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filmista · 6 years ago

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Lost In Translation (2003)

“You’re probably just having a midlife crisis. Did you buy a Porsche yet?”

Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola’s second feature film seems to prove that talent does perhaps lie in the genes to some degree, after all, her attempt at acting with her father directing her, proved unsuccessful and earned her a Razzie.

It was just like her father with directing that she would find her way in life, her passion and she probably certainly picked up some elements from her father’s filming style.

I think that’s only normal when you literally grow up in that world, for instance when her father made Apocalypse Now she was taken along with her dad and her mom. So ever since she was a little girl she has seen her father behind the camera, of course, that was going to have an influence on her.

Her first ever film was The Virgin Suicides, which I think is a good adaptation of the book with the same name, and while some consider it her masterpiece, for me up until now and according to many others as well that’s Lost In Translation.

Lost In Translation is one of my all-time favorite films and one of those films that I can keep on revisiting time after time I think I’ve seen it about eight times by now, not sure exactly, definitely many times.

It’s one of those films that makes me calm when I’m watching it, I can watch it when I’m really agitated and I’ll be calm after just a few minutes of watching the film…

I find that there’s something soothing and comforting in the familiarity of the emotions and the feelings of the two main characters. There’s something universal about the things they feel, most of us have felt like at least either one of the characters at least once in our lives.

Visually Coppola is calm, there’s great attention to the aesthetic of the environment and Coppola shows us her two characters and their dynamic naturally so that when we feel like we know them, they really almost have become real people and it really, actually almost hurts to say goodbye to them.

While Coppola takes her time, and while at first sight not really that much seems to happen at all, there’s really many different subjects and the human emotions attached to them explored. While Sofia’s father Francis Ford Coppola, is sometimes poetic in the brutality in his films; he makes violent stuff look extremely beautiful and pleasing to the eyes.

She, on the other hand, is sometimes brutal, in the calmness of which she shows us certain emotional states with such spot on, merciless precision. In a way succeeds in making you feel like her characters, or getting that certain emotion, that you already had in you out of you.

Lost in Translation for me at least, is a film that can make you feel utterly alone even if you may be watching it with an entire classroom. Because it painfully confronts with the fact that few people really truly care about us and know us, and that certain subjects are really truly explored best with strangers, who for a particular moment in time, might connect with us deeply, perhaps better than anyone has before…

So while Lost In Translation seems to be about not all that much at first glance, it treats relationships, difficulties in marriage, or feeling alone next to your partner, your friends even your family. Feeling completely alone in the world even when you are next to people because you can’t really talk about what really matters to you, or fully share the things that occupy your mind the most.

Or being tired of the repetitiveness that may inevitably to some degree come with certain things in your life like your profession, or on the contrary being young, inexperienced when it comes to certain things, and feeling hopeless and scared.

Because you don’t yet know how It’s all going to work, and you fear that it might not even work at all, and being awake and unable to sleep at night because It’s all mulling around in your head, driving you insane…

Now, in this case, all this angst, insomnia and loneliness, are felt by two Americans, (but they could literally be from any country) a middle-aged actor who’s very likely experiencing a middle life crisis, and a young woman.

That doesn’t fully know what she wants to be and how she should live her life, she is somewhat impulsive and has tried her hand at numerous things, and now slowly comes to realize she may have married the wrong man.

That he doesn’t really know her, or even sees or cares about what goes on in her mind, and that he probably won’t ever do so, she has a deep depression; her husband can’t even tell his wife is suffering on the inside…

He has more in common with an airhead starlet (who my intuition suspects he was having an affair with, why else wouldn’t want his wife to come with, if there’s nothing to hide?, according to him It’s because she’ll get bored) who stars in bad films and he seems to love his camera and his own ego more than her.

She’s afraid she’s never going to have a purpose, that she’s never going to find a place, her niche in the world, something that fits her and that fulfills her. She’s afraid she’s never going to amount to anything, and that she’s never going to be fully loved, that no one is ever going to see and hear her.

He’s tired, afraid that It’s all been for nothing, that he’s never been much at all, and that his wife doesn’t really get him, and that he perhaps wasn’t ever fully loved, he doesn’t see the sense and the purpose in it all anymore. These two people find each other, meet and they connect, in each other, they find comfort and support.

They find someone who has tolerance, patience and who wants to listen, someone who perhaps doesn’t necessarily offer that many solutions, but who understands how the other feels completely and who won’t ever judge.

With each other they talk about all that stuff that they can’t talk about with anyone else because those people press for details, they criticize and judge, from the existing perspective that they have on them, not even always with bad intentions.

Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, an actor who parts with ill-concealed reluctance to Tokyo to film a commercial for whiskey. In fact, he would rather be on stage, but as he would later say, “This gave me the chance to escape from my wife, miss the birthday of my child and to pocket two million dollars.”

Let’s say that Bob has become a bit cynical about his profession. But the whiskey does at least what it should do, and Bob retires at the chic hotel bar where he resides, lonely, sad and almost continuously drunk.

There, he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a young woman who has just graduated and now does not know what to do next. She is in Tokyo with her husband, a photographer for whom she is clearly a burden, and while he goes to work, she spends, just like Bob, too much time alone.

In her room in the crazy, chaotic city that Tokyo is apparently, and in the hotel bar, where she meets Bob. The two differ thirty years in age, but together they finally find some kind of support and understanding. During the next few days, they disappear into the city together, and they talk about their life, marriage, children and all those things which you can apparently only discuss fully with strangers.

Coppola’s personal experiences color the whole film - she travels to Japan, her (notoriously) failed marriage with director Spike Jonze, her background as a photographer … From beginning to end you feel that this is a very personal project, you sense that she was in a way trying to rid herself of some of her demons.

She is not interested in telling a traditional story - she just has these two characters, who she knows through and through like they’re her own children and she wants to present them to us and share them with us. Coppola knows how to lead us into the life of Bob and Charlotte, and by the end of the ride, we know them they are our friends.

How does she do that? First, she gives the two characters time to spend alone in some scenes. We see Charlotte sitting melancholy, lonely in front of her huge, panoramic window or lying on her bed, always in a fetal position.

Hugging herself, as if to protect herself against all that is outside her room, and maybe also as a way to console herself. Because her husband won’t ever do it and won’t give her, the whole measure of affection she needs and craves and in my eyes deserves!

The last time they slept together literally seems ages ago, and they’ve unfortunately only been married two years… she tries, but she only receives a sporadical hug or a sporadical kiss once or twice a day, if he remembers or cares to do it at all.

