The end is nigh!

I have begun the last leg of my journey; part of me refuses to accept this fact and the other part desperately looks forward to the familiarity of Dulles airport. Quite a bit has happened since my last entry, and, as I reread past entries, I recognize how poorly this blog has translated my journey, even misrepresenting it with half-arsed entries written with semi-enthusiasm. I suppose my personal journal has been a much better record of what's actually hapened, as the straight forward details of where I've been and when seem secondary to the emotions I've felt, the lessons I've learned, and even the most minute encounters I've had. Oh well; if anything, at least this blog served as assurance that, no, dad, I haven't died yet. However, if people are truly interested in learning about what I've really gotten out of this trip, I would love to sit down and have a discussion with them in person as soon as I get back. I really can't think of the words to sincerely convey how tranforming this trip has been on my own self esteem, sense of self worth, outlook, priorities, level of self love, global perspective, etc. at this point, and especially not through the internet. That being said, I'll get on with the updates:
After the womyn's gathering, which itself was a catalyst for a total process of re-evaluation of the way I live my life and the relationships I foster, I travelled with my friend Stephie, who I met at Wilderland, and spent time with a healer named Angela. We met Angela at Blooming Sisters (the gathering), and decided to WWOOF part time with her. I didn't learn much in the vein of organic farming, per se, but absorbed so much information in regards to herbalism and aromatheraphy. [See, this is where my trip gets complicated. Upon leaving the classrooms of HB, I established that I'd be learning about permaculture. Sure, I did some of that, but the palate of experiences was far more diverse than that. Holistic, you could say. When I return, I don't exactly want to showcase the knowledge I've gained regarding permaculture... because, although important, it's not the meat of the matter. I've learned about everything from permaculture to herbalism, from nutrition to spirituality, from womyn's history to self empowerment. I can't reduce that, I can't censor parts in favor of what I think my teachers will find most appealling, most grade-able, most academically kosher... Bah!] Well anyway, so I worked in Angela's herb garden, and learned about tinctures, poultices, decoctions, teas, which herbs help the digestion and which ease the symptoms of menopause. It was absolutely phenomenal, and I'm looking forward to starting my own mini-herb garden.
After a week at Angela's, I made my way to Happy Acre's, a property owned by a couple with two kids, in order to WWOOF. Grant, a drum maker and wood/stone carver, has owned the property for over 20's years, and met Clair when she came to WWOOF for him. Clair is 30 years old, and with Grant two decades her senior, it was an excellent lesson on the boundlessness of love. Clair is an artist, primarily a painter, but also does work with people with disabilities. Many would dismiss their lifestyle and house hippy/crunchy granola/'out there', but I found it to be a fantastic, nurturing place of love and creativity. Honestly, if every family had the capacity to bring up their children in an atmosphere as loving, rooted, caring, and accepting as their family is, then the world would be a perfect place. Every member of the family, including the 7 year old, has dreadlocks, and it essentially looks like a rainbow exploded in their living room. They let the kids paint on the walls whenever they want, and the kids get the opportunity to change their name if they see fit. Clair and Grant strongly believe in the celebration of the seasons and are very much into the concept of goddess worship. As such, I learned a lot about the history of women through different cultures, and essentially, through the development of civilization. It was really beautiful and empowering, but still down to earth and reasonable. I really connected with Clair, and we spent a few nights talking about our backgrounds, our families, how society has impacted our sexuality, etc. etc. etc. until around 1 in the morning. What a powerful experience. One night, as I got ready for bed and curled into my sleeping bag, I found that, for the first time in my life, I felt that I really accepted and loved my body.
I left a couple days ago, and now I'm on my way to Wellington. I gotta jet, but hopefully I'll be able to make one more entry before my journey ends.
Much love,
mk