‘Fireside Stories’, the 2023 daytime program in the Common, was in the spirit of the rave - Peace, Love, Unity and Having Fun!
We were honoured again to welcome activists, wisdom keepers, elders, facilitators, movers, shakers, weavers. The group Xicome came and stayed with us, as part of a pilgrimage, ‘The Call of Quetzalcoatl’, from Mexico. It is a time when, among the many crises we face on our planet, different prophecies from around the world speak of a new time coming, a golden age. A time for more voices, hearts and knowledge systems to help find ways through. Time to have more little rebellions that will create ripples and join the waves of change that are happening all over the world now.
On the 23rd June, 2023, we began our 3 day quest. Xicome led an Opening Fire Ceremony. It was an incredible honour and learning to witness their work. With the energy of tiny children, youth, adults, elders, we welcomed in the 7 directions, offered our prayers and thanks to the earth, the sky.
Photo by Edward Bishop
Victoria Sinclair tells us, ‘Something is changing. We have brothers and sisters, abuelos who are coming to share with us… not to tell us, but to ignite something within to remember why we are here.’
As part of the initial ceremony, we took some time to each write what we wanted to let go of on a piece of paper and offered it to the Sacred Fire for transmutation. Each person put a stick on the Fire, and as we watched it grow brighter and more beautiful with each contribution, the co-creation was well underway.
The Sacred Fire, ‘our oldest grandfather’ was a gentle space, held throughout by the firekeepers from Dharma Stars, Felipe Viveros and Kath Veitch. It was a constant, flames and embers burning steadily and quietly among the immensity of life at Glasto. Michelle Button, founder of Xicome, referred to the Fire as ‘Nature’s wifi’, hearing and transporting our prayers and words. Carried by our breath, in the air, in the waters and along the lines of the land, they matter. We never know the ripples.
Mac MacCartney, international speaker and author of ‘The Children’s Fire’, gave a beautiful introduction to the Friday panel discussion, ‘Birthing the New Earth’. He says, ‘In order to be designers and facilitators of social change we need to look squarely at the truth of hidden history.’ Mac brought awareness to some of the stories we are living inside now, sharing the effects of colonisation and the legacy of patriarchy that is present in similar and different ways in all our lives. He tells of the death of our own indigenous ways and lives in this country, and of a deep collective trauma that we are experiencing and unravelling now.
Photo by David Jensen
Much of the theme of the weekend was how can we embody the ‘New Earth’ by walking the ‘twin trail’ as Mac calls it – where both the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ are energised – the self-growth and healing path, and the service in the world path. Mac mentioned how often people are more focussed on either one or the other. How can we ensure the two are aligned? Abuelo Ekehami from Xicome shared in taking action in what we love and care about, where our passions and gifts lie, in seeing things through to completion, through the difficult and the painful, the discomfort and the ups and downs, we can learn to trust ourselves.
Hannah Kendaru, who hosted the panel, led an embodiment exercise, asking us to look at our hands and choose, ‘With these hands, what ends now? What ends now for you in your lineage, in your family, in your community?’
Wherever it is that we are moved, where we are passionate, where something breaks our hearts, it is there we can take action, in any way we can.
Amy-Jane Beer, Paul Powlesland and Guy Shrubsole from Right to Roam are campaigning to regain the rights to, and our active role in, gaining access and protection for our lands and rivers. They speak of the long legacy of exclusion of the public to the land and nature in this country, and how today 92% of it is off limits. They tell us, ‘Our desire to access nature should not be a crime…we urgently need access to nature, its beauty, its space, its flora and its fauna, for our health, our creativity and our peace of mind.’ Other countries know this, such as Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Scotland, and the Right to Roam to woodland, meadows, rivers and their banks exists as a common right, even when privately owned. Similarly, 97% of the rivers is off limits to the public in England.
Access means awareness raising, developing personal attachments to places and therefore care. If we have to trespass to do this, before a Right to Roam is granted, then that is what we must do. Paul has fought for years to protect his local river and tells us ‘The capacity to step into the role of river guardianship is within all of us’.
They urge us to find out the stories of our lands, our rivers, and be a voice for them. Amy-Jane shares, ‘Water is time, connecting people to people, the past to the future.’ She tells us, ‘if we can heal the rivers, it all starts from there.’
Aimée Tollan from Breaking Convention and Kaz and Fi from the Seed SistAs were part of the Saturday panel discussion ‘The Magic and Medicine of Plants’. There is a revival going on in herbal medicine, an upsurge in foraging, and a new wave of taking psychedelics. The panel discussed how inherent and important in the cultural shifts we are experiencing these are, as well as the urgent need for a mindful approach, for the mainstreaming to be a positive thing. The current mindset often leans towards passive consumerism in these areas, sometimes on the part of the ‘guide’ and the ‘participant’ and this can be found everywhere from the dance floor with the DJ or MC to a healing modality with a guru or healer, to all kinds of addictions.
