Aradia B - the poet and her pentacle

NBC The Today Show: Should marijuana be legal?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:36:40 GMT

My friend Aaron Houston is the guest speaker, representing Marijuana Policy Project in this special from this morning's episode of 'The Today Show' on NBC. Aaron is a friend who lives in my neighborhood here in Takoma Park, and he's a great guy, and we've known each other as fellow marijuana activists for several years now. Its so great to not only see my friend on television, but also that this topic was brought up on national television in such a realistic and compassionate way. We are finally making progress in getting through to the general mainstream public about the truth about health issues regarding marijuana, both its medicinal and recreational use.

Must See!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31827427#31827427

re-potting roots

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:21:16 GMT

I leave Washington DC in just 10 days to relocate to Portland, OR.
I'm starting to get choked up, thinking about all of my friends here, all of the people I love. My stomping grounds, my watering holes, my sacred places.

Breathing heavy, heart pounding.
These moments are amplified as I watch the sand drop through the hourglass.

I'm taking myself, everything I've built, everything I've become, and planting it somewhere new in the hopes that I will continue to grow stronger and be nurtured.

I want to wrap my arms around DC and kiss it on the forehead.
I'll breathe my last goodbyes into the Chesapeake air over the next week.
Then it is time to be delivered into this brave new world I've chosen
and bloom brightly.

Free dance party @ Art0Matic on Fri July 3

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:49:31 GMT

Start Time:	Friday, July 3, 2009 at 8:00pm
End Time:	Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 12:00am
Location:	First Floor (Electric Stage)
Street:	55 M Street, SE
City/Town:	Washington, DC

Doomlaut, the exciting new DC-area music-and-fashion DJ cult, will throw a dance party July 3rd.
Come prove that DCers DO dance!

DJ lineup includes:

Beatnik Betty (Bethany Moore)
Stitch n Eye-V (Endy Mageto & Elina Clavelli)
Mistake The Sauce (Ajay Gupta)
ShamWow
DJ cAPSLOCK (Chris Walke)

special guest appearance by the ghost of DJ Amitai

DOOMLAUT is an revolutionary fashion and music cult founded after members of the Vienna Actionist League of Anti-Fascist Higher Evolutionaries were deported to arts-and-crafts re-education camps by the Von Trapp family in Great Night Club Purge of 616 (as related in the recently unearthed deleted scenes of the anti-burlesque propaganda film, "The Sound of Music"). Members are known for their identical clothing and their mass marriage to each other in the largest recorded act of public bigamy, as well as occasional stretches in prison.

They have infiltrated the highest levels of the government and the lowest levels of youth culture, promising to unravel capitalist space-time and construct vast Cabaret Temples on the ashes of collapsed banks. Federal agents suspect them of having orchestrated the recent Greek anarchist riots as well as the fabrication of charges of assaulting a prostitute against government informant Boy George.

They should be considered armed and fashionable and approached with caution and dancing.

to know me is to love me

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:01:04 GMT

Virgos born on September 20 are the ultimate professionals. Practical and organized, they are "doers" not "watchers." September 20 natives are so frank and earnest about achieving their desires that they may appear opportunistic, but they're just being honest. These men and women possess exquisite manners and good taste.

Friends and Lovers

September 20 natives may have a large circle of friends but trust only those closest to them. They are highly sexual but never let this trait dominate. Rather, they appreciate the partnership of a marriage that goes beyond sexual attraction. They make every effort to keep a committed relationship exciting.

Career and Finances

September 20 people are career-oriented and may train for many years to perfect their professional skills. They have no problem adhering to the ritual of repetition. People born on this date can operate on a tight budget but want more than a regular salary provides.

Dreams and Goals

People born on this date often put their plans into action early. They see achievement as a long process. September 20 men and women show amazing single-mindedness about goals. They will gladly sacrifice their social lives, and even their personal lives, in order to make their dreams come true.

Uranus Retrograde

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:15:11 GMT

Uranus, the planet of rebellion, turns retrograde on July 1.

Uranus is the oddball of the solar system. For starters, it rolls along its side -- on its equator -- instead of spinning upright in its orbit the way planets typically do. Uranus is also in retrograde for more than half of the year. This means it is only direct for two weeks, and is retrograde for about five months out of every Earth year.

