OUR ACTIVITIES

Once in a Blue Moon

Seven times in 19 years there is a thirteenth moon; the Blue moon. This year, December 11, 2000 there was one. And of course we had a special celebration that evening. It needed some preparations too make this evening successful. We wanted to let the city of Harderwijk know we were still alive and kicking, although it seemed that we flew away on our brooms lately. But we were still doing our witchy things in a smaller group. And because this was a special moon we decided to take this opportunity to renew our creativity, do a little bonding and let the city know that the witty witches were still in town.

When the moon was new we gathered to make our wicked plans. In the centre of our town is a little park with a little pedestal that has recently been confiscated by a group of artists and cultural organisations. Within every moon appears another artwork of one of them. So luckily we were given this project for the Blue moon.

We started out to make replica's of each others breasts. Our bodies were covered with plaster and so was the room, our clothes and everything around us. We painted them with all kind of decorations. The first step had been done.

Monday 11 we gathered at Piens place for our Blue Moon event. First of all we had a good meal and took back some memories about the last Blue moon, seven years ago.

The Tree-moon was the last moon before the longest night. The theme was to let go of the harvest of last year end let the good things catch fire, so we can transform them to a potential for the new season and use it to let the new harvest grow.
The tarot card we picked was 'the Tower', which tells us we have to destroy our old and outdated principles to discover the right foundation to build our new standards. Transformation again! We discussed this items according ourselves and the group and suddenly it was a quarter before midnight.

Quickly we collected our breasts, the balloons and everything else we needed to place our witchy work of art on the forgotten pedestal. It was rainy and windy when we came there. Together we composed the 13 pairs of breasts in the grass to a witch-circle. We connected them together, like we are connected to each other. On the pedestal we put a pile of firewood, ready to set fire to. Thirteen balloons symbolized the Blue moon. When this job was done, we lightened the candles and the incense. We drank the witch potion Krijnie prepared especially for this occasion. Then we made a circle, together with husbands, friends and a reporter of the local newspaper who all accidentally passed by. Together we yelled at the moon and to Katinka, one of our witches who is in Thailand at this moment. She said she would send her breasts along with the moon, so we could catch them for her at midnight.

It was time to say goodbye to our work of art, time to let it go, give it away and discover what our 'Breast-taking' can harvest in the next moon, the next season and the next year.

Differences

On February 23, the witches of Herderewich will pay a visit at the Gentlemens dispute Group. There we will talk about the differences as well as the things that bind us. We will let you know how it has been!

Tree-Top.com

Remember this! It was the 29th of august, 16.00 hours, when we launched the tree-top.com site in the air! We as the fairy ring and our children blessed this adventure on the internet and wished for wisdom, for succes, while we let go big balloons in the air, wherever the wind would take them. After that we celebrated the event with champagne and homemade food, made a big fire and partied the night away!

Our poster story

In the beginning of our time, when we made fires outside on the beach or in the garden, people called the police a couple of times. Maybe you don't know this but in Froggyland making an open fire is forbidden.
After a couple of times, the police adviced us to ask the mayor and his corporation for a special permission for our monthly fire. So we did explain our wishes in a letter, and before we knew it we were big news in town.
We got a hearing in the townhall with a municipal official, radio and newspapers, and even some one from the real wicca movement came to the hearing. Most witches keep it secret so everybody was shocked and surprised, even the wicca movement thought we were not 'real' witches. Because everybody made such a big deal out of it we came to the hearing with our broomsticks and funny "witch-noses". It was the funniest hearing ever in our townhall, but we didn't get our permit.

When we gathered to make up our minds how to react on all this, (at that time even the television was interested, even newspapers abroad!) we came up with the idea to make a poster and spread them all over town. To provoke, tickle and stimulate the community, and the local authorities.
We chose not to go on television or react to other newspapers, but to spread our ideas on a poster, which is illegal too. By the way, of course we never stopped making fires. Naughty, naughty naughty!!

Some poster statements

Because we like to play with our language, it's almost impossible to translate for me. Soon I want to scan the original posters and place them on the site, minimalized.

"Plug jij in mei, plug ik in jou"

"Met modder aan je vleugels kun je niet vliegen"

"Het zijn xtc-tijden!"

Reactions

After every night when we made our little illegal trips into town to spread our posters, (which was quite exciting for us), we got reactions from newspapers and people.
Someone even made a poem about us, and we want to share this one with you:

Heksen

Ziet u ze nog wel eens vliegen,
die heksen hier uit Harderwijk,
die vorig jaar de media trotseerden,
of namen ze daarna de wijk?

's Avonds starend voor het raam
zie ik alleen de volle maan
geen heksen meer die in het licht
op bezems door het luchtruim gaan

Eerder stookten ze wel eens vuur
op strandjes of in het bos
geen heksenkringen vind ik meer
slechts verlaten plekken in het mos

Kom, dames, heren heksen
stook op uw vuur en braad
voor ons nog eens een ambtenaar
straks is't wellicht te laat

Kom, meng nog eens een gifje
van spinnen en van padden
en grijp nog eens zo'n harderwijker
onverwacht bij zijn kladden

Of zijn ze ook wellicht verhuisd
inmiddels naar de polder
en vliegen ze daar 's avonds rond
en maken keet en kolder

Kom dames, heren, smeek ik u
kom terug als u dat wil
en tover wat leven in de stadswei
hier is het veel te stil

TIM