DC Radical Faeries

May Day Celebration Info

2008-05-01T04:39:53Z

Hey Folks,

Here's the skinny on May Day celebrations this weekend!

Walpurgisnacht Bonfires
Saturday May 3, 7:00 p.m. and on
Potpourri's Bamboo Garden
306 Carroll St NW

May Pole Dance in the Park
Sunday May 4
Procession from Baba's house at 11:00
Dance in the Park 12:00ish Dupont Circle

For additional info contact Fritter at: info@dcradfeys.org.

Open Beltane Weekend - preregistration required

2008-04-04T15:13:47Z

Mods, if you prefer to not have this in the community, that's OK. It'd be nice to see some of you again though! I think the only time us ShadowGrove peeps see any of you is at Persephone!

ETA: Located in Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA.

There are just 15 days left to register for our big Beltane celebration and I'm more excited than ever! We've been spending lots of time and energy making sure this event will be a huge success. Having our pagan neighbors there would help make Fertile Ground Gathering just that! We hope many of you will join us for this wondrous event!

We already have many folks who've signed up to spend the entire weekend with us and we'd love for the rest of you to join them!

We're having workshops, a henna artist, drumming circle, dinner, overnight cabin camping (optional), and much more! Check out our website to find out what we've got in store for you!

We are looking forward to meeting you all and we can't wait to see your smiles on May 3rd and 4th!

Peace,
Michelle

Comings and Goings

2008-04-04T14:34:16Z

Over the last few weeks we've seen a lot of our faeries coming and going. Two weeks ago we performed a shrouding rite for 3 different faeries one right after the other. Sean, Roy and Andrew were all blessed and sent forth to go and find new fields in which to frolick. Some new people have joined our ranks over the last month as well, and some longtime friends have come round to visit as well.

Things have felt, in a word, transitiony.

And still we remain.

Programming is returning to potlucks. Some people have expressed a desire to revive that practice so we're going to be doing that. Here's the lineup.

4/7: Candle Magic
4/14: Bardic Circle
4/21: Earth Day
4/28: Heart Circle

April potlucks will be hosted at Eldritch's place. Details are on the yahoo group.

Red Dragon Auction - Part 3 + Raffle Items

2008-02-15T16:30:00Z

Don't Forget! Red Dragon is This Saturday!

Complete details on Red Dragon Feast 2008 are here.

This is part three of a series, and this is the final list that will be posted on DC Rad Feys. Additional items may be included on the day of the event and not posted here. For the previous entries check the following links.

Red Dragon Auction Items - Part 1
Red Dragon Auction Items - Part 2

Auction Items

Lot 16: Shamanic Healing with Caroline Kenner

Caroline Kenner works to free her clients from physical, mental and emotional disease. Caroline practices core shamanism, providing traditional shamanic cures such as totem animal retrieval, soul retrieval, and extraction healing. Caroline also offers transfiguration healing, directing Divine energy into the body of the client to heal,protect, and sanctify. Donated by Caroline Kenner

Lot 17: Assorted Lubricants

Enjoy your valentines weekend with as many lovers as you wish (or need) with this glorious assortment of lubricants. Full product listing not available at press time. Graciously donated by The Leather Rack.

Lot 18: Wine and Chocolate Basket

A scrumptious collection of wines and chocolates. Perfect for those romantic evenings with your lover, or fun all by yourself. Donated by the Open Hearth Foundation membership appreciation group.

Lot 19: Giant Origami Dragon

Origami is the Japanese art of folded paper. Typically origami designs are small and delicate. Our radical faerie Potpourri Sashay (potpourrifae) has been doing giant origami constructed out of paper shopping bags for years. For the second year in a row Potpourri has made us a fantastic giant origami red dragon.
Item depicted as example. Dragon style may vary at auction.

Lot 20: Red Dragon Incense

This hand blended incense is made exclusively for the Red Dragon event by A'alyvine. Place a smidgen of this incense on a hot coal and relive the magic of the Red Dragon all year round. Donated by A'alyvine.

Lot 21: Balkan Cooking Classes

Learn to craft traditional ethnic foods from the Balkans. Instructor Baba Niko will teach you about how to make these savory and delicious foods as well as the traditional holidays for which these dishes were prepared in the old country. This is a series of cooking classes over the course of the next year.