Astrologically, Uranus liberates you from the shackles of convention and applies pressure to change whatever is stagnant in your life. Uranus rules electromagnetic energy and is like a lightning storm that creates chaos as it cleans the air, revealing a fresh new world once the storm has cleared.

But when Uranus is retrograde, expect the unexpected. Wonderful and startling surprises are very possible. This retrograde may set your wild side free, or it could make a notoriously outgoing person uncharacteristically shy.

To know exactly what to expect, review the placement of Uranus in your birth chart. If Uranus is direct in a chart, intuitive and inventive impulses flow on a regular basis. However, when Uranus is retrograde in a birth chart, rebellious urges tend to bottle up and then burst forth, seemingly out of nowhere. A retrograde period seems to reawaken freedom urges within individuals, causing them to suddenly and unconsciously rebel against any ruts or confinement in life. Is Uranus retrograde in your birth chart? Should you be on guard against your own rebellious tendencies in the following months to come?

-- astrology.com

survive, thrive, be alive

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:37:06 GMT

I'm packing up my stuff slowly but surely, methodically and effectively. Books go in small boxes to prevent that "oh shit this is heavy" sensation. I'm still trying to get rid of some books and clothes and shoes by selling on the cheap. There's junk to just plain throw away into the garbage, and things to just recycle or give to the salvation army.

I gave some back issues of 'Nylon' magazine to the 16 year old girl that lives in the 1st floor apartment upstairs so she and her friends can look through them for the fashion and music. I played mentor and 'big sister' to her a few times over the last few months of living in this house. She would sometimes come knock on my apartment door, asking for a tarot card reading, or if I knew how to help her get back into her apartment after locking herself out and forgetting the keys. She's a sweet girl growing up in a tough world. She wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. I told her she can design my red carpet wardrobe when I become famous.

I go through ups and downs of confidence and fear. Excitement and anxiety. Am I making the right decision? It is a feeling, a calling, an unignorable urge to go to the Northwest and establish my roots there. We are living in tough times, in a confusing recession, and I am letting go of the life I built in DC, which I felt has both rewarded me and wore me down, and re-root somewhere that feels more nourishing, despite a tough economy.

I'm afraid, but so many people reassure me that it is a journey that I will not regret. For every naysayer, I find 10x more encouragement, kindness, generosity, and open-arms from the Portland community as I reach out to bridge my journey across this country over the next three weeks. Though they say jobs are hard to come by in Portland right now, I have received some professional career interest, tips, and advice from many solid people I've reached out to either in person or over the internet. They tell me that I will be able to make it work, that it might take a little while and I may have to pull some not-so-great part-time jobs together for the first couple of months if that full-time position doesn't pan out right away, and that I will not only survive, but THRIVE, in my new home.

This is a huge undertaking. Its taking every bit of courage that ever existed in my being.
I pray that the Universe take care of me, protect me, and lead me where I am destined to go.

PDX planning

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:25:06 GMT

OK, so it would be super helpful if everyone who lives in Portland, Oregon (or nearby surrounding areas) could leave a message here and say hello. Also, if you have some LJ friends who also live in Portland area that you think I'd get along with, I'd love some journal recommendations.

I'm psyched for my relocation. Packing the truck up and leaving July 15. Should arrive in PDX around July 20.

Program Ad-Space for sale for Sonic Circuits Festival

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:13:32 GMT

Every year in the DC-MD-VA area, Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music puts on a series of events spread out over a week's time in various venues in the area, such as Velvet Lounge, The Black Cat, and Pyramid Atlantic.

Now heading into its ninth year, the Washington DC chapter of the ACF has expanded the scope of the festival to include electro-acoustic compositions, free jazz, noise rock, electronic drone and experimental folk, as well as live video and film programs, presented year round.

The festival puts out a fancy-schmancy program, which folds out into about the size of The City Paper.
I'm charged with coordinating the adspace sales, which are as follows:

backcover -- $200.
full page -- $100
half -- $75
quarter-- $50

Interested in promoting your band, business, artwork, restaurant, etc?
Please email me at bethany.aradia@gmail.com to coordinate.
I can also share more detailed mock-up/spec information.

