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Sweet Seals For You, Always
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@tricky-sphinx
✊🏽Black men deserve peace.
✊🏾Black men deserve respect.
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✊🏽Black men deserve to grow.
✊🏾Black men deserve to thrive.
✊🏿Black men deserve to love.
✊🏽Black men deserve to be themselves.
✊🏾Black men deserve to live their lives.
Just a candid post about expectations in Mediterranean trancework.
Mediterranean trancework is built different. Sometimes I forget how different until I am among the Friendly Uninitiated and then I see how they respond to it. There are a few popular concepts out there in mainstream neo-pagan circles that are at odds with the sort of trance rituals that I do and talk about here.
Grounding
Mediterranean trancework produces a lot of energy. Even the most basic of trance ceremonies can and will do this. Those who go under, the entranced, they may weep uncontrollably, they may scream, they may speak in tongues, make animal noises, pound on the ground, dig their fingers into the earth. It looks intense and it feels really good, honestly. But it is normal. Expected. This is just what it looks like to be free. It is not something that requires intervention and trying to intervene in it can actually cause physical harm. The moment someone bursts into tears is not the moment to try to "ground them."
The Friendly Uninitiated do tend to freak out a little when they see it and when they see us not responding to it immediately. It is just energy leaving the body so that the human body and psyche can self-regulate through the process of trancework. Out it goes! We do not repress that sort of thing. We do not try to squelch it. We definitely to not lay hands on the entranced when they are going through it because we do not want them to experience unexpected physical sensations as that will pull them back into their body--sometimes violently, depending on how much of a shock it is.
Putting even well intentioned uninitiated hands on the entranced can cause feelings of nausea, physical pain, and grief for something that can't be explained. We just don't do it. Not until the PTFO--which is the formal signal that the entranced is begining the return to their body. And then we have a very specific routine to help us gently bring them back with no expectation of sobriety because even with "grounding" they will still be trance drunk until they get some sleep.
I have attended many neo-pagan rituals and most have a sort of Protestant feel to them. There is an expectation of revered silence or a spectrum of sensible polite ways to respond. Some people do weep and find them very powerful and I have seen others respond to them with hugs and putting hands on the shoulders to share the burden of energy. The goal there seems to be to quiet the emotion. These are valid and wonderful rituals but the expectation of what participation should look like just happens to be very different from Mediterranean trancework.
We loud. We can be very loud. Very emotional. Liberty is a part of trancework and some folks have to actively learn to let go of old habits that have instructed them to be smol and quiet. But these are the often unspoken expectations of these two types of ceremonies. Which is why I wanted to ake a moment to talk about them. I forget that I should probably warn the Friendly Uninitiated who may be off in the background looking on with increasing horror at the people screaming ancient chants and rolling around on the ground. We good. No grounding needed. Thank you though!
(I'm just using any rando pic as a page break these days...)
2. Contagion
During the course of those stately neo-pagan rituals that I mentioned above, I can't say that I have ever witnessed someone catching a case of the "oh holy-holies!" Which is to say, someone you did not expect to get ridden by an invited spirit or god jumping out of line and launching into a full proof-of-state. (Proof of State= Doing something that only spirits or gods would want to or be able to do. Usually a part of ecstatic spirit possession and Bridal rituals.) That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen or hasn't happened, just that I don't think the expectations of those rituals are built for that. I would be perfectly confused if I did see it because I have never seen any of the triggers that could cause it being used in a stately neo-pagan ritual.
Mediterranean trancework is built different. We ready for that sort of thing. Ecstatic rituals, any ritual where spirits are expected, are considered highly contagious and spirit possession is not rare in the slightest. It is not an honor. It is not special. It is a tremendous PITA and it is coming for YOU! Just kidding... kinda.
There are built in fail-safes to discourage these things from happening included in all types of Mediterranean trance rituals and just in day to day folk religion. We have them there because they happen and it is very much a normal--if undesireable--thing.
We do not invite spirits anywhere. They just show up. We do not try to put spirits into human bodies. They just show up. We do everything we can to prevent it. They still show up.
