Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

hey willow…

i have definitely been looking at 'myths' and looking for modern myths for the gay community, archetypes that we have and role models etc… modern myths in this day and age seem to be films as much as anything - lord of the rings for example, dune, the matrix, etc…

tv shows also give characters and archetypes - brian kinney, michael, emmett, justin, etc… in queer as folk for example. the six feet under crew. will and grace. etc… etc…

what i am saying here is NOT that these are my own ideals, but they do serve as the storylines which many gay youth and gay not so youth reference their lives by. to me they lack nature. they lack art in many cases. soul. especially qaf and six feet under. generally i think not only for gay people, but in general we lack role models that are connected to nature and spirit, but there are different things on the fringes working away at that.

the radical faeries i think are doing interesting things as a whole and different friends i know, some of whom are around the faeries and some of whom are more doing their own thing, have become my personal archetypes. as i watch their lives evolve and hear stories of them and their friends, those are the things i contemplate. unfortunately many others do not have those luxuries. i would love to see films, documentaries, etc… of many of those involved in the radical faeries. a logo tv documentary series for example on the faeries or some around the faeries as a way of bringing consciousness about what is happening there. issue is, it may tap too much into the privacy of people.

one thing i have said is that i think we need gay versions of inspirational books… things like 'chicken soup for the queer soul' or 'small miracles for transgendered beings' or things along those lines. ways of referencing stories for our journeys which serve to be affirming and consciousness raising.

-d 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

wow, ur so much fun…

ok, well, first, i think everything is “on time” and behind or ahead is impossible in the universal aspect…it is Now ////

anyway, i have ideas about the celebrity media castings you refer to… the shows, and certainly there is the aspect to consider of the “divas”, the madonnas/chers/streisand/garland identifiers that explore the goddess aspect and other more complex associations.

as for the faeires and documentaries/shows… we are talking about that– some of us anyway– as when i was at zuni this winter, i said, it would be so fascinating to capture the depth of study and fun convo that transpires on the lands… and keep things personal… we are inviting in a dig vid camera to explore bring the world more of thie communal experience,  certainly for me, if only to disuade/dis-spell the rumors about faeries… the way QAF revealed them was a joke, and i constantly get that referall to a “hippy enclave” and honestly, i am finding the faeries to be one of the savviest gathering of queer folks around these days, ever stimulating and constantly exploring…\

opk i'm typ0ing on the floor and my arms hurt.

talk sooon,

wwww 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

didn't realize that rad faeries were mentioned in the qaf show. sigh. i didn't follow too much of that show. partly because i lived parts of it (more as a michael character than a brian kinney character). and what i didn't live i have had enough friends live.

i definitely think what the rad faeries are doing is cutting edge. i think it would be amazing to have the videos out for people to see and reference. would surely contribute to growth and networking around it all. i know that the short mountain sanctuary newsletter, at least last i heard, someone has to have been to an event to get on the list. would like to see larger access to networking with other rad faerie folks. i google them every so often and then have dialogues here and there with others along the way.

i am reading that harry hay book i think i mentioned and quite enjoying it. haven't gotten to the radical faerie section yet, but looking forward to getting there when i do. i think a lot of the new paradigm for homos is in the harry hay book really, even with only the limited reading i have done. his work is pretty rich.

i was organizing some books today at a new home for one of my grandmothers. she had all these books on different subjects. one was just a simple little book of marriage quotes, another was a simple book of days. i would love to see simple gay versions of things like that around. i enjoy drag queens, but to see drag queens with more soul and more art to them than much of the comic stuff i see would be nice. a few more layers of depth around it all, which i do see in some of the faerie imagery. relationship quotes mixed with unique imagery. real stuff. rich stuff. conscious stuff, but with creative edges.

do you see many solid relationships in the faerie community? how is monogamy viewed within it as a whole? from what little i have gathered it has seemed like there is an overall direction towards polyamory. what has been your experience and observation there?

