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.