Envision this: Mist rises off of the river and up over the rolling hills. Sunbeams dance around the dew-covered magnolia and pine forest as the wake-up call of mourning doves and chickadees echo through the land. The embers of the sacred fire burn low and slow, while the kitchen is a’bustlin with warm people and hot tea.
It’s early morning on a setup day at the Wild Human Preserve, and Firefly’s Annual Gathering is just a seed in the dark soil. It is the worktraders who collectively nurture this seed into a multilayered and thriving forest. From the folks digging trenches to those coordinating with local farms; the people tending the youth to those tying knots and raising tarps: worktraders water and give life to the Firefly ecosystem.
Worktrading is a way to bypass the monetary system and trade your time and energy directly for entry into the gathering. For every interest and skill set, there is a worktrade position, for it takes a village for the Firefly fairy tale to come alive.
Our setup days begin with an ecstatic dance wave in the barn – a moment to ground ourselves into the rhythm of a new day, to laugh and connect our bodies with the land (optional, though highly recommended, as these playlists have been co-curated with love over many moons!). As the music fades, the delicious aromas of breakfast – prepared by the ever so talented chef, Jeremy Salig and his kitchen crew – pull us out of the barn and to the top of the hill. We gather ‘round the home-cooked local goodness and fuel ourselves for the day to come.
After breakfast we circle up in the pines to bring our hearts and minds together and touch base on the day’s tasks. The whirlwind of work-flow starts and the fun is only just beginning.
Each crew sets off to different parts of the land with very different projects to do, though with a shared mission: to make the wheels of Firefly turn. Soon enough, we find ourselves feeding our bodies well with a delicious and nourishing lunch. We like to play as much as we like to work, so sunny summer afternoons are for communal siestas and cooling down on the shores of the beautiful Toe River.
Thanks to the abundance of daylight, we pick work back up where we left off and throw down for a few more hours before it’s time for a hearty dinner just as dusk sets in.
Our evenings are spent resting and recouping, enjoying cuddle puddles on sheepskins around the fire, singing songs and playing games, having deep talks and even deeper belly laughs. The comradery that forms every year between the members of the worktrade crew and staff is heartwarming, and truly one of the best parts of the entire Gathering!
The Firefly Gathering could not be without our beloved worktraders, an ever-evolving group of people walking unique paths with diverse passions and purposes who come together in devotion of learning and living the skills that bring us closer to ourselves and this wonderful web of life.
Get yourself behind the scenes and be part of the experience or celebrate the fruits of worktrade by attending and enjoying the Gathering. Apply to worktrade, or buy your pass to the Annual Firefly Gathering today!
Meet Anna Del Amor, Worktrade Coordinator for the 2025 Annual Firefly Gathering
