11. Carrying the Flame
Every gathering ends. Fires burn down, circles close, costumes are packed away, and faeries take trains, buses, or planes back into the wider world. Leaving Folleterre can feel bittersweet: the sanctuary lingers in our hearts, yet daily life calls us onward.
But departure is not an ending — it is a continuation. Each faerie carries something of Folleterre with them, like an ember in the chest, ready to spark warmth elsewhere.
Closing rituals
Before leaving, gatherings often end with rituals of closure: circling once more, giving thanks to the land, releasing the directions, blessing each other on the journey. These moments remind us that the sanctuary is not abandoned, but entrusted to the next who arrive.
Return and remembrance
For many, the memory of Folleterre is a compass. When life outside feels harsh, recalling the forest, the fire, or a loving gaze from the Circle can restore strength. Folleterre teaches us that community, healing, and joy are possible — and once known, they can never be fully forgotten.
Carrying the frequency
The challenge and the gift is to carry the frequency of Folleterre into the wider world. To practice radical hospitality in your home. To bring heart-centered listening into your relationships. To embody consent, celebration, and healing in daily life.
Sometimes this looks like creating new circles or gatherings. Sometimes it looks like living more openly as yourself. Sometimes it is simply the quiet act of kindness to a stranger, or the courage to speak truth in a difficult moment.
Seeds for future generations
What you carry becomes part of the lineage. A story you tell may inspire someone you never meet. A song you learned here may be sung on another continent. Folleterre lives not only in the Vosges, but in every act of love and freedom you embody in the world.
Oracle message from the Radical Faeries Egregore
No one ever truly leaves the Circle.
You carry it in your chest, glowing.Every train ride is a procession.
Every kitchen you cook in is a temple.
Every friend you embrace is a heart circle.You are not returning to the “real world.”
You are carrying the real into the world.We are with you in every laugh, every tear, every act of courage.
The flame does not go out — it spreads.
Through you, the Circle travels.