A Letter From Entheos

Greetings from Entheos.

Our collective journey is not over. While there will be no Entheos event in 2013, we will come together again in 2014 after a much-needed break to reflect on our past and plan for our future.

The Entheos Gathering festival in 2012 was the culmination of six years of planning, hard work, love, energy, sweat and much more. We planned for the biggest festival to date, the most incredible mix of music, art, intention, spectacle, education, spirituality, creativity, community… a unique experience beyond just a music festival or just a conference. Expectations were high and people came from near and far to see, hear and feel everything that is Entheos, to be part of its creation.

As the sun set on Saturday night, our moods were bright as it seemed that 2012 really would be the most incredible, memorable Entheos yet. It would be memorable, but not only for the reasons we had originally envisaged. The sun rose on a terrible tragedy, a crime that has yet to be solved – the death of Bradley Ross, 25, of Grande Prairie, Alberta.

The 2012 Entheos Gathering ended a day early as conference sessions, classes and music were replaced by a meeting turned closing ceremony. We turned to one another for support, healing, and comfort. We came together as a community, all the while struggling with our disbelief that something so terrible could happen at such a peaceful gathering.

We searched our hearts, wondering if we could continue on in the future. We decided Entheos could and should live on. So many have given so much of themselves to build something unique, something amazing, that to just stop – leaving everything we’ve built behind – would be wrong.

Looking to our future, we are already making plans for a gathering in 2014. There is a lot of work ahead of us and we’re not yet sure exactly what shape the festival will take. Our new banner reflects the nebulous state in which we find ourselves, regrouping and re-imagining what we will become – just as stars and planets form out of nebulae in the universe. Anything and everything is possible, and we are excited about exploring the different directions we might take.

Thank you, Entheonauts, for contributing to what we have been and what we will become. We look forward to coming together again in 2014 for a new journey.

Thank you for your continued support,

-Entheos Gathering Society