New Moon Ritual: July 2025
You cannot mount an effective insurgency or build the appropriate defenses if are operating completely disconnected from reality.
And this brings me to the main message that came through last night: We are not promised victory. That is the other reality we must reckon with, the fact that we will lose, and lose, and lose, until we win.
Planting Gardens We'll Never See
I opened this post with a Greek proverb about planting trees whose shade you will never benefit from. This speaks to the idea of investing in the long term and not just prioritizing personal short term interest to the detriment of your community. This is absolutely counter to the modern American fixation on immediate gratification, hyper-individualism, greed as a virtue, and - if you're a far-right Evangelical - the need to even plan for a future because you hope the world ends in your lifetime.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Angie Xtravaganza
The House of Xtravaganza, founded in 1982, is one of the most famous houses to emerge from the New York City ballroom scene. Originally founded by Hector Valle as an all-Latino house, Xtravaganza is now primarily composed of African American and Latino LGBTQ+ folks. Although Valle may have been the founder, an early member of the house would rise to leadership as “house mother” and shape its future , a Puerto Rican trans woman named Angie Xtravaganza.
New Moon Ritual: May 2025
Do not let your passion blind you in the current fight.
Passion is fine. It fuels us. Our anger at the injustices around us keep us from becoming desensitized. But we’ve all had those moments where our emotions can run away with us and keep us from thinking things through or making the best decisions.
New Moon Ritual: February 2025
It took a few days for me to figure out how to write about this experience. In some ways, I feel like the message that came through can be construed negatively, especially for those of us currently living in the United States and watching everyone continuously underreacting to the rapid consolidation of Christian Nationalist power under our Mad King. Then again maybe that is the point? We have to be able to accept messages that might cause discomfort and figure out how to process them.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Lucy Diggs Slowe and Mary Burrill
Lucy Diggs Slowe was an African-American educator and athlete, and founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women. Mary Burrill was an African-American playwright of the Harlem Renaissance, writing plays about the Black experience and often centered the Black elite of Washington D.C. in her work. Slowe and Burrill met in 1912 and would go on to spend twenty-five years together.
Behind the Scenes: New Moon Ritual, pt. 2
There is no January 2025 New Moon Dream Divination ritual write-up this month. I needed to use the new moon for a different, personal ritual and did not have the bandwidth to double-dip or do anything back-to-back. Instead, I decided to continue the thread from the last time I was unable to deliver a divination summary and talk about the “behind the scenes” stuff. This time, I want to talk about why I think having a standing divinatory practice is incredibly important.
Book Review: Queer Rites: A Magickal Grimoire to Honor Your Milestones with Pride
Queer Rites is an incredibly accessible book. After going through the basics of what makes up a ritual, the book is broken down in ritual types - “Personal Rites for Identity Exploration and Affirmation”, “Rites for New Experiences”, “Rites for Release and Healing”, and “Celebrations” - making this an easy-to-use reference book for finding what you need. The book also offers a critical reflection on what it means to be “queer”.
New Moon Ritual: December 2024 Black Moon
We’re ending 2024 with a Black Moon, which somehow seems appropriate. What is a “Black Moon”? Well, you may have heard of its counterpart the Blue Moon. There are a handful of meanings for the term “Blue Moon” but one of the most common is a bit of modern American folklore* - the second full moon in a calendar month. A “Black Moon” then, in this understanding, is the second new moon in a calendar month.
Book Review: Chronically Magickal: Navigating Chronic Illness with Witchcraft
Danielle Dionne’s recent book, Chronically Magickal: Navigating Chronic Illness with Witchcraft, is something I wish I had ten years ago. As someone who identifies as a witch, pagan, and disabled person with a chronic illness this book spoke to so many aspects about both my daily life and my spiritual practice.