Aimée urges us to remember the ‘Heroes’ Journey’ where you find everything you need is here and within you, and underneath you.
Martin Coat, theatrical director for Boomtown festival and storyteller, shared some of his 20-year psychedelic exploration. He believes the ‘Kundalini awakening’ – our creative energy - is the next step for our evolution. He spoke of the upsurge in the psychedelic renaissance and how it has the potential to lead us back to our true natures, by helping to heal trauma in the body at a cellular level. Martin shared about the journey of deep and long integration into these places, rather than a quick hit, or taking any substance too often. Hannah also emphasised the importance of community and a fully trustworthy guide on these journeys and not doing it alone.
Another powerful tool for our tool kits was offered on Saturday – Breathwork, in the form of Kerry Veitch’s and Alex Goldsmith’s ‘Breath and Bass’. Breathwork is a practice that taps into and frees up the creative energy we all have. Simply by inhaling and exhaling we are in the dance of being alive, embodying the cycles and interconnectedness of life, of giving and receiving, of letting go and action. We can bring more awareness and freedom to our breathing, bringing more balance to our lives. Our breath is our ally in an exploration of the stories we hold in our bodies and psyches, and in finding a way to understand them, love them, let them go and allow space for new ones to land. It is a modality that is ever-increasing in popularity, a gift for these times.
Photo by Edward Bishop
Sunday was the final day of our quest. A time to sow new seeds into our lives, our hopes and dreams for our futures. Chris Park, a druid of these lands, started with a call for Peace - he reminded us the emblem above the Pyramid stage is the peace sign, ‘It is a global prayer and an ancient prayer for peace. For without peace no work can be. May there be peace…’
The panel told of prophecies from Toltec and Celtic lineages, and stories of serpents and dragons. We heard of ‘The Call of the Quetzalcoatl’ and also our own heritage in this country from Chris. We learned the snake is revered as the wisest animal in many cultures, because its whole body touches the earth. Its raw creativity can be as destructive, and this is what we see a lot of in today’s world out of balance.
Victoria, Chris and members of Xicome on the panel spoke more of how we can become ‘active dreamers’ rather than ‘passive consumers’, embodying our creative energy.
Abuelo El Gorila shared Toltec wisdom and the importance of dreaming, ‘We don’t need to fly like a bird - we look into the mirror on the water. It is a real dream to see the sky and the rivers… We dreamt this and it’s come true - Thank you to Xicome we are here - when you dream, a dream comes… Dream is when you know yourself.’ He told us of the name Quetzalcoatl. ‘’Quetzal’ is the feathered serpent. ‘co’ is a house, school or temple’ and ‘atl’ is water.’
Michelle tells us how the Call of Quetzalcoatl is a life pilgrimage, part of a vision she had 22 years ago. Since she was born ‘there was an invitation to tap into what is your purpose, your mission. The pilgrimage is to walk in beauty - our ancients dreamt this - today we're dreaming a world for the future seven generations …to recognise each other - with the hope of bringing peace to the planet - and that there will be peace! Our actions and thoughts through dance, ceremony, song have bloomed into beauty. Hopefully less than 7 down we can be dancing round flowers and not on top of cups and bottles - it is ironic we are here in a celebration of life but we have a filthy floor. We can take on the responsibility and that these dreams are a collective force and have power. The power of prayer is quantum - we are the most sacred technology from creation as humans of creation. What we pray becomes manifest - as we walk, we weave the dream in our everyday practice and actions. The invitation is to weave the dream together - nobody shows up with a magic wand. Everything is already beauty…It is time to weave the dances together…Ometeotl.’
Abeulo Ehekamitl shared ‘With the consciousness of the Quetzalcoatl there is a collective calling now. Through this disconnect we are here and are feeling the call to come together so we can be connected with the natural world, with Mother Earth on a spiritual, mental and emotional level, to come home to our origins, to our original essence, to learn about our roots, cultures, traditions.’
We are all creative beings and we can and are changing the stories of our future for our children here on this beautiful planet we share. Shifts are happening. Inner and outer, personal and collective, individual and systemic.
By listening to each other, those different to us, the land and Mother Earth, we give each other a voice and receive inspiration. As we understand more our personal and collective stories, we become more aligned to our hearts, and we can keep creating from there. It is our own stories that matter, that bring us to places and people, that write the next chapter, that help weave the narratives, ever evolving with our experiences, our losses, our pain and our joy.
We ended our 3-day quest in dance, a ‘snake dance’ led by Chris. Spiralling in and out, around the Fire, through the portal and over the bridge in the Ash tree in Copperdollar’s Mez Yard, it required a lot of coordination, which not many of us had. It was Sunday at Glastonbury Festival after all. With warmth in our hearts and fire in our souls for the seasons to come, until the next time.
Written by Katherine Veitch, co-curator of Fireside Stories, The Common, 2023
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