Festival of Love

[00:00:04] Speaker A: Coming to you from Rockingham IPO radio. [00:00:09] Speaker B: And we're back. It's just gone 430 and we've got our amazing first guest of today. So, Michelle Castle, welcome to IPL Radio. [00:00:18] Speaker C: Hi, thank you so much for having me. [00:00:20] Speaker B: And we were talking earlier about this weekend is the festival of Love. What's the festival of Love? What's it all about? [00:00:30] Speaker C: Okay, well, the festival of Love is actually a creation and an idea that I had quite a few years ago and I just wanted to have a day that celebrated love in all forms. So the festival of love is all about a day of connection. It's like discovery, exploration and connection. And it's supporting small business. So it's about getting small businesses together and then connecting the public. So it's very much a social enterprise. Community. Social enterprise. So it's a very exciting day. [00:01:02] Speaker B: That's what we love at IPL. It's just about people that are about connection because it's so important, isn't it, that we build on that? And you said that it's all different types. Obviously, when you think of the festival of love, I mean, I automatically went romantic love, but it's not just about that, right? [00:01:17] Speaker C: No, because I think actually love starts within yourself. So you have to have that self love. So if you don't have that self love, then you don't end up having favourable relationship luck. So. And relationship luck, so important. Like, I think that's the stability in people's lives, like health, depression, wealth, it all comes back to how happy you are, how in love you are. So the festival of love encompasses all sorts of different things. So we have marriage celebrants there and then I have a dating app there. [00:01:48] Speaker B: Oh, wow. What's the dating app? [00:01:50] Speaker C: It's a social mix where people, single people, can turn up and meet other single people. [00:01:56] Speaker B: Who's the dating app from? [00:01:58] Speaker C: Dating app, which is actually a Perth dating app called catch up social. So it's not a dating app as such. It's in your normal terms of a dating app. It's an app that actually connects people to catch up. It was the brainchild of a Perth guy who actually worked in the mines and he found whenever he came down, he wanted to go out and have dinner or he'd like to have a drink with somebody and he never knew where anybody was. So he created this app so you can actually become a member and you log on and wherever you are, it will tell you where other catch up members are. Randomly meet people for a catch up, which can lead to love or it can just lead to friendship as well. But it's such a cool app, so I thought it was really important that it was represented and festival of love. Yeah. [00:02:50] Speaker B: Cool. So what other organisations are coming on Sunday? [00:02:54] Speaker C: Okay, so we've got marriage celebrants, we've got connection agents, so we do have matchmakers coming, we have essential oils, we have all sorts of services that help people connect into love. So you've got, like, your psychological services and we've got, like, a current of love. So we've got a meditation where people can tap into their faith and the greater good. Actually have an hour's meditation, which brings in the current of love and connection. We actually have a girl coming on board talking Tantra. So we've got the sanctuary of Ananda, which people get very confused about Tantra. They think it's to do with Stig, but it's not so much. A lot of it's actually about tapping into the self. So it's that self healing side and self connection. What else? I've got a channeler, somebody that will actually channel and be able to read off you and tell you what your love luck is. Obviously, I'll be doing feng shui. Like, I specialize in helping people find their love luck through chinese astrology and feng shui. Let me think. [00:04:10] Speaker A: What are your workshops about? [00:04:12] Speaker C: The workshops, we've actually got a beauty workshop, so we've got two speakers that are talking about beauty as well. We've got one guy that's coming in and he's actually from the beauty industry, and he's created a product that is all about anti beauty to actually help people demystify a lot from the beauty industry to come back, like photographers that are into taking beauty shots for people of all shapes and sizes so that you're feeling loved and adored. I've got people that help mother and daughter relationships. Like with services, we've got crystals and jewelry. [00:04:51] Speaker B: Oh, wow. So much. [00:04:52] Speaker C: We've got essential oils and love potions. We've got lingerie. We like. Whenever you think of love, like, love encompasses so much. So I've kind of. We've got over 20 stands, so we've got a whole variety of different stand holders and different services there. [00:05:10] Speaker A: Yeah. And I love the fact that, you know this and remember this, you know, just like having a stall and being like, yeah, we've got these people and, you know, this is a category we've got it under. You can really actually, from your heart, talk about it, you know, and that. I love that because it's not something