Walking Dead, a rant

So USR and I have one thing to say about the Walking Dead. "Douchebags". I think we are going to stop watching the show. The drama is too much like every other misogynistic and racist show on tv. Even the promise of zombie action is not good enough anymore. Tonight's episode was hellacious. Lori refused to speak up her own opinion even when her husband "allowed" her to. Herschel's old-country watch can't get passed to his own daughter? And what the fuck was that immigrant speech about? And unless I missed a minuscule moment, T-dog has not had a line in at least 2 episodes. I just can't justify watching it anymore. I had hope, but it's become just another white heteronormative, gender binary supporting douchebag fest. The genre doesn't make it any better. Watching the Talking Dead later, the misogyny and racism were even more magnified as the hosts, 4 white guys, begin discussing their nerdy action figures dolls and then promptly say that all the women are changing the channel and that's the sound of ovaries dragging out of the room. I did change the channel. And now I am laughing at Liz Lemon, because at least she can make Star Wars references without assuming I don't get them.

The Importance of Alternate Economies - Intro

image from http://howtosavetheworld.ca/2008/08/29/

I was reading "Americans Will Need 'Black Markets' to Survive'" when I realized I need to talk more on this topic in general.  This will be reoccurring topic on Armed Venus, though I am not too sure how often. I am writing about alternate economies because they are so vital to us as humans.  Black Markets can be a life line in tough times, but what if our local communities already knew where to go for food or where to trade for fabric for clothing, or even where you could get acupuncture treatments for no money? There are many ways to facilitate economy without using cash or credit solely.  our ancestors did this for millennia before coins were in vogue and we are still doing it today!

This series will explore several kinds of alternate economies and strategies for using money less and connecting to people more.  That's really the goal, making our necessities rooted in a personal connection, rather than floating on a shelf in a warehouse.

Here is a list with definitions, of the alternate economies I will cover.  I gladly welcome suggestions, guest posts and any references you might have on these or any other economies.  The more we share our information, the more powerful we become.  I will go into more detail on these in coming posts, but I want to plant the seed now!

Bartering - The concept is simple, you've seen it those awful pawn shop shows, I think item 1 is worth Z and you think it is worth Q.  We come to an agreement on V. This allows money to pass hands, though you decide how much.  This is useful at Farmer's Markets, Craft Shows, and some small businesses.

Trade Economy - The concept is awesome.  You have a skeleton key that I want and I have a DVD you want.  The DVD is brand new, and the Skeleton key is rusty.  I ask for two keys for the one DVD. You agree, the Trade is made.  This most useful between friends, businesses, and some professional services (ie - I am a lawyer who will trade court appearances for dental work)

Gift Economy - This is my favorite.  Each Human has gifts and talents, that is your gift, and each of us bring our gifts and deliver them as gifts, expecting nothing in return, and we all benefit.  Example: I love cooking for large groups of people.  You love to sing.  She can hook up electrical equipment and he can paint murals.  Its the potluck approach.  This works best at gatherings, rituals, group outings, shared living spaces, Burning Man

Skill Trade - Easy Peasy.  I can teach you how to cook, and you can teach me how to make wine.  This is great in any scenario.  It can be as easy as "how to bead a necklace" to "how to change spark plugs" to "how do I convert my car to bio-deisel"

Clothing Swaps - Wicked Awesome!  This is like shopping in your best friend's closet.  You simply bring your old clothing and leave with someone else's!  This idea can work for food and other goods.


Because I assume you are all awesome people, these are probably not new concepts to you.  But I want to explore them in depth and fleshed out. Our ideas, time, and creative endeavors are valuable.  Let's help others realize that and create a more interconnected web.  And if anyone is up for a trade, let me know!  Look for the next post soon!

Come see me at DandyKor!

DandyKor returns!
FRIDAY MARCH 16th
at the KOSMOS @ Factory on 5th. 1715 N. 5th Albuqueerque 
doors at 8pm, show starts promptly at 9, dance till 1am! 
 $7/10 sliding scale. All Agesxx
Bring your magic!

I will be performing with my sister as Debitage, our two-woman, envelope pushing, belly dance troupe!  But the best part, is that USR will be DJ-ing!  Somebody once told the two of us that we are a power couple, and I am starting to believe it.  There will be burlesque, spoken word, circus acts, drag artists, queer discussion - processing included!  Come see Albuqueerque's Bi-montly Queer Carnival!

Check out DandyKor on the Facebooks!