Lot 22: Yoga Classes with Knox

Three Yoga Classes with Rod (aka Knox LoveDragon). For the Beginner to the
more experienced yogi or yogini. Each class 1 hour; optional maximum of 2 friends to join you. Dates/Times/Location to be determined

Raffle Items

Raffle 1: $25.00 gift card to ACKC

Artfully Chocolates/Kingsbury Confections is the most fabulous cocoa bar in the universe. Beyond the sumptuous chocolates you can bask in the glory of vibrant iconography by artist Eric Nelson.
Donated by ACKC at 14th and Q St NW, Washington, DC

Raffle 2: $15.00 gift certificate to Melody Records

Looking for that long lost Barbra Streisand album or the latest DVD box set of Dante's Cove? Look no further. Melody Records has got you covered.
Donated by Melody Records located on Connecticut Ave between Q & R St NW

Raffle 3: Tickets to the Maryland Faerie Festival

The Maryland Faerie Festival celebrates the Faeries. We provide an atmosphere and entertainment inspired by Faerie folklore and literature, and, of course, by the Faeries themselves. Yes, we believe in Faeries! Through the Faerie heritage, we encourage love, cooperation, peace, harmony, and respect for all beings, along with a pinch of mischief!
Donated by The Maryland Faerie Festival

Additional Raffle Items

Raffle 4: Feng Shui Dragon from the Buddhist Temple in Poolesville
Raffle 5: Red bear with chinese character for "Luck"
Raffle 6: Clear chalice with red stem

Raffle 7: Red Dragon toy
Raffle 8: Miniature Rainbow Dragon collection

Red Dragon Auction Items - Part 2

2008-02-13T02:46:38Z

Don't forget! Red Dragon is Saturday February 16th!
Complete details about Red Dragon 08 are here.

This post continues the list of auction items begun in This post.

Lot 5: Drum Lessons with Tigre Cruz

Tigre is a rhythmancer (a drum mage), a drum instructor and a drum circle facilitator (and Radical Faerie). He is immersed in traditional West African Djembe drumming and technique. He studies drumming and drum circle facilitation with Jaqui MacMillan. Tigre has graciously donated drum lessons to be bid upon at auction.

Lots 6, 7, & 8: Storyweaving session with Dr. Carol Burbank

Storyweaving is a relaxing, playful process that improves emotional, physical, and intellectual stamina while supporting clients in finding new joy and purpose in their lives. Dr. Carol Burbank developed this practical combination of mentoring, energy work and storytelling based on her research linking our personal narratives about our lives to the quality of life we experience as a result. Storyweaving sessions give clients a safe space to explore and balance the narratives that bridge their conscious and unconscious ideas. These playful, grounding sessions offer new tools for shifting unhealthy patterns, and weaving new stories.

Dr. Burbank has offered us three storyweaving sessions as auction items that could be sold individually or as a package.

Lot 9: Original Artwork "AngelBloodLove" by Kila

This original artwork is meant to reflect the Red Dragon's ongoing work evolving blood, loving blood, and all the other variations and conjunctions that the universe presents for curing blood-related diseases. One of a kind, no duplicates have been made.

Lot 10: Red Dragon Broom

'All the best work in life begins with love. Clear your sacred space with this broom created specially for the Red Dragon Feast. It is lovingly decorated with red and black feathers, silver and ribbon and blessed with a bind rune of Berkana and Mannaz (not pictured), for love, partnership, protection, fertility and a host of other well wishes.' Made and donated by Nicole and Joel

Lot 11: Glass Pentacle

This beautiful copper and black pentacle is imprinted on a solid glass disk with a fine beveled edge. Suitable as a scrying mirror, altar piece or even a decorative wall hanging. This item donated by Spark of Spirit in College Park, MD.

Lot 12: Red Velvet Box

This adorable little box is covered in a beautiful reflective velvet on the outside and a soft padded satin on the inside. This item was graciously donated by Jen Wind Horse.

Lots 13-15: Handcrafted works by Knox LoveDragon

Lot 13: Red Dragon Prayer Flag

This beautiful and striking prayer flag is printed on muslin and has an undetermined length of red yarn with two little brass bells. The flag dimensions are 10.5" X 8.25". Suitable for indoor or outdoor decoration.

Lot 14: Bones of the Dragon Bracelet

In keeping with this years theme of "shedding the skin" Knox has crafted these two pieces of fine jewelery. This gorgeous bracelet is comprised of beads made of Red Coral, Picture Jasper, & Garnet and measures 8" in length.

Lot 15: Droplets of the Life Giving Blood Necklace

This stunning necklace is a combination of red glass beads, Carnelian, Malachite, Garnet, Tourmaline, & Freshwater Pearls! It measures 16" in length. Perfect for those dainty lads and lasses with super chic taste.

