Thank you, Thank you to all who participated in this event in any way. It is such a meaningful, beautiful, good thing for folks to come together like this in the winter. They say nobody reads anymore, but I don’t think that’s true about you, so I’m going to type away…
Over 100 people, from all over the country, including many children, met up in the cold Irish Hills for the 14th annual Winter Gathering. We braved the icy ground. We were warmed by each other and by the fires within and without. Crisp and refreshing air woke up new desire for life, breathing it in and out opened pathways for new ideas as we learned things we didn’t even know we didn’t know. Winter cleanses you know. Kills the mold in old houses where we’ve stored too much junk over the years. Our natural senses revive. Yes, the more we gather together like this the more we come to our senses. We are restoring not only these acres along Iron Creek, but restoring relationships with each other, and with the earth. Becoming again the defenders, healers, and friends of life that we know we are. We feel it in our bones.
We stood quiet in the wind chill to hear the little chirps of sparrows in the tall grass prairie.A great horned owl ate from our hands as we tried to commune with another species.We laid our hands on an ancient chestnut tree and listened for her pulse. She’s not dead yet! We seemed to hear her say, “Fight for your lives, for all of our lives!”We sang our hearts out around the brush fire, during the concerts, at the kids open mic. There are very few places left these days where public singing is common. In the Irish Hills we sing in public.We added fuel to the fire, each stick representing the unique gifts that we each have to share with the community as a whole.We planted the seeds of native wild flowers and the seeds of resistance in our souls.We honored the waters in ceremony and played on the frozen waters of the pond. We played in the fields, the trees, the upstairs of the mansion, sliding down the steps shouting for joy and worrying the old folks.We tracked wild animals through the snow. Tracked the course of our lives as we spoke of old times and dreamed of new.
We learned the story of Manoomin (wild rice) in Michigan. Our appetites were whetted. We cooked over the open fire, and over the closed fire, and ate and ate until all were full. Yes, sharing – food, love, clothes (see lost and found list below), and even that necessary root of all evil: MONEY. The old donation bucket was passed around and not only were we able to give our speakers and bands a little something for their work, we also were able to send a donation up to the Water Protectors trying to shut down Enbridge’s pipeline 5 in the Great Lakes at Camp Anishinaabek.Once again we dunked our heads in the freezing waters of Iron Creek and made promises to ourselves to make the most of 2019. Let’s help each other follow through!
You made it happen. All who were there and all who could not make it in person, but were there in spirit and who sent greetings, well wishes, encouragement, donations, and prayers. Keep up the good work. This is Anarchy at it’s finest. We are in the midst of building a long term community of resistance.
Not that we couldn’t do better. Mistakes were made. Needs were overlooked. Things didn’t always work out as planned. If you want to help make it even better next year contact us and get involved with the planning. Or at least email some feedback on what you liked and what you did not. *******************Some of us left some things behind we might want to have back. Contact us if you lost something. We may have found it. ********************************************************
There are other events happening in these Irish Hills this year that you may be invested in:Trillium 5k (fundraiser for restoration work on the property. May 18th. contact Silas: bialecki.silas.1@gmail.com)Great Lakes Foragers GatheringDivine Pine GatheringHoller FestWomen’s Gathering in the U.P. (contact Colleen about this: perriacol@gmail.com)
Traditional skills and ecology classes. Another issue of our zine Leaf Litter (consider contributing some of your writing or art)And much more, seriously…..
Catch you on the flip side.