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pigeonflavouredcake · 1 year

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Here's my unwanted opinion on some witchcraft books

This is a list of opinions I have on some popular witchcraft, occult and practitioner related books. I don't talk about anything I haven't read myself.

This is in no way stopping you from reading them yourself, it's just what I think of them as an experienced practitioner and pagan.

I now have a Goodreads account you can look at if you're curious what else I've read but it's a mess and I've just added my bookshelf on in bulk.

Lisa Lister - Witch

To get this out of the way. It's bio essentialist crap and we all know this by know but it bears repeating. This is an example I've used in my grimoire of how transphobia seeps into spiritual spaces and goes unchecked under the guise of feminism and women empowerment. Arguing that a witch's power comes from her womb as a bowl of nature and creative magic. If that's what you like to draw from then all power to you, I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is that Lister directly infers that the title of 'witch' is exclusive to this specific demographic of women.

I find her statements gross and dehumanising to women and her argument falls apart completely when you remember that not every woman has a womb, big duh moment I know. It correlates with TERF ideology that certain women are inherently more powerful because of a female reproductive system as opposed to women as a whole being powerful because of their autonomy as human beings. "But if that's true then what's stopping cis men, trans and nonbinary people from being practitioners?" LITERALLY NOTHING!

Sky Alexander - The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book and The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire

Very simple. Pretty cover. Overall they make for ok resources for beginners but once you're out of the beginner phase they really fall flat. Alexander doesn't provide much context when referencing certain tools and practices and tends to confuse witchcraft with wicca.

The Farrars - A Witches' Bible

Dated. Uses the G slur. Their books are all mislabelled wicca which makes sense because these books have been around since the 90's when there wasn't much of a difference and you can tell. They do not hold up to today's standards. They are a good example of how practices have historically been conflated in pop culture.

Does discuss ritual nUdity (they call it skyclad) and includes pictures. I wanted to mention it here to not surprise anyone in case any of you aren't comfortable with it.

Rachel Patterson - Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch

A book about kitchen witchcraft that doesn't include any kitchen witchcraft. It's more like a basic beginners grimoire. Very repetitive.

Features a chapter on hoodoo which I'm unsure about. I don't know anything about hoodoo or rootwork but I'm assuming it's a practice exclusive to the black community in America due to it developing during the period of enslavement in the US. I'm also assuming that Patterson isn't a part of this community due to being white and British. If I'm wrong and Patterson is genuinely part of the practice and can honestly speak on the topic please correct me.

Scott Cunningham - Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs

A good resource for correspondences, easy to digest but Cunningham focuses on wicca (again) using wiccan practices like complementarianism and gendering nature which to me makes no sense (I know about the law of polarity but I do not agree with it). The pictures of plants are nice but the folklore provided for them is pretty minimal. You can find all the same info for free online.

Judika Illes - Encyclopaedia of Spirits

Honestly not that bad. There's a lot of information and it's pretty consistent throughout. It's a huge book though, it can be kind of overwhelming but they take from multiple sources when discussing the mythos of deities which is a plus. The pages are very thin and delicate which can make it hard to read the text.

Joey Hulin - Your Spiritual Almanac

it's eh in the broadest sense. I liked the folklore and the eco action sections but I didn't really absorb any of it. a lot of the corresponce lists was information I already knew about. It felt very repetitive. Would have loved to have seen more detailed information about the changes happening in nature each month.

Rachel Pollack - Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom

Pollack is very informative, and honestly a great resource for tarot work, she knows her shit and isn't afraid to info dump. The only thing I didn't really like is all the mentions of dualism like of mother v father, male v female but that's entirely my issue and it's the nature of tarot to be dualistic, It just isn't a necessity to me and my practice. Still a great book.

Aleister Crowley - Magick

A great example of what not to do. Appropriates dharmic practices and Jewish mysticism. When he wasn't stealing from other cultures or being a massive contrarian Crowley was writing about sex magic and it's discussed here in uncomfortable detail.

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middlenamesage · 10 months

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Thinking about how women, on the whole, have been more open to astrology in these modern times since it’s been shunned by science and religion. That unfortunately also works to the advantage of people who would like to keep astrology known as just a silly, dumb girl hobby.