Sonic Circuits is a 501c3 nonprofit.

new pix

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:02:12 GMT

A friend just uploaded some photos from a party we attended back in April.

I look kinda cute so thought I'd share:

insane conversations about miniature rhinos and dolphin sex

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:59:33 GMT

Gchat conversation this afternoon with my friend.

ME: awwwwwwww

manofred: is it bad to want one?

ME: hahahhahah, you'd need a field

manofred: how about a furniture less apartment?

ME: and concrete walls

manofred: reinforced at that. if only they could stay as rhino pups forever :(

ME: oh man, mini-rhinos, they did it with dobermans

and greyhounds

and poodles

manofred: yeah, mhinos.

are mhinos marketable? i think they would be. same with penguin chicks

ME: yeah i'll take a mini dolphin

manofred: oh hell yeah

you've read that sex with dolphins website, right

ME: lol

apparently theres a petition

i haven't seen it personally yet

manofred: i will send it when i get home if i remember

ME: hahahah love it

manofred: there is a site... maybe on sexworkers.com about how to do it

and what to watch out for
and how spiritual it is

ME: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wtf

manofred: yeah

it's amazing

ly detailed

ME: feckin' a

feckin abcdefg

manofred: you will be laughing and saying "no this is so wrong... but i kinda wanna try if no one's looking? no. that'd be wrong..."

ME: I KNOW

such a conflict, lol

manofred: truly.

martyr, sinner, saint

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:17:34 GMT

I leave Washington DC next month with a clear and focused mind. This decision is the one thing I am sure of in my life right now. More than four months being unemployed provided me with exactly enough quiet time to find the strength and determination to relocate and start anew. I'm nervous, of course, because if I weren't, then something would be wrong with me. But I do know for sure that now is the time to pull up my roots, take the pains to haul my life to the other side of the country, and re-settle where I feel I will have a brighter and better chance of surviving and thriving.

I'm troubled in my heart by the bitterness I will be leaving behind here, however.
Betrayal. Abuse. Backstabbing. Lost hopes. Forgotten ideals. Broken promises.
Friendships gone wrong. Lovers became insane. Heroes turned corrupt.

I salvaged and healed all that I could. I found the strength to let go of things I could not.

I became the scapegoat in some situations. I play that role well, I suppose, although not willingly.
Whatever you are scared of, intimidated by, whatever makes you nervous and unsettled,
it is easy to project on to me. It is easy to hate me for things that I have nothing to do with.
It is easy to twist my face, words, actions, into something other than they are.
It is easy to use me as the dartboard for which all can toss their mental debris.

I want others to have a clear mind as much if not more than they do,
but I never thought I would be a martyr for the cause this way.

I never thought I would be the cursed one to carry the sins and fears of everyone to lighten their burden.
I gave myself freely, and I understand my role as a catalyst in this world, whether I asked for the part or not.
But still, the weight is heavy as I try to carry all of your hatred on my back.

It is a long haul out West where I will start anew.

I will carry this burden over fields, deserts, and mountains,
and I will unload it into the rivers of Oregon,
I will unload it into the ocean where the saltwater will heal.

I carry this burden as far as I can, for you, because I loved you,
and even as you hate me, I carry the weight, I accept my fate.

Magick in the Blogosphere

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:05:18 GMT

Check out this article written by DC-area local blogger-team, These Gentleman.

http://thesegentlemen.blogspot.com/2009/06/and-this-is-not-our-fate.html

After my performance with Dead Violets at Queering Sound Fest, held at Pyramid Atlantic on Saturday evening, I scooted down the street to my friend Meg's birthday gathering in her apartment. I brought my Tarot Cards by her request and ended up giving readings to several people at her party. As it turns out, two of those I gave readings to are from the above-mentioned blogger team.

The readings made such an impression on them, they blogged about the evening.

