RFD #137 • Spring 2009 Reclaiming Faerie Dynamics Between the Lines 2 A Snowy Season Still Alive in Spirit As much of the country is under the spell of winter’s mix of snow and ice, RFD has taken on moving ahead with its relocation as well as asking our readers to respond to a survey which was both online and an insert to subscribers. Overall, we had a great return rate on the survey and we appreciate everyone’s input. We’ll be detailing some of the survey results in our summer issue but we wanted to say we heard loud and clear that folks want RFD in print. But as many of you know from the downturn in the print industry, costs have risen and we may have to look at RFD’s model to continue forward. Please bear with us and send us hugs and encouragement as well as your subscription renewal. If you can, please consider increasing your subscription rate as every bit helps. This issue of RFD focuses on the links between the Radical Faeries and the Reclaiming Community within Wicca. We thought it was a timely issue to cover as we enter the thirtieth anniversary of the Arizona gathering that brought us the “radical faeries”. Many of the antecedents of the radical faerie movement included gay people exploring a different spiritual path both in a religious as well as a cultural sense. We hope you enjoy the issue. Kudos for this issue go out to all of the readers who responded to RFD’s call to make RFD an actual “reader written journal”. Special thanks to Endora, Jason and Waterfall for their help in collecting, editing and proofing the articles and Matt for his help with laying out the issue. As ever thanks to the Collective members who have stepped forward to help get this magazine into your hands. We think you will find the upcoming issues of RFD equally inspiring as we have features on the San Francisco faerie community coming this summer and a feature on the thirtieth anniversary of the Benson, Arizona radical faerie gathering in the fall. If you have memories, photos or memorabilia from that early seminal gathering please be in touch via mail or our email: submissions@rfdmag.org with “radfae30” in the subject line. We’d also love to hear other reminiscences of early gatherings and the people that shaped our current circle of sanctuaries, circles and networks. We encourage anyone who has an interest in RFD to consider being in touch about writing, artwork or submitting photos for its pages, as you all know RFD is a reader written labor of love. Hugs –The RFD Collective Vol 35 No 3 #137 Spring 2009 RFD #137 • Spring 2009 CONTENTS On the Covers On the front cover: Lynda Luna (1945-1995), Crone and Sixth Empress (“Towanda”) of Short Mountain Sanctuary. Of Eastern European and Italian gypsy origins, Lynda was born on All Hallows Eve, 1945. She spent her life as a witch, healer, nurse and caregiver. She identified as a faerie womyn, continually shared her gift of powerful drumming, and led us through transformative experiences of Native American sweat lodges. On the back cover: Honoring an ancient rite, Leopard washes his face with May Day’s morning dew. Outside cover photos by Keith Gemerek. Between the Lines ..........................................................1 Letters & Announcements ...................................................2 Remembrances ...........................................................4 - 5 This issue’s feature: Reclaiming and the Radical Faeries Introduction: ............................................................6 - 7 Endora Diggers, Free Land and Diablo Canyon ....................................8 - 11 Covelo / Robert Croonquist What I Learned from the Faeries ........................................12 - 13 Arthur Evans Faggot Shaman Faerie Witch ............................................14 - 16 Leafshimmer Weaving the Web of the Wyrd Together ..................................17 - 19 Donald Engstrom-Reese Together, We Raise the Wand ...........................................20 - 21 Robin Hood Lifestyles of the Witch’s Anus ...........................................22 - 24 Lobelia Living Activism .......................................................24 - 25 Trixie X / Mark Leger Reclaiming Kicked Our Butt ................................................26 Peter Free Activist Witch Camp: One Faerie’s View .................................27 JP Hartsong Feri Faeries? ..........................................................28 - 29 Star Child From Foe to Fae: A Witch’s Entangles Journey ..............................30–21 Drew Campbell Finding Your Path–Learning from Elder’s, Listening to Your Heart .................................................33-34 Eden Firestone What Isn’t Ritual ......................................................34 - 35 Gabriel Q Why I Hate Faerie Rituals ..............................................36 - 38 Endora Fiction Picturepostcard from the Touchwood Hills ...............................40 - 43 Wes Hartley Poetry .............................................................44 - 45 Running Into Walta on the Red Line Steven Riel Stolen Touch Steven Riel Remembered Notre Dame des Arbres Aretha’s Hat Franklin Abbott Brother’s Behind Bars .........................................46 - 47 Myrlin Image Credits Covelo ..................................9, 11 Circle of Loving Companions (RFD Archive). . . . 