With August 28th coming up quick, Three Days of Light Gathering is just a few weeks away, we caught up with the gathering’s founder, Scott Love, and see what’s in store for the 4th 3DL. We also explored topics concerning the transformational and conscious culture as a whole. Take a look at this very insightful and thought-provoking interview below.
How was 3DL born?
It was a wave of inspiration that came to me in the spring of 2012, during the time of the Venus transition in front of the Sun. (This is why Venus is kind of the adopted Goddess with our media). I heard that during the transition, Venus was a kind of filter and the energy of the Sun shone through and magnified LOVE energy. I like that.
I was in a state of flux. It had been a few months since we created The 11.11.11. Gathering in Sedona, which was a beautiful and powerful gathering. But there was something lingering in my heart. I wanted to create an annual “family reunion” where the inspired people in this community could connect year in and year out.
I guess, really what it comes down to, is I was looking for more of the connection and contact that I had experienced at the Sedona event. So, I created a reason to have it.
The name 3DL was in reaction to reading that there would be, according to certain “Prophesies”, at some point, three days of darkness when all hell breaks loose…literally. I didn’t like the sound of that, and I didn’t like that it was putting that kind of imagery in peoples hearts and minds. So I created a counter weight to that. THREE DAYS OF LIGHT! Who want’s 3 Days of Darkness…that’s lame!
For those that have never been to 3DL, what would you consider is the greatest reason to come and be a part of the experience?
Without a doubt it’s the heart centered connection with other inspired and powerful beings from all over the world. When people head back home after the event they leave with a much greater sense of being a part of a global family. That they are NOT alone.
WE are not alone!
Many times people who meet over the internet connect in person for the first time. It helps to bring a feeling of realness to the work that they are doing and the relationships they build on line.
The two tag lines we use really say it all… “Inspiration! Activation! Celebration!” and “One event really can change your life!”
This year’s theme is “Level Up!”, what is the message behind this theme?
It’s all about how WE can connect and bring in a whole new standard around how we live, the choices we make, and the way we see ourselves in the world. You know, it’s like when you go from High School and move on into collage. It’s about growing and expanding and having a gauge to mark it by.
It’s also an invitation. We ask the questions “What are you doing?” do you feel you are doing enough in your personal life and for the community around you?” Then we ask… “If not, Why not?”. But we take it a step further and provide information and activation to help them become the very best they can be.
There is a phrase that comes to mind, “If you always do what you always did, then you will always get what you have always gotten!”
With this in mind we have set out to create an event that helps people raise the level in their lives. Be it energetically, emotionally, spiritually, physically…WE all need to raise the bar a little bit. Why not have a lot of fun doing it?
When we spoke last year you mentioned that the future of 3DL is becoming more like a retreat and less like a festival. Will this be something we will begin to see at this year’s gathering?
Yes, absolutely. This is why we are excited about hosting the 4th annual event at a summer camp again. There is something magical about Camp Grier. With all the indoor lodging options, the rustic cabins and the forest camping.
I don’t want to take away from how awesome festivals are, and many are pretty sweet, but as I, personally, grow and evolve into the man I am becoming, I am looking for more out of the experiences I put my time and energy into.
To me the word “retreat” means to get away from the day-to-day. It means that we go with a more sound intention. The intention behind 3DL4 is to go to a space where our hearts can fully be open…a safe place. 3DL is a safe place.
3DL is promoted as being a gathering that can be life-changing. How does the gathering/retreat model of 3DL promote personal transformation?
When people have a place to relax, feel into the space around them, without all kinds of intense distractions, then their own thoughts and ideas start to settle down into their hearts and minds. They get a more authentic self to connect with.
The retreat model works perfectly for this because, with all the nature-based activities, being at a summer camp, and with all the workshops, people have a chance to actually reflect on themselves, how they are living, and who and what they are as members of a community.
THIS IS HUGE because in those quiet moments…that is when the answers come.
