COM|PASSionate Events

Happy Friday REVOLUTIONARIES! We know that posts have been a bit off kilter (and off schedule) here in our tiny little loving space on the inter webs. There's has been travel, conferences, exams and general life that has been taking up a lot of our brain, body and heart spaces recently. We're ready for some slow cooked, cell phones turned off, shoes left at the door, sleeping bags thrown on the couch for unexpected sleepovers, alarms snoozed, 2pm brunches, super low pressure hangout/chill time this way. We hope that along with all the wonderful revolution everyone is stirring that you're also making a little space for the all important deep slow breath this weekend. If you're looking for a little COM|PASSionate trouble, as always, here is our event round-up and announcements for upcoming fun community loving!!! :)

EVENTS

Get out, take care of yourself and heal in community!

• SATURDAY 3.7.15 Greet the Day Yoga, Deep Dog, Yorba Linda*
• MONDAY 3.9.15 Acoustic Flow Yoga, Deep Dog, Yorba Linda*
• WEDNESDAY 3.11.15 Midweek Mindfulness Practice, Deep Dog, Yorba Linda*

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Don't forget there's lots of upcoming ways to get involved!

• A friend of COM|PASSionate REVOLT, Maryam Rasouli, is offering counseling services for anyone that needs extra support during this difficult time that Muslims are going through via phone/in person/Skype. You can contact Maryam at 657-201-7508 or email her at mrasouli@gmail.com. Read more about Maryam on our Mental Health Resources page here and read her full bio in the post notes at the bottom of the page.
• Lewis and Clark's Gender Symposium is coming up 3/11-3/15 and we'll be dreaming of Portland. The theme of this 34th annual conference is, Material Conditions: Gender, Sexuality and Capitalism. All lectures, sessions and art shows are FREE and open to the public! Get your deconstruction on REVOLUTIONARIES!**

RECOMMENDATIONS

Feeling like some quiet time at home is what you need? 

• DARK MATTER: Courtney Klink, the Butch Goddess and our contributor of Isn't it Queer, reminded of us of some of our favorite poets/activists/all around amazing humans in her last post: Poetry Soup for Achy Souls. Dark Matter is a South Asian  performance art duo comprised of Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian. They will make you laugh, cry, think, get inspired and get accountable-- a tall order for any artist. Need a pick me up? Need some fire for movement? Need to simultaneously laugh/cry about the intersectional journey? Fall down a glorious Dark Matter bunny hole…

Dark Matter Website

Dark Matter YouTUBE

Return the Gayze (Alok Vaid-Menon)

Queer Dark Energy (Janani Balasubramanian)

In solidarity,

COM|PASSionate REVOLT

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*Events are put on by the CR Community/CR Community members. Other events are by friends of the CR Community or of interest to the CR Community. Feeling a little nervous about getting out and involved? Email us and if we can we'll make some introductions so you have a friendly face to say "Hi" to when you get there!

**Most of these events will be local to Southern CA (unless we notice an event that sets us off into road trip dreamland.) If you want to do a COM|PASSionate event round-up for your local area let us know!

***Are you an individual, meet-up or community group that has some COM|PASSionate events of your own? Email us for details on how to submit your event to our calendar!

compassionaterevolt@gmail.com

****More about Maryam****

Maryam is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT#84366.) She received her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University, Maryam has worked in various organizations dealing with issues such as trauma, abuse, domestic violence, depression, anxiety, premarital and marital matters in Orange County for the past six years. She has also provided school counseling services for the past three years. Maryam has provided counseling and case management services to diverse communities including immigrants and newly arrived refugees. She has provided counseling services for youth, adults, couples, families, and groups. Maryam also speaks on various topics dealing with psychology and counseling at colleges, high schools, elementary schools, and community events. Maryam is fluent in Farsi and Dari and is conversational in Urdu. Orange County. She received her bachelor's in Sociology with a minor in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Additionally, Maryam is a certified Prepare and Enrich Facilitator for premarital counseling, and a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. You can reach Maryam at 657-201-7508 or email her at mrasouli05@gmail.com

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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?: Poetry Soup for Achy Souls

