Trans*/Pagan Events for May 2014

A periodical events round-up focusing on that which may be of interest to people who identify as Trans* and Pagan, radiating from a central point in the San Francisco Bay Area and extending Worldwide. All events are either Trans*-oriented or open to all genders. Events are Pagan-specific, Pagan-friendly, or at least Pagan-inclusive. If there's something you'd like to see listed here, or an error, please leave your message in the blog comments section. Let's have a wonderful time!

Maintained by Jaina Bee, a Priest/ess of CAYA Coven, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA, Earth.

CAYA Coven

Beyond the Binary Blog

Reclaiming Beltane: San Francisco 
Saturday, 3 May, 1pm wreath-making and music
Magic Meadow, Golden Gate Park
donations welcome

Ritual includes participatory Maypole dance and Beltane cauldron jumping. This ritual is kid-friendly and inclusive. Wheelchair access via path from parking lot. Field can be swampy after heavy rain. 

Please bring flowers and vines for wreaths, musical instruments, and plentiful food and/or non-alcohol drinks to share. (More flowers and vines are always needed!) 

Transit: BART to Civic Center, transfer to the scenic Muni N-Judah train. Take train to Judah and 40th, walk two blocks to park, enter at 41st Ave. Walk two short blocks into park, enter parking lot on right, look for Pagans and/or signs. We're usually straight ahead in the big meadow. (Drivers - Mapquest 41st and Lincoln. Enter at 41st and Lincoln, park in lot.) 

All Reclaiming rituals are "clean and sober" — ie, please use no recreational drugs or alcohol at or prior to the events.

Contact sfrpc@yahoogroups.com
http://reclaiming.org/index.html 
find a Reclaiming group near you: http://reclaiming.org/worldwide/index.html

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Reclaiming Beltane: North Bay
Sunday, 4 May
Sebastopol Grange Hall, 6000 Sebastopol Road / Hwy 12 - Sebastopol 
Gather at 3:30pm. Ritual begins 4:00pm
Suggested donation is $30-$10 but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Intention: Celebrating Pleasure we share our gifts with the world.

This family-friendly Beltane celebration will be a community gathering highlighting the Joy and Pleasure of sharing our individual gifts.

All ages welcome to our clean and sober event.

For more information:
Visit www.northbayreclaiming.com Or email northbayreclaiming@yahoo.com, Or call 707-484-7786.
find a Reclaiming group near you: http://reclaiming.org/worldwide/index.html

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Reclaiming Beltane: East Bay
Sunday, May 4
Tilden Park
Gather at noon, ritual 1pm

Please join us in Tilden Park, Berkeley Hills, for the RiteHere celebration of love in all its forms at our non-tech, LGBT- and family-friendly Beltane ritual. As always we'll dance around the Maypole, jump the cauldron, and have a picnic. Dogs on leash welcome too - park rules.

When: Gather about noon to make wreaths and decorate the pole, ritual starts about 1:00 pm, followed by picnic and we are usually done before 4:00 pm. If you can come early (about 11-11:30) to help set up Maypole base that would be great - upper body strength and ability to pound required - let us know. Steady rain cancels.

Bring: flowers and vines for head wreaths and to decorate the Maypole; food/drink (no alcohol) to share and your own eating/drinking implements; a blanket or such to sit on (ground could be damp); drums, musical instruments, your singing voice. (No need for ribbons as we have handmade all-cotton streamers all ready to go.)

Where: high end of the Meadow picnic area in Tilden Park. Go to parking lot on Lone Oak Road, which is a turn-off from Central Park drive. If you come from the south & get onto Central Park Drive, watch for the turn-off on the right after you pass the turnoffs for Lake Anza and the Carousel and go around a couple curves. If you come from the north (entering the park onto Canon Drive), turn right on Central Park Dr (away from Little Farm) and see left turn into parking lot at Lone Oak Rd.

If you want to help with this ritual and/or for more info, contact Vibra at vibraw@aol.com
http://reclaiming.org/index.html
find a Reclaiming group near you: http://reclaiming.org/worldwide/index.html

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The GENDER Book Launch Party!
Sunday, May 4, 7-9pm
The Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission St, SF CA
Suggested donation $5 to cover the space costs, but no one turned away for lack of funds


It's a BOOK! The GENDER Book Shower!

Join us in-person for an evening of games, giveaways, activities, coloring book pages, Q&A with the creators, art, movies, and community magic celebrating the birth of the GENDER book

This is an all-gender, all-ages event, though you should have a parent to keep you away from some of the off-limits reading material if you're under 18. A launch party full of fun, games, and time to mingle and get your books signed!