where you're just going, because I know you've got a few events, and we'll talk about that later, but you're actually really focusing on this event. And it's not just, you know, getting into the root of it. It's actually really knowing that, you know. [00:05:41] Speaker C: The essence of, well, unfortunately, in a good way, the buck does stop with me. Like, it is my creation, it is my festival. And anybody that is involved in the festival, from buying a ticket to being a standholder, I'm the point of contact. So I don't. Other than the festival's about supporting people, so it's about supporting small business. Yeah. Everybody gets to talk to me. Like, I tailor every stand for every stand holder. If they want a rack or they want a massage table, or they want two tables instead of one table, if they want a pink tablecloth instead of a green tablecloth, like, that's what they get. My stand holders even get to pick where they want to be in the venue. [00:06:23] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:06:23] Speaker C: Like, I'm very much about, well, where do you think you're going to be comfortable? Where do you think this is going to work best for you, actually, on the day? So actually, and going back to one of the other workshops, we've got another beauty workshop with all natural skincare. And that lady's actually coming in and she's doing an hour and a half's workshop and just teaching people how to apply makeup, how to tap into feeling better about themselves. [00:06:48] Speaker B: Wow, that's so cool. [00:06:50] Speaker A: I know, right? That's when I was so excited about it. It's so nice hearing about it from you because I was on the Facebook and then I was trying to tell Tris about it, but you explained it so much in another way, you know, and it just shows how much you love it, so. [00:07:08] Speaker B: And you can see the passion as well. Like, you know, very excited about connecting business and supporting local. That's really cool. [00:07:16] Speaker C: And I think times are so hard at the moment, and this is why I decided to do it this year. I only decided to put this festival on three months ago. So even though it's been a dream of mine for many years, it was kind of sitting a little bit dormant. And we kind of came into this year, and I looked at the politics and the environment and where people are sitting, and I thought, we really need the love. Like, small business really needs to be able to get out there and connect and deal with people one on one, and people need to have that interaction, and they need a free event that they can go to, too. Like, all my speakers at the festival actually come from standholders, so I kind of have a rule, because people love to be a speaker. Everybody wants to be a speaker and to talk about their subject, but I always have a rule with the festival that you have to be a standholder, so you have to actually be there and be able to talk to people all day to be a speaker. And then if you're willing to be a standholder, you then have the opportunity to be a speaker. And they can be a speaker for up to 45 minutes, which means they're just talking about their subject. And it's free, so it's a free event for the public to attend. And people can just come and literally bring their bottle of water and their own snacks if they want to, and they can sit there and actually be entertained all day and listen to a different speaker every hour, if that is what they would like to do, and hopefully they feel the love. That was really great. I've learnt something, or I've taken a connection from them. [00:08:49] Speaker B: Yep, that's really exciting, and it's really cool that you're going to be there. So your background is feng shui? [00:09:00] Speaker C: Yes. Yes, it is. I've actually been a feng shui practitioner for over 20 years. So I liked interior design and I liked people, and so I kind of fell into feng shui out of interest for my own homes and that. So I teach it, I write about it, I've written books. I run retreats on it, but my retreats are actually very based. A lot of this festival came from the idea of the types of retreats that I run, because I run retreats for women to get away from their life and to be able to have that space and to actually find that connection within themselves. So the format that I use to help them get there is feng shui and chinese astrology. So it kind of is like the onion. You can peel off the layer and you can present things to people slightly differently. So they may not understand it if you say it one way, but if you present it a different way, then they go, oh, wow, I get that. Like, I understand that. Even down to, like, as an example. I remember one retreat, I had a lady, and she was really stuck within her life. She wanted her home to sell, and she'd had her house on the market for about three months, and it wasn't selling. So we were talking about it, and as we were just talking about it over lunch one day, I was explaining how often we make deals with ourselves. We make our own types of contracts and we make our types of deals. So there's so much the power within ourself of what we say and what we do. And I said, often we'll have a conversation or we'll make a promise to ourselves and we don't realize