Vox Populi - The People of Orin Aya

On the first day of September 2023, thousands of people made their way into the sun-baked wilds of far-north Queensland. Down an unsealed road of rust coloured dirt and into the arms of an unshackled, open-minded, temporary community. The four-day Orin Aya festival was a brilliant demonstration of the human collective. It served as a reminder of the inspiring energy created when people are able to come together in celebration of life, music, culture and the arts.

Among the mass of electrified dancers, many stories were shared. Those moments in life where we find ourselves surrounded by a myriad of people with diverse and unique experiences hold incredible value. Of course I couldn’t help but gain a little bit of insight into the minds of some of the fascinating individuals in attendance. Introducing… The People of Orin Aya.

“Oh, whenever I’m connected with nature. Yeah, and music. I think those two things make me connect alot with myself… And they make me feel more.. free.” 

“Uhh, get outside in bare feet and touch the earth. And.. get the hands in the soil!”

“I feel really good because I slept really well.”

“Damn that’s a lot of lessons. I think for me, the biggest one is to stay away from people that you feel are draining your energy. No matter who they are. That is my biggest. You know sometimes you get people, it might be your parents it might be anyone, you know? And they just… you just don’t know what’s going on inside you until you step away, find yourself in a peaceful, calm environment. And if you go back to them and you’re not peaceful, step away. Yeah, once you do that, all the people that you need come to you.”

“Um… most valuable lesson that I keep having to come back to? That I don’t know anything. I don’t know shit about shit. I’m just here to learn.”

“Something that motivates me, aye? Uh, let’s see… My previous experiences usually. I say, “wow I managed to pull that stuff off already so far, so why not go the extra step if needed!” That’s all really.” 

“Being authentic”

“Stepping away from normal society”

“Spiritual revival.”

“Find it, tame it, earn it, share it… live it, love it.”

“Ooh, so many… Don’t try to be rich, just try to have enough. Then you can relax and you can enjoy life, right? Life is to be lived, not watched. But when you’re caught on a treadmill you lose that. Sadly I didn’t learn that until I was well into my forties, late forties. Now look, I’m a barefoot hippie but I’ve never been happier! Like there’s two ways to be rich. You can work your butt off, work hard and your kids won’t know you. They’ll resent you because you weren’t there to watch softball, netball, basketball, whatever. So you can work your butt off. Or, desire less. When you desire less, all of a sudden you’re not lying in bed wondering how you’re gonna pay for this, pay for that, you’re not caught on that treadmill. There’s an Irish blessing they used to use in weddings up till about the 50’s or 60’s and it was simply, “may you have enough.”

I always thought, “well that’s a bit lame,” you know? It’s like, “hope you’re… okay.” Like that’s a bit lame. But I saw this thing where this guy explained it and it’s basically like may you have enough love to feel safe and secure and cherished, but not so much that you forget to earn it and make it work. Or you have enough money to meet your needs, but not so much that you forget charity and compassion. May you have enough health to be able to enjoy life and fulfill the adventures that you’ve chosen for yourself, but not so much that you forget the pleasure of a good roast dinner, or a nice pizza. Do you know what I mean?”

“Uh, it’s a good question, this one. But uh yeah, pretty much everything here. The music, the people.” 

“Just love. Spread love. Yeah.” 

“The most beautiful. Probably like, connection with another person. Just like, a really beautiful flow between two people. Nothing forced, everything makes sense, it’s perfect harmony.” 

“Hmm.. Make love, be happy all the time and live the life.”

“Everyday.”

“Um, I don’t know, I just feel like I’m really truly in my authentic self. And every day I’ve been happy and living the dream. So, yeah.”

“No, not at all.”

“Um, kinda coming to Australia and meeting so many like-minded people. And, like ultimately learning more about myself and my needs and my desires… and my fall-backs and weaknesses.”

“Hmm, good question… Love! That’s it.”

“Just to chill out. Everybody needs to realize that the same thing you take in your stride can be really hard for somebody else.”

“Uhh, to be present in this moment. Like just enjoying being aware of everything, my feelings, my emotions. And to be connecting with people, music, nature…”

“I love you all.”

“I had a spiritual awakening, that was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. It was in 2016, I was meditating and I just had a feeling of love.” 

“Music. Yeah… listening to it.”

“A lesson? For life? Wow… That we are all from the same thing.”

“I’m grateful for this earth. It’s… It’s such an amazing place. Being around here feels like I’m in my mother’s village four years ago. Like I used to climb the trees. There was the same kind of river behind our house with the same kinds of trees and birds and everything. But now it’s not there. So that is very special to me. When I came in, I saw that tree and I just climbed it. And I saw the beautiful river and the view from the stage. This festival has taught me a lot . So many things have happened in this festival, only four days but I learnt a lot.”

“Normally I find a moment of quietness and stillness. Um, connecting with nature or connecting with my breath. I feel like certain places help me feel really grounded and connected with my body and the present moment. Yeah, that really brings my core to the center.”

“Damn, that’s a deep one for a morning like this. Deepest memories, I don’t know… I think a birthday from when I was young on the rooftop of my parent’s house.”