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OR Festival: The gathering that works to make a real-world difference

The minds behind OR have designed an event curated toward experiencing inner healing and transformation

Photo courtesy of OR Festival
Photo courtesy of OR Festival

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

The OR Festival isn’t just another weekend meetup, it’s a gathering of creatives looking to re-imagine and re-awaken to the magic of this planet. Taking place from October 3-7, 2024 at the Freedom Healing Ranch in Craig, Nebraska, the experience will feature music, art, and workshops intended to build new connections toward acceptance, love, and authenticity.

A global gathering

The minds behind OR have designed an event curated toward experiencing inner healing and transformation, building communal connections, and making a global impact. They work to bring a diverse community of artists, musicians, filmmakers, wealth advisors, CEOs, investors, health practitioners, environmentalists, indigenous peoples, and more. 

Part of the OR experience is communal dining, where each festival-goer gathers to enjoy locally sourced food beneath the Nebraska sunrise, lounging among grazing horses and goats. The Freedom Healing Ranch is the perfect setting for OR, featuring an eclectic mix of 20-foot angel statues and a Mongolian yurt village, reflective of the festival’s diverse community.

Image courtesy of OR Festival

High-vibrational lineup

The OR experience will feature numerous musicians, including Deya Dova, with her ethereal, shamanic beats and vocals. Poranguí’s fusion of world music and deep instrumentals will ground you, while The Human Experience will create an immersive auditory journey with his blend of electronic and organic sounds. Nine other musicians will feature during the OR Festival.

Photo courtesy of OR Festival

Celebrating Indigenous voices

Indigenous wisdom takes center stage as a family from the Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation hosts our opening and closing ceremony and a Lakota Sweat Lodge each day of Or. Indigenous Arawak elder Irka Mateo, who worked at the Smithsonian for 20 years to revive Arawak culture, will host a shamanic sound journey. A leader from the Siekopai Tribe of Ecuador will offer ceremonial cacao and fireside chats. Dr. Gita Vaid and Dr. Nadia Bones will explore integrating traditional healing practices with modern medicine, offering a holistic approach to well-being.

Real world impact

Every year, OR aims to support real-world projects. OR 2023 raised $1.1 million to plant 600,000 mangroves via CarbonP3, launched a land-based coral farm in the Dominican Republic through Global Coalition, granted five end-of-life wishes to terminally ill elderly patients in Nebraska via Dreamweaver, sponsored 40 children through school for a year in Kenya with No Hungry Children, and brought 126 individuals access to clean water by funding wells through Charity Water.

This year, OR supports four organizations: Global Coalition to launch their next project; Dreamweaver to help the local elderly; Zintkala Wakan Hoyapi from the Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation aiming to build a healing center in their reservation; and Kako Earth, which works with the Siekopai Tribe in the Amazon and is producing a film on bioregions.

OR’s vision for the future

OR isn’t just a festival; it’s a call to action. It offers a unique opportunity to explore, learn, grow, and have a community along the journey for those seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. OR envisions a future where the wisdom of Indigenous cultures merges with innovation to bring inner transformation and positive global impact to create a regenerative and harmonious future.

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Written By

Jon Stojan is a professional writer based in Wisconsin. He guides editorial teams consisting of writers across the US to help them become more skilled and diverse writers. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and children.

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