It's National Coming Out Month everybody! This Sunday Spread is dedicated to defining our boundaries, expressing our needs, and honoring our identities.
Coming Out
Tarot Tuesday: Do you believe?
Morning COM|PASSionate REVOLUTIONARIES and Tarot-ists!
Read: "Tarot-ists" out loud. I kind of love it. It came up serendipitously awhile back referring to the ever lovely, Kaeti Gugiu. I was referring to her wisdom or singing her praises (as often happens) and laughed to myself at the sound of what I had written.
I erased it.
Then I re-wrote it.
This process of experiencing whatever has presented itself to us, feeling shame/doubt/insecurity about it, and then re-learning to trust ( and see) it's purpose can be a challenge. It can be especially challenging for those of us that are often told our internal experiences are wrong-- those of us that hold queerness in our ascribed identities, are attributed queerness by normative privileging, and feel the power and draw towards radical alternative healing.
Tarot and other intuitive forms of wisdom and healing are often distrusted in our worlds and, subsequently, distrusted in ourselves. We're seen as healthy functional adults if we're compliant with our prescription for blood pressure medication (even with it's list of negative side effects) as we rush off to work. On the other hand an eye brow is raised skeptically at us if we pause in times of stress to pull some tarot, check in with the cycle of the moon, or read our astrological report (which might tell us to take a breath, slow down, or focus on some self-care). The clear and simple act of checking in (and listening) to our minds, bodies, and spirits can be interpreted as (and in some ways are) radical and political- direct action efforts to deconstruct the power structures of institutional violence and oppression as they stand.
Andi Grace takes this challenge of remaining in trust on in her piece "Coming out of the 'Woo Closet': facing shame, stigma, and historical trauma." Connecting it at the point of multiple intersections:
I see the woo closet as being composed of several parts: historical trauma that has roots in the witch burnings, the stigmatization of neuro-atypical mental states, and also the legacy and present day impacts of colonization – specifically as it relates to spirituality and conceptions of knowledge and knowing.
She spins a vision of a future where we return to this trust:
And then of course I wonder, what if we didn’t wait? What if we unabashedly came out as the magical, powerful creatures we know ourselves to be in our dreams and our hearts? What if we said to ourselves today and every day, “I am a powerful witch” and actually took responsibility for what that knowledge means?
That would be the beginning of some powerful unspelling.
So consider it with me, what can you do to unspell capitalism, racism, patriarchy, cis-sexism, homophobia, ableism and colonization?
Cause I see you. And I believe you are powerful beyond measure..
And I believe that are you more than capable of making beautiful magic.
So amateur tarot-ists, lurking about the playshop! Speak up! Speak out! Organize protests against narratives that don't honor your heart and spirit. Engage in solitary sit ins when self care calls for hibernation. Trust your cards and your wisdom and your magick! Come out of the "woo closet" with us!
In love + light + "woo woo" sound bites,
Traci
———-
Traci {She|Her|Hers|They|Them|Theirs} is a yoga teacher, therapist and amateur tarot enthusiast! They try to believe in the power of their inner Magician, stay inspired by the Fool’s spirit, understand struggle through the lens of The Tower/Disaster and always stay reminded that, “The Star Awaits…”
———-
There are photographs in this post that were borrowed lovingly from the internet and do not belong to us. All are linked and credited to the best of our abilities in hopes of attracting more traffic to the photographers and websites who have blessed us with this imagery. The inclusion of a photograph here should not be interpreted as an assertion of the subject’s or artist’s identity or beliefs. If there is a photo included here that belongs to you and you want it removed, please email compassionaterevolt@gmail.com and it will be removed promptly, no questions asked.
Isn't it Queer?: Our Legion of Closets
We live in a wounded culture, one where each of us is required to not just "be in the [proverbial] closet," about who we choose to love, but also to create a legion of closets within which we are required to confine our personal interests. One closet, say the one where we hide our sparkly, faux, patent-leather, unicorn-shaped paddle for our weekly spankings may not be the same closet in which we hide our lipstick, platform heels, and formidable piles of sequins, from our straight male friends. One closet you may have the unbelievable strength to keep, is the one in which we hide our volcanic desire to live authentically, the one that drives us to show up for eight hours, armed to the toes, in black ballet flats and/or presentable button up shirts, rather than follow artistic wiles to do something genuine and inspiring... I call that one the career closet. Our identities are so begrudgingly entangled in the roles we are taught to play in order to survive, that we begin to believe that performing our roles in a satisfactory manner, makes us worthy of love and connection. No wonder so many of us feel trapped. Which is why for today's entry I bring you, my lovely rainbow warriors, some of history's most prolific radical artists and poets. These two women, Audre Lorde and Frida Kahlo both felt the unbearable tearing of their culture's expectations. Both women rebelled and healed their wounds, with extraordinary art. Enjoy:
Kahlo, a radical supporter of the Mexican Revolution and the Communist movement in the 1940's, and an openly bi-sexual woman, is now famous for her viscerally painted depictions of herself drenched in constant symbolic limbo, torn between two worlds. In Los Dos Fridas (1939), she depicts herself twice, her westernized self tries to stop the gushing of her blood from her open vein with surgical tools, as her somber insides soak her European style garb. Opposite herself, her indigenous self, holds her hand and continues to provide blood and life force to sustain both of them.
