Seek only the Truth: Reflections on the MindBodySpirit Festival and the Rise of Hidden Agendas
There was a time when I looked forward to the MindBodySpirit Festival—a space that felt set apart from the noise of the world. A sanctuary for healing, growth, and truth. A place where people of all backgrounds could explore spirituality, wellness, and deeper connection with themselves and one another.
But recent events have made me pause and reflect.
What Happened?
A Jewish practitioner—affiliated with a charitable organisation—was removed from the Melbourne festival after pressure from a vocal group. The official reason? “Safety concerns.”
But let’s be honest. This wasn’t about safety. It was about exclusion.
And exclusion—when masked as concern—often points to something deeper. What begins with the silencing of the Saturday people (Jews), too often extends to the Sunday people (Christians)… and eventually to anyone who upholds the values that shaped Western civilisation: freedom of speech, individual dignity, and moral responsibility.
Suddenly, a festival that once celebrated spiritual diversity seems to be promoting something else: ideological conformity.
What Does the MindBodySpirit Festival Really Promote?
That’s the question I now feel compelled to ask.
Is this festival still a celebration of human potential and spiritual growth? Or has it become a platform for selective inclusion—one that quietly undermines the very cultures and faiths that laid the foundation for many of its ideals?
Where once there was openness, there now seems to be quiet censorship. Where once there was inclusion, there now appears to be fear of diverse voices. Where once I felt inspired, I now feel the chill of an unspoken boundary.
And that saddens me.
Because true healing must be rooted in truth. Not selective truth. Not ideological truth. But the kind of truth that is open to all—even when it challenges us.
Why Is This Festival So Popular?
It’s colourful. Creative. Uplifting.
It draws large crowds. It appears harmless—even empowering.
But that makes the question more urgent: Why is such a popular, culturally influential event aligning itself with exclusionary ideologies?
What happens when spiritual spaces stop being neutral and start becoming vehicles for political narratives? When “love and light” becomes a slogan used to silence anyone who questions a dominant worldview?
I used to leave the MindBodySpirit Festival feeling uplifted and inspired. But lately, that sense of lightness has been replaced by unease—not because of one isolated incident, but because of the deeper shadow it reveals.
After what unfolded in Melbourne, I’m left questioning whether I can, in good conscience, continue to support the festival. With it now heading to Sydney, I find myself asking: should I quietly protest by not attending? Or is silence just another form of complicity?
While I suspect a formal complaint or open letter might be ignored, I still believe it’s worth speaking up. Even a simple protest email can serve as a reminder that people are paying attention—that integrity still matters.
Let’s Return to the Heart
Seek only the truth. That’s the spiritual call I keep hearing.
Not the truth we’re told to accept because of fear, popularity, or pressure— but the truth our souls recognise when we hear it.
And so I share these reflections not to condemn, but to question. Because questioning is a sacred act. It’s the first step toward wisdom, healing, and freedom.
If the MindBodySpirit Festival cannot uphold truth, integrity, and spiritual courage, then maybe it’s time to seek that spirit elsewhere.
Let us be seekers, not followers. Seekers of real light. Real love. And above all… real truth.
The Double Standard: Who Really Supports Openness?
We often hear that traditional institutions—like the Church—are closed to other viewpoints. And yes, like any institution, the Church has its flaws and must continually strive to grow in compassion and humility.
I’ve heard people criticise ministers or priests for giving sermons on sin, warning that without change, one risks eternal consequences. Some left the Church because of this. Yet in the real world, when organisations promote discrimination or exclusion, many turn a blind eye—especially if it doesn’t directly affect them. Speaking up might cost them social standing, opportunities, or comfort.
What the minister or priest offered came from a place of love and concern. But what many others promote today often fuels division and resentment. So ask yourself: which message would you rather follow?
The Real Double Standard
What troubles me is the growing double standard in our society.
Many modern activist movements—particularly within the pro-Palestinian lobby—speak passionately about rights, justice, and freedom of speech. But when someone with a Jewish, Christian, or Western perspective tries to speak, they’re often shut down, excluded, or even threatened.
Let’s be clear:
Freedom of speech must apply to everyone.
Yet increasingly, we see:
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Disagreement being silenced.
Faith-based or Western values dismissed as inherently flawed.
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Any questioning of the activist narrative met with labels or exclusion.
BodyMindSpirit Festival is more than an isolated incident. It’s a sign of the times—and a reminder of how vital it is to reclaim genuine openness, where truth, dialogue, and mutual respect still matter.
That’s not justice. It’s ideological control.
Ironically, the Church—so often accused of being inflexible—is, in many cases, now more open to dialogue than some of these supposedly progressive spaces. True openness allows for disagreement. For nuance. For listening. For human dignity—regardless of who is speaking. This is what we need more of. And it’s what we are rapidly loosing.
But that’s not what we’re seeing here.The version of “freedom” being promoted by some activists today is conditional: You can speak—only if you say what we want to hear.
And that’s not freedom at all.
A Call to Return to Truth
What happened at the MindBodySpirit Festival is more than an isolated incident.
It’s a symptom of a deeper cultural shift—one that seems to target “Saturday people” (Jews), “Sunday people” (Christians), and anyone who still believes in the core values of Western civilisation.
First the Jews.
Then the Christians.
Then anyone who dares to question the approved script.
I used to love attending this festival. It felt like a celebration of healing, unity, and spiritual growth.
But now I find myself asking:
- What does it really promote?
- What values lie beneath the surface?
- And who is being quietly excluded under the banner of ‘inclusion’?
Because when a space that claims to celebrate unity starts suppressing certain voices—it loses its integrity. And when spiritual gatherings become tools of ideology, they stop serving the soul.
This isn’t about blame.
It’s about clarity.
It’s about the courage to see what’s happening—and to speak with honesty and grace.
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A Few Gentle Questions for the Soul
- Have we become afraid to see the truth right in front of us?
- Are we letting others define what’s “spiritual,” while silencing our inner compass?
- Are we willing to seek only the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable?
Because the soul doesn’t want slogans.
It doesn’t want noise.
It wants light.
It wants truth.
And it’s time we honoured that again.
