A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
SPRING 2011

Denise Chávez. Photo by Daniel Zolinsky.

Spring 2011

Dear BBF Friends,

What does Vasundhara mean?  Literally it signifies “the One that holds us.”  It is another word for Mother Earth/Madre Tierra/Gaia.  With the challenges to be found on all borders, real and imagined, as well as life issues in our contemporary society, it’s good to reflect on what allows us to adhere to our higher ideals, to each other, and to all sentient life on this precious Mother Earth.  What is that place, that spot of imperturbable strength, beauty and power? What binds us and what is our deepest core?  What allows us to go to sleep at night without fear and to wake up in the morning renewed, refreshed and ready to take on life?  This is what our festival is about.  

Vashundhara is the Mother Land/Madre Tierra/The Mother Goddess, the Goddess of Abundance and Prosperity, the Goddess of Patience—for who is more patient than Mother Earth with her errant children and who loves and forgives all?

As sentient beings, each of us approaches Mother Earth/Madre Tierra/ in different ways.  These visions and manifestations of La Madre are what we are looking at deeply.   It is good to seek out and reflect on our Native Cultures for inspiration and also to look inside our hearts and spirits where the eternal resides.  

We ask you interpret/reinterpret/invent/reinvent what the Spirit
Mother/Force of Life is to you.  

It is fitting to honor the great Bengali poet, Rabinranath Tagore during this year’s festival as we celebrate his 150th birth anniversary.  

Likewise we honor the loving and living memory of Beatlick Joe Speer, poet of nature and the highway, a world Trekker par excellence who was a dear friend of our festival.   Both poets have touched hearts and souls and left their indelible mark on us.

We are honored to present the work of our featured artists and share with them this time of healing.  We thank them for their talent, energy, support and goodwill and ask you to thank Vasundhara for bringing them to us.  

Please join us for the festival and our exhibit in Galería Tepín, beginning April 9 and running to the end of May.

As a child of the Vasundhara, I would like to offer a Litany to her, a prayer of my belief.  It is not meant to be a definitive statement for anyone, only a jumping off point for reflection.  Who can articulate what Vasundhara truly means?  Ay, that is our mission as sentient beings!

Vasundhara
Sacred Mother

Mother of Light
Mother of Dark

Mother of the Sun
Mother of the Moon

Mother of the Many Children
Mother of the One

Mother of Those who have walked this earth
Mother of Those who walk it still

Mother of Those In this Mortal Room
Mother of those in the Room of Space

Mother of Blue Land
Mother of Green Sea

Mother of the Enormous
Mother of the Very Small

Mother of the Infinite
Mother of the Seemingly Insignificant

Mother of the Seen
Mother of the Unseen

Hold us
Shield us

Bind us
Purify us

Set us to work with joy and gratitude
when the sun is high

Lay us down to rest
When our time is fulfilled

Vasundhara/Madre/Mother
Teach us to be strong/unafraid

How can we be fearful
When you hold us in your arms?

-Denise Chávez, Director