Some history of the faeries........

The first calls to 'radical faeries' to come together, share and explore, were put out in the late 70s by Harry Hay.  It was aimed at 'gay brothers' who "know that there is more to us than hetero-imitation.. who are ready to move on.. who have broken through and are ready to share those breakthroughs".

Called 'spiritual conferences', and held out in the desert in southern USA, the first faerie gatherings had as their aims:

"To share new insights about ourselves;

To dance in the moonlight;

To renew our oaths against patriarchy/corporations/racism;

To hold, protect, nurture and caress one another;

To talk about the politics of gay enspiritment/the enspiritment of gay politics;

To soar like an eagle;

To rediscover/re-invent our myths;

To talk about gay living/loving alternatives;

To experience the groundedness of the calamus root;

To share our gay visions;

To sing, sing, sing;

TO EVOKE A GREAT FAIRY CIRCLE"

Harry Hay was active in campaigning for gay rights since the 1950s - by the 70s he was horrified at how 'assimilationist' gays were becoming, so the development into faerie was aimed at providing spaces for queerkind to focus and develop our special and unique characteristics.  Soon faeries expanded to welcome all queers, not just gay men, and at faerie gatherings and sanctuaries now all genders and sexualities are represented. 

In the USA there are now several permanent faerie homes, plus city houses too.  Short Mountain Sanctuary in Tennessee is the longest running sanctuary, there are also sanctuaries in Oregon (Wolf Creek), New Mexico (Zuni), Minnesota (Kawashaway)......

John Ferguson (Habibi Ding) brought the faerie spirit to europe, and the eurofaeries began their summer gatherings on the island of Terschelling in the Netherlands in 1995.  Winter gatherings in Germany, Holland the UK have followed.  These events have brought together queers from many countries, including eastern europe, former russian republics and the middle east.  Funds raised during these gatherings enabled the eurofaeries to purchase our own sanctuary land - folleterre in eastern france.  Gatherings of faerie folk now take place here during the summer months, and also continue at other venues in other countries of europe - keep informed at www.eurofaerie.eu

Keri Pickett's deep and fascinating study of the Kawashaway clan in her book 'FAERIES' is teeming with personal stories and testimonies about the nature and pleasure of being a faerie.  Some quotes:

"I think a faerie is someone who desires and attempts to be a free spirit.  Gay men have been pounded down and told not to be ourselves since we were tiny.  In order to find out who i am, I need energy to look within and find the inner child and to remind myself to be gentle with myself and learn to trust again.....  Another part of being a faerie means digging in and finding out how you really feel about what you were told to feel or learned to feel, based on past experiences.  LIghen the load. Leave the baggage at home in the trash heap."  Tea Lead

"Radical faeries are on the edge of the cultural norms.  We choose our own rules as long as they are respectful of other human beings, spirits and the earth"  Francine

"The powers of creativity, play and healing are rooted in our sexuality and our bodies.  having a place where hugging and kissing is the norm, where warm physical contact is so freely given and easily received, seduced me into this community."  Karen