{"id":44554,"date":"2017-03-30T10:51:48","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T08:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=44554"},"modified":"2017-03-30T10:51:48","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T08:51:48","slug":"devotees-invited-to-refresh-and-renew-at-reimagined-festival-of-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=44554","title":{"rendered":"Devotees Invited to Refresh and Renew at Reimagined Festival of Inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON New Vrindaban Communications<\/p>\n

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<\/a>One of the first of the retreat-style festivals currently so popular in ISKCON, Festival of Inspiration, launched in New Vrindaban in 2000, has always offered something a little unique. <\/p>\n

Now, in its 17th<\/sup> year, with the tagline \u201cRethink. Refresh. Renew,\u201d FOI is again taking a fresh approach, offering an exciting new inspirational experience based on feedback from devotees about what they like.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhereas previous Festival of Inspirations were a high-speed puzzle of eighteen different short presentations you could choose from, we now plan to offer people an immersive experience that they can dive into and experience together,\u201d says ISKCON New Vrindaban temple president Jaya Krsna Das. \u201cWe also want to provide them with practical tips they can implement in their day-to-day lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

So in this year\u2019s FOI, running from May 12th<\/sup> to 14th<\/sup>, devotees will get to choose the seminar that interests them most out of three in-depth offerings, each lasting ten hours over three days. <\/p>\n

In \u201cDig In!\u201d members of ECO-Vrindaban, New Vrindaban\u2019s simple-living branch, will guide attendees on an interactive journey from Lord Krishna\u2019s garden and goshala to His plate. Devotees will learn how to grow, cook, and preserve food. They\u2019ll take a tour of ECO-Vrindaban\u2019s gardens, study seasonal foods and how to cook them; learn strategies for building soil, increasing plant fertility, and weed control; and construct a simple compost pile.<\/p>\n

In the milking barn, they\u2019ll get to brush and milk the cows, make yogurt, and churn butter. They\u2019ll also get a practical lesson in how to make ghee the original, medicinal way. <\/p>\n

\u201cDig In! will be an experience unique to New Vrindaban, but will also give you knowledge you\u2019ll be able to take home and actually utilize, for instance in creating an urban garden for yourself or your temple,\u201d says Jaya Krsna.<\/p>\n

For those more interested in personal development, there\u2019s \u201cThe Inner View\u201d with Srila Prabhupada disciple Urmila Devi Dasi, which will take an honest look at real life challenges in parenting, marriage and more from a Krishna conscious perspective. Urmila will also explore questions like, \u201cAlways thinking of Krishna? Is it possible amidst the realities of my life?\u201d \u201cHow can all the aspects of my life energize me spiritually?\u201d And \u201cCan there be quality sadhana, worship, and quality time with Krishna in a distracted life filled with so much to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

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With hands-on small group work like journaling and discussion, the seminar aims to see participants leave with solutions and strategies for their individual situations. <\/p>\n

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Finally, for those who are eager to dive into the scriptures, there\u2019s \u201cThe Ten Subject Matters of Srimad-Bhagavatam\u201d with Bhakti Charu Swami. In this seminar, Maharaja will explore the ten principal topics of the Bhagavatam, which cover all aspects of knowledge important to human beings. He\u2019ll also look at how these topics are not dealt with one after another in the great work but can be found throughout all twelve cantos. <\/p>\n

Besides the in-depth seminars, there will be five plenary sessions that will not be held alongside anything else, so that all festivalgoers will get to participate in them together. <\/p>\n

Legendary kirtaniya Agnideva Das will discuss the mood and inner meaning of Srila Prabhupada\u2019s Prayers to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna, written aboard the Jaladuta. Along with all the devotees, Agnideva will also sing the bhajan, which is the title track on his new album.<\/p>\n

In \u201cPreaching in Everyday Life, Our Real Business\u201d inspirational book distributor Vaisesika Das will talk about how the sankirtana movement was Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada\u2019s entire focus, and how important it is that we continue to carry it out. He\u2019ll also share practical advice about how to distribute books and how we can all find space to preach in our busy regular lives.<\/p>\n