We saw the need for greater gender understanding in our worlds and wanted to do something about it. And so the GENDER book was born as a guerrilla education tool! We've been incubating this project sine 2010, when it started as a 6-page booklet. With your mindblowing community support and hundreds of your voices it has blossomed into a beautiful 90-page full-color hardback. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Bring $30 if you want to take home your own copy of the GENDER book.
 
RSVP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/493348657431267/
http://www.thegenderbook.com/

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The Church of 8 Wheels: LGBT Tuesdays—Gay Night Roller Disco

Tuesdays— May 6, 13, 20, 27 (a weekly event)

The Church of 8 Wheels; 554 Fillmore St., SF, CA
$10.00 entrance fee. Skate rentals available at $5.00

The Church of 8 Wheels is an "only in San Francisco" rolligious experience.  Come join D. Miles, San Francisco's "GodFather of Skate" and the Holy Rollers of the Church of 8 Wheels as we get our skate groove on at the Church of 8 Wheels.

Tuesday Nights at the The Church of 8 Wheels is dedicated to San Francisco's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community. It's Gay Night Tuesdays at the Church!!! 

Come get your skate groove on every Tuesday night at San Francisco's Roller Disco, the Church of 8 Wheels, 554 Fillmore St. at Fell St. in San Francisco. The doors open at 7PM and we roll until 10PM. We play a variety of disco classics, old school funk and some of todays hottest skate beats, so come on down and roll with us.

more info call 415-752-1967or e-mail Sk8GoFather@earthlink.net

http://www.churchof8wheels.com/lgbttuesdays.html

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Queer Pentacle (A Reclaiming Class)

Wednesdays eves May 14 to June 18, 2014, 7:30-10pm (weekly, 5 classes)

San Rafael, CA

$90-240 sliding scale

The Queer Pentacle: Grace, Initiation, Desire, Beauty, Self-Knowledge.

In this class we will explore the Queer pentacle as an aid to cultivate our truest self, access our life force, and free our evolutionary nature.

We will employ ritual tools including chant, trance, divination and creative projects as we work Magic and explore our Wild Hearts.

We welcome all genders and orientations; it is not necessary to identify as queer to join us in this work.

Prerequisite: Elements of Magic OR equivalent magical experience. 

Teachers: Ian and Urania

contact: Ian, ianwaisler@gmail.com

http://reclaiming.org/index.html

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Give OUT Day

Thursday, May 15
Nationwide

On May 15th, we invite you to be part of history and participate in the 2nd annual national Give OUT Day! Give OUT Day is a national initiative that will engage hundreds of organizations and mobilize thousands of people on a single day across the country to give in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

It’s a chance for LGBTQ groups large and small, to work across the wide range of issues and activities that matter to the LGBTQ community from sports to policy change, families to the arts.

It’s a chance for members of the LGBTQ community and our many allies to stand up and show support on one day. It’s a chance to make history. We hope you’ll join us!”

http://giveout.razoo.com/giving_events/giveout14/home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QDlEff_Wc8

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
Saturday, May 17
Worldwide

IDAHOT was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

Since then the Day has grown in both scope and depth. In 2013, actions around the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia took place in almost 120 countries. In the United Kingdom alone in 2013, almost 200 events took place around the Day, whilst in Brazil just under 120 events were registered one month before May 17.

In short, in under a decade, the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia has established itself the single most important date for LGBTI communities to mobilise on a worldwide scale.

The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia is not one centralised campaign; rather it is a moment that everyone can take advantage of to take action.

The date of May 17^th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia has received official recognition from several States and such international institutions as the European Parliament, and by countless local authorities. Most United Nations agencies also mark the Day with specific events.

LGBTI organizations, governments, cities, human rights organizations, corporations and celebrities have all taken action on May 17^th to:

• Draw media attention to the issue of homophobia and transphobia

• Organise events which mobilize public opinion

• Demand attention from policymakers and engage in lobbying activities

• Network with like-minded organizations and develop new partnerships, at home or beyond

• Mobilize existing constituencies and address new audiences.

For local events and updates: http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/
https://www.facebook.com/may17idahot

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The Loving Moon - A Full Moon Circle for All Genders
Saturday, May 17th, 2014

Home of Truth 1300 Grand St., Alameda CA
Doors open at 7 PM, circle is cast at 7:15 sharp (no one admitted after circle is cast)
$10 donation requested

Come As You Are Coven welcomes all people to...

The Loving Moon - A Full Moon Circle for All Genders

CAYA Coven's Queen of Heaven devotional group invites one and all to join us in celebration of the Loving Moon!

Just as the stars above, the eternal combustion of love burns within us all leading us onward. The gifts of love are many and varied, they come into our lives and pass again in our every breath.

