anarchist_nomad (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
anarchist_nomad) wrote2011-07-18 01:25 am
anarchist_nomad) wrote2011-07-18 01:25 am
Into The Woods and Out Of The Woods and Home Before Dark
Back from Brushwood now, tanned and relaxed after a week of festival. I just pulled into the Event Horizon, finishing the 502 mile drive in 7 hr 25 min[*] -- possibly record time!
Although I have been going to Brushwood for Starwood (and, last year, Summerfest) since 1998, this was my first Sirius Rising. Twas fun! A decent crowd of approximately 1200 attended, and the weather was absolutely perfect -- the best that I have ever seen in a week at Brushwood! Clear skies and warmth with virtually no rain all week! This also made for some spectacular views of the moon, which was full on Friday (more on that in a bit).
Not surprisingly, my favourite parts of the festival were the site and the people. It seems that, after sampling the new Summerfest in 2010, many of the former Starwood crowd decided to try out Sirius this year. Excellent! I frequently enjoyed the company of the Lansing Pagans & Co. I got to spend some delightful time with the adorable![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tawneypup and the lovely livetbd. And, of course, I had the pleasure of seeing many old friends who I only meet once a year.
Being a water elemental, I also indulged at least once per day in the "sacred rite" of jacuzzi-pool-jacuzzi-pool-jacuzzi! And almost every night saw me dancing to the drums by the Roundhouse fire. The main sequence of rituals was a bit light, but there were some elements[**] that worked rather well; I may make notes to incorporate some in future ritual design.
Speaking of ritual design: On Wednesday, some of us noticed that there was no full moon ritual on the programme... so we designed and ran our own on Friday night at the Earth Shrine by the North Pavilion. It went well, particularly for such quick work, and we brought in about fifty people. I was particularly touched on Saturday by a few comments that I received from some of the ritual attendees. Apparently, it had been rather meaningful to them -- twas gratifying to hear, as making a positive impact on others is the whole reason that I put effort into such things! The grassroots Friday night ritual may become a tradition; apparently another is being put together for Friday of Summerfest. The idea is to rotate the HP and HPS to give many the opportunity for leadership; I was asked to run the next ritual and would have accepted were I staying for Summerfest! Ah well, there is always next year (more on that in a bit).
Other events worth noting were a rather intensive Lakota sweat lodge on Friday... and, of course, the final night bonfire on Saturday! The wood for the final fire was piled about twenty feet high, with the effigy of a fire dragon on top. Although significantly smaller than the Starwood bonfires of yesteryear, the Brushwood bonfires are still the largest of any that I have encountered.
Overall, everything that was there was excellent! However, I could not help but noticing what was missing. Ever since ACE and Starwood left, after 2009, the energy at Brushwood has been much more mellow. I miss the old intensity. I miss the midnight rituals... I miss mud wrestling and human bowling... I miss the "Meet, Beat, and Greet"... I miss "Party Like A Rockstar" and the "Rumble in the Jungle"... I miss the Pufferdome and the Time Machine. Heck, I even miss the so-called "Faildome" of 2009, if for no other reason than it made for great jokes! Brushwood after midnight used to feel alive and pulsing with energy; now all there is at that hour is the Roundhouse. Much as I do love drumming and dancing about the Roundhouse fire, it is a loss that the other options are all gone.
With that in mind, I spent a goodly part of the long drive home thinking about what I want to do in the future for Summer festivals. It seems that this is a time of considerable flux for festivals in the NorthEastern quadrant of the United States -- Starwood is now at Wisteria, in Ohio; Summerfest came into being last year; Pagan Spirit Gathering has moved very close to my house, the Event Horizon, in Chicagoland. Tis not obvious what my choice of festival should be in 2012. However, tis late now, so these musings should be the topic of a later post.
I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful week! I look forward to sifting back through my f-list to read about what y'all have been up to!
[*] Including one short fueling stop.
[**] No pun intended.
Although I have been going to Brushwood for Starwood (and, last year, Summerfest) since 1998, this was my first Sirius Rising. Twas fun! A decent crowd of approximately 1200 attended, and the weather was absolutely perfect -- the best that I have ever seen in a week at Brushwood! Clear skies and warmth with virtually no rain all week! This also made for some spectacular views of the moon, which was full on Friday (more on that in a bit).
Not surprisingly, my favourite parts of the festival were the site and the people. It seems that, after sampling the new Summerfest in 2010, many of the former Starwood crowd decided to try out Sirius this year. Excellent! I frequently enjoyed the company of the Lansing Pagans & Co. I got to spend some delightful time with the adorable
tawneypup and the lovely livetbd. And, of course, I had the pleasure of seeing many old friends who I only meet once a year. Being a water elemental, I also indulged at least once per day in the "sacred rite" of jacuzzi-pool-jacuzzi-pool-jacuzzi! And almost every night saw me dancing to the drums by the Roundhouse fire. The main sequence of rituals was a bit light, but there were some elements[**] that worked rather well; I may make notes to incorporate some in future ritual design.
