and 'this makes me want to listen to psytrance again'

I've been waiting for 6 years to see Jaia. Thanks for helping make that happen.

Sorry we had to scoot without saying goodbye.. Manders had to get back in time to leave for a concert Sunday night. Your son is delightful.

-g

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06/27/05 - Gaian Mind Photos from light-o-matic

My photos of the festival...

http://lightomatic.com/images/gmsf2005

-Ben <light-o-matic>

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06/27/05 – For What It’s Worth

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to say what an awesome job you did with the festival. It certainly appeared to be the best one yet from my perspective. I had a great time and I'm sure that 99% of those who attended did as well. It's an extremely difficult thing to do, but each year it seems that more of the kinks get worked out. You should all be proud of what you have accomplished. Now stop being grumpy and get some rest for like the next two weeks.

Retired in Glenside,

Randy

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06/27/05 – The demigods of Four Quarters

Hey Guys.

Great party!
Everything about it!

Regards, and thanks again for a great event!
Nick

- - -

06/27/05 – fuzzikitten

Paradise.

There were more people than I've ever seen at GMSF in years past and the vibe was GOOD. Lots of smiling, happy, friendly people relaxing about the land.

We even sucked in at least one person from Four Quarters - I saw him getting his stomp on in the early morning.

Good times.

- - -

06/27/05 – Cyzum

All I have to say is this.

Deviant Species fucking owns my ass now. That shit ROCKED.

What an incredible party - my body is still buzzing from the weekend.

Allen & the entire GM crew - all I have to say is wow.

- - -

06/27/05 – YoMy
I'm just getting into the scene and this event rocked my summer. Thank you gaian mind for the spiritual playground you created for us. Who knew there were so many fairies in Central PA? (whoever gave out those wreaths deserves a tiara)
seriously, the psytrance scene is so lucky to have so many beautiful devoted people.
mad props to antix, gavin, jaia & edoardo. damn boyz.
I danced it out so long i can't quite walk. i sort of waddle. i just couldn't stop movin, you guys were just sending out sooo much NRG. the floor resonated with magic it felt like one massive brain. we danced as
the distinct parts and the greater whole all at once

and thanks for all the exposed ballsacs down at the sweat lodge.
spasibo za vsyo.
stellar deco (mimi you're a phosphorescent sparkle)

- - -

06/27/05 - mandelbrot

This was a truly magical event. I am really amazed with the place. You can just walk around and keep discovering more and more places with all these small details. I felt like a guest in the elf’s and fairy’s world or something. Great organization, you could tell that everything was done with lots of care to make the event pleasant for everyone. I was so much involved in wondering around exploring and meeting people that I missed most of the last night’s sets, but the morning was a great sum up to the whole experience. Although I prefer a bit different music, it was still really great. People were dancing till around 2pm. No need to say about the good vibes on the floor.
Thank you very very much whoever was organizing this. I suggest everyone who’ve never been to Gaian Mind to check it out next time. And is it true that the place is going to change?

- - -

06/27/05 - light_trance

Here is few pics (you can skip few of the initial pics) http://community.webshots.com/user/psypics

GaianMind was my first festival and I am really amazed and dont have words to write about my experience. Thanks to all.

Boom Shankar,
Sahil

- - -

06/27/05 - BrianH

This was definitely the best party I went to all year. I have a ton of friends who missed it this year and really want to go to the next one... it will continue to grow.

I also heard that this will be the last time they are using that venue... hopefully they will find a suitable replacement. I'm sure they will since the party was made by the decor, the DJs and the diversity of the crowd.

- - -

06/27/05 - gatsby

This was my first full weekend psy festival.

I cannot say enough about how powerful this event was for me.

Lost Baba and the Bastards did one of the most powerful dance sets I have ever experienced. Go touch samadhi!

So much of the event is 4QF, I hope that it is not true that GMSF has to find a new home.

G

- - -

06/27/05 - gatsby

Hate to mess with the good vibes but I have a comment about poor GMSF attendee behavior:

I saw trash bags all over the place. Rather than follow the rules, I saw very few people purchasing the yellow bags from 4QF and dropping their trash off. Many people were dropping bags near the Coffee Dragon, far from the farmhouse where they were supposed to be dropped off. I also saw piles of trash bags at campsites.

And the garbage, if left, was supposed to be in the yellow bag which cost only $4.

So from the standpoint of garbage, a substantial group of GMSF attendees were doing a lousy job of following the 4QF rules and respecting their land.

- - -

06/27/05 - john_c

DEVIANT SPECIES OWNED US.
Antix's DJ set was dope as hell too.

- - -

06/27/05 - Yay 2005

Gaian Mind another -YAY 2005! - moment.
Great time had by all.
Lots of photos coming your way.
But I vote for this photo as the Gaian Mind 2006 flyer.

Lisa Spudic

- - -

06/28/05 – pix

thought I took more....
got some good ones though!

http://whereissteve-o.com/GM2K5

- - -

06/28/05 – Thank YOU!

Hi Allen
Just a quick mail to tell u a big THANK YOU for the party, was such a
beautiful experience... long time i didn't enjoy a party as I enjoyed the
Gaian Mind...
Please send me your actual address so i can send u some cds, I'm sorry i
didn't have anything there at the party, but i will send u some music this
week...
Thanx again, I send u a big hug and I hope to have the chance to play again
one time in your beautiful party...
Ciao!

Regards,

Edoardo

- - -

06/28/05 – Sounds Good

thanks, I had a great (but pretty exausting) time.

all and all I think it was the best one yet, untill next year that is.

someone is always going to complain about something. I was supprised by
the number of positive comments as my goal was to make the sound loud
enough to be passable, and I think it went a little beyond that in voulme.

well off to VT.

cheers,

- nick

- - -

06/28/05 – Many Thanks

Hey Allen and Sharon!

I was just about to email you guys... My deepest thanks for an event that
surpassed my expectations... really.

I felt such a welcoming feeling to the east coast family, my experience at
Gaian Mind was just amazing and encouraging. Its those experiences that make
artists keep going. So, thank you.

I totally realize how much time and effort it takes to put on a production,
so congratulations on this year's success. You guys did a real professional
job. I have already gotten a few emails of people expressing their thanks
and appreciation for my set. At the festival, the positive response to both
my sets was continuous the whole time I was there. Many people said they
cried during the Worldspirit showing... A lot of people saying they had
never seen or heard anything like my dance set.

So, thanks for giving me this opportunity... you guys feel like family, and
I would love to work together in the future.

all the best,
-Kenji

- - -

06/28/05 – US-based mail-order?

i'm sure it's been several months since this question was last asked, so
here goes: anyone know if there is a US-based service for ordering
psytrance CDs? i know about psyshop, psychosounds, chaishop, etc, just
wondering if there is any way of saving on shipping (although import prices
will probably eat up the difference)

need to get the new jaia. still on a high from this past weekend's gaian
mind festie. t'was unbelievable. best one yet. no other festival
compares, in my (little) mind... details/review/musings forthcoming, at
some point.

'drei

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06/28/05 – more gaian mind pics

http://touchsamadhi.com/gallery/GaianMind2005

~~<{~: 3ö :~}>~~

Kri

- - -

06/28/05 - Thank you, Gaian Mind!

For putting on such a great festival! I've never had so many strangers smile at me. If there was such a thing as a "stranger" over the weekend. It was truly liberating for me. Hello again to all the great people I met! I can't imagine how many days of work went into it. Rest assured that I will be making hte trip to this magickal place from wherever I will be living at the time. That was AMAZING, and just what I needed!

Psychedelically Yours,
Jason Miller
AKA
Axis Mundi

- - -

06/28/05 - Re: Thank you, Gaian Mind!

Yes, thank you very much Gaian Mind and all those 4Q that
work so hard every year so that we can be so spoiled.
It's amazing to see all of the pictures and all of the people
who I don't know by name, but still made a connection with
on the dance floor and in conversation. It so nice when the
world becomes a little smaller. Thank you!

Peace and Blessings,
Luke Malachi

06/28/05

Vlad Moskovski wrote:
Hey Alan, its Vlad. Remmember I asked about getting a copy of your awsome 5 hour dj
set at the festival, do you think you could send me a copy? Please!!!

I could pay for shipping and the cost of the cd.

Send me an e-mail, and we can talk some more, I'd love to hear more about Costa Rica
and permaculture.

-Vlad

- - -

06/28/05 - miEtek

thank you Gaian Mind for full on magical event.
Recovery might take longer than usual

- - -

06/28/05 - facehead

yes an amazing experience thanks to gaian mind and all others for bringing everyone together i met some very amazing people and shared some very special moments another life changing weekend thanks vladimir, paula and others such an inspiring segment of time and as far as the music goes friday was great but saturday was fucking nuts..
cant wait for the next fest

-facehead-

- - -

06/28/05 – Edoardo

What a beautiful party, one of the best of my life... beautiful people and location, thanx 1000 Allen and Sharon... and all the people who were there, I will not forget this one.

Love Edo

Edoardo @ Neurobiotic Records

- - -

06/28/05 - datadrift

>I also heard that this will be the last time they are using that venue...

>> So much of the event is 4QF, I hope that it is not true that GMSF has to find a new home.

i fell for this rumor, too, when i read about it here. i posted about it on the 4qf.org forum, and so very thankfully (although we always need to continue taking better care of the land), the rumor is not true!! that was a real scare for me!

a snippet from the 4qf.org forum:
" "
One rumor that did mysteriously surface during the event is that
"Gaian Mind would not be held at Four Quarters next year". As one of
the Four Quarters office staff who has been in contact with the Gaian
Mind organizers, I can state that there is no intention to end what
has been a very beneficial relationship. In fact, you can mark your
calendars: Gaian Mind will be held at Four Quarters June 22nd through
the 25th, 2006.

- - -

06/28/05 - light-o-matic

YoMy: that's my site! Hope you like the pics. Check out some of the other event pictures I have there...

Eduardo: Nice morning set, thanks!

Gatsby: Yes.. and cigarette butts, which are inexcuseable (so easy to just put it in your pocket or bag). But we were never told about the yellow garbage bags, or we would have used them. We hauled our garbage home with us. Been to burning man, that's what we're used to I would have been glad to give 4q the money to take the garbage away. When we got to the gate on the way home, we saw the yellow bags.. but by then everything was packed so we just went on our way. Next time I suggest to 4q that they make a bigger thing out of the bags, offering them to each group as they sign in.

- - -

06/29/05 - Giand mind 2005

Hello everybody..
I hope that everything in great with you.
I am sending you the link with Pict's from festival.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95994248@N00

if anybody want some of them bigger - just email me.

All "art photos" I will be submitting later, when they will be done.

piece to everybody
D.Bambuk.

By the way< I hope that you are going to look at it using slide
show...in which you have to keep the mouse button on the pict.

enjoy

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06/29/05 - Re: Thank you, Gaian Mind!

MANY thanks to the Gaian Mind crew for all their efforts in putting on a fantastic event with such a natural, positive vibe. I apprecaited the smaller trance soundsystem and rotating music schedule, as I was not being bombarded with pounding 4/4 trance every waking moment of the 4 days I dwelled at 4 quarters. Proof that these kind of festivals don't all revolve around the music, but the people and the environment. :) This allowed me to soak in the true condition of the enviroment and people who were creating their own happiness without a doubt. The food was outstanding (I highly recommend using the meal plan) and the forest location was magnificent complete with trickling streams and "Hemlock Hole", a natural pool in the river to cool down in. I could have easily stayed another week just camping. There was some amazing deco, and the communal vibrations were blissful to say the least. I felt like I was inhabiting a temporary paradise. Special thanks to all the artists, DJs, VJs, deco artists who made the stage areas even more enoyable. I was hearing a lot of good music at the downtempo area (as I'm partial to chill music anymore) but loved feeling the energy that was being created at the stone circle trance stage. What a magical place all the way around. Gaian Mind, for sure. We were connected.

Peace and dub,
Quasga
www.androcell.com

06/29/05 - Re: Thank you, Everyone!

