Field in the main campground areaWell the colder, darkening days are truly upon us, and a post about my experiences at the Northwest Fall Equinox Festival (NWFEF) is long overdue! To set the mood, here are a couple blog posts I've really enjoyed: a wonderful ode to the season, with some beautiful pictures and a second one which is a decidedly more Pagan take on the harvest.
I genuinely appreciated my time at the old YMCA Youth Camp site at Silver Falls State Park (where the Festival was held), with one exception - the field in which tenters must camp was also the site of the Drum Circle! If I had known this, I would have been more aggressive about asking someone to share a cabin, instead of waiting until the last night to do so.
Outside of that, I had an amazing time! I met several interesting and remarkable ladies from many walks of life. All had stories to share, and were very non-judgemental about how one might decide to handle life's ebbs and flows; "We're all on a journey, and we're all trying to get through life's challenges the best way we can" was the wisdom I gleaned from all those the stimulating conversations.
Although I hadn't had a real interest in the Hindu pantheon, I deeply enjoyed all the rituals & workshops for the Goddesses that had been prepared. The five Goddesses which had shrines (one in each cabin "neighborhood") were Kali, Deva (a triple personified goddess), Durga, Parvati and in the main area, the Goddess of Prosperity, Laxmi.
One of the most moving and deeply spiritual workshops was the "Family" one on Friday. At check-in at the gate, attendees were given a handmade token necklace with a randomly assigned number on the back. This number became a "Family" number (approximately 10 people per number); and at the designated time and place for that number, all the "Family" members met with a facilitator/leader and did some preparation for the days ahead. One part of the workshop involved each participant moving into the center of a circle while all the other people gently placed their hands on the center person while repeating 3 times:
"We will hold you until you soften."
"We will love you until you begin to melt."
"We will sing to you until you remember peace."
It was a totally incredible experience and really put me in the mindscape of the Festival. Did I mention this took place in the Tantric Temple? Yes, my "Family" place to meet was the MOST BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED temple of the whole campground IMHO. Later I participated in a group ritual at that same temple before the main Saturday night ritual, (again, as sort of a mental preparation for the evening). The Priestess presiding over it was amazing and she really loved my dress, which happened to be my wedding dress (an Afghani Nomad design from Folkwear).
Another great part of the Festival was the food! There were many vegetarian and vegan options I tried which I surprisingly enjoyed. I liked it all so much I bought their recipe book, "May You Never Hunger", Harvest Grove Family Favorites. The nice thing about this book is it has "Helpful Hints" and "Cooking Tips" for food preparation throughout the book, often the kinds of things you can find only in old cookbooks.
There was so much more: full moon illuminated nights, a hilarious wedding "ritual"/celebration for a long-time attendee who had just gotten married, the main group rituals each evening, time to rest, perusing the vendors for the perfect Witch's Hat....
I've already decided I want to attend next year, and look forward to celebrating the Autumn Equinox/Mabon with like-minded folks. I also want to have my husband share the experience as well, as participation in the rituals is totally voluntary and the restful natural setting helps refocus the heart and mind in healing ways.
Now onto Halloween!
