All posts by Still Water

Miscellaneous

Imbolc – krystal

Imbolc 2024

Three times my life has changed dramatically and unexpectedly directly or indirectly through association with Glastonbury.

The last was coming out as non binary at the faerie Beltane gathering two years ago and the  resulting adventure in gender identity and self expression I have been on since.

 Perhaps because of that I laid too much expectation on this imbolc gathering .

During our week together I sometimes felt there were two gatherings one more exciting and  fun for the younger faeries and another duller one for the older ones, this of course is naturally present at any faerie event to some degree but i felt it more than usual this time, perhaps because there weren’t many people in the forties/fifties age group to bridge the gap or because I didn’t know any of the younger faeries very well . 

The inclination is to accuse other people of ageism but this is an arrow which only points back to myself !

I am present to my own ageism and its really interesting to look at , particularly if I still want to enjoy my life fully  and to not be excluding myself from activities or from people because they are older than me or even the same age, or for that matter automatically excluding  people younger than myself because I already know they won’t be interested in me. 

I feel young inside but it is amazing how there is a pressure from society to act old, I hear myself without thought saying things which label myself as old , its so tempting to ascribe anything that happens like forgetting someones name or losing something to being old.

Its also easy to forget I am  older when talking to someone much younger until there is the rude awakening when they pull away to hang out with someone closer to their own age.

There are lots of things which are of course great  about getting older, I am happier than ever, care much less what people think , am content being  on my own, have a nice home, can  travel when I like and dont have to work.

Although I didnt always enjoy this gathering  it was lovely to be near  Glastonbury again,  to bathe in the waters of the white spring and climb the Tor most days and of course there were delightful faeries to hang out with and friendships have deepened and new ones formed. 

I am back home in Devon feeling renewed and more open and self expressed and giving less of a @@@@ what anyone else thinks about it than ever, so maybe despite everything Glastonbury worked its faerie magic.

Gathering, Miscellaneous, Reflection, Vulnerability

A Safe Space?

While many experience Faeriespace as a welcoming, healing space where personal growth is not only possible but inevitable, this is not the case for all. It has come to be described as a “safe space” and thought of as specifically inviting troubled and vulnerable people to come and experience healing. We heard at Featherstone in Autumn how, for faeries of colour, those with disabilities, and recovering addicts, and for others too, the Safe Space ethos fell short of expectations for various reasons.

What we are is a very open space, one that welcomes anyone who wants to be there, and never asks for credentials or explanations, no-one is even asked to state that they identify as a faerie (though we are asked to agree that we assume responsibility for our own safety and will exercise due care, and to state that we have read the call to the gathering). So, we welcome those who’ve heard that it’s a great party space and you can do anything you want and everyone’s cool with it, and we welcome those who’ve heard they will be completely accepted and nurtured and have a chance to heal. Both of those are sometimes true, but sometimes they don’t sit together too well.

Many of us as Queers carry a lot of Stuff/emotional baggage/psychic wounds/family trauma etc. etc., and we gather together as Faeries and ramp them up. Emotions run high, we talk about them and scream and cry about them, and show them to each other. It can be overwhelming. For someone who is very vulnerable and expecting healing, that’s actually a very stressful and challenging environment, not necessarily what they think of as a therapeutic one.

The Faeries are not a therapeutic community; Welfaeries are not necessarily in any way trained to deliver emotional first aid, and have no obligation to be available or to make themselves available, as we are all volunteers. That’s not to say that you won’t get help when you need it, I always do, but I know that I can’t always expect it right from the moment I need it, or that anyone has a responsibility to me to provide it.

It’s been said that there are no rules in Faeriespace, and while that might sound great to some, it means that if we object to behaviours that make us feel unsafe, and that we were told we wouldn’t see, then that objection can simply be dismissed. What we don’t have are sanctions, or any mechanism, other than Heart Circle, to deal with situations that some find unacceptable, and no-one can be made to engage with Heart Circle if they choose not to. We are not an organisation, that can provide formal training and check competence, and have defined rules and ways to deal with transgressions. Many might say that this is our strength, this is how we are Radical, and this is precisely what helps us learn and grow, as we deal with disagreements.