What a way to spend a birthday! This was my first and definatley not my last. I haven't really experienced random people saying hello and smiling just for the hell of it. It was a very warm and inviting feeling for me and the people I was with. I was a little upset when I saw that the trance music played for sessions but it acually made the experience that much more enjoyable. It gave me a chance to participate in different events and again, meet more people and all of the lovely children that were there. Many blessings to those I've meet, haven't met and to 4Q for opening thier sanctuary to us. Keep the spirit alive until next year.
Cosmik hugz
Luna

06/29/05 - REVIEW: GAIAN MIND SUMMER FESTIVAL '05 (6/25/05)

OK, so you're behind the stone circle - enjoying the gluttonous trance festival for all the wonder it has to offer. You're carrying an open can of Bud in one hand, a Marlboro Light in the other, and you see a member of the Four Quarters Staff approaching. Thinking fast, you dump the remainder of the beer on the ground and give the empty can a quick fling into the woods without the staff member seeing. The two of you cross paths, exchange an awkward smile, and you feel good because you just avoided being scolded by the keepers of the Sacred Land. You head out onto the dancefloor, find an attractive member of the opposite gender, and start "getting your groove on" - thinking nothing of the last two minutes of your life.
Meanwhile, the beer can you flung into the woods, is still sitting there - resting in its aluminum grace with a delicious malty residue coating its sides and bottom. Smelling those wonderful hops and barley, a small crew of flies goes into action from their local nest. They had been peacefully resting in the woods, but the smell of barley sends them to action and, within seconds, they've surrounded the can. Closer to the dancefloor than they've been all weekend, the flies get wind of even more sumptuous odoriforous eminations wafting in from the crowd. Alerted, they deploy - seeking out the orange peels, peach pits, candy-wrappers, and fruit drink bottles that had been unceremoniously tossed beneath the altar.
While the flies buzz about the altar, enjoying the "fat of the land" (no 90's techno reference intended) - Hayden Strom, who had flown across the world to play a live set, is busy displaying the months of work he's put into his new album. People have come from all over the country to hear the newest material from one of the world's best producers. A bassline drops out, a wispy violin plays, followed by an eerie female vocal. Finally, at long last, "Hiding Place" - one of Hayden's best new tracks - is coming on. The build is long and smooth - intensifying with each measure. Violins, voices, synth lines, and a break-beat drum kick go for a mere 1:37 - though it feels like hours! As the bassline and 4/4 kick are ready to blast in, the audience is ready to erupt in dance. Progressive lovers from across the world - eyes closed - focused on the music - are lost and ready for ecstacy!
At that exact moment, one of the flies from the altar - a fly which would NOT have been there had that beer can not been tossed into the woods a few moments ago, goes buzzing off into the crowd and flies dangerously close to Jeff Whitmore's ear. Feeling a little agitated and angry that there's a fly in his ear, Jeff attempts to re-focus his center and not allow the buzzing to annoy him. To aid in his re-centering, Jeff picks up the music of the moment and immediately starts banging his drum along with the rhythm. Though perfectly in time with the music, the unfiltered analog intensity of the drum doesn't quite match with the finely tuned and mastered music coming from an expertly tuned and equalized sound system. The sound, in other words, *doesn't quite fit.* :-) It does, however, works wonders for Jeff; as it helps him ignore the fly and get his mind back to where he likes it.
However, the five progressive-trance loving bafoons who had packed themselves into the middle of the dancefloor - filling up the Nick Binary "sweet spot" - could not think of a worse moment for that fly to buzz in Jeff's ear and drive him to bang on his drum. The bassline and kick of "Hiding Place" enters not with an ecstatic moment but with a jarring and confusing intrusion into the sound. Shaken from the trance, Sasha (one of the proggies) looks up with a confused and annoyed look on his face. His eyes open and catch the eyes across the dancefloor of another dancer. Being so far away, all that dancer sees is an angry looking and confused man. A little scared by the look in his eye, she looks away with a level of fear and anxiety in her own eyes. That fear is quickly picked up by another adjacent dancer, who screams (and I mean SCREAMS) with all his might and hence interupts Hayden's set yet again!!
With the sweet spot full of confused people, the sides full of people trying to help a man distraught with screaming, and the Coffee Dragon Tent getting fuller and fuller by the minute - Hayden looks out into the audience NOT at a bunch of smiling faces, but instead into a crowd full of confusion, fear, and concern. Not 100% sure where these faces come from, he assumes his music is not going over well. He gets nervous and finishes his set not sure how people liked the tracks - or if they even did.
Now granted, Hayden's music was AMAZING - some of the best of the weekend, but I think you know where all this is going. You've got about 50 disrupted and confused people, a screaming man, a drumming man, and a nervous musical genius - all packed within the stone circle. Such is a recipe for disaster!! BUT - if you look back, it's easy to say that NONE of this would have ever happened had you respected the rules and NOT been drinking out of an open beer can. OR had you NOT thrown that beer can into the woods to avoid being scolded. Sure, you got by unharmed, but your negligence lessened the experience for well over 50 other people - in a matter of minutes!! I guess the point is this: THROW YOUR TRASH IN THE PROPER PLACE AND HAVE *SOME SEMBLANCE* OF CLASS WHEN YOU'RE A GUEST ON OTHER PEOPLE"S LAND!!!

OK, so you've just drove 600 miles through the night in order to arrive on-time for the Gaian Mind Summer Festival. Though spending almost 100 dollars on gas to get there, you had good directions, a nice car stereo, and you arrive feeling ready for a great party. You had read earlier that parking is not allowed on the grounds because the land in the valley is "sacred." Respecting and appreciating this, you pack minimally, only taking stuff you can carry on your back from the main parking area into the camp. You arrive at the check-in gate only to see a sign posted on the window that reads "parking passes: 25 dollars." Spotting the obvious hypocrisy in this, you're put-off and confused. However, being two wonderful and genuine people from Northampton MASS, you still decide to respect the "sacredness" of the land and park in the proper place. The two people who check-in behind you though had NOT read anything about the land's sacredness and hence simply see the "25-dollar offer" as another cost and hence pay it. After all, they had come from New York in a Subaru Legacy, packed to the gills with food, camping chairs, stoves, hammocks, tents, blankets, pots, pans, and a host of other luxurious items that would make a 1/2 mile hike seem like hell-on-earth.
So they pay their money, get the parking pass, and drive down the hill to the camps.
As they turn the corner after the chill-area, they approach a large drainage ditch, freshly dug by the Four Quarters Staff. The ditch, though very useful in getting water OFF the road and into the river, is cut WAY too steep, and cars have a tough time going over it. Slowly and cautiously, the Subaru approaches until it finally hits the ditch going about 2 mph. **CLUNK** The muffler bottoms out on the ditch, and breaks free from the under-carraige. After dragging it (and the whole exhaust pipe) to his campsite, waking up all he passes on the way, the driver gets out of his car *LIVID* that he's just done damage to his car and will have to get it repaired. He unpacks in haste, irritated, and heads to the Stone Circle.
Before going into the circle to check out the deco, he stops at the port-o-john to relieve himself. At this point, he's aggravated and upset. His mind is NOT on any of the rules of the grounds, but instead how he's going to fix his car and where he's going to get the money to do it. (He spent his last 25 bucks on that dam parking pass!) Thoughtlessly, he tosses his empty Gatorade Bottle into the port-o-john, zips his pants up, and heads for the main area.
Later on that weekend, the clean-up crew comes out to pump out the port-o-johns. The guy doing the pumping is a great guy from outside Allentown, PA. He's been doing this for years and nothing really bugs him - except when his pump clogs and he has to clean it out by hand. Needless to say, he's pumping out the portos when the hose jams. He stops the pump, unhitches the hose, and, with rubber gloves and a mask, begins the scoop out the clogged lines. (visual imagery encouraged, yet avoided, here.) Sure enough, as he pulls the gatorade bottle out and fires it into the trash can, his blood runs cold.
In the process of cleaning out his hose, our friend from outside Allentown spills a little of the human waste onto the ground by the side of the other port-o-johns. On any given day, he would have cleaned it up in a highly professional manner. But today, because he's upset with the gatorade bottle, he says "fuck it! I ain't cleaning nothin' for these folks!" He drives off, leaving a small puddle of human fecal matter on the ground.
Later that morning, as Gavin completes one of the best DJ sets of the weekend, people are invited down to the chill-out area to hear a set from Jaia. The masses flock at the chance. Before going down, a young couple from Boston stops by the coffee dragons and has a quick cup.. By the time they're done, the crowd has all settled in at the North-Crook stage and is enjoying a great set. The young couple wash out their mugs and go running down to meet them. On the way, however, one of them steps in the puddle of waste left behind by our friend from Allentown. As he (and his soiled shoes) approach the chill area, heads turn, nostrils flare and many people actually get up and leave the area because the smell is just THAT BAD! Realizing what's happened, the young couple quickly return to their camp, get a spare t-shirt and begin cleaning the shoe. By the time the shoe is clean, they return to the chill-area and are treated to the last fifteen minutes of Jaia's set. After the set, they're approached by many and are told tales of people's reactions to the smell. Though all are humorous, it is no doubt that the smell had interupted one of the more anticipated sets of the weekend. Some people are even angry - as they walk by with mean looks in their eyes - ready to spread their anger to the next person they pass.
What was supposed to be a great set for this young couple turned into nothing but a cup of coffee and forty minutes of shoe-cleaning. Moreover, the interuption and disgust they caused with the smell of their shoes clearly created ripple effects and negativity whose reaches cannot be concluded here. Now just think, had that guy with the Subaru either NOT over-packed and hence need to drive his car down to the camps *OR* had he NOT tossed his bottle into the port-o-john; *NONE* of this would have ever happened!! I guess the point is this: PACK MINIMALLY!!! TAKE ONLY ENOUGH STUFF THAT YOU CAN CARRY FROM YOUR CAR TO THE CAMP! OR MAKE TWO TRIPS. BOTTOM LINE: As hypocritical it may be to ask 12.50/axel for "sacredness," (thanks Dave Dittmer) there is still a REASON why it is discouraged to park or drive down below the main parking lot!!! Poorly constructed drainage ditches or not - the fact remains that people shouldn't be driving down there in the first place!

Despite these "hypothetical" :-) situations; let me be blunt. Marria and I had a good time at this year's GM festival. Nick Binary and the Sonic Beating Sound Pump were in FULL EFFECT! The lineup was incredible - like it is every year! The weather was pristine, the swimming holes were clean, and the Coffee Dragons were on their game - keeping everyone fully amped! And the campsite - complete with Eric Spaceship's specials finds and a tent that came to be called "the hospital" - was Bostonians in existenz. But, unlike the case has been the last few years, this year's festival was colored (or should I say "discolored.") By the BLATANT and disgusting disrespect and disregard showed towards the Gaian Mind Crew, the Four Quarters Staff, and the Four Quarters land itself. Major time and money was just invested to install new "drinking water spouts" which spring from the ground in the camp area. I can remember at least five times seeing someone use one of those fountains - and then simply leave it running and walk away. I can't count the number of cigarette butts I picked up off the ground - both in the stone circle and even in places as far away as the swimming holes. I drove out on Sunday night around 8 and literally FILLED my truck with bags of trash, empty beer cases, and miscellaneous WASTE that had simply been left in the car-camping area. I found mugs from the Cofee Dragons thrown in the woods along the trail, used hypodermic needles chilling out behind tents. Cars (even those with yellow ribbons all over them) remained parked in the camping areas. Trash - unseperated and in huge black trash bags - just tossed behind the second stage. There is something to be said about a party's "vibe." - I hate that word - always have - but to me it means the "overall state of mind that the majority of the party-goers are in." This year, for the first time, the "vibe" of the Gaian Mind Summer Festival was one of gluttony, excess, irresponsibility, disrespect, and disregard for the rules set forth by the people who have worked so hard to organize and throw this event.

We are all responsible for one another - in every way shape and form. From Hayen Strom to those 16-year-old pre-adolescent fools walking around saying "who needs coke or E? Coke and E here!" Everyone on those grounds is just as important in making the weekend enjoyable for everyone. You may think nothing of throwing your beer can in the woods, but think about the ripple effects before you do it. You may say "I paid my money, the crews are getting paid to clean up my mess!" If so, then you're wrong! YOU are as responsible as ANY of the crew members and ANY of the performing artists in ensuring the best time for everyone! Most of us have grown up to rebel against rules. But let me tell you something: so too did the GM and 4Q crews... So just know that the rules they make are made for a REASON - and a very important reason!! It's just a question of common courtesy and respect. If someone does you a huge favor - like, for instance, drives your camping gear a few hundered miles to the festival - you should AT LEAST say "thank you." Such simple courtesy I found was seriously lacking this year! And if you're hungry and just realized your yogurt spoiled in your cooler because your friend left it open during Antix's live-set - and you ask a neigbor for some food; the LEAST you can do is say "please" and "thank you." Don't cut people off in line at the Fractal Feast. Don't run over someone on your way into Hemlock Hole just so "you can be first." Don't mock and make gaudy jokes about people who live alternative lifestyles (don't you do the same?) and try to show at least a *LITTLE* bit of class and awareness when using showers and water facilities that are located in the middle of the woods. I know you may be used to New York (home of the world's most sophisticated and well-kept water and sewerage treatment system) or Chicago, or Boston - but the system at 4Q was built with human hands and with natural elements. A freshly installed septic system shouldn't have beer, hard liquor, and soaps with 100-year half-lives dumped into it! Too many people worked too hard to have their time and festival wrecked by such commonality and classlessness!

