Beloved Festival
On to Beloved!
I specifically booked the eco shuttle to get to this festival, because I wanted to make friends on the way. I met Tim, Brad, Augusta, Davi, Aspen, and four other people that I can't remember the names of on the way down. Brad, Davi, Augusta, and I agreed we were going to cuddle party sometime during the festival. I was sitting next to Augusta, and we both were going to camp in the far mosque, so she accompanied me there, and stayed at the site I picked while I got my stuff. I got set up, and she went to meet her friends. I saw her on my way back to the festival, and we agreed to meet up later.
I immediately wanted to go to a seminar: new to Beloved. It wasn't the introduction I expected. It was small group discussions of personal experiences of when we were included/excluded, or included/excluded others, and other discussions of appropriate boundaries. It was still cool to connect with some others there though.
By that time it was 6pm, and I was starting to get hungry and cold, so I ran back to camp to change, and went back to another seminar.
After the seminar, I danced for a long while. I saw Augusta, but she wanted to sleep with her friends that night. That was fine. I eventually went back to my camp alone to sleep. It was a slightly lonely, and cold night, and I realized that my tent wasn't as level as I thought it was.
The next morning I got up and went to another seminar: Solsara: connecting through honesty. It was AWESOME! I got there a little late, but joined in when they were pairing up and eye gazing. One guy I went with I could feel the vitality vibrating off him - he was a big bear of a man. But as we continued, I felt his sadness that no one takes care of him. Next we were to eye gaze, and only one person got to talk - just whoever decides to - about what's coming up for them. The first person I was with I told him how I was feeling tightness in my throat, how it's been a problem for a long while off and on. As I talked to him about it, I said: "I think it might have to do with my difficulty in asking for what I need. I'm very good at giving, but expressing the vulnerability of need is hard for me". Another guy I went with was very closed - tight-lipped, hard-eyed, etc. I stayed with him, open hearted, until his face softened, and his eyes started to redden. I said: "I think I'm supposed to talk about me, but, I just ... Are you hurting?" He nodded and began to cry. "Can I give you a really big hug?" He nodded, and we hugged for a long time. Another woman I went with cried as I was gazing with her. She said my eyes reminded her of her father. After the eye gazing, we lined up across from each other, sang a refrain, and did the "love walk" - you walk between the lines, and people lay loving hands on you. I think I was completely high after that. I saw Tim, walked over, and collapsed into a hug with him and the guy he was standing with. I started a bro hug that other guys got in on too :).
I got some lunch, danced a bit, wandered some more, met Emma by coming up and asking if she needed a backrest watching the dance floor. We talked for a while and found we were both going back to PDX in the same shuttle. I sat by the fire by the main stage, and heard a spoken story, and also a woman vocalizing in the background. Her voice was so pure and angelic, I had to go sit right by the stage and watch in wonder. As they finished I had tears rolling down my face. I went up and asked how to buy her album - her name is Peia. Right after that, I saw Aspen by the fire. I came up behind her and place my hands on her shoulders, said hi, and started giving her a massage. She loved it, so I gave her a longer one. We eventually moved from sitting at the fire to laying down on a blanket in the grass by the stage, caressing each other. I told her my life story with Heather, and she told me her life story with her boyfriend Jeff (I think). She's currently really confused about where they stand - they're poly, but he's the exclusive type. He's heading into a depression, and has started to take it out on her. They haven't talked in a week. We probably talked for an hour, and I gave her some of my best guesses as to what may be going on, and how to help him. Our talks wandered, and we caressed some more. At one point I heard someone say "Those two are giving out mad vibrations!" I don't know if they were talking about us or not, but I'd like to think they were :)
We decided to stay in her tent because she didn't want to be far from the music, so I want to get my sleeping bag and coats. We dropped my stuff off, and headed back towards the stage, but got sidetracked by an electric massage station. By the time we were done with that, we she was too tired to dance, so we went back to her tent. She relaxed/slept a little while we cuddled, then we had a bit of fun, then she went out to dance while I slept.
In the morning, we tried to get in on a sound healing, but it was over. Instead, there was a really cool talk from Taowhywee, Agnes Baker Pilgrim. She's a very spry old lady that has been a water activist, contributing to ridding the Rogue River of all of its dams, and now there are an unheard of number of salmon running that river.
After the seminar I went swimming in the nude swimming hole there that's right behind the main stage. It was cold water and very refreshing! I actually saw Davi there, and we ended up standing in the sun next to 3 others to dry off. Then everyone left but me and one other girl (Nicole). We hit it off really well, got some lunch, and danced, and lost each other on the dance floor. Then it was time for me to go to the return shuttle. I looked for her to say goodbye, but couldn't find her.
Back in the Shuttle, I said hi to Aspen, and sat in the back with Emma and her friend. We talked the whole way back.
