Rickie Byars Beckwith Produces Rhythm and Joy

By Susan James

For awake and aware individuals, those who are living lives that are fully expressed, what does the soundtrack of transformation and conscious living look like? For Dr. Rickie Byars Beckwith it is embodied in the music of such artists as Chaka Khan, Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire, Mandrill, Dwight Trible, Common, Roy Ayers, DJ Romes, Meshell Ndegeocello, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Jimetta Rose, Deval Premal & Miten with Manose, and a host of others, all of whom are performing at an inaugural Rhythm and Joy (RAJ) Festival October 4-6, at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Simi Valley, CA. Visit www.rajfestival.com. Produced by Byars Beckwith, RAJ 13 will be a showcase of music including urban contemporary, world music, sacred music R&B, Kirtan, jazz, and spoken word genres.

“We’ve got local and international artists who will rock so hard that you will be thankful that you signed on for three days of paradise; that you made time in your busy schedule to give rhythm and joy a chance,” Byars Beckwith said.

An internationally-renowned singer/songwriter and director of the Music and Arts Ministry at Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles, Byars Beckwith will take the stage with her Agape International Choir, which has performed all over the world, with Grammy Award-winning artists such as John Legend and Will.i.am, and for President Barack Obama.

Her husband, Agape founder and spiritual director, Michael Bernard Beckwith, a featured teacher in the book and DVD “The Secret,” will be among a slate of RAJ 13 transformational speakers including Peggy Callahan, Don Miguel Ruiz, Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr., Robert Dee McDonald,and Rich and Carin Clayton.

So RAJ is much more than a music festival.

According to Byars Beckwith, “RAJ really celebrates the world as I see it; one filled with people living lives that fully express the creative genius and the God within them; those who are living clean, healthy lives; who are kind to the earth and the environment; those who really care about our planet. RAJ is a celebration of life, love and laughter,” she said.

A key focus is earth-friendly green living. The RAJ Festival will use biodiesel generators, solar power and eco-friendly bathrooms and showers. “We are composting and recycling,” Byars Beckwith said.

RAJ 13 will feature a green food court with vegan, vegetarian and raw food trucks and restaurants. Plus, water at RAJ will be free and filtered. Festival-goers can fill up at water depots throughout the grounds.

The Festival includes yoga, fitness, dance, Byars Beckwith’s “Love Shuffle,” a midnight presentation of MIchael Beckwith’s “Transcendance,” sunrise and moonlight meditations, drum circles, a Wellness and Healing Oasis, a Children’s Village and, for those ages 75 and up, a Sages Salon.

RAJ 13 promises to be a big three-day party under the sun, moon and stars, with outdoor camping and (for more glamour) “Glamping” in upscale tents or in nearby hotels.

“The RAJ Festival is a vision to expand the impact of music and the arts as a catalyst for transforming our lives and our way of living. It is a celebration of the creative genius deep within us all. Our collective creative genius is calling us to gather with the intention to claim our humanity, embrace and express our full potential, and to celebrate like this is our tomorrow, because it is,” Byars Beckwith said.

Sponsors include The Guitar Center, Naam Yoga and Agape International Spiritual Center.

Visit www.rajfestival.com. “Like” RAJ at www.facebook.com/Rajfest. Follow RAJ on Twitter @RAJ13/Music-

Fest. Watch www.youtube.com/RAJFestivalTV and pin us at www.pinterest.com/rajmusicfest. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available. Email: inforaj13@gmail.com