Like I said - I can list out the good "moments" of this festival just as easy as I can list out the "bad" ones. (Hayden's Sunday DJ set, Jaia's live-set on Sunday morning, waking up on Sunday to a PERFECT conversational question posed by Eric Spaceship, walking up the hill for an AMAZING sunrise over the mountains....chilling with SO MANY people I haven't seen in so long!! Meeting people I've only e-mailed with... meeting altogether NEW people... the list goes on and on...) But the coloration of those good moments was so dark on my way back to Boston that I could barely see their light at all. We may live in the most wasteful, gluttonous, excessive, and consumeristic nation in the world - but that's why a festival like GM is condisidered part of the "counter-culture." Let's try and keep it like that. And if you do come to the festival and you do happen to love Cadilac Escalades and high-end DVD players - feel free to leave them at home perhaps and try - at the very least *TRY* - to live differently for that weekend. GM is the best festival this country has to offer - and if we (as WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE) go ahead and drag it down to the levels of any other "common scene" - then we're all going to lose BIG TIME!

THANKS TO ALLEN, ANDY, SHARON and the whole Gaian Mind Crew
THANKS TO ORRIN, DOUG, and the whole FOUR QUARTERS STAFF
THANKS TO NICK BINARY, DAVE DITTMER, and the whole Sonic Beating/Boston Crew
THANKS TO ANTIX, JAIA, GAVIN, and all the DJ's, producers, and visual artists who rocked the sensory ends to no end!!
THANKS TO THE COFFEE DRAGONS!!!!!! HUGE THANKS!!!!
and thanks to everyone who came out, respected the woods, and showed at least a semblance of humanity. Whether you threw your own cigarette butts in the right place or you picked up a hundered butts that other people had thrown in the wrong ones - you're keeping the party sacred, and that's the ONLY way this party should EVER be!

Let's hope '06 is just as good musically and artistically, but much improved in many other ways!! Remember - WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF EVERYONE!

- - -

06/29/05 – Thank You

Hey Allen.
Thank you man. It was a real pleasure to be there with you all. YOu guys
have it sorted real nice!
Sorry I didnt see you before I left. My Mum and Sis had a blast and really
appreciated all your hospitality.
Thanks so much and greets to all the crew
all best
Hayden
:)

- - -

06/29/05 – Grazi!

You are welcome.
I had an unbelievable time.
One of my favorite parties ever.
Thank you for doing it. I know it's a lot of work, but this one must make it
worth it for you.

Always love being around you and your family.

See you soon.

A

- - -

06/29/05 – thank you !

Hello Allen,

I enyoyed a lot my stay and and I would like to thank you and all the GM crew for your care and welcome...and BTW also for bringing me at the festival!...there was really good vibes..that reminds me the first parties I went in 93-94 in France, people is soooo fresh!...I was dancing a lot too, that I usally don't do so much ;) It's one of the best parties i've made long time ago!

I'm happy you liked my live and you love the CD too :) Your set was great too!
I'm supidest man in the world cause I forgot to take a camera, so I don't have any picture :((((...will you put some in GM website? In anybody asking me about the festival I say that was wicked and one of the best I ever made ;) hope it'll will grow up more and more and keep his marvelous vibes.

I'll start working on a new album soon, and it'll not be finished in 2012 ;)

Hope to see you soon, and playing for you again (if you could take the same artist 2 times ;)

Take care

Yannis

- - -

06/29/05 - gaian mind, or what i did on my summer vacation

in summary:
thumbs up! thank YOU!
the mission:
i flew in from texas for the festival. i was on a mission to hear kenji, jaia, antix and The Sound on big clean speakers. i was on a mission to hear, see, and meet some of you folks. Mission accomplished on all fronts. The sound was clean, the land was sacred, and the people were solid. Not everything was perfect, but from my perspective, there was certainly more good than bad. Thank you to Gaian Mind and everyone who helped create this event.
arrival:
i arrived friday evening just after 7 pm. the 4QF folks and the greeters were friendly. i could tell the 4QF folks were already a little worn out, but they were still friendly and cheerful. i drove the loop to scope out a spot, talked to potential neighbors, set up camp, had a cold beverage, and then parked the car. luckily, i plopped right next to the Touch Samadhi family, so i had great neighbors and no obnoxious escalades/escapades.
musical overview:
i really appreciated the opening and closing ceremonies: the ringing of the bells cleared the space both in preparation and in conclusion, serving as excellent bookends for a dense weekend. highlights were kenji's sets (both) and the morning sets. if you've seen my infrequent posts, you'll know i'm an easy listener, a proggie, a whatever. i'm here for the morning trance, and the morning trance was Delivered with a capital D. i danced my ass off, and i have the sore calves, back, and laterals to prove it. sunday pacing was eccentric: when Edoardo came on after Jaia, i looked over at Eric Spaceship and said, "He's trying to KILL US." "East Coast plays it hard All Night Long." It was great. I agree with putting Antix back on the decks to wrap up the party on a slightly more spiritual, mellow note. occasionally, it's OK to put down the 12-gauge, though the 12-gauge is certainly the right tool for the job at times. nice finish with shiloh rmx of Focus. yea!
sunday morning contact high:
experiencing someone else during their peak experience is nigh transcendent. it's a contact high that's possible only when their experience is that intense on such a positive level. you are showing me a million years of love in history where i had always claimed proficiency. i can't even imagine what breathtaking landscapes, soundscapes, syllables and sensations are pulsing their way through your body, across your eyelids, and into your heart.
but it's stunning and i'm feeling this gaian heart Beat in my own way, too, and here we are and it really is all love and light: peace, love, unity, respect. i've been doing this a while now. i'm no silly-fresh etard surprised by a few clean 80 Hz thumps. yet not very often have i felt this way, this (oh say it you nascent hippy) _Uplifted and Connected_ on the dancefloor. i had planned to go back to That Space and hear That Sound this weekend, you know, out there in Deep Space 9. A test run on friday taught me there's still time yet. Yet, right now, i'm stone cold sober and high as a son kite soaking up this sound with you, As Us, weaving the frontal with the limbic. it's all about the eyes. "We Loved All That Was Beautiful"
side notes:
THANK YOU to whichever projection group (Reality Engine?) processed samples from Winged Migration. it's a personal favorite. if you haven't seen this documentary about bird migrations, rent it. The directors spent 3-4 years following bird flocks as they migrated throughout every continent, and the cinematography is impressive. the Reality Engine website is great fun. really. i've spent a couple hours just poking around and then checking out the artists' sites. great echo of the rotating menu options as the backgrounds for the subpages.
people:
it was very rewarding to reconnect with an old friend. it was also great to meet many of you (again or for the first time): mark (matsyendra), mark (shiva shakti), blue spectral, zach, melanie (sp), dorothy, katie, lauryn, maria, dave dittmer, dale ghent, andre, siyaka, guillaume, and so many more.
location:
the stones, the rock balancing, the drive out to four quarters - i'm grateful to nature and to people for creating sacred landscapes. while trance thundered through the trees, i felt these cold drop-like sensations on my arms, back, and neck all weekend. am i cutting off circulation? am i hallucinating? no, it's the respiration process of the trees, silly. combine these new sensations with the grounds, the music, the tight deco, the stars, and the background birds, and you have the perfect setting for a great event.
Growing pains:
- i'm not real pleased about the trash issues dave reported, but i suspect (hope) that people on this list are likely not the culprits.
- kids hanging out of sunroofs, screaming, and driving around camp
- LOTS of people driving rapidly between the main parking lot and the camp area in the middle of the night
- Drumming during Kenji's set on the main dance floor. (to the drummer: you _were_ in rhythm, but take it to the meadow, your camp, or the outskirts of the chill area. i flew over a 1000 miles to see Kenji, not you. it's nothing against you; i know you're feeling the music, but it's not your performance)
- as for gluttony and hedonism, well, i was here for the hedonism. i suppose there is a line between gluttony and hedonism. i don't care what you do, as long as you're onobtrusive and not infringing on the land or anyone else's experience.
Like I said, though, the positive aspects of the event far outshadowed any negative experiences for me.
Trainspotting:
- What was the track that Antix played on Sunday with the vocals talking about selling all your stuff - your typewriter, your shoes, etc.?
Thanks again to everyone! Pictures are forthcoming in a separate post.
-katherine

- - -

06/29/05 - The scout report - coming soon

Jeff, I will post a detailed report once I regain my sanity.

Meanwhile, a quick comment: my expectations were very high, but they were exceeded by the factor of 10 at least. If there is only one event that I am going to attend next year, it will be Gaian Mind - no matter if I have to fly, drive, cycle or walk to get there.

- - -

06/29/05 - Re: The scout report - coming soon

right on scout,
antix and gavin very nearly blew my mind on saturday morning and jaia made even my knuckels(sp?) ache till today.
have to say DS made me go away for a bit.....toooooo dark.

- - -

06/29/05 - video clip swap

I'm trying to put together a dvd of GMSF05 so if anyone has any videos digital camcorder ect, please email me @ williamjanzer@yahoo.com also email me if you have any audio clips too. Any one who contributes will get a free dvd of the edited product plus extra video not on the dvd

- - -

06/29/05 - GMF2k5 Pics

http://www.chamberoffarts.com/ngallery/albums/Gaian+Mind+2005.aspx

- - -

06/29/05 - labyrinth

Thank you Gaian Mind for an incredible weekend. Saturday night was an amazing night of music. Lost Baba and Bastard rocked the place, making everyone stomp their demons out. Deviant Species has some of the most groovy ass shaking dark-psy I've ever heard. Jaia's new music was very intelligent deep tribal emotional, great vibes groovin to his set with the sun beaming down. Edoardo had some funky ass full on and the mixes were flawless, great set just wish I had more energy to give, my legs were about to fall off. Mizue's artwork was beautiful and the projections were really cool too. My only complaint would be I felt the sound was a little too weak for this caliber of an event. Heard it was because Four Quarters regulates how loud they can get, maybe they should look for another place. Gotta be able to feel the music as well as hear it. Thanks again Gaian Mind for an awesome experience.
Peace and Light-
Labyrinth

- - -

06/29/05 - megalith

We at Four Quarters love Gaian Mind as an event, especially with the number of trance dancers amoung our members. And it has been a rare privilage to watch the event and its people mature and develope their own culture here on the Land. The spiritual awareness of the attendees grows and evolves each year, and was better this year at +800 on site, than in previous years with under 600. The music and the Land work well togeather in transmitting the message.

Personally, I found the sound by Sonic Beating to be dialed in, reading 114.5 at the center of the dance floor. We (Gaian Mind/Four Quarters/Sonic Beating) have a number of tricks that are incorporated in the sound system. Sonic Beating developed a unique system of phase alinement for the stacks that resulted in a 2-3 db low frequency pressure wave increase in a number of nodal points across the dance floor, at points it was very physically tangible when one walked into the nodes. A great deal of effort went into tweeking the frequency distrubutions with active, digital monitoring and filtering. The sound was crystal clean. We also crank the sound in the wee hours, and scale back 2 db when neighbors are falling asleep or getting up. Just being a good neighbor ourselves.

I heard many positive comments about the effect that the Land has on attendees, comments we hear often. Four Quarters is an InterFaith Religious Sanctuary, (read: a bazarre church for bizarre times)and the Land is charged. Sensitive people quickly pick up on that and it adds a great deal to their experience of the dance, the trance and the music. For me personally, looking down over the chill out area throough the tall tulip poplar trees, resplendant in colors reflecting off the river; remains every year a high point of the event.

We look forward to even more of this "best of breed" event in the years to come.

Orren Whiddon
Four Quarters

- - -

06/29/05 – DiMiTry

Couldn't go this year - but last year the most amazing thing about the festival was definitely the SPACE, FourQuarters is unbelievable, one of the most beautiful and powerful spots I've been to. My Native American friend was seeing spirits everywhere around, and I had some deeply enlightening moments there.

The sound had some problems last year, also. Not sure what can be done about it, but if it was between putting up with the sound, and having to move the event, I would vote to keep the Gaian Mind at FourQuarters, no question about it. That space is magical.

- - -

06/29/05 - goadevotee

this years fest was great thanks to all attendees for putting their energy together as a whole. i feel this was the most powerful focus of the weekend
thanks to sharon, allen, dale, and the rest of the crew for your perfessional efforts

- - -

06/29/05 - kameleonpangea36

wow what a weekend, feel that i just recovered, saturday night was one for the books, everyone rocked it out. i wish jaia would have gone on a little sooner though,
my only complaint would have to be the sound, the low mid the high mid and the highs all seemed to be fine, but there didnt seem to be any true hitting bass, i understand its sacred ground and theres neighbors but seeing such high quality artists with so many people around I feel like I needed some real bass, IMO it would be worth it to find a new spot that could be blown away next year,

- - -

06/29/05 - malachi

Yes, thank you very much Gaian Mind and all those at 4Q that work so hard every year so that we can be so spoiled! I took some kids
out of the Cleveland Ghetto this year and exposed them to the possibilites of a different way. It's amazing to see all of the pictures and all of the people who I don't know by name, but still made a connection with on the dance floor and in conversation. It so nice when the world becomes a little smaller! Thank you! Special thanks to all of the Deco artists who have instilled life long images
in my skull.

