Art & Connections – Todd Thomas

September 7, 2011 By wildgoosefestival Leave a Comment

The Making Art sessions at the Wild Goose Festival were memorable for many reasons. The creative connections happening across generations and continents, and the conversations about both making art and interacting with scripture made it all worthwhile.

Our connections were felt across generations as age barriers seemed less important and even the local accents blended from Canada, the Deep South and New Zealand. From the planned projects to some activities that participants brought with them to Wild Goose, we rubbed elbows and joined around tables to get creative together; the conversations coming from those sessions were often beautiful.

We listened to scripture and let it lead us to images, and then let the images lead us back to scripture, as visuals helped inform us and teach us to reread. One of the most memorable conversations happened at the table where we crafted peace prayers for Shakori Hills and the whole world, and how one participant had no idea that scripture was actively leading people to engage peace and seek peace in the world. That person was suddenly looking at religion and at God in new ways. We made some art, but I think we also shared some life and made some space for God’s Spirit to move and even dance.

Todd Thomas is a Texas native, born and raised in the Dallas surrounds. He has lived and worked around the world andcurrently serves as a full-time pastor in the Washington DC area. He paints, tries to the play the ukulele and djembe, enjoys photography and all kinds of composition in many mediums.

Photos by Scott Griessel of Creatista.com!

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The Language of Art, Music, Spirituality and Justice – Linda Alvarez

June 1, 2011 By wildgoosefestival 2 Comments
I love that this gathering is described as festival of Justice, Spirituality, Music & Art.  As an attorney, I work in a world where my innate sense of justice daily collides with the system we’ve invented to try and serve Justice.  Thus, I am drawn to this gathering by the inclusion of “Justice” in the circle of attention.  I am also drawn by the wedding of Justice to Spirituality, Music & Art.

David Whyte has said, “A poet’s work is all about creating a language that is big enough to represent both the world you inhabit and the next, larger world that awaits you.”   Music, Art and Spirituality also open doors and windows in our perceptions.  They connect us experientially — often wordlessly — to one another and to our deeper sense of Justice, Truth, Wisdom and Love.  What better way to approach the larger questions and the world of possibilities that await?

Great Questions And the Larger World That Awaits Us

What would you answer if asked for your working definition of ‘Justice’?

As with concepts like ‘Truth’ and ‘Love’ – we are at a loss to adequately define ‘Justice’ because the experience transcends words.  If the question is unanswerable, then what is the point of asking it? The unanswerable questions are worth asking because considering them leads us to deeper understanding of our own, unexamined beliefs and assumptions.

Meaningful social change must be rooted in integrity and I believe that integrity grows from self-awareness, honesty and humility.  It requires conscious attention to our underlying beliefs, to our assumptions about ourselves, about how the world works, and about our place in the world, and it requires clarity about what we desire and why we desire it.  It requires deep and faithful questioning.

Spirituality, art, music, poetry and dance offer deeper language for our explorations.  Our questioning becomes more robust and wholesome when it reaches beyond logical discourse into the mysterious realms of spiritual experience and artistic creation

The Call of the Wild Goose Festival

“Great questions never settle to sleep inside answers. The question can open and come alive at any moment . . .” – John O’Donohue*

I look forward eagerly to the Wild Goose Festival as a chance to gather in community and together expand our exploration of the urgent questions of Justice and Spirituality; to share our experiences as we walk the paths our questions illuminate; to examine our heretofore unexamined assumptions; and to challenge our beliefs about our world, our power, our contributions, our callings; and to go forth from there with greater integrity and courage.

Linda Alvarez envisions a world where “the power of love has replaced the love of power.” Her mission in service of this vision is to support those who want to conduct business and legal affairs with conscious awareness and full integrity. She pursues her vision and mission by providing legal counsel that enables clients to design sustainable, productive and enjoyable businesses and relationships. She is coming to Wild Goose Festival to talk about how anyone can ‘be the change they want to see in the world’ – even in the lions’ den of business dealings and contract negotiations – without losing power, credibility or integrity. You can meet Linda and experience the Wild Goose Festival by getting your tickets here.

*  John O’Donohue, Towards a Poetics of Possiblity, Dublin Centre for the Study of the Platonic Tradition – Platonic Centre Pamphlets: 1 (2007)p. 13

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What I *Don't* Want out of the Wild Goose Festival – Shane Claiborne

April 21, 2011 By wildgoosefestival 19 Comments

I am proud to have been part of this shin-dig from its inception… and am so excited to see it being born.  Here are a few of my hopes for the ole Wild Goose Festival.   I hope it is…..

A celebration of art, creativity, and prophetic imagination
A showcasing of fantastic Kingdom-minded projects and missional businesses (not just funnel cakes and university tables)
A spectrum of diverse voices harmonizing without homogenizing – old and young, catholic and protestant (and other), all colors of skin, from many walks of life
Courageous and daring
An uncompromising fusion of Jesus and justice without making folks who are new to either of these feeling excluded  — perhaps a few debates or panels inviting critics to share their voices would be nice
An event that is creative enough to make sure money is not an obstacle to folks who want to attend
Good teaching…. And good music
A convergence of movements
A place for families and kids
A public witness where we can do something together to bear witness or stir a little holy mischief (perhaps a vigil outside a weapons contractor or abusive corporation)
A space that feels sacred –  filled with worship, genuine fellowship, and celebration
A gathering where theory and practice meet, where prayer and reflection are married, where there is good thinking but also good living taught and practiced
An embodiment that displays the unity of Christ’s body, and creatively practices Communion/Eucharist together

A few things I would like to make sure Wild Goose is NOT:

Homogenous
Pretentious
Preaching to the choir
Celebrity-driven entertainment
Branded by one organization or movement
Sloppy with theology
Sloppy with practice
Another Christian music festival
Profitable (expensive)
A passive gathering of spectators
Just another event to go to every year
It is a gift and honor to be part of this little adventure with all of you.  –shane claiborne

P.S: I made a Wild Goose video! Check it out!

YouTube Preview Image

For the next ten days, tickets can be purchased for $10 off using the discount code SubversiveFriends here, courtesy of Shane and his community The Simple Way!

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