Though I do occasionally make public posts here on eljay, most of these posts are visible only to friends.

My more public writing is generally found on my blogspot blog, or in the other public fora I frequent. See sidebar for links.

Comment if you'd like to be added, even if you friended me a while ago but have never posted a comment in my journal. (I rarely check my userinfo, so I may not know you joined.) Tell me a bit about yourself. If I know you from elsewhere, tell me who you are. Sometimes I will read someone's journal for a while before I decide whether or not to friend them back.
_________________________________________________

NOTE: If I've already friended you, you don't have to do anything.

I'm not doing any re-arranging of my f-list. I just realized that this journal has been mostly friends-only for a while now, and I'd never put one of these notices up. I'm just posting this here for the record, for the benefit of new arrivals, and for those who've never commented.

The Trust for Irish Medium Education / Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta are asking for wide participation in this survey. No matter where you live in the world, no matter what language(s) you speak, they are interested in your opinion on preserving the Irish language (Gaeilge). Go raibh maith agaibh for taking a few minutes to help out.

( more details, if you haven't seen it cross-posted yet )

www.thetrustforirishmediumeducation.com </blockquote>

Go raibh maith agat to Eireannoir over on Óenach for passing this one along. Sláinte Mhaith!

No, it's not the Return of the Cyrillic Spammer. Members of a Ukranian LJ community have translated one of my blog rants into Russian:

Кэтрин Прайс. Религия - о публичном и приватном

I have no Russian, so I'm taking the translators' word here that that's what it is ;-)

It's funny, because I don't think the original rant is among my best writing. I was tired and rambling, and I've always meant to do some editing on the (imho, long-winded) piece, but I got the translation request before I got around to it, so I guess I'll just let it stand. Apparently I'm not all that easy to translate into Russian. I've heard this from translators in other languages, too. Perhaps my colloquial style relies overmuch on... colloquialisms?

It's always interesting to me which pieces people key in on, as it's often not the same ones I pick as my best or most relevant. But I've had the same experience - there have been times where a piece of writing and music that means a lot to me I'll later discover that the creator just tossed it off, while something sweated over will be met with a resounding, "meh".

On this Mothers Day I honor all the women who are raising their children with strong values, teaching girls to respect themselves and boys to always treat women and girls with respect. And I honor the women who have chosen not to give birth, but who put their mothering energies into helping the community and fighting for justice. Be well, women, and look out for one another.

As some of you know, I've been involved for decades now in trying to do something about predators in our communities. And as some of you also know, one of the reasons I do it is that I, and some of those I love, have been harmed by predators. All of these guys initially seemed kind, soft-spoken, spiritual and loving. Until they... weren't. They all waited until we loved them to harm us, until we were committed to the relationship and invested in "making it work," and the abuse always happened behind closed doors. Once the honeymoon was over, life with them became hell. The reason they were able to fool us long enough to gain our love and trust and then hurt us is because they are skilled at it; it's what they do. If they weren't good at it, they would have moved on to another sort of con game by now. Hopefully this information will help those who may have been victimized. Even better, maybe it will help someone spot a predator before they have a chance to harm them. I'm not sure if there's anything more devastating than having someone you love assault you. I hope no one reading this ever has to go through it.

Larks, Owls and Hummingbirds
By Leon Kreitzman

Only cultural norms and the alarm clock give us the pretense of choice by overriding our inner rhythms — and there is increasing evidence that we are paying a high cost in terms of our health. Disruption of the circadian clock is linked with cancer, cardiovascular diseases, gastric illnesses, asthma, schizophrenia, learning disorders and other conditions. more...

Bear this in mind the next time you're nodding off while I'm wide awake, or nudging me in the morning while I'm still having my beauty coma. Or if I'm up awaiting the dawn while you're snoring. The odd thing is, I have sometimes been able to change my normal rhythms... for a while. Sometimes for years at a time. And then I always revert. Should probably get those cortisol tests done, if I can ever be awake at the right time.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team/catch-up#2871811

Tony Robinson and the team travel to the windswept island of Barra where a recent storm ripped apart one of the dunes, revealing Bronze Age burials.

