Idyllstock

Spirit Mountain Retreat will host a free event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, that the organizers, headed by Christina Nordella and her Mother Earth Healing Center (MEHC), are calling Idyllstock. The intent is to bridge the generations between Woodstock and what is called “Gen C.”

Gen C has picked up two definitions, the COVID generation born after 2016, and the generation that grew up “connected” to the internet. The former group, Nordella writes, “While they may only be in the arms of adults attending … still count as human beings who are directly impacted by our world.”

The focus of the all-day music, poetry and film festival will be raising awareness of the connection between mental health and environmental health. According to Nordella, “It is an obvious fact that a toxic environment makes people sick and that we, not just as a community but as fellow human beings, must become lobbyists for environmental change and legislation. We are all paying the price regardless on some level. We need to start to create a healthier world, because a healthier world is always a healthier you. It is also an immediate platform for humanity, regardless of age, economics, race, place or religion. This is Idyllstock.”

She added, “All the artists participating do so to demonstrate goodwill, community spirit and the responsibility every generation has for the next generation. They believe in the immediacy and importance of bringing awareness to our current mental health and environmental crisis that affects all of us, everyday. They believe that our physical community is as important as any virtual community. This is a free event because of them.”

Musical and spoken word performers will include Paul Carman, Mick Lynch, Miles Thomas, Kelly Armantage, Jac Jacaruso and many more. One highlight will be the debut of an alternative rock group called Jukai, a name for a “sea of trees” surrounding Mount Fuji. They are “local kids that grew up here including Preston Piño, David Cohen and Alex Moya,” all under age 20. Nordella said they, like the other performers and volunteers, have chosen this venue because it “represents their passions and concerns; mental health and environmentalism. They are already leaders in the world in doing so.”

The film part of the event will play from 1 to 3 p.m. inside Spirit Mountain’s front room. They are a series of short films regarding depression, addiction, anxiety, dementia, etc. The current list includes Primer Frame’s “The Face Thief,” Oriel Berkovitz’s “Tzadik,” and Christine Kim and Elaine Wu’s “The chicken and the Egg.”

Nordella may be familiar to readers through her third-Monday of the month podcasts from Middle Ridge Winery Tasting Room Gallery, in which MEHC’s Idyllwild Dream Productions stages dramatic readings. Next Monday brings “Dracula” (back) to life. Previous events have included “My Favorite Husband,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Gunsmoke” and “Jane Erye.” The readings include opportunities for participation. “The audience becomes part of the podcast. It is super fun,” she said.

Nordella describes her nonprofit as providing “alternative healing, education, funding and support to anyone suffering dis-ease, including the Earth.” She is a practitioner of two traditional Japanese “energy healing” forms, Reiki and Jin Shin Jyutsu, and offers free sessions for those who cannot afford it through MEHC.

Nordella mentions that attendees of Idyllstock “will be doing a community art piece to be presented to [Director] Mary Morse for her work at Spirit Mountain. It is titled, ‘Envisioning a Safer World.’ Guests are welcome to bring food. There will be a food truck on the back lower lot. Seating is limited. There will be some vendors. Arrive early. It is first come, first serve.”