Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Paul Cadmus
Paul Cadmus was born in Manhattan, NY on December 17, 1904. He would would go on to become a widely known American artist known for his gritty egg tempera paintings. He was inspired by social interactions he observed in his urban life. He included elements of eroticism and social commentary in a style often referred to as “magical realism,” and his career was launched when the Navy attempted to censor one of his paintings due to its “gay gaze.”
Ritual: Queer Ancestor Dance Party 2022
To kick off Pride Month 2022 I decided to revisit the Queer Ancestor Dance Party ritual I posted last year. This ritual was inspired by an impromptu ecstatic ritual I found myself in last year, involving my old Queer Ancestor Shrine and some good dancing music. I spent some time designing a formal dance party ritual with appropriate boundaries and safeguards, and shared it with the internet in 2021.
I’ve continued adding to the playlist and have decided to provide an updated link!
Book Review: Queer Qabala
When Enfys Book reached out and asked if I would be willing to write a review for their upcoming book, Queer Qabala: Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Omnisexual Mysticism & Magick, I jumped at the opportunity! While Qabala is not something I’m terribly familiar with or incorporate into my personal practice I am always excited to see how the LGBTQ+ community is “queering” traditional practices.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: The Order of St. Aelred
St. Aelred of Rievaulx was an English Cistercian monk born in Northumbria in 1110. He was a historian and spiritual writer. During his life he penned biographies such as Life of Saint Edward, King and Confessor and his most famous book on spirituality De spiritali amicitia (“On Spiritual Friendship.”) There has been much speculation on St. Alelred’s sexuality, with very little evidence to verify any final answer, but this lack of proof has not stopped him from influencing a number of gay-friendly organizations including the Order of St. Aelred.
This Queer Ancestor Spotlight is a bit of a loophole. I’m using a deceased person - a saint, no less! - for who an organization is named after to discuss a really amazing and still living figure.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: The Tavern Guild
The Tavern Guild was an association of gay bar owners and liquor distributers that formed in San Francisco in 1962 and lasted until 1995. It was the first gay business association in the United States and developed in response to police raids on gay establishments.
Book Review: Blackfeather Mystery School: The Magpie Training
The first White Rose Witching book review! I’m very excited to share my thoughts on Blackfeather Mystery School: The Magpie Training by Irene Glasse and Caine Dreamwalker.
Guest Post: Pagan Ministry and Outreach with Rev. Fox
I am very excited to share this guest post from Rev. Fox! The Rev and I came to know each other over Twitter, and a recent post I made about the module on ethics in the Community Ministry Certificate I am pursuing lead to a conversation about how he approaches ethics in his prison ministry. After having the chance to see some of the materials he created and discussing his approach to ministry I asked if he would do me the honor of writing a guest post for my blog. And here it is!
Guest Post: ‘Who Do I Say I Am?’ Sermon by Shige Sakurai
The below sermon was delivered by Shige Sakurai (they/them) during the Sunday, March 27th, service at All Souls Unitarian Universalist congregation in Washington, DC. The theme of the service was “Who Do I Say I Am?”
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Newport Sex Scandal
A forgotten bit of American queer history involves future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the YMCA, and a bunch of Navy men who liked to have sex with each other in the early 20th century. Often referred to as the Newport sex scandal, this episode in American queer and military history shone a light on the underground culture of men who had sex with men long before Stonewall. What began as one man’s moral crusade against homosexuality shortly after the end of World War I turned into a national moral panic that made it’s way all the way to the United States Senate.
Personal: Writing A Personal Code Of Ethics
A recent assignment, almost a sort of final for the module, was to synthesize all the readings we’d done around morality, values, and ethics and to write my own personal Code of Ethics. I was surprised by how challenging this assignment was for me! The purpose wasn’t to write a sprawling thesis on our own ethical code but to boil it down to the real heart of what we believe.