Peace and Blessings
Luke/Dj Malachi

- - -

06/29/05 – karmakanik

Wow! what an amazing trancendental experience. even though there were *a lot* more people this year (proabably because there wasn't any competition with Omnidance) i still got more of a "family" vibe. everywhere you'd turn, there'd be smiling faces, good vibrations... and great music of course!

antix played a great live set early saturday morning, mostly stuff from the new album. the second half of his dj was a little dry for my taste, but he definately made up for it the next day...

deviant species, OMFG, this guy just blew everyone away. sick, twisted shit; dark w/o sounding like all the cookie cutter darkpsy flooding the market these days. at one point some guy shouted out "your samples are hurting my brain!" how delightfully appropriate.

jaia played imo the perfect morning set. smooth, melodic, and energetic. even all the full on snobs were dancing their asses off

then dj edoardo completely floored me. extremely tight mixing, great trax, pumping, not too dark, not too light.

finally antix took over for a final dj set. he played two of my favorite songs near the end, beckers - switch and shiloh - focus rmx. perfect end to a perfect party!

as for the local acts, i really enjoyed alberto's set on friday night. caught the end of eitan's set on saturday night, and was rocking to the grooves. allen was slated to play the sunrise set in between deviant species and jaia. honestly, i was afraid he was gonna "bang it hard", but he surprised me pleasantly and played a lot of melodic morning tunes. unfortunately i missed kri and the bastard's live set (had to sleep at some point!) but i heard it was kicking as well. and mimi's artwork was of course just superb.

also, can't forget androcell's live chill out performance. very dubalicious and groovy.

*huge* thanks to all the organizers, performers, artists, crew, volunteers, 4qf staff, and everyone involved in putting together such a kickass event.

i've known allen a long time, and i don't think i've ever seen him smiling as wide as he was on sunday morning

4 quarters is such a unique place; it baffles me that anyone would choose to have the party somewhere else just for a few more decibals of bass. sure, the sound was not super loud, but it was very finely tuned and hi fi. finding an auditory "sweet spot" on the dancefloor was fairly easy.

so many venues (almost all!) merely "put up" with the music and the people, but the 4qf group are genuinely interested in promoting trance culture and music and integrating it with their own lifestyles.

like orren already said, every year the synergystic relationship between the attendees and the natives improves. a few yokels aside, i think most people were very respectful of the space and the members' beliefs and practices.

thanks to all the friends, new and old, i met this weekend. it was truly a magickal gathering, and i look forward to seeing it grow and mature in the coming years. i hope to one day take my own family and children here.

until next year...

- - -

06/30/05 - gm05 pics

more pics: http://www.sonicbeating.org/binary/pix/gaian-mind-2005

- - -

06/30/05 - For those who could not make it to GMSF2K05

This one is for those who could not make it to Gaian Mind this year, including my friends in the Mid-West and other hardcore goaheads that I have not have a chance of meeting yet.

My writing sucks, in fact, I should probably go back to ESL1. Also, some folks may say that such experiences are too subjective, too personal and are better kept to oneself. Nonetheless, I have to write about it to give those who could not make it to Gaian some clue of how amazing the event was. So here it goes:

First of all, the location was perfect. The standing stone circle had a very powerful energy about it. The opening ceremony paid homage to the basic elements, East-West, North-South, etc. (I am yet to learn about this tradition). The sound of the bell settled my mind to a transcendental level and when the ceremony leader announced "so let the music begin!" and the first deep Psy beats filled the air, the crowd roared and my heart almost jumped out of my chest. Yes! (-: Down, behind the ambient stage and campgrounds there was a sort of a small lake with a big rock and a wall of high trees on the opposite shore – see the pics.

All Psy performers were kick-ass. Deviant Species killed the crowd with a live set of dark Psy, which turned a bit happier by 5AM. Some of my friends and the people I talked to have other favorites. Probably because I was happy with the music ALL THE TIME during the event, I did not keep track of the lineup so I do not remember who was playing when, but they all were so, so good. Any of these sets at any other party that I've been to would have made me more than happy. The sound system could have been a bit more powerful according to my taste, but later I got used to the volume and it seemed enough.

The chill/ambient stage was a great addition. I have not seen it to be crowded, but it was a great place to be during the daytime (for me). I liked Solomoon's set and many other sets of other great performers that I unfortunately did not keep a track of. They all deserve the highest parse. Who was the dude drumming on the touch pad on Saturday afternoon? – great job!

Great visuals - see the pics. The UV and the body paintings were a great idea. They seemed rather organic as opposed to the usual glow sticks and blinking lights. The Body painter dude was truly talented. Each of his creations was quite an eye candy. Does anyone knows how I can get a hold of that guy – please email me. The Gaian/4Quarters staff made great job lighting up the walkways with candles and electric lights.

Great performance by the drum circles! Did I miss the fire spinning show? I am sure that I've missed many other amazing things.

Now the most important part: the people of Gaian Mind.

The crowd was very hard-core. Lots of people with dreadlocks, which is always a good sign. Long drive for many and $100/ticket served as a proof of one's dedication to the scene. There were almost no random or confused people. Nearly everyone knew what they were there for. This created an incredible sense of communion and understanding. The Gaians were very happy, friendly, approachable, but not in-your-face - perfect! Every time - I mean - EVERY TIME when I would come up to someone to chat or express my appreciation or share my experience of the Universal Love in a verbal or a non-verbal way, I would be greeted with nothing less but a warm sincere smile and genuine interest. The ease of connecting with people and striking heart-felt, deep and philosophical conversations was unbelievable. That was true not only in the nighttime but also in the afternoon when the "enhancers" of friendliness should have worn off.

I believe there were about 600-800 people or so – not sure. Please correct me on this. The dance floor was filled just right – it did not feel empty or too crowded – perfect again! When I danced especially in the morning, I could feel that prefect understanding/connection with everyone around. There was an unseen dialogue between everyone at the dance floor. On Sunday morning I stepped out for some time and came back just as the morning light started penetrating the stage. I saw the crowd as one giant organism of interconnected parts moving in perfect synch with one-another. That's the way!

I met several amazing people and I could feel that there were many more of kindred spirits around. I wish I could meet them all somehow. I had a magical and powerful heart-chakra-opening experience with one very special soul that I met. It was a very big part of the overall Gaian experience for me, but it is too personal to describe here. Still having a hard time recovering from the sensory and emotional overload and feeling frustrated because I've lost the phone number somehow.

To my pleasant surprise, there were about a couple hundreds or so of Russian expats coming mainly from "The City" – I guess. This could explain a large number of BMWs at the parking lot. While walking around the campground I could hear more Russian than English, yet as soon as a non-Russian-speaker would approach their groups, they would switch to English. I wish all Russians and other bilingual expats would be as considerate. Those were the best of Russians that I've interacted with for a long time – intellectual, friendly, spiritual. Where are you, comrades? I regret not getting anyone's email or phone number. I even caught myself thinking of moving to NYC, which I otherwise hate. The other languages that I could overhear were Hebrew, Polish and Japanese. I am sure that there were many more. I also met a few cool Indians and Canadians including my Russian-Canadian friend from Montreal. The crowd was not divided into little groups by ethnic origin or by circles of friends. Instead, people would mix and connect as their spirits and hearts would lead them. Way to go, Gaians! This is what I want to see at every Psy event!

Well, this is how I saw it from the narrow angle of my senses and my limited consciousness. I am sure that many other participants could share even more exciting accounts of their experience at Gaian. I wish that I could have divided myself into hundreds of parts, each with its own eyes and ears, spread those parts all over the place to savor every little bit of the amazing Gaian-Mind experience.

The conclusion: those hardcore goaheads who could not make it to Gaian this time – get your asses there next year! I implore you! – No matter how far or how expensive your ride will be or what will be keeping you busy. I am going even if I have to fly from the opposite site of the globe.

Live from South-Central PA, your amateur Iowa correspondent/spy (and an ESL101 student)

Dmitri aka Swamiji

PS. To all event producers/promoters out there:
I believe that Gaian confirms the success formula for the ultimate rave (in fact, I don't even want to call Gaian Mind a rave – it was far beyond rave) – nevertheless it is:
- Outdoors, great special sort of location, preferably with some spiritual energy. Warm weather.
- High ticket price to defer random people and to make it possible to afford good deco, sound, and cover all the other expenses.
- No more than one or two stages – to keep the crowd in one place
- Focus on one-two genres to make get a homogenous crowd and to make sure that everyone present enjoys all the music at anytime, such as Psy and ambient. Do not switch between different genres at one stage to keep the crowd at one place and let vibe build up.
- Great performers, including maybe one or more headliners
- Great visuals. There's a lot of talent in this country for both music and visuals.
- Make it big; promote it well, get at least 5-6 hundreds of participants.
- Create community overtime. Build on the reputation of past success.

I encourage everyone to say something on this. I wonder how the others saw this event. Once again, this is a subjective experience. Most will prefer to keep it to themselves.

- - -

06/30/05 - malachai

Pix from the Goahead Ohio crew
http://funkyclouds.com/gallery/music/gaianmind05

Luke/Dj Malachai

- - -

06/30/05 - rocked

it did. it rocked. i guess i have to admit that you and crew kinda rock too... thanks
:]

gor

- - -

06/30/05 - Hello Sharon

Hey there... just wanted to let you know I'm still riding the good wave from the weekend. It was well worth the trip for me. Just wanted to let you know that if you want to, please put me on the list to help out with next year. When the time comes, I'd love to help fler for you wherever I find myself, and I am more than willing to come out early/leave late to help out. One thing I oculdn't help thinking was the amount of work that went into it, staggering, it must be, and the effect is so awesome I felt bad about not having had time to help this time. Next year, though. :) Definitely looking forward to it. Thanks again. Gaian Mind's work does not go unappreciated. :)

Psychedelically Yours,
Jason Miller
AKA
Axis Mundi

- - -

06/30/05 - Dino

thanks for another killah festy! LOVED IT!

word!
~Dino

- - -

06/30/05 - Re: Thank you, Everyone!

yeah...if you spend the whole weekend on the trance dance floor you're missing about half of what's out there! :)

the gaian mind experience incorporates the whole package, such a lovely little place and a festival that seems to just keep getting more magical every year

- - -

06/30/05 - Re: Thank you, Everyone!

My first trance festival. Wow. It was amazing. I won't repeat what everyone else already described. Great space was created for and by all. Thank you beautiful people!! I get it.

Denyse

GMSF2K4:

(Reviews and pictures coming soon.)

GMSF2K3:

http://www.4qf.org/gaian/GM03Rvw/GM03Rvw.htm

http://www.witchvox.com/festivals/fest_gm2003.html

http://www.lunarmagazine.com/reviews/gaian_062003.php

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by E.W. on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 10:33 pm:

I'm fresh back from Gaian Mind 2003, with the mud still on my boots. I wanted to post this right away. The festival IS A GOOD THING. It was well done, and was in good taste. The attendees were considerate and respectful of the area. The stones didn't mind it a bit. To be frank, there was dancing and music, and good vibrations. No sex, drugs and rock & roll causing mayhem. In fact, I've seen far worse behavior from attendees at ANY pagan festival, including Stones. My compliments go out to the organizers of this event. I am very impressed by what I saw. As a member of the farm, I wanted to go see this festival with my own eyes. Sadly many members who enjoyed complaining and expressing their concerns about the festival to others didn't even bother to see it with their own eyes so they could make an intelligent and educated assessment. I did. I went. It was a good thing. I'm going back next year. E.

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by 3 Blade Jaguar on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 10:48 am:

I concur. And I'll add that the psy-trance community, judging by those I met at Gaian Mind Fest, is our sort. There is a natural crossover of tastes and interests. These people are at home with the Goddess. They packed themselves into our sweatlodge like sardines. They make ritual just fine in their own way. And there is an unmistakable code of honor that bonds them. I'm sure bad things happen in it, as in any community, but there are moral reference points. In fact, they have things to teach us and enrich us with. They are skilled at a sort of clean and portable beauty, and at the technology that backs it up. It's about much more than a dance floor and an amplifier; the North Crook "Chill-Out Spot" was an extraordinary easy-living area, creative, safe and comfy, a sacred space in its own right that could stay up all year as far as I'm concerned. They are playful with a purpose. They get around the world a lot and are sophisticated. I was glad to dance and expose my child to their gifts. Thank you, dancers! Thank you, deejays! -- Three Blade Jaguar

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by J.C. on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 11:23 am:

With a rare few exceptions, the festival was respectful and had an overall peaceful feel to it. I came to this cringing at what I might encounter with 500+ people, most of whom had no idea what Four Quarters was about. I was pleasantly surprised. The people I encountered were, on the overwhelming majority, terrific people and folks I would love to have back on the land any time they can get there. They were not only respectful of our beliefs, but had by my estimations, more people at the opening and closing ceremonies than I have seen in a long while. The decorating took some getting used to in the daylight, but really shined through when the sun went down and the party started. North Crook was a nice playground, and the main circle was better than any club I have ever been to, both in energy and decoration. The healing area was underused during the night hours, but I did see a number of people there during the day just relaxing and letting loose. My children both attended the event, and not only had fun, but made new friends in the process. The two groups really do seem to compliment each other well on that and many other levels. The Gaian Mind staff worked with our staff as if we had been doing so for years on end. What few issues that came up were communicated to the right person in a timely fashion and were taken care of with great urgency. The stones certainly did not seem to mind the company and the crew decorating took great care not to disturb our sacred space. The North altar was well decorate and at night was well tended. The ancestor's altar was respected as were the stones themselves. They really took great pains to not only blend thier decorations with our landscape, but to ensure that it was left in the condition it was found, or better. While trance music is not my thing, it brought great joy to mee to see so many people enjoy the sacred space we have all worked so hard to create and maintain. Bravo Gaian Mind.