Red Dragon Auction Items: Part 1

2008-02-09T15:56:27Z

Auction items are being posted in the order received. This is not the order in which they will be auctioned off. This is not the complete list of auction items. Several posts will be made, so check back over the next week.

Lot 1: Classic Red Dragon Head

Nearly a yard long and over a foot tall, this red dragon head has been used as the focal point of the Red Dragon Feast for years. This year's ritual will focus on the "Shedding of the skin" and a new dragon head will be born. You can own this piece of Radical Faerie history.

Lot 2: Kuanyin and the Dragon

This mahogany finished wall placque depicts the God(dess) Kuanyin serenely posed in front of a dragon. No design on reverse, lies flat against the wall. Placque hangs by red cord and has two red tassels that hang below. Placque measures approximately 10-12 inches in diameter.

Lot 3: Red and White HRC Track Messenger Bag

This snazzy red and white bag has an adjustable shoulder strap, clips to hold the top flap in place and a little HRC logo in the bottom right hand corner. This item may or may not contain surprises at the time of auction.

Donated by the HRC Action Center and Corner Store in Washington, D.C.

Lot 4: Red Dragon Necklace by Fritter

For those into the chunky jewelery fritter has offered up this cute little number. This 24 inch necklace is a combination of dyed red coral, czech glass and painted wooden beads. The central pendant depicts a chinese style dragon curled around itself. Worn one way the dragon points up, another down.

Stay tuned for more auction fabulousness in future posts this week!

Radical Faerie Movie Night: SEBASTIANE!

2008-01-29T15:08:47Z

Before Mel Gibson butchered Jesus in The Passion of the Christ,
Derek Jarman skewered a saint in Sebastiane!

Filmed in Sardinia, and acted entirely in Latin, Jarman's film follows the last days of Saint Sebastiane. Sebastiane was a Roman Soldier during the reign of the emperor Diocletian. When it is revealed that Sebastiane has converted to Christianity he and certain men from his legion are exiled to the desert. There he is forced to recant his faith in Christ or be tortured by his captain. Needless to say he is tortured, and eventually martyred for his faith, as well as his unwillingness to submit to the sexual advances of his captain.

Sebastiane is a visually exciting film, loaded with tons of gratuitous nudity and explicit homoeroticism. But what I found highly intriguing was the actual lack of Christianity in Sebastiane's faith. A lot of the language that he uses for Christ is in comparison to classical Gods like Apollo and Adonis a man beloved of Gods. I don't even know that the name Jesus was ever mentioned at all. Just these descriptions of the Christian God that were as if he had fallen in love with Christ and not actually converted to the faith.

The best parts of this film were the slow parts. Jarman spent about ten minutes or more on a scene of two men frolicking in a pool of water and lovingly touching each other. It was absolutely beautiful to watch. It did little to advance the plot of the film, though it did enhance the sexual tension of the captain.

The torture scenes are not so bad in this film. In fact they were pretty tame as torture goes. More often than anything it looked like they were play-acting at torture instead of actually torturing him. Though the sand on a sunburn scene was pretty bad, if only from experiential memory. And as far as play-acting goes, these men were obviously not soldiers. I've seen more realistic fake sword sparring at the renaissance fair than here. And their spearwork, their archery? No. Terrible.

The music was by Brian Eno, which was kind of a shocker actually. Not that he wouldn't do this film, just that I wasn't expecting it. The music was pretty tame as things went, a soft undertone to the film.

Was Sebastiane a good movie? Not particularly. Was it a sexy movie? Well, yes. Very. Would I watch it again? Sure.

Does this film deserve an X rating? NO. Not in the slightest. There are a lot of full frontal men, but there's no actual sex ever. There's touching, kissing, and that's about it. But, this film came out in the 70's, 1976 in fact, so I guess any kind of love between men and actual male nudity might have constituted enough material for an X rating.

If you want to buy a copy of Sebastiane, it's available on DVD from Amazon.com.

Pansexual Leather Social Group Forming for 21-35 y.o. and their partners!

2008-01-07T21:53:55Z

This isn't exclusively fey, but does deal with BDSM/Leather/fetish, and I know we have more than a few kinky/Leather faeries. I'd love to get some Faerie presence at this event.

PLEASE CROSSPOST ANYWHERE APPROPRIATE!