We may be living in a culture that worships doctors and Barbies. It may be kind of shitty. We are perpetually inundated with media that is "by the cis-male for the cis-male," "tits, ass and football!" and trying to live and thrive as a marginalized identity can lend itself to feeling lonely, invisible, disenfranchised and ostracized. Sometimes our ability to swiftly jump the gender binary, despite us knowing how talented and strong that makes us, can instead make us the target of unnecessary scrutiny by the painfully uninformed. Sometimes being a person of color who embraces your hair and the darkness of your skin, rather than adopting white norms of beauty can make you an outsider, rather than the fashion pioneer that we know you are. For those of us that work in industries where the main topic of conversation with co-workers is barely able to surpass the Super Bowl commercials or whoever is currently arguing with Kim Kardashian on Twitter, it can leave us hungry for more substantial interactions and more meaningful dialogue. This is especially true for those of us living alternative lifestyles because we are already combating an un-inclusive cultural environment on top of the job problems, the I-had-a-fucking-crazy-childhood-problems, and the I can't-fucking-afford-gas problems, that everyone else is dealing with. We all need small talk to blow off steam, don't get me wrong, but how often is that small talk affirming of our non-cis, lgbtq, or poc identity? Never? Yeah me too. So for today's episode of, Isn't it Queer? I will be showcasing poetry exclusively from women of color, queer/trans/non-cis individuals, and individuals with alternative love preferences, with the intention of bringing healing food to your achy soul. Poetry is the keyhole we peer into, to find where our soul hides out when it is injured. These poems come from the pain, passion and struggle of their authors and are born with a variety of intentions. Poetry can be built with the intention of healing, of commiserating, of illuminating or of vocalizing a point of view that is overlooked by the mainstream ear. So, with love and compassionate revolution, I bring you poetry to sooth of the achy soul:

 Donna Kate Rushin

I highly recommend that every person on the planet read this incredible, groundbreaking collection of poetry and essays. This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. Here is a sample by Donna Kate Rushin, The Bridge Called My Back:

I've had enough  I'm sick of seeing and touching  Both sides of things  Sick of being the damn bridge for everybody

Nobody  Can talk to anybody  Without me Right?

I explain my mother to my father my father to my little sister  My little sister to my brother my brother to the white feminists  The white feminists to the Black church folks the Black church folks  To the Ex-hippies the ex-hippies to the Black separatists the  Black separatists to the artists the artists to my friends' parents...

Then  I've got the explain myself  To everybody

I do more translating  Than the Gawdamn U.N.

Forget it  I'm sick of it

I'm sick of filling in your gaps

Sick of being your insurance against  The isolation of your self-imposed limitations  Sick of being the crazy at your holiday dinners  Sick of being the odd one at your Sunday Brunches  Sick of being the sole Black friend to 34 individual white people

Find another connection to the rest of the world  Find something else to make you legitimate  Find some other way to be political and hip

I will not be the bridge to your womanhood  Your manhood  Your human-ness

I'm sick of reminding you not to  Close off too tight for too long

I'm sick of mediating with your worst self  On behalf you your better selves

I am sick  Of having to remind you  To breathe  Before you suffocate  Your own fool self

Forget it  Stretch or drown  Evolve or die

The bridge I must be  Is the bridge to my own power  I must translate  My own fears  Mediate  My own weaknesses

I must be the bridge to nowhere  But my true self  And then  I will be useful

 I personally adore this piece because of it's affirming nature. The message that we are not obligated to be people's interpreters or curators but they are instead obligated to research and explore the things they do not understand. Sometimes I read this one mid-workday to remind me not to take on other people's ignorance as my personal battle.

 Janani Balasubramanian

Now, dear readers, let's hear some spoken word. Go on Poet, don't be nice! Poet and author, Janani Balasubramanian's, “trans/national,” illustrates the plurality of masculinity through his family's response to his transition, he ties in colonialism, white masculinity, and misogyny and in general just kicks a bunch of ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfTEE3LYqiM

Balasubramanian's visceral expression is a powerful commitment to resist male and white privilege, to hold and embrace his culture and family, and to be authentically him. What commitments do you own enough to announce them boldly?

 Nayyirah Waheed

Holy Shit buy Salt, by Nayyirah Waheed. I was introduced to this incredible woman's poetry by my co-blogger Lyneonme. Her poetry has the purifying power of it's clever title and it will open and heal you. Waheed's, Salt, is a series of short poems that builds a fertile soil for your empowerment and personal growth, and if ever there was a poet that will incite your healing, she is that poet. With gratitude, I bring you a few of her gorgeous missives:

"if  the ocean  can calm itself,  so can you. we  are both  salt water  mixed with  air."