[Excerpt]

Ever since, I've been interested in experiencing my own reading and Saturday night afforded me that possibility. And, to my surprise, by candle light at a birthday party on an apartment patio in Silver Spring. Go figure. The dealer/spiritual adviser's name was Bethany, a young woman who had been practicing since she was 12 years old and genuinely enjoyed using Tarot to help others. Normally she charged a fee, but she was willing to entertain my fancy and give me a "spiritual check-up" after I asked politely. I was very appreciative, especially since it hit me when we started that what I had asked her to do was the equivalent of asking a psychiatrist to give me a free mental rundown after discovering one at a bar. I'm not remotely regretful, however, because the entire process was absolutely pleasant and Bethany was surprisingly accurate. Were some of the cards pulled from the deck a little vague? Sure. But, most weren't, and the ones that were tied together very well into the overall tapestry Bethany had dealt for me. She honed in on emotional and intellectual stressors left over from law school - one card specifically referenced a recently resolved issue concerning whether or not I was good enough to return (I am, by the way. Just to clarify). My favorite card was The Card of Strength, meant for those who use their strengths positively - taming the lion naturally, as opposed to beating it down with weapons.

I was pleased. I even stayed to check out other readings (including one for Jason) and, what's more intriguing, everyone else's didn't apply to me at all. My reading was my reading, which told me two things: 1) Bethany is VERY good at what she does and 2) Being, and remaining, open minded has its advantages. Tarot helped me effectively address, analyze, and focus on positive changes for the future. I see nothing wrong with that, despite popular opposition and insistence regarding cooky scam-artistry.

[/Excerpt]

Queering Sound at Pyramid Atlantic (Sat. June 6, 7pm)

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:46:51 GMT

The 2009 installment of Queering Sound again gathers together artists - with a non-exclusive curatorial focus towards gay, lesbian and post-gender-identified participants - who explore alternative avenues of expression through sound, the digital arts, noise and spoken word. Pyramid Atlantic will host two evenings of both established and upcoming local talents as well as serve to introduce Washington audiences to new sounds and visions.

Date:	Saturday, June 6, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:	Pyramid Atlantic
Street:	8230 Georgia Avenue
City/Town:	Silver Spring, MD

Compact discs, recordings, publications and other merchandise from contributors will be available for sale.

Admission is $5.00 each night and available at the door. Doors open 30 minutes before performance.

Pyramid Atlantic is located a three blocks south of the Silver Spring Metro (Red Line); Gated parking is available for free in front of the building. Please enter on Ripley Street, side entrance.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6 _ PERFORMERS + DIGITAL CONTRIBUTORS

BLK w/ BEAR is a full-band effort of JS Adams [prepared vinyl + turntables + loops], Doug Poplin [cello + effects] and PD Sexton [bass + source electronics + effects]. Audio performances include both temporal turntable installations and laptop compositions utilizing forced looping technique of altered vinyl recordings and media decay, along with manipulated voice synthesis, looped cello and bass guitar, and deconstructive turntablism. BLK w/ BEAR recordings have accompanied film/video projects in NYC and London, as well as BBC television programming. Selections from the internationally-acclaimed Wish for a World without Hurt collaboration with London's Rothko were used in the Discovery's Channel's Emmy-nominated The Flight that Fought Back production; the film was also broadcast in the UK, Russia, Japan and Germany. BLK w/ BEAR's newest recordings include the LDWR.net free download planned for the 2009 Long Division with Remainders’ 14 versions of the same EP box set collection; Ultra-red’s What is the sound of the war on the poor? advocacy project; and Trace Recordings’ TEN compilation.

VJ POPPINS aka Renee Shaw is an installation and performance artist who embraces the phenomenon of synaesthesia. Drawing from archival footage, VJ Poppins manipulates video output through live, spontaneous editing. Like a DJ, she scratches through multiple layers of moving images searching for that perfect mix to create visual juxtapositions and non-linear narratives. VJ Poppins believes identity is a mix of visuals, narratives, genders, complex codes, data and race, commercial and institutional information. VJ Poppins is interested in the intersections of cultural synchronism between personal and communal narratives, identity, and experiences; performance is an attempt to synthesize a community of diverse interests and enthusiasms in this canonical and hierarchical world in which cultures are meshed. She borrows from everywhere trying to form new adjacencies, claiming new mixes, and forging new identities that are not fixed.