-d 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

um, well, monagamy is viewed in my world as ok and so is polygamy, really whatever is consensed by the partners … in a loving manner and w/ respect,

i really don't indentify with any labels, just so you know, and often am asked if i'm a faerie, i suppose i'm everything, and i especially love it when people ask if i'm a witch!  hehehehehehe…

it's like soup, ya know, i'm not a campbells..

anyway, yes, those books would be great, i just submitted a manuscript for a gay mythos faerie tale for all ages ( prob aboe 10), with paintings of mine you can see on my website, www.deep-woods-art.com  and go to jaguar magician story…

i may do some sort of “game” with the images….

the editor i sent it to has edited many queer books, i worked with him in manhattan several years back… he edited the book culture of desire, do you know that one?

anyway, he said that in his opinion gay market was only interested in “self help” books.  eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!  so i'm up for altaring that perpective… so he suggested i work on being a “queer myth man”, but it sounds soooo friggin super heroe…eeeeeeeeeek.  ;))  i mean do i have to sell t-shirts? nah, he wants me to start getting articles published (op-eds), etc… and get a momentum, then he says a pulbisher will pick me up no prob… OYE what's not to like?

so… we have much work to do…  getting active

I'm doing this puppet theatre this weekend with a group  of circus folks, and i want to lean it towards queer myth… i will keep you all posted, as i want to take it to other cities… and places..

ok, i'm going sporadic on email for a bit, but i will check in from time to time, hope to arrive at zuni mid august… after a visit to frenz in LA LA land…

peace

mmmmmmmmmmm 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

the link you offered didn't load right fyi.

thanks for the info on faeries and how you identify.

i am now reading the section in harry hay's book 'radically gay' where he talks about the faeries. skipped ahead a bit because i was too anxious. love his vocalization on the themes there thus far (more to read still).

cool to know about your projects and your bumping into issues there and how they are taking things that way. self help? hrm… sigh. i guess that sorta makes sense, but C'Mon already folks!  

-d 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

Hey all, just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Travis. Interesting discussions going on…

One of my favorite stories about the usefulness of being queer in a society is one describing a native american ritual to lay beside a new born child a gourd on one side and a bow on the other. i can’t remember where i read this–might have been Spanbauer (sp?). anyway, if a baby “boy” reaches for the gourd, he’s granted the identity of shaman. the idea is that regular folks are born with only half of their wholeness, which must be completed by bonding with a member of the opposite sex. the boy reaching for the gourd, or the girl reaching for the bow are considered to be complete & integrated spiritually, and thus take on the role as shaman, guide, priest, etc.

i’ve often found it sad that our contemporary gay world, in its rush to find acceptance, has been so willing to let this wonderful role of shaman fall away. i think we’ve all felt it. remember when you were, say, a teenager, and your classmates looked to you as a sort of “wise” person for whatever reason: smarts, emotional depth, a knack for integrating opposites? this is the force of your inner shaman.

trying to fit in in order to gain acceptance–propogated by the media–has really made it harder to see this aspect, i think, but it’s still there. it isn’t nessarily important to become a shaman by trade, but to tap into that power in everyday life by recognizing ones own powerfully integrated self and extending its wisdom to those around us.

just a thought…

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

hey travis…

welcome… glad to have you in the group. love the spanbauer reference (if it is him).

i think that the shamans/healers in our society are often closeted and in the background whereas in tibet 1/3 of the male population were monastics. that is big to imagine what our culture would be like if we had 1/3 of our men involved in monasticism and inner work at that level. even the mainstream folks would take 3 year 'retreats' twice in their lives.

i am loving this book 'radically gay' by harry hay with will roscoe's editting (and really his threading of it all). in it he calls gay men 'not-men' which i think is interesting. not feminine men. not 'gay men', but 'gay not-men'. saying that we are not male or female, but a third gender essentially. been chewing on that idea a bit and enjoying it.

i think as we look at gay men, it is not popular to be spiritual and talk about the soul and consciousness at this point, but i find so many are ultimately hungry for it and just 'closeted'. i find the same is also so in much of society. a lot of wounding in that domain.

thanks for your comments.