A Scottish friend sent me this. The summation of this program, and some of the others, looks intriguing. But so far I haven't been able to get the video to load. Let me know if you figure out how to view it, and what you think.

crossposted to oenach

From Felmac:

Óenach (Old Irish: assembly, gathering) is an online Celtic Reconstructionist (CR) community and forum--open to newcomers and the experienced alike--for the discussion of CR and other Celtic-related topics from a traditional perspective, that is a perspective more strictly in accordance history, culture and tradition.

"Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) is a polytheistic, animistic, religious and cultural movement. It is an effort to reconstruct, within a modern Celtic cultural context, the aspects of ancient Celtic religions that were lost or subsumed by Christianity." -- From the CR FAQ

Principles and Parameters

What We Mean by CR
1. Celtic Reconstructionism is a methodology to restore and revitalize the pre-Christian worldviews and polytheistic systems of the various Celtic peoples in the context of contemporary yet traditional Celtic cultures.
2. This methodology is part of a manner of living and being that involves a commitment to the living Celtic cultures and their pre-Christian thought and character.
3. History, culture and tradition form the foundation that informs our methodology, everyday lives, and the process of restoring our pre-Christian spirituality, values and conceptions.

What We're Not About
1. Celtic Reconstructionism does not involve and in fact rejects modern and artificial syncretisms, eclectic practices and modernist interpretations, and does not affiliate with Neodruidism or Neopaganism.
2. This community supports and wishes to preserve the space of women in relation to the flame of Brigid, ie male flametending is not a supported practice.
3. While we maintain that reconstructed Celtic Polytheisms are ethno-religious traditions, this is not an excuse for embracing notions of racial or cultural superiority, or racialist ideologies, and we firmly oppose discrimination based on factors such as race, heritage, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.

What's On Topic
Anything directly relating to Celtic cultures (past and extant), history, languages, and polytheisms.

Please consider joining!
oenach

Moran Taing to Tomás for his work on this, and to everyone who's been participating.

Any friends of Chris H. who are reading this and haven't been updated recently... If you want an update, please contact Bonnie or email Paul or me.

1. The Carmina Gadelica, complete bilingual set.
2. The Gaelic Otherworld - Campbell/Black
3. My best Gàidhlig dictionary
4. Teach Yourself Gaelic
5. Psychotic Reactions and Carbeurator Dung - Lester Bangs

Alternates: The Dictionary of the Irish Language (DIL), and something else with lots of Gaelic song lyrics. More practical sorts would also bring The Whole Island Catalog - a manual for survival on that sort of Island. (No, the book doesn't exist; but it was one of the options when I did an exercise like this at an awful conference.)

Recently someone online was confused by some of my mentions of "traditionalism," "traditionals," or "traditionalists"; specifically, when I mentioned that some of my family, friends and political allies are traditionals (or consider themselves to be such).

So, to clarify for anyone who's looking at this through a different frame than I do: I am not talking about any of the white Americans, of any ethnicity, who have in recent years* misleadingly called their polytheistic revivalist or reconstructionist groups "traditionalist". In most cases I am referring to those in the historically (and currently) Gaelic-speaking areas, who are maintaining the traditions they were raised with; and I am referring to Indigenous Americans who are also fighting to maintain their ancient traditions, languages and cultures.**

( a bit of history... )

So, I hope that clears things up. I often forget that many of the people who read these posts are coming from a primarily Neopagan background, where these things are less clearly defined, or redefined on a whim. But in recent years I seem to be speaking less and less with Neopagans, and more with people for whom these terms are not really confusing or debated. That's where I feel more at home these days.

