Well, things have been far more chaotic than I thought over the last few weeks. I have changed jobs which has given me more free time, which I have filled with all the things that I have been meaning to do over the last two years! It also means that I have not done a great deal of reading recently, until the last few days during which I have been struck by a nasty cold!
Below are some pictures of the farm where the Thirteen Moons festival and women's gathering was held on Dartmoor. Nigel Shaw and Carolyn Hillyer have spent the last 12+ years creating a beautiful home for themselves in the centre of the stunning and wild high moor, including the contruction of an Iron Age roundhouse, stone circle and several shrines, which are scattered over their land. The gathering itself was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had, being surrounded by over 200 women (and 2 men!) all sharing in our femininity and the power of the land around us, through craft, music, community and shared experience. My first women's gathering and a very powerful thing indeed, especially our pilgrimage across the moor before dawn, to meditate in an ancient neolithic shrine and stone row, watching the mist rise over the heathland. It was a very emotional and creative time for me, as well as a chance to meet up with old friends and meet many new ones. I made my own deer toe rattle as well as taking part in the festivities as a member of the drum moon clan...a curious coincidence as I am most attached to the drum as an instrument.
Unfortunately, my journey back home after the gathering somewhat marred my time away. I witnessed a particularly horrible accident in which a motorcylist was hit by a car and trapped beneath it. We managed to free the man from under the vehicle and he was rushed to hospital where I understand he is recovering after being in a critical condition for several days. I have experienced several minor accidents in my life (and one which could have been very serious) but nothing like this, and it has truly shaken me to my core. At the time of the accident I remained very calm and my mind leapt into practical action, but I have since struggled while driving whenever I see motorcylists, feeling this inexplicable panic rising within me. I truly feel sorry for the poor girl who was driving the car, she must be suffering so terribly. I have friends who ride motorcycles, and I can't say that I do not fear far more for them now than I did before.
On a more positive note..I am now another year older, and celebrated in truly immature style on Sunday with several friends, with a picnic, followed by rounders and trip to Go Ape, an extremely fun high wire forest adventure course in the trees...I shall try and post some photos tomorrow. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone (unless you do not like heights!), although I still ache now, several days later! So now I am spending my restful evenings recovering from my non-stop few weeks with my new copy of Brisingr by Christopher Paolini..yet another book to distract me from my challenges!
stone circle
iron age roundhouse
inside the roundhouse
bone shrine
pond with buddha and old flute shrine
offerings to the goddess