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by P.M. on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 01:07 pm:

WOW! I’m not sure if I can find the right words to express what a wonderful time I had at Gaian Mind. I was Sad when it ended, and can’t wait till next year to do it all over again. This was a very special event, a chance to show the Gaian Mind folks what 4 Quarters is all about. It wasn’t about an outside group using the farm for their party, more like it felt like a time for the 2 groups to interact and discover that they were very much alike. A special Mead was made for the event, Sweet lodges were running non-stop, as well as Coffee Dragons, a fantastic fire circle thursday night (that had more energy then it has had in a wile, Great Opening, Closing and Main Ceremonies. A wonderful feast on Saturday for 500+ people that was real casual, People eating when they finally got up. Some really neat vendors, Myself, I got a great Massage, some wonderful lighted toys to play with and some cool clothes. None of these things sound different then any other 4 Quarters Festivals. Now what Gaian Mind brought on their own was amazing, first off some people’s camps were really done well, some people seemed to really know what they were doing setting up beautiful, respectful campsites. The People that transformed the Stone Circle in to the Trance Dance Floor did an amazing job. Huge 40ft x 10ft tapestrys that had wild images hand painted on them, tons of flouresent sheets suspended above people’s heads (that really made it feel like a club), But the best part was the winged Dragon that sat on the main stage, who’s neck stretched over the crowd, wile moving images were projected on it. The North Crook Chill area was my favorite place of all, M-labs really did a fantastic job, as well as being a wonderful group of people. They had lot’s of hammocks set up and lot’s of little chill spots set up to relax in one even had a small library to read through. The decor they had was very well thought out and hand made, they had like 100 little Bugs made out of rocks, flouresent pipe cleaners, Glue and paint. there were lighted snakes hanging from the trees. M-labs have really out done themselves. I met so many wonderful people from all over the world, I met people from Russia, A couple from the U.K., a Guy from Israel and people from all over the United States. I talked with people that had bought memberships or were planing on getting memberships. It was one Hell of a good time. P.

Subject : Re: [NYC604] Gaian Mind Pics
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 13:52:43 EDT

hey guys great weekend at gaian mind. my favorite DJ was Allen. (magnetrix was fun, a little minimal for an outdoor patrty but hey Hux Flux was like R2D2 in the woods) lots and lots of non east coast people and a lot of international travellers. So glad I went. the food and accomodations were by far the best I've ever experienced at a festival! J.

Subject : Re: Danke Sehr...
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:44:43 +0200

We must thank you, because we had a so wonderful time in a beautiful place, with very nice people and so much spirit. For us it was the best party ever and we made the best liveact ever. We hope that we can come back and see and feel that all again. IT WAS SO AMAZING. We are very curious about any pictures and reviews. Do you have a ftpserver running or anything else? Because Stefan really wants to send you all the pictures he shoot. Or should he send it by cdrom? Greetings to you and all the others. Heike and Stefan (MAGNETRIXX)

Subject : Gaian Mind Pics
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 02:00:00 -0400

Too tired to brighten some of these up, so turn off the light and bump up the resolution :-)
http://mazaev.no-ip.org/phpix/?mode=album&album=Gaian+Mind+2003+6-27-03

Subject : Re: Gaian Mind Pics
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 14:43:21 -0400

that party rocked. so how many people saw the mysterious moth that was about the size of a football (ok.. maybe not that large... ) on the top canopy at the main dance grounds and wondered if that really was what they were seeing (is it real? na.. cant be.. hey... my god.. it is!!)

Subject : (no subject)
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 18:51:58 EDT

Hey, Hope you made it home alright and everything. Great party :), although i think they should've played some full-on/goa in the morning. Aside from that, it was fantastic. :) S.

Subject : Our Gaian Mind
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 15:16:59 -0400

Wow... Where do I begin on this one? Hold on, I'm gonna go get another cup of coffee down at the deli and I'll be right back... Okay, talk about high tech in nature. It's where we belong. Now that we're back in Manhattan I can see how out of place we really are. I already miss the trees. The bugs. The wonderful bugs. And of course, the psytrance bouncing through the giggling leaves and permeating the fresh, clean air. The air. Ahhhyeah, the air. Hold that thought because I need to go back to the beginning, briefly. The getting-out-there part. Yeah, as usual and not surprising anymore, it was a pain in the ass. Mind you, this is not a complaint, it's a direct correlation to the quality of a psytrance party which is, that the better the party the harder it is to get to and this was no exception. It took us, at least, 2 hours just to get out of Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel. The traffic was more horrendous than usual and the oppressive heat and dirty air made it all the worse. The ride itself to Four Quarters, which is on the edge of Pennslyvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware (yeah, way the hell out there) wasn't too bad, for us at least. We made two wrong turns (beware of MapQuest) that were easily corrected and got out there by 10:30 p.m. or so on Friday nite. Overall the trip, not counting getting out of Manhattan, went a little quicker than expected. Driving at an average of 80 mph helped too. >;-) We pretty much didn't think too much of the *hassle* getting to the party until we started hearing the stories of other people's trips. One person told us that it took them 5 hours just to get out of Manhattan! 5 hours to leave the city! Then we heard of people getting lost and taking anywhere from 8-10 hours to get there from Manhattan not to mention people coming all the way from Massachussetts. The web site for Gaian Mind didn't list the time it took from Massachussetts so 6 hours vs 10 hours is a big difference. And I'm sure there must have been other people who came from all kinds of places with their respective stories as well. Talk about intention. Yeah! Can't keep a bunch of dedicated psytrancers away from a kick ass party. No way, man. Okay, party time. We get there, register and drive into the grounds. It was really well organized and laid out. The roads inside the grounds were easy to follow not only from small signs but small white paperbags with candles set on each side of the roads. We drove into the main area where the chill out was, parked (*illegally*, heheheh), and set up camp. (We moved the car in the morning, of course.) The chill out area was definitely one of the best, if not the best, set-ups I've experienced at a psytrance event. There was a *beach* in the middle complete with a sculpture made out of wire, bubble wrap, stretched white fabric with cut out holes and little white lights inside for illumination. (This is an example of using *old* stuff and turning it into *new* stuff. Some examples of this were also happening out at the PSI Party on 4/20.) There were sculptures made out of those light strips hanging in the trees and the Four Quarters even rented out old metal tire rims for campfire purposes. Around the chill out area was a *city* of tents. Everyone's *home* was an orginal and specific to each person or family. Some had inflatable couches. Some had inflatable alien figures. Some had front yards complete with a *porch* light and a picture of the inhabitants. Some had their kitchen, living room and sleeping quarters neatly organized in one space while others kept it simple with a cooler in the *backyard*. There were hammocks and community chill nets along the inner circle of the chill out area and tho I didn't get around to bouncing around in one of the chill nets I did snag a hammock for a few. >;-) And, at one point, even took my towel to the beach, took off my shoes and wiggled toes in that perfect sand. It felt absolutely fabulous. Little things like that are easily forgotten. At one point, I had to crash for a few and laid myself flat out in the tent. I was starting to doze off thinking I'd actually be able to sleep but no, the music in the chill out area grabbed my attention at one point and being that we were so close there was no way I was going to pass this opportunity by. (See, last time at the Omnitribe festival upstate, I had been *sleeping* and heard some music in the main hall that grabbed my heart but was camped far enough away that I didn't get my rear in gear to go see who was spinning. Needless to say, I got another opportunity at Gaian Mind and did something about it.) So I threw on my shoes, shot out of the tent and scooted over to do a quick dance. There were a couple drum players in sync with the DJ in a way I've never heard before. They were not only playing off each other but off the music as well. Really outstanding. Really exceptional. In fact, all of the music in the chill out area was exceptional. Heard stuff I'd never heard before and it felt so good. The line up of DJs was phemonenal and chill out, I did. It's really interesting to note that we don't realize we're all wound up and uptight, for the most part, until we experience a good chill out. Not only do we like to chill out after some intense dancing we also need to chill out from the insanity of the city. Talking with a few people at Gaian Mind I heard quite a few say how it takes a couple days to decompress and relax after they go to an outdoor event and that we need at least 3 days minimum for this to occur. This was no exception. If anything, it was more apparent this weekend than ever and I think it's a direct correlation to the extreme differences to cement life to tree life. If it had been possible, we would have been out there Thursday instead of Friday nite. By the time Sunday came around I wished we could have been there an additional day. So many people stayed to the last minute before coming back and some even stayed over on Sunday nite. Good for them! I just don't get the American way of working towards a vacation and it's becoming more and more glaringly apparent. Work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, a week off, work, work, work, work, work, work, work. It takes at least a week to decompress and by the time that happens most people are back to work. It's not natural. It's abnormal. It's insanity. When do they get a chance to really relax? To really kick back, close their eyes, listen to some smart music, take a deep breath and smile. Just smile. A happy, contented smile. Think about this for a moment. Think about how many people in this world are caught in a trap and can't get out. And when they do get out they're barely able to catch their breath before going back under again. Scary sh*t, really scary. Being out there in nature. Full on, in nature. Having trees as a roof, bugs as neighboors, a river in the backyard, psytrance in the frontyard, a shower in the middle, a couple shops up the road and a whole bunch of happy campers next door is the way to live. Gaian Mind was a perfect example of the life we are going back to. Back to uncivilization. Back to unsanity. Back to Who We Really Are. Back to life. Back to paradise before Eve ate that apple (which had a worm in it, by the way.>;-) Back home. Personal suggestions: -listen to psytrance 24/7. It's good for the brain and soul and makes us smart. -bring real plates and silverware to nature. Plates are more useful than just food and cuts down on waste. -at least 2 chairs. -an inflatable mattress. -Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent with lemongrass, citronella and rosemary oils. -Mike's Hard Lemonade -see Eddie's pix numbers 078 and 079 for a perfect example of high-tech-n-nature. >;-) Just because I didn't mention the all the music and DJs doesn't mean it wasn't appreciated. It was outstanding as always and keeps on getting better. Allen and crew did an outstanding job as this was the ultimate experience of how we're supposed to be living on this planet. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. P.S. There was actually a complaint from the neighboors of Four Quarters. When we were driving back in from a beer run on Saturday we ran into them. They were *upset* because they kept hearing the same record over and over and wondered when a new one was going to be played! *LOL* Guess ya gotta be in the middle of the dance area to hear beyond the kick drum, eh? >;-)

Subject : Re: Gaian Mind Pics
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 16:43:02 -0400

LOL yes that was lots of fun. We were stuck in traffic, and I decided to wave a pepperoni sausage at people in nearby cars. So Eddie decided to take pictures of this...hehehe, that was a nice way to speed up the time in traffic :) You can see me in the car in pic 93 sans pepperoni...and Eddie is in 91 with pepperoni! Great festival by the way...I've rarely had such a good time anywhere... M.

Subject : [604] Mad props to Gaian Mind
Date : Mon, 30 Jun 2003 19:58:23 -0400

Gaian Mind was basically the finest event I haveve _ever_ been to. Everything...the people (I don't remember ever meeting so many wonderfuly delicious people without even trying), the music [(w)holy shit, the sets were amazing!], the vibe, the venue (oh yeah, I wanna move there!), the conversations, the dancing (oohhhh, the dancing), the craziness, the laughter. God truly is the master artist. ~!~ M.