3 Donald Engstrom-Reese ...............17, 18, 19 Eden Firestone .............................33 Mikak O’Neil ...............Inside Front Cover Monty Schuth ...............................5 Matt Bucy .........Inside Back Cover, 25, 26, 32 Jim Jackson .................................6 Keith Gemerek ................Cover, 13, 22, 31 Rink .....................................4, 5 Steve Mitchell ...............................4 Stevee Postman ......................21, 35, 38 Zell (RFD Archives) .........................14 RFD appreciates the following artists whose work appears in this issue: Jim Jackson • www.jimjacksonart.com Keith Gemerek • kgny@aol.com Donald Engstrom-Reese web.me.com/iowariver Stevee Postman • www.stevee.com Rink • rinkfoto.com RFD is a reader written journal for gay people which focuses on country living and encourages alternative lifestyles. We foster community building and networking, explore the diverse expressions of our sexuality, care for the environment, radical faerie consciousness, nature-centered spirituality, and share experiences of our lives. RFD is produced by volunteers. We welcome your participation. The business and general production are coordinated by a collective. The collective has a listserv for those who wish to get involved at http://groups. google.com/group/rfd-production/ Features and entire issues are prepared by different groups in various places. Our printer is in Nashville TN. RFD (ISSN# 0149-709X) is published quarterly for $25 a year by RFD Press, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302 USPS # 073-010-00 Periodicals postage paid at Liberty TN and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to RFD, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302 Non-profit tax exempt # 62-1723644, a function of RFD Press with office of registration at 231 Ten Penny Rd., Wood- bury, TN 37190 RFD Cover Price: $7.75 a regualr subscription is the least expensive way to receive it four times a year. © 2008 RFD Press The records required by Title 18 U.S.D. Section 2257 and associated with respect to this magazine (and all graphic mate- rial associated therewith on which this label appears) are kept by the custodian of records at the following location: RFD Press, 231 Ten Penny Rd, Woodbury TN 37190 RFD #137 • Spring 2009 LETTERS & ANNOUNCEMENTS I’m Jack Davis and I Work at Good Vibrations. We sell sex toys as well as books, videos and DVDs about sex to all genders. GV is gearing up for its fourth Independent Erotic Film Festival. The deadline to submit is June 30th. Here is the website: http://www.gv-ixff.org I am encouraging faeries, faggots, queers, trannies, drag queens, sacred whores, dykes, and people who decline to be categorized to grab a camera and record something sexy and then enter it into the competition. It would be great to see a whole bunch of non-mainstream faerie-influenced sex stuff. It is open to amateur and professional film makers who are not mainstream. Who can submit? Independent film makers of all kinds. Most of the submissions are from aspiring professionals and art students, but we have had selections from sex workers, animators and just friends and neighbors having fun with their handycam. The Grand Prize Winner will receive $1,500. Folleterre Announcements 2009 www.folleterre.org www.eurofaerie.eu Work Week & Ecoskills-sharing Gathering April. Details will be placed on website. Hosts: Dee Tale & Dimitri Beltane “Naturally High” Gathering 28 Apr-03 May. Hosts Notre Dame des Arbres and Shokti Lovestar Stewards Circle Saturday, 02 May (all may attend as observers) Enquiries/register: beltane09@folleterre.org Beltane Gathering Call may be viewed at www.folleterre.org Rheingold Gatherette • 20-24 May Contact: Rheingold@folleterre.org Summer Solstice Gathering 19-27 June Summer Gathering 17-27 July (Great Circle 2pm, Sun 19th) Hosts: Rudolf, Wolf, Notre Dame (SEE FULL PAGE AD IN THIS ISSUE) Enquiries/register: summer09@folleterre.org Autumn Equinox 18-26 September Lumber Camp • 17-25 October STOP PRESS! There will also be a Eurofaerie Gathering at Terschelling Island, Holland 17-27 August (yes, same dates as July) • Provisional Contact: efthimios@aol.com Plus Mediterranean Gathering around early October (Turkey?) being worked on by Eilendes Wasser & Yaron A Radical Faerie Reader A Call For Submissions Don Kilhefner and Mark Thompson are in the process of co-editing A Radical Faerie Reader on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Radical Faeries. We invite you to submit writings—old or new—for inclusion in this first-of-its- kind anthology! We are interested in your experience of the Radical Faeries and their gatherings no matter if it was attending one of the first gatherings or one that just happened last week. Submissions can include personal experiences, academic “think pieces,” or writings about the impact of the Faeries on gay culture. As well as on… Faeries and community building…Faerie political and social awareness and action…Faerie shamans…Faerie controversies…Faerie teachings….how Faeries operate and manage get togethers…urban Faeries… rural Faeries…Euro Faeries…Asian Faeries…history of the Faeries…Faerie criticism…Faerie poetry….Faerie philosophy…Faerie heresy…Faerie physics…. We are interested in casting the widest net possible. You do not need to be a professional writer. We are interested in how the Radical Faeries touched your mind, body, and spirit and contributed to your development as a gay man. How did your consciousness change because of the Radical Faeries? Are the Radical Faeries still relevant to gay men’s lives in 2009? Deadline for all submissions is July 1, 2009. (Proceeds from the Reader will be used to seed new and innovative Radical Faerie projects and gatherings.) For more information and submissions contact either— markthompson52@aol.com or donkilhefner@sbcglobal.net RFD #137 • Spring 2009 Haia–A Remembrance and Tribute By Steve Mitchell Haia was born Ted Joseph Berkowitz in Nebraska, on July 23rd, 1935. In this lifetime he would be known to the many that met him along the way as a friend, poet, musician, political activist, hippy, drug groupie, thespian, priest, Radical Faerie, shamanic-wiccan, playing his flute, a pied piper. Haia beguiled the Radical Faeries with his poetry, wit, and zany magical charisma. Many faeries considered him a shaman. Haia loved dolls, especially elf-like boy dolls. His favorite of them being Elfie Greensleeves. After surviving his childhood with an artist’s soul, he attended college at UCLA graduating with a BA in Theater Arts. Haia lived in many places around the world including England, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, South America, and India. Through his diverse activities knew many famous people. With the Hare Krishna’s in London he hung out with the Beatles. In the New York Beat scene he palled around with Allen Ginsberg. In San Francisco his band, the CIA, played with Janis Joplin, who he would drink with in Buena Vista Park. Ted had been a part of a circle of people in that gathered around 1966 in a house in Yelapa Mexico who precisely exemplified the times. They included such people as Victor Maimumez, Bob Dylan’s road manager, Rick Griffin the famous psychedelic poster artist, Louis Gosset Jr., Tom Law, John Philip Law’s brother, and a member of the Barrymore acting family. For over twenty years as a Radical Faerie Haia was one of the most colorful among them. People have pictures and poetry of his everywhere. Many Faerie circles were held at his apartment. The following poem is my favorite of his that sums it up for me: Co-Existant with Star Creations There is Man Faery tribe born From winds of Pan. Summer’s prize in Horned God’s eyes, Sighs, from those who come upon Brother angels of the dawn. To those who remember him and to future members of the faerie family, he will always remain one of the most loved and fabulous of the Radical Faeries! A Tribute to Hank Wilson By Arthur Evans Published in SF Bay Times, November 13, 2008 I was very saddened to hear of the death of San Francisco gay activist Hank Wilson, who succumbed to lung cancer, secondary to AIDS. A favorite memory of mine of Hank is from the no-on-Prop-6 campaign of 1978. That measure would have prohibited gay people from being teachers in California. Hank, who was a teacher, said we can’t just preach to the choir; we have to reach out to people who hold differing views or are uncommitted. So I followed him to shopping malls in suburbia. Many of the folks there had never dealt face-to-face before with an openly gay person, but they loved Hank. He was upbeat, forthright, witty, and articulate. It was hard for them not to like and respect him, even if they disagreed with his message. His outgoing energy helped defeat Prop 6. Another favorite memory is from the old Club Baths at 8th and Howard