d 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

hey David

yeah, the 3rd gender thing is a great way to look at it. did you see Hedwig? i think it makes a lot of sense as it gets us away from the duality issue which implies a person must be either this or that. my feeling is that the “division” in sexuality that our society operates on is based on a simplistic appraisal inspired by mere physicality. that is, you’ve got a dick and your sister’s got boobs. of course, that apparent physicality cannot define what’s inside, as we all have seen. if you think of human consciousness as developing over the centuries in the same way an individual would, ie from child to adult, it’s kind of clear that those immediate impressions would seize the imagination. it’s like cave art: first it was just representations of bears and shit, now it’s colors that represent the inner landscape, etc. So, these days as we’ve grown more conscious about the variety of experiences, complexity, etc, people like Hay have imagined a 3rd gender. I like to think of gender, personally, as fluid. that doesn’t mean that “everyone’s bi”, because i don’t necessarily think that’s true. but the feeling of both genders inspire us all, whether sexually, emotionally, working interpersonally, etc.

there’s another book you might dig called Beyond Gay. i can’t remember the author, but it’s a cool riff on these ideas.

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

love that travis…

thanks. will have to look into 'beyond gay'. hrm… just looked on amazon and it looks like it is a 'change' books of sorts and the guy is catholic.

care to comment on that?

-d 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

yikes!! didn’t mean that one. my comment on that, btw is: homophobe!

i’ll have to find you the other author…unfortuantely it’s in my room in LA and i’m travelling for work right now. i googled and couldn’t find it…it may have gone out of print

t.

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

lol.

fun.

i was a bit thrown there.

obviously

……d…..

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

umhm

well there ya go,

the show went well

and here's the link to the queer myth story/paintings…

i am hoping to do some sort of magic card set…

www.deep-woods-art.com

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

potent imagery… love your work willow. would love to see a deck done in that imagery. very cool stuff. i think many of my friends would enjoy it as well. something soulful to it all definitely. affirming sexually, but not common porn (which is interesting on occasion, but plenty of it out there). a lot in the imagery that is great just for contemplation. like 'angel cards' but visual with the capacity to trigger things and draw you in. love seeing what you are up to.

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

im wishing for consciousness in the gay community.  i see addicts ,disrespect toward gay elders, and a dont give a fuck attitide that they call being real. im hoping for a spirtual revolution in the gay community. more subject-subject conciosness, intentional use of  chemicals, sex magick and a sense of gay tribal brotherhood and sisterhood.

this is alot to ask for becuase of the kind of society we live which seems predatory at times.
if only we can see the two spirit shaman within us and embrace or light and dark and work for to improve ourselves and our community.

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

Hi folks

Paradigm shift is always an interesting topic. Big. Dangerous. Exciting.

I was trained by the Body Electric School and work as a Sacred Intimate in Chicago. This means that I help steward men’s erotic lives toward something more whole and healthy (I hope). At the very least, I hope to give men a sense of their bodies and selves that is more integrated, more whole, more alive.

After having done this work for many years now, it is surprising to me that despite the highly sexualized general and gay cultures we live in, still and all, the deep mysteries of our bodies (and of course the even deeper mysteries of its connection to spirit or whatever you call it) remain obscured. Someone who has no problem being tied up and flogged can still have trouble with self pleasure. Someone who is in a high powered job and makes decisions all day can’t figure out what he wants erotically.

It’s fascinating. Boy do I have stories…

Glad I’m exploring a little bit on here.
Larry

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

I would say the hyper-sexualism of our culture is mostly commercial. Images of and references to sex, and the use of magnified sexual signals, is one of the biggest ways our culture drives consumer behavior.

Sexual self-knowledge is the complete anti-thesis of commercial sexualism to drive purchasing and behavior.

I don't think we see a lot of sexual self-knowledge much of anywhere.

There's probably more of it in the GL communities than anyplace else. Certainly most hets don't have much of it.
 

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

osho has a book on sex and i think there are a number of books on conscious sex for 'hets' :-)… however, not enough mention of them in the mainstream in either community i would think, although 'body electric' thankfully gets some decent attention in the gay community.

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

I don't usually use the word 'straights' for sexual preference - to me 'straights' are the suits, the suburbanites, the normals, center of the herd, center of the bell curve types.

