Rainbow Moon Circle's Rite of Becoming Feb 27 at The Sacred Well

CAYA Coven’s Rainbow Moon Circle presents The Rite of Becoming

A sacred circle honoring the full spectra of gender diversity

Saturday, February 27, 2016

8pm (no one is admitted after the circle is cast).

The Sacred Well

536 Grand Ave, Oakland

wheelchair accessible

$10-$20 donation requested—no one turned away for lack of funds.

Come As You Are Pagan Congregation’s Rainbow Moon Circle invites people of any and all genders —or none— to join us as we reveal the possibilities and potential in ourselves and each other. What will we choose to bring forth into the world? We will call upon Panprosdexia—All-Acceptance; the Agender deity of the Tetrad++ pantheon, to support this work. Together we will witness and honor the first public Initation into The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe—CAYA Coven’s Mxgender Mystery Tradition. Bring something to charge on the altar and a treat for Cakes and Ale following the ritual— and Come As You Are!

Our Mission: The Rainbow Moon Circle is a safe and sacred space for all to explore the spectra of gender and identity. We honor the holistic experience of self-determined identity and its infinite intersections. We celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is powerful, delightful,  enthusiastic,  playful, transformative, magickal, compassionate, and reverent. Live the Spectra!

Mark your calendars for Trickster Moon; Saturday, April 23, 7pm at The Qultural Collective, Oakland.

Share your sparkles with us on FB & G+ RainbowMoon

http://www.cayacoven.org/rainbow/

Be a Gender Diversity Ally! Just Ask Me How.

Pantheacon, the annual San Francisco Bay Area pagan conference, is coming up this weekend. Let’s show our beautiful gender diverse community some love!

• Use the name and gender that the person currently uses. You can find it on their handy dandy badge and ribbon. Or you can ask! It’s great that you’ve known Pond (they/them/their) since they were Lauren (she/her/hers). Honor their now!  

• Accidental misgendering/deadnaming happens. It’s a bummer for both parties, but we are evolving beings and sometimes we aren't up to date on everyone. Apologize, use the correct gender/name and move on. Accept that gentle correction (“I go by Sylvia - please use the pronouns e/em/eir.”). This person is trusting you to have this information and it is an honor.

• Don’t share a person's history without their consent. Last year Rosewood (she/her/hers) may have gone by Thor (he/him/his). It is an honor knowing a piece of her history, but it’s up to her to decide who to share it with!

• Speak up when you hear misgendering/deadnaming. This is a multi step process and so very important. Be sure that you know the name and gender pronouns are correct for that person. Ask if they consent to you sharing that information if needed. Gently correct the person if you have consent to do so (e.g. "Root prefers they/them/their.")

• Time and place are important. If a person’s name is on their badge and they’re wearing a pronoun ribbon, then it is public information - within the Pantheacon environment. Just like with magickal names, the person may not be safe to use their true gender in the mundane. Say hi when you bump into each other at Trader Joe’s, but find out their preference.

• Don't assume pronouns based on gender. I'm genderqueer and use they/them/their but another genderqueer person may use ze/hir/hirs. Just ask if you're not sure.

Honoring our community members is as easy as listening and respecting each person’s wishes. If you're unsure, ask if you may have a conversation with the individual to find out how you can honor their gender.

And for Pantheacon specific support the Circle of Cerridwen has been so kind as to get pronoun ribbons to append to your badges at Pantheacon. As CAYA Initiate Kitsune put so well in a recent blog post:

I want to encourage my cisgender readers to wear the ribbon with your pronouns on them, in solidarity with your fellow Pagans who are trans and/or non-binary.

Have a great con!

Paneris Fire Song

Last November, we held a Release ritual in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance. It was heavy, joyous work. We worked with Paneris, and I wrote this song to them/him/her.

Paneris' Fire Song

I burn, I burn with the fire

Opening up to my desire

Love will meet me at the pyre

Love will meet me at the pyre 

Please share and use this song, in honor of Paneris. All praise to Paneris, and the Tetrad++!

A Paneros Symbol Came to Me

Blessed Be the Tetrad++!

Two Letters

I've recently found myself needing to write some letters about my gender. Please feel free to use these as templates and alter them as necessary for your own needs.

Letter #1

Dear _______,

I'm a long-time member and I'm genderqueer.

I believe in the work that you do and applaud your international efforts. I think direct action by citizens plays a critical role in changing the world for the better. I hope to remain a member and a part of your online activism for many more years.