Her husband might just as well not have been there, and when they come together with friends, we are seeing her almost out of her mind, visibly suffering from the banality of their “hip” actually painfully self-righteous, egotistical conversations. And no one sees it… Fundamentally she is alone, and Coppola gives her, especially at the beginning of the film, the time to be alone.

She needs that, otherwise, her later scenes with Bob wouldn’t have worked as well. Visually Coppola stressed that feeling by always surrounding Charlotte with vertical lines, the space in which she is located, seems to make her smaller, and gives off a claustrophobic, stifling feeling.

Bob gets more of the same, almost psychopathic of the jet-lag and sleep deprivation, he is overwhelmed and exhausted by the relentless, somewhat practiced, friendliness of everyone around him. But no one with whom he can talk. Tokyo as a city is also not very helpful for our hero and our heroine.

From the hotel rooms to the streets, the metropolis comes out here as a kind of hellish amusement park for adults, full of neon lights, where technology has swept away all sense of humanity and personality

Early scenes in the film, in which Bob is woken up at night by a fax machine, and in which he delivers a desperate fight with a shower and a training device are particularly funny - but on another level at the same time yet again very sad.

Bob arises from this as a man who could be funny and hugely charming but who doesn’t feel like it anymore, doesn’t see the sense in it anymore and Bill Murray knows precisely how to play him.

Murray is probably the only Saturday Night Live (I’ve actually never seen an episode, not that it isn’t available in the cave in which I’m living, I just never have for whatever reason, but I know Murray appeared on it ), comedian from the eighties who has prevailed in both comedic and dramatic roles and has retained his credibility. And here he is smart enough not to be overtly funny, that would have been distasteful.

That would not fit his character at all. Lost In Translation is often a genuinely hilarious film, but the humor comes precisely from the way Murray responds to the very different behavior of the Japanese in a somewhat undercooled way. A people that he does not understand, he does not understand the language and customs.

Scarlett Johansson is just as understatedly, silently powerful, at the time of filming she was only eighteen, nineteen years old, but she plays emotions and thoughts that are older than that, without losing her credibility. As a couple, the opportunity of a sexual relationship is presented right from the beginning, but no.

That obvious trap, is avoided skillfully, elegantly the whole story would have fallen dead if the two had gone to bed with each other since all the tension between the characters would have disappeared. And the tension between the characters there is it crackles between Murray and Johansson from their first to their last scene.

Especially they’re last. The farewell that they share is one of the nicest, most sincere emotional scenes I’ve seen in a film in a long time, Lost In Translation ends with a kiss and Murray’s character that whispers something in Johanson’s ear and her saying okay, then she is teary-eyed and smiling simultaneously.

We never know what he whispered, and you do not need to because we know that it was something positive, otherwise she would not smile at him would she? And they feel so real that they deserve their privacy.

The kiss they share is not intended to turn each other on sexually, no foreplay and sex will follow even though it is right in the mouth. It is a calm, friendly, kind of kiss, there’s no get your shirt and your pants off right now! the urgency to it, it is a sort of kiss between friends which literally says: I love you, thanks for everything, I will never forget you, I will miss you.

There are many people that say that what Bob and Charlotte have is an affair of the mind, an emotional affair. they can’t find emotional understanding and support with their own spouse, they don’t sleep with each other, but they get intimate in a mental way, they share the stuff with each other that’s on their minds that their spouse doesn’t have the time for.

Murray’s character at one point has a one night stand, It’s not with Charlotte, and It’s only sex, nothing more to it for him, it was to fulfill a sexual need, with Charlotte he fulfills an emotional need. Charlotte comes to know about the one night stand, and seems a little annoyed, perhaps even somewhat jealous and hurt, perhaps she in that instant wanted to be that other woman, or it could even be anger at the other woman for taking Bob away from her, even if it was only for a few hours.

To some degree there is the attraction there, otherwise, she would not have reacted the way she did:

- Charlotte: “She’s older. At least you’ll have lots to talk about…” - Bob: “I can’t believe you couldn’t find anyone else to lavish you with attention.”She then after Bob’s answer, brusquely takes the menu, almost buries her face in it, turns away from Bob and refuses to face him for a while. No woman reacts like this with a man she doesn’t give a fuck about, or perhaps she’s silently judging him for having cheated on his wife.

There’s definitely an attraction of the mind, they think and feel alike and probably to some degree physical attraction, but they respect each other too much to ever act on it.

And after a while when they get to know each other fully, the sexual tension that might have been there seemingly has dissipated, they no longer feel any need to sleep with each other, It’s about being intimate on a level that goes beyond pure physical contact.

They find an understanding with each other that they don’t have with their spouse, in a good relationship or good marriage, your partner should be able to satisfy both your bodily and your mental needs, ideally, in a perfect, beautiful utopia.

To put it like this: Good sex every now and again, a good conversation, a genuine exchange of thoughts or a nice trip to some museum or a good dinner at a restaurant. If the latter is left unsatisfied and you go to another man or woman for that is that cheating? According to some people, it is.

I think It’s the case if It’s really constantly like that… But you can’t think like that all the time, because then any really good friendship, of the kind where the two people share all that’s on their own mind, between a man and a woman can be regarded as a form of cheating.

And that would incredibly limit people in their relationships with each other and even their way of viewing the world, men and women can learn from each other, help and support each other, so if you demonize they’re being friends, only friends literally a whole world of beautiful, enriching possibilities fall away…

Through Bob Charlotte really begins to realize that she married the wrong man because in this man she finds what she’s been missing emotionally, there’s a theory that what Bob whispers to the end to Charlotte is something along the lines of:

Tell that man the truth, or you do the right thing and you tell that man the truth, meaning that she should ask him for a divorce because she feels unloved. I don’t know if he directly said that, and it doesn’t matter because indirectly he has made her realize it, and Charlotte has also made Bob realize certain things.

And maybe if there hadn’t been that 30-year difference between them, both would have divorced and ended up together, but I don’t think so. What they had was just a genuine, deep friendship that lasted for a certain time, and they both helped each other realize certain things.

As I’ve said before they don’t really offer many solutions, because both are lost in their own way, but they reassure each other. Make each other feel better and make the perspective of what’s to come lighter, bearable they have given each other a renewed mental strength because now they both know that is possible to be understood by someone else.

There’s no doubt that they love each other but It’s as friends, there’s initially a few scenes where they seem somewhat physically attracted to each other, but as time progresses, it evolves and moves past that, in a way that feels completely unforced and believable.