Streets, in the early late 1970s. On one occasion, the manager refused to let Hank in because he was wearing a t-shirt of Bay Area Gay Liberation (BAGL). The manager claimed that BAGL was “a communist organization,” which was preposterous, and so Hank could not be admitted. Hank went outside, flagged down a passing police car, and brought the cop in as a witness, as the manager repeated the same action. Not long thereafter, Hank filed suit in Small Claims Court against the bathhouse for violating his civil rights, and won. His abiding sense of gay pride and justice carried the day. Hank faced many daunting adversities in the course of his life. But he never gave up. In any challenging situation, he always asked himself this question: “What can I learn from this experience.” The things that he learned in these trials made him an inspiring teacher for the rest of us. We will never forget the lesson of his life. 1REMEMBRANCES2 photo by Rink • www.rinkfoto.comRFD #137 • Spring 2009 John Stowe 1952–2009 RFD is saddened to learn that one of the community’s respected leaders on spirituality and herbalism has died suddenly. John R. Stowe authored several books on gay male spirituality, including the seminal, Gay Spirit Warrior as well as several books on herbalism and nature. He was one of the charter members of Gay Spirit Visions in Atlanta, an organization with roots in the old Running Water Sanctuary in North Carolina. Our thoughts go out to his partner, Monty Schuth. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution 2/8/09 Plenty of people plant trees. Few showed the commitment of John Stowe, who not only planted hundreds of them in metro Atlanta, but for a few years in his 30s changed his name to Yarrow Treefriend. “He was one of the earliest pioneers of environmentalism; we were keeping mulch piles in the mid- ’70s,” said Tom Sechrest of Austin, Texas, his former college roommate and longtime friend. “He was about living in harmony with the Earth.” Monty Schuth estimates that his longtime partner, John Stowe, planted hundreds of trees in metro Atlanta, many of them with the group Trees Atlanta. Those trees include the crape myrtles along the MARTA tracks near Candler Park. At various times, and sometimes simultaneously, Mr. Stowe was a lecturer at Georgia State University — where he taught English as a second language — massage therapist, professional chef, natural healer and author. Mr. Stowe, of Decatur, collapsed while walking Tuesday in downtown Atlanta on break between Georgia State classes, and he died of a heart attack. He was 56. His body has been cremated. A memorial service is planned for 4:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Friends Meeting House, 701 W. Howard Ave., Decatur. A.S. Turner & Sons of Decatur is handling arrangements. As news of his death spread, some of his students set up a Facebook tribute, “On the Reminiscence of John Stowe.” By Saturday, more than 150 people had signed on. Many of his students expressed shock and grief at his death. Stowe was known among his students for having groups for big parties out to the house he shared in Decatur with his partner of 25 years, Monty Schuth. “A lot of his students came from overseas, and he was inspiring,” said John Bunting of Tucker, a colleague at Georgia State. “He was incredible how he made connections between language and making his students feel comfortable and confident.” Margareta Larsson, a GSU colleague who shared an office with Mr. Stowe, said: “He was so into nature. He was a guy that he would give you a rock, and it would feel really, really special.” Mr. Schuth estimated that Mr. Stowe planted hundreds of trees in metro Atlanta, many of them with Trees Atlanta, including the crape myrtles along the MARTA tracks near Candler Park. His love of trees and plants led him to become a natural healer, manufacturing flower essences, for years. He also volunteered to teach non-native high school students in metro Atlanta how to write college applications. John Robert Stowe was born Aug. 19, 1952, in Ambler, Pa. After earning a master’s degree in ichthyology at Florida State University, he moved to the Atlanta area in 1976 and taught biology at Kennesaw College (today’s Kennesaw State University). After four years at Kennesaw, Mr. Stowe left to travel through Mexico and Central America. A veteran traveler and linguist, he was teaching himself Mandarin Chinese, using language tapes, when he died. Mr. Stowe also is survived by his mother, Marge Stowe; sister, Carolyn Shaner; and brother, James Stowe. Mr. Schuth asked mourners to plant a tree in honor of Mr. Stowe — “something flowery and hardy.” Martin Delaney 1945–2009 RFD has learned via Middle (Mark Hubbard) at Lifelube. org