Friday
The weekend begins with setting up the campsite- the camp, like last year, was sold out and the field was packed with people setting up their living spaces for the weekend. I usually have my regular spot in the Quiet Zone but, this year, I decided to live a little dangerously and set up in the Party Zone next to my good friend Jenny- who I met through the CoA forums years ago- and it didn't take me long to find her, because of her red hair.
The set-up didn't take me that long, since I brought my pop-up tent- a contraption that allows me to be quite smug as it springs into shape whilst people are battling with frames and groundsheets... but then results in comedy for everyone else on Monday when I battle to shrink it down again (to this day, I still can't get it back into it's carry case- thank the Goddess for my car!). The weather was absolutely stunning, so I set up my new camping chair and chilled out while Jenny and her friend Sam continued to set up their tents.
Some of the stalls were already open, so I popped over to take a look... and bought a dress. Not just any dress, mind you- a dress that ended up being the general uniform of the weekend. Everyone fell in love with them and ended up having some version of the Recycled Silk Fairy Dress from Wicked Dragon. Not that I advocate everyone looking the same, but words cannot describe how beautiful and comfortable those dresses are! Everyone should have one.
Anyway, onto the evening entertainment! After meeting up with a lot of our friends, Jenny, Sam and I had dinner from the ever-fantastic Artemis Cafe and settled down for the music. Cliff Carr was already underway when we got to the main Marquee. I've never heard his music before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He has a lovely voice and his songs were great, although my cold-addled brain currently struggles to remember their names.
Damh the Bard was on next, and the crowd went wild. Because who doesn't love Damh the Bard? His music is meaningful, beautifully written and he himself is a lovely guy (and funny). I recall the first time I saw him perform- an acoustic set at my first ever Artemis Gathering back in 2006, where he sang a lot of the songs we know so well (Song of Awen sticks forever in my memory) plus a comedy song about how difficult it is to be both a Goth and blonde. 10 years and several albums later, and his concerts are still a blast to attend and dance to. Especially with his latest tradition of everyone embracing and singing Old Mountain Thyme.
Up next was the Fire Dancers, which I always watch with awe and inspiration- one day, I hope to learn how to dance with Fire Poi (if anyone knows of any classes around Milton Keynes way, I'd love to hear from you). At this point, I lost Jenny and Sam- so I tried to find the Firepit in the dark... which didn't happen since my navigation at night is pretty rubbish. So I retired to my tent.
Moving on to the rest of the weekend...
The first talk of the weekend (after a top-notch breakfast at the Artemis Cafe) was a Tarot workshop with Ania, which has become somewhat of a tradition for me. This was one I was looking forward to in particular because Ania announced prior to the weekend that we would be designing our own Tarot cards. I had no idea what my card would look like but I knew I wanted to attempt The Star, which has always been my favourite in the Major Arcana. When Ania was handing out the materials and giving pointers, suddenly an image popped into my head that I knew was my card. It wasn't long before my take on The Star was created and receiving compliments, I might add! Both Ania and my friend Jenny suggested I expand it into a deck but I laughed at the idea (given that I have the attention span of a goldfish). However, by the end of the day, I also had designs for the Empress and the High Priestess... so I'm well underway. I'll be sure to post about my progress when I can.
Next up was Kevin Groves' talk on Labyrinths. I have done some of my own research on labyrinths as a result of my talk on using dance to heal (plus, I joined Kevin in the CoA Healing Tent that year, where he set up his rope labyrinth) so some of the information he imparted wasn't new to me. However, it was still very fascinating and I got another chance (with others) to walk his rope labyrinth again. What was especially interesting was that no one person had the exact same experience. Even my experience in it was different to the one I had a couple of years ago.
The opening ritual was a pleasant surprise for all of us- not only was it a handfasting (and who doesn't love a wedding), it was one between two people very dear to myself and Jenny (not to mention CoA in general): Kelly and Andi. It was a sweet and beautiful ceremony that had a lot of us in happy-tears and rushing to hug the happy couple at the end.
After a quick lunch, I made my way to the Yurt for a workshop on how to play a Tibetan Singing Bowl with Susan Marie Paramour. It filled up pretty quickly and I was lucky enough to snag one of the last spots. We learned about the basic technique of playing a bowl (which I have done before and always enjoy) and then moved onto some more fascinating aspects. For example, did you know that some Singing Bowls can be transformed into Talking Bowls by adding water? It completely transforms the sound in a hauntingly beautiful way. We also got to see a Fountain Bowl in action, where the vibrations from the bowl cause the water to bubble and spray upwards like the bowl has jets. It was absolutely incredible! And, of course, now I desperately want a Singing Bowl. I just need to await a visit from the money faery!
Feeling delightfully spaced out from a wonderful Sound Bath, I headed over to the Firepit (which I was able to find this time- yay!) for Kevin's talk about Creative Visualisation. He talked about ways that you can develop your visualisation skills, which can be a struggle for some people (myself included- which is why I tend to use dance and movement in place of it). Definitely some food for thought... and a lesson in checking which way the wind is blowing before one sits at the firepit, lest you desire to be covered in ash.
After a shopping break (a perk of being in the Party Zone- it doesn't take long to drop purchases off in one's tent), it was back to the Firepit for a Chanting Workshop with Pia Morgan. We sang and drummed to some chants that most of us knew, plus learning some new ones. It brought back fond memories of the first ever chanting workshop I attended at Witchfest England with Kate West. It was a wonderful experience where we all connected through the music. The magic of the performing arts!
Following on with the chanting, we adjourned to the Yurt once more for a different type of chanting workshop with Susan Marie Paramour. She talked us through more primal chants and singing exercises (which were a delightful throwback to my singing training as a teenager) and we freestyled to create different chants as a group. It was a very unique experience, one I am eager to do again- I do hope Susan makes a reappearance next year or at Witchfest (hint hint!).
Then the evening entertainment began, starting with Daughters of Gaia (Barbara Meiklejohn-Free and Flavia Kate Peters), who I enjoyed immensely. Their harmonies are absolutely beautiful! The only impairment of my enjoyment was that I wasn't able to dance along since I was eating my dinner at the same time. I managed to get my food down in time for The Dolmen. Normally, I retire to my tent to listen to The Dolmen from afar but this year, I decided to stay and watch. Boy, was I glad I did. Their set was absolutely amazing and captivating- I have already selected two albums that are now on my Wish List.
After their set was the Fire Procession and the Fire Sculpture (the picture of which is at the top of the entry). Jenny and I took a sneak peek in the morning at the Wickerman, but nothing prepared us for the amazing spectacle when the fire was added. There were sparks, fireworks and an amazing fire that had us all cheering and whooping!
We did plan on staying up and going to the club (which had been my plan last night had I not lost Sam and Jenny) but we were absolutely exhausted from dancing to the Dolmen.
Now.... it seems this post is getting rather long, so Sunday/Monday will be continued in a second post.
Blessings,
Shanti
xx