Even in the various traditional communities, there are at times discussions or disagreements about who is really being traditional, whether ceremonies or songs are being done in the right way, and where the lines are drawn. And there can also be the problem of outsiders to those communities trying to claim more position or knowledge than they have. But these discussions happen in a very different milieu, for the most part, with very different customs and expectations than found in the Neopagan communities. So, as traditional cultures and cultural preservation efforts have been my predominant milieu in the past few years, that's the framework I've been tending to see and speak through. We speak the languages of those around us and, more and more, that's where my life has tended to be centered.

( ETA: Surrealism and Faerie Gold )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* By "in recent years" I mean in the past ten, twenty, or thirty years. For an actual traditional culture, that is a very short span of time.
** In a broader sense, I'm also referring to "traditionals" of other cultures who fit the above definition - such as some of the Yoruba and Hindu folks who were kind enough to take me in when I was young and confused, or the parents or grandparents of friends and family of European heritage who have maintained a significant amount of old traditions.

Ron Asheton, guitarist for the Stooges, has died.

http://www.nme.com/news/the-stooges/41906
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/01/punk-guitar-pio.html

Astonishingly influential, though many who imitate his riffs and style probably never heard of him. I'm glad he got a chance to shine again in his final days. May all the Guitar Deities light your path and welcome you home, Ron. Slàinte Mhath.



More videos in the comments. Including some not-exactly-SFW bits.

U2: New Year's Day

Let us know if you first foot.

Off to get ready for festivities.

Cheap Trick_He's A Whore_pre-first album

The ice storm out here was bad, but we're all OK. Some of my friends higher up in the hills had a really bad time of it, though, and it's not yet over for them. If there's someone you know up there and haven't heard from since the storm, I suggest checking on them.

I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple people whose phones are out. If we don't hear soon, it's time for another expedition through the downed trees and power lines. Some people still don't have power restored.

S, if you're reading this, drop me a line and let me know you're alright, OK?

ETA Fuck. I just heard from one of my friends we were ready to go search for. She's in the hospital. She's OK, or they say she will be, but that's how bad it's been here. I am so grateful we are OK. That could have been me.

I will figure out how to embed this live feed. Until then, you must see:


Puppy Cam: http://community.livejournal.com/shiba_inus/234476.html


It is the cure for all that ails you.

Though there is hard work ahead, and this is only a beginning, we have kicked the NeoCons out on their asses. It's about time.

And though I retain my cynicism about mainstream politics, I was touched to have a president-elect, in his historic acceptance speech before the whole world, actually include "Native American," "Gay" and "Disabled" in his shortlist of valued Americans. Again, it's about time.

We proceed with guarded optimism ;-)

I appreciated Michael Moore's post today: http://michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=240

It was also poignant to see that huge gathering of crying supporters in Chicago, thirty years after the riots. But how come the MC5 didn't play?

So, as I've mentioned previously, Mel Gibson is filming a movie here. Unfortunately, they're building sets up on Mt. Sugarloaf.

Despite it having a bit of development up there already (a simple road, a couple parking lots, a picnic area and an observation tower) the site is sacred to the first peoples of this area, and many of us who live here now acknowledge the mountains and their role in the local creation/destruction legends. So some of us are pretty disgruntled they're building stuff and trucking in equipment up there.

Some folks protested the other day, but the coverage didn't mention the sacred site angle.

Any local folks want to protest this with us? I'm not too sure what the upcoming shooting schedule is, but I'll bet we could find out without too much trouble.

cross-posted a bit

THE BUREAU OF CAUCASIAN AFFAIRS

by Lehman Brightman, President of U.N.A.

United Native Americans is proud to announce that it has purchased the state of California from the whites and is throwing it open for Indian settlement.

UNA bought California from three winos found wandering in San Francisco. UNA decided the winos were the spokesmen for the white people of California. These winos promptly signed the treaty, which was written in the Lakota language, and sold California for three bottles of wine, one bottle of gin, and four cases of beer.