“i love myself.'

the  quietest. simplest.  most powerful. revolution.  ever.” 

“remember, you were a writer  before you ever  put  pen to paper. just because you were not writing  externally.  does not mean you were not writing internally.” 

“you not wanting me was the beginning of me wanting myself thank you” 

“expect sadness like you expect rain. both, cleanse you.” 

 -To your personal revolts and riots and especially to your learning,

Cory

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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

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A Little Tarot Magic for Compassionate Commitment

Let's do a little magic. Today I want to explore how tarot can be brought in to deepen an existing daily practice that you have - little rituals, affirmations, meditation time, yoga time, whatever you got going on. Some folks talk about this as a daily draw, but I'm curious today about bringing tarot into a conversation or practice that already exists. Sometimes daily draws all by themselves get a little unfocused, repetitive and, well, boring for me. I like to incorporate tarot into whatever else I'm up to because it helps me have some structure in understanding the card's message, and keeps me learning from the cards in fresh ways.

So what I'm up to today is #womenshistorywomensmagic - a little ritual I found at the blog of the incomparable tarot reader, priestess, and magic-maker Yeshe Rabbit. Go check it out for a good read and the details of the practice - in essence, though, here's how it goes (from the source):

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Print out a picture of the Earth as seen from space. This is a nice one, and so is this.

Also place a photo of yourself on the altar.

Every day in March, stand in front of your altar for a few minutes each morning or evening.

Looking at the photo of yourself, say out loud, "I have compassion for you, and I commit to you, Self."

Then think about all of the women you know who are struggling to do their best, to make change, to take good care of those they love, to create art and beauty, to invent, innovate, revise and iterate, and generate a deep sense of compassion and respect for them all.  Say out loud, "I have compassion for you, and I commit to you, Women."

Finally, look at the photo of the Earth, and envision all that needs to be done to heal her...the waters, the air, the land, the animals. Say out loud, "I have compassion for you, and I commit to you, Mother Earth."

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I'm feeling this today, on each level. A lot of my personal work lately is spiraling around my compassionate commitment to myself and what that really looks like in practice - it raises a lot of questions! I also wrestle with what compassionate commitment to women looks like in practice, as I in the past week I've witnessed gnarly strains of misogyny and transmisogyny creeping into spaces in which I really want to feel safe, and in which I'm not sure how to find voice to fight back, or how much of a shared space to claim as my own in that fight. It's so difficult when these things catch us off guard in our own homes, families, and communities - and yet, shouldn't these be the places where we are best and most lovingly able to have conversations about it?

And on the Earth Mama level, especially difficult questions are arising about compassionate commitment. It's like everywhere I look, folks are looking the other way from glaringly painful realities around how we pollute and poison our world. It's like a constant grief, just below the surface. Yesterday at the beach, just walking in the sun after the gorgeous storm system rolled through, a dying seal washed up on shore. A small group of bystanders gathered around to prod and take pictures of him. We alerted the closest authorities, and they said they'd take care of it, but it's clear not much was to be done. Maybe this was just a normal thing, but in the context of hundreds and hundreds of mysterious sea lion rescues and deaths  in the last month off our coast, that seems unlikely.

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks - so this little ritual caught me at a good time, and helps me reorient toward exploring the possibility that I do have some power, I can make choices that reflect my caring and commitment. It may seem ridiculously small in the face of such big questions and concerns - but to me, it's super helpful to get out from under the overwhelm of such bigness and get back into reflection about my own thoughts and feelings about these things.

I'm a big believer in the power of small, local change and action in relationship with others doing the same work.

What does it mean for me to be in right relationship to these forces in my own small way?

That is a great question for tarot.

So here's how that looks for me, this morning. Let's go in reverse order, starting where we are with the big Earth Mama stuff and working back out to Self. The Motherpeace Tarot deck feels like a good choice.

Guidance for my compassionate commitment to Mother Earth: 5 of Wands.