Speaking of ritual design: On Wednesday, some of us noticed that there was no full moon ritual on the programme... so we designed and ran our own on Friday night at the Earth Shrine by the North Pavilion. It went well, particularly for such quick work, and we brought in about fifty people. I was particularly touched on Saturday by a few comments that I received from some of the ritual attendees. Apparently, it had been rather meaningful to them -- twas gratifying to hear, as making a positive impact on others is the whole reason that I put effort into such things! The grassroots Friday night ritual may become a tradition; apparently another is being put together for Friday of Summerfest. The idea is to rotate the HP and HPS to give many the opportunity for leadership; I was asked to run the next ritual and would have accepted were I staying for Summerfest! Ah well, there is always next year (more on that in a bit).
Other events worth noting were a rather intensive Lakota sweat lodge on Friday... and, of course, the final night bonfire on Saturday! The wood for the final fire was piled about twenty feet high, with the effigy of a fire dragon on top. Although significantly smaller than the Starwood bonfires of yesteryear, the Brushwood bonfires are still the largest of any that I have encountered.
Overall, everything that was there was excellent! However, I could not help but noticing what was missing. Ever since ACE and Starwood left, after 2009, the energy at Brushwood has been much more mellow. I miss the old intensity. I miss the midnight rituals... I miss mud wrestling and human bowling... I miss the "Meet, Beat, and Greet"... I miss "Party Like A Rockstar" and the "Rumble in the Jungle"... I miss the Pufferdome and the Time Machine. Heck, I even miss the so-called "Faildome" of 2009, if for no other reason than it made for great jokes! Brushwood after midnight used to feel alive and pulsing with energy; now all there is at that hour is the Roundhouse. Much as I do love drumming and dancing about the Roundhouse fire, it is a loss that the other options are all gone.
With that in mind, I spent a goodly part of the long drive home thinking about what I want to do in the future for Summer festivals. It seems that this is a time of considerable flux for festivals in the NorthEastern quadrant of the United States -- Starwood is now at Wisteria, in Ohio; Summerfest came into being last year; Pagan Spirit Gathering has moved very close to my house, the Event Horizon, in Chicagoland. Tis not obvious what my choice of festival should be in 2012. However, tis late now, so these musings should be the topic of a later post.
I hope that everyone has been having a wonderful week! I look forward to sifting back through my f-list to read about what y'all have been up to!
[*] Including one short fueling stop.
[**] No pun intended.
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I don't sunbathe, because I barely tan at all, and I burn easily. And I don't want to have to deal with another kind of cancer!
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Also the scenery round here (well outside of the squitty little mill towns)is beautiful. And there's loads of historic buildings/literary references/beautiful gardens/abbeys/churches/ museums etc etc to explore. And as if that wasnt enough - the natives are friendly!!!
If ever you are in a position to make the trip over I could meet you at Manchester Airport and bring you back here - I have a spare bed. You would be most welcome and I have a feeling we would get on like a house on fire and have a whale of a time.
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But hard times aren't going to last forever! And I think you're right - and Nomad said so, too - that you and I would get along famously.
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*stamps feet*
And, yeah, you're invited to my 100th birthday party, in December 2047. I plan to hold it either in an orbital tourist spot, or Luna City, whichever becomes available. (This is not a joke.)
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And you're on for the birthday party. Mine will be in April 2047. Now where shall I hold that? Mmm hadnt thought about it yet. We'll have to get the kids to wheel us onto the dance floor and bring along some gorgeous fellows just for our entertainment (that's if we havent got our own in tow!!)
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Ach, now I'm really wishing there was a way to bring Ace across the pond. I was wanting to before, but now more so than ever. Maybe in the Winter, when flights are cheap[er]? The dark and cold certainly won't bother her. Hmmmmmmm... must ponder.
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Yes, I'm a Sagittarius. I don't know how one judges where the halfway mark is in life - particularly since I intend to "live forever, or die trying" - but things were generally better up until ten years or so ago :-(
I think you must be a Taurus - am I right? So much for astrology, because a Taurus and a Sagittarius ought not to be able to stand each other...
And I don't intend to need to be wheeled onto the dance floor... although if I'm having the party on Luna, the one-sixth gee will help a lot ;-)
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*kiss*
I love you
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
P.S. Bring some of that Summer back to England with you, will you? It's been grey and raining here all week....
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Meeting over now and I think I should probably start heading towards bed. What with it being five in the morning and all! *grin*
Thank you for bringing such joy to my first hours back in the outside world. *coy smile*
Love you lots!!!!!
xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx
P.S. Chicago weather this week looks to have highs around 36oC. Are you sure you want me to bring that back? Here we have air conditioners! :-D
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Believe me, Love, it was a pleasure! *mischievous smile.*
I love you
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
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I have a little gift for you that I meant to give you while I was there. D'oh! I'll save it until I see you in October, hopefully? *smooch* Wish I could see you before then but it just won't work. Perhaps we could arrange a time before you leave to hook up remotely for some Dominion while we're almost in the same time zone?
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