Lehman L. Brightman, the Commissioner of Caucasian Affairs, has announced the following new policies: The Indians hereby give the whites four large reservations of ten acres each at the following locations: Death Valley, The Utah Salt Flats, The Badlands of South Dakota, and the Yukon in Alaska. These reservations shall belong to the whites "for as long as the sun shines or the grass grows" (or until the Indians want it back).

All land on the reservations, of course, will be held in trust for the whites by the Bureau of Caucasian Affairs, and any white who wants to use his land in any way must secure permission from Commissioner Brightman.

Of course, whites will be allowed to sell trades and handicrafts at stands by the highway. Each white will be provided annually with one blanket, one pair of tennis shoes, a supply of Spam, and a copy of 'The Life of Crazy Horse'.

If you are competent enough, you will be able to be a BCA reservation superintendent. Applicants must have less than one year of education, must not speak English, must have an authoritarian personality, proof of dishonesty, and a certificate of incompetence. No whites need apply.

Commissioner Brightman also announced the founding of four boarding schools, to which white youngsters will be sent at the age of six (6). "We want to take those kids far away from the backward culture of their parents," he said. The schools will be located on Alcatraz Island, the Florida Everglades, Point Barrow Alaska, and Hong Kong. All courses will be taught in Indian languages, and there will be demerits for any child caught speaking English. All students arriving at the school will immediately be given IQ tests to determine their understanding of Indian language, spirituality and hunting skills.

Hospitals will be established for the reservations as follows: Whites at Death Valley may go to the Bangor, Maine Hospital; those at the Utah Salt Flats may go to the Juneau, Alaska Hospital; those at the Yukon may go to the Miami Beach Hospital; and those at the Badlands may go to the Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. Each hospital will have a staff of two part-time doctors and a part-time chiropractor who have all passed first aid tests. And each hospital will be equipped with a scalpel, a jack knife, a saw, a modern tourniquet, and a large bottle of aspirin.

In honor of the whites, many cities, street cars, sports teams and products will be given traditional white names.

One famous Indian movie director has even announced that in his upcoming film, 'Custer's Last Stand', he will use many actual whites to play the parts of the soldiers, speaking real English. But of course, the part of Custer will be played by noted Indian actor Jay Silverheels.

Certain barbaric white customs will, of course, not be allowed. Whites will not be allowed to practice their heathen religions, and will be required to attend Indian ceremonies. Missionaries will be sent from each Indian Nation to convert the whites on the reservations. White churches will either be made into amusement parks or museums, or they will be torn down and the bricks and ornaments sold as novelties, souvenirs and curiosities.

Hope everyone found some way to protest today.

Got this one from rowanf

Simply type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.
Then, using only the first page, pick an image.

Then, copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into this mosaic maker (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php)

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I really, really wanted the answers to be cryptic. Hence, though I answered the questions honestly, I often picked the least obvious photo that resulted. But, the photographers need to be credited, so... ( photo credits )

Traffic in Noho was awful today. Late everywhere, all day. Mel Gibson is making a movie here. Or that's what the grumpy and annoyed word around town is.

I wanted to put on a T-Shirt with the above moniker, sneak in among the extras, then yell insults at Mel. Or find some way to disrupt the shots. Like when news crews would come to The Rat in Boston to film the scaaaaary punk rockers, so we'd all give the camera the finger so they couldn't use the footage.

As it was, a group of us all grumbled on the steps of the cafe at lunchtime, yelling things like, "The Jews! The Jews are the reason for all this bad traffic! Arrest the Jews!"* but decided it wasn't worth getting arrested for. Or hassled by Mel's goons. I assume there were goons. There are always goons.

The film, whatever it is, seemed to involve the courthouse, and movie cops and lawyers. Oh, and Hollywood ideas of punk rockers. Or maybe that's just the people who wanted to be extras. Nah... too many of them were too tall and pretty to be locals, with obviously newly-added colorful streaks to their really-not-punk hairdos. Though I think they were trying to draft anyone they saw with a mohawk. The ones they found seem to have told them to fuck off, though.

