The 20th annual Windstock youth retreat has now come and gone. Held every year in the hills above Lyle, the somewhat informal event draws Bahá'í youth and their friends from around the region. Over 90 youth showed up for this Windstock, around three quarters of whom were Bahá'ís. This year also saw a large group of new attendees, with about one third of the youth participating for the first time.
All the attendees at this year's event were treated to a weekend of excellent weather; for the first time in many years, nobody had to worry about rain getting in the tents. The classes and discussions focused on the Bahá'í principle of the essential oneness of humankind and some of its implications, such as cooperation and mutualism. Guest artist MJ Cyr added a beautiful highlight to the prodigious musical output of the weekend.
This year's Windstock was also the recipient of a rare and precious gift: a vial of dust from the grave sites of two of the first people to follow the Báb, the forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh. In those days the followers of the Báb banded together to defend themselves against brutal persecution, and these two were part of a company of a few hundred who held out for six months against the king's army in a well-publicized battle at the shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi. They were in their twenties when, in May of 1849, they were killed for their faith. Bahá'ís are still heavily persecuted in Iran, although on the instructions of Bahá'u'lláh they no longer oppose this oppression with violence or physical force.
The vial of dust from the grave sites in Iran was incorporated into a small outdoor spot suitable for prayer and contemplation on the land where Windstock is held.
On a personal note, as a long-time participant in Windstock, wishing to capture and share its spirit and substance, I produced the short video embedded here. The video provides a look back on how this tradition started and what it has meant to some of the people most closely associated with it. Thanks to everyone who participated!