They show up because where there's one, there's more. So, if we know someone has a spirit, we do not let them trance with those who do not. This is because it is contagious and sensible people do not want to live like that.
Fortunately spirits have rules that they have to follow. Always. These rules are solid. And knowledge and experience with these rules are what allows us to interact when we have to. Once someone is confirmed (by ritual) to have a spirit, they no longer get to trance with those who do not. They have very specific trance rituals that they get to do with the other folks in the same situation.
Lots of folks in the neo-pagan world "work with spirits." And that is treated as a fairly normal and even desireable thing. I have not observed any kind of tradition of contagion in those rituals. (And yes, I have watched. From afar. With bells on. Because I am a curious idiot.) I feel about neo-pagan spirit rituals the way I imagine the Friendly Uninitiated feel about my lack of grounding when the entranced get fussy.
Expectations are different. Different strokes for different folks.
(Hands are such complicated creatures.)
3. Group Trancework vs Solo Trancework & Misleading Terms
Any attempt at doing Mediterranean trancework solo is going to leave things out. It is not built for that. From the very beginning and throughout all of history, Mediterranean trancework has been done in groups. Every aspect of it is built upon that foundation. Attempting to do it alone will not yield the same spectrum of expected results.
This is not to come down on those who try. Many many times I have wished that it were possible to be a "solitary practitioner" with folk-ritual based trancework. I have made every effort that I could think of to find ways to replicate the rituals on a smaller scale and the absolute minimum that I could bring it to was 3 people. One to make the music, one to monitor the entranced and keep the external needs running, and one to go under. And even that was too few to replicate things like shapeshifting, spiritwork, and deity Bridalwork rituals.
Trancework itself is possible solo. You can trance on purpose with recorded music and feel all the feelies and have a great time but the end result of that kind of ceremony is completely different. A trance ritual is a recipe. An experienced chef knows what pieces they can replace and still get the correct results. The more you change that recipe, the more you change the outcome.
There is this idea floating around that to make any kind of trance ritual happen you need big music + wild dancing or chanting the right words and you will get whatever you desire as the outcome. That has been slowly changing in the last decade to add elements like color coding but there's a lot more to it if you want to get the same results as those who engage in living ecstatic traditions (not just from the Med but all over).
Those who engage with living ecstatic traditions have a different set of expectations for what trance rituals of all kinds might look like and what their outcomes might be when compared to those who come from a solo trancing background. There are more recipes in the cookbook, so to speak. A different recipe for every outcome. While solo trancework often uses the same recipe for every outcome. Both styles are valid and worth pursuing but they do yield different experiences. Mediterranean trancework comes with a village mentality wherein we expect that certain roles will be filled communally and that there even are differentiated roles to be filled. And that is a big part of what powers the ability to create different recipes to begin with.
People often use the same terms for different experiences--which really doesn't help. This is part of why I maintain a separate set of terms and I often shy away from the words "ecstatic dance" because it has a very different set of expectations among those who do not come from a communal folk tradtion background. It is popularly used to mean any form of wild dancing that makes you feel kinda funny. And for the trancing soloist who is limited in what they can do in the kitchen, this makes sense. It will be a bit confusing if you bring the expectations of one into the expectations of another.
There are probably more comparisons I could make about expectation in Mediterranean trancework but these are the big three that have been rolling around in my brain recently. Thanks for reading and I hope it gave you something neat to ponder.
Linktree will be feeding your images with DALL-E, Open AI from 5th July 2026.
Warning to anyone using Linktree.
From the 5th July, they'll be feeding all imagery you use on your landing page into DALL-E by OpenAI.
I deleted my account just now, because there was no way to turn this off or opt out.
Update with some alternatives-
Carrd.co. Free alt with paid features.
Bento.app Currently free, integrated with bluesky
Everlink.tools Closest to Linktree, has some paid features.
Omg.lol Currently $20 a year. If paying for Linktree features this is a great upgrade.
ALL. OF. THIS.
