Some Questions and Answers concerning the Faeries:
Do Faeries have a religious system ?
Are there any political or religious ties to other groups?
What do Faeries actually do during the gatherings and rituals
When and how do Faeries rituals take place?
Who are coming to Faery Gatherings?
Who are the Faeries?
The Faerie fellowship is a diverse, and loosely coupled group of
spiritually interested Gay men. They (de-)left their spiritual lives around various
ways of religious expressions. As no particular doctrine predominates, the movement is open
to all kinds of spiritual orientations. There are druids, wiccans, shamans, Hindus,
Buddhists, Taoists (but also ,however very few Jews, Christians or Muslims), and any
number of other recognized or unrecognized beliefs are present among Radical Faeries.
Faeries are a "spiritual tribe", who practice ideas of a
gay enspiritment in a free and independent way.
"Two core concepts are central to an understanding of the Radical Faerie approach to
spirituality. The principle of androgyny, and the idea of subject-SUBJECT consciousness. Both of these values can be seen to be
rooted in the fundamental concept of Otherness.
Faeries are a very old queer folk, Remembering something which had become forgotten or repressed Faeries practices their Otherness in their unique way!
Do Faeries have a religious system ?
The Faerie Fellowship is a free, spiritual path which
has no doctrinal system to follow. Religions are organized, have hierarchies and governing
bodies, doctrines and dogmas. Such organization are antithetical to the Faerie fellowship.
It is possible to ascribe to a plurality of beliefs and still account
oneself a Faerie! Without following a fixed creed you can find both, a drawing on existing
traditions or self-invented belief practices. Some share the veneration of the (queer)
Goddess, particularly the Horned God (mostly understood as complementary to feminine
orientations) and other deity-types of various pagan cultures. The Faeries often choose to
celebrate the sacredness of the earth as being both female and
male, mother and father. And in this way of integrated androgyny
they are contributing to resolve the objectivation of deity inherent in a dualistic
perspective.
A lot Faeries belief in the connection between magical power, the veneration of a pagan deities, and the celebration of ecstatic Gay rites.
Are there any political or religious ties to other groups?
The Radical Faerie Fellowship has no ties to any group other than
itself. We have no particular political philosophy. And as mentioned before there is no
specific religious philosophy. But following a deep-ecological orientation
most Faeries incorporate ecological ideas into their lives. This means that a lot try to
recapture an orgasmic worldview in which the universe is seen as organic,
living and spiritual. Most are trying to practice a sensitive and gentle contact with the
human and nonhuman world.
Generally there is a consciousness concerning the limits and delicate balance of the
human- and biosphere. Therefore most try to integrate the preservation and conservation of
nature through e.g. anti-consumptionist and anti-materialism ethics. The proposed goal of
spiritual self realization is attained through an applied spiritual or transpersonal
ecology, which emphasis the need for transformational changes in human
consciousness. For some, the alienation caused by the mechanistic and dualistic world-view
of industrialized society can only be healed through a recapturing of humanity's
sacred connection with all aspects of creation. In this sense we dance in the
emerging light and through the elemental darkness of our Father/Mother Earth and rejoice
in His/Her bounty.
How are Faeries "organized"?
Generally in an more or less anarchist way: All decisions are made on a consensual base by the group conscience in the open „circle" meetings. As for many other neo-Pagans the "circle" is a form of (ritual) expression at Faerie Gatherings. The `"Circle" is an significant symbol to Faeries because of its non-hierarchical and egalitarian nature. No one participant is more important than another in a circle, and each has an equal opportunity to participate or express his feelings or viewpoints. There are no „leaders", only „servants" to the group. Everyone leads himself according to his own convictions and belief-systems. The Faerie Gathering is a loosely organized meeting of Faeries to celebrate their idiosyncratic styles of enspiritment in a collective, trustful environment with structures kept to a minimum and trust towards the power of self-organization to a maximum.
What do Faeries actually do during the gatherings and rituals ?
Fairies embrace life in its holistic entirely. This can be expressed in several ways. During the gathering Faeries celebrate every-day life and nature in a fabulous and multifarious way. Discovering the surrounding nature, forests, dunes, beaches and the ocean. Alone or together with others you can do a lot or just relax and let loose.
We practice or create rituals meaningful to us
in our lives, including all kinds of pagan rituals that validate and celebrate our lives
as Gay men. The Faerie-Gatherings are a sacred space and time where
Faeries come to share, love, and support each other. Each Faerie gathering develops its own
rituals performances, relevant to the lives of its members and each specific or
spontaneous situation. There is an immense degree of cross-fertilization among pagan and
other traditions. And there is a high degree of creativity, joy and silliness attached to
Radical Faerie rituals. In short: We celebrate the joy of living in our own queer
way.
When and how do Faeries rituals take place?
There are Faerie meetings every full-moon. But generally, Faeries
celebrate the 8 pagan holidays of the year (the Equinoxes, Halloween,
Solstices, and Quarter-Days) in a variety of ways. And of course most intensely at the
Faerie Gatherings! How? Well: Getting prepared, perform and play! Ritual music, drumming,
chanting, dancing, prayers .... or mud pits, sweat lodges, bon-fire, fire dances, candles,
spiral laying or spiral dancing (Sufi)-twirling or streamers, cross-dressing and drag,
putting on wigs and make-up, etc. all are used. (Some like running through the dunes,
march or woods naked. As in many pagan traditions, nudity at ritual - or at any time - is
a common practice for those who like it).
The solemn atmosphere within rituals does not exclude a holy humor
and
"serious ease" throughout the ritual acting....
Basically rituals can be understood as re-enactments of sacred dimensions.
For more information concerning the structure and deeper meaning of rituals enter here: RITUAL
Who are coming to Faerie Gatherings?
Generally all kinds of spiritual interested Gay people from all kinds of social backgrounds. Most of the Radical Faeries you meet will be among the most loving, gifted, creative, balanced, gentle, self-knowing, giving, sensual, and fun people you will ever meet. All who gather, are open and ready to share with the other brothers an creative, relaxed and mutually enriching time.