{Arbol de Esperanza (1946)}
Advice on surviving love and life from a compassionate revolutionary:
" Leaving is not enough. You must stay gone. Train your heart like a dog. Change the locks even on the house he’s never visited. You lucky, lucky girl. You have an apartment just your size. A bathtub full of tea. A heart the size of Arizona, but not nearly so arid. Don’t wish away your cracked past, your crooked toes, your problems are paper mache puppets you made or bought because the vendor at the market was so compelling you just had to have them. You had to have him. And you did. And now you pull down the bridge between your houses, you make him call before he visits, you take a lover for granted, you take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic. Make the first bottle you consume in this place a relic. Place it on whatever altar you fashion with a knife and five cranberries. Don’t lose too much weight. Stupid girls are always trying to disappear as revenge. And you are not stupid. You loved a man with more hands than a parade of beggars, and here you stand. Heart like a four-poster bed. Heart like a canvas. Heart leaking something so strong they can smell it in the street."
Audre Lorde: "Revolution is not a one time event."
Audre Lorde, a black, lesbian, feminist, born of Caribbean immigrants and raised in Harlem, set a new precedent for activists and writers, regarding the intersectionality of oppressions in 1950-60s American culture. In Sister Outsider (1976-1984), she wrote,
“I find I am constantly being encouraged to pluck out some one aspect of myself and present this as the meaningful whole, eclipsing or denying the other parts of self.”
Bold spirited and relentlessly honest, Lorde's poem Who Said It Was Simple (1973), concisely illustrates her disillusionment with white feminist colleagues, unaware of the blatant racism they witnessed, while they planned a women's right's demonstration (Irony loves those of us with the best intentions):
Who Said It Was Simple (1970)
"There are so many roots to the tree of anger
that sometimes the branches shatter
before they bear.
Sitting in Nedicks
the women rally before they march
discussing the problematic girls
they hire to make them free.
An almost white counterman passes
a waiting brother to serve them first
and the ladies neither notice nor reject
the slighter pleasures of their slavery.
But I who am bound by my mirror
as well as my bed
see causes in colour
as well as sex
and sit here wondering
which me will survive
all these liberations.
Words from Lorde on how to heal during your many revolutions and rebirths:
For Each of You (1968)
"Be who you are and will be learn to cherish that boisterous Black Angel that drives you up one day and down another protecting the place where your power rises running like hot blood from the same source as your pain.
When you are hungry learn to eat whatever sustains you until morning but do not be misled by details simply because you live them.
Do not let your head deny your hands any memory of what passes through them not your eyes nor your heart everything can be used except what is wasteful (you will need to remember this when you are accused of destruction.) Even when they are dangerous examine the heart of those machines you hate before you discard them and never mourn the lack of their power lest you be condemened to relieve them. If you do not learn to hate you will never be lonely enough to love easily nor will you always be brave although it does not grow any easier
Do not pretend to convenient beliefs even when they are righteous you will never be able to defend your city while shouting.
Remember whatever pain you bring back from your dreaming but do not look for new gods in the sea nor in any part of a rainbow Each time you love love as deeply as if were forever only nothing is eternal.
Speak proudly to your children where ever you may find them tell them you are offspring of slaves and your mother was a princess in darkness. "
Simply put, none of this is simple. Sometimes the art of creating ones true self is damningly complex and painfully intricate. Braving the world outside of our closets, drawers, sometimes even wardrobes, can feel like a giftless venture, but as Lorde said, "If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive." Our expression of our pain, our passion and our anger is our vitality, and I plead with you, dear reader, to do just that. Even if it's from within your closet and you are creating from within your darkness, read, fuck, write, play, sing, dance, paint, tattoo yourself with your experiences. You are a vibrant night light of joy and you are valuable just as you were created, as quiet, as inquisitive or as queer, as you might be.
-To your personal revolts and riots and especially to your learning,
Cory
----------
Cory is a poet and novelist in the Los Angeles area. They have worked in mental health, education, social justice and fashion blogging and they aim to lead by example by bravely living an examined lifestyle.
"The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot."
Audre Lord
e
MHM Ep. 3: Disclosure
Good morning REVOLUTIONARIES! We hope that you've all been safe and well this past week! On today's podcast we're talking about the complexities and intracies of disclosure and how we can make it more affirming for those of us doing the disclosure.
You can listen here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/compassionaterevolt/MHM3_Disclosure.mp3
or on LibSyn!
We'll start with a word to our allies and the 3 C's of being safe places for folks to disclose to:
- Be Conscious- Check your privilege, know this is difficult and know that you don't have the right to this information.
- Be Considerate- Can you help everyone navigate physical environment safely, are you a safe person generally and are you using affirming and non-normative language?
- Get Consent- If someone has disclosed to you, they have disclosed to YOU only. Be respectful and honor this information.
We'll also discuss planning the best structure for our disclosure, getting clear on our needs, getting clear on the space we have to educate others and how to communicate everything clearly and succinctly.
Here are some of the links that we mention in our podcast:
- HRC Corporate Equality Index
- Lambda Legal: Know Your Rights
- Transgender Law Center
- ID, Please (CA Identity Document Change Support)
Thanks so much for listening! We hope that this was helpful and we'd love to hear your thoughts, experiences and resources as well!
In COM|PASSionate REVOLUTION,
Skye + Traci
---------
You can reach us at compassionaterevolt@gmail.com