This time, last week, I was pouring myself onto the train at Croydon Station to start my journey home from my favourite time of the year: Witchfest International. I was a little gutted to do so, because I had to leave midway through Damh the Bard's set (many thanks and apologies to the people who had to put up with me sitting in the aisle seat- basically in the way- so that I could leave without much disruption)... but I had a 2 hour journey ahead of me and a poorly Mr Shanti at home (don't worry, he's feeling better now).
But, ooooh, what a day! Merlyn and Cathbodva organised another amazing Witchfest (who would expect otherwise?), so much so that I wish there had been some sort of cloning spell so that I could attend every talk scheduled. Highlights of the day included a very special announcement from the Doreen Valiente Foundation (curious? Check out Where Witchcraft Lives), the long awaited return of Kate West and her informative yet hilarious talks and the discovery of satirical folk singer Paul Mitchell. Also a personal thrill of mine was finally buying that purple and black corset top from Spirit Visions that I've been lusting after since the Artemis Gathering. I thought I wasn't that obvious about how much I wanted it, but even Barbara said she noticed me popping over frequently to look at it. Embarrassing! But I did finally buy it and it does indeed fit (even if getting it on and off is a two person job). I also managed to finally purchase some lovely booklets: Divination by Kevin Groves and Little Book of Inspirations and Introduction to Anglo Saxon Magic & Witchcraft by Tylluan Penry. I do highly recommend you hop on over to The Wolfenhowle Press and get yourselves copies, as they are well worth reading. Also had the thrill of meeting my friends, including Kevin and Tylluan (as already mentioned), Elmcloud and family and Lyn Bayliss of LifeRites who, some may know, was the officiant at my Handfasting back in 2011.
Now to move onto my workshop!
Normally, I would put a write-up of my talky part of my workshop on here, however the main "knowledge-gathering" part was in the practical aspect. Also, a lot of what I said I have mentioned in some form or another on this blog already. But if you missed it (either from not being at Witchfest or being at one of the great talks I was up against), I should hopefully be doing it again- or some variation- at next year's Artemis Gathering. Just waiting on the confirmation from Merlyn and Cath.
I will, however, share some of my experiences. A new one that came during our meditative movement practice was that visualisation came into play, which was surprising to me because that's never happened before. Perhaps it was the change of scenery- bigger space, more energy from other people- but I found that my movement was inspiring imagery to come to me. At one point, I looked down and didn't see the floor- I was in the sky! I am still looking into what that means in regards to the purpose of my meditation, but it was a very interesting experience. Did any of you find that happening during your meditation? I'd love to hear about it!
Lastly, as promised, I wanted to address some of the questions I was asked at the talk. I answered them on the day, but I wanted to put them on here.
First, to the young boy who was asking about dance classes in general (and it warms my heart to hear children asking about attending dance classes)- in London, Trinity Laban runs a lot of weekend classes for young people in a range of styles. I also highly recommend Danceworks for their classes and workshops. Although you did say that you don't live in London, and travelling in can get expensive. Look up dance and performance schools in your area and definitely pester your school about setting up a dance club. In the mean time, you can self-teach. While I officially started training at 15, I taught myself from the age of 10, being inspired by magazine articles and dances I saw on TV shows, movies and adverts. Street Dance was born out of people learning to express themselves without formal training, so don't be discouraged if you can't find something right away.
To the lady asking about mantra music, another lady answered my question for you but we both forgot the name! She found me on Facebook (and was also the very awesome lady who gave me her lozenges when my throat decided to pitch a coughing fit during the meditation) and gave me the name: Dreaming in Sanskrit by DJ Drez. I'm certainly going to check it out!
And I also had someone ask about recommended reading. The one I recommended on the day was "Sweat Your Prayers" by Gabrielle Roth. I read it when initially doing research on spiritual dance and it greatly informed my first ever talk. She has written a number of other books as well, and a few of my dance teacher friends love her work. Her writing is based on Christian practice and using dance as ritual rather than meditation, but it's all still relevant and her writing is very readable. I couldn't put Sweat Your Prayers down!
If you were at my talk, I would love to hear more of your thoughts, especially if you've tried movement meditation since. Also if you didn't get the answers you were seeking, did they pop up later?
Also, if any questions came up after and you couldn't find me to ask, now would be the time.
Blessings,
-Raegan Shanti
xxxx