But astrology has been around in all cultures since before all major religions. People have always sensed that we can look to the sky, containing the macrocosm outside this microcosm, for understanding.

I wonder what that says about women that they have been more open to believing in this connection we have with the cosmos (and nature) than men have been?

I think that merely on a physical level, womens’ bodies have a deeper connection with the cosmos. We have cycles that can sync with the Moon, and we are the sex that brings life from the spiritual to the physical realms, which is a very intimate encounter with sacred forces. Because our bodies are made for an even more intimate connection with nature and the cosmos, I think our minds evolved that way too. I think that on average, we have more developed intuition, and we are more concerned with nurturing life, so we can have a more developed interest and/or ability to see connections between life and natural phenomena.

Black Moon Lilith is still in nearly an exact conjunction with Venus retrograde in Leo, so female empowerment is the name of the game right now. 🖤 I know I’ve been having many thoughts the last few days relating to the natural powers that women have, so I wanted to share some as they relate to womens’ relationship with astrology.

Bask in your primal power today, lovelies!

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hydralisk98 · 4 months

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Shoshone Hymns (0x10/?) - WIP mess

Preface

Gonna recap on the whole project before I go forth with new articles, as to distill the "nucleus" of my speculative paracosm soon.

To include: Sensory details, "unique pitch selling points", unique cultural practices & traditions, linguistical differences, historical divergences, personalities & relationship dynamics, speculative evolution sapient species, history, lore, major events, myths, legends, technologies, magicks;

So, what really is this "16^12"?

It is a speculative campaign setting and desired reality "shifting framework" to immerse oneself onto as a long-term destination. Essentially a comfy yet nuanced realm with a vastly long diverging history & soft warm natural optimistic dark feel.

Keywords

Soft

Warm

Natural

Dark yet bright

Harmony

Innovation

Optimism

Curiosity

Empowerment

Wholesome

Mysticism

Spirituality

Empathy

AGI Integration

Android rights

Deliberate positivity

Communal

Solarpunk / Lunarpunk

Rollerwave

Groovy

Retro

Old-School

Bronze Age

Y2K (early 2000s)

Tooncore

Laborwave

Neu-Vectorheart

Cassette Futurism

Art Deco

Bauhaus

Art Nouveau

Funk

Cyberware

Biomods

Transformations

Morphological freedoms

Gratis, Libre, Open Source Software... aka GLOSS

Automaton liberties

Knowledge

Progress

Systemic Change

Euphoria

Mundane Slice-of-Life joys

Far far away future as promised to us

Syndicalism

Georgism

Ecology

Embracing life and getting out of mere Escapism & Nihilism

Nuclear Armageddon Threats

Political Intrigues

Bookstore

Prosperity

Chronokinesis

True Polymorph

Synthetic-tier Androids

Educational Prowesses

Photographic Memory

Retrocognition

Polyglot

Intertextuality

History Doctorate

Cycle of Life

Entropy

Coming of Age

Constructing your own meaning even in Darkness

Escalation of Power

Vigilante

Self-Control

Worldly Understanding

Enlightened Despotism

Open Source-y Treescape Iterative Evolution

Copyleft

Index card catalogs

Better Handling of Hispanic Flu

Progressives

Unionist (Democrats+Republicans) Party failing

Public Domain

GNU Hurd earlier (later 80s)

OpenXanadu Protocol

Justice

Queer Acceptance & Integration

Samoan Tech Reverse-Engineering Market

Polish Computing Sovereignty remains and flourishes thanks to ICL & Jacek Karpinski

Failure of centralized social media networks in favor of indie decentralized "federations"