So I say 'hets'. ;-}

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

cool bill… love the clarification and elaboration there.

thanks,
d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

Hello everyone,
Very interesting topic!  I love the posts.  First, I suppose I should introduce myself: I'm Shaneequa from Cincinnati, Ohio- it's a pleasure to be a part of this pod.
This discussion reminds me of a course I took back in college entitled “Gender and Genre: The Epistemology of a Queer Identity”.  In this course, we discussed (among other things) the “rules” associated with classification of gender and/or sexual orientation identity.  Gender identity has traditionally been defined according to biological characteristics (thus shunning those who are transsexual or intersexed); while sexual orientation is much more subjective (assuming that sexual “desire” is the underlying basis for queer identity.) The quest for a new paradigm for gay identity challenges these orthodox notions of identity classification by proposing that “gayness” or “queerness” encompasses more than sexual preference or physical desire.  

So what does it mean to be gay? By classical definition, anyone who engages in sexual relations with a member of the same sex is gay.  This is fine, except that I was “gay” before I ever even thought about having sex.  And what about all those in the gay community who are celibate- are they not gay?   Apparently, this crude definition is inadequate.  So we need to find a more dynamic and inclusive method for queer identity classification. 

Throughout recent years, much scholarly discourse has centered around the creation of a “queer” epistemology.  Utilizing paradigms found in such disciplines as Feminist Theory and Afro-American studies, many have sought to establish a “Queer Theory”- a methodical approach to understanding gay identity within the context of a canonized epistemology.  In most instances, Queer Theory has been quite instrumental in challenging classical views on gay identity and classification.  Queer theorists often define gayness as a cultural or social phenomenon, leaving to rest the age old myth that sexual orientation has everything to do with sex.  More often than not, many Queer Theorists argue that sexual orientation, like race, reflects a multitude of cultural and communal characteristics that cannot be defined by biology alone. 

Aside from the progressive shift of paradigms established by Queer theorists in the world of the academia, we are still plagued by a multitude of questions and dilemas when it comes to gay identity in the “real world:” What does it mean to be gay?  Who is gay and who is not?  What about bisexuals? Or closeted homosexuals? Or transgendered people?  Is a man who becomes a woman still gay? Or how about a male-to-female transsexual who engages in sexual relations with a woman- is she now a lesbian?  The questions go on and on.  As a gay male who is also a “drag queen” (what a lame term!LOL), I often wonder where and how I fit into the gay community.  Do I represent a different “breed” of gays? Am I “gayer” than a man who dresses traditionally, or am I “less” gay because of my perceived femininity?  Some would argue that I am “transgendered”- yet another umbrella category for a multitude of identities.  As for me, I typically choose to define myself as Gay because that is the term most commonly applied to me by others, and it's a term that creates less confusion in the public arena.  Even so, I still can't help but to wonder just how accurate such a term really is, particularly because there is yet a sense of concurrence among glbt people as to how to classify queer identity. 

I have yet to come to any concrete conclusion with respect to a personal understanding of gay identity.  Perhaps it is less necessary to define gayness as it is to create a pardigm wherein all diverse definitions and classifications are embraced.  We as glbt people are very diverse, and therefore we must design a paradigm that reflects this diversity.

Cool topic- definitely gives me alot to think about…

Namaste,
Shaneequa

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

fabulous!
check this link out:
http://www.queermatters.org/

and stay tuned, i'm hoping to put on a rad fae mythos show in OhIo sometime ….
i just need to get a grant for the theatre piece…

ps, i'm from columbus

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

teetee heehee….
someone told me they got a hardon from looking at those paintings….soft porn…
hmmmmmmmmmm ummmmmmmm
ok, i'm all over now, went to washington, wolf creek, and breitenbush and saw all the rad faes up that way, now i may be manifesting burningman,,,, and oh that zuni is calling me in the next few weeks…i'm on a

expect
the
unexpected
path
rightnow…

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

the path of willow and what a quirky adventurous path it seems to be. sounds like an interesting one. glad someone is walking it. would overwhelm me and make me cry probably (not much of a traveller) but very cool :-)

