The Lightning in a Bottle Experience 2014

By Diana Paez, May 29, 2014

Hello friends! So it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but that’s because I’ve just returned a from an amazing 4 day camping trip at a festival called Lightning in a Bottle and I am SUPER inspired to share my experience with you and recommend this mind expanding annual event in California. This year’s LIB festival took place in the magical land of the Chumash native people in San Antonio Lake, nestled between San Francisco and LA.

WATCH THIS YEAR’S TRAILER
I get serious chills every time I watch this video!

GROWING COMMUNITY
Over 17,000 people of all ages attended, many thousands more than last year’s event! LIB is truly unique, unlike any other music festival. In fact, the music is just a small facet of what this experience is all about. It is a celebration of life, love, expression, our bodies, our planet, consciousness, and a powerful reminder of who we really are. The community is just amazing. It felt like swimming in a vast sea of pure love as we were constantly surrounded with beautiful, authentic, loving beings, open to share and give free unconditional love. The entire festival is actually mostly set up by volunteers who have a strong belief and passion for this festival.

YOGA & MEDITATION
In the mornings we’d get up to practice Yoga, with amazing live DJ sets. It felt so wonderful after all the walking and dancing from the nights before. We also meditated on the Meditation Lookout, a beautiful, peaceful area set up on a hill overlooking the entire festival.

HEALING
We also got to enjoy one of the ‘sound baths’ where one lays down as gongs and singing bowls were played. Long, drawn-out sounds escaped from the special quartz-crystal singing bowls. I took a much needed nap under a tree as this healing sound bath permeated my body.

ART
As we walked around we enjoyed beautiful live art, interactive art, and huge structures! LIB is surrounded with incredible, large man made structures put together by volunteers with love before the event. Aside from their aesthetic purposes, they also serve as shade for many, which was very needed under the hot radiating sun. So much gratitude for those who helped build these structures!

Lightning in a Bottle 2014, Photo by Diana Paez

Tin Can Structure Lightning in a Bottle 2014, Photo by Diana Paez

Live Art at Lightning in a Bottle 2014, by Diana Paez

SPEAKERS & WORKSHOPS
One of the parts I loved the most was the Mystery School area, where wonderful speakers opened our mind and hearts with their profound wisdom. The image below is my beloved friend, Brother Echo, sharing his enlightenment and powerful words. Beautiful soul he is!

Brother Echo – Confidence to Love Yourself – Mystery School, Photo by Diana Paez

HEALTH FOODS
There was also the Learning Kitchen, with teachings about nutritional health, and of course many talks on raw foods! And the raw foods served there were spectacular! LIB features some of the best local food vendors from California, with a wide variety of vegan, raw, organic and non GMO options. I even had some exotic ayurvedic, custom-made iced teas that blew my mind. It truly is a health foodies paradise!

Chef Cheri from L.O.V.E raw vegan foods, LA – Photo by Diana Paez

SUSTAINABILITY
LIB’s mission to leave no trace behind, where everyone collaborates by cleaning up after themselves is truly commendable. Different bins were provided for compost, landfill, and recycled items. They also provided free water posts therefore eliminating toxins, manufacturing, and pollution from plastic water bottles. As long as you’re prepared with a water container, there is an unlimited supply of water throughout the event. They were also very useful to wet a bandana and wrap it around your neck during hot weather.

Lightning in a Bottle – Waste Sorting

THEATRE
One of my absolute favorite performances was by Climbing Poetree, spoken word poetry. I found one of their pieces they performed at LIB on YouTube:

MUSIC
The music was absolutely phenomenal. My favorites were Thriftworks, Polish Ambassador, Wild Light, and Phantogram. We danced and danced day and night, through the heat, the sand storms and the cold and calm nights. The weather was a bit harsh some of the days, very hot during the day, and very cold at night but it was so much fun despite of all this. During the heat of the day, strangers with spray bottles would pass by and bless you with a spritz of water. Small gestures of love like that made the heat all worth while 🙂

Dancing at Lightning in a Bottle 2014 – Photo by Diana Paez

Bamboo Stage Lightning in a Bottle 2014 – Photo by Diana Paez

MAGICAL SPONTANEOUS ADVENTURES
Towards the end, we unexpectedly ended up in a large tent where very yummy tea was served by what seemed like the Mad Hatter and in the center of the tent we caught these two acro yogis doing their thing. We then danced and hugged to some of the most beautiful acoustic music my ears have ever heard. It was overwhelmingly beautiful! I also want to point out the odd synchronicities that would happen over and over. There was something truly magical about this event / land. When me or someone in our group would think of one of our friends at the festival, they would magically appear moments later. Out of 17,000 people attending this event, what are the odds? That happened more than a few times and it really left me a bit baffled and amazed. My hypothesis is that everyone was in an extremely uplifted, high vibration and this fortified and facilitated the law of attraction. Could be!

Acroyoga at the Tea Tent with Andrews, Photography by Diana Paez

SUNRISE
The last day we watched the sun come up near a bonfire and listened to a native of the land sing a beautiful icaro, which is singing or whistling said to call in different plant spirits, call in the spirits of others or the deceased, take away dark spirits and dark energies, for protection and to manage the ceremony.

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All in all, I feel this place is glimpse of the change we are all so thirsty for. It gives me hope for a new world, one where there are no walls built between us. If LIB was a city I could live in, I would move there in a heartbeat! A space where we are all conscious that we are one with each other and with our planet. Where love resounds in every corner, and you feel at home at every moment.