Date: 04:14 AM 06/30/2001 -0400
Subject: Thank you

Dear Gaian-Mind, My name is Jason and I went to the Summer Festival at 4quarters this weekend. I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work, and effort in throwing a truly amazing party. I think this was seriously the best party I have been to. I had almost forgotten how spiritual and moving a truly good party can be. Again I thank you. Keep up the great work! Yours, J.S

Subject : danko
Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 00:14:18 -0500

Hello, before I superglue my eyelids to get some sleep wanted to drop a note and thank you all for a wonderful, magical time. Allen, I hope the hassle that you guys had to endure didn’t spoil the excitement of incredibly well organized gathering. Mind-blowing music, great people, incredible fun and barefoot dirt stompin’ is what “smigizagog” is all about. What is smigizagog you ask me?.. I don’t know … made it up just now but I was never good in summarizing things into one word that makes sense anywayJ. See you all soon \ Ohm gor

Subject : Re: [604] Mad props to Gaian Mind
Date : Tue, 01 Jul 2003 02:43:15 -0400

Mad mad mad props. I had a wonderful time and would have stayed there forever. One of my friends actually did stay behind, so strong was the lure of a magical sanctuary where psytrance is perfectly at home. I'll have pics of the event up soon, I just need to sort out which ones don't suck. I was somewhat overwhelmed at times and generally forgot to focus my camera properly. :D Magnetrixx was unbelievable. I'm still sore from dancing for the entire set, but I couldn't have stopped if I'd wanted to. Their energy was awesome. I have some good pictures from that set. Peace, and greetings to anyone I met at 4QF. N.

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by C.T. on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 12:17 pm:

I had an awesome time at the festival. Even getting to 4QF from Philly at 5am on Tuesday for set-up was fun. In fact, the only thing that wasn't fun was leaving on Sunday evening - I really wish that the M Laboratories crew could have stayed through Monday and had a moment to catch our breath and enjoy the natural beauty and energy of the farm. Congratulations to Gaian Mind (once again) completely blowing everyone's expectations out of the water with another top-quality event. Any place where the light of techno-shamanism and the water of spirit can mingle so freely must be good. We're looking forward to next year! -C.

Subject : decompressing still....
Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 13:31:59 -0400

Hey Gaian Mind, in between microsleeps at work I keep thinking how happy I am that we are able to work together on such wonderful music and events. It was a really great experience for us - the best yet, I think - and I hope that from your perspective things went well too. Thanks for all the reviews... Please keep forwarding them!!! They're really encouraging for us all to read. I suppose someone probably mentioned this to you at the festival, or perhaps you heard it yourself, but from the minute we plugged in the subwoofer, it wasn't sounding quite right. Sounds like something needs to be tightened up in there. If you have any critical comments about what happened this weekend I would be interested in hearing them, so we know what to do better next time and how to better coordinate with you all. Take it easy, and thanks again! C.

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by M.M. on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 04:00 pm:

I had such a wonderful time this weekend. To anyone who missed doing the sweat lodge this year, it is a must next year! Thank you to everyone who made this amazing event possible, 4QF, Gaian Mind, M-Labs, Archedream, and to every person that attended. I loved dancing with all of you, and hope to meet many more of you next year. m.

Date: 10:18 AM 07/01/2003 -0400
Subject: Steve-O

http://whereissteve-o.com/Steve-O.html
xoxoxo

Date : Tue, 01 Jul 2003 14:26:35 -0400
Subject : GM Event Pics

here's some pics from this weekend.... some cute pics of the kids, etc.
http://www.tweakedreality.com/new/albums/gaianmind2k3

Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 15:15:43 -0400
Subject : Gaian Mind 2k3 pictures

I hope everyone who went to the Gaian Mind festival last week/weekend had at least as good a time as I. Many thanks to everyone who came and made it possible. My girlfriend and I took a bunch of pictures and thought we'd share. They can be found here: http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/~conor/pics/GMSF2K3 -C.

Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 15:30:29 -0400 (EDT)
Subject : More Gaian Mind 2k3 pictures

my photos now online http://www.krack.org/gallery/GM2k3 Lou Rawls

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by B.M. on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 01:36 pm:

THANK YOU GAIAN MIND!! i went to this festival last year and i have to say that it was the best event that i had attended at the farm, so i was looking forward to it again this year and it did not disappoint. actually, i am still getting a little emotional at the thought of the past four days i spent at the farm and what it did for my soul. the care that the organizers put into decorating and setting up the farm for all of us to enjoy was pure inspiration. everyone put in an amazing amount of energy and attention to detail to feed out sight, souls, and ears. i felt cared for by people hadn't even met just by the amount of work that went into set-up and clean up of the farm. you could tell there was a deep, respect for the land... i too was worried that the farm would feel crowded with so many people, but the land took care of everyone and everyone blended into the area. i felt that this year people came to the farm with the desire to experience the "four quarters" experience and showed great respect for the earth religion that is fostered at the farm. i can't say enough how much this weekend meant to me. it was even more magical and powerful because my friends (part of the bottom dwellers tribe) blessed us with their musical talents on Saturday morning. i can not put into words what a moving experience it was to see them fullfill their goals as the sky was being lit up with the sunrise and new beginnings where happening all around. if you get a chance you should ask them to buy a cd- they made all their own music for the event and it is just blissful to listen to. thank you to everyone who made this event possible and for sharing in the positive energy of the weekend. i hope that gaian mind will return next year because they bring with them a wonderful mix of the primitive and modern spirituality and teach us how to dance, laugh, have fun, and worship all at the same time. if you look closely enough you could see the stones dancing...

Date : Tue, 01 Jul 2003 17:34:02 -0400
Subject : Thank you all so much!

Just wanted to congratulate and thank you guys for an amazing festival. I had a wonderful time, as did Oliver and every other person there! I hope you guys are resting and feeling good. Thanks again for all your efforts, this was a beautiful event. Take care and see you all soon..... cheers! gavin P.S: I am working on my dates for the Fall, I’ll keep in touch with you... I’d like you to come DJ in New York.

Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 17:12:52 -0400 (EDT)
Subject : Gaian MInd Summer Festival 2003 Notes

Gaian Mind Summer Festival 2003 I think there's too much to write about so i'll cover those things I found unique. This festival was like no other trance festival I've experienced (which includes some US festivals and Morocco 2001). This festival was more of a guided journey. The Four Quarters is a non-denominational religious organization, chiefly Pagan, so the site carried that vibe- there were numerous stone monoliths, some sort of faery sacrifice circle (lot's of glass beads, mostly purple, trinkets, faery things), a maypole, a sweatlodge, and gorgeous natural surroundings. The festival site was a hilly area with many trees, mostly pine, and large creek running along one boundary. The event had formal opening and closing ceremonies by Four Quarters members offering gratitude to the four directions, north, south, east, west, i.e. the world. This really gave an air that this is not just some crazy-ass party but represents something deeper in our lives. We don't dance to JUST pass time, or to have me! re moments of gratuitous pleasure, we dance to energize (body and soul) for everything else in life, TOO. Of course I can't say that everyone feels this way but I know the festival's promoters do, and certainly I do. This festival realized that spirit. A related note, I talked to Hieke of Magnetrixx and she remarked that the festivals in Germany are huge and there alot of kids who go that seem to just get fucked-up from drugs, and they trash those sites, so this heartfelt intention was something that stood out. I believe there were about 500 attendees and the extra cool part was that this was a diverse group, lots from other parts of the east coast, and not necessarily from underground trance collectives either. There were also Four Quarters members there, alot of were older and had probably experienced the first psychedelic movement in the sixties, they're presence was appreciated by this camper. A big kudo to the decor, it was imaginative and made sense on the larger scale. The main stage was some sort of geometric dragon made of flouro lycra (stretchy fabric). it gave both a sense a closed-space yet was open enough above to sense the canopy of the trees. The paintings were some mixture of tribal humanity and alien abduction (reproduction?). Fine line flouro paintings. Bounded by megaliths. The Vision Ov Gaia video projections were second-to-none. Guillume's visual palette just gets more expansive everytime I see them. These projections were cast right thru the DJ booth. The chill-area was a wonderland including bubble hutch modules (you figure), lots of trampoline-like hammocks (spanning 30 feet across), a sandpit for building castles and motherships, small tiny alien bugs creeping around the trees, a bubble machine spewing into a UV, a small geodesic for those who need some walls, and colored spot lights aimed into the trees, so they were illuminated at night. ! Also, the pathways down the hill into the chill-area and camp sites were lined with lumenaria (candles inside translucent bags to diffuse the light) complete with geometric patterns on them. Nice touch. Saturday, decided to go swimming and sweat-lodge. This was my first sweat-lodge and although I could have suffered some more I did get a feeling of being spiritually cleansed. It was led by the local shaman named Joe Two-Feathers. The creek water afterwards was an enticing emerald green and briskly cool. This was probably the first time I've been naked around my friends ;^> Saturday evening the whole festival participated in a communal feast featuring plenty of vittles for the veggies and some chicken and beef for those with the taste (I had some chicken). The food was reasonably good particularly when compared to much vegetarian/raw food that i've had in the past. chili-coconut sauce and all. Anyway, the feast certainly bonded the festival's participants, if one person was going to get food poisoning, so were the rest of us...just kidding. I was priviledged enough to play on the main stage, friday night. Friday was basically a warmup for saturday. The system's volume was an interesting dynamic between social and political pressures. The system had the balls to deliver, a neighbor was having a bad night and was a little cranky so the system volume swelled and receded, like the ocean tides. More on this later. So when we got up there (Onnomon with the Cosmic Dancer), we started to push it a bit. I remember the sound guy coming up and remarking that master output meters should "occasionally show red". I just had to laugh inside, i've never seen an output meter not showing less than three reds for any DJ. I acknowledged his suggestion, made a token nudge of the levels and continued my assault. I was happy that people were dancing, much to cringe of the sound crew. We had a wonderful time, cracking jokes with a sweet girl up front who was tripping her ass off, sometimes turning the stage monitors down so co! uld hear people out front talking. Some guy comes up and asks "What style would you call your music?" I guess you'll have to decide for yourself. Anyway, we like to bounce to the music too while we're putting out. The two hour set went by like butter with a couple of flies stuck on it, subliminal trainwrecks that on one seemed to notice. For myself, this was a virtually perfect musical weekend. Not only did I get the opportunity to perform my music, and this includes completely improvised sections, I got to work out on the djembe, and Fuse let me sit in with my laptop during their trance-ambient improvisation, thanks guys! And lest us not forget all the other talent. ALLEN KICKED ASS. He needs to call himself "Beastmaster" since "Slayer" is already taken as a musical moniker. I was also really moved by Magnetrixx and Oliver. By saturday, the sound system was cranked up, loud and clear. Sometime during the night I ventured into the woods above the sparse campsite area, the sound was incredible. I could hear all the etheral parts(voices, chords) of the main-stage music echoing back from the ridge across the river, the other parts of the music had fallen away. It was like there was a choir of angels permeating the air between the trees. It sounded so beautiful and spacious, I knew that it wasn't any "! foreign substance" responsible for this feeling. This is a festival worth being. And it's best experienced with a more-than-two-day-stay. I believe the word-of-mouth has been responsible for the growth in attendence and I think this year's initiates will spread the word to others. Met lots of new people and hope to see them at perhaps another elusive east-coast outdoor (Mandala Mantaara?). There's definitely some growing room left in ticket sales. Hey guys, summer is the time to rock outdoors. thank you, D.

Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 17:08:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject : long Gaian Mind Summer Festival ramble