Yet another new study debunked the basis for the anti-trans sports bans. It was never about sports but for creating legal avenues for exclusion and abjection. This is one of the largest analyses ever conducted, involving 52 studies and 6,485 trans people. Read the study here.
post so nice had to reblog it twice and force it down everyone's throats
At minimum about 4.5 thousand people liked this without reblogging it.
We gotta fix that.
Progress.
Onwards!
I can't access the full paper, but their conclusion is right there in the abstract:
While transgender women exhibited higher lean mass than cisgender women, their physical fitness was comparable. Current evidence is mostly low certainty and has heterogenous quality but does not support theories of inherent athletic advantages for transgender women over cisgender.
The above is a video shared by smrchildsadness on Twitter, showing a person participating in a pride parade exchanging a pride flag with a person standing on his (am using his pronoun based on the TikToks/Tweets of what happened) doorway who had a Portuguese flag. There are sounds of cheers and crying and the two people hug each other as they exchange the flags. The man at the doorway then waved kisses to the crowd within the pride parade.
The Tweet says: "NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HE WAS WAVING THE PORTUGUESE FLAG BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE A PRIDE FLAG AND THEY TRADED FLAGS AND HE'S SO EMOTIONAL TO GET HIS OWN PRIDE FLAG I'M EMOTIONALLY RUINED"
For context, apparently they were worried that maybe he's a nationalist because he was waving the Portuguese flag and some nationalists opposing the pride march were waving that flag. But upon interacting with him, it turns out he didn't have have a pride flag and he wanted to wave *a* flag in support of the pride march. So they had an exchange and now he has his own pride flag 😭🥹.
The image above is a Tweet by kunwara_ladkaa that says "I'm crying so much right now (Image taken by Manuel Fernando Araújo/Lusa)". The image shows the same man from the pride parade crying as he hugs his new pride flag.
The above image is a Tweet by dudz_zZzz that says "ainda não parei de pensar nele," which according to Google translate from Portuguese to English is "I still haven't stopped thinking about him." The image is a drawing of the person from the pride parade, crying as he hugs his new pride flag.
Posts were made on July 1, 2024.
One of the most joyful moments of 2024 during a Pride Parade in Portugal.
needle/pin sharpener.
no really, squeeze it. Does it feel like it’s got sand in it? is’s sharpening sand. Stab the tip of your needle into it back and forth and it’ll help put a sharp edge back on a pin or needle that’s been blunted by use, or has a little bit of rust on it. It can’t fix anything worse then a little of either, and won’t work on something REALLY blunted, but its a lifesaver.
also it is a pepper
It's not a pepper and it's not for sharpening!!
It may seem like it should be a pepper, since that would go better with the flavour of a tomato (and the mass produced modern ones are admittedly more pepper shaped), but it is and has always been a strawberry. Here are some antique emery strawberries, which are much more strawberry shaped, and some of them have seeds.
(source)
(source)
(Home Needlework Magazine, 1899)
And it's for cleaning needles, not sharpening them. I can't imagine how jamming a blunt needle point around in a bunch of loose grit could possibly sharpen it in any significant way, and all the historical sources I've seen only talk about cleaning.
"Every sewer's work basket or work box should contain an emery bag, as shown in Fig. 2, through which to push a needle when it becomes rough, squeaks, or sticks in the material. An emery bag is usually shaped like a strawberry and consists of a rough denim bag filled with emery powder, which is a very hard material used for polishing metals. Such a bag may be purchased for 5 or 10 cents in any store that sells sewing materials. Needles often become rusted from the perspiration of the hands or from being left in damp places. The beginner may use a small emery bag to remove rust; or, a small piece of emery paper may be used instead."
-Woman's Institute Reference Library, 1916.
"Use an emery whenever your needle does not slip through the cloth easily."
-The Improvement of Educational Administration in Massachusetts, 1916.
"An emery bag is inexpensive and is useful to keep needles polished and smooth. If the hands perspire and it is difficult to push the needle through the cloth, running the needle through the emery will relieve the condition."
-Boys' and Girls' Clothing Club, 1915.
"It was very hot to sit and sew. The needle would get sticky in spite of all the little emery strawberry could give it, and Beth's fingers had never felt so clumsy and uncomfortable."
