Calling all Radical Faeries, Queer Spirits, Gay Witches, Faggot Farmers, Drag Druids, Walkers-Between-and-Beyond-Worlds, Ritual Diva Queens, Long-Time Heart Circlers, Fae Newbies, Wild Womxn, New-age and Old-age Enbies, Pagan Pansies, Lesbian Lightworkers, Transgender Priestexes, Queer Eco-Goddesses, Gender Fuckers, Shape Shifters, and Whoever Else You May Be… welcome home!
Yoo Hoo Faeries! While the earth lies quiet just before the Spring bursts into blossom the equinox is upon us and with it the return of growth in our natural world. The arrival of mother nature's growth brings the sprouting of our winter inward gazing and outward gazing into the sunshine to come. Join us in honouring and gifting our bodies and mind with the present of holistic morning movement, relaxation and contemplation while reviving, enlivening or activating our creative nature with our inventive, imaginative and primordial instinct to explore bringing art into physical form through experimental silliness and embracing our inner fools, after all are we not all artists in our own unique way?
Join us and teach us what you know and learn what you don't. How you move and how you grow.
Let’s co-create a hybrid gathering of community well-being, growth through bodily action, making art, making connections, & sharing space - whether that's in a heart circle or on the dance floor !
In the Albion Faeries we celebrate our diversity, and this includes neurodiversity. Many of us are on the autism spectrum, many of us have ADHD, and many of us live with a variety of mental health conditions. Faerie gatherings are co-created conscious communities: spaces where we can build and develop our communities. We're not clinical practitioners, and the nearest mental health crisis teams to Featherstone are in Carlisle and Newcastle which are both considerable distances away, so it's important that faeries coming to Featherstone are in a place where they're able to self-regulate, regardless of any condition they may have. Our welfare team and other participants can offer peer support, but we're not placed to deal with a mental health crisis.
Faeries with such challenges in self-regulation must contact us prior to the gathering in order to create an actionable support plan.
This is to ensure that you have the support you need, and that those doing the supporting are consenting and adequately resourced. If you come without a confirmed registration or adequate support plan, you will be asked to leave. If you refuse to leave then a circle will be called to inform the gathering transparently of the situation and further steps will be taken.
Please be aware that you may not be safe from witnessing things that might upset you; you may be kept awake by loud music, communal spaces will be very busy, and so on. We will do our best to make quiet spaces available, but we cannot always guarantee this.
The castle is a sex-positive, body-positive space. This means faeries are welcome to be naked in the castle, and you may witness faeries connecting with each other sexually. You are invited to be mindful of the faeries around you if you engage in sex or nudity at the castle - this might be by taking sexual connections to the Love Temple for example, rather than shared bedrooms.
Consent is a key aspect of the care we show for one another in faerie space - always ensure you have consent before any physical touch, sexual or not. You can read more about faerie consent here.
We ask faeries to be mindful about mind-altering substances, including being aware of our own limits and how your behaviour may change. As a sign of care for each other, we ask that you do not offer substances to anyone unless they explicitly ask for them - even if you know they have consumed that substance in the past; and even if you know they’ve consumed other substances that day. Some faeries may find being around certain substances triggering, so we ask faeries to keep their substance use discrete (using mugs for alcohol where possible) and in spaces or times agreed within the gathering. Please note that smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the castle, but feel free to smoke outside.
Whilst everyone is encouraged to take agency over their own self-care and the care of the wider community, we have welfaeries who are available to support if needed - you can read more about them here.
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, rituals, walks and heart circles. You can find out more about Faerie Events here. If you have an idea for an event you’d like to run, you can request any equipment or support in the booking form, or bring what you need with you.
Key teams of fae give service at the castle to provide us with things like meals, 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.
Over recent years, the Albion Faeries have begun a radical journey from a primarily white, gay, male community, towards a community that is more inclusive of the diverse spectrum of ethnicity, gender and sexuality that makes up queerdom.