Pagan Blog Project E is for Embodying Erishkigal

Invocation of Erishkigal  

Lady of the Great Place, Land of No Return, Mistress of truth, lovemaking, and justice.  Dark One who welcomes the souls of the dead, Queen of Fell Treasures, fill this vessel, overflowing.

Shadow Sister, Dark Queen, Underworld Goddess.  All of these titles can describe Erishkigal. Her powers are transformative, painful, and laden with the unknown and the hidden. She is the oft over-looked sister to Inanna and she is ok with that.  Why, would a powerful Goddess be ok with her sister overshadowing her?  Well, Erishkigal is a subtle goddess.  Decay doesn't happen over night and she enjoys the slow, barely perceptible experience.  Her underworld domain has no real sense of time, and her mysterious ways unfold on an inner level, affecting you so deeply, that like a seed in the earth, it is unknowable until the shoots come forth.

I invoke Erishkigal in a Descent of Inanna Ritual each spring at the 3SidedWhole's Annual Women's Retreat.  The ritual itself can be daunting.  It is a full-blown re-enactment around a bonfire, entailing 7 piece costume to be stripped away until all are skyclad.  Some other witches have shyed away from participating because of the dark emphasis.  Invoking Erishkigal is in someways the easiest portion of the ritual.  I am so at home in my shadow-self.  My Scorpio stars have blessed me with predisposition for he dark, for the dank, and for the world under this.  Holding space for the dark is something I do almost naturally.  It comes in really handy when I enact the Descent of Inanna.

Each Gate to the Underworld exposes a sensitivity or a truth. When each woman looks into my eyes as I speak Erishkigal's words, I can see the fear they have. Fear of admission, fears of action, because once we admit something, it can't be ignored, and something must be done!  I stand at the 7 Gates of the Underworld, demanding that the woman in front of me acknowledge and give up their ego, false pretense, their societal burdens, self-judgement, greed, addictions, and shame.  At this point, I am in my most powerful.  I have collected the waste and the pain of all those in the circle, allowing them to access their deepest, raw shadow.  For many women, this portion of the ritaul is the hardest to handle.  They are stripped bare of the shadow aspects that prevent growth, and meet their true shadow power for first time.

Erishkigal's transformative powers now come into full swing.  Like the Scorpio, she takes the rotting and creates mulch, she takes the coal and produces diamonds.  In her dark world, under her influence, the shadow aspects she has taken away cannot remain.  Once exposed, the raw wounds of self-judgement and shame become impossible to cling to.  Instead, through me, Erishkigal restores the deep treasures of the shadow.  As those in the circle ascend to each of the 7 Gates, they are reimbued with enjoyment, abilities, comfort, empowerment, intentions, and assurance.

I enjoy embodying Erishkigal for so many reasons.  Firstly, it is a chance for my true magikal self to be present.  For a variety of reasons, I am often at a disconnect with many public rituals.  It is not that I do not do lightwork, but I do feel more comfortable on other parts of the energy spectrum.  Embodying Erishkigal allows me to express my more liminal magik.  Standing on the edge of the precipice is what people like me do best.  The moment of transformation is the most powerful, rather than the results.  She is the deepest bottom of a cave, and from Erishkigal, one can only move upwards.  Her Darkness make you shine all the brighter, and Her Decay makes you all the more effective.

Here is The Ritual To Enact The Descent Of Inanna in which I invoke Erishkigal.  It is altered to be done around 7 candles in a room, rather than a bonfire.  The only difference is that around the bonfire, no lights are blown out.

A/N I wanted to include a picture of Erishkigal, but could not find any images attributed to her from ancient sources.  If any body knows of them, could you point me in the right direction?  Thanks!

A Dancing Treat!

A few weeks ago we had Madrid Moon at the Mineshaft Tavern in Madrid, NM.  Bruce of Wild Dog Road Photography videoed us and has posted our dancing on youtube.  Hope you enjoy!

Amazons to Know 2-27-2012

Where's the Mucus?  - re:Cycling gives us a simple aspect of sex ed that could help ovulating teens know when they are fertile.  Hint, its in your panties.

Tonya Parker, a judge in Texas, refuses to officiate weddings in her state because marriage is not accessible to all couples in her state.

Mary Ann Shadd, a Canadian for All Seasons - Publisher, Suffragette, Abolitionist, All-Around Badass

Nirvana Janette was just being a good mom, but her pastor had a problem with that.