(sigh) wonderful times.
I specifically booked the eco shuttle to get to this festival, because I wanted to make friends on the way. I met Tim, Brad, Augusta, Davi, Aspen, and four other people that I can't remember the names of on the way down. Brad, Davi, Augusta, and I agreed we were going to cuddle party sometime during the festival. I was sitting next to Augusta, and we both were going to camp in the far mosque, so she accompanied me there, and stayed at the site I picked while I got my stuff. I got set up, and she went to meet her friends. I saw her on my way back to the festival, and we agreed to meet up later.
I immediately wanted to go to a seminar: new to Beloved. It wasn't the introduction I expected. It was small group discussions of personal experiences of when we were included/excluded, or included/excluded others, and other discussions of appropriate boundaries. It was still cool to connect with some others there though.
By that time it was 6pm, and I was starting to get hungry and cold, so I ran back to camp to change, and went back to another seminar.
After the seminar, I danced for a long while. I saw Augusta, but she wanted to sleep with her friends that night. That was fine. I eventually went back to my camp alone to sleep. It was a slightly lonely, and cold night, and I realized that my tent wasn't as level as I thought it was.
The next morning I got up and went to another seminar: Solsara: connecting through honesty. It was AWESOME! I got there a little late, but joined in when they were pairing up and eye gazing. One guy I went with I could feel the vitality vibrating off him - he was a big bear of a man. But as we continued, I felt his sadness that no one takes care of him. Next we were to eye gaze, and only one person got to talk - just whoever decides to - about what's coming up for them. The first person I was with I told him how I was feeling tightness in my throat, how it's been a problem for a long while off and on. As I talked to him about it, I said: "I think it might have to do with my difficulty in asking for what I need. I'm very good at giving, but expressing the vulnerability of need is hard for me". Another guy I went with was very closed - tight-lipped, hard-eyed, etc. I stayed with him, open hearted, until his face softened, and his eyes started to redden. I said: "I think I'm supposed to talk about me, but, I just ... Are you hurting?" He nodded and began to cry. "Can I give you a really big hug?" He nodded, and we hugged for a long time. Another woman I went with cried as I was gazing with her. She said my eyes reminded her of her father. After the eye gazing, we lined up across from each other, sang a refrain, and did the "love walk" - you walk between the lines, and people lay loving hands on you. I think I was completely high after that. I saw Tim, walked over, and collapsed into a hug with him and the guy he was standing with. I started a bro hug that other guys got in on too :).
I got some lunch, danced a bit, wandered some more, met Emma by coming up and asking if she needed a backrest watching the dance floor. We talked for a while and found we were both going back to PDX in the same shuttle. I sat by the fire by the main stage, and heard a spoken story, and also a woman vocalizing in the background. Her voice was so pure and angelic, I had to go sit right by the stage and watch in wonder. As they finished I had tears rolling down my face. I went up and asked how to buy her album - her name is Peia. Right after that, I saw Aspen by the fire. I came up behind her and place my hands on her shoulders, said hi, and started giving her a massage. She loved it, so I gave her a longer one. We eventually moved from sitting at the fire to laying down on a blanket in the grass by the stage, caressing each other. I told her my life story with Heather, and she told me her life story with her boyfriend Jeff (I think). She's currently really confused about where they stand - they're poly, but he's the exclusive type. He's heading into a depression, and has started to take it out on her. They haven't talked in a week. We probably talked for an hour, and I gave her some of my best guesses as to what may be going on, and how to help him. Our talks wandered, and we caressed some more. At one point I heard someone say "Those two are giving out mad vibrations!" I don't know if they were talking about us or not, but I'd like to think they were :)
We decided to stay in her tent because she didn't want to be far from the music, so I want to get my sleeping bag and coats. We dropped my stuff off, and headed back towards the stage, but got sidetracked by an electric massage station. By the time we were done with that, we she was too tired to dance, so we went back to her tent. She relaxed/slept a little while we cuddled, then we had a bit of fun, then she went out to dance while I slept.
In the morning, we tried to get in on a sound healing, but it was over. Instead, there was a really cool talk from Taowhywee, Agnes Baker Pilgrim. She's a very spry old lady that has been a water activist, contributing to ridding the Rogue River of all of its dams, and now there are an unheard of number of salmon running that river.
After the seminar I went swimming in the nude swimming hole there that's right behind the main stage. It was cold water and very refreshing! I actually saw Davi there, and we ended up standing in the sun next to 3 others to dry off. Then everyone left but me and one other girl (Nicole). We hit it off really well, got some lunch, and danced, and lost each other on the dance floor. Then it was time for me to go to the return shuttle. I looked for her to say goodbye, but couldn't find her.
Back in the Shuttle, I said hi to Aspen, and sat in the back with Emma and her friend. We talked the whole way back.
(sigh) wonderful times.