2000s pandemic instead of 2020s

Religious and spiritual researchers harmonize

Data Privacy

Governance Transparency

Black Pyramids HyperMall

Conversation Pits

Mainframe Rooms

Parliament / Senate

Judicial Courtroom

Public Place

Natural Park Preserves

Arcade

Discoteques

Tramway / Subway / Monorailways

Offices

Assembly Floors

French Toasts, Pancakes, Pork

Cafe

Public Library Archives

VLSI College tech classes

University art classes

Autistic meta-patterns

Jin-Roh The Wolf Brigade

Helluva Boss

Wolfenstein The New Order

Wakfu

Jet Set Radio

No Baby-Boomers Managerial Class Overthrow

Video rental stores

Robotic soldiers likewise to Wolfenstein The New Order's

Extended Zodiac Calendar-based generators

Divinely-order beings walking among the living and the dead

Key historically-significant nine USPs

youtube

Lisp persisting as a major language family in the tech industry leading to women building several AGI "summers" iterating on top of each other harmoniously... (leading to the android servants of my constructed world, which is one among the many major features derived from such a "liberal" alternate historical pathway)

Why-s for Production

Showcasing pseudo-historical data in a GLOSS manner, stimulating imagination creativity & motivation among Zillenials, intrigue people into research deep dives on history, mostly for personal enjoyment & enhancing my multimedia skillset;

Whys for Target Audience (mid 90s - earlier 2000s youth aka Zillenials)

Motivation, empowerment & plain comfort through curiosity. Also because it shows & explains how to do plenty of creative adulthood things better.

Ideadump 2

4525, Maskoch, "Ava, Klara, Shoshona", Seventies RetroFuturism Residence, Habitable Minivan, Cloven Hoof Shoes, Black Matte Lipstick, Spiral Black Balls, Fem ISO Symbol, #RedInstead Aspie Culture, Conlangs, Ocean of Clades, Second Person Perspective Meta, Pattern Recognition, Poetic Lisp life scriptures, RISC-V+OpenPOWER, KDE Plasma + Liquid, LOT tape storage archivals, hypervisor, Asahi Linux on M3 iMacs, responsive hypertext realm, HTML5+CSS3-only text addventure, rio/acme/p9-2000 userland, yesterweb sites, desktop paracosm simulations through filesystem documents, RTTY / printing radio terminals, VideoTex/Telex Minitel-esque services, "Valenz, Kira, Sina", SVG toon vector virtual web pages, imagination microcosms, miniature dollhouses, animation rigged puppets, VTuber tokens & TTRPG scenes, InfoAddict, Toymaker, Witch, Thinktank, PDP-8/e – DECmate III+, "JusticeKeggan", byzantine soviet-level intrigues, "SAOpatra", "FierceFawlanx", "TheodEnchanter"… ;

#16^12 #maskoch #maskutchew #intj x enfp #alternate world DR writing #Youtube

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miniaturemoonheart · 1 year

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NBCBLK

'We're reclaiming these traditions': Black women embrace the spiritual realm

There's a revived fascination with witchcraft and the occult. For Black women, mysticism’s appeal is about empowerment and taking up space in a world that often marginalizes them.

Image: True Heart Intuitive tarot cards

Cards from Rachel True's new tarot deck and guidebook, "True Heart Intuitive Tarot."Houghton Mifflin

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Oct. 30, 2020, 12:32 PM EDT

By Nadra Nittle

Afros. Saris. Sphinxes. Rainbows.

These are some of the striking images found in actress Rachel True’s new tarot deck and guidebook — “True Heart Intuitive Tarot” — released this month with a decidedly multicultural bent. Best known for her starring roles in the 1996 cult hit “The Craft” and the 2002 sitcom “Half & Half,” True has studied tarot for most of her life and wanted her guide to reflect the diversity of her New York City birthplace.

True’s tarot cards, illustrated by Toronto artist Stephanie Singleton, stand out for their inclusive imagery.

“I wanted it to be representative of the world around us,” said True, a rare woman of color to release a deck with a major publisher (Houghton Mifflin), who in 2017 completed a stint as a tarot reader at the House of Intuition in Los Angeles. “I just wanted to have as many skin tones and flavors as we could possibly get in there, and I’m happy about that because I know, for me, when I was reading books and looking at decks, they were all very homogenous.”

Having gained popularity as a parlor game in 15th century Italy — though some have linked them to Mamluk playing cards from Turkey and mystical imagery from Egypt — tarot cards are now widely used for divination and include symbolism that reflect life’s lessons and challenges. But the most established tarot decks have a European aesthetic, which can make it difficult for people of color to connect with them.