that that is actually stopping us from moving forward. And she said, oh, yes. Well, I'd actually said to my husband that she was leaving, that I wouldn't tell anybody that we were splitting up until the house sold. [00:10:56] Speaker B: Oh, really? [00:10:56] Speaker C: There you go. You've actually done made your own contract. You've already sealed the deal. So your house can't shift. You can't shift, and you can't change the energy, basically, until you let go of that house. So I said, you need to go home and say, okay, whether the house sells or not, we're going to tell people that we're no longer together, because then we're right and we're not hiding and we're not lying and we're honest. And so she did, and the house sold within two weeks. [00:11:23] Speaker B: Wow. [00:11:24] Speaker C: So as soon as she was able to open it up. So it was just a different point of view. So that's kind of feng shui. Like, that can be sometimes the magic of feng shui, so the same. A lot of people don't have the understanding and the power of feng shui. [00:11:38] Speaker B: Yeah. And I often feel like sometimes there's a blockage, you know, when you're waiting for something and it's taking a long time and you feel like there's something that's happening that needs to happen before everything else happens. [00:11:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Make promises with ourselves, and then we get stuck on that and it's like, even personally, we make promises or even to family, you know, like saying we're going to look after such and such, and it's like, not in our control to look after them, and then we have to give it back and then. Then realize we can only control what we can control, you know? [00:12:08] Speaker C: Yes. [00:12:08] Speaker A: So, yeah. [00:12:09] Speaker C: Which comes a lot down to, I think, your own self love and your own self respect and within self of what you can do. But we do this all the time, and I think it's not breaking a promise by not keeping your word. I think a lot in life is about timing, and I think a lot of things in life is about gifts and lessons. So often things don't go the way that you think they're going to be because there's something greater and better for you as you know, like, there's always something greater and better. There's so many opportunities and so many possibilities, and often we so short change ourselves because we tap into an idea of how we think it should be or how it should be presented, where it could actually be so much greater. [00:12:57] Speaker B: I actually saw a sermon a few years ago, and this guy was saying that we. We are so, like, our knowledge is so limited that we don't know the difference between a good day and a bad day. And, like, we think that something good is happening and we think that's great and that could end up being really bad. Let's say you get into a relationship and everything's really well, and it turns into really, like, a disaster. So we don't know the future, and we don't know the difference between what we think might be a bad thing, and then it turns into a good thing. And I remember when 911 happened, there were so many stories of people saying they missed a plane or something happened. They got a nary feeling and they didn't end up going on that plane. And it might have been, like, a bad thing for them because they missed a plane, but then it turned into a really good thing. We just don't know when it's happening. [00:13:45] Speaker C: I think so. I think that happens all the time, and we have to be open to it and learn whatever we can from the situation. [00:13:53] Speaker A: And I know that's why I know that you talk about feng shui, because when we originally. I don't even remember it, by the way, when you presented, I think we went to someone's event or something, or someone's something, right. And it was a networking and event, and you actually said, oh, by the way, you could do this and this with the environment, right? And that's your normal conversations. And so I was like, oh, so that's how you talk about feng shui. And so that's how, when I was talking about you, I knew you do it, but, like, it's not like you just try and you just simply just said one or two sentences and that's it. Like, you don't try and pressure anybody or to try and force your belief on them. You just say it as if it's like how you live your life, you know? And that's what I love about it. [00:14:33] Speaker C: Well, I think it is a very practical approach. And really, most of the time, the information that you're giving people, I think a lot of the chinese masters, and it's been around for a very long time, so it's obviously got to work for so many people. Like, after all in China, they don't even practice it. It's not allowed to be practiced because it has too much power to actually improve the people. So, of course it's not going to work in China. They don't want it practiced over there. But obviously, KL and Singapore and a lot of the asian countries that flourish, they don't make many decisions without feng shui. And feng shui is very, very practical. It's very practical with, like, your furniture placement, but it's just looking at it differently and packaging it differently. I think it has to be simple. I think