In \u201cMahabharata & Our Life\u2019s Journey: A Storytelling Workshop,\u201d award-winning storyteller Sankirtana Das will talk about the importance of oral tradition in society, explore the heroes of the Mahabharata and and discuss how we can all find the inner hero within us. <\/p>\n

As New Vrindaban is the only temple in North America with a full-size Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity, devotees will rush to Bhaktimarga Swami\u2019s plenary, where they\u2019ll get the rare chance to experience a dramatic recitation of the Nrsimha Kavacha along with a Nrsimha yajna, in front of the ferocious Lord Himself. <\/p>\n

Last but certainly not least, one of Srila Prabhupada\u2019s seniormost disciples, Malati Devi Dasi, will lead a sanga in which dozens of Prabhupada disciples will share their heartfelt memories of ISKCON\u2019s Founder-Acharya, and how he inspired them.<\/p>\n

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For every hour that their parents are attending these uplifting and edifying seminars, children aged 5 to 13 will also get a complete program, included free with festival registration. Led by teachers Sri Tulasi-Manjari and Olivia Browning Snider, this hands-on-learning adventure will be the first ever FOI Kids\u2019 Camp with a New Vrindaban farm life theme. Activities will include art, cooking, gardening, building, games, sports and, of course, caring for the cows.<\/p>\n

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Missing off the schedule for the past few years, Festival of Inspiration\u2019s famous entertainment will be back too. The family friendly show, which will accommodate and involve children, will feature energetic dance troups, musical performances by Mangalananda (Michael Cassidy) and Yamini, The Juggernauts with Gaura Vani and Visvambhar, and Kirtan Premi; the drama Puri by Bhaktimarga Swami; and storytelling by Sankirtan.<\/p>\n

Throughout the whole festival, there will also be regular kirtan under the yajnashala, and more time for devotees to simply hang out, chat, and enjoy each other\u2019s association.<\/p>\n

And of course, there will be three meals a day of Festival of Inspiration\u2019s famously delicious prasadam. Embracing the simple lifestyle Srila Prabhupada\u2019s envisioned for New Vrindaban, only dairy from New Vrindaban\u2019s own protected cows will be used, and locally-grown produce will be used as much as possible. There will also be lots of vegan options. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like devotees to feel like New Vrindaban is their home away from home, a farm retreat from their city temples,\u201d says Jaya Krsna. \u201cAnd we hope they\u2019ll leave Festival of Inspiration feeling completely refreshed and renewed.\u201d<\/p>\n

REGISTRATION<\/b><\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.festivalofinspiration.net\/<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Facebook:<\/b> https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nvfestivalofinspiration\/<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Phone: 304 843 1600 Extension 111<\/a><\/p>\n

Email: Palacelodge108@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost: $200 per person<\/p>\n

This includes accommodation for 3 nights(Thursday through Saturday), 9 sumptuous prasadam meals, kirtans, plenaries, and seminars and free parking! Kids age 5 or under can attend free of charge provided they share a bed with a parent. New adVentures Camp is free for all children, however pre-registration is mandatory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"HareBy Madhava Smullen<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first of the retreat-style festivals currently so popular in ISKCON, Festival of Inspiration, launched in New Vrindaban in 2000, has always offered something a little unique. Now, in its 17th year, with the tagline \u201cRethink. Refresh. Renew,\u201d FOI is again taking a fresh approach, offering an exciting new inspirational experience based on feedback from devotees about what they like. \u201cWhereas previous Festival of Inspirations were a high-speed puzzle of eighteen different short presentations you could choose from, we now plan to offer people an immersive experience that they can dive into and experience together,\u201d says ISKCON New Vrindaban temple president Jaya Krsna Das. \u201cWe also want to provide them with practical tips they can implement in their day-to-day lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44556,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44554\/revisions\/44556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}