Saturday, 6 July 2013
What’s it like to be away with the Faeries?
Novice Faerie, Wood Pigeon, returns to Brighton after a weekend
Faerie Gathering camping in the middle of the Glastonbury countryside. He is a
young man in his early thirties. He’s a little tired, but excited and also a
bit emotional with that happy/sad feeling of someone recently parted from a
found experience, which had long been sought. He agrees to talk about his
experience with GS
GS: So how long have you been involved
with the Faeries?
WP: About 4 days!
GS: How did you first hear about the
Faeries and what was it that drew you towards the Faerie Movement?
WP: My boyfriend went away to the February
2013 Featherstone Castle gathering in Northumberland and came back as Faerie
Magnoose. He was like a completely different person! The way the experience shone through him and filled him with
love, confidence, happiness and joy was incredible. I had to go on the next
faerie gathering and so organised to travel to Glastonbury Tor for the 2013
Summer Solstice weekend.
GS: Can you describe what took place?
When we arrived there was an opening circle
and a practical circle where we were given a quick intro to the layout of the
accommodation, camping areas, timings for food etc and then we all affirmed our
names as a group in a triumphant chorus of faerie voices.
We then tucked into a sumptuous feast
prepared by Kitchen Mum Teal for everyone (about 50 of us), which was
wholesome, vegetarian and very welcome.
As the dishes were being washed the banging of drums and lighting of a
fire led us all around into another circle.- this time to open the four
directions of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. I guess this was a Pagan element to the gathering, which I
really liked; deepening our connection to nature and to each other. Some of the faeries danced round the
fire, dressed in various costumes and drag, and others sat supping cider and
chatting.
The first night was a lovely long night of
making new connections, hearing other people's stories, understanding their
journeys, who they were and appreciating their unique faerie spirits. One of the faeries performed a
beautiful healing for me, which allowed something to move deep inside and
present itself. It felt great to be able to drop life, let go, and immerse
myself in a totally new and wonderful experience of human harmony.
The next morning, as the day broke, I
climbed up to the Tor to get some air and perspective on what was unfurling
below me. Walking alone to the top
of this sacred, spiritual monument I already began to miss the energy of the
gathering below. Sat atop in the
rain with dark clouds swirling I understand what I would learn this weekend was
not a solo journey but one spent with this new family of queer spirited
brothers and sisters. I descended and rejoined the group for breakfast. Slightly fuzzy from the night before I
was excited about what the rest of the weekend would hold.
It turned out to be a roller-coaster of new
experiences! We started off with a Faerie Heart Circle then there was a
workshop called "How to bring your faerie life into your ordinary
life" and that was followed in the afternoon by a kundalini yoga workshop.
The final evening workshop was essentially
a tantric massage workshop, with faeries naked and massaging each other. There
was an option for us all to be clothed but it seemed like an unnecessary
obstacle to intimacy. I felt
totally relaxed, at home, safe and comfortable being unclothed within the
group. The one thing that struck me, as the workshop was unfolding, was that it
wasn't a carnal, sexual experience. It was tantric and I absolutely loved it!
The session went on into personal exploration with different people, evolving
into hugging and kissing, reassuring and cradling. It was deeply moving, powerful, exciting, comforting,
loving. By then end of the night I
was in a whole new space. A place I'd never been before. Too often encounters with others are
based on quick, furtive, sexual explosions that leave you with less than you
came with. This gave me more. Filled me with warmth and energy and a
longing for more.
GS: So do you think this gathering has
changed you?
WP: It’s
funny but I've always wanted to wear a ring and for years have never been able
to do it. I suppose I’d never felt
that comfortable with the idea of it.
But now I have one! And a
necklace! I spent £2.80 and put
them on and felt this incredible lightness across my heart. It almost sang out when I laid some
bright orange beads across my chest.
As if to say YES! Thank
you! I am free! To be a faerie! To love others without the burden of a
life not of my making, or of my wishing. I felt so nervous leaving the shop,
with a ring on. RIDICULOUS! It's just a butterfly ring, come on
Wood Pigeon you can do it! And do
you know what? I now know I certainly can!
If you want to read the unedited version
of Wood Pigeon’s Faerie adventures or to get to know more about Albion Faeries
check out the webpage @
http://albionfaeries.wordpress.com/ or email Brightonfaerie@gmail.com to join the
elist
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