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Calling all queer spirits, wild witches, flower children, sacred boundary crossers, drag spectaculars, new-age enbies, wild womxn, trans priestesses and rainbow warriors! With the greatest of pleasure, we welcome you back to our spiritual home for the Spring Equinox, and invite you to gather round the hearth at Featherstone Castle to celebrate Ostara!
Ostara is a time of new beginnings, fertility, welcoming the goddess of spring & her sister goddesses around the world, sweeping away old patterns and bringing in the new. We invite you to celebrate the theme of âcosy, conscious connectionâ together -Â strengthening friendships, building anew, reflecting on how far weâve each travelled, and on our desires still to come.
Booking opens at 7pm on the 10th February
Note! The correct gathering dates are 14th - 23rd March 2023. We got them wrong in our last email. Oops!
Featherstone lies in the magical Northumberland countryside, close to Hadrianâs Wall, the Scottish border and Haltwhistle, the geographical centre of Albion. Information on how to get to the castle can be found here
The original building dates from the 12th century and has evolved in a haphazard fashion into the beautiful castle we have come to call home. The castle is vast and atmospheric, with stone towers, open fires, ball rooms, feasting halls and a wealth of mysterious nooks and crannies. Although this is a core part of its charm, the castle is far from modern accessibility standards and this can make it challenging for people with mobility needs to navigate.
Full accessibility information can be found **here** and we welcome any access questions or enquiries at the email address below.
All meals will be vegetarian and will also cater to vegan, gluten-free and other individual dietary requirements. Accommodation is generally in shared rooms (with a very limited number of single rooms for those who cannot sleep in shared spaces). Camper vans or camping are also welcome.
Co-creation is the heart of any gathering, with individual Faeries offering a wide variety of events from drum circles, talent shows, auctions and drag balls, to workshops, walks and heart circles. You can find out more about Faerie Events **here.** If you have an idea for an event youâd like to run, you can request any equipment or support in the booking form, or bring what you need with you.
Although much of a gathering is spontaneous fabulousness, there are key teams of volunteers that provide things like food preparation, decoration, wood-chopping and welfare. Volunteering together is a great way to build friendships at the castle and to show your love and appreciation for the Faerie community. You can read more about volunteering teams here, and step up for these roles on the booking form.
Gatherings are magical, nourishing and empowering events, but at times they can also be challenging. This gathering will be 10 days long, and host up to 90 Faeries on the busiest days (generally Friday and Saturday). At times the castle can be hectic and noisy and this can be potentially overwhelming for those with sensory needs. Sharing space with Faeries with differing needs can also be triggering for some.
We strive as a radical community to be as inclusive as possible, to make adjustments, and to manifest the core principles of care for fellow fae, alongside care for ourselves. We invite you to enter this castle space with compassion for the needs of others, awareness of consent, and the preparation and tools to look after your own self-care if needed. You can find out more about what to expect at the gathering here.
We also invite you to remember that the Radical Faeries is a non-hierarchical community where we all bear equal responsibility and share the workload between us. Please offer your love and support to those that volunteer, and step up for roles where you are able.