everything has to work for everyday people. You have to shift and change. And I think that that's why I looked at the festival for this year, because I thought that the timing is right and it is actually needed. People really, really need it. They need that excuse to get out, or they need. They need that hope. I think we really need hope in this day and age, because people are just so overwhelmed by their day to day life. And often, you're right, we think that, oh, everything's great, but we don't realize that it can be much worse or it can be much better and only. [00:15:56] Speaker B: Takes something very small and then completely changes how we see something, doesn't it? So what does the future hold for you? Like, after Sundays? Obviously, we want many people to go on Sunday as possible. And talent and show grounds. Right? Not Claremont show. We all had that one. Not Claymont. Cannington. [00:16:14] Speaker C: Yeah. The Cannington exhibition Centre and Showground. [00:16:18] Speaker B: And it's nine to five. [00:16:19] Speaker C: It's nine to five. It is free entry and there's free parking as well. So there's free parking, there's free entry and there's entertainment all day. We have a cafe there, so you can. You can bring your own food if you want to, and your own drinks. But we do have a cafe there. We don't have ATM's on site, so people obviously need to bring their credit card, or most people can tap these days, but there isn't an atm on the premises. If people do want to buy things, there's lots of things to buy, lots of goodies to buy. And, yes, it's nine to five and it is all day. But after Sunday, well, at the moment, my life is very much about Sunday. [00:17:00] Speaker B: I can imagine. [00:17:02] Speaker C: I'm dreaming about it and I'm living it all day, every day, just obviously, because it's a new event. This is the first time it's been held, so anything new is always very, very exciting. But it's also very much the unknown, actually. Really, for this event. Had to go into a real position of faith myself and go, okay, this could be different to how I think it's going to be. It's actually been a really big lesson organizing this event, because I do do other events as well. So I run the festival of healing, which is on the 14 September, and it was very much like, okay, this isn't the festival of healing. This is the festival of love. So it kind of has. Yeah, it has a different approach. Yeah, it's got a different approach and it's got a different energy about it. So I've had to kind of go, it's not what I do always. This is going to be different and allow it to. To actually be different. [00:17:58] Speaker A: Yeah, embrace that, you know? Yeah. You have to embrace it and be like, it is what it's going to be, you know? And it's about love, because healing and love are so. [00:18:07] Speaker C: Yeah, they are entwined, but love is really what makes the world go round. So love is so powerful, which is why it's. Yeah, I just feel so blessed and grateful that I have the opportunity and I have the contacts to be able to put something like this together, really for the people, because it is for the people. That's what I'm doing it for. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Awesome. So how can people find out more about what you can do? [00:18:38] Speaker C: So you can go just online to the festival of Love website. So if you google festivaloflove au, you can find me on Instagram or on Facebook as well. Everything under the festival of love. So if you just tap in the festival of love, there are free tickets to be downloaded on eventbrite. So you can find the festival of Love on eventbrite. If not, just remember is that the Cannington showground? And turn up. [00:19:05] Speaker B: Just turn up. [00:19:06] Speaker C: Just turn up. And we'll be very pleased to see you. Success of any event is actually how many people turn up. So I go, I'm really in the hands of universal and God's energy to go bring the people down. [00:19:23] Speaker B: We've organized a few, and some have been really successful, and we've been blown away by how many people. And others have been like, oh, wish there were more people. But we're hoping, hoping that we have a good turnout on Sunday for you. [00:19:36] Speaker C: Yeah, I just feel how whatever the turnout is that is going to be perfect and right on the day. Because as long as it's not so much about numbers of how many people turn up to an event, it's actually the success of the event is that every stand holder says that was worthwhile. I'm really glad I came and I've enjoyed the day. And everybody that actually attends walks away and goes, that was great. I'm glad I came and I learned something, or I've taken something home with me. And that's how your event's a success? [00:20:10] Speaker A: Yeah, that's how I see it. I see it as events, as whoever, or even when you're just doing birthdays and those kinds of things, it's like whoever's supposed to be there is going to be there, you know? And when you embrace that, it just opens more doors and everything. [00:20:25] Speaker C: That's the way. Well, really, we don't have control of it. As much as we like to think. We've got a magic wand, we have got control. We really only have control of ourselves. So