From pony_sprite
goLEATHER Northeast is holding its first meeting/party on Saturday January 26th in Rockville, MD!

goLEATHER was started in April 2005 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as a pansexual group for anyone age 21-35 and their partners, primarily as a support structure for young, kinky people. We focus on the leather community, but any fetish or interest is welcome. As a group goLEATHER members have participated in educational and charity events, taken leather shopping trips, gone to restaurants, movies, bars, and other places in leather, and traveled to events across the country.

goLEATHER is NOT a BDSM play club or a sex club. The world has a number of organizations dealing with BDSM, however where other groups focus more on "how-tos" of kinky play, goLEATHER focuses on leather as a community: people with a shared history, culture, tradition, and sense of belonging. As such, goLEATHER considers itself a compliment to other BDSM organizations, especially ones targeting the same age range like TNG, and we hope to coexist with such groups and provide a distinctly different feeling and environment for those who wish to attend our meetings and events.

goLEATHER members come from all races, gender identities and sexualities, but we're all attracted to leather, BDSM, the leather community, or some kind of kink. We're an educational and social group, with the goal of helping you explore without doing it all alone. Maybe you already know a lot about leather/BDSM and you want to connect with other like-minded people your age. Maybe you know nothing about it but want to know more. Or maybe you just like wearing leather/rubber/latex/levis/uniforms/whatever, without all the "painful stuff." We welcome all kinds of young people, to help you grow and develop at your own pace.

goLEATHER Northeast's first meeting will be held in a transit-accessible location in Maryland on January 26th, 2008 from 4pm till our hosts throw us out! Our first formal meeting will dissolve into a social party and potluck so please bring something with you if you are attending. Please contact the email below privately for location information. As always, goLEATHER is 100% free to attend.

More information can be found at http://www.goleather.org
If you would like to RSVP and receive the address you can do so to at smileyponie@gmail.com

(x-posted all over teh blagoblags [and by that, I mean Teh LJ blagoblags])

DC Radical Faeries Present: The Red Dragon Feast 2008

2008-01-06T16:41:38Z

When: Saturday, February 16, 2-5 pm
Where: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I st SW, Washington DC
Tickets: $13.00, payable online HERE or pay at the door. As per long standing faerie tradition, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

What is Red Dragon?

The Red Dragon Feast is a combination feast, charity event and magickal working done with the intent of sending forth our red dragon to battle against blood-borne diseases. We gather together in red attire, feast on red foods, and toast with red drinks. We also have an outrageous auction that raises additional money for each year's selected charity.

Where does the money go?

Previous donations raised for Red Dragon have gone to local DC charities and research projects to combat all types of blood borne diseases. Our recipients change every year, and past donations have gone to help cure breast cancer, Pediatric AIDS, Sickle Cell Anemia, Teen HIV/AIDS, and Diabetes.

Proceeds from this years event will go toward the creation of a DC Radical Faerie produced HIV prevention campaign. Details will be forthcoming.

What should I wear/bring/do?

Attire: Anything, as long as it's red. You could wear a red sequined thong or a red tee shirt and jeans, and we'd be just as happy either way.

Bring: Happiness, High Hopes, and your cash and credit cards. Please don't bring food, as food will be provided. Also, this year we will be collecting auction items early and posting them here on the blog. Please don't bring auction items on the day of the event. But DO bring cash or credit cards to pay for your auction items on site.

Do: Have a good time. Enjoy the food. Share your heart. Be generous.

Who are the DC Radical Faeries?

The DC Radical Faeries is a community-based organization of men, women and others who explore queer spirituality. We promote an understanding of Earth-based religions and interfaith cooperation. We welcome all queer spirits, straight, gay, bi, trans, two-spirited or searching. We welcome people from all walks of life who want to share and nurture their essential fabulosity. DC Radical Faeries are also a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

For additional information please contact the faerie info line: info@dcradfeys.org

The True and Ancient Rite of Enshrouding

2007-12-18T00:24:29Z

Enshrouding is a commonly performed rite of the DC Radical Faeries. We are a transient group, subject to the ebbs and flows of the people through our fair town, and as such we see faeries come into our lives and flow out of our lives to go on to prospects elsewhere, for reasons more numerous to count. To honor the transition we perform the Rite of Enshrouding upon our faeries who choose to leave us.

This is the structure and process for the true and ancient rite of enshrouding.

Once a faerie announces hir intention to leave the group, move to other shores, wander for a bit, or go on extended holiday the Faeries are behooved to honor hir with the rite of enshrouding.

The ritual shroud is placed over hir body, enveloping hir in the hazy uncertainity of what is to come and the beginning the transition to the other.