I once heard that prayer is asking the question and meditation is when we get the answers.
People connect with many answers and find out many truths about themselves while at The Three Days of Light Gathering.
What do you enjoy the most about 3DL?
In many ways I am a big picture kind of a person. I love to see the 10,000 foot view of things. So why I love is seeing all the connections, the “Aha!” moments that are happening everywhere around us. I love seeing people coming in not knowing what to expect, maybe a bit tentative, and then over the course of the weekend I can see them opening up and then that’s when the power of this comes in.
I love the power that people bring. Each one person is like a single point of light, and when we all get together (to gather) it gets brighter and brighter with each being that arrives.
Then there is something that happens post-event. When all the messages come back about how much this or that certain aspect really change lives, inspiring people to DO and not talk about what they want to do.
It’s not just something that we use as a catch phrase when we say “One event really can change your life!”. I have hundreds of messages from people all over the world who tell us this.
With the ever-increasing number of transformation-focused festivals and gatherings, do you feel there’s a truly promising movement that’s happening at these catalysts for change?
I do.
You know, these events are unique because the focus, at least with 3DL, isn’t to create the ultimate party scene…it isn’t about excess or seeing how crazy we can get. In fact, in many ways it’s the opposite of that.
These gatherings provide a really amazing lens for us to see clearly who we are. When we get a feeling of who we are, outside of the distractions or roles that we tend to surround ourselves in or try to act out…once we strip down to our essential self…then we can really feel that and heal that.
Many of those distractions and roles that we think we need to play our are caused by things that happen in our daily lives, by the world around us.
Three Days of Light gives people the chance to really be who they really are. DEEP DOWN who they are…and then see if they are really the people they want to be. If they are that is AMAZING and if they are not then that is AMAZING too. We provide a way for people to really, honestly, deeply consider themselves in the world.
This is how we “Make the world a better place”, starting with making the world inside our skin a better place.
How do you see it evolving in the next few years?
Well, this is an interesting question. It really depends on how authentic we, the producers, can keep it. I believe that as they continue to grow and expand, and as we find our footing as a community, we have a chance to plant a lot of really powerful seeds with the attendees.
As the popularity of these grow, so will many outside influences. I see it already in what we do with 3DL. People approach me with this or that scheme to “make a lot of money”, some legal and others not so much. If I were money-centric then they might appeal to me. I can imagine that someone else, who is a bit more money-driven, might not balk at many of the things that I say “No thank you” to. I guess I have a kind of fear that the purity of the situation may shift as more and more gatherings of this kind spring to life.
Every month I am seeing more and more “conscious and transformational” gatherings pop up in communities around the country. And some feel really genuine and some are so obviously geared at capitalizing on what is a tend in the consciousness of the people. I see it as kind like self-help books. There are many on the shelves because no one book really captures the essence of what each reader is looking for. Each one speaks a language that a certain part of the population identifies with. So in that regard it’s awesome and there is room for many.
I think that ultimately, the people will decide what they become. If it’s fake, they will feel that immediately, if it’s genuine they will feel that too. It will resonate.
I can only speak to what WE are doing with The Three Days of Light Gathering here. I know that as we expand and grow our focus will always be in providing the attendees the most wholesome and honest experience possible. We do this by asking ourselves, constantly, certain questions… Does this line up with the Four Pillars of the Emergence Earth project? Does this make the world a better place? How does this help the attendees grow and live better lives?
My hope is that all these gatherings hold the same mirror in front of themselves.
My dream is that, eventually, LIFE will be like a Conscious and Transformational festival/gathering…and with so many of them around, why not? But then there is the question about how the community supports itself. That’s something I have ideas about but will speak to through the Emergence Earth site.
What is the biggest challenge facing the transformational festival culture right now?
