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It is with great joy and love that we put forth the intentions for
the ChantLanta Sacred Music Festival. This multi-day spiritual
event seeks to serve those in need, to share in community with
neighbors both near and far, and to engage in heart-opening
and transformative spiritual practice together. We also wish to
affirm our commitment to the spiritual community, in order to
create opportunities for all spiritual seekers to share in the
practices of love and devotion.
Importantly, we want to raise money for deserving
charities, yet keep the event inexpensive and accessible for everyone.
ChantLanta accepts donations for both Atlanta-based and international
charity partners, providing a means for attendees to give back to both
the local and global communities as a form of Seva.
Bhakti yoga, the tradition from which kirtan comes, may be
thought of as the yoga of the heart or the yoga of Divine love. It
is often called the yoga of devotion. The Sanskrit root also
translates as "to share in" or "to belong to," so bhakti yoga can
also be described as a path of participation. Kirtan and
ChantLanta both embody this concept perfectly. Call and
response singing blurs the line between performers and
spectators, uniting all in loving consciousness. We connect not
only with each other and our immediate community, but the
greater spiritual community: family, neighbors, teachers,
students, and ultimately, our planet.
Throughout all the planning of these events, we focus on the
importance of fostering interaction among the many spiritual
communities around the Southeast United States. You may hear some mantras
more than once, yet you'll experience many ways to express
the same sentiment. Likewise, as a larger community, we
encompass a variety of perspectives, lifestyles, and practices,
yet we also overlap more than we may notice. It is our
hope and our intention that you have an abundance of
opportunities to bring more love and light into our greater
community, both today and onward.
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