All faeries then place their hands upon hir and tell stories and memories of loving moments had in our faerie circle and elsewhere.

Once all loving memories have been shared then blessings for the future are shared, energy is sung, chanted, poeticized and heralded over hir.

The shroud is then removed and the faerie sent forth onto hir wanderings and wonderings.

Tonight, jcruisedirector leaves our circle. He will be sent forth using the same shroud that sent forth J & L and B & G. The shroud has also been used in DC Radical Faerie Samhain for several years. This one strange piece of cloth has felt so much love and joy and pain and separation. I feel honored to keep it in my home.

Goodbye Potluck!

2007-12-15T18:24:14Z

Hello all!

Just wanted to let you all know there is going to be a Potluck at e_eldritch's place on Monday December 17th, and it will also be a going away party for me! As most of you already know, and some of you might not, I am moving to Portland OR, and I will be leaving next Friday the 21st. Please let me know if you would like to attend and I will give you the address/directions if needed. Thanks all and hope to see you there!

Fairy Tale of the Snow Prince

2007-12-10T07:25:34Z

For those of you who were unable to attend DC Radical Faerie Yule, here is a snippet of the action from the evening. This is the performance for which I sewed all those kimonos. This is the Fairy Tale of the Snow Prince. I apologize for the unbelievably shitty rendering on this, but it really is the best I could do so far. It's actually better if you watch it in the smallest screen rather than blowing it up to full screen.

For the record these were the actors:

Kikori - dmlaenker
Yuki - fritterfae
Blizzard (fubuki) - jcruisedirector
Frost (Shimo) - c4bl3fl4m3
Iceberg (Hyozan) - Just Julie
Glacier (Hyoga) - Anne
Narrator - eeldritch

The play was written by me, costumes by me, and makeup was done by jcruisedirector. Music was provided by kiltedcubpa (Drum) and Thyme (viola).

And for the record, we only rehearsed this moments before we performed it. Only two people were clued into how this was going to work until the day of the event, but it worked. Gods be praised.

Oh, and this is my first official YouTube video, and hopefully they will be less shitty after this one.

Yule: Legend of the Snow Prince

2007-12-07T20:20:30Z

You are cordially invited to attend

DC Radical Faerie Yule:
Legend of the Snow Prince

December 8, 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Universalist National Memorial Church
1810 16th St NW
Washington, DC

Who is this "Snow Prince"?

"Legend of the Snow Prince" is an original play by the DC Radical Faeries inspired by Japanese fairy tales. Kikori, the woodsman finds love and danger in the arms of Yuki, prince of the court of Winter. What will be their fate? Come and find out!

What will happen at Faerie Yule?

Enjoying snacks and warm beverages!
Singing jolly seasonal tunes!
Dancing traditional social dances!
Being astounded by theatrical wonder!

Is there a fee?

We will graciously accept donations of $5.00 or more upon arrival. But DC Radical Faerie Yule is open to all who wish to attend. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

What should I bring?

Do: Bring friends and family!
Do: Bring your dancin' shoes!
Do: Bring colorful items to add to our seasonal altars!

Do Not: Bring food or drinks as they will be provided

Who are the DC Radical Faeries?

The DC Radical Faeries is a community-based organization of men and women who explore queer spirituality. We promote an understanding of Earth-based religions and interfaith cooperation. We welcome all queer spirits, straight, gay, bi, trans, two-spirited or searching. We welcome people from all walks of life who want to share and nurture their essential fabulosity.

For additional questions or information please contact Fritter at:
info@dcradfeys. org

Yule: Legend of the Snow Prince

2007-11-26T00:15:57Z

You are cordially invited to attend

DC Radical Faerie Yule:
Legend of the Snow Prince

Thanks-Gaia

2007-11-20T17:49:41Z

Hey Faes!

As per our tradition I'll be hosting faerie Thanks-Gaia at my house on Thursday the 22nd.

What: Thanks Gaia
Where: Fritter's House, 773 Fairmont St NW
When: 3:00 p.m. and onward!

This is a potluck dinner, so please check with me about foodstuffs. I would greatly appreciate it.

Much Love,
Fritter

A Very Yaoi Yule

2007-11-19T05:40:07Z

Today we were planning out the ritual for the DC Radical Faeries Yule. We usually have lots of singing and dancing and there's often some kind of play. Well, this year there will be singing and dancing and a very unusual play.