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

nah, its about trusting the flow
synchronicity
and
sponteneity
and
perhaps a bit of faerie dust…
as i know all wonderfully welll
that willow wonder the contessa willl
roooooooost and perch somewhere soon
and pick up the creative wand and spread creative juices again into the ethers…
perhaps i'll dance over your way one day….
mmmmmmmmmmmm

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

i think my consciousness needs to prepare for the wonder that is willow. i feel a bit less T E R R I F I E D than i did the first time you mentioned something like that. you are a whole big bunch of creativity and color (of course in your pic you come in unhuman colors even :-) but over time as i read, explore and gestate in the wonderful essences of the soul/mind, it seems a bit less of a terror and more of a potential delight to interact in person.

it is funny, reminds me of a friend who met me a few years ago. first time on the phone with me he freaked out at my voice. may have mentioned that in this group at some point. anyhow, over time he lets himself be more genderfluid at least by his definitions and more expressive. for me i think creative expression is a bit scary for me. all the color. all the life. there is a part of me that just likes my mellow little monk life and maybe i am supposed to, but obviously letting myself explore a bit beyond that. to some i am wildly alive and creative, but up against shanee and wilow, i feel like a wallflower and happily so. on the outside looking in? on the inside looking out?

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

we are on the inside looking outside of the inside….
ya know?
i was just talking with a new fae friend in vancouver today,
and how easily we “box” and categorize our “I-dentities”….
some call me a “glam fae”, others see me as a “hippy”
and others find me as a “new age” and on…
and ya know,
i'm just a willow in the wind… sometimes munk, sometimes hermit, sometimes wizard, sometimes a boy in the cornfield, sometimes a sexy dancer, and on ….

it's these roles we play that become attachments…either by ourselves to our pysche or by others….
as for me, Am I gay,  Am I a woman or a man?
alas,

I was asked onece at a dinner party, “are you a witch?” 
“hm…. trick question,” i replied, “you mean the good witch/bad witch thing?”
“you look like a witch”…. said the other
“Well then I am neither a witch or Not a witch then…”
“You are magical”
“Indeed and so are you”

as we seek to find our truths and to learn more about creating the dream hologram we desire, releasing ego attachment to identities seems to be where i am at these days…
I love the picture,
i have up
it's from a dance I did for a show ” Flight of the Jaguar Magician”

the song was
“Dancing Gold Into your eyes”
“Mirrors of myself”
Your eyes are my mirrors
Beauty is our dance….

this i think, is one of the veins of being gay i enjoy….
dancing beauty into each others eyes

and then
another friend in hawaii, a hemophrodite, queries me on drag and identity,
and I offered,
that we role play, we shapeshift, we (i), wear masks….
I am a creator and my body is a palatte of material and ethereal imagery….
i say,
why not have fun,
even if—
that means
wearing overalls in a cornfield with no underwear…
tee heee
yum yum yum
aum.
namaste, sweet david
your voice, is your song……

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

I loved reading this thread …

I really don't get to bent out of shape trying to classify sexuality.  I think sexuality can be a very fluid and personal thing.  Since I was 12, I identified as gay … maybe I had it a bit easier than others, but what matters to me is that people respect who I am, and being a gay man is a very significant part of who I am.  I don't mind at all if people want to say I'm homosexual or queer, that's no big deal to me … I just want to be respected as an equal regardless of sex and sexuality.

Shalom,

JuJu!

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

hey willow…

i noticed i mispelled your name up there. eek. typo.

i looked at your new pic in the profile and noticed the 'willow wonder' in there and have to comment on how i love that word 'wonder' and how it seems to me the essence that i crave authentically. distinct from a lot of visual noise or other things.

i turned on the tv… ifc the other day. i like some of their films, and other films on there lack something. i think what they lack is the wonder and the magic of things and even painful films or stories can have wonder and magic. many of them have visual interest or attempt it. like attempting something weird for the sake of being weird.

i found myself contemplating a banjo lately. not sure if i have mentioned that here, but i may mention it a few times in that it feels like this aspect of embracing some deeper parts of myself. this child that grew up singing folk songs and countryish folk songs. a part of me craves willie nelson and kenny rogers lately, something i would likely not have really allowed for myself. somehow it seems appropriate to mention in this thread. i think partly because i associate so much of the country stuff to wyoming and colorado and other places with poor track records around gay issues. i have sorta viewed that as not a domain for gay folk, and somehow inferior to the glamour of urban gay life.

