Winter SolstiCelebration
Our flagship project is Winter SolstiCelebration, a multicultural interfaith exploration of the regenerative grace of darkness and the redemptive power of light. The event is a powerful montage of song, ceremony, music, ritual, poetry, spoken word and dance. It is followed by a Yule fest with a snack feast, roving characters, photos with Father Winter, peace activities, and a dance band. The night includes a large silent auction bazaar as a primary fundraiser for Earth Rhythms. Over 15 years old and attended by over 750, it is the second largest Winter Solstice celebration in the nation.
to top of page
Earth Rhythms Presents
Though one of the largest cities in the nation, Dallas receives few visits from national alternative spiritual musicians and presenters. They’ll frequently perform in smaller cities on the coasts and other areas seen as ‘hip,’ while bypassing the North Texas area.
We decline to be seen as flyover territory anymore. In the early 1980s a nonprofit group called TITAS began bringing in non-mainstream music and dance into Dallas. Because of TITAS, groups like the Kodo Drummers, now sell out multiple-night engagements, broadening the cultural mindset of North Texas.
Earth Rhythms Presents plans to do for alternative spirituality what TITAS did for music and dance. Potential musicians include chantress Deva Premal and Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai. On the list of potential presenters are Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Han, pagan activist Starhawk and eco-Christian Matthew Fox.
to top of page
Moonlady Fests
Moonlady Fest - rhythmic fun, mystic insight and a world of performance – is held on a weekend close to spring or fall equinox.
The alternative festival happens all over the historic art deco Bath House Cultural Center on the shore of White Rock Lake. Inside the theatre is an eclectic performance revue The lobby percolates with the vegetarian Crosby Café and a henna tattoo artist. A movement meditation class convenes in the art gallery. The New Thought/Ancient Wisdom fair takes place in the lobby and outside on the front porch and spacious back patio overlooking the lake. A drum jam occurs outside in the intimate stone amphitheater and a seasonal ceremony is held beneath the huge live oak trees.
to top of page
Green Cemetery
Environmental awareness is a part of all Earth Rhythms activities. The group brings that full circle with plans for a green cemetery in a rural area within an hour’s drive of Dallas. In a green cemetery, unembalmed bodies in biodegradable caskets or shrouds are given back to the Earth to nourish the plant and soil life. This is far more environmentally sound than cremation, an energy-intensive process that produces a non-nutritive ash.
Graves in a green cemetery are unmarked (though locations are recorded on GPS records), and the land is kept in its natural state, providing habitat for wildlife as a nature preserve. The cemetery will also operate as a grieving park, with contemplative aids such as walking paths, a memorial grotto and meditation chapel.
to top of page
Naomi West Community Fund
Taking a cue from the Nobel Prize winning concept, income from Earth Rhythms events will be used to start an interest-free micro-loan program for the community. Individuals and small businesses needing loans that too small for lending institutions can turn to the fund at crucial times such as equipment investment and repair. Assistance will also be extended for health emergencies. The fund was named after an Earth Rhythms volunteer whose life was shortened by her inability to afford adequate medical care.
to top of page