about the passing of Martin Delaney in San Francisco - a vital member of the AIDS treatment community that worked to release experimental HIV drugs for treatment in the early days of anti-retroviral medicine. Below is Mark’s note from Lifelube.org. Martin’s death has been covered in most major media in the last few days and it shows the important role he played in community health. By Mark Hubbard Last Monday, the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases awarded a Director’s Special Recognition Award to Martin for his many contributions to the fight against HIV/ AIDS By now, many of you know that Martin Delaney (of Project Inform) died peacefully Friday morning, January 23, 2009, Courtesy of Monty Schuth photo by Rink • www.rinkfoto.com Continued on Page 39 RFD #137 • Spring 2009 In 1979, a young woman Starhawk published a book called The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess. This book, which artfully shaped environmentalism, feminist spirituality and scholarship, grass roots activism and Wiccan forms into a coherent worldview and spiritual practice, was instrumental in the spread of the neo-pagan movement and eventually gave rise to the Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft. That same year, the first gathering of Radical Faeries was held in the deserts of the Southwest, and only a year before, Arthur Evans’ work to trace the historical and mythical links that connect queer sexuality and spirituality were published in his book Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture. Since that year, the Radical Faeries have emerged as a tenacious, vibrant, creative queer spiritual movement which has put a great deal of focus on developing a web of Sanctuary lands and communities, while also nurturing vibrant urban circles. Reclaiming has emerged since that time as a major tradition in the Wiccan revival, is a respected and powerful force on the activist front of environmentalism and global capitalism, and has established a web of WitchCamps across North America and several European nations from which local communities have grown. It is also true that since even before 1979, the two groups, like twins in a womb, influenced and shaped one another, and that today the two movements while distinct and independent, overlap in significant and meaningful ways. Our intention for this issue of RFD was to a) explore and document the shared roots of Wicca, particularly Reclaiming, and the Radical Faeries, b) consider how each movement has informed and is informing the other, and c) to consider possibilities of confluence and mutual nurturing as we turn the wheel forward into an uncertain future. The articles we received certainly fulfilled our intentions. We begin with two articles, “Diggers” by Robert Croonquist, and “What I learned from the Faeries” by Arthur Evans, that explore the earliest connections between what would become Reclaiming and the Radical Faeries and make clear that the shared roots of the two movements go further back and are broader than we might assume. Leafshimmer’s “Faggot-Farmer-Faerie-Witch” takes a look at the earlier issues of RFD to find a plethora of pagan and Wiccan subjects being considered in a context of queer spirituality and gay consciousness, but argues for an expanded view of faeries. “Weaving the Web of the Wyrd” by Donald Engstrom-Reese, one of RFD’s founders and a respected elder in both the Radical Faerie and Reclaiming communities, starts a series of articles that trace some of the many intersections that have occurred between Radical Faeries and Reclaiming, particularly Reclaiming-based faerie covens and faeries who have become teachers at Reclaiming Witchcamps. We see these connections in such things as our shared eclectic creative approach to ritual forms, our chants, our insistence on addressing politicized issues such as the environment, AIDS, queer rights, etc through ritual and in sacred space, our sense of play with gender and costume, our honoring of sexuality, the body, and the earth. (Frankly, Starhawk’s own frequent reference to Radical Faerie culture and practices at those very camps has helped infuse Reclaiming with faerie sensibilities and appreciation for irony and play) Together, “Lifting the Wand” by Robin Hood recounts his powerful sexual/spiritual transformations he has been pat of at both Reclaiming Witchcamps and faerie gathering. “Lifestyles of the Witch’s Anus” by Ken Cooper, chronicles a Reclaiming reclaiming and the Photo: Jim JacksonRFD #137 • Spring 2009 For those Radical Faeries who do not know much about Reclaiming, the easiest way is by reading the Reclaiming Principles of Unity. This is a document of consensus and as such does not necessarily capture