Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Kiyoshi Kuromiya
Kiyoshi Kuromiya was a Japanese-American author, advocate, and activist who was involved in the civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War protests, gay liberation, and HIV/AIDS activism. He worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr., and was one of the founders of the the first medical treatment and competency guidelines produced by people living with HIV/AIDS for their community.
New Moon Ritual: August 2023
The way the moon presented to me was like I was starting into a cup of thick, viscous fluid somewhere between the color of oil and the dark crimson of blood from a deep wound. There was a physicality to this month’s divination ritual that made me think less about what the future holds and grounded me firmly in the present moment.
New Moon Ritual: July 2023
Will-o’-the-wisp. Corpse candle. Ignis fatuus.
My dreams for this new moon divination ritual were full of these ghost lights. In folklore these lights are often believed to toe the line between mischievous and malicious, luring travelers off of safe paths and into bogs, over cliffs, or into the realms of fairy.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: UpStairs Lounge Fire
The UpStairs Lounge was a gay bar located on the second floor of a three-story building located at 604 Iberville Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. On June 24, 1973 the bar was set on fire and thirty-two people died. It remained the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community until the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
New Moon Ritual: June 2023
I really waffled on whether to write something this month. Not because what I saw was scary or inappropriate, but mostly because I don’t really understand or remember a lot of what I saw. I thought “I shouldn’t share this since I don’t even know what to say”, and then realized so much of what is shared on social media creates false expectations of perfection or mastery.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Jean Diot and Bruno Lenoir
In 1750 Jean Diot and Bruno Lenoir were arrested in Paris for what one magistrate called “committing crimes which propriety does not permit us to describe in writing”. They became the last people legally executed in France as punishment for homosexuality.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Flawless Sabrina
Mother Flawless Sabrina was a New York City-based American LGBT activist and drag queen. She was one of the first widely known drag queens in the United States, and was considered a pioneer for the transgender and drag communities.
New Moon Ritual: April 2023
While the Call To Action post would technically qualify as my first post-ritual write up, I did not intend to make a habit out of writing down the thoughts and experiences I have during these monthly practices. After this month’s ritual, however, I think that recording these somewhere might be a good idea. And since I manage this blog it seemed like 1) an easy option and 2) allows y’all to engage with this process if you feel so inclined.
Call To Action: Tending To The Dead
I want to start this by saying I am in no way the first person to discuss the otherworldly impacts of things like war, the pandemic, or climate change when it comes to the dead. If anything, I’m just adding to a list of voices that are calling for the same thing - the need to tend to our dead. The beginning of Spring (in the northern hemisphere) might seem like a weird time to draw attention to death and the dead, after all this is the time of rebirth and new beginnings and life coming back into the world, but strangely I think that is exactly why it’s important to remember our dead right now.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight - Gladys Bentley
Gladys Alberta Bentley was an American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance. She rocketed to fame in the 1920’s as a black, lesbian, cross-dressing performer. Her signature look incorporated a tail coat and top hat, and she was notorious for flirting with women in the audience.