DEAD VIOLETS is a noise behemoth, a drone core juggernaut, an ominous transatlantic storm cloud, a black as bile, three headed beast. Dead Violets is Jeffrey Surak, Bethany Moore and Sweden’s Thomas Ekelund (Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words). For Queering Sound, Dead Violets will be a duo of Surak (noises) and Moore (voice + sound poetry). Surak (aka Violet) is a veteran experimenter from Washington, D.C. Since the early 1980s, he has explored the netherworld between improvisation and composition to create something between the two auditory realms of experimental music. He has also contributed to the soundtrack for Bruce La Bruce's queer zombie film, Otto: Or, Up With Dead People. Bethany Moore has been writing poetry, stories, and songs since early childhood. A practicing Wiccan for many years, she enjoys using her voice and words to convey her observations and experiences. Much of her work explores issues of human despair, spiritual journeying and emotional analysis.

GRAPEFRUIT EXPERIMENT is a semi-open music project with Carey Sargent and Wendy Hsu as core members [2/3 of Pinko Communoids and founding members of HzCollective]. Wendy works with electric guitar and accordion, preparing them with found objects such as alligator clips, paper clips, and clothespins, and playing them with effect pedals, bows, brushes, mallets, and other percussive objects. Carey is a percussive noise maker, encouraging tones to rise and sing from wood, metal, skin and plastics that are more used to being struck.

ELITE BARBARIAN is the work of Benjamin Page. Selections from his album, It's only when you get to the end that it all makes sense [Front and Follow], are set to video for Queering Sound. Moving between static moods and beat-waves, from reflective abstraction to moments of searing intensity, this record is the result of improvisations using hardware synths and samplers. Ben is also half of Rocket Number 9 with his brother Tom, whom are both part of innovative London instrumentalists, Rothko.

NICK LOPATA lives in lovely Takoma Park, Maryland. He has been creating and editing video for Blowoff, the popular deejay event thrown by Bob Mould and Richard Morel at Washington DC's 9:30 club, and now hosted in NYC, San Francisco, Provincetown, Atlanta and Chicago. Nick has created videos set to music by Elite Barbarian for this year's Queering Sound. In addition to his video work, Nick's other projects include photography, lighting design, and a local independent film, "The Saferoom."

friends let friends remix

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:04:43 GMT

ok click here... http://www.reverbnation.com/burntsystems?autoPlay=2056535

click on the track called 'St Vitus Dance Avant Garde Remix'

listen to awesome remixedness ...

St. Vitus Dance is a Dead Violets track imported from Sweden and available only on cassette tape.
A friend picked up a copy at our show saturday night and remixed it with another file he found of my a capella singing voice.
sounds pretty neat. enjoy.

psyched about slug bait

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:42:01 GMT

awww shucks i got a great recording of our performance saturday night sent to me.
chopping it up into 5 tracks now...

WHO WANTS TO HEAR?!?!?!?

performance

Sun, 31 May 2009 06:17:22 GMT

holy shit... that was a fuckin' riot.

thanks to all those who came out tonight.

i can't wait to see pictures & video, and hear the room recording as well.

w000000000t!

Sonic Circuits Showcase at ARTOMATIC

Sat, 30 May 2009 18:33:48 GMT

While you were sleeping, BLUE SAUSAGE INFANT and members of DEAD VIOLETS have been quietly mutating into a collective Hive Mind experiment called SLUG BAIT: We've reached a strange kind of stasis now, where we can no longer tell who's limbs belong to whom; is it just one body now? Our thoughts are semi-transparent like amber bones, flexible and useless like the spines of crippled children crying their wailing chorus... a symphony of despair...

And this Saturday at Artomatic, the mutation will be complete and SLUG BAIT will amplify those frequencies for you to absorb. We are hot on the heels of discipline. We are very friendly. We would very much like to see you this Saturday at Artomatic and sing sweetly in your ear.

Details:

SONIC CIRCUITS SHOWCASE AT ARTOMATIC
SATURDAY MAY 30
4pm-1am
55 M Street SE, Washington DC

Artomatic (http://www.artomatic.org/) is a month-long multimedia arts event that draws together visual artists, musicians and performers and brings their work to the community. Artomatic is free and open to everyone. The event is being held in a building that is atop the Navy Yard Metro Station on Artomatic’s Cabaret Stage 2nd flr.

