“After nearly two decades building companies and chasing innovation, I found myself standing barefoot in India, deep in the sacred waters of the Ganges, following a different kind of calling—one not driven by scale or traction, but by devotion.”
Waking Up To The Call of the Mother
Ever since I built my first computer at 10 years old, I’ve been hooked into the internet—fascinated with technology—and have ridden one startup wave after another. I built software for city and state governments in the U.S., created a circular economy grocery store, and helped disrupt carbon markets with blockchain.
Through all of this, I’ve tried to use business and technology as tools to build a better world. But the deeper I got into the problems we face, the more paradoxes emerged. It’s as if every ‘solution’ we create triggers a whole cascade of consequences that require more ‘solutions.’
We demand more energy, more investment, more consumption, more complexity…
Eventually, I began to wonder: Are we actually creating a better world—or just feeding the same economic machine with a new face?
After a long period of personal struggle, I took a sabbatical. I gave myself time to listen. To be still. To heal.
And in that stillness, I started asking different questions:
What if climate change isn’t about us ruining the planet…
What if The Earth is actually intelligent—and she’s using this crisis to awaken us to our true calling?
What if this is actually a rite of passage designed to initiate us into maturity as a species?
The Calling to Pilgrimage
That’s when the invitation came.
Not in a boardroom. Not in an email.
But in dreaming of a new earth with Grandmother Jyoti Ma and Swami Ogananda during our peace gathering in Portugal.
Two months later, I found myself in India, journeying 854 kilometers from a sacred ashram in Ujjain to the roaring banks of the Ganges. We were guided by Swami Nardanand—a Siddha master who began meditating beneath a tree at the age of 14 and now has millions of devotees engaged in the practice of unconditional love and service all over the world.
We traveled with a group of 27 seekers—on sleeper buses, through temples, into ancient fire rituals, and into the ocean of devotion that is the Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest human gathering in history.
At some point, I realized…
I was just one pilgrim among many, walking toward something far greater than myself and that we are all being invited as pilgrims to journey together…
To remember our innate indigeneity.
To protect and restore the sacred.
To redesign money and heal the earth.
🎥 Introducing Pilgrimage: A Sacred Media Series
That journey to Kumbh Mela in India became the first episode of a new interactive documentary series called Pilgrimage.
It’s a project born from a vision—to unite people across cultures and faiths, through sacred journeys, ancient wisdom, and real-world action.
In each episode, we walk ancient paths with indigenous elders, mystics, and modern-day seekers—documenting the beauty, the grief, the transformation, and the moments of awakening that arise when we surrender to the sacred and rediscover ourselves as a part of nature.
But Pilgrimage is more than a film series. It’s an open invitation to walk this path toward a new earth—together—alongside a talented community of leaders from every tribe and tradition on earth.
We’re Building This Differently
We’re building Pilgrimage to be community-owned and participatory. 33% of profits from every episode go to the land stewards and wisdom keepers featured in the episode.
No gatekeepers. No extractive models.
Just people gathering around stories that matter, and finding tangible ways to take action. Together we can celebrate the communities on the front-lines of the challenges we face, equipping them with more attention, more resources and more leverage to do the most pressing work of our time.
We’ll use web3 tools, a membership platform, and real-world activations (like tree planting, cleanups, and local pilgrimages) to connect viewers directly with impact—and with each other.
We believe life itself is sacred. Every person has a unique gift. We are all here to belong.
🙏 What We’re Asking Now
We’ve already filmed the first episode in India. Check out the 3-min trailer at the top of this post, or the one minute version on socials.
Now, we’re raising $20,000 to complete post-production, launch our community platform, and premiere the series globally.
Here’s what your donation will fund:
• 🕉️ A 30-minute cinematic documentary episode
• 🧘 Community engagement tools & live meditations
• 🎬 Global screening events + watch party kits
💛 Donate to the Campaign →
Every dollar helps us tell this story with the beauty and reverence it deserves.
🌱 Why This Matters Now
In a time of war, division, and ecological collapse—Pilgrimage is a call to unity.
It’s not just about remembering who we are.
It’s about remembering that we are one.
If that resonates with you, I invite you to walk with us.
→ Support the documentary here
→ Follow us on Instagram
With love and devotion,
John Dass
Founder, Pilgrimage
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