"I think we should do something to help the people who were ... traumatised by BJ," Delia said one morning as she and Charles were having coffee.
Charles snorted. "Starting with ourselves," he said.
"We are helping ourselves -- by helping BJ," she pointed out. "He's made great progress these past months, and we've all been able to deal with what happened. No, I mean all the people who haven't had the chance to truly process what they went through. That poor girl scout, for instance -- what was her name? Raine?"
"Skye," Charles corrected her. "And I don't think it's a good idea for us to get involved. That's what professional therapy is for."
"Well, of course," Delia agreed. "But we can -- should -- help, too. After all, we did end up 'adopting' him. He's our responsibility now."
Charles folded his newspaper. "All right," he said, "what do you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking about starting a healing circle --"
"Delia, darling," Charles interrupted. "The folks BJ, um ... traumatised ... need more than just scented candles, crystals and mantras. They need real help. Dealing with trauma isn't a matter for amateurs."
"And we can provide them with recommendations for qualified therapists. You're friends with a few -- I'm sure they'd appreciate the referrals." She regarded him seriously. "But you should never underestimate the power of candles, crystals and mantras. They can bring a sense of peace to a troubled soul." She stood up. "And they can meet BJ -- version 2.0."
Delia didn't notice the look of alarm on her husband's face as she gathered the empty coffee cups and took them to the sink.
"Uh, Delia ... I --" he began.
"I'm going into town to get some flyers printed up," she said. "Do you need anything?"
"I really don't think --"
"All right, then." She kissed him on the cheek and grabbed her purse. "I won't be gone long. Ttfn!"
And with that, she was gone.
"God help us all," Charles muttered.
*****
It wasn't long before Beej's victims started to get in touch. Delia apologised to each of them for what they had gone through and explained what she had in mind, and soon each agreed to come the following Saturday evening.
When everyone had arrived and was seated in the living room, Delia began.
"First, I want to thank you all for taking the time to come -- it's important that we all come to terms with what happened to you a few months ago."
The little girl, Skye, tentatively raised a hand. "I-is he still here?"
Delia smiled. "Yes," she replied. "Yes, he is -- he's part of our family now."
"Delia!" Otho exclaimed. "I'm shocked that you would allow that ... that creature back in here! After what he did??? And calling him family??? He's the embodiment of evil!!! "
"Otho, really ... BJ is not that bad," Delia said. "I mean, yes -- he did some bad things ... he threatened people, hurt people ..."
"He tried to kill me!" Otho interjected hotly. "It was just plain luck that I managed to free myself from his Wheel of Death before it rolled down the basement stairs!"
"I know, and I'm sorry about that. But you have to understand -- BJ has ... issues. Many, many issues. But with my help and guidance, he's working through them ..."
Otho scoffed.
"... and he's becoming more ... civilised. In fact, he's saved our lives on more than one occasion. All he really ever wanted was ... somebody to love him and accept him."
"You want us to love and accept him?" Mrs Feinstein asked, incredulous.
"That's up to each of you to decide," Delia replied. "But whether or not you do, each of you needs to work through the trauma he caused."
The others nodded grudgingly -- all except Otho, who sat with his arms crossed, a sour expression on his face.
"All right, then -- I think we should start by talking about what happened. Who'd like to go first?"
*****
Over the next several Saturday evenings, Delia explained to them how the Deetzes and the Maitlands were helping Beej by providing him with hobbies that were more constructive outlets for his energy.
"I've been teaching him yoga," she said, "and we've been having therapy sessions to help him deal with his feelings about growing up unloved -- he's been making wonderful progress. See?" She handed out several of the demon's drawings. "We've been doing art therapy -- it's his favourite."
The group looked over the pictures approvingly.
"These are ... actually kinda good," Ted, the census guy, said. "I mean, they're not going to ever be in an art museum, but ... there's some talent there."
"Look at this one," Mrs Feinstein said, holding up the picture she had -- it was titled MY FAMLY, and was of the entire Maitland-Deetz clan, all smiling and holding hands, with the demon in the centre. "This is just ... adorable! It looks like a drawing my grandson could've made. But ... who's this?" she asked, pointing to a figure standing beside Beej.
"You mean there's two of them?" Otho asked, his eyes wide. "Oh, God! "
Delia shook her head. "Dewey is human -- he's a music teacher in New York. He and BJ met at Halloween when a couple of his students accidentally ... summoned BJ, and they became friends. Then at Christmas, we found out that they're related. Well, probably. Anyway, for all intents and purposes ... they're brothers."
"That's so sweet!" Mrs Feinstein said.
"Here's one of just the two of them," the pizza delivery guy, Brandon, said. "They're playing guitars -- at least, I think they're guitars."
Otho sniffed petulantly. "He's a demon! This ... these drawings are nothing more than an elaborate ruse. A ... a con to gain your trust. I can't believe you're all falling for it!"
"Why not? I fell for your con, didn't I?" Delia retorted.
"You're comparing me with him??? " He huffed dramatically as he pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes. "That's so unfair!"
"You're right," she admitted. "I shouldn't have said that -- after all, at least he's trying to become a better person."
Otho looked at her, his face a study in betrayal. "Delia! How could you??? I thought we were friends!"
"We are friends," she replied gently. "Sometimes a friend needs to speak uncomfortable truths."
"It's like a knife in my heart," he said, and blew his nose. He opened the handkerchief, looked inside, grimaced, and stuffed it up his sleeve.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Otho," Delia told him. "You're here to process what happened, same as the rest of us. And part of that involves looking inward and facing our own ... deficiencies."
He started sobbing quietly. "He tried to kill me," he murmured.
"Okay," she said brightly. "Who here has meditated before?"
*****
"How goes the group meetings?" Charles asked the morning after the latest session.
"We're making some real progress," Delia told him, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I've begun teaching them how to meditate, and everyone is starting to come to terms with their experience."
"Even Otho?"
"Okay, not everyone. But Otho ... has his own issues to work on."
Charles chuckled at that.
"In fact, it's going so well that I think they're ready for the next step."
Charles shook his head. "Don't you think it's a bit too early for that?"
"Of course not -- the sooner the better."
*****
"You want me to what? " Beej asked when Delia told him about her plan.
"It's important that they see that you're improving," she said. "That you're not the same demon as before."
Beej scowled.
"I really think it'll help them," she explained. "And it'll help you, too."
"How?"
"Well, you want people to accept you, right? Doing this will show everyone that you deserve to be accepted."
"Well ... maybe," he conceded. "But I don't like it -- I'm a demon! Breathers are supposed to be scared of me!"
*****
"I'm so pleased with the progress we've made over the course of our sessions," Delia said. "That's why I think it's time that we confront the source of our trauma."
"What do you mean, 'the source'?" Ted asked. "You mean --"
"-- the zombie guy?" Mrs Feinstein finished. "Him??? "
"His name is BJ," Delia told them, "and he's really not so bad, once you get to know him. He's waiting in the hallway, and he'd like to --"
Beej suddenly appeared. "Hi, guys!" he said, smiling and waving at them like an overgrown puppy.
Skye screamed.
"Wow!" the demon said. "Yeah, I definitely remember that sound. How've you been, little girl?"
She screamed again.
"Not so good, I see. Okay, well ... yeah, okay," he said. "I guess by now you all know that I'm a demon --"
He was interrupted by another scream from the girl scout.
"