No, I haven't forgotten to update you guys on what my trip to The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival was like, I just needed some time and space to put it all together into a blog post.
For those of you who read or stumble upon my blog and aren't familiar with me, or don't know, I went to Michigan to camp in the woods with some friends of mine. This was pretty big for me, because on a whole, I don't do to well without the modern trappings of life. Air conditioning, warm showers, brushed teeth…all things I highly value in life :). Fest would be life without some of those things, although they do have running water, so lets be thankful for what we do have shall we…
The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (lovingly referred to as Michfest by attendees) is a festival over 30 years old that occurs each August outside of Hart, Michigan. I heard about it through a couple of friends of mine that play World of Warcraft with me. As soon as they mentioned it, I was so on board. It is a festival that only women who were born women and are living as women can attend. Okay that part scared me to be honest, I'm not famous for getting along with women…but yeah, I was like okay I can chill with the women for a week should be fun, opportunity to meet some really cool people, I was on board.
So I bought my ticket, squealed like a little girl when it came in the mail, launched into hours of planning and shopping and off I went!
The festival is a week long, in northern Michigan. This meant it could be hot, it could snow….so I packed accordingly. I was not prepared to get completely drenched and covered in rain from the time I hit "The Land" until I got my tent pitched. It was AWFUL. I was certain I had made a serious error of judgement and in 6hrs I would be home, warm, in front of my computer and back to reality…but I wanted to meet my friends so I stuck it out.
There isn't anything I can put here that would describe for you the wonder of Michfest. If you are female, and especially if you are a Lesbian, you should be required to attend at least one fest. You know how you have to do your Haj if you're muslim? You should have to do fest if you're a lesbian. There should be a special title like you get when you do your Haj. Everyone should have to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
Never in my life have I felt so safe and secure. I could walk in the woods in the dark without fear of anything other than a crazy raccoon. There were no axe murderers waiting for some innocent woman to hit their woods. There were no men waiting to kidnap and rape me. There was laughter, and singing, and drumming, and talking, and whispering, and moaning, and SNORING. It was wonderful. The music of the woods mingling with the music of the women. Their voices carried on the backs of crickets and birds and winds and breezes. Light rain, and thunderstorms. Cold air, and meteor showers combined at firepits filled with women sharing.
Women sharing….everything. Sharing tents, and showers, and blankets, chairs, smokes, soap, food, laughter, tears, songs, hugs, soft touches, warm smiles, shrill laughter, soft chuckles, quiet moans…girls running free laughing and playing with new friends made and trusting adults they had never met to get them to their mothers.
There were amazing stories that made me pee myself laughing and amazing stories that made my eyes well up with tears. I remember the opening ceremony, sitting in a chair listening to one of the performers sing Bob Marley with tears streaming down my face. Staring up at the sky filled with stars and feeling eternally small and entirely huge at the same time. Sitting at the firepit listening to the women around me chatter and laugh just soaking it all in. Not wanting to miss a single moment of a single day.
It is virtually impossible for me to explain to you with any kind of accuracy or sufficiency what Fest is. I could tell you stories, believe me, there are stories…but they don't tell you what Fest is. I could show you pictures, beautiful pictures, but they won't show you what Fest is. If you've never been, you'll never know. Everyone's Fest is different, I was there with two friends and their Fest was insanely different from mine. There were thousands of women there and not a single woman had the same Fest as the next. Sure, we heard the same songs, saw the same performers, went to the same workshops, but we didn't have the same Fest.
Even my words here, in this space I call home don't do Fest justice. It all seems so superficial and cliché and inadequate all at the same time. Its like trying to describe what God looks like….you just can't. I am sure that this is why it has taken me so long to write, and positive that this is why the womyn simply call the Land the Land and call Michfest home.
Go..if you're a woman, Go. Grab your sisters, and your friends, and your daughters, and Go.
I'm sure I'll see you there :)