For some reason I was thinking of the blizzard scene from Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams". In that scene a mountaineering expedition becomes lost in a blizzard and can't find their way back to base camp. The men then see a vision of a beautiful woman in the snow who may lead them back to camp or lead them to their deaths. The scene seemed to resonate with me this morning and I read some more about this legend of the snow woman, Yuki-onna. I brought this idea to the meeting today and we started outlining this story of a mountaineer who becomes lost in the snow who has a dream of a palace of ice and the beautiful prince of snow. This dream turns into a moment of love at first sight between the two of them, but the closer they come together the more the mountaineer becomes frozen. Their's is a love that cannot be.

So I'm going to write up this play tomorrow. I'm going to try and do the whole thing in a very edited highly scripted series of haiku.

It's going to be totally incredible.

For those who wish to attend Yule will be:

When: Saturday December 8, 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Universalist Church, 16th and S St NW

Refreshments and entertainments will be provided.

Litany of the Dead

2007-10-31T04:02:54Z

The following is the list of names we honored at our DC Radical Faerie Samhain event.

Litany of the Dead

1. Sappho of Lesbos
2. Saint Aelred of Rievaulx
3. We’Wha
4. Walt Whitman (DC)
5. Sarah Orne Jewett
6. Gertrude Stein
7. Alice B. Toklas
8. Oscar Wilde
9. George “Hibiscus” Harris
10. Sylvester
11. Otto Ulrich (DC)
12. Harvey Milk
13. Larry Duckett (DC)
14. Sylvia Rivera
15. Rick Graf
16. Harris Glenn "Divine" Milstead
17. Keith Haring
18. Matthew Shepard
19. Brandon Teena
20. Ruth Ellis
21. Father Mychal Judge
22. Gideon Ferebee (DC)
23. Dominique Foxx (DC)
24. Cody (DC Radical Faerie)
25. Harry Hay
26. Bella Evangelista (DC)
27. Bruce C. Scott (DC)
28. Jack Nichols (DC)
29. Bruce Pennington (DC)
30. Jerrie Linder (DC)
31. Van Smith
32. Tammy Faye Messner
33. Wanda Alston (DC)
34. Barbara Gittings (DC)
35. Cheryl Spector (DC)
36. Henry Moses (DC)

I feel bad that the only one on here that isn't linked is Cody. Cody is a faerie that I never met, and who's name comes up often in remembrance of faeries passed. The one thing I know about Cody is that Baba has his old tarot deck and on occasion cards will fall out of it. He sees this as signifying portents to the group from the spirit of a brother on the other side.

I also feel bad that almost all of Bella Evangelista's information is lost in the transgender murder news of that time period. I don't know why I feel particularly called to remember her. I also never met her, but the story of her death has stuck with me, and I try and remember her name in the litany of the dead every time we do it. Her picture in the Village Voice is the one that is etched eternally in my mind, her performance at Chaos looking radiant and beautiful. I see Our Lady of Guadalupe in that image every time I think of it.

Though I think that the strangest tribute on this list was the one for Henry Moses. I chose to link the Green Party page as it had the most information about his life. But the more moving tribute to his life as a drummer and activist is actually here on the Rhythm Workers page. It's so new to think of him as gone that it's hard to process. Henry drummed with the faeries a lot, often in the pride parade. He was a vibrant soul, full of energy and love.

Samhain Rain or Shine

2007-10-27T13:03:04Z

Hi Faes,

In the event that it continues to rain we will hold Samhain at Eldritch's place, aka the Faerie Flophouse at 1545 18th St NW Apt 713.

In the event that the skies part and the rain ends we will convene in Dupont Circle as originally planned.

Saturday 10/27 @ 7:00 p.m.

Much Love,
Fritter

A Faerie of Days Past

2007-10-23T05:02:52Z

As I was researching names for the litany of the dead for our Faerie Samhain ritual one that has not been named in DC was George Harris, also known as Hibiscus. George Harris was this man in this iconic photo taken by the Washington Post at a demonstration at the Pentagon in 1967.

See, George Harris was a hippie, peaceful kind of guy back then. And in a few short years he moved to San Francisco with flowers in his hair, became one of the founding members of the Cockettes. Here's a shot of him in one of his more faerielicious outfits.

Hibiscus passed away in 1982, in the first bouts of deaths from AIDS. While I couldn't say if he ever donned the name of Radical Faerie, just knowing what I know about his life, he was one. And I am happy to count him among my beloved dead.

Hail to you Hibiscus.

A very Faery week...

2007-10-19T18:13:09Z

Hey, dolls,

It's been a lovely Faery week during the past few days, although, sadly, I missed the release party. The photos look completely amazing (thanks for posting, Aelous!), and I would have loved to hear people read their own work.

