Blessed by Unicorns

I have always loved community - the delight of working together, the sense of shared purpose and experience, the whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts. I have left the communities of my homeland, and now I am blessed with my living community of Frome, and the wider community of Unicorn Camps. I feel a unicorn has bent down and blessed my soul with his horn.

I first heard of Unicorn Camps when I was in the Sahara Desert. Three years ago, on a wonderful journey-cum-retreat led by Alan Heeks, people kept talking about Voice Camp. The very idea of combining two of my favourite occupations had me asking questions. Once I knew it was real camping and unaccompanied group singing I floated off into a vision of heaven. But I was nearing the end of my four-year sojourn in the UK, soon to head back to New Zealand, so I set my dream aside.

Less than a year later I found myself back in the UK, living in Somerset. The same fellow desert-travellers had let me into another of their glorious secrets - Frome. A clutter clearer by profession and passion, I was asked by the Frome-based Creativity Team if I would look after the store tent at Voice Camp. Then some Dance Campers, two women I had met through studying 7 Words, begged me to join their Creativity Team as well. It seemed much too generous a gift to give myself, to go to both camps, but I was being challenged by life to exercise my ability to receive abundance, so I did.

By the third day of Voice Camp I was in my stride, relishing the mix of spirit and song, drumming and dance, ceremony and concert, fires and friendships. Dance Camp (or Peace Through the Arts as it's properly called) wasn't love at first sight for me, but the Dances of Universal Peace grew on me, and the routine of daily Sufi Meditations fed my soul. Being someone who likes to get things going then pass on the reins, I agreed to oversee the store tent one more year at Voice Camp. My 2008 Camp was very much less demanding because of all the sorting done the previous year, especially the mammoth sift and record session by the whole of the Dance Camp Creativity Team at the end of the 2007 camps.

I found myself more able to enter other aspects of camp life, receiving from giving and giving into receiving. I joined some lunchtime discussions about living sustainably and found myself amidst some of the most inspiring and influential people in the field. As I walked from the final gathering I decided I had to rejoin this group next year. I had been considering doing something different - a festival, or another sort of camp, but suddenly I felt part of a community I wanted to commit to.

Passing on my passion and skill as a clutter clearer was also a joy. My offerings into the Water Aid auction brought me into contact with two women who shared their challenges and frustrations in exchange for some motivation, skills and new understanding. And I enjoyed the passing sense of community created by the daring people who responded to my Fringe offer to discuss how to declutter and simplify life.

I have always loved community - the delight of working together, the sense of shared purpose and experience, the whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts. I have left the communities of my homeland, and now I am blessed with my living community of Frome, and the wider community of Unicorn Camps. I feel a unicorn has bent down and blessed my soul with his horn.

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