I would say that it might be overuse of the words “transformational” and “consciousness”. Language is such that people will use whatever words they feel will get them the attention that they want to get people to their event. You know, it’s becoming a kind of buzz word. I even see some of the larger events, which are NOT conscious at all, use this language. So, I guess I am concerned that the effectiveness of what that actually means might get lost somewhere.
On another side, as a producer of the events, I am seeing so many of the more conscious artists and performers starting to get national and international success, so hmmm…I guess again it comes down to the integrity of the people themselves.
This question is great because it also gives me a chance to voice a concern that I have…and that is on the subject of the “conscious” or “spiritual” elitist. Man these people drive me bonkers. Ha!
Many people are drawn to this community because they don’t feel that they fit into a social structure that they were raised in, or subject to, or maybe it’s even a cultural thing where they are lead by elitists who tell them that they must act “this way” or “that way” in order to be one of the “special” or chosen ones. So, they seek out and find a kind of connection in the “conscious” community where they feel they belong. It feels good to find your family. But, as the years pass, after a certain amount of “trainings” or “workshops” they start to see themselves as somewhat above others and I see it in how they posture themselves, how they address themselves. It’s one thing to want to be respected for the work you have put in, but it’s something completely differing to be, what I call “Nags” or New Age Guru Snob!
They are so hilarious to me. I have even heard people at 3DL tell me that they felt like they were being judged as not being conscious enough from some of the other people there. So I guess the concern is that people take themselves too seriously and create a bubble around the culture that repels people.
We want to attract people so that they feel welcome and inspired.
What can we do as a community in response to it?
Follow our hearts and not our pocket books. Surround ourselves with people who we want to emulate. Connect with as many higher standard people and organizations as possible and never loose sight of what our mission is and why we are doing the work in the first place. All while keeping our egos in check. Not being “NAGS”. Ha!
Also, I believe that we, as a community, are at a very amazing time in our lives. We have the chance to really call in something profound, a whole new way of life…a new way of experience the world around us and also seeing ourselves.
It’s up to the producer to keep the space that they create focused on connection and community.
With massive shifts currently underway that are moving humanity away from the old destructive paradigm towards a new regenerative society, how does 3DL help in the movement towards the new paradigm?
The first thing that comes to mind is that we provide a safe space for people to hold this conversation. It’s not often that we get to connect with hundreds of people of similar values and discuss our part of the puzzle that is life on Earth. At 3DL, people have that chance.
Another thing that comes to mind is (and always comes back to) connection. We connect with people, with other people, who have taken that leap of faith and are actually living out the life of their dreams. And, they share how they did it. And then the newbies in turn learn how, practice, apply and then share the following year with the next wave of “newbies” who then do the same thing.
It’s a beautiful process to witness and I feel blessed. Every single person that comes to 3DL inspires me to be more, act more, live more, grow more and then DO more…BE MORE!
“LEVEL UP!”
3DL is “Inspiration. Activation. Celebration” So, in our own little way, year in and year out we provide this for the hundreds of people who show up. But there is another part to this too: there are literally tens of thousands of people who are exposed to our media, our press outreach. Many more will hear about it than actually come to the event. So, we hold a certain responsibility to help inspire the too. You know, everything we do, every word we speak, action we take…every stop along the way, is like dropping seeds in the heart and minds of the community. This is the power of what we are doing; inspiring as many people as possible. Every single person we reach is one more grain of sand, one more drop of water in the ocean. No one person, event or organization can reach everyone, but many of us working in concert can reach many and then they can reach out, and so on and so on and so on!
Thank you for the chance to talk about 3DL and to share with your readers why this event is pretty spectacular in the hearts and minds of those who attend.
We would love to invite all your readers to come to the event. In fact, if they use the promotional code (discount code) SHIFT they will save 10% off ticket prices, and we will in turn contribute 10% of the ticket sale to you and Shift to help your efforts. Tickets can be bought via 3DL’s website here.
Much love to you and your readers.
Bless. Bliss. Love