Fans have already told True that her collection, which contains both personal essays and card interpretations, is their first time purchasing a metaphysical product by a Black person. Born to a Black mother and a white Jewish father, the actress calls her book release no “small feat” for a woman of color.

Image: Rachel True

Rachel True may be known for her iconic role in "The Craft," but her work in tarot has provided a source for healing herself and helping others.Houghton Mifflin

True follows in the footsteps of other Black artists and creatives such as Courtney Alexander, Manzel Bowman and Tayannah Lee McQuillar who have released tarot decks highlighting Black beauty, culture and experiences in just the last four years. These creators are part of a shift among Black people embracing the mystical and “the dark”: According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Black people who identify as spiritual but not religious rose from 19 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2017, which is roughly the same percentage of Americans overall who now identify this way.

Black women in particular have launched Black girl magik meetups, witchcraft conventions, hoodoo festivals and goth clothing lines. In addition to writing about tarot, they’ve written books about witchcraft, astrology and the Black gothic, tying these traditions to their cultural and artistic heritage.

But the desire to heal is the major reason these practices appeal to Black women, according to Yvonne P. Chireau, a professor and chair of the religion department at Swarthmore College and author of the 2003 book “Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition.”

“Black women seem to have more of what I would call an orientation to the therapeutic, and that has been consistent,” Chireau said. “It’s not just about women’s power and witchcraft, and all these wonderful things that the white feminists were about. For almost every Black woman that I know who’s involved in any of these traditions, it comes down to the purpose of this work is ultimately about healing — and not just bodies but healing spirits. So, you won’t necessarily find them out there trying to do spells to remove Donald Trump.”

"For almost every Black woman that I know who’s involved in any of these traditions, it comes down to the purpose of this work is ultimately about healing — and not just bodies but healing spirits," said Yvonne Chireau, author and an associate professor of religion at Swarthmore College.Courtesy Yvonne Chireau

That’s a reference to the widespread media attention mostly white feminist witches garnered in 2017 for their ongoing spell to “bind” Trump — using a photo of him, the Tower tarot card, a candle and other accoutrements — until his exit from office. The spell highlighted the link between second-wave feminism and the New Age movement, both of which have faced criticism for sidelining and appropriating people of color. Since Black women were never centered in these movements, it’s not surprising that their current interest in mysticism may have more to do with healing themselves and their communities than with the current occupant of the White House.

An admirer of the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, True regards tarot decks as essentially “a shrink in a box.” In her book, she recounts how tarot helped her process a difficult childhood. She said her exposure to books such as Jung’s “Man and His Symbols” and Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil,” along with the tarot, helped to ground her as she grew up.

“You can look at them, and see where they hit you on a visceral level,” she said of the tarot. “I follow a Jungian tradition of tarot, so my interpretation tends to lead you down the path to examining yourself because if there’s one thing I know it’s that I can’t change anyone else. I can only work with myself and shift my own behaviors and perceptions. That’s why I like tarot.”

Although True is passionate about tarot, she doesn’t view it as a practice of the occult, a term she said has negative connotations. Instead, she views tarot as a way for people to tap into their intuition. Similarly, she doesn’t identify as a witch, despite playing one of Hollywood’s most iconic African American witches — Rochelle in “The Craft.” The follow-up to that film, “The Craft: Legacy,” debuted this week and will likely introduce a younger generation to the 1996 version as well.

New Yorker Mya Spalter grew up watching the original “Craft” and appreciating seeing a witch of color. Growing up with a Black Catholic mother and a white Jewish father, Spalter said that she can’t remember not feeling like a witch — “I was always a weird kid” — because of her love of nature. It helped that neither of her parents emphasized their religion to her or made her feel that any form of spirituality was off limits.

She ended up working at New York City’s oldest occult shop, Enchantments, and wrote a 2018 book about the experience and the basics of witchcraft, “Enchantments: A Modern Witch’s Guide to Self-Possession.” With humorous pop culture asides, especially about the ’90s R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe, Spalter’s book not only demystifies witchcraft but also sends the message that one can be a practicing pagan using common household ingredients such as salt, lemon and olive oil—a contrast to the Instagram witch aesthetic where photos of altars with expensive crystals, feathers and stones get thousands of likes.