GMSF2K3 was amazing. Ah-may-zing. If I were Chicklet from Psycho Beach Party I'd have to say it was the total non-stop ultimate, and I don't toss around technical terms like that lightly. Perfect weather in a truly beautiful place...flawless organization...and the MUSIC!! Anyone who could have gone and didn't should feel *extremely* silly. I got there Friday evening after picking folks up from the airport, the sun was just about to go down and Four Quarters looked even more beautiful than usual in the summer evening light, all hazy and warm. We found our tents, already set up in the high meadow (I am always sending an advance team to parties from now on) and I made the big mistake of checking my voicemail and listening to a bunch of work hysteria which required a couple of hours sitting firmly in a chair and deeply inhaling whatever came my direction in order to avoid total panic. It was well after dark when I finally made it down to the Stone Circle, and I was glad I'd waited after all, because it was if possible even more incredible-looking than last year. Huge stone monoliths in a circle, lit only at the bottom with white candles throwing wild shadows against the rough stone edges and softer tree branches beyond. A perfectly lovely canopy of what I've heard described as "psychedelic cheese slices" -- spandex shapes -- was hung in a a pattern that gently focused attention in toward the DJ booth, behind which Vision of Gaia (NYC) projected what I think were images from other parties. There was a lot of different deco, some typical "goa" style hangings as well as some I found very appealing, mostly geometric designs with a lot of black space, which seemed to almost weave into the trees and stones. I think Steve-O was playing, and if there was anyone saving themselves for Saturday night you wouldn't have known it. There was some problems with the neighbors and their views on psytrance, which meant some quieter sound for part of the night, but fortunately that was sorted for Saturday. I danced for a bit and then went to take a nap, setting an alarm for 5:00...there's just nothing like dancing to a sunrise, and my favorite sunrise to dance to isn't a rise at all so much as a gradual permeation of light through branches and psychedelic spandex cheese slices and dust clouds pounded up all night and swinging hair of happy dancing freaks. The main area sound shut off at 10:00 am, and it got really, really hot, and people who wanted to get hotter went off to do a sweat lodge and those who wanted to get cooler went off to the swimming holes, where, if you were lucky, one of the kids would let you borrow a tube, and everyone else went to the chill out where M Laboratories had gone completely nuts on set-up. A huge cargo net ultra-lounger, a geodesic dome, a friggin' BEACH with a really beautiful softly lit white sculpture in the middle...why, why didn't I spend more time there?!! Oh, right, I had to do a lot of sitting around discussing elaborate theories about why there were little tiny drops of liquid falling from the trees in the high meadow. I think we concluded that it was bug saliva and some strange type of insect was trying to slowly digest us. A Four Quarters ceremony kicked things off again at nine, followed by a blacklight performance, both of which I missed because, well, I needed to sleep at least a couple of hours and there wasn't anything else I could concievably miss. I woke up at midnight for my shift at the Coffee Dragons, Four Quarters' 24-hour free coffee and tea tent, which brings me to one of the coolest things about the Gaian Mind Festival, and that's the Four Quarters people. What total bliss to have a trance party hosted by people who actively support and participate in it, even if they're not necessarily so keen on the music. There was a truly great and funny moment when a woman who seemed very pleasant and clearly meant well came up to me and the Four Quarters staffer and said, "I have a suggestion for you guys...you're in this to make some money, right?" "Uh, no, actually no one makes money, they just pray to almost break even" "Well, anyway, it wouldn't hurt to make a little, right? So you should sell bottled water." Now, the thing about the Gaian Mind Festival at Four Quarters is, there is really good free water in huge "water buffaloes" all over camp. FREE water. We pointed this out, and the woman said, "Yeah, but people like bottled water, they don't want to have to keep filling their cup up...you should really sell it in bottles, make some money and make people happy." In a fantastic display of razor-sharp wit, I stared at her blankly and then said, "But there's free water" (this one goes to 11). I went off to make some more coffee, but the Four Quarters pagan stayed and started giving a really sincere third person explanation about why "these people" wouldn't sell water if they could give it away, and what she thought the Gaian Mind psytrance philosophy was all about. It was really kind of touching, in a your-mom-talking-about-these-kids-today-not-being-so-bad sort of way. I punched the clock around 3:30 and got to the dance floor just as Hux Flux started doing their fantastic forest trance thing. Sometimes you can just hear when a live act is relaxed and having a great time, and that was definitely the case here...their set seemed right at home, good deep Scando forest sounds with that fun quirky stuff on top that I always feel sets these guys apart a little, that sense of humor. Magnetrixx was next, and Heike later said they'd played one of their best sets ever, which judging from the reaction they got couldn't have been far off the mark. The more subdued German stuff doesn't appeal as much to me, but they played a very subtle set that was a nice transition from Hux Flux in the middle of a wild night to a gentler early morning. The EXCELLENT crisp, clear sound system really showed their stuff to its best advantage. I'm not sure what went on with the projections, maybe that was the end of their show, but as Magnetrixx came on the screen behind them showed only static. At first I thought it was kind of funny, but as I watched I started to think it was the perfect accompaniment to their hypnotic sound. (Good job, Vision of Gaia ;) Oliver was next, bringing things back to more Northern weirdness, but springier and fluffier this time. There was a lot of laughing and goofy bouncing as another gorgeous sunny day warmed up. The festival ended with a Four Quarters/Gaian Mind closing ceremony, and a final round of swimming, sweating, packing up, napping, and being slowly digested by those weird tree bugs. In conclusion, I still feel like that person who in a moment of being completely overwhelmed during Hux Flux made a sudden, emphatic effort to physically merge with the speaker stack. Not even flesh-digesting bugs could keep me away next year.

Date : Tue, 1 Jul 2003 18:28:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject : Gaian Mind: review & babble...

I spent a huge part of the weekend with a graduate philosophy student at MIT; so, needless to say, I entered the Four Quarters with a tendency towards critical thinking and deeper analysis. We spent the ten-hour drive from Boston indexing and organizing my romantic expectations of another amazing psy-trance party; and immediately upon arrival, I felt a deep thorb in my chest that signified those expectations would be met like they were at the Omni-Tribe festival... The lineup? All confirmed, present, and accounted for! The venue? Gorgeous! The weather? IDEAL! The smiling faces? Out en masse!! I knew no critical thinking was needed here!! But alas!! As soon as a "feeling" or "emotion" is made conscious, so too is it negated! Simply by thinking "everything was perfect," I did my little part in assuring that it wasn't! Simply by naming the festival "perfect," I negated the possibility of actually experiencing that perfection in it's purest form! And as soon as I "heard" the sound system on the main floor; I was filled with the shame and horror that comes from seething guilt. Like is so often the case, one realizes that life cannot be "lived and understood simultaneously." I have one complaint about this party. Just one. One thing that prevented absolute and ultimate perfection!! And anyone who was there KNOWS what I'm talking about... I wouldn't care if I was pooping in a blocked up port-o-let all weekend. I wouldn't care if there was no food, no coffee, and it rained every minute... I wouldn't care if only 200 people showed up, I was there and knew nobody esle, and I wouldn't care if I had to park a mile from the venue and walk (hell, we drove about 600 just to get there) - just as long as the music was at its best, I would say "nothing else matters." At this event, something went awry and despite the fact that EVERYTHING else was PERFECT; the amazing sound system that was brought in had to be lowered and one of the most important parts of the party was thrown to the bears that nobody ever saw....(end rant) (Granted, the situation is being taken care of and already WILL NOT be a problem next year, (THANK YOU ALLEN, GAVIN, and ALL INVOLVED!!!) but I simply didn't want to ignore the ONE thing that I could find wrong with the event and babble on aimlessly for hours about how AWESOME it was otherwise.... Call it philosophical self-critique. Call it seeing both sides of the fence. Or call it "trying to validate my own opinions by finding the positives and negatives of anything"... Whatever it is, I HAD to take a page from Agent Smith and rack my brains to find SOMETHING wrong to write about first.... And now that I did that... I can move on... In other words - next year WILL be PERFECT... and so what's the use even talking about the past?...) OK... Onto the good stuff... and there's PLENTY to go around!!! If you're still reading, then you're about to get the chance (wanted or not) to hear something about me that I don't really know if I should be saying in such a public forum. Perhaps I owe it to everyone whose basically grunting and groaning and calling me an asshole for mentioning that little sound issue.... Perhaps not... But in the name of truth, I want to say what I thought the best part of the party was. Yes, there were many great facets; Magnettrixx. Or Morganixx. Or Stefan and Hieke? Just call them "ripping it up live"... Oliver? Yeah - the guy is BRILLIANT!! Gavin (thank you) - Another brilliant set!! Kri? Oh my god!! Nothing could stop this guy from establishing himself, once again, as the best full-on DJ in the US. The swimming holes? Loved em!! The coffee Dragons? The saving graces of the weekend!! That's the first and last time I'll ever get 15 cups of Mocha-Java! for a measley five bucks!! And the folks running the tent? They were great too! They even put up with me as I babbled aimlessly about how I KNOW (but cannot prove) that I have impacted waste material in my lower intestines!! I'm going to go on record here as saying that EVERYTHING at the party was GREAT!! (except that one thing we mentioned) and picking out ONE thing to proclaim as the "best" is pretty dam hard.... But fear not! I think I have it!! In fact, for me, I KNOW I have it!! It was the kids!! Yeah. The KIDS!!! Plain and simple. It was the children who were there! I haven't seen that many toddlers and little kids at a party since Burning Man, and, to say the least, they, if nothing else, served as a constant reminder of my own innocence, my own purity, and my own ability see the brightest and most positive aspects of any given situation. Maybe I'm getting old. Maybe I'm all giddy because I have so many "loves of my life" - but only one of them comes in human form... Maybe I'm moving into "adulthood" not with a cringe of fear and a grimace of pain, but with a smiling embrace. Maybe seeing people like Kri carrying around a toddler with a huge smile on his face made me see that adulthood and the psy-culture can indeed go hand-in-hand. Maybe I get all pissed off when people call me "Mr. Henshaw" - and maybe I know now why such a response is stupid.... But all these tangents aside - I'm saying that the best thing there was the under-! 10 population!! I say screw the 18+ and 21+ limits!! All ages welcome no matter where the party is!! I was sitting outside and I heard Kri's wife turn to her child and say "OK, we need to get going because Daddy's going to play now!!" And the child jumped up off the ground as if NOTHING could have been more pleasing than what was just said... I was sitting at the coffee tent and I watched a soiled and dirty girl of about 8 go running up to her father holding a turtle and say "Look what I got Daddy! "It's a turtle!!" She siad it, her eyes gleaming, as if the turtle was the same thing as a block of gold! My heart melted and I suddenly hated everyone who picked out the most miniscule differences between things and judged them "good" or "bad" based upon those differences. The child does not assign value to "this" or "that" - she simply adores *everything* until it proves itself unworthy of her adoration...The child is unjaded. The child is not cynical. The child doesn't worry about the politics and the bullshit that goes into so much of the modern world. The child simply LOVES - even if that love covers her in pond muck and dirty water. That turtle, to most of us, would have been "just another turtle." It would have been a copy of Raja Ram's Stash Bag.... but to her, that turtle was everything!! To her, it was lik! e an unreleased copy of a Beat Bizarre live set bootlegged in Mexico and given to you by a friend. I saw a tiny little girl with flowers in her long brown hair and overalls - dancing in the stone circle. She was walking around and bopping her head and swinging her arms. I could only imagine where she'd be in fifteen years. Maybe she'd get jaded. Maybe not. But for now - for that moment - she was just loving the music and where it was taking her... And the feelings spilled into my campsite as well. I started to see the love and innocence in the people I was with. My friend, the philosopher, who I usually scorn for "rating" CD's and trashing some of my favorite artists - calling their music "boring" or "second rate." I suddenly saw his sytem as one of love. He loves the music so much that he organizes it into a hierarchy and spreads the news to everyone he knows about which artists are his favorites. I watched three of my friends cook their dinner and learn that the coffee cream they had brought was spoiled... But their response was to make light of it, laugh at it, and not blame anyone - as we all so often do... Silence among some of my closest friends was a welcome relase and NOT an anxious weirdness.... as I sat, I thought - "we're all innocent. we're all pure. we're sitting here and we don't need to fill that purity with silly words and LCD sounds...." Even Jake, whose always making some kind of s! nide remark or comment, I found myself saying "he makes those comments because he's full of love!" It's his way of of just poking fun at life... a life I know, down deep, he truly loves. I don't want to get any sappier than I already have, and I don't want everyone out there to start thinking that I'm on something as I write this. (I'm sure everyone out there gets enough neo-hippie bullshit babble in their everyday lives that they don't need any from me!! Don't worry, though. My chakras are still very out of line. I have NOT touched the great horn of Shiva, and I have NOT danced the sacred dance with all the dieties of the third pasture lexicon!!) I just want to say that most of the time, the best part of the party has little or nothing to do with the DJ lineup and little or nothing to do with the venue. The best parts are the parts that nobody plans, expects, or even considers will be there. The best parts of the party are the moments that lead to furthered and heightened awareness of oneself and ones surroundings. These moments can only come in the context of the psy-trance party. The party itself is a huge blank canvas and the substance and ! colors are supplied by EVERYONE there - not just the DJ's, the live-acts, the visual artists, and the venue owners.... And this time around, that EVERYONE, for me anyway, turned out to be the people I was with at my campsite and the under-10 population of the Four Quarters.... The dependent variables should simply be a GIVEN at a party, what makes or breaks a party is the independent variables.... Some parties are great - even with a half-baked lineup that doesn't show and and an inferior sound system... And some parties suck - even with the world's best artists AND an amazing system and venue... It's all about those "other little" things... and one's ability to see them when attention is taken away from the music and the visuals... So before you start thinking I'm some kind of addict or whatever else - just think back to all the "best parties" you went to and try and remember what made them so great... I bet at least half of those "great parties" had less to do with the lineup and visuals, and more to do with all the "other little things" that - for at least that one night - you were totally and completely AWARE of..... OK - enough out of me... Back to heavy lifting, beer drinking, watching the Red Sox, and fixing my pick-up truck!! :-) GO MASCULINITY!!!! GRRRR!!! :-) :-)

Date : Wed, 02 Jul 2003 00:19:17 -0400
Subject : yet a few more GM pix...

yup, my contribution to the collection of memories... not very many pix, all from the archdream performance and main dance floor: http://people.bu.edu/andreih/gmsf2k3.html (small rant: why does everyone else post postage-stamp sized photos?? c'mon folks, let's see some details! :) more comments to come shortly, but for now let me echo the words of DeanZyg and mr. henshaw... it was a magical experience, one of the best festies i've ever been to (and i've been to a few...) and no, the sound system was NOT a prob - but that argument to follow in another e-mail. 'drei

Date : Wed, 2 Jul 2003 17:08:49 -0400
Subject : Gaian Mind Festi...

