EPISODE 79: ON THE EDGE OF THE AFTERMATH.

Welcome to my blog which knows that while we are attaching the word 'success' to the event, the truth is it was close on being a disaster. Maybe it was just that; a few thousand pounds lost, a partner threatening to leave me, an ex-partner who innocently worked her guts out to help me abandoned and distraught and everyone knackered. It is a truism but how close the difference between opposites!

The aftermath hasn't quite begun; no account done, no story made, no review of the realities, nothing more than feelings. The best feeling was watching Copperdollar arrive at the Market Cross. That was the spectacular moment I wanted to create that made it all worthwhile. Quite honestly, without that moment, it would have been failure and disappointment. That's not to say that nothing else worked. The talks were good but poorly attended. The same applies to the kids programs. The stands didn't work at all, the art exhibition was badly laid out and ill-explained, the food was over-priced and over bought and the play interrupted by the rude cries of football supporters. The mexicans were a laugh but wouldn't have carried the night. Bob Heath was sweet.

PROPOSAL ONE: 6/9/11.

1.0  GOAL:

To set up, organize and manage, an annual Glastonbury Day of the Dead Event beginning on November 3^rd 2012. This event will loosely resemble the Mexican El Dia Del Muertos¹ and have a similar purpose.

1.1  PURPOSES:

1.       To Celebrate and Remember the Dead

2.       To Acknowledge Death

3.       To Party with the Past

4.       To Encourage the Community to communally enter the chthonic liminal.

1.2  AIMS:

To have a town party celebrating the dead.

To provide death education and encourage discussion of death issues.

To consider the future of death and dying in the community.

1.3  FORM:

EVENTS, TALKS, ART EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCE, WORKSHOPS. RITUAL, DANCE, MUSIC, ETC with the theme ‘celebrating the dead’.

1.4  FOR WHOM:

For all, at whatever level they want to take it: an extension of Halloween for the kids, a melodramatic theme for the creative, another excuse to party for the energetic, a meditation for the spiritual, a rare chance to be included for the dead, a release for the grieving, an education for many, and an opportunity for all to take part in one of the most fundamental rituals that bind societies, the remembrance of group loss and the coming together and repairing after death.

The Mexican Day of Death arises out of a mixture of beliefs and traditions, primarily Christian and Aztec. Modern Glastonbury holds many beliefs but the majority of the people are culturally Christian.  Although there is nothing unchristian in the Day of the Dead – which is the equivalent of the catholic All Souls Day – and although thousands of tourists from all over the world now visit Mexico and the USA for such days, it is new to Glastonbury and needs to be unrolled respectfully. Inclusiveness is essential and this will be shown in the programming and advertising of events.

1.5  WHO WILL COME AND WHY?

Year one will be pitched as a Glastonbury/Mendip event though Bristol, Bath and Somerset residents are all within reach. With decent publicity, there will be coverage and curiousity for an event presented as entertainment and education. By appealing to very different groups and by encouraging any organizations connected with Death (and there are many!) to offer their own contributions, pre and post the actual day, a fair degree of local interest can be engendered.

Reading the above just now is quite surprising because 14 months later, I produced more or less what I aimed for. Last night I read through Fritz's book, the one that started all this, trying to find out how to finish it.

'The completion stage calls for declaration. You, as the creator of and authority on your own vision, can declare that the creation is complete. At this point you are able to formally recognize that the creation matches your vision of the creation; you may even say aloud, 'It is done!'

'In this stage of the creative process your creation is complete. There is no more to do. The creation exists. Now you develop a different relationship with your creation than you had when you were working on it. Now you are the audience for your creation. You are able to evaluate your creation as if you did not create it and to relate to your creation by virtue of its own merits.

During the last 48 hours, a number of people have mentioned next year. Next year! I can see that they are enthusaistic and each person could see how their interest could have been done better - which is good. For me, it is too early and I recognize the importance of completing the first one and then seeing whether there is the desire to make a different, similar, creation. Of course I can see the value of tying up the pieces and building for the future now, while it is fresh in our minds, but that isn't me committing to doing it again, yet. Also, as diligent readers of this journal would know, I wasn't actually trying to create a Day of the Dead when I began all this for my intention was to become a successful writer.

So it goes.

Been listening to Karl Jenkins 'Benedictus'; cried and cried, awed by what I have done. I don't know why.