-The Unitarian Register, 1908.
"She polished her needles to nothing, pushing them in and out of the emery strawberry, but they always squeaked."
-Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, 1910.
This patent from 1873 mentions an emery slab for sharpening pins, which is quite different from a cushion, and which sounds like it actually would work for sharpening.
"C is a slab of emery or other sharp and fine grit, for sharpening needles or pins"
Then later down the page it also says
"E is an emery cushion, secured in the body of the holder A, and is used for polishing needles and keeping them smooth."
So. Strawberry for cleaning. Not pepper for sharpening.
Gentle reminder - modern sewing tools are made from treated or plated metal, or stainless steel. In terms of human civilisation, this is a wild advance of technology. Needles are some of our oldest tools; rust was formerly ubiquitous, and attacked every form of everyday metal. A rusty needle tears fabric, or worse, stains it. The luxury and technology of rustproof needles and pins - forgotten in a few generations of human memory - and yet it is remembered in the strawberry. Memory is stored in the strawberry!
memory is stored in the emery
Nigerian Pride 🏳️🌈🇳🇬
I meant to have this out yesterday. Happy belated pride. :)
Happy Pride month! 🌈
I actually do think we should discourage women from becoming housewives. Do not become financially dependent on a man. That's how a lot of women ended up dead over the years. A man gets violent suddenly and you have to choose between homelessness or potentially dying at his hand because you have an enormous gap in your resume and no degrees or certifications or anything that will help you pursue a career that will allow you to be financially independent. He owns your bank account. His name is probably the one on the car. Try and leave and he can report it stolen. Where will you go then?
Don't become a housewife.
And if you do become a housewife, take steps to protect yourself. Make sure you’re legally married, for starters; stay-at-home girlfriends have very little legal recourse to claim their partner’s assets in a breakup. Make sure your name is on the house deed/rental agreement, and have your car in your name, even if your spouse is paying for it. Have your spouse transfer money every month into an account solely in your name, so you can buy yourself things without needing permission, but also so you can save up to leave if needed.
If your spouse fights you on any of this, then don’t quit your job. The tradwife to poverty pipeline is real, and so is financial abuse.
also, many women/people experience controlling behaviour and domestic violence from their partner for the first time during pregnancy. don’t risk thinking “he’s just stressed, it’ll get better when the baby comes” because it won’t. neither you and your child will ever be safe with that man. get out as early and safely as you can
Description: [A video of a woman riding a galloping horse bareback while holding a large rainbow flag.]
i felt like these tags really added to the experience, thanks @cynderxdustypaws for your knowledge
This is one of the most powerful images I have ever seen, and I will reblog it every single time because every single time it brings tears to my eyes.
What the heaven , angel!?
“Subverting” Catholic art? Oh, okay. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You log onto the internet and you post about how “Wound of Christ” from Psalter and Prayer Book of Bonne de Luxembourg, attributed to Jean le Noir, c.1349, for instance, looks like a vulva because you're trying to tell the world that you enjoy Catholic art and imagery in an alternative, queer, risqué way that challenges Christian beliefs. But what you don't know is that that stigma isn’t just a vulva. It's not just a mandorla. It's not just yonic. It's actually intentionally erotic. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that around 1297, Saint Angela of Foligno experienced a vision of Christ himself, who called her to put her mouth to the wound in his side and lick the freshly flowing blood. And then I think it was Saint Catherine of Siena who drank blood and a clear liquid from the wound before receiving a ring made from Christ’s foreskin? And then graphically erotic encounters with the side wound of Christ quickly showed up in the writings of eight different mystics. And then the yonic interpretation of the stigmata filtered down through the illuminated manuscripts and then trickled on down into some pseudo-intellectual corner of the internet…where you, no doubt, fished it out of some Pinterest board. However, that interpretation represents hundreds of years and countless visions of religious ecstasy. And it's sort of comical how you think that you've come up with an idea that exempts you from Christian theology when, in fact…you're posting an image that was sexualized for you by the very Medieval saints you think you’re so different than…from “subverted” Catholic art.
