What does it mean to live from our intuition, beyond the expectations of our communities of origin? This is the question that accompanies this episode.
Chiara Baldini, the first woman in her family to attend university, was born in rural Florence, in Italy. Throughout her twenties, she took on various jobs – waitress, translator, tour guide – anything that allowed her the freedom to travel and open herself to life.
After attending Boom, one of the largest transformative festivals in Europe, Chiara knew she wanted to get involved. By 2010, she had become the program curator of Liminal Village, the cultural area of the festival, which sheds light on topics ranging from psychedelic science to regeneration and social justice.
It was at Boom too, following a transcendental experience at the dance temple, that Chiara felt called to initiate her independent research on the evolution of ecstatic practices in the West, weaving the threads from primitive culture to present-day electronic music events.
In 2019, Chiara co-edited the ‘Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine’, an anthology on the intersection between the feminine principle and altered states of consciousness.
Currently, Chiara is a PhD candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She lives in Costa Vicentina in Portugal, where she often plays as DJ Clandestina.
Together we talk about Chiara’s early life, growing up as a good catholic girl, and her initiation into alternative culture and transformative festivals. We listen to some of the challenges and learnings of her decade-long career as a curator, including her efforts to re-integrate social justice into new-age culture. And lastly, we explore what it takes to live a wholehearted life, even when it means embracing the inevitable tragedy present in love.
Credits:
- Creator, Writer & Host: Carlota Guedes;- Music Audio Producer & Editor: Carlos Sierra.
If you liked this episode, please consider sharing it with someone you think might appreciate it. That's the easiest way to support the show :)