I happened to catch a couple of the Feys at the Dalai Lama's Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on the West Lawn of the Capitol. I was most amazed by his ability to remain genuine and honest in the midst of all the governmental hoo-hah. Then, of course, the energetics were fabulous, too.

There were a couple things I mentioned in passing at potluck on Monday that I wanted to put out to the larger community:

1. The magick of pies. A dear friend of mine, Donald Engstrom (who's also a long time developer and practitioner of our more modern queer spirit "movement") told me about an experience he had at one of the Reclaiming witch camps. At a night ritual, everyone was asked to visit a Mysterious One in trance and get a message for the larger community. Donald went to check in with the amazing Grandmother Bear, and her words were two fold: Draw spirals on the doorways of power and eat more pie, so when you die, you'll taste that much more the sweeter.
I love this message, because for me, it's really about enjoying the bounty of life and remembering to embrace that pure delight, assimilating it into our very bodies. Hence, my reason for often bringing pie to potluck. (My husband and I had people bring pies to our wedding instead of serving a traditional cake. People fell on them like wolves!)

2. There was a posting to the Faerie list about a group of queer folks from England who have "been offering space for over three years of sharing, ritual and celebration to gays, lesbians, trans and all queer folk who see themselves on a path of spiritual growth that is innately connected to their sexuality." It seems like they go to various festivals, setting up a special space for queer people to gather and explore queer spirit together, linking it to their "sexuality." It sounded interesting to me and also like some overlap with the Faes. I'd be curious to hear about other people's responses to these ideas and how we can (continue to?) manifest this type of thing in a way that resonates with us and others.
Part of my own hidden agenda is helping to awaken the queer priestess in more queer folks, so we can step up to our own spiritual gifts.

Blessings to all,
Rose

RFD Release Party

2007-10-05T20:42:16Z

RFD Magazine Release Party

Celebrating the DC Radical Faeries writers, poets and artists who created the content and cover of the Fall 2007 issue of the RFD magazine documenting the history, art, culture and community of the Radical Faeries of Washington DC.

Thursday, Oct 18th 7:00 pm
at Lambda Rising bookstore
1625 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009

Please mark your calendars and bring your friends to help us celebrate!

See you there!

Bardic Circle Contributions

2007-09-18T02:42:01Z

Tonight we had a Bardic Circle at Faeries. Here are some selections from the evening.

Fritter:

an excerpt from Naked Lunch

Windowless cubicle with blue walls. Dirty pink curtain cover the door. Red bugs crawl on the wall, cluster in corners. Naked boy in the middle of the room twang a two-string oud, trace and arabesque on the floor. Another boy lean back on the bed smoking keif and blow smoke over his erect cock. They play game with tarot cards on the bed to see who fuck who. Cheat. Fight. Roll on the floor snarling and spitting like young animals. The loser sit on the floor chin on knees, licks a broken tooth. The winner curls up on the bed pretending to sleep. Whenever the other boy come near kick at him. Ali seize him by one ankle, tuck the ankle under his arm pit, lock his arm around the calf. The boy kick desperately at Ali's face. Other ankle pinioned. Ali tilt the boy back on his shoulders. The boy's cock extends along his stomach, float free pulsing. Ali put his hands over his head. Spit on his cock. The other sighs deeply as Ali slides his cock in. The mouths grind together smearing blood. Sharp musty oder of penetrated rectum. Nimun drive in like a wedge, force jissom out the other cock in long hot spurts. (The author has observed that Arab cocks tend to be wide and wedge shaped.)

Suzie Sexxxin:

Hug O'War by Shel Silverstein

I will not play at tug o'war.
I'd rather play at hug o'war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

this is just to say by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

Jump Dance:

And the Beat Goes On by Cher

CHORUS:
The beat goes on, the beat goes on
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da

Charleston was once the rage, uh huh
History has turned the page, uh huh
The mini skirts the current thing, uh huh
Teenybopper is our newborn king, uh huh

Chorus

The grocery store's the super mart, uh huh
Little girls still break their hearts, uh huh
And men still keep on marching off to war
Electrically they keep a baseball score

Chorus

Grandmas sit in chairs and reminisce
Boys keep chasing girls to get a kiss
The cars keep going faster all the time
Bums still cry "hey buddy, have you got a dime"

Chorus
Snafu:

To Be Of Use by Marge Piercy

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who stand in the line and haul in their places,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

In the end Fritter and Baba shared a moment thinking about a quote from Kerouac:

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!"

