By Kezia Royer-Burkett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 is recognized around the world as a time to confront the realities of gender-based violence and strengthen collective efforts to end it. In Burlington, the day carried special resonance as residents gathered at the Art Gallery of Burlington for the free Festival of Inner Lights, an evening dedicated to empowerment, healing, and community connection.
This year’s festival, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the Sahaja Meditation Yoga Network, the organizing team behind the event and its community work in Burlington, featured a soulful and deeply moving session led by Haitian-French Canadian singer, meditation practitioner, and keynote speaker Rachelle Jeanty. Known for touring as a vocalist with Céline Dion before launching her solo career, Jeanty opened the evening with a stirring a cappella rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Later, she invited the audience to join her in singing “This Little Light of Mine.” The room filled with voices repeating, “I’m going to let it shine,” echoing the night’s theme of inner strength and unity.
The festival’s organizers intentionally chose November 25 for the gathering, aligning it with the United Nations’ official day dedicated to ending violence against women. November is also Women’s History Month and Women Abuse Prevention Month, and the event served as both a celebration of women’s resilience and a reminder of the ongoing work needed to build communities rooted in respect, self-worth, and equality.
Jeanty’s presence brought a powerful depth to the evening. Her work blends music, meditation, and storytelling — an approach shaped by her own transformative journey. She first discovered meditation in 2008 and says the practice fundamentally changed her life. “Years ago, when I first started meditating, it transformed my life so much,” she said. “I felt guided, supported, and welcomed into the practice. Even when Ioana [Popa, of Sahaja Yoga Meditation Network] and I didn’t speak for ten years, when we reconnected, it felt like no time had passed.”
Her time abroad also expanded her understanding of the global meditation community. “I saw people practising everywhere, in so many countries. As I travelled through different meditation centres, they encouraged me to combine my music with meditation. Since then, my music has taken on a deeper meaning — a deeper purpose. It’s the purpose I wanted from the beginning.”
Jeanty spoke candidly about overcoming a painful chapter in her life, including a devastating experience of being scammed by a music producer that left her in a dark emotional space.
“All of my depression, anxiety, and fears suddenly dissolved when I tuned into that energy within,” Jeanty shared. “I realized I was a whole being of peace. When we don’t connect with that spiritual part of ourselves, we think we are nothing more than our ego or our pain. But the love inside us is our true being.”
She described the Festival of Inner Lights as a celebration of that inner spark that everyone possesses, even when it feels buried under trauma or hardship. “If you start connecting with your own inner light, you understand that it exists in everyone. You begin to see it in your neighbour, in the next person you meet, and that brings liberation. I wanted to share that with others and say: This energy is within you too.”
The evening also served as the launch announcement for the second annual Her Sixteen E.M.Powers initiative, part of the Burlington-born 100 Seeds of Joy project, which responds to the UN’s global call to unite against violence. From November 26 until December 11, the 100 Seeds community will offer sixteen free virtual empowerment workshops over sixteen days. Each session focuses on themes such as self-worth, resilience, healing, leadership, and inner balance. The workshops are open to all — not only women — because, as organizers emphasize, everyone benefits from tools that support mental and emotional well-being.
The initiative is fully volunteer-run and operates without the financial resources typically needed to promote a project of this scale. Yet the impact is undeniable.
After attending a recent “Heal Your Heart with Meditation and Art” seminar, a Burlington mother of two shared, “I am really glad that I finally found what I have been looking for years. How to let go of everything that is controlling you and stay in the present. I got hope because of you all.”
For Jeanty, hope and connection are exactly what she hopes participants take away from her sessions. “I wish them inner silence, clarity, peace, and an open heart,” she said. “A lot of fear comes from noise in the mind. Music helps dissolve that fear because it carries vibrations infused with sacred, universal energy. It unifies us.”
She also expressed admiration for Burlington’s openness to spiritual and wellness-focused initiatives. “I find it extraordinary that the mayor of Burlington and other corporations recognize the value of this work. They care about the heart, about well-being, and about humans. They understand what this meditation does.”
As the Festival of Inner Lights concluded, the atmosphere in the Art Gallery of Burlington felt calm, connected, and reflective — a fitting tribute to a global day of awareness and a meaningful local commitment to fostering healing, empowerment, and community resilience.
To participate in the 16-day empowerment workshop series, click here. All sessions are offered online and free of charge, continuing the festival’s message that everyone deserves access to inner peace and the tools to strengthen their emotional well-being.
