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Documentary and art photographer from Saint Petersburg (Russia).

Place of power

Okunevo - at first glance is a very ordinary Siberian village. Like in many Russian villages, it seems here that life and world order have not changed for many years.

But in the 1990s, a woman named Rasma Rozitis came to the village directly from India on behalf of an Indian guru and said that the ancient temple of Hanuman was in this place above or under one of the lakes. She said that the temple had magical powers. Since then, Okunevo has been called the place of power. Pilgrims from different countries and cities began to come to Okunevo, seeking their salvation and answers to the questions of the world, plunged into the sacred five lakes, explored ancient religious practices and saw prophetic dreams. Gradually, communities of different religions and beliefs began to appear in village. Worshippers of Krishna, Shiva, Orthodox Christians, Slavic pagans, esotericists began to live side by side with ordinary Siberian inhabitants. Now Okunevo is considered a temple of tolerance of all religions and mysterious place of power. It is one of the few places on earth where people of different confessions coexist peacefully.

"Place of Power" is a photo project in which no other techniques were used except photography and color correction.

Children ride in a stroller along the main street of the village of Okunevo. At first glance, Okunevo is an ordinary Siberian village. As in many Russian villages, it seems that life and the world order have not changed for many years. This stroller seems to have come from the past - it reminds us of the distortion of space and time in our country.

A woman holds a crystal on the shore of Lake Shaitan in the Russian village of Okunevo. There are five lakes around Okunevo. According to legend, these lakes have miraculous powers, and at the bottom of one of them is a magic crystal. The crystal is a source of strength, wisdom and knowledge.

A man takes a dip in the water of one of the sacred lakes. People believe that the water in the sacred lakes is both "living" and "dead", and whoever takes a dip in it will gain good health.

There is a cow skull lying on one of the village streets.

Andrey moved to Okunevo about two years ago. He lives in a wigwam that he built in a birch grove on the burial site of ancient civilizations. It is believed that this is the most energetically powerful place. Here he practices shamanism, studies ancient religions, including Zoroastrianism, and lives in solitude.

A horse hides from the sun in a birch grove. Many who find themselves in the village begin to see lucid and prophetic dreams. It is believed that both people and animals can see them.

A priest of the Babaji religious community poses outside a house with a picture of his guru Babaji. The Omkar Shiva Dham ashram, located in the Babaji community, holds daily services and ceremonies that are open to everyone. Services in the temple are conducted by a pujari, a Shaivite priest.

In Okunevo you can meet many people with tattoos. Most of them attach sacred meaning to the drawings on their bodies. The tree is a tattoo on the body of a local pujari, a priest from the Shiva ashram.

A girl lies in a bathtub on the shore of the Secret Lake. One of the five sacred lakes for which people come to Okunevo is called the Secret Lake. According to legend, it is not revealed to everyone, but only to those who are truly worthy of seeing it. Often, people in search of the Secret Lake went in the wrong direction and could get lost or disappear in the taiga. Now the lake is almost covered with grass and is not much different from a swamp. On its shore there is a bathtub for clean water and washing during the ritual.

Yagya is a sacred fire ceremony (a Shaivite rite). The ritual is held in Omkara, a sacred place in Okunevo, where, in addition to the altar of Shiva, there is an Orthodox chapel and a Slavic kolovrat.

A Krishna monk and an Orthodox priest pose outside a hut on the main street of the Russian village of Okunevo.

A man in a Slavic costume plays the gusli in the forest. The Slavic community in the village of Okunevo appeared in the 90s. People are reviving Slavic holidays and preserving ancient traditions.

Traditionally, the culmination of the festival is the lighting of a huge bonfire in the center of the clearing. The bonfire is lit with "live fire" obtained by friction.

Women in Slavic costumes prepare for the summer solstice in the Siberian village of Okunevo. Every year on the night of June 21, the community of neo-pagans celebrates the solstice. Traditionally, the culmination of the holiday is the lighting of a huge bonfire in the center of the clearing. The bonfire is lit with "live fire" obtained by friction.

A girl stands in a clearing after the Solstice ritual.

Even skeptically inclined people, after visiting Okunevo, begin to notice strange phenomena in this place. Some have prophetic dreams, experience lucid dreaming, and encounter sleep paralysis. Others notice unusual glowing objects in the night sky. And some start to think that the mist over the river smells like the incense from the Shiva temple. Here, everyone sees what they believe in.

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