I’m now going to attempt the impossible and try to sum up over 24 hours of talks, discussions, occasional disagreements, meeting famous people that we’d seen on TV, generally walking into a woman that you no we’ll be full of people who are on your wavelengths. You don’t really have to introduce yourself, you just start off in whatever gear you feel like and someone will be there just support and listen to you.

Originally I was going to be busy over the three days of the  conference that ran from the 27th to the 29th of September but events elsewhere did not go to plan leaving me with three days free time. I’m very glad that was the case. We decided to book for one day which cost us a hundred pounds each and then the management offered an upgrade for the second and third day of £50 a head which we accepted with alacrity.

We arose early at 6:15 a.m. to catch the bus that arrived in Bath just after 8 o’clock and for breakfast we thought we would treat ourselves to a Weatherspoon’s special. I was intrigued to note that the prices are not consistent from outlet to outlet. For example if I want to buy a Freedom breakfast which is a good old fry up it’s £3.95 in Midsomer Norton but only £2.95 in Bath. We were starting our meal when a young man turned up and sat at the next table.   He had a huge pack on him which contained all his worldly goods he having sold up everything and made the decision to travel the world. Whether the Airlines will accommodate his 30 kilogram backpack remains to be seen.

I could hardly lift it. I do enjoy arriving at conferences early. The atmosphere is very fresh, a lot of people who haven’t met each other are hugging and exchanging information, people are setting up their stalls and exchanging trade gossip.  About 24 speakers there was quite a high proportion originating in the United States of America. There are some American habits that don’t import very well to the United Kingdom which is more staid. I don’t like it when a speaker says ‘are we all happy to be here’ to which the audience is expected to respond with an almighty yes. I did speak to Derek Broze, one of the organizers, to say that it could be assumed that people were there and there was no need to ask them and get the usual chorus of whoops.

Basically everybody wanted a change from the current structures of power that are predominating at the moment so everyone was on the same page so speaking to them was a bit like preaching to require but nevertheless, important points needed to be made and then made again. It is fair to say that we were aware of most of the information given in the talks but that is not quite the point. It’s who says it, why they say it, and the juncture in life when the words are heard. You can sometimes hear a statement which leaves you cold come other reason being is that you are not ready for it and then the next time you hear the same statement it poleaxes you into action.

90% of the benefit was obtained in meeting people that I knew through the internet but hadn’t met for some time. The point is that email and zoom is a very distant second and third best to actually meeting people with all the interaction chemistry that that involves.  Also people tend to open up more with strangers so after five minutes preliminary chat you can really get down to it and have a meaningful conversation with all spiritual perspectives and parameters included. This is deeply satisfying and self-affirming for me as a human being