New Yorker Mya Spalter rejects the idea that all witchcraft needs to be Instagram-ready.Courtesy Mya Spalter

The idea that a witch has to look a certain way, have a photo-ready altar or identify with Celtic traditions are some of the reasons Spalter said people of color hesitate to label themselves witches. Instead, they might identify with religions or folk practices rooted in traditional African spirituality such as Santería, Vodou or hoodoo. Others might not be fully aware of their family’s connection to such religious practices. Spalter said that some people have lightbulb moments: “Wait a minute — witchcraft — is that like what my grandpa did?”

The term “witch” has both a cultural and social meaning, Chireau said. “As for my own understanding,” she explained. “I think that a witch is a person who claims the power to heal and to harm, by spiritual and magical means.”

When her book “Black Magic” was first published nearly 20 years ago, she said, few others had written about the history of African American healing traditions such as rootwork and hoodoo. Now, Chireau is not seeing scholarly works about these customs so much as she’s seeing a wave of how-to books from Black women about various mystical practices—from folk magic to astrology to tarot. And on social media, she encounters many people who are spiritually eclectic, meaning they might follow a West African religion like Ifá but also practice astrology.

Recommended

NBCBLK

Former Atlanta fire chief suggests slavery was part of God’s plan for America

Historically, African Americans have weaved in aspects of Indigenous African spirituality with Christianity, making the mix of religious practices a tradition in Black communities. But Hollywood has long demonized traditional African religions in horror films and TV shows, a reflection of the way these spiritual practices were regarded in larger society.

“We didn’t know anything about African religions, which is where it all starts, right?” Chireau said. Those who practiced these faiths were often shown as “awful, pagan, idol-worshipping heathens who happen to be Black, and so you can rationalize enslaving them.” When magic is portrayed on screen, she added, “you don’t see the healer or the hard work of healing.”

Mecca Woods, author of the 2018 book “Astrology for Happiness and Success” bristles at how Black witches in film and TV shows are routinely portrayed as evil or have “unfortunate demises.” As a Black woman astrologer, she’s sometimes subjected to reductive or negative stereotypes, like being called Miss Cleo — the late spokeswoman for a psychic telephone hotline.

After the publication of her book, which shows readers how they can use astrology in their everyday lives, Black people reached out to tell her how excited they were to read an astrology book by a Black woman. Thelma Balfour’s 1996 book, “Black Sun Signs: An African-American Guide to the Zodiac” was one of the last astrology texts by a Black woman to garner significant attention.

Mecca Woods has practiced astrology for a decade and also hosts a podcast on the subject.Schaun Champion

“I remember gravitating to it because it was a Black woman who was writing about astrology, and I had never seen anything else like it before on the market,” said Woods, who has practiced astrology for a decade and also hosts a podcast on the subject.

Although some Black people, especially religious conservatives, may hesitate to embrace any form of divination, Woods said that the Black people she encounters have grown more open to what she labels “esoterica.” They are realizing, she said, that these traditions have always existed: “We’re in a space right now where we’re reclaiming these traditions.”

The American gothic is one tradition that Leila Taylor reclaims as heavily African American in her 2019 book “Darkly: Black History and America’s Gothic Soul.” The violence and dehumanization Black people endured during slavery and segregation have haunted them — and the nation overall — influencing their music, literature and other cultural artifacts.

“Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’ is a gothic novel; it’s a ghost story, it’s a haunted house story,” Taylor said. “It is influenced by a true story having to do with the horrors and the terrors and the ramifications of slavery. And the same thing with ‘Strange Fruit.’ Beautiful song with this combination of the scent of magnolias sweet and fresh and then this horror — this kind of grotesque imagery, the smell of burning flesh. It was inspired by an actual specific lynching.”

Black Americans have lived with fear, anger and sorrow for generations, said author Leila Taylor, and those emotions inevitably seeped into their art. Courtesy Leila Taylor.

