Radical Faeries

The Radical Faerie community developed in America among Gay men during the 1970's sexual revolution. Radical Faerie communities generally are inspired by aboriginal and native, traditional spiritualities, especially those that incorporate queer gender. The Radical Faeries use heart circle, communal living, consensus decision-making, dance, drag, pagan ritual, drumming, sex, magic, and intimacy to examine what it means to be a whole human who is also a queer person. In the beginning, the movement was open exclusively to Gay men. Some Radical Faerie communities are now open to all genders and sexual orientations. Radical Faerie communities practice queer-themed spirituality associated with radical politics, paganism or neopaganism, feminism, gender liberation, and may encompass any and all religions or a lack of them.

History

In 1979, Harry Hay, his partner John Burnside, Don Kilhefner and Mitch Walker, veterans of various phases of Gay Liberation, issued the call to a "Spiritual Conference of Radical Faeries." Those who heard the Two-Spirit Call showed up at an ashram in Benson, Arizona over Labor Day weekend (September 1st). Hay introduced the idea of spirituality into gay liberation, a galvanic shock to the soul of Gay politics. Radical Faeries recognize the isolation and disconnectedness that Gay men grow up with, as a spiritual wound needing spiritual healing. Hay's genius, and that of the co-creators of the Radical Faerie movement, was to make this spiritual healing possible, real, and powerfully effective.

Some Radical Faeries ask what kind of society emerges if Queerfolk are together by themselves, set apart in order to investigate the inner voice in a completely Gay culture. Such seeking led to Faerie Gatherings lasting from a day or two to a week or more where new and spontaneous ways of relating could emerge.

Philosophy

No Radical Faerie dogma or doctrine exists per se. The identity of Radical Faerie is never conferred upon a person. The individual claims their Radical Faerie nature in an on-going act of self-discovery and self-actualization. It can be as challenging to define “Radical Faerie” as it is to define “Human Being,” as ultimately those aspects of life that hold meaning are experienced, rarely to be mediated effectively through description.

In keeping with the hippie, neopagan, ecology, and even eco-feminist trends of the time, gatherings were held out-of-doors in natural settings. To this end, distinct Radical Faerie communities have created Sanctuaries in many beautiful rural settings. For an incomplete listing of faerie events, locations see http://www.mensfestival.com. For a large collection of radical faerie related web links, see http://www.radfae.org.

Some Radical Faeries hold that the Queer soul is linked with the natural world, that Queerfolk are called by the Good Goddess to be gatekeepers to the spirit world. As a sign of this spirit connection, many Radical Faeries take a ritual name, known as a Faerie Name. This tradition is inspired by the Native American “Medicine Name” tradition, where a shaman gives spiritually significant individuals a Medicine name. In the Native American traditions, a shaman always bestowed Medicine Names upon initiates; one does not choose it. The Faerie Name tradition is similar, however, Radical Faeries usually choose their own Faerie Names.

The concept of Queer people as a nation apart drove Hay's thinking from early on. The African American liberation movement provided a model of how to think about society's subgroups. Radical Faeries ask: Who are Queer people? What are we for? Faeries see "Queer space" as a kind of magical spiritual arena of possibility, in which consciousness and events develop in a fundamentally different and authentic fashion.

Faerie gatherngs

Faerie gatherings are a space "between the worlds." Generally, Radical Faeries celebrate the 8 pagan holidays of the year: Samhain (Halloween), Yule (Winter Solstice), Imbolc (Candlemas), Ostara (Vernal Equinox), Beltane (May Day), Litha (Summer Solstice), Lughnasadh (Lammas), Mabon (Autumnal Equinox). Gatherings are frequently held in connection with these holidays. A ritual at gathering may include candles, fires, prayers, chanting, dancing, streamers, bedizened drag queens, ritual music, mud pits, sweat lodges, fire dances, drumming, running through the woods naked, Sufi twirling, and spiral dancing. Nudity at ritual is common. And as always, Radical Faeries take inspiration from Aboriginal America. As Chief Seattle of the Duwamish tribe stated: “Your religion was written on tablets of stone by the iron finger of an angry god, lest you might forget it. The red man could never remember or comprehend it. Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors, the dreams of our old men given by the Great Spirit, and the visions of our sachems; it is written in the hearts of our people."

Heart Circle is a central tool of the Radical Faerie way of life, and arose from the ideal of consensus, as developed in democratic and feminist thinking. Heart Circle is informed by a theoretical opposition to hierarchy, drawn from feminism, from radical politics, and from Hay's idea of "Subject-Subject Consciousness." It includes aspects of various therapy, human-potential, and consciousness-raising groups. Each day at gatherings, this group process forms for discussion, emotional processing, and emotional healing. Heart Circle is a place to share thoughts and feelings, to heal, to make decisions, and to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Queer person. It can also be a place of confrontation, of unflinching examination of one's deepest beliefs, understandings, and faults. Disagreement – rooted in the “contrarian” tradition of some Plains Indian Tribes - is a Radical Faerie first principle.

Informality, acceptance, and flamboyance of dress (and undress) are the norm at gatherings, which are held across the world. Radical Faerie sanctuaries - rural land or urban buildings where Faeries have come together to live a communal life - now exist in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Many Radical Faeries do Wiccan [[ritual], but are anarchistic about how to do it. The main difference between Wiccans and Radical Faeries is that Radical Faeries can raise trememdous amounts of energy but they neglect to ground it. Radical Faerie pagan ritual has a clear beginning, middle, and end. After the ending participants may continue doing what they were doing, likr drumming, dancing, and singing.

RFD Magazine, which predates the Radical Faerie movement, often includes information on Radical Faeries.

Bibliography

• Hay, Harry (1996). Radically Gay: Gay Liberation in the Words of its Founder. Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-7080-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Timmons, Stuart (1990). The Trouble with Harry Hay: Founder of the Modern Gay Movement. Alyson Publications. ISBN 1-55583-175-3. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Thompson, Mark (1987). Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-00600-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• RFD: A Country Journal for Queer Folk Everywhere

External links

• Mens Festival is an incomplete listing of events and their locations
• Great Web Portal for Radical Faeries
• Faerie Camp Destiny in Vermont
• Faerie Camp Destiny's building project in progress in Vermont
• FolleTerre Faerie Sanctuary in France
• Paganism and Gay Spirituality: A Survey of Radical Faeries in Asheville, North Carolina
• FAQ about the QueerNet Faerie Email List: online radical faerie community since 1996