On this night beneath the beauty of moon and star, we honor she who is love incarnate, whose many names and faces have evolved throughout the eons and followed us from the very birth of the universe... Venus. We will gather to give praise to this most glorious of goddesses as we honor her in her guise as the Morning Star, the rise of love and the Evening Star, the love that fades.

With joyful open hearts we accept her blessings and, through honoring love, we find within ourselves her shining face! Sharing the blessing of our love and divinity with all around us, for we are worthy and loved. All are worthy of love!

Please feel free to bring small items to charge on the altar.  This ritual welcomes people of all genders. We are very excited to create magic together!

http://www.cayacoven.org/

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Homo Healers 2014

Sunday, May 18, 1-4pm

Dante's Table, 544 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA
$10

Come join us for our second Homo Healers event, where we mix and mingle with other healers in the LGBTQ community.  All Gaylesta members are welcome, as are acupuncturists, medical doctors, massage therapists, and basically anyone in the healing professions.  Feel free to invite anyone you feel would be a good match.

Gaylesta, The LGBT Psychotherapy Association, was founded in 1987, established as an unincorporated association in 1988, and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1997. Since this beginning, Gaylesta has grown to include over 250 mental health professionals. To our knowledge, we are the oldest and largest collection of individuals focused on LGBTQ mental health. Our membership collectively offers a range of services, experience, specializations, and expertise. 

http://www.gaylesta.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1770368&eventId=859076&EventViewMode=EventDetails

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Sex Magick 169: Transcending the Boundaries of Intimacy

A Faerie Sex Magick Workshop for gay cis- and transmen

May 31-June 7

Dos Rios, CA (more details upon registration)

$550-850 (€500-750) for the entire 7 days.

Price includes meals and accommodation — tent camping. There may be some indoor spaces for those with special needs or for colder weather workshops.

Consider these questions…

How can I extend the limits of my intimacy with my Faerie/Billy brothers?

Does sex constrain or expand my relationships with men?

How can I integrate sexual play into my intimate relationships?

Does recreational sex diminish my capacity for intimacy in a committed relationship?

How does the prevailing society’s prudishness dampen and undermine the intimacy in my relationships?

How does my sexuality and my spirituality inter-relate?

Are my sexual and my spiritual aspects one in the same?

We welcome your questions and discussion of any possible concerns you might have. In order to participate we ask you to contact one of the facilitators.

FAQ: http://faeriesexmagick.org/SM2003Q.html

More info and registration: http://faeriesexmagick.org/index.html

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Just Around the Bend— save the dates and register for these exciting events

California Witchcamp 2014

Sunday June 29th-through Sunday July 6th 2014
Northern California, Mendocino Woodlands

Cost: April 1st through May 31st, the price is $620 to $720 sliding scale, your envelope must be postmarked no later than May 31st, and payment in full postmarked no later than June 1st 2014. June 1st until camp begins, the price is $680 to $740 sliding scale. After June 1st any registration payments must be made in full, you can register anytime up until camp starts as long as we still have room.

This is an extraordinary event for extraordinary people

Share in a week of Reclaiming style, earth based spirituality and magic. Come and study magic and ritual in a week long Intensive. Witchcamp is offered to all genders at all levels of experience. Newcomers can learn the basic skills of magic and ritual, working with the elements, movement, sound and the mythological and historical framework of the Goddess Tradition.

Advanced classes offer the chance to apply the tools of ritual to personal healing and empowerment, or a focus on taking the Craft out into the world, creating public ritual, ongoing groups, and healing issues surrounding leadership and power. This event is a deeply moving, life changing week and a constant experiment in temporary village life. We will also look at ways of bringing this work and inspiration into our everyday lives, creating powerful, joyful times. 

We welcome people of all genders, gender histories, and orientations, and we encourage you to feel safe to explore the fluidity of your identity, if you so choose. 

This year Witchcamp will be held at the Mendocino Woodlands, located just far enough outside the town of Mendocino to avoid coastal fog. The camp is set among a mature Redwood/Douglas Fir forest, creating a beautiful, peaceful setting. The cabins are rustic, but pretty. Camping is also an option. A small river runs through the camp, and is the home of steelhead trout. To request a brochure, please send us an email at:   info@californiawitchcamp.org with your mailing address.

http://www.californiawitchcamp.org/register.html

Check here for Reclaiming Witchcamps worldwide: http://www.witchcamp.org/index.php?id=42&section=witchcamps

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Faerieworlds 2014

July 25-27

Emerald Meadows at Mt. Pisgah, Eugene, OR 

For cost information, see: http://faerieworlds.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=190_192_196

EugeneWeekly.com describes Faerieworlds thus:
"Faerieworlds, the yearly festival that encourages attendees to “live your legend,” returns. Celebrating fantasy, magic and, of course, faeries, this annual event of pixie dust and gossamer wings provides everything a faer-folk enthusiast could want. By bringing in internationally acclaimed authors and artists, featuring a “Mythic Marketplace” and presenting a diverse group of musicians from the world over, Faerieworlds….caters to the varying tastes of those who adore the faerie realm."