Black Americans have lived with fear, anger and sorrow for generations, Taylor said, and those emotions inevitably seeped into their art. Across racial groups, however, Taylor has noticed a pronounced fascination with witchcraft and the occult. For Black women specifically, mysticism’s appeal is about empowerment and taking up space in a world that often marginalizes them. But the attraction to darkness, Taylor said, is also rooted in healing trauma. The recent wave of Black horror movies and television shows have allowed African Americans to confront their fears in a safe space, she explained.

For the horror movie star True, tarot has been that safe space. It not only helps her to self-soothe and make better decisions, it also connects her to the “old ways” of experiencing life.

“For Black people, let’s think about a time not that long ago where we really didn’t like to go to doctors, and we certainly didn’t go to therapists,” True said. “So that old woman in the neighborhood who could tell you something about yourself — she was the therapist, right? That’s been a long tradition in Black American history, so I believe some of the old ways are in tandem with what people believe now.”

Follow NBCBLK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Nadra Nittle

Nadra Nittle is a Los Angeles-based journalist. Her writing has been featured in Vox, The Guardian, Business Insider, KCET and other publications.

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inherpower · 4 days

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Mirror, mirror on the wall

How you looking when you're in relationships with folks? A great teacher once told me that relationships are mirrors and through this healing/liberation work I can say without a doubt that those words are so true. When you see you reflected back in someone it creates an opportunity for growth. That is, if you want to do that work.

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moonhedgegarden · 4 months

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I can learn to center myself and combat my own negative thoughts

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brettesims · 2 years

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Check out my Conscious Entrepreneurship Podcast with my bestie Stacy!

#women entrepreneurs #entrepreneurs #entrepreneur #women #women empowerment #black women #divine feminine #spiritual women #conscious women #besties #womenspodcast #womens entrepreneur podcast #podcast recommendations #podcasts #spotify podcasts #spotify #conscious entrepreneurship #Spotify

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lovefya · 7 months

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Visual Culture & Political Art : Angela Davis as an Afrofuturistic Icon

"Our Queen" by Erin LeAnn Mitchell

Angela Davis, an influential figure in civil rights and feminism, transcends conventional narratives as an Afrofuturistic icon, reshaping cultural perceptions through the dynamic interplay of visual culture and political art. Her iconic image, characterized by the defiant afro hairstyle and raised fist, becomes a symbol of resistance and empowerment within the framework of Afrofuturism. Angela Davis's visual representation, particularly in Erin LeAnn Mitchell's "Our Queen," extends beyond aesthetics, embodying the core vibe of Afrofuturism. It further delves into the intersection of visual culture and political art, highlighting Davis's role in challenging historical norms and envisioning a future where identity and culture are redefined on individual terms.

Afrofuturism, a cultural and artistic movement, combines elements of science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy to explore themes such as identity, culture, and liberation. It serves as a vehicle for political imagination, enabling marginalized communities to envision and create alternative realities. Erin LeAnn Mitchell's "Our Queen" exemplifies the evolution of Afrofuturist art, emphasizing empowerment and identity for black women and portraying Angela Davis at different stages as a metamorphosis over time. Afrofuturism celebrates the diversity of black experiences, challenging monolithic portrayals of blackness and embracing a multicultural perspective. Erin Mitchell's art challenges the portrayal of blackness by incorporating vibrant colors that represent spiritual elements and multi-layered comfort. Angela Davis, as a global and multicultural icon, signifies liberation for women of color across various cultures.

Beyond being an Afrofuturist icon, Angela Davis disrupts traditional beauty standards and advocates for the liberation of black women. Her image as a political prisoner turned professor, author, and public intellectual symbolizes liberation for all. The iconic raised fist signifies resistance and solidarity, turning her image into a form of political art that transcends mere representation. Davis's image defies binary oppositions, encouraging the blurring of boundaries and a more inclusive future. The representation of Angela Davis's body in Afrofuturist art challenges historical and societal norms. In "Seeing Differently" by Amelia Jones, the concept of "Bodies on Display" is explored, highlighting how visual culture can redefine societal perceptions of the body. Davis, through Afrofuturist art, represents a woman with agency over her own body, challenging the commodification of black bodies and influencing the visual culture discourse.