Summer is here, so why not wallow in despair? This will be the premiere performance of SLUG BAIT, and is scheduled to occur at midnight. But of course we advise you to enjoy the whole damned thing beginning at 4pm. The lineup includes:

Robert Blake Highway - Kingdom of Sharks - Sean Peoples - Layne Garrett - Dave Vosh/Logan Mitchell Sr
Nine Strings - Fast Forty - RDK - Soft Pieces - BLK w/ BEAR - Pilesar - The Angus Brainpan
Tone Ghosting - Twenty-first Century Chamber Ensemble - Second Land - Kuschty Rye Ergot - Slug Bait

...are you ready boys? .....are you ready girls?

Art-O-Matic performance TONIGHT!

Sat, 30 May 2009 16:16:00 GMT

I'm performing TONIGHT at Art-O-Matic;

poetry reading at 9pm,

then singing with Slug Bait in the Sonic Circuits installation at 12-midnight.

FREE SHOW! Come check it out.

55 M ST SE WASHINGTON DC; TAKE METRO - NAVY YARD, WEST ENTRANCE

silly dream

Sat, 30 May 2009 03:17:52 GMT

i had a dream the other night about picking my nose. what do you think it means?

Congress steps it up...

Sat, 23 May 2009 07:16:31 GMT

This is great news....

Congressman gives a history lesson on Marijuana Prohibition

Reunion of the Cicada and the Firefly, part 4

Sun, 17 May 2009 02:49:14 GMT

"I spent two years imprisoned in Hell". I'm not sure which of us said it first, but we both could make that claim despite meaning it in very different ways. For him, it was two years in an actual jail-cell on a drug charge for cocaine. I'd had a feeling when he left town four years ago that he might get into trouble if he continued on the path he was on. And for me, it was an abusive relationship with a self-described and socially-proven sociopath. Never had I surrendered my power to someone the way I had done for those two years, and after six months of weekly therapy visits and months of nightmares, I had resolved firmly to never let such a thing happen again. It was clear that we each had made severely bad choices in the years 2005 and 2006 that would haunt us for years to come.

But it was better that time had passed since being released from our personal hells, because the trauma takes a long time to shake off. I don't know if we are better people as a result, but we are each different now in very specific ways. When I think of charismatic people, I think of the volume of a radio being turned way up loud. Benny was always turned up all the way, blasting, with a lot of personal energy. But now, he was much quieter, and he listened a lot more than he spoke. He sighed just as heavily as I find myself doing these days. And as for me, its taken me months to temper my fears of getting close to someone, for trust is the weakness I discovered I had during my two-year sentence of romantic torture.

But him, a friend for 13 years, how could I not trust him? It was a test for myself to take another step toward breaking through my trauma and suspicion of others. So I relaxed, exhaled, and allowed this member of my soul-family to be my friend, hold my hand, and let me cry away the last few years upon his shoulder.

As the tears dried, he opened up his box of Magic: The Gathering playing cards, and began to teach me how to play a game I never bothered to learn before. He was a very patient and thorough teacher, and within half an hour, I was playing the game and making strategic moves, though not winning against his many years of expertise.

I was thankful to sit with him on a cloudy day in Williamsburg, after all these years, freely playing a card game and enjoying the simplicity and nurture of quality time with a member of my soul-family. I was thankful that he is alive, and we are free to speak and smile and share stories, enjoy the present moments, forget the past, and relax in each other's company without fear or worry.

Saturn turns direct - i'm so ready

Fri, 15 May 2009 17:01:33 GMT

Saturn, the slow moving planet of karma and the taskmaster of the zodiac, which has been retrograde since December 31 of last year, finally turns direct on May 16. This ushers in a period of possibilities as our inner plans begin finding their way into the outer world, and vague outlines of concepts begin to sharpen.