Join the struggle. Here is where the fight is. Don't be afraid to be angry - but don't be afraid to use that force creatively, to let off pressure often rather than all at once. There is a way to engage this struggle that sustains and supports us through the conflict. It will take many points of view, many tools and perspectives and voices and actions. This is a shared endeavor, and requires sharing power. Commitment to caring for Earth Mama requires change, discomfort, challenge - it is not easy.

 Guidance for my compassionate commitment to women: 3 of Disks.

Remember that this is a work in progress, and that we are working together. The model here is not a fight but re/building. See how walls and boundaries house us and keep us safe. Windows help us breathe, see, modulate and communicate. None of us can do it alone. Come not from the fire of anger but the earth of steady purpose and patient labor.

Guidance for my compassionate commitment to Self: 7 of Cups

Continue to be with your dreams, and value in the inner spaces of imagination and vision. But be mindful of your choices, and how your visions, desires and idealism sometimes cloud your sense of reality. Use the weave of the net to strain what is useful and discern what is not. Remember your ground in the tidal work between worlds.

Each card helps deepen the affirmation, orients me, and creates a touchstone image for me to carry with me throughout my day and outward interactions. Super helpful for me. And as I do these affirmations over the course of the month, I'll weave a rich relationship with each image that will inform my work with them in the future. I love tarot magic!

And obviously this is just an example. You could do a draw to support any daily affirmation, morning or evening ritual, meditation focus, yoga or other practice intention...you get the idea. Enjoy your tarot explorations!

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Kaeti is a therapist, teacher, and dreamer based in Long Beach, California. All of her work (and play!) is interested in dismantling intersections of oppression and breathing magic and radical healing into all the daily corners of her life, into all the spaces of community she helps weave.

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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.

Quick Healing Tips: Menstrual Cramps

Morning REVOLUTIONARIES! Happy Hump Day!

Today on Quick Healing Tips with Ashley, she discusses some tips to avoid and alleviate the discomfort of menstrual cramps.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLZmkmPqE7k&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

You can watch the video here or visit our YouTube Channel here.

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Ashley is a healing seeker, adventurer, provider and sharer. She offers healing services through her practice http://www.holistichealinghelpers.com and is working towards creating a mind body healing site in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Hangin Out with The Fool & The Hanged Man

Hi friends! I had a lovely time adventuring over my break - very much in the rambling fool spirit that Traci so lovingly wrote about here last week :)

For today's draw, I pulled The Hanged Man in my trusty old Rider Waite Smith deck, and as I settled down to peruse Traci's exploration of The Fool, I found myself considering the relationship between these two cards for the first time in probably years, maybe ever.

These seem like the same person! Both have a special relationship to space, gravity, and trust - hangin out, a moment of suspense. The Hanged Man is perhaps where we check in on the fool during her journey - she's a little rougher around the edges, a little simpler, kinda travel-worn, a little less grand (but with the same penchant for leggings and tunics, which I fully support as a fashion choice).

If these cards talk about different kinds of transitional space, I like balancing The Fool's externality against The Hanged Man's internality. In the image of The Fool, the world is fixed and still as our foolish hero loftily spins and skips and crashes through it. In The Hanged Man, there is an outer stillness seems to anchor all kinds of inner movement. The Fool is about diving in and learning about intuition and inspiration on the go, suspending judgement. The Hanged Man today talks to me about what it looks like to have a practice of trusting that flow of intuition and inspiration, and to seek dedication into its inner mysteries by inhabiting a different kind of suspension.

For me, today, these cards are all about the joy of traveling and being out of my element - and then the joy of coming home and being back in my element, while still being upside down from those travels. It's me, integrating all that I have learned and still aglow with the knowledge that the world is so much bigger than I can ever imagine, full of so much more than I could ever learn, and that it's not my job to control it but just to be in it and let my intuition and sense of connection guide me. It's taking a pause in this in-between space and not just jumping right back into routine, but valuing this space for the insight and perspective it brings. Even if that's just enjoying how jet lag makes me wake up and enjoy the very early mornings which, when back in my usual routine, I never seem able to wake up for. Small moments of upside-down suspension in my otherwise-familiar world.

Maybe sometimes The Hanged Man is what The Fool looks like at home?

What do you think?

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Kaeti is a therapist, teacher, and dreamer based in Long Beach, California. All of her work (and play!) is interested in dismantling intersections of oppression and breathing magic and radical healing into all the daily corners of her life, into all the spaces of community she helps weave.