8th Annual Fairy & Human Relations Congress
June 27 - 29, 2008
Skalitude Retreat Center ~ Twisp ~ Methow Valley ~ North Cascades ~ WA

Humans and Fairies Get Together
Review of the Fairy Congress from the local Methow Valley News
July 2, 2008

They came from far and near to celebrate and educate. Humans from Brazil, Germany, Panama, New York, California, Canada and the Pacific Northwest came from different cultures and spiritual traditions to recognize the fairy realms and to communicate and cooperate.

The 200 humans gathered at the Eighth Annual Fairy Congress near Carlton last weekend and celebrated with music, songs, dance and a colorful costume parade. They met in circles to share teachings on how to communicate with the invisible realms.

“Whistling is a traditional way to call in your fairy allies,” offered the leader of one circle. The sounds of Celtic harps, flutes, bells and drums filtered through the air. 

Throughout the three-day gathering in the Skalitude meadow, people told stories and compared traditions, visions and experiences with inter-dimensional spirit beings. Workshops offered teachings in telepathic communication with trees, shamanic journeys, and the history of fairy music and tradition.

“Everybody has misconceptions,” said event organizer Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski. “It’s a combination of fun and serious work. We believe there are intelligent beings in nature, and humans should respect nature.”

A panel and group discussion on Sunday delved into the “serious work” of building alliances with the fairy realms. People talked about mutual respect, co-creating a stewardship of earth, evolution, sacredness, and taking responsibility to be good to each other.

The 2008 theme of the Congress was “How can humans be helpful to the fairy/devic realm?" “You have to find out what the fairies think is help,” said R.J. Stewart, a Scottish author and musician. “In the fairy tradition, the way you do something is more important than what you do. Fairy things are never done in straight lines,” said Stewart.

The Fairy Congress is a gathering of people who believe in fairies and nature spirits, and they plan to return for a ninth gathering in 2009. “I love the mission,” said Orion Foxwood, a traditional “faery seer” on his fourth pilgrimage to the Congress. “It’s a living connection to the sentient presence of the land and the role and purpose of caretakers. There’s immense work being done here. It brings me back.”

The event also brings former valley resident Larry Kulick back every year from Spokane. “Ever since my eyes have been open to other realities of the world, I’ve been attracted to other realities,” said Kulick. He said he was awakened while studying the archaeology of Native Americans and became very much aware of spirits. Kulick has attended every Fairy Congress and said he’d be back next year.

- Joyce Campbell