everybody's self control is to consider and come on Sunday. [00:20:42] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. That'd be awesome. Cool. And so I guess there's any other questions you were thinking of asking, if anything else. [00:20:51] Speaker A: So if we want to go to the other web. So festival of Healing and what was your other one? Have you got another one in the. [00:20:57] Speaker C: Okay, so I've got the festival of love on Sunday. We've got the festival of healing at the same location, the Cannington show ground, same time. It's also a free event that is on Saturday the 14 September. [00:21:11] Speaker B: Okay, cool. [00:21:12] Speaker C: And if people really like what I have to say and would like to come on a holiday with me, I've actually got a love workshop retreat actually in Bali in October. [00:21:23] Speaker B: Nice. [00:21:24] Speaker C: And that is in line with my book that I'm actually launching on the 29 August, which is actually beginners feng shui love and relationship luck. So that will also have a workshop attached to it as well. So people can spend the day with me and actually look into all the simple approaches and simple things that they can do within their home for themselves to actually improve their love and relationship luck. [00:21:51] Speaker B: And we'd love to see you back to before the Lord. So. [00:21:55] Speaker C: Yeah, that'd be great. [00:21:56] Speaker B: That would be cool. [00:21:57] Speaker A: Yes, definitely. And if we're going to, um. So join and do a. So it's Michelle Castle. [00:22:03] Speaker C: Yes. [00:22:04] Speaker A: On your facebook. If they were going to look for. Or would they look for festival of healing or is there one place that they can go to or do they do eventbrite? My brain's just. [00:22:13] Speaker C: Your brain is going. I know. I. I have actually. I'm in the process of creating a, like a mothership called complete Connections, which is going to connect all of my events together. And then I can just give you one name. But at the moment, if you want to contact me for feng shui, you can google Michelle Castle or you can look up complete feng shui. So complete feng shui will bring you to my website or to my Facebook page. The Facebook page has probably got all the latest information on it, but. Yeah, but you can also connect with me through the festival of Love website as well. Yeah. [00:22:51] Speaker A: Because Michelle is M I c h e l E. Right. So it is not an s. It's not all. [00:22:56] Speaker C: No, no. It's just one l. So just. But if you just type in Michelle Castle, you'll find me. I will come up under various hats. I was actually really lucky enough month to win the momentum visionary woman of the year award. [00:23:16] Speaker B: Oh, wow. Congratulations. [00:23:20] Speaker C: Thank you. That was really exciting. So that was through Barbara McNaught with who does the pink ribbon balls and everything like that. So that was really lovely to win that. And in August, just as my books been launched, I'm actually winning the holistic practitioner of the year award for Australia as well. [00:23:42] Speaker B: Wow, that's so cool. [00:23:43] Speaker C: Yeah, my whole thing is about connecting, so connecting and helping in any way we can. [00:23:49] Speaker A: Yeah. That's what I love about it. [00:23:53] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah. We can't get more. Enough connection, I think. [00:23:56] Speaker A: Yes, definitely. Definitely. [00:23:58] Speaker C: I think not. [00:23:59] Speaker A: It's all about connections, isn't it? [00:24:01] Speaker B: It is. [00:24:01] Speaker C: And so much in life, even so, it's still. It's not what. You know, it's so. You know, it's like that. That's the best form of connection, is meeting somebody and going, okay, well, I want to learn. I want to talk to that person. [00:24:17] Speaker B: Okay. We might just wrap it up there and go to a song. So thank you very much for coming in. And. Yeah. As many people as possible to go to Cannington showgrounds on Sunday and for the festival of love. [00:24:29] Speaker C: Thank you. And make sure you come and say hello to me. Yeah, I will have a name tag on and so go, hi. Come and say hello to me. I would love to meet you. [00:24:37] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. [00:24:38] Speaker C: Thank you so much. [00:24:39] Speaker B: Cool. Okay, we will put on a song then, and something. Oh, I don't want tainted love. We want a good, positive love song, don't we? [00:24:50] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. That's funny. [00:24:54] Speaker C: Love is all around love is all around wait, that's a good song. [00:24:58] Speaker B: Yeah, this wasn't. This was the one that was on number one for, like, six months or something. [00:25:04] Speaker A: Really? [00:25:05] Speaker C: I think it was. Yeah, it was all around. [00:25:07] Speaker B: Yeah, because it was four weddings and a funeral. [00:25:10] Speaker C: Four weddings and a funeral. [00:25:10] Speaker B: That's right. Yeah. [00:25:11] Speaker C: And yes, it was a great song. It was very popular. [00:25:15] Speaker B: Awesome. Okay, no worries. Thanks for coming in again, and we'll hopefully see you on Sunday. [00:25:19] Speaker C: Thanks.