For much more information, flit on over to:

http://faerieworlds.com/

Wards & Shielding

As someone who was socialized as a woman, I've long been aware of the dangers that faced me due to my gender. I got a lot of what might be considered standard safety advice: don't walk alone at night, shout for help, don't leave your drink alone. And then I came out as genderqueer and faced a new host of gendered dangers. Questions I'd never had to ask myself before came up. Is the bathroom here safe to use? What sorts of clothes should I be wearing for the day? Should I try to pass? As what? Trans* folks of various stripes are intimately familiar with these questions. We're one of the most-targeted groups for hate crimes and we make thousands of safety/danger decisions every day.

The things we do to keep ourselves safe fall into three categories that I want to discuss today.

Visibility

When we choose visibility as a strategy to stay safe, we depend on the group. We march in Trans March. If we sense a problem, we duck into a store, head for a crowded area, or call the attention of other people we think will be allies. We come out. We let people know where we'll be. If we try to pass, we pass as the gender we are, rather than the one we're most likely to be perceived as. A transman binding his chest is choosing visibility. A crossdresser passing in public is choosing visibility. A genderqueer person who turns on someone following zir and says, loudly, "Stop following me." is choosing visibility.

In magical terms, I perceive visibility as light, illusion, and strength. I use light as part of my shields, as part of my personal magical safety network, when being seen will keep me safest. I incorporate light by taking deep breaths and connecting to the sun, seeing that light come down to me and fill up my aura, expanding to about three feet past my body. I use illusion as part of my shields when being what I am will keep me safe. I incorporate illusion by holding the clear image in my mind's eye of what I want to be seen as and infusing that image with energy. I use strength as part of my shields when being seen as stronger than others will keep me safe. I incorporate strength into my shields by visualizing myself as enshrouded in black with sharp silver spikes protruding. When you use any of these techniques, pick imagery that speaks to you.

Invisibility

When we choose invisibility as a way to stay safe, we disappear. We evade the notice of others. We retreat, we pay attention to exits. We lock the door. We lie, either outright or by omission, to people who might be dangerous to us about who we are, where we're going, and what we're going to do when we get there. A transman who wears bras and feminine attire at work is choosing invisibility. A genderfluid teen who tells their conservative parents they're going to a movie with some friends in order to attend the LGBTQ Film Festival is choosing invisibility. A post-op transwoman who doesn't discuss her past with one-night stands is choosing invisibility.

Magically, I associate invisibility with darkness, misdirection, and disappearance. I use darkness and disappearance together in my shields, usually when walking alone through a dangerous area or situation, by picturing a floor length black cloak on myself. I pull the deep cowl up, over my head, until my face is hidden and my body is wrapped entirely in it, and envision that I am slipping under the radar of anyone who means me harm. Misdirection in my warding practice looks a lot like the Star Wars "These are not the Jedi you are looking for" trick. Just as you might charge your aura with light to be seen, you can charge it with other, subtler energies. I put off a vibe of "probably not worth bothering with." Other variations include "you heard a sound/saw something from the corner of your eye in the other direction" and "I look like someone you wouldn't want to hurt."

Klaxons

Much more directly than visibility or invisibility, klaxons are when we sound the alarm. We scream. We call 911 or wave down a cop. We physically repel our attackers. We shout for help. We make noise, do something big and loud to draw attention to the fact that there is someone violent in the area. Klaxons are also when our own internal alarms start going haywire, alerting us to danger.

On a magical level, my klaxons are actual alarm systems. I use them two ways. First, I put up tripwires (laser beams, pyramids of cans, whatever works for you) outside where my personal energy ends. I lace my home, workplace, and anywhere I go frequently with them, keyed to my presence. These tripwires warm me when something bad is coming that I'm not picking up on yet. They serve as an advance warning system that I need to brace for something incoming. Second, I leave activated alarms right up against my skin. These are designed to go off if someone physically gets to me. As scary as it is to imagine, they are meant to work even if I'm unconscious. They blare the alarm at top psychic volume. People I'm magically connected to are most likely to hear my alarm, but nearby people also hear it, usually as a niggling sense that something is wrong. It has the opposite effect of invisibility, drawing people to see and hear that something is going on and tipping the odds that they will interfere in my favor.

I, and many others, are working for a world where we do not need to fear, where these ideas are interesting concepts that we have no personal need for. In the meantime, I use all of these techniques, in both mundane and magical ways, and I respect the right of all people to do so. We all have the right to be safe. I hope that some of what I have shared is useful to you.

Please leave comments, questions, and other feedback in the comments.