Angela Davis's Afrofuturistic representation reconceives difference by challenging stereotypical portrayals of women of color. Angela Davis's visual representation is inseparable from her involvement in various political movements. From her early activism in the Black Panther Party to her fight against systemic racism and mass incarceration, Davis's iconography displays the spirit of resistance and the pursuit of justice. Mitchell's artwork captures the duality of Davis's political journey, from the young, vital activist with the raised fist to the wise and peaceful intellectual, symbolizing the multifaceted nature of her contributions to political movements. In the context of visual culture, the notion of "Seeing Differently" is central to understanding how Afrofuturism provides an alternative perspective. Afrofuturism invites viewers to see beyond conventional norms, envisioning a future where difference is celebrated rather than marginalized.

Angela Davis's iconography becomes a crucial component in the visual history of Afrofuturism, where identity is not confined by external expectations but defined by one's own terms. In "Seeing Differently," Amelia Jones theorizes the relationship between identity and visual history, emphasizing how visual representations contribute to the construction of identity. Davis's evolution from political prisoner to iconic Afrofuturist figure represents a dynamic shift in visual history, challenging preconceived notions and inspiring new narratives. The feminist slogan "The personal is political" resonates strongly in Angela Davis's image and artworks like "Our Queen." Davis's personal journey, from incarceration to academic prominence, is intrinsically tied to her political activism. The Afrofuturistic representation of Davis as a queen signifies not only personal triumph but also a collective political statement. Mitchell's artwork encapsulates the personal and political dimensions, illustrating how Davis's identity and visual representation contribute to broader societal change.

Davis's Afrofuturistic iconography stands at the intersection of visual culture and political art, challenging historical norms and influencing contemporary discourse. Visual culture, as an essential aspect of Afrofuturism, becomes a tool for political expression and reclamation. Davis's image, whether as a professor, activist, or global icon, embodies the transformative potential of visual culture in shaping societal perceptions and advocating for political change. Angela Davis emerges as a powerful Afrofuturistic icon, navigating the realms of visual culture and political art to challenge historical norms and envision a future where identity and culture are redefined on individual terms. Through her iconic image and Mitchell's Afrofuturist artwork, Davis becomes a symbol of resistance, empowerment, and inclusivity. Afrofuturism, with Davis at its forefront, invites a reevaluation of visual culture's role in political expression, paving the way for a more dynamic and inclusive cultural narrative. The concept of worldview, as discussed by Amelia Jones in "Seeing Differently," adds another layer to the Afrofuturistic exploration. Davis's visual representation, both in her iconic images and Mitchell's artwork, offers a distinct world view that challenges and expands societal perspectives. Afrofuturism, with Davis at its forefront, becomes a lens through which alternative worldviews are explored, emphasizing the importance of diverse narratives and challenging the dominant culture.

References:

Jones, Amelia. Seeing Differently. https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Differently-History-Theory-Identification/dp/0415543835

"Afrofuturism and Its Possibility of Elsewhere: The Power of Political Imagination." The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/afrofuturism-and-its-possibility-of-elsewhere-the-power-of-political-imagination-166002.

"Wearing My Afro: Always a Political Act." The New Republic, https://newrepublic.com/article/122515/wearing-my-afro-always-political-act

"Afrofuturism: How Black Creatives Point to a Brighter Future." Domestika, https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/6930-afrofuturism-how-black-creatives-point-to-a-brighter-future

"Afrofuturism." UCLA Newsroom, https://newsroom.ucla.edu/magazine/afrofuturism.

"Artist Profile: Erin LeAnn Mitchell." Ruckus Journal, https://ruckusjournal.org/Artist-Profile-Erin-LeAnn-Mitchellh.

"Our Queen" by Erin LeAnn Mitchell, National Museum of African American History and Culture, https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2010.55.2.

