The Moot

So here I am - post Moot. It was good! I enjoyed it, although I had had a horrid day and was feeling fragile; Often the case when called upon to sparkle eh?

I was incredibly anxious about finding my way into Nottingham city centre as I have a weird sort of directional blindness - cant tell my left from my right, tend to invert the bass and the soprano lines when playing four part harmonies on the piano, get letters in the wrong order when writing. All the letters are there - just not necessarily in the right order. So I was scared to death of getting it wrong and ending up, due to fiendish city one way systems, on the way to Lancaster! However I did arrive, hungry and tired.

Managed to park in a desolate multi storey - big scary place with a bus station underneath it (more panics - I don't do cities very well being a country bumpkin; hayseed; obligatory straw in the hair) and found my way to the pub. The oldest pub in the country apparently.

First thing I felt was TOTALLY OVERDRESSED. I mean seriously standing out like a sore thumb, but hey I looked good! Pub had stopped serving food (at 7.30?!?)so my dinner was a bag of crisps and a white wine and soda. They did offer Mcoys or Walkers so I was able to go for the more filling option (ironic laugh). I met the Moot Chieftain and he introduced me to the assembled gothy types, purple hair and piercings. They were all bright, intelligent and very friendly. One thing I do like about Pagans is that the 'light is on'. As a group they are alert, interested and sparky. Lots of 'Histrionics' 'Antisocials' and performance junkies, a love of the theatrical. They are generally funny, articulate and don't give a damn about what people think. Cool!

After scarfing down the crisps we all toddled off to the 'church hall' next door. It really was a church hall with "The highest righteousness is Truth" emblazoned across the wall behind the Platform/Stage. It had the same musty smell, same back breaking chairs, same guy on the door meeting and greeting, the same announcements of up and coming events (cue psycho music). De ja vue - for those of you that don't know me I come from a non conformist church background "The Delphs" (real title of denomination thinly disguised) so this was all eerily similar.

However ..... it soon managed to diverge from the Delph path. Dress for a start off. Its hats and veils for the ladies at Delph meetings, suits and ties for the gents. Here it was wonderful flowing robes, witchy jewelery, bright hair dyes and 'in your face goddess wear' for the gals and (by and large) jeans and pagan t-shirts for the guys. One fella was in a skirt, he had a big green man beard, long flowing grey hair, embroidered velvet top and ... a pink tutu. However that was not the worst of it, the outfit was completed by bright pink ankle socks and sandals. As you know socks and sandals are not the best of looks at any time but bright pink ones! But you know what - so what! He was a confident articulate man and he also did not give a flying 'fish' (one f word is as good as another).

The lecture was on Quantum Thinking - how magick works. It was awesome. I have sat through many a tedious lecture in church halls but this was nothing like them. Multi media presentation with two interactive pieces between the speaker and himself on a video loop thingy - explaining time reversal symmetry etc etc. We learnt about waves and particles and how human observation actually changes waves into particles, we learn how we co create reality, about 'plankt scale' (?), the vast energy and potentiality of the atom and how we are all connected. It really was mind expanding. Plus funny. Plus spiritual. Plus relaxed and respectful - really really good! Left me feeling warm, gave me the science behind what i already know to be true. Great stuff.

Next Moot is about elaborate pumpkin carving (bring own knife). One after that is belly dancing (bring own drum - and presumably a belly). I hope to go again, although if someone does not walk me back to the car park I probably wont. The journey back there was intimidating. I don't like desolate, empty, scary city places that smell faintly of urine and the walk to the car park was a bit harrowing. Oh and I went round the ring road three times before I found my way back out to the Derby Road (Brian Clough Way - wey hey!)and home.

So there you have it, my Moot experience - I look forward to my next trip to wierdy central; my papers to join the Pagan Federation hot foot it to the post box today and I feel rather smiley about it all. You cant beat a beard - and there is a certain easy going energy about people that regularly dress up and let their inner child come out to play... the cider helps too.