It is possible for a man and a woman to love each other, in a non-physical way, for instance the love that a father feels for his daughter, (if there’s certain physical stuff going on there, something’s very seriously wrong) or that a brother feels for his sister, or that a son feels for his mother, it is not the same as a couple’s love, but it is strong and it is love nonetheless….

So I find what Coppola did really interesting, she doesn’t deny the possibility of a physical attraction (because maybe that to a certain extent is always gonna exist between a man a woman, that aren’t related, that’s simple biology) It’s explored a little, subtly but the characters accept the situation as it is and naturally move past that.

They no longer feel any need to consume the love they have for each other physically and they’re perfectly comfortable in each other’s company, they can stare into each other’s face for minutes and not feel the need to move in for the kiss.

Lost in Translation is a beautiful film, in every sense of the word and in all of its aspects. It’s a film with a sensitive yet acid, quite dark humor, a humor that’s based on loneliness and confusion.

It knows how to make busyness look calm and strangely serene in an almost otherworldly way. And how to capture the sometimes overwhelming emotion, the mental busyness of calmness, of utter tranquility. Of being completely on your own, or sitting by yourself and hearing your own thoughts deafeningly loud in your head.

In its cinematography and soundtrack, it adapts to the mood of its characters with ease, reflecting the city and the places that surround the characters according to their emotional perception, often by playing with contrasts. Coppola knows how to capture both pieces of mind and feeling locked in and stuck, just with her camera, while all the way preserving a tranquil, though never tiresome pace.

One of my favorite scenes: an attempt at conversation between Murray and an old Japanese man in a waiting room of a hospital. The Japanese man is incessantly talking, Murray understands zero, but agrees calmly and nicely with everything the man says as if he spoke perfect Japanese.

In the background we see two extras choke with uncontrollable laughter, and immediately we get the impression that at the time it was not planned, that the two Japanese ladies had indeed gotten the giggles and that Coppola simply chose to keep it that scene. And rightly so, because it is a wonderful piece of spontaneous cinema.

Lost In Translation is emotional in a good way, captivating, witty, honest, intelligent, … you can still throw in a few more adjectives if you wish to but it remains without a doubt one of Sofia Coppola’s best and my personal favorite of hers.

“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”

#fave #lost in translation #lost in translation 2003 #lost in translation movie #lost in translation film #female director #sofia coppola #bill murray #scarlett johanson #movies #films #reviews #movie reviews #film review #movie review #movie analysis #cinema #filmista

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dilettantereviews · 6 years ago

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Due to some personal circumstances, finishing this list took longer than I’m proud of, but I hope it’s worth it.

Isolation by Kali Uchis- This was a hard album to write for, not because of the quality (obviously), but because it’s so all over the place and hard to classify. I first paid attention to her through an ONTD original about pop stars with personas, then I thought of her as an indie pop girl, and her collaborations with rap and Latin artists make me compare her to women in R&B or urban music as well. But she’s just Kali. People always talk about “it took Ms.Nancy 8 years for her debut but it’s iconic!!” but for Kali I definitely feel it. The psychedelic baroque intro alone lets you know that you’re about you go on a journey of an album. Songs like Miami, Tomorrow, and Your Teeth, My Neck (and I guess Just a Stranger) all talk about the uncomfortable intersection between wealth and desire, while songs like Dead to Me (lol) give some brevity and energy to this album. For critics who think she can’t sing, Killer has a great Winehouse-esque performance. The album cover looks like a Prince Protege vanity set fantasy painting.

Joyride by Tinashe- Tinashe had a weird 2017, with Flame flopping, Light Up the Sky dropping, and a bizarre Taco Tuesday outing (why?!?! They said it was a networking event, but for who? The girl has more collaborations than all the different companies Pepsi distributes for), but her 2018 was better. We got a random HQ picture that turned out to be the first cover for a tringle that lead to Joyride. She answered many questions like yes, she did need to use legal options to release Joyride, and no, she didn’t like Flame. She release a great pop album that is a little Frankensteined together but you can still use all the songs. Although things seem murky now, I feel that Tinashe will keep giving us great, unique music. Personal favorites include No Drama, Faded Love, No Contest, and Ooh La La.

Caution by Mariah Carey- I keep seeing people mention that this is their first Mariah album, which is appropriate, because this feels like a new beginning for her. It’s my first Mariah album too, but I’ve seen one Popjustice member say that this is her only album where she mainly sings in a lower register and where the background instrumentals are darker electronics. I’ve heard that Me.. I am Mariah at least tried out new things, but this incorporated everything successfully. I’ve never really listened to Mariah before because I just figured it would be mostly ballads and midtempos, but this album kept things unique. Highlights include GTFO, A No No, Giving Me Life, and Portrait. This album is the sonic equivalent of putting your favorite Bath and Body Works moisturizer on, making a warm drink, and hiding under a weighted blanket, and who doesn’t want that in a year like this?

Take Me to the Disco by Meg Myers- People say that there are too many meaningless buzzwords (true) but I don’t think alt vs indie rock is one of those. Indie is generally minimal and guitar based but alt is left of the middle rock and expansive. Meg went for category 2. Following her great debut album from 2015, she went for a bigger, better, and darker sound this time. It reminds me of Tori (Tear Me to Pieces and Jealous Sea sound very Choirgirl), PJ, Trent, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Take Me to the Disco is a nice ballad that starts out the album, which doesn’t prepare you at all for Numb, the following track. Done and Funeral are also strong. Listen if you’re tired of slackers in music.

Childqueen by Kadhja Bonet- If music indicates mood, I don’t know what Spotify premium subscribing, Allmusic reading, time travelling aliens would know about 2018. Sure, there were some political albums, but I feel like the pace of crappy events was faster than (High quality) political music. Even on a personal level, 2018 wasn’t ridiculously iconic or anything for me, and I was still petty and had grudges to work on. That being said, I have no clue how psychedelic music became big for me this year. We had Moodoid, Melody’s Echo Chamber, The Internet (sort of), and Dita Von Teese. But my favorite is perhaps Kadhja Bonet, whose theatrical sounds are like the score to an old Disney movie. Mother, …, and Second Wind are great. Bonus EP was released this fall.

so sad, so sexy by Lykke Li- I haven’t really listened to Lykke before, so I figured her pop reinvention was a good time to get into her. This album reminds me of Nelly Furtado for indie songwriting but with hooks. Although sometimes the trap parts are a little awkward (use vaporwave instead!), this was a good reinvention. My favorites include Two Nights featuring Amine (he is NOT a rent a rapper!), Jaguars in the Air (you and me we’re psychedelic!), and of course, sex money feelings die. I would love a Jessy Lanza remix album commissioned.