the nuances or tonal priorities of Reclaiming culture, but they do say clearly what is consented to. Principles of Unity “My law is love unto all beings...” –The Charge of the Goddess The values of the Reclaiming tradition stem from our understanding that the earth is alive and all of life is sacred and interconnected. We see the Goddess as immanent in the earth’s cycles of birth, growth, death, decay and regeneration. Our practice arises from a deep, spiritual commitment to the earth, to healing and to the linking of magic with political action. Each of us embodies the divine. Our ultimate spiritual authority is within, and we need no other person to interpret the sacred to us. We foster the questioning attitude, and honor intellectual, spiritual and creative freedom. We are an evolving, dynamic tradition and proudly call ourselves Witches. Honoring both Goddess and God, we work with female and male images of divinity, always remembering that their essence is a mystery which goes beyond form. Our community rituals are participatory and ecstatic, celebrating the cycles of the seasons and our lives, and raising energy for personal, collective and earth healing. We know that everyone can do the life-changing, world-renewing work of magic, the art of changing consciousness at will. We strive to teach and practice in ways that foster personal and collective empowerment, to model shared power and to open leadership roles to all. We make decisions by consensus, and balance individual autonomy with social responsibility. Our tradition honors the wild, and calls for service to the earth and the community. We value peace and practice non-violence, in keeping with the Rede, “Harm none, and do what you will.” We work for all forms of justice: environmental, social, political, racial, gender and economic. Our feminism includes a radical analysis of power, seeing all systems of oppression as interrelated, rooted in structures of domination and control. We welcome all genders, all races, all ages and sexual orientations and all those differences of life situation, background, and ability that increase our diversity. We strive to make our public rituals and events accessible and safe. We try to balance the need to be justly compensated for our labor with our commitment to make our work available to people of all economic levels. All living beings are worthy of respect. All are supported by the sacred elements of air, fire, water and earth. We work to create and sustain communities and cultures that embody our values, that can help to heal the wounds of the earth and her peoples, and that can sustain us and nurture future generations. faerie’s coven experiences in Brooklyn. Trixie X reflects upon the patterns of activism that lie behind some of the connections between the Reclaiming, Buddhist, Marxist, Activist and Faerie worlds in his Living Activism. “How Reclaiming Kicked Our Butts” by Peter recounts the origins of a Boston Faerie ritual groups origins in Reclaiming. “Free Activist Witch Camp–One Faerie’s View” by JP Heartsong recounts the dynamics between faeries and Reclaiming witches at a series of Reclaiming WitchCamps for activists, a camp that held last year at Wolf Creek. Of course, the connection and interplay of faeries with Wicca extends far beyond Reclaiming. StarChild explores the spiritual landscapes shared between Victor Anderson’s Feri Witchcraft and today’s Radical Faeries in his “Feri Faeries?” Drew Campbell ‘s “From Foe to Fae” outlines his spiritual journey with Witchcraft and the Radical Faeries. “Finding your Path” by Eden Firestone names a distinct faerie path which draws inspiration from feminist, Native American and Wiccan sources, yet is distinct from those sources. We close with two articles that specifically focus on faerie rituals in the context of Reclaiming. “What Isn’t Ritual” by Gabriel Q, explores his growing understanding of faerie ritual, framed in part by his experiences in Reclaiming. Finally, guest editor Endora’s “Why I Hate Faerie Rituals” looks at the shadow side of the faerie pattern of disrupting big rituals, and suggests that both Reclaiming and the Radical Faeries could benefit deeply from more interplay in the future. It is my sincere hope that you enjoy these articles and the ideas and connections they raise about who we are, where we come from and what it is we are doing. I want to thank all those who contributed, thank Bambi for his work in getting all this together, Jason and Waterfall for editing, and Matt for laying it out. And I want to the thank the Goddess for letting me be lucky enough to live in a time with both the Radical Faeries and the Reclaiming Witches are both alive and well and have made space for me. -EndoraNext >