And, lastly, a beautiful and hilarious clip from "Brave".  I personally am uber-inspired by the line "I will be shooting for my own hand"

Gender Offenders "Dirty" Tonight!! In Santa Fe

Tonight USR and I and possibly some friends, will be attending the Gender Offenders show in Santa Fe.  I have seen part of this circus/burlesque/drag troupe perform in Albuquerque, but not on their home turf and not all together! I am really excited because I will be getting info on performing at DandyKor, an Albuquerque Queer Review.

I promise to try to take more pictures and video, but sometimes I get really lost in the show and can't recall how to use technology.  But I will try!

Pagan Blog Project D is for Diversity (edited)

Diversity is a timely topic, I feel.  The recent PantheaCon title was Unity & Diversity, which to many in our community seemed ironic considering the "genetic women" only ritual.  I am not going into detail here about that since I have already posted my feelings and linked to more information.  If you are unfamiliar with what I am talking about, check out T. Thorn Coyle's Holding Beloved Community part 3, also check out parts 1 and 2, the Wild Hunt's round up and Fire Lyte's Gender Exclusivity at PantheaCon 2012.

This post is more broad, using feminist theories we are talking about what diversity is, why it is important, and how to support diversity.  So here we go into some meta-Pagan writing.

Simple definitions of diversity describe a variance of items in a group, or multiple ages, ethnicities, genders within a population, and these are true basic definitions.  However, when we apply the concept of diversity into a real physical sphere, it is obvious that diversity means more than that.  Diversity is not tokenism, nor is it simply saying "I support diversity".  Diversity, in the true meaning of this context concerns understanding.  It involves knowing when your voice has already been made known and giving someone who has a totally different experience (cultural, religious, ethnic, gender, ability) taking center stage.  Diversity also means sharing space.  As Pagans who may or may not gather in large circles for rituals or for festivals, we often are sharing a sacred space with people very diverse from ourselves.  Diversity must manifest outside of the sacred circles an in the social and the political aspects of our community.

But why do we need diversities in the Pagan community, we are already a religious minority?  Well, the answer to that is simple.  There is such a thing as intersectionality.  For example, a witch who is also a gay man has one part of the Pagan experience, and a Dine woman who prays to the Aesir has another.  Putting all the pieces together strengthens us.  We are not alone in our faith even if we are not identical.  Many voices, each sounding their truths and their stories only lets us know how much more our hearts can be open to our fellow Pagan folk.  Paganism has a long, world-wide, ancestral story that changes all the time.  Paganism belongs to all of us and we only need to share the space with all our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters to experience how truly wonderful our beliefs can be.

If you want to support diversity in your community, I recommend beginning by unpacking your privilege.   This is a complex and personal journey to undertake, but I know you are up to it.  Your privilege is not just race, it can be your gender, family trad, economic class, education, etc.  How do these aspects affect your life?  For people who experience little to no privilege in our society at large, a space where only white ritual leaders are ever seen, or only wealthy people attend festivals or workshops, or "genetic women" have rituals is not a safe space.  It is just another example of how society shuts them out, how they are not wanted.  As Pagans, we KNOW how that feels and we CANNOT do the same to others. We must embrace all of our family if we want to be as great a community as possible.  The best way I have experienced supporting diversity is by having discussions.  It can be over a bottle of mead, in a ritual circle, at a coven meeting, or at a convention. When we all have our voices heard, we learn how others have been hurt. Another important aspect is to use language that is respectful.  It is not about "being PC", rather it about respecting the person.  Using slurs shows, not that you are post-racism or "have a gay friend" but rather that you have not listened to the people you are insulting.  That shows more than anything that you are not being a true ally for that group, but rather donning a veneer of PC-ness that hurts just as much as a self-admitted racist or homophobe using the word.

I want to take a familiar witches' theme and present it for use in diversity.  The Witches' Pyramid tells us to Know, to Dare, to Will, to Be Silent.  In our personal discoveries and embracement of diversity let's use these familiar cues to help us.
1. Know what your privileges are
2. Dare to expose bigotry when it appears
3. Will to engage in discussions about diversity
4. Be Silent when others struggle to be heard

Nobody is perfect in discussing, or practicing diversity, but we can help each other as long as we each play our part.  We are not alone in this world and no one person will tip scales, but if we can support each other to grow and learn our, community will be an example to the rest of the world.  It is not that we are all the same, rather that our differences make us stronger.

Here are some ways to help you diversify:
"Who I Am" - an activity to help understand what diversity looks like in a group of people.
The Black Witch - Life from a Black Pagan's Perspective
Othering and Representation - By Biyuti from Biyuti Collective
The Do's and Don'ts of Being a Good Ally - from The Angry Black Woman
Genderfork - Beauty in Ambiguity
Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of A Single Story