Saturn asks for commitment, discipline and a sense of purpose to work its magic of making dreams real. He commands us to get to work, and to work hard. Discipline and responsibility are important to this planet. Saturn reinforces responsibility, carrying your share of the load and being held accountable for what you say or do. Saturn rules wisdom, but it is wisdom gained from hard work and experience -- earned one difficult step at a time. During a direct period, Saturn inspires confidence. As its role as a teacher, during a direct transit, Saturn also bestows inner strength -- a strength of spirit, a deepening sense of compassion and understanding of self, others or a particular situation.

But remember: Each planet exerts influence over certain aspects of life depending on how they are placed in your individual natal or birth charts. How will the energies of this important Saturn transit affect you and how well will you do during this period?

www.astrology.com

WPFW - DC's Jazz & Justice Station

Thu, 14 May 2009 21:49:01 GMT

I'm volunteering tonight with my favorite local radio station, WPFW 89.3 FM.

This station has been an instrumental torch in promoting the true voice of the people from the community.

I'm giving back tonight by volunteering my time at the phones to take pledges for support to keep this LISTENER-SUPPORTED, commercial-free radio service alive and thriving in the community.

I'll be there starting at 7pm to take your calls for support.

Learn more about WPFW.

The airwaves at 89.3 are an accessible media outlet for Blacks, Hispanics, cultural groups, women, seniors, youth and other ethnic and non-traditional groups. WPFW programming makes the concept of community radio real by providing the local majority population with important and relevant education, information and entertainment. Through its programming the station acts as a networking agent for the community at large.

WPFW is dedicated to programming which reflects progressive social change and democracy. The station continues to further a global, humanistic, and futuristic approach to news, public affairs, the creative arts and cultural programming.

Reunion of the Cicada and the Firefly, part 3

Thu, 07 May 2009 21:59:45 GMT

Loud, rumbling thunderstorms rolled through southern Virginia as I woke up next to him after the first night of my visit. He got dressed and drove up the street to the coffee shop to acquire a caramel latte for me, and a hot chocolate for himself. We enjoyed the sound of the rain and of the silence that fell between our occasional conversation, which was light and easy-going at first. We talked of the local area, of his classes at the university, his job. My lull of depression was evident from my ongoing unemployment status, but I had other pleasant news to share about creative projects and activist work. He has always known me as a poet, and was pleased to hear that I continue to write and occasionally perform, and that I've joined a band as a vocalist. He likes my deep, alto voice, he says. And my drug policy reform work was impressive, as well. He has his own strong opinions about drug policy and the criminal justice system.

We got used to each other's presence again, after four long years being separated, and it was strange to reacclimate to something, to someone, so existentially familiar in so many senses. There are many roles that we have played for each other over the years. Friend. Sibling. Teacher. Lover. Therapist. But over the years, our strong love and passion for one another was never intentionally pursued, but rather always a connection we respected and knew existed, though never fully understood. I have dated several people, and he had other things going on in his life as well. We were never in the same place at the same time for very long. It never seemed like the right time, if ever there would be one, to truly merge.

By the second day, I had shed some layers of anxiety and trauma that had been caked all around my energy field for many months. The healing effect of reuniting with a soulmate is not to be underestimated. To see familiar eyes, to recognize the pressure and finite angles of the grasp of his hand, and to share words that seemed to echo from another world began to refill my spirit with a stable and holistic sense of calm and control that I had been lacking in recent months.
He said I looked great. I've kept my figure over the years, though I had new, ugly scars to show him from my health fiasco last Summer. He had gained 50lbs in the last couple of years from indulging too much, and a once tall and thin man was now a bit rounder, and seemed a bit tired, but still looked the same to me. Considering what each of us has gone through in our lives, the ups and downs, crashes and revelations, we have both "been through the ringer", as he says; we were considerably the same people we remembered each other to be from four years ago, eight years ago, twelve years ago, just with more experience and wisdom under each of our respective belts. There was a lot of sadness, pain, and struggle to tell each other about. And also, there were some important subjects to discuss about the present, and of the future.

Beatnik Betty sings at Art-O-Matic on Sat. May 30th

Sat, 02 May 2009 21:11:06 GMT

SLUG BAIT -

a group comprising of
Chester Hawkins (from the band Blue Sausage Infant)
and
Jeff Surak (Violet),
and myself ...

going on at MIDNIGHT
on Saturday, May 30th
at Art-o-Matic...