Fellow Trancers... I too had a great time at the festival this past weekend. I've not been to a psy gathering in quite a while, and this has definitely renewed the fervor that brought me out to so many parties in the past. The people of 4 Quarters and Gaian Mind combined to be incredible hosts, with an incredible venue. All of the people that I met/saw had endless smiles and gave the appearance of genuine enjoyment. Although I was fairly non-social (Yes, I was the one camped way at the top of the hill, near the main parking area), I still managed to get a great vibe from the rest of the people. As far as the music/sound system, I did notice that I there was only a small pocket where the music hit me the way I enjoy hearing it... but this pocket was large enough to contain the majority of the dancing area. I did notice that the music began to bounce back and distort toward the large stones in the back... though hearing this distortion was easily avoidable, all you needed to do was go closer to the front : ) I still felt that the music could've been slightly louder during the greater portion of the weekend. The only set, of those that I heard, that had the sound tweaked perfectly to my liking was that of Oliver. I'd heard some Reefer Decree before, but I had NO idea what I was about to hear when it came time for him to go on. Very impressive... his timing, feel for the crowd, and general control over his set was incredible. The Magnetrixx set was also awesome, though I heard it from afar I could tell that he blew the place to pieces. Hux Flux was the reason that I went to the party. Hux Flux creates some of my favorite Psy tracks, and I couldn't give up the opportunity to hear it performed on a party-scaled sound system. I was happy with the music, but certainly didn't feel as though the sound was tweaked as well as Oliver's set (maybe wax in my ear or something, who knows). It's tough beat the crisp sound that is found within most Hux Flux tracks. I just want to say thanks to everyone that played a part in this event. Truly a magical experience, for me at least. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at future events, the psy-trance scene is absolutely the best conglomeration of people that I've come across. Special thanks go to Gaian Mind and 4 Quarters for creating such a wonderful event. D.S.

Date : Wed, 2 Jul 2003 18:59:52 EDT
Subject : question for you

Hey Gaian Mind. I'm the Indian guy who was at P.D.F. and Gaian Mind. I had a lot of fun in PA this past weekend. I don't remember whether I mentioned the documentary project I am working on at the moment, but I wanted to ask you about this woman who was also shooting some video at the chill area. Although we planned to exchange info so we could share footage, we failed to hook up prior to leaving. I have also forgotten her name... I'm pretty sure you will know who it is--she is an anthropologist who's working on her dissertation about paganism. She said one of the organizers (maybe you?) had asked her to shoot some footage of the drumming by the chill area with her Canon GL2. She has dark hair and is probably in her thirties. Do you know who I am talking about? If not, do you know who amongst the other people in charge would know her? I'd appreciate it if you could drop me a quick reply. THANKS! Best, R.

Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 14:58:20 -0400
Subject: Gaian-Mind Festival Review

I went to this and had a lot of fun. It was an all goa/psytrance event in South Central PA. It took my crew and I about 5 1/2 hours to get there from NE Ohio, but it was definitely well worth it. I did not see one shady person there at all. Everyone was totally cool. People even brought their kids. I saw cars with license plates from: Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and West Virginia. I have never experienced anything like this before. And what I thought was cool, was the fact that everyone there on the dance floor was dancing!! I hope to go again next year. Hey Ray, are you going to put your pics up soon?

Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 10:58:04 -0400
Subject: Re: Gaian-Mind Festival Review

This event changed my life! If you get the chance, do not miss this next year. I met people from all over the world. the music was top notch. Hux Flux rules!

Date: July 8, 2003
Subject: I'M NOT DEAD!

Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2003 18:32:15 -0400
Subject : now is your chance

I'm back from Gaian Mind and Drum & Splash. It was great :)

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by Admin on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 08:35 am:

Once, a long, long time ago, it was 1997 at Four Quarters. And it was our third Stones Rising. It was the year that we became (briefly) the "in" event for the "in" crowd of the Pagan scene. It was the largest Stones ever held with well over 500 people on site. It was a mess. Sunday morning the upper drum circle was littered with beer bottles, condoms, candy wrappers and much else. The wife of our lead performer, Mrs. Abdulia Sylia, related to me her observing a couple having sex in the drum circle. The porta-potties were trashed and the entire camp littered. The vibe from the assembled merchants was foul and from the leading members of the Pagan community, venomous. That fall our Board of Directors assembled itself and we determined to take back Four Quarters or we would lose it. This discussion makes me proud and thankful that the counter-revolution of 1998 was so successful. As the years have gone by we have all become so adept at inculcating the unique culture of Four Quarters to new arrivals, that perhaps we have forgotten that we too once suffered from the same problems. But through a steady and compassionate application of our cultural model, we have been able to help hundreds of people see that Four Quarters stands for something other than "party hardy." I am confidant that over the next few years Gaian Mind will evolve along similar lines as Stones Rising and for similar reasons. Primarily because the lead organizers and the great majority of attendees want an event that is about spiritual values. It will take a few more visits for the "party hardies" to realize that their interests are best served elsewhere, but they will. Just as many people within the "Pagan Scene" have found that Four Quarters is not their cup of tea, and choose to go elsewhere to find what they need, with our blessings. We need to be patient and trust the organic process. I think it is also important to remember what was achieved with Gaian Mind/Drum and Splash. We did in fact handle almost 1,000 attendees over 11 days, and did so very well. For myself, I find the artistic ethos of the Giain Mind staff to be the most creatively stimulating contribution to Four Quarters in many years. Our kitchen staff served what is without doubt the finest food ever prepared at The Starvin Artist. Registrations handled a huge crowd without a melt down. And delightful ceremony that introduced many to our core values. Best of all, I can tell you that this morning the camp has never looked better after a major event. In short folks, we done good! Are there places to improve? You bet! And the history of our Members and Staff is that we are quick studies and we love the Land. Much of that discussion of future improvements will happen around the camp fires but I would like to address one issue here. If you are a Member, you are your brother and sisters keeper when they are on the Land. If you personally observe a flagrant violation of policy or our tribal culture, promptly bring it to the attention of Staff or a Member of the BoD. It is what we are here for. It will be dealt with, in a good way. I have received three private letters from Members who personally witnessed negative occurrences at Gaian Mind and as far as I can tell, all the second and third party stories originate with these three. One of these situations was brought to the attention of the BoD at the time ( the rowdy folks at the east end of the High Meadow ) and after Kailin Miller and I were finished with them I very much doubt that they will ever return to Four Quarters. They evolved. Orren Whiddon

Date: 09:08 AM 07/10/2003 -0400
Subject: Goahead thanks!

I just wanted to thank you again for the life changing event! That was really the most top notch production I ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Thanks for your hospitality. Also, do you have contact info for Heike from Magnetrixx? She was really cool and I would like to get in touch with her. Thanks, L. www.goaheadproductions.com

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by I.J.T.P. on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 10:59 am:

thank you, O. - it's a painful thing when the heady elation of a weekend revel fades to reveal the embarassing mess left behind the illusion- but you're so right- you DO teach tribal culture better than any group I have ever met- and now, there are least 100 people carrying the germ of that culture home with them. and thank you, J. - who took at least one problem I didn't have the nuts to handle off my hands, and in doing so, lent me the authority to step in on another occasion, and help things out. this coming year will see more of us, I think, willing to stand up to the negative elements within our own culture- not just on your sacred ground, but elsewhere- because, really, isn't it all sacred?

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by B.B. on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 05:41 pm:

I wanted to come to this event so bad this year, but in the end I could not... :( I am saddened to hear that some people attending the gain mind festival were disrespecting the nature, and using the land as a garbage can. It always angers me to see ppl leaving bear bottles/cans and cigarettes on the ground, when I go to the natural parks around Quebec. I feel sorry that ppl who likes this kind of music can be disrespecting towards 4qf's rules, and towards nature. Unfortunatly, the psy trance community is sometimes "darkened" by a few bad apples... Anyways, to the 4qf members who were trampled or disrespected by some of the party hardy ppl, I must tell you that we're mostly not like that. I personally dislike to see these type of ppl at any even where I'm trying to get a spiritual meaning out of. Overly drunk or stoned ppl are missing out on the message, as they are too spaced out to even get *any* message. I hope to be there next year.

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by Admin on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 07:58 pm:

Having had a chance to rest and recover from my experience of Gaian Mind and Drum and Splash, I just today had a opportunity to begin going through the photos in preparation for the web site review. And they are beautiful. In fact I do not ever recall the stone circle reflecting the beautiful intent of the people gathered within it, as I witnessed at Gaian Mind. (and by the way, if you have photos, especially good photos of ArcheDream, please send them to the Four Quarters office) Caused me to think about all of the behind the scenes work as well. The incredible kitchen crew that produced the finest feast we have ever seen here, without comparison. The work of our general staff that managed the site, largely without a hitch, for the largest crowd we have ever seen. Registrations mastering the integrated computer systems, such that the final computer count and wristband count were in exact agreement. The very hard work of M-Labs down in the North Crook, you just have to see the pictures! And the work of the crew in the Stone Circle! Beauty is Beauty is Beauty! Personally, I have never felt so completely full of promise after an event as I feel after this years Gaian Mind. On every level, energetic, content, grounds; this event has pushed us into new territory of tremendous possibility. And if plagiarism is sincere flattery, the principles of Gaian Mind should be very flattered. Cause I intend to steal all of their best chops. We have booked ArcheDream for the Thursday night special performance at Stones. And after their having witnessed the Standing Stones, they have agreed to stay on through Stones Rising to help us in the following ceremonials, including the Rising. And I was so impressed with the trance tracks laid down Saturday morning in the ChillOut, and being played upon by the hand drummers, that I have asked M-Labs to stay with us for Drum and Splash next year. To combine trance, hand drumming and the new community rhythm circle into one organic whole. Lighted with their very special creative esthetic. And as proud as I am of our staffs work ethic, the smooth, seamless effort that went into setup and teardown of the sets was something to see. But then we shouldn't be surprised. Almost all of the Gaian Mind organizers have been Four Quarters members for two years! And are Stones Rising veterans. In short, I am very, extremely, garmonguously, supercalafrajalistically pleased. I think we are onto something very, very special here; very, very beautiful; that speaks to the best of our possible futures. And I bless my lucky stars for the day that Gaian Mind came to this land. If the first three Stones Risings had run this smooth, with such fine people, with such little trouble... I would have a much smaller bald spot! O.

4QForum: Gaian Mind: Gaian Mind 2003
Posted by L.J.H. on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 10:59 am:

I rememeber early Stones. I believe I was at the 3rd (my first) and my recent reflection of Gaian Mind was similar to one I had of that first Stones. I KNEW deep down that it was a GOOD THING and that there was so much to learn with this new group of people. It was hard to understand all that was going on but I knew if I just kept an open mind and learned then I would come to grow in a way I had only dreamed of. Please don't misunderstand me when I mentioned "the bad apples" . I went to this festival for a NEW understanding and with open heart & mind. I enjoyed the time I was there. We tried to guide some of the new people as they were curious. But maybe I need to learn a lesson in patience and tolerance again when it comes to people who just have an utter disrespect for everything and everyone around them. Some you can teach and guide and some just don't get it. They never grow with the community or understand it (or even try). THAT is what I had a problem with. I have seen 4QF evolve graciously over the last 6 years and it was new feelings for me to deal with when the "new kids" came in. I am glad the positive aspects of the festival have sparked new traditions and evolutions of our tribe. I hope that next year will bring back the beautiful and blissful people that have attended the last two to make this festival grow in ways that we all dream. We will be there! L.

Date : Sat, 19 Jul 2003 10:02:47 -0400
Subject : new pics

some pics from GMSF and july 4th in asheville nc in the middle of downtown.
http://www.touchsamadhi.com/pictures.asp

Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2003 11:47:50 -0700 (PDT)
Subject : Gaian Mind Pics

Hey, A friend of mine agreed to post my pics from gaian mind so I could share them with the world. http://www.lucdupre.com/fattu/gaian_mind2003/index.html please post these to [the list] or wherever you think is appropriate. Thanks -M.

Date: 11:38 PM 07/27/2003 -0400
Subject: Mailing List

I really enjoyed myself at the summer 2003 festival. I would like to recieve updates on all of your events please.

Date : Mon, 28 Jul 2003 11:52:38 -0400
Subject : Summer Festival Pics (finally)...

Hello all, Sorry for the delay but I wanted to share some photos that I took from the INCREDIBLY AWESOME summer festival!
http://www.cosmictraveler.com/summerfestival/index.htm Enjoy- C.

Date: 10:52 PM 07/30/2003 -0400
Subject:

Hey Allen how you doing man great party at four quarters !!! i didnt even know why i was asking you about hotels in the area camping is alota fun apparetnly DUHH :) I also loved your set. IF you had it recorded i'd love to get or buy a copy so when is the next party at ulana's hope u guys can organize it soon peace A.

GMSF2K2:

http://www.witchvox.com/festivals/fest_gm.html