Silk Canvas by Vanjess- Everyone loves whisper registers and high pitched whisper singing in R&B (Diana Ross, Janet, Aaliyah, Ciara, Cassie, Tinashe) but what I really love is a deep voice (or at least one that sounds a little raspy). Vanjess joins Her, Total, and T Boz and even The Weeknd in the deep vocals crowd. Don’t mark these Nigerian princesses as spam, just give them a stream, no bank accounts required. I like that they have a better understanding of making a cohesive album with different genres and still staying in a certain vibe instead of doing the same song 12 times. Even their remix EP gets that. Control Me and Addicted, the big singles from this album, are good symbols for their moody R&B sound but they have more than that. Touch the Floor is more uptempo in the vein of Kaytranada, as are the excellent Through Enough and Another Love. My Love reminds me of Aaliyah’s One in a Million. The One picks up where the 80’s revival trend left off, but improves on the synth funk sound. Even Cool Off the Rain, a 2 minute interlude, is worth listening to.

7 by Beach House- I don’t know what made this album click with me. This is my 4th album for Beach House, so I thought I just wouldn’t get them by now, I listen to dream pop and shoegaze enough where I thought I’d like any vibey music. This album didn’t reinvent the wheel but it has warmth to it, without losing their signature ‘when your arm has pins and needles and you need to wiggle yourself to a healthy blood circulation again’ sound. Favorites include Lemon Glow, Black Car, Dark Spring, and Girl of the Year. I also recommend Wax idols and Pinkshinyultrablast if you’re looking for more shoegaze..

Dita Von Teese by Dita Von Teese- This was always going to be a niche passion project by a burlesque artist, so I don’t think it was ever going to set the charts on fire, but not even the internet cared about this? If you miss Lana’s old Hollywood glamour, you should check out this album. It mixes 60’s psychedelics with electronic music to create a perfect loungy sound. I’m not saying I’m those “I miss 2012 Lana!!” but I stuck with her through her Old Hollywood Jackie Kennedy Born to Die phase, her 60’s Manson Girl Ultraviolence cult phase, her 50’s (?) maps to the stars Honeymoon, and 70’s singer songwriter Lust for Life phase, so I was excited to see what other incarnations we would get. Would we get a full on spaced out culty version of Honeymoon? An 80’s Midwest goth album? A late 90’s vaporwave mixtape? Okay, most of these are just words thrown together that nobody would want, but Dita’s album had the concept and the execution there, all it needed was the audience. The French songs have a certain sadness in them. I like Bird of Prey and Dangerous Guy as well, but the whole album is well produced and beautiful sounding, so you should listen to it if you just want some easy listening that’s riskier than most of pop and alternative’s current artists.

Black Panther- Yes, this should count as an album. I’ve seen people treat The Hunger Games soundtracks (yes, those movies didn’t spontaneously appear on TNT one day) as real albums and stan Lorde’s vision for it. I’ve seen people stan the soundtrack for A Star is Born, like it’s a real Lady Gaga album, but Black Panther is where y’all draw the line? Okay. Aside from the breakout single, you get a good vocal performance from SZA, a top tier Jorja Smith song, the best flute performance of 2018, and the downtemp Seasons. That a random soundtrack can have that much cohesion is good for Kendrick Lamar but bad for other artists.

#best of #best of 2018 #kali uchis #tinashe #mariah carey #meg myers #kadhja bonet #lykke li #vanjess #dita von teese #black panther

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madd-believer · 7 years ago

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Soul Colors

In my paracosm the sirens divide the year into eight months and divide people into eight ‘basic’ personality types that align with the eight colors and the eight months (which are named after the colors).

Being born in a particular month doesn’t mean you will have that particular personality type, but is thought to influence your personality. The basic ‘building blocks’ said to make up your personality are:

Soul Color (εzο κίμορα): The ‘base’ color of your soul. Can change over time or during emotionally-intense events. You figure out which one you have by figuring out which personality traits match yours, so it’s not a ‘predictor’ of traits but it affects how your other colors manifest and even, like... which relationships and activities you’d be expected to engage in.

Art Color (sατsέ κίμορα): Every person is thought to have some form of art that is ‘their’ art form, the one they were ‘meant’ to do. It’s not necessarily the one that you’re best at, but the one that leaves you feeling most energized. Which is a bit easier for sirens to figure out because they do literally draw energy from, for example, singing. They also have a broader idea of what ‘art’ is. It affects the way that you present yourself and communicate with the world. This color doesn’t change but it’s not that unusual to find you’ve had the ‘wrong’ one at some point.

These two colors are the most important ones, and if they match up one is said to be a ‘true [color].’ Someone with a red soul who likes dance would be ‘true red’ (ιμαυ sιορ).

Moon Color (sολ κίμορα): Based on which month you were born in. Affects the way you perceive the world, and how you understand other people. Doesn’t change.

Their ‘zodiac’ can get more in-depth but at the level that most people engage with the soul colors stops at the three ‘main’ colors. Kind of like knowing only your sun, moon, and rising sign.

(Colors under cut because this will get long and a little gif-heavy.)

Red (Sιορ)

Month: Sολερα (June 21-August 5)

Art: Dance, Sports, Martial Arts

Red souls are ruled by the art of dance. They are said to be less ‘open’ than those of the other colors, and slow to trust. While red souls can be stereotyped as lacking passion at times, this is not true. Red souls feel things deeply, but it can take quite a bit of emotion before their reservoirs spill over and they let their feelings show. But as soon as that happens their energy is unrivaled.

Red souls have trouble communicating at times. They would rather hold things in than let anyone they don’t trust know how they are feeling. And if they do trust you they would rather show you their emotions than tell you about them. This can be frustrating to those around them, who may understand that the person is upset but not have a clue about why.

Ruled by dance, red souls do well with work that is physical in nature or deals with the physical world. In close relationships, the red soul will reveal the true intensity of their emotions.

Orange (Καμέτs)

Month: Καμέsερα (August 6-September 20)

Art: Sculpture (Glasswork, Jewelry, Taxidermy, etc)

Orange souls are ruled by the art of sculpture. They are patient and able to bide their time, and like red souls can be seen as ‘unfeeling.’ But while red souls let their emotions build up and bubble out, orange souls will consistently let their feelings show, but in small and subtle ways that can easily be missed. This can, at worst, manifest as passive aggression, but more often an orange soul simply wants to find balance between your feelings and their own.