Who's That Girl?

2007-09-14T02:52:46Z

Oh, wait, that's me in the green muumuu.

A little video from the Mid-Atlantic Men's Gathering. Not the best as it's highly pixelated, but you can get the feel of the fashion show.

Conversation with a Rune

2007-08-28T05:04:57Z

Tonight I had a conversation with a rune.

It was part of a spontaneous faerie activity, where everyone drew something from a bowl of many things.

I picked out a wooden chip that had carved/inscribed on it the rune "Berkana"

Fertility
Birth
Etc.

First we were asked a question. The question was about how do we reconcile being urban faeries, and does the seasonal metaphor of earth based spiritualities work for us? It's a complex question, and I chose to not answer it.

I spent some time with Berkana on my head
I was hoping for new brain synapses
Or maybe some stem cells

Then we breathed life into our objects.
Then we asked it its history.

Berkana was quite chatty.
It started with being an acorn
Taking root
Growing from sprout
To tree
To fallen limb
To random faerie claiming said limb
Being chopped up into runes
The rune set getting split up
And Berkana winding up in a bowl of many things

Well.

Then we were to ask it to share with us some secret.

It had been listening earlier
and it answered the question about urban/rural faeries
It told me:

My nature is the same as yours
I am both natural and cultural
Living wood
With human meaning
Your life is both natural and cultural
And your celebrations are both

And both are impermanent

Look,
My bark is cracking
And my ink seeps out
Both nature and culture are impermanent

Well.

Thank you Berkana.

Odd to get a message about death from the birth rune,
Then again
Birth implies death
So
Not so strange

Then again,
I've been reading a lot about Buddha
And culture
And societal change
Maybe I did develop a synapse or two

RFD Cover Art For Your Viewing Pleasure

2007-08-03T14:15:05Z

I know that folks are dying to see how the cover art turned out for RFD. And while I do have the full file on You Send It still, I haven't heard from the folks at RFD to find out if they've downloaded it and what they think of it. BUT, what I can do is post the front cover and the back cover and tell you that the border we put around it is a gradiated black to blue to black. So, here we go!

Please be advised that this cover art is TOTALLY NSFW!

This is the front cover. The six people in this picture are c4bl3fl4m3, Louis, Luke, Butterfly, Me and potpourrifae. We had to modify the picture like 3 different times to get it to come out to being this cool. We had a friend do a touch up to try and make the webcam base image look okay, Eldritch blacked out the space above the heads and added in the monuments to cover up my trashy floor, and I did the sunbursts on the faces with a GIMP tool called Gradient Flare that could be color shifted, which is why we look like we have a uniform glowing energy body.

This piece was drawn by dmlaenker and it's entitled "L'Enfant's First Draft." He, being a city planning wonk, decided to tap into the mind of the city planner of DC and restore the "original" design. As you may see it is a chest and harness motif, with large green phallus as the baseline for the national mall, and fishnet stockings radiating out to Northeast and Southeast. The capitol building rests squarely on the cockring, and the white house and Supreme Court flank opposite sides of the phallus. A large greenspace was also originally planned between NE and SE to resemble a massive buttplug. The two rivers have retained their original names of Patowmack and Anacostank. Had the metro been designed at this time it would have begun by running from Anacostank to Stankonia.

DC Radical Faeries

May Day Celebration Info

Open Beltane Weekend - preregistration required

Comings and Goings

Red Dragon Auction - Part 3 + Raffle Items

Red Dragon Auction Items - Part 2

Red Dragon Auction Items: Part 1

Radical Faerie Movie Night: SEBASTIANE!

Pansexual Leather Social Group Forming for 21-35 y.o. and their partners!

DC Radical Faeries Present: The Red Dragon Feast 2008

The True and Ancient Rite of Enshrouding

Goodbye Potluck!

Fairy Tale of the Snow Prince

Yule: Legend of the Snow Prince

DC Radical Faerie Yule: Legend of the Snow Prince

Yule: Legend of the Snow Prince

DC Radical Faerie Yule: Legend of the Snow Prince

Thanks-Gaia

A Very Yaoi Yule

Litany of the Dead

Samhain Rain or Shine

A Faerie of Days Past

A very Faery week...

RFD Release Party

Bardic Circle Contributions

Who's That Girl?

Conversation with a Rune

RFD Cover Art For Your Viewing Pleasure

DC Radical Faerie Yule:
Legend of the Snow Prince

DC Radical Faerie Yule:
Legend of the Snow Prince