Where the Sound Carries
There’s another property in Topanga I like to visit, tucked into the canyon and shaped by the land itself. They call it Butterfly Mountain, named after a rock formation etched into the hillside where water flows after the rains. From a distance, it resembles a butterfly in motion.
The day before the festival, I spent the afternoon helping prepare the grounds. We carried wooden chairs across the property, cleared walkways, and cleaned a dome.
When I returned the next day, the atmosphere had shifted. People moved slowly along the paths, gathering in small pockets beneath the trees, voices drifting through the canyon. I wandered between the spaces, pausing to listen in the domes and at the stages, but mostly keeping to myself.
At the main stage, I was struck by the headliners. A Huni Kuin man played guitar, his voice echoing into the hillside. A woman’s voice rose above the crowd, soft and steady, almost like birdsong: “Hum inside my heart a little while…” It drifted through the air, weaving into the land.
What stood out most was how naturally everything seemed to emerge from the environment itself. The stages weren’t placed onto the land, but extensions of it. The main gathering area felt as though it had always been part of the hillside.
Throughout the day, I moved mostly on my own. I recognized a few faces and met a few new people, but stayed within my own space. And yet, there was no sense of isolation.
The environment made it easy to feel included without attaching to any one conversation or group. The experience became less about the event and more about alignment.
By the time the sun began to set and people gathered along the overlook to dance, the feeling shifted again. The light stretched across the hills, music carried through the canyon, and movement replaced stillness. Standing there, it felt simple. Not separate from the people, not separate from the place — just part of it.
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