Blessing Tent

Priests and deacons from the Center of Light, a Christian mystical spiritual school, will be giving powerful blessings for people to receive healings. This is a way to speed up the process of clearing out negativity inside to make a space for inner peace.

Labyrinth Walk 

Walking the labyrinth both symbolizes and helps facilitate the process of going inside to the center of one’s being…an essential practice for cultivation of inner peace.

Meditation Tent 

Sit, relax and soak in the energy of the Peace Lounge while you meditate, chat with other festival goers or listen to music from the main stage.

Kids Peace Activities 

Activities for children include making prayer bracelets, peace doves and other arts & crafts. Also featuring free face painting, balloon animals and large bubble wands.

Community Groups 

Local community, artisans, and peace activist groups will have information and activity booths to visit and explore.

Music Stage

The current music and active line-up includes spoken word, gospel singers, several Kirtan bands, Dances of Universal Peace (A Sufi Interfaith Zikr), and Christian hip-hop

10:00am – 11:00am: Opening words and blessings

11:00am – 11:30am: Angela Stewart- Gospel Singer

11:30am – 12:00am: Edie Cane – Christian Rapper

12:00pm – 12:30pm: Rebecca Roepke – Native American Spoken Word Artist

12:30pm – 2:00pm: Wild Moon Bhaktas

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Dances of Universal Peace (A led peace dance, all are welcome to participate)

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Peace Choir

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Kirtan Path

5:00pm – 6:00pm: Kirtan Collective

Kirtan Path

Kirtan Path is a Minneapolis-based kirtan group sharing their passion to chant the Name with others. Kirtan Path consists of the following musicians: Pascale (harmonium/ vocals), Nancy (violin), Mark (doumbek) and Gangamantri Das (guitar). Kirtan Path has led kirtan at the annual Twin Cities Kirtan Festival and the Twin Cities yoga festival. They were also invited to the first India in Iowa event. Kirtan Path organizes the annual New Year’s Eve Kirtan Celebration.

Kirtan Collective

The intention of Minneapolis-based Kirtan Collective is to “awaken the divine spirit through chanting sacred mantras. With rhythm and sound vibrations we endeavor to bring ancient chants into a joyous contemporary experience. We hope that this music opens the heart and generates universal love for all. As we collectively sing and play to the Divine Deities we offer the chance to connect with all things sacred.” Kirtan Collective are: Andrea Sullivan ~ Vocal & Harmonium, Alexandra Thiem ~ Flute, Perry Ehrmann ~ Bass, Michael Weber ~ percussion and Bryce Kastning ~ percussion

Wild Moon Bhaktas

The Wild Moon Bhaktas are seasoned, Minneapolis-based musicians with decades of chanting experience. They plumb the tradition-rich sacred music of India’s Bhaktas and Sufi Mystics who chant for the many spiritual benefits. They aim to bring Sundara – beauty into the world – to create Sangha community for seekers – and to make sacred time and space for you to contemplate the indwelling and all-pervading spirit. Wild Moon Bhaktas are: Dayananda David Schmidt, Gary Waryan, Dalyce Elliot and David Ballman.

Rebecca Roepke

Rebecca Roepke is a poet, social worker, and activist—which she says are all really the same thing. She firmly believes in the power of story to break down barriers and allow individuals to momentarily experience others’ worlds. Creating this connection between people is the goal driving her work, which she performs to inspire interior and social change. Her devout Catholicism is strongly influenced by her Native American spirituality and culture, and both inform her writing. Rebecca has performed in venues such as the Loft Literary Center and the Sisters of St. Joseph’s 11th Day Peace Prayer, and she has planned and participated in numerous interfaith prayer events in the Twin Cities, Oklahoma, and India.

Dances of Universal Peace – Led by Sheikh Zahir Qalbi Orest

The Dances of Universal Peace is a contemplative offering of sacred songs from the World’s religious traditions danced to simple folk dance movements. No experience is necessary and all are welcome in this ‘participatory presentation’. The Circle will be facilitated by interfaith minister and spiritual guide, Zahir Orest, a teacher in the Sufi Ruhaniat International. The Ruhaniat, as an ancient Wisdom school, offers universal Sufism and is an indigenous American expression of Sufism in the West, encouraging all people of faith to gather together, to “Eat, Pray, and Dance” in “Love, Harmony and Beauty”.

E.D.I.E C.A.N.E

Dexter Jefferson, A.K.A. E.D.I.E C.A.N.E, which stands for, “Every Day I enter Christ And Not Evil” describes his music as conscience rap. Ultimately what inspired him to become a conscience rapper was the fact that he has always had a feeling to do something that helped people to rise up beyond that which is natural. Even when he was in the secular world E.D.I.E. always spoke of spiritual things. E.D.I.E is currently working with a W.E.G.R.U affiliate artist in the spreading of the message of the kingdom. I also work with Global Peace (GP), a group that has many different denominations and honors the Truth as it is revealed to us.

Voices for Peace

In October, 1986, Voices for Peace was founded as a vehicle to inspire and encourage people in their quest for peace.

Recognizing that peace stars inside the individual and moves outward, the chorale seeks to perform music that stirs the soul and excites the imagination. From the anti-war songs of the sixties to gentle arrangements of “Dona Nobis Pacem” and “Imagine,” Voices for Peace brings a unique sound to their repertoire. Their hope is that through their singing others will be inspired to love more peacefully and work in their own ways to further the cause of justice and peace.

The Edge is a monthly magazine that explores all aspects of holistic living – the experience of living authentically, the integrative approaches of complementary healing, eating consciously, the arts, metaphysics and the intuitive arts, our integral connection with nature, spirituality and the mysteries beyond. edgemagazine.net