--------------------------------------------------

*Oh, for the record, the person who yelled that is Jewish. As were most of our grumbling crew.

The heavy rains have broken the heat. I'm listening to the rushing waters of the Hags' Brook, with the windows finally open and all things airing out. It's a relief to not have to use the air conditioning, to have fresh air, sounds of water, smells of warm earth after rain.

Dreamed last night I was swimming through the cold water to reach huge hazel nuts, hanging on a laden branch above the water. I reached them, and ate them.

Prayed this morning for healing, cleansing, justice, and resolution.

Drinking of the streams of knowledge is good.

The river flows...

... and how they will chase you 'round the 'net:

I just hovered over a link to my blogspot blog on someone's wordpress site, and a little pop-up window was kind enough to inform me of the sorts of ads that might go well on my blog:

* Ancestry
* Wicca
* Cherokee Nation
* Psychic Readings
* Tarot Cards
* Celtic

...sigh.

It's like the anti-shameons sites that get hit with pay-to-pray ads by the very frauds they're fighting. Ick, ick, ick.

Grrr.

(And who knew the Cherokee Nation needed ads?)

Skin Coloured is intended to be a collaborative, visual exploration of what it is to be non-white in a white culture. Make-up, plasters and tights - even when they’re marked “flesh-coloured” - are not the colour of skin that isn’t white. And whilst white women may have trouble matching these items to their skin, for women who don’t class themselves as white, this inconvenience is symptomatic of a wider problem. To help illustrate this problem, therefore, Skin Coloured is looking for submissions. Send us photographs that illustrate the inadequacy of provisions for non-white people, and we’ll post them on the blog, and hopefully both those submitting, and those who’re here to learn, will gain something from it. Further information can be found here. Please help us by reposting this.

Yesterday the sky was heavy and cloudy. Pregnant with rain. Decided it was time to do the Tailltiu-tide offering to the Cailleachan, so they don't trash the garden (or the house).

Offerings out on the hill were met with gentle rain, so light one didn't even really need to come inside. Later when the sun reappeared we went out in the field to graze on blackberries.

Unfortunately, Sheena decided to celebrate by deciding all the blackberries are belong to her, and started screaming at everyone... basically the doggy equivalent of, "I'm going to fucking kill you!!!!" *sigh* She's been like this lately - over-protective at the wrong times. And often of the wrong things. She also attacked Ripley during a ceremony last month and they both had to be taken out of the ritual space. True, Ripley had just started to walk into the altar objects, but, well... it was a bit of an over-reaction on Sheena's part. Stepping on a feather doesn't usually call for death threats. Normally she's better, but I think recent events have her rather high-strung. She's high-strung to start with, so this isn't a good development. Homeopathy, immediate behavioural intervention and resumption of more regular obedience drills is the current approach. We'll see how that works out for her.

Today we all spent some time outside in and around the pond and garden, talking and relaxing and trying to do that "hey, it's Sunday, we don't HAVE to be working" type behaviour. It wasn't that hard. I've made progress on my workaholism.

Just letting folks know that I've been really busy in the last few months. Uh, if you hadn't noticed. This spring and summer has seen lots of political and spiritual work, travel, ceremonies, houseguests, changes in routine and a much fuller schedule than usual. If you're waiting on e-mail, listserve or LJ replies from me, I have to request patience. If it's urgent, you may need to ask again because it's possible some things have been lost track of in the volume.

Oh, and good Tailltiu, all. Offerings to the Cailleachan and all that. Offerings to Macha. Garden is starting to burst its bounds. Wild berries abound. Off into the woods.

Slàinte Mhath!

And again translated into Portuguese: Uma metodologia para trabalho com Crann Ogham

Coffee, home-brewed ginger ale and localvore food with paul_hamish's sister and her husband today, at one of our local Irish pubs. Got caught up on various doings and gossip from New Orleans to Maine to India.