[Artemisia] Planning events (longish response)

[Sue Clemenger]

I'm sorry I didn't get around to answering this very interesting 
question earlier, but perhaps my delayed response will revive the 
thread! <g>
1.  I've never noticed any particular pattern to the times at which 
those really special moments happen, although I'm not a 
bright-middle-of-day person, so perhaps less then than others.  I could 
venture a guess that twilight times (early morning, evenings) or night 
kinda lend themselves to the non-mundane a little more, but that's just 
random blather on my part.
2.  Magic Moments (MM's) can happen anytime--sometimes random, sometimes 
scheduled.  They're just a gift from the universe, I think, and not 
something that can be penciled in on a calendar.  That said, though, I 
do think that one can...prepare...for a MM.  There are ways to make the 
occurence more likely.  And a person needs to be *aware* of things, 
alert to the possibilities of the moment, instead of all narrowly 
focused on what they *think* a MM should be.  Which may be some part of 
why people can be so...disappointed about holidays or getting married or 
anything that our culture hypes so strongly.  We're expecting 
*big*splashy*event*A* and what we're missing are the quieter, but no 
less precious moments.
In my never-humble opinion <g>, SCA events are certainly a venue at 
which MM can happen, although far from the only one.  And I think we all 
need to do our bits to help increase the likelihood of special memories 
being created.  And I do mean all of us, taking turns to help run an 
event, or clean up, or organize, or run an office, or whatever, lest we 
turn into something almost crass.
I'm sure there are as many definitions of the SCA as there as 
definitions of MM's <g>, but one of the very best aspects of the SCA, 
for me, at least, is this amazing, creative evolution its members share 
in.  We're not *less* than a strictly historical reenactment group, 
we're *more*, because we allow ourselves and our friends to play and 
create and experiment, and it's quite okay for a 14th c. authenticist to 
be hanging out with folks in American Tribal, and eating a 16th c. 
English feast.  The possibilities are endless.....
--maire
oh, random magic moments from maire:
1.  Yuri's knighting under the trees.  Was that the coolest, or what?
2.  Preparing dinner at the Abbey this year, and listening to live 
musicians singing/playing period music.
3.  Waking up before dawn at Uprising last year, and watching the sun 
come up and hearing the roosters crow....
4.  Putting on my first Elizabethan.
5.  Watching the Aten parade of troops at my first Estrella War.
6.  Finally getting the hang of spinning at a demo last year, thanks to 
Lady Ceridwenn.
7.  Being in York Minster on a random day in August a couple of years 
ago, and hearing the building sing back to a choir of young people 
having an unscheduled concert.
8.  Looking through the clouds below the airplane, and seeing the entire 
island of Ireland, all at once.

What are some of *your* favorite moments?

Niccolo asked:

> I don't know about you, but sometimes I see the SCA as
> a business, and our #1 product is memories.  The top
> of the line are those "magic" moments.  I won't try to
> define them -- like being in love, you know when
> you're there.  But, two questions:
> 
> 1.  What time of day do you find magic times happen
> for you?
> 
> 2.  Do you find magic times usually happen during
> scheduled happenings, or outside of them?
> 
> Of course, there's an agenda here -- are our events
> making time for magic times?
>