They won’t act like they like your boyfriend, but they won’t talk about what a jerk he is until you’ve realized he’s a jerk too.

Orange souls can run the risk of keeping their feelings too much to themselves, and centering their ideas--or at least what ideas they’re willing to express--too much on those of the people around them.

Ruled by sculpture, orange souls do well in jobs that allow them to use their hands, and while they can be patient orange souls need to see the results of their work to feel fulfilled. Often good teachers. Orange relationships can involve a lot of touching and cuddling.

Yellow (Ωιρ)

Month: Ωιλερα (September 21-November 5)

Art: Architecture, Interior & Exterior Design

Yellow souls are the souls of precision. They like to have everything in its place, and get upset otherwise. They arrive early to things. Yellow souls are territorial, and like everything in their personal sphere to conform to their ideals. Including the people in them. When things are going smoothly, they are content to remain in the background and let others take the lead. But if they feel that something is being done ‘wrong,’ they may become stressed or lash out.

When surrounded by those who share their outlook or those who are willing to communicate and compromise, yellow souls can be some of the most loyal of friends. They will go great lengths to defend what see as being part of ‘their’ sphere. But they have little tolerance for those who continuously challenge the way that things ‘should’ be.

Ruled by design, yellow souls do well in steady jobs or jobs with clear expectations. They often enjoy math or similar fields where the ‘rules’ are laid out. Yellow souls may not be spontaneous in relationships but they are loyal and will seldom leave you wondering ‘what are we?’

Yellow-Green (Μιλο)

Month: Μιλοχερα (November 6-December 20)

Art: Visual Arts

Yellow-green souls are some of the most ‘wear their heart on their sleeves’ people. For better or worse, you can read a yellow-green soul like an open book. They’re quick to trust, quick to open up... quick to do anything, really. They’re the people that continuously start new projects on a whim, engage in a whirlwind romance, or suddenly decide that they’re going down to the beach for the weekend. Right now.

These schemes usually are not well thought-out.

Yellow-green souls have feelings that come on suddenly and intensely. They love novelty and will chase after whatever they find new and exciting. Often oblivious to or don’t care about how others see them.

Yellow-green souls do well working with a lot of excitement and change. If they can’t find that, they settle for hopping from job to job. They love their partners intensely but may find themselves in love with an idealized version of the person, or even just in love with love.

Deep Green (Λοχ)

Month: Λοχερα (December 21-February 3)

Art: Hospitality, Cooking

Sirens view hospitality as an art form, so it should be no surprise that those ruled by this are nurturers. Deep green souls are deeply aware of the needs of others, and take joy in tending to those needs. They like things to be harmonious and often act as mediators. Like yellow souls, they enjoy when things are running the ‘right’ way and try to keep things going smoothly, but deep green souls will center ‘rightness’ on the needs of others and take it upon themselves to ‘fix’ things if they go wrong.

Deep green souls often have issues with putting their own needs behind those of others, and have difficulty expressing themselves if they fear they will hurt someone in doing so.

Deep green souls do their best work when interacting with people or participating in charitable work. They are attentive in their relationships but can have trouble asserting their boundaries.

Light Blue (Χικο)

Month: Χικερα (February 4-March 20)

Art: Writing & Composition

Light blue souls have a reputation for being ‘spacey’ and a little weird. They have lofty ideas. Or just weird ones. They’ll rationalize all their opinions as being either logical or linked to some sort of higher consciousness. They enjoy expressing themselves but do it in such a way that you’re not really sure what they’re trying to express. Weird, niche art or political movements are generally full of light blue souls.

Light blue souls tend to be highly sensitive to criticism. In a supportive environment they will flourish, but it does not take much to make them retreat within themselves if they feel they are not appreciated. This can be an issue because, again, no one knows what they’re talking about.

Light blue souls work best in solitary environments, or ones that allow for flexibility. They seek out relationships that allow them to share ideas as well as emotions.

Deep Blue (Γο)

Month: Γοχερα (March 21-May 5)

Art: Theatre

Deep blue souls have a need to be the center of attention at all times. They crave the approval of others, and will wear different personas to best gain the praise of those around them. This can, at worst, be a type of deception, but usually a deep blue soul is simply displaying different ‘facets’ of their true personality; the different masks they wear are all equally true, just as they are equally false.

A deep blue soul has difficulty letting their ‘true’ self show, and equal difficulty if their ‘true’ self does not meet with the praise they think they deserve. Deep blue souls may even have difficulty showing their ‘true’ self to themselves.

Literally ruled by drama, a deep blue soul does well in a job with excitement. Above all, they enjoy work that puts them in the spotlight. Deep blue souls may at times treat relationship partners like trophies, but this is because they believe that anyone they like must also be worthy of attention and praise.

Purple (Μέλαχ)

Month: Μέλαχερα (May 6-June 20)

Art: Music

Purple souls know what they want and they get it. They are pragmatists, and at their worst they will not hesitate to throw others aside to achieve their aims. Purple souls are said to be proud, cunning, and manipulative, but they are also quick-witted and fiercely loyal. They are slow to trust, and once that trust is broken it can be incredibly difficult to win back.

Purple souls may find themselves taking advantage of those they care about, even if it is unintentional. Frank and open communication can help this, but they often do not trust themselves to open up.

Ruled by music, purple souls work best when they are the ones in charge. Whether they work alone or have people working under them doesn’t matter. They are slow to form attachments but those attachments are strong.

#paracosm #maladaptive daydreaming

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mental-health-advice · 7 years ago

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Submission about being social

{1} I used to be a very social person, but since middle school I can barely make friends with anyone. It used to be that I would try to make friends with people and they would ignore me or only answer me to avoid being rude. Sometimes people were nice enough to pretend to be friends with me for a while, but would eventually either tell me they didn’t want to hang out with me anymore or just try to distance themselves from me. I don’t know why people did this, I never saw any big differences

{2} between how I acted and how everyone else did. I remember noticing this from when I was 7 or 8, but when I was 14 it started to bother me, and it’s kind of gone downhill from there. Once I got to high school, I failed every group project because I couldn’t bring myself to ask anyone to work with me, I had no friends, and I stopped talking to my middle school friends and hoped they would forget I ever existed. Whenever I

{3} have to speak or do literally anything that’s not sitting in a chair, I’m always so awkward that I end up hating myself for the rest of the day, one time I fell down the stairs at school as over a thousand people were going to lunch, all of which immediately burst into laughter and I was genuinely thinking about going to the third floor and jumping off the rails. Eventually I started seriously thinking about if I was supposed to

{4} be in the world or not and started self harming, and that low point is where I’ve been for the last few years, but I am a few months clean. I know you didn’t really want a full autobiography, so feel free to skip it if it’s too long, but I felt like you had to know the whole story. I just want to be as social and happy as I used to be, but I don’t know how to get there or how to get people to start treating me like a normal person.