more and more if i see a future with someone i see a future where i can listen to folk music comfortably and have that aspect of my soul enjoyed. i am following the energy of that, but just watching how a part of me felt suppressed by a guy i liked who hated when i had folk music on. hated the twang of things. at least he likes john denver though. i guess it was a country twang he couldn't enjoy. for me there is an authentic joy that comes through in some of those songs that doesn't come through in the more protected glamourization of so much pop.

i wandered youtube.com the other day and found video of a drag queen playing the banjo and for me i think that is what my soul craves. that is what seems like a new gay paradigm. one where we can embrace ourselves beyond gay commercialization, beyond american cultural commercialization. to really explore who we are vs. trying to fit into one area or another.

i love your image in the photo willow. thanks for sharing it. your images remind me of some of the tibetan masks and costumes that they use. not that they so much look the same, but they are alive and vibrant in a way that one doesn't see a lot of in modern culture. what are your inspirations?

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

you
my
friend
are my
part of my
inspiration cauldron

and yes,
YOU
shall
make it so
to become a
song and dance man/woman
with banjo in hand
and call the spirits forth

check out the book, (hard to find and expensive )
::::  The Death and Resurection Show
the history of rock and roll and shamanism…..

kiss,
willow WONDER

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

interesting… hrm…

sounds fascinating… yeah, it is a pricey book. 125.00 at the only place that i could find it at the initial search. at least they have it i guess. certainly don't have the budget for it, but i guess i could check other options for it. interlibrary loan??? lol. that doesn't sound likely though eh?

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

hrm… i did find it at a library locally oddly enough. well, one not too far away that i can maybe do a loan from. other books probably should read first, but wonderful to know about and added to my list.

-d

Re: What is the new paradigm for being gay?

well keep searching, it is not usually in libraries… tho i don't know much about internet libraries????
it's a very very very cool book if you can get your hands on a copy…if i had a copy i'd send it to you on loan,
i had borrowed a friends' wanted to get my own and bumped up against the 125 dollar ticket for it as well..
rock and rolll

it also talks about the the circus and the roll of harlequins and jazz and houdini and gypsy culture all the way back to the shamans of siberia….
pretty cool stuff.

rock and roll shaman book

well… the whole concept makes sense given the way that a dj can feel the energy and work things accordingly when they are spinning somewhere and how they move the crowd through music, so i would think that to tap into the energy and work with it and much like when someone does a healing circle, people are drawn and repelled based on the energy. so the whole idea makes sense.

i can get my hands on a copy eventually i think based on what i found online. looks like some university libraries around have copies, and as long as they can do interlibrary loan i can borrow it. i wonder if it is public domain yet.

i tend to read slow and i am trying to get through this book on african shamanism at the moment. some books i read faster, but this stuff is going in slower and more densely as are some other books that i want to read. maybe i just need to scan them for chunks because i am backing up with this stuff. i seem to always wind up working with people more than i research lately.

om…
d

Re: rock and roll shaman book

yes, yes, it's the whole notion about rock concerts and dj's getting the ecstatic pulse going

but where
and for what….
intention intention….

Re: rock and roll shaman book

intention… intention?

or is it depending on consciousness and what they allow to come through?

or both?

:-)
d

banjo, dulcimer, etc....

banjo… or a dulcimer after seeing that guy play a dulcimer over the weekend and loving that up…. or even a guitar or a combination. maybe i would be just as happy having someone else playing the banjo and doing my thing as a storyteller or singer or some such thing. one of the story tellers had another guy up performing with her.

i guess i will just sit with the energy and see what unfolds. keep following the pieces and see where they go. assembling the puzzle.

i am definitely aware of the energy some of these folks have and how it affects things, but hadn't thought of them in terms of shamans thus far so much, and it makes sense as a form of group healing/transformation work. something even about just knowing that book name is already working away at me.

thanks.
d