However, I cannot currently participate in your online campaigns. Addressing government officials requires a certain level of respect. One way that we show that respect is by adding a prefix such as "Mr." or Ms." before our names. As a genderqueer person, I use the prefix "Mx.", which was recently added to the Oxford Dictionary. Until such a time as I will not be forced to misgender myself, I will be taking a hiatus from participating with you.

Therefore, I urge you to add "Mx." to the list of titles a person can choose from in your organization.

Sincerely,

Mx. Melissa ra Karit

Letter #2

Dear ______,

My girlfriend first brought me to your women-centric space early this year. Since then, I've been back multiple times as a guest and enjoyed myself a great deal. I find it very relaxing.

I want to ask a clarifying question about your gender policy. Since this space is a silent retreat, I will obviously not be asking anyone about their gender, nor will anyone be asking me about mine. I am female-bodied and genderqueer. How would you like me to interact with this space? For example, would it be appropriate for me to have my own membership, typically only given to women? I know that this space is for woman only after 9pm. Would I be welcome during that time? And, for the sake of other non-binary, intersex, and transgender people who might be wondering, would the answer to those questions change if I were male-bodied?

Thanks for providing this space and for your consideration of these questions.

-Mx. Melissa

Rainbow Moon Circle's Autumn Ritual Offering

Come As You Are to…

The Rainbow Moon Circle presents the Moon of Release; A Full Moon Circle Honoring the Full Spectra of Gender Diversity

<3 Thank you to Verity Blue Midnight for this beautiful flyer <3

November 21, 2015

Attendees are welcome to assemble at 7pm, circle is cast at 7:15 (no one is admitted after the circle is cast).

The Home of Truth

1300 Grand St Alameda, CA

Fruitvale BART to 51A

not wheelchair accessible

Suggested donation $10—no one turned away for lack of funds. A portion of our collection will be donated to Trans Lifeline

People of any gender identity or none are welcome to join us to recognize and honor our Beloved Dead of non-conformist gender identities, calling in the creative friction of the gender-fluid deity; Paneris, of the Tetrad++, to transform our losses into raging beauty. We shall offer special remembrance to Trans people whose lives were taken—by the hands of others or by their own hands—in the past solar cycle. Held the evening after the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, at the end of the weeklong Transgender Ancestor Rite of Elevation, our intention is to charge our collective grief with fierce love and RELEASE it from all toxic bonds so that we may all move forward in our full powers. Bring names and photos of your Beloved Dead, small scraps of fabric, ribbons, feathers, and a treat to share for cakes and ale.

The Rainbow Moon Circle is a safe and sacred space for all to explore the spectrum of gender and identity. We honor the holistic experience of self-determined identity and its infinite intersections. We celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is powerful, delightful,  enthusiastic,  playful,transformative, magickal, compassionate, and reverent. Live the Spectra!

The Rainbow Moon Circle offers rituals and sacred services which honor and celebrate the full spectra of gender diversity. Mark your calendars for our Winter ritual: February 27, 2016.

The Rainbow Moon Circle

And on FB: RainbowMoonCircle & G+

Introducing Mxgender

We seem to be at the center of a storm of language shaping these last few months. Just weeks ago, Mx. joinedMr., Mrs., and Ms. in the Oxford Dictionary as a gender neutral title. Earlier this year, folks over here in CAYA Coven started using Priestx as a gender neutral title for our clergy people. It was exhilarating to have a word that feels like it describes me just right. However, we've been stuck for awhile as to what we should call ourselves as a group. I'm genderqueer. When I am part of a group that contains people who are metagender, agender, gender fluid, bigender, and more, what do we call ourselves collectively?

"Non-binary" describes us as what we are not, which I'm not a fan of. "Gender variant" suggests by implication that there exist a group of people who are "gender normal." "Gender diverse" sounds nice but is unfortunately vague. "Trans" and "trans*" are broad and clear, but not everyone who identifies as some non-binary gender identifies as trans.

Then, this last weekend, we had a Rainbow Trad Hot Tub Visioning. (Yes, you read that right.) As we were discussing gender and mulling over the various words we use, one awesome person (thanks, Root!) said this: "What about mxgender?" We paused. We all looked at each other. Hmmm. Mxgender, which sounds like mix-gender, a combination of genders- something quite a lot of us identify with? Mxgender, which draws on the already-known prefix "Mx."? Mxgender sounds like it could hold us all. It sounds like it could be home. 

Do you like "mxgender" as a collective way of describing us? What words do you use? Share in the comments!