It’s clear, though, that this is not what people expect of a Safe Space. We can’t guarantee that no-one will say or do a thing that is deeply problematic for someone else – for example racist micro-aggressions that were recently experienced. We always now hold consent workshops and make it very clear that consent for physical contact must always be obtained, and this is a vital part of Faerie culture, but we can’t guarantee that it will always be respected. As well as clearer information about lack of accessibility at our venues, and whether to expect to see drugs and alcohol used openly, we need to be more clear that Faeriespace is challenging and is not suitable for everyone.

This isn’t to say we are not working hard on changing culture. From the last gathering there were offshoot groups on antiracism, and meetings on how to make the Albion faeries more inclusive to people with disabilities as we grow, there were also Heart Circles for people with neuro-diversities which were smaller, and people could share a common ground.

That said, the Radical Faeries is a counter-culture movement, and it requires participation from all to make change. We welcome talk that’s sometimes difficult and challenging, but enables us to grow more inclusively. We welcome feedback from our gathering and take it seriously. Anyone can be involved in organising a gathering, and be involved in organisation of the Faeries of Albion.

I propose a statement such as the following be posted on the Albion Faeries website, in each Gathering Call and in emails sent to those who book.

“Faeriespace is not a ‘Safe Space’. While we strive to make it as inclusive, tolerant, welcoming, healing and safe as possible, this is work in progress and we are yet to get it right. We may never get it right, because Faeries are people, we are growing as a tribe, and we welcome all who want to come. This includes people who you may find challenging and situations you may find difficult, and while we do our best to help anyone who needs it, we can’t take responsibility for anyone else. We welcome all energies working towards creating Safe Space, but we cannot guarantee it. Please consider very carefully whether coming to a gathering will be right for you.”

I welcome edits, revisions, other suggestions, and further discussion.

Love, Blossom xx

Events, Recollections, Reflection

Memories from the Post-Lockdown-Bandstand-Drum-Circle

Sunday 5th July 2020

By Sexual

The Faeries came to play by the river. The people came out to enjoy the open space, walking, riding and picnicking. 

Warm illegal hugs exchanged on arrival at the bandstand full of drums, percussion and drag!

An invocation and welcome to the directions, animal spirits and wonderful qualities of human nature – once we had not quite all agreed in which direction lay North!

Busy mind, furtive eyes and a cautious beat as we find ourselves in the unfamiliar surroundings.

The wind shakes the trees and bristles the leaves adding another soundscape.

A long section of sheer golden fabric is held aloft over the gathered tribe and ripples and dances and touches the faerie folk drawn into its aesthetic call like moths to a flame. 

Joyous smiles emerge and bubbles appear. More dresses and colour, more fabric and twirling bodies. The drumming finding its voice.

We are witnessed. 

By the old man sitting with palms up to the sky experiencing the chi. 

By the curious joggers bending their necks as they pass to take in this scene.

By the van of police patrolling the riverside. Who stop to consider and observe. 

The drums continue without missing a beat, communicating a message of vitality and strength. Dare you interrupt this expression of family, of presence and bold determination to express freely in a not quite one metre plus way? A beaming smile from the circle announces our loving intent and allows them to move on.

The children hear the music and dance with smiles as they pass with their parents. We model the beauty of free expression and play as they model the delight of unencumbered youth. 

(A memory of childlike play with a balloon amongst the sleepy shoppers in a street in Cologne. Dancing with street musicians, being met by children as they see the balloon their parents choose not to see. Eager to pat it back up into the sky.)

Swallows from Africa catch the London insects and fly over the bandstand that emits the call from its current band.

Young African Londoners congregate nearby on the railings, drawn by music.

Others stop to take pictures and to soak in the scene.

More material, more dresses and headwear. Pipes are played,  tambourines and a cowbell build the momentum. More dancing, more twirling, some sage knitting the spaces between the flowing  bodies. Hands hitting the skins of the drums, eyes closed and feeling the mounting excitement in the air. Shrill ululation, howls and screams, release, bind, honour, acknowledge and affirm our gifts, our rage, our passion and love and need to gather. To hear the call, make the call and dare to embrace the moment. Shake it, stroke it, breath it and allow it to find its form. 

Lovers of beauty, creativity and life. Filled, topped up and nourished. 

Ready to return to the other world of stories, concerns, plans and  judgements. Of roles and obligations, expectations and responsibilities.

Returning with seeds of possibility, knowing and courageous determination to enter and embrace the ever unfolding, expanding and unknowable complexity  of this paradoxical flight into the cosmos and beyond.

Boundless gratitude, love, peace, health and abundance!