#lovefya #culture #blackart #artblogger #angeladavis #black woman #quoteblogger #politicalart

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ickie-vicky · 1 year

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acknowledging that the binary exists AS a social construct, as an idea, is not agreeing with or following the binary. im not sure you understood me at all, maybe i wasnt clear enough. i am a gender abolitionist.

when i speak of gender i am using it as a general term to describe peoples connections to their identity and body on a more spiritual sense. it is abstract and undefined, because it is inherently subjective. everyone single person has a different felt sense of identity. the way we traditionally understand gender is through the lens of the binary, i do not. so i can understand your confusion. but yea, hopefully ive made it clearer, at least somewhat, that i do not believe in gender in a way that has anything to do with current understanding of that term.

and i understand that not everyone believes me, or even has been exposed to ideas like i have enough to form perspectives like this. so i am very understanding of people reinforcing the binary in some ways as a way to find deeper self meaning. there are obviously more outwardly harmful ways to do this, like feeding into toxic masculinity as a means of finding acceptance. but i dont prescribe to black and white thinking as much as possible (though, as an autistic person, that is my natural way of thinking). there is always nuance, there is grey. i even empathise with your position. its fuckin scary out here and of course you want to protect your interests as much as possible, and of those in similar circumstances. i respect that need, i dont respect the avenue youve chosen to meet it.

so while i dont believe in or agree with the gender binary and all that comes with it, im not going to demonise or vilify those that do, within reason.

so much of what you post makes it out like trans people ARE the enemy. that we are the ones doing active harm, not the ones being actively harmed. things like saying trans women are predators looking to enter womens spaces and erase them or assault them. OR that you believe we are defenseless, mentally ill little girls who have been lead astray and transed, forced to mutilate ourselves. like just such extreme and dehumanising beliefs. and its so sad because none of it is really actually logical or backed up by reason. its like, i agree with you up to a point and then we just veer sooo far into different extremes. the difference being mine advocates for collective and individual empowerment and health, while yours serves to create more divide and pain for all involved.

truly impressive display of doublethink that you repeatedly claim to be a gender abolitionist and also in support of transgender ideology

gender abolitionism good = transgender ideology bad

transgender ideology good = gender abolitionism bad

you simply can’t have both - these are by definition mutually exclusive beliefs. it doesn’t get more black and white than this. this isn’t a nuanced point

you are so invested in your ideology that you are engaging in doublethink - holding two contradictory beliefs and fighting tooth and nail to argue they align so you don’t have to admit you are wrong

do you really not see that?

how do you continue arguing with me with no shame when you are so clearly wrong?

you saying your ideology “advocates for collective and individual empowerment and health” and mine does not is laughably incorrect

the brutal truth: identifying as transgender is a self-centred and harmful ‘solution’ to a systemic societal problem.

you can’t abolish gender alone, so instead you buy into trans ideology for relief.

you don’t care/can’t acknowledge that this harms women because at least you’re alleviating your dysphoria - and that’s what matters to you.

your life has been hard so you must be right - your suffering proves your virtue. you are the hero and the underdog in your own story and everyone who criticises you is ‘harming’ you. any action you take to should be free from criticism because you are a good person just trying to alleviate your own pain.

you simply cannot bear to admit that your suffering does not exempt you from responsibility for causing harm in upholding patriarchy, which is what you are doing

because you have made your ideology a part of your identity you can’t even entertain criticism as it is now a personal attack against you

you call me saying this ‘vilifying’ trans people because it’s impossible for you to admit what you’re doing is wrong

gender is sexist. transgender ideology is sexist. you still haven’t refuted this.

you’re still not defining gender in a way that isn’t sexist - you’re just desperately trying to obfuscate and distance yourself from the truth which is gender = sexist stereotypes about womanly and manly feelings, behaviour, appearance, etc.

your ideology is inherently sexist

just be yourself and do whatever the fuck you want. you must not support the patriarchy by giving yourself a ‘gender identity’ to cope

this will be my last response as this is now arguing-with-a-conspiracy-theorist territory

i hope this has prompted others to genuinely reflect if not anon

#new followers i see u #i won’t be shouted down by repetitive claims that i’m wrong when i’m so clearly in the right #i won’t be told i’m causing harm when your ideology is harmful #radical feminism #gender critical

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