Hi love,

Thank you for getting in touch with us here at MHA! I am really sorry that you are struggling so much right now, but reaching out to us for help was a great step to take <3 I hope I’ll be able to give you a little information and advice about how to begin dealing with these negative feelings.

First of all, I am so so sorry that there thoughts have caused you to struggling with self harm and suicidal thoughts. I do need to say that if you ever take any action to end your life or seriously hurt yourself, then please call your local emergency services (e.g. 911) for immediate medical attention. If you are reaching a crisis point and are in danger of harming yourself then try to get yourself to the ER, or to somewhere safe and contact someone who can come and help to keep you safe. You can also always contact a helpline or web counsellor for 24/7 support. I want you to know that you are definitely meant to be part of this world, and you bring love and happiness that the world would greatly miss if you weren’t here. You are so loved <3

I am so sorry that you are struggling with urges to self-harm - but please know that you are definitely not alone. I, too, have used self harm as a way to cope with feelings of depression and anxiety. I am going to link you to some of our pages about self harm and ways to try and overcome the urges you may have to hurt yourself. Personally I found the most helpful thing when facing an urge, was to keep my hands busy by doing something active like knitting or playing an instrument. A technique I suggest you try is working with time goals - so whenever you are facing an urge to hurt yourself, say to yourself that you will not hurt yourself for 5 minutes, and then when that 5 minutes is up the urge may have passed entirely. If the urge has not passed, then keep going with promising yourself you won’t hurt yourself for x amount of time, until the urge goes away; I promise it will go away eventually <3

Information about self-harm Alternatives to self-harm Distractions from self-harm Reasons not to self-harm Youtube videos

I am not a professional, so I cannot make any definite comment on what you may be experiencing, but I do know that you are going through a really hard time right now and you deserve to get access to all of the help available to you. I really do think it would be a good idea for you to reach out to a professional for some support. A good place to start would be your doctor; they can explore possible diagnosis’s with you and will be able to refer you to some more specialist help from a mental health practitioner. I know how hard it can be to admit feelings of hurting yourself and loneliness, but the professionals you see only have your best interests at heart and will help you to explore the most effective treatment(s) for you. You may be offered medication, inpatient treatment, talking therapies, and many other options; it is about working with the professional and finding which treatment will work best for you in your current state. Talking therapy may be a really good place for you to start as a therapist will be able to help you understand your negative thoughts and what is triggering them; further to this, they will hopefully be able to give you some great coping techniques. Here is a link to our page about getting help; if this page leaves you with any questions about seeking treatment, then please drop us another message and one of the other admins or I will be more than willing to help you out!

Again, bearing in mind that I am not a professional, and anything I say is based off my own knowledge and experiences - it does sound to me like you may be experiencing a degree of social anxiety. To begin with, I’m going to link you to our page about social anxiety here; this has a lot of information about social anxiety and some of the diagnostic criteria.

To challenge negative thoughts, I found it really useful to stop, acknowledge my thought, and then ask myself whether I have any evidence to support that thought. For example, if I find myself thinking ‘he thinks i’m stupid’, I stop and ask myself ‘Are you just mind-reading? What evidence do you have to say that he thinks you’re stupid?’ Normally, you will find that you don’t have any evidence to support that thought, and challenging it can help you to dismiss and move over the thought. I suggest you have a look at our anxiety page series, specifically the self-help and calming down pages. Grounding techniques may also be really useful to you when your anxiety is increasing, we have a page about this here. I would recommend something physical like running your hands under cold water, and then saying the alphabet forwards and then backwards slowly.

Something I want you to try, if you feel able to, is to start looking at the patterns in your social anxiety. So think back to some of the times when you have experienced social anxiety, and start to break it down into:

Your thoughts before a social event (e.g. everyone will think i’m stupid)

The physical symptoms you experience (e.g. panic attack)

The negative view you have of yourself (e.g. i look really ugly today)

Avoidance behaviours you use (e.g. playing on my phone)

Your thoughts after a social event (e.g. everyone hates me and won’t want to spend time with me again)

It may also be really good to keep a diary for whenever you feel anxious in the future and note down how each attack fits into the above categories. This can be really useful as it helps you to understand what is behind the anxiety and it means you can start tackling it in smaller sections. Recognising and tackling it in smaller sections can help you to feel less overwhelmed and lost in the negatives!

When dealing with anxiety in social settings it can be really tempting to throw yourself into the deep end and try and face the issue completely head on straight away; sometimes this can actually hinder progress rather than help. So maybe a good place to start would just be spending time with a close friend that you trust and maybe letting them introduce you to someone new? Then slowly you can start meeting more and more people; hopefully just meeting one or two at once will build up your confidence and make the process a little less scary for you.

Online is also a great way to make friends or at least first contact someone. For example, I have made a lot of friends on Tumblr through recovery pages or fandom accounts. There are plenty of wonderful people online who will be more than willing to chat to you, and i’m sure there is at least one person that you share a common interest with, no matter how niche it may be! Or a little message to someone on facebook, like just a ‘hi! how are you?’ is a great way to start up a conversation and begin building a bond with someone. Hopefully, talking to people online will make it a little easier for you to start talking to them in person too! Have you looked at any local groups or volunteer programmes that you would be interested in joining? Sometimes just knowing that you have an interest or passion in common with someone can make it a little easier to begin chatting with them.

I hope this has been of some use to you, lovely. If there is ever anything else that we can help you with, then please don’t hesitate to get back in touch. Take care!

‘‘Fall down seven times, stand up eight’‘.

Rhiann xo

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thatfestivallife · 7 years ago

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Magnetic Fields reverberated its way on to my radar back when I was in India last year as a load of people I met through working on GOAT festival had been and come back to Goa raving about it… A weekend music festival set not just in a palace, but in a palace in a desert in India, sounded like something I needed to tick off my list and after reading a feature about it in the Transform: Festival Journal this year I decided to work it into my travel plans….

Parties in a Palace & Doofs in the Desert

Magnetic Fields is a three day festival set in a 17th century palace in the middle of the desert in Rajasthan. Now in its fifth year it attracts 3000 revellers and world-class artists from around the globe to Alsisar Mahal, a beautiful palace turned five star hotel, and the desert area that surrounds it. It was started by by Wild City co-founders Sarah and Munbir Chawla but, integrally, exists with the full backing and co-operation of the Prince of the palace himself Abhimanyu Alsisar… who, by the way, is such a dude! He got seriously involved all weekend, we spotted him deep in the rave at 8am on Monday!

Check out an interview with the Rajput of Alsisar here.

That sunrise though…

Magnetic Fields Festival 2017…

I was excited for the festival but pretty jet-lagged still and a little skeptical, as always (turns out I’m a massive festival snob!) It was the first time in longer than I care to admit that I’d been to a festival as a fully paying punter and after a bit of a rocky start – a taxi drive twice as long as we thought it would be, getting lost in the desert and only arriving at 10pm to be told our tent came with no bedding – I was feeling a little worried! Obviously as soon as we were through the gates, in sight of the wristband exchange and feeling the buzz of the festival crowd we soon got over it and got stuck in…

In the desert area glittering up a new pal, wearing Dulcie’s Feathers recycled silk sari kimono.

In many ways Magnetic Fields was exactly as I had imagined… It was very trendy with the crowd being predominantly made up of chic Indian music heads who had travelled from the cities, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, and a smattering of other travellers in the know like ourselves. The stages and site were very slickly produced with a lot of obvious brand partnerships and sponsors which, though I understand the necessity of, is something I usually hate. However within the setting it was surprisingly unobtrusive. Each stage had a brand sponsor, Red Bull, Bira 91, Renault… but props to the Magnetic Fields team because it was done super classily.

With its sponsors, hipster crowd and the fact that the price tag is out of the range of most Indians (we paid the equivalent of about £200 for our final release tickets and the most basic tent package… cheap by European standards but pricy in India) Magnetic Fields could be seen as pretty elitist… However, one of the main things that struck me was how aware and conscious the festival was of its context and setting.

I felt like everything had been curated so that modern and historical, global and local could slot alongside each other harmoniously. Notably there was a photography exhibition from ‘Photographing the Female‘ on display around one of the pool areas that had involved many women from the local area. Additionally there were traditional Rajasthani musicians playing impromptu acoustic sets on the rooftops and around the palace. A special one-off audiovisual show ‘Different Trains 1947‘ was performed on the main stage on Sunday night – it was produced by both Indian and UK artists and historians as part of this year’s UK-India year of culture and dealt with the events of Indian independence in 1947 in this, the 60th anniversary year.

Wrapped up with my gal Nandini & checking out some installations

When it came to the line-up and music programming there was a palpable feeling of excitement surrounding upcoming sets all weekend – acts like Four Tet and Ben UFO that we’ve been able to catch several times in the UK are a treat to a niche crowd in India for whom this is a much rarer opportunity. I wouldn’t say I was headsy in the slightest but I’ve always felt (in a weirdly hypocritical way) that events where people’s reason for coming because they are genuinely madly passionate about the music and a certain scene make for the best vibe and this was very true of Magnetic Fields.

Ben UFO

Reach for the lasers!

Jayda G by Georgiana Clark

Jayda G ft lasers & projection mapping on the palace!

I was there with my festival partner in crime Georgie and musical highlights were plentiful for both of us:

Jayda G was the first set we saw on Friday night and it was great to get warmed up to some disco watched from up on one of the palace balconies – that woman has so much ENERGY!

The wonderful Sanddunes played a live set on the a rooftop as the sun was setting on Saturday night which was pretty magical, doubly special as I missed her at GOAT due to technical difficulties.

I had a some kind of semi-spiritual moment at Ben UFO‘s set on Saturday night which may have been down to a few too many GnTs but I can’t be sure.

Delhi Sultanate with a bit of reggae in the sunshine at the Desert Oasis stage on Sunday afternoon was perfect and in my opinion the only kinda music that should have been played down there (no-one wants belting techno whilst having their breakfast thanks)

We’d been waiting all weekend for Khruangbin and as one of the only proper live acts I saw, they didn’t disappoint… perfect chilled vibes for a Sunday night.

Khruangbin with some delicious Sunday surfy funky feelings

Number one musical moment for me was 100 % the ‘secret set’ on Monday morning… rolling out of the tent in the sunrise after a little half an hour disco nap to Ben UFO back to back Four Tet shelling out the jungle I’d been waiting all weekend for was probably my biggest festival highlight of the entire year!

As well as music there were other activities to round out that festival experience. There was a wellness area including free activities such as massage workshops and yoga… we probably could have benefited a lot from a bit of this soul nourishing but we didn’t partake in that area this year! There was art, installations and live painting all over the site… not quite the immersive level that we’re spoilt with at festivals in the UK but enough to add some interest when exploring the site and to compliment the gorgeous setting perfectly.

The setting was definitely my favourite aspect of the festival. The palace was completely free to roam around as we desired, with balconies we could watch the main musical areas from and beds on the roof tops you could laze around in the sun on. From a mosaic tiled restaurant on the top floor where you could chill on sofas and have some dinner to a four floors down in the dungeon where you could sit in a padded out cell and a reasonable priced cocktail bar!

In all Magnetic Fields in succeeded in a few things… stealthily making me enjoy techno (a feat which has only been managed a few times), giving me a great tan, depriving me of sleep, introducing me to some pretty great people from all over the world… and making me want to come back next year!

Read on for my ultimate Magnetic Fields survival guide and top tips if you’re thinking about making the trip yourself…

Sunday hangovers & a sneaky preview of the new Dulcie’s Feathers reversible silk tie back crop top!

Everything you need to know before going to Magnetic Fields; advice on what to pack, where to stay, how to get there and more…

Those Festival Facts

Where? Alsisar Mahal, Alsisar, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India. When? Friday afternoon to Monday morning on the second weekend of December. How much? Prices start at 8,500 rs (£100). How many people? 3000 attendees. What’s on? ‘A festival of contemporary music and arts’: 3 days of live and electronic music (electronic dance music, yes but definitely not EDM !) spread across 5 stages in a palace and a desert with a smattering of art, wellness and other attractions.

Top Tips for first time Magnetic Fielders

First time in India? Do your research!

Number one: If you’re coming to India especially for the festival and it’s your first time… do yo research! One does not simply walk into India…! Magnetic Fields is a little festival bubble so the same Indian cultural norms don’t quite apply there (if there are such things as cultural norms in such a vast and changeable country) but you’re still in a 17th century palace in the middle of a desert in India so I’d definitely reccomend doing a bit of reading up!

You can read my India posts here or for in depth India advice my go to blogs are Hippie in Heels & Global Gallivanting.

The palace as viewed from the Desert Oasis

Get your Magnetic Fields travel plans sorted…

Don’t assume it’s a 3 hour taxi drive from Pushkar just cause the guy in the travel agents says it is. Also don’t assume he actually knows where you’re going just cause he wobbles his head when you tell him. Also don’t follow Google Maps. Don’t worry though, after 7 hours, a large proportion of which is spent in the desert with no signage and no lighting, you will eventually get there…

Basically make some travel plans. The Magnetic Fields website is not hugely helpful on the subject but getting the train from Delhi as they recommend is probably the easiest option!

Luckily when we finally got there the camp site reception was just a short walk from the taxi and checking in was a breeze even though it was quite late.

Where can you stay?

As we all know… camping is intense.. in tents (geddit?) If you can afford it make sure that tent is one of the bedouin variety… unfortunately we opted for the slightly cheaper ‘classic tent’ package.

The ‘classic tent’ area was sneakily hidden away in a cramped shanty town in the corner of the desert site so as to not ruin the aesthetics of the bedouin area and facilities included some awful toilet facilities in stand up nylon tents and bedding consisting of rock hard mats and sleeping bags… that no one told us we could rent until the second day!

In contrast, the bedouin tents (which come in fancy and slightly less fancy varieties) are lussssh! They have real bedding, proper full on bathrooms, the works!

You can bring your own tent and gear too but for us as backpackers that wasn’t that practical & the pitch your own tent price wasn’t that much cheaper either. If you’re feeling extra fancy you can also book your own room in the palace… but that’s kinda cheating so come on.

Cheesy sunrise grins and a lil glimpse at the bedouin tents in the background

Be prepared to face the elements

It’s not exactly Burning Man level of desert survival – but be prepared. It gets COLD, at night and I mean cold – we luckily bought some huge scarves in Pushkar which were lifesavers for us but even those plus a huge hoodie, leather jacket, leggings, boots and a lot of dancing wasn’t enough on those chilly dark mornings! Luckily we didn’t ever really sleep until it was already getting light (or much at all) so we didn’t freeze too much.

We never received the advice newsletter that was sent the day before the festival and only found a link to it when we were already in the taxi so the advice to bring extra warm bedding etc was sadly missed!

In the day time it is hot and gorgeous as always so bring your suncream and shades. Being in the desert also means that it is obviously very dry – bring plenty of moisturiser for your face and body and carrying lip balm with you is an essential.

What to wear?

There wasn’t a huge amount of exuberant festival fashion about but there were a smattering of quirky characters around. One of my favourite was a gentleman with a large moustache who wore totally pink every single day. Mainly everyone looked very desert chic in monochrome and linen… there was a ‘souk’ with designer clothes stalls so you could buy the look yourself!

My main recommendation would just be layers & layers to take you from the hot sunny days to the cold night or just plenty of costume changes… My Blundstones were indispensable as always, I wore sandals in the day time but there were lots of little spiky burrs in the sand which we kept getting stuck in our feet so boots were better.

This sequin jumpsuit delight was whipped up the day before I flew out by my talented pal Rosie aka Winifred Rose, pom pom earrings as always from Zoe Zedhead!

No Money No Honey

You have to get your money for drinks and food as special Magnetic Fields currency, this is really easy to do from the various ‘treasuries’ they have dotted around the site. You can swap normal rupees or use your card.

Make sure you don’t leave any boogie bucks in random pockets though cause you will be annoyed when you leave the festival! I’ve got about 500 still, oops… Also make sure you bring enough real cash as we couldn’t find an ATM that dispensed this and you’ll need it for the taxi back and other things.

New #1 Hangover Cure

Crack open a coconut as soon as you get up in the morning, best way to beat that groggy head. Even better – stick some rum in that coconut for a good old tropical take on hair of the dog 😉

Still would have murdered a bloody Mary had that been an option at the bar!

Eating & drinking in the desert

The food and drink selection was surprisingly excellent – pricey by Indian standards (well my cheapskate backpacker standards) but a little bit cheaper than the UK. A meal was between 300-500 rupees and a spirit and mixer was 300 whilst cocktails in the dungeon were 400 rupees which is only £5.

We ate traditional south Indian dosas at breakfast with tasty iced coffees and re-energised ourselves with lovely bottled slow juices. In the evenings we gorged on stone-baked pizzas and lush creamy pastas! The only think i would say was missing was anything light – little snacks and salads would have been much appreciated. There are areas to eat within the desert/bedouin tent area and well as in the palace grounds and both have the same stalls.

Water was 100 rupees a bottle rather than the normal 20 which was annoying as it was pretty important to stay hydrated. Also note – the website said minimum drinking age was 25 (!) but I never got asked for I.D and never saw it happen…

Pizza in the palace

Hearing protection is sexy

Ear plugs are always a recommendation of mine but especially at Magnetic Fields… a plus point of having a festival in a desert is a distinct lack of sound restrictions but the downside of this is that tinnitus is for life y’all. Until I finally get round to getting some proper moulded ones I swear by my EarPeace ones – they’re comfy and have filters in so you can hear people talking to you.

I also brought some spare foam ones which it turns out are indispensable for when your tent neighbour decides to start playing psytrance all morning… or the desert stage (handily situated right next to the tent area) decides to do a sound check at half 9 – ouch.

Full power 24 hour!

There is round the clock programming but the chilly nights make you want to retreat back to the fireside or your bed at some point… the only morning I watched the sunrise properly was on the Sunday from the palace rooftop and I’m so glad I stuck it out through the cold and industrial techno because it was breathtaking!

Me and Georgie snugglin in the sunrise, complete with magical bindi sun spot!

Post festival planning for a stress free Monday

If you come with 0 travel plans like us and also 0 desire to sit on a hideous cross country train or bus get a taxi to nearby Jhunjhunu which shouldn’t be more than 1000 rupees and check yourself into a hotel. No one wants a Monday morning festival escape of that proportion…

Have you ever been to Magnetic Fields or any festivals in India? I’d love to know about your experiences or if you have any recommendations!