New Moon Ritual: January 2026
Happy New Year! Welcome to the first New Moon Dream Divination ritual of 2026. I’m frequently reminded of what my friend Irene Glasse says about spirit communication when I engage in this dream ritual: spirit pulls from images or sensations that make sense to you in order to convey a message, and sometimes that can result in some pretty weird moments. This is why she and I, and lots of other folks really, encourage y’all to read, create art, watch movies, etc. Consider it like expanding your vocabulary and giving the unseen the ability to provide more nuance in their messages.
All of this to say, I really enjoy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, both the novel and miniseries adaptation, and apparently that was the media spirit was pulling from last night.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: The Fuck Tree
The Fuck Tree is sessile oak tree on Hampstead Heath in north London. It is located in an area known for gay cruising going as far back as the Victorian era. It’s popularity is due to the shape of its trunk, which is ideal for having sex. In 2023, London-based reporter Bron Maher wrote about the Fuck Tree for The Fence. In this piece he described the tree as:
“The roots of the tree splay out like a hand clutching a bed sheet; the trunk is prone and abdomen-high, its belly flat to the Heath floor before making an abrupt 45-degree lift toward the canopy. This tree, I tell you, has a slutty little back arch"
New Moon Ritual: November 2025
The important thing about these spaces - the eyewall and moat - is that they are deceptive. When these spaces pass the winds and rain can return quickly, sometimes in a matter of minutes, to continue their devastation.
Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Willem Arondéus
Willem Johan Cornelis Arondéus was a Dutch artist and author who was part of the Dutch anti-Nazi resistance movement during World War Two. He used his art and direct action to help protect Dutch Jews. He was openly gay and his last words before his execution were “Zeg de mensen dat homoseksuelen niet per definitie zwakkelingen zijn.” (“Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards.”)
New Moon Ritual: October 2025
We’re going through a long period right now where the facades we’ve erected are beginning to corrode. The illusions that surround us are beginning to fray. At the same time these systems are desperate to reinforce themselves, to maintain control, and to keep us in our cages so they can feed off us like parasites.
New Moon Ritual: August 2025
“Stop trying to save the world, and start trying to save your community.”
That was the message a very stern Queer Ancestor shared during this month’s new moon ritual. And it is a message I’m honestly still having a hard time processing, which is why it has taken me more than a day to get around to writing this post. I mean, have they seen the state of the world? Climate catastrophes, genocides, AI guzzling up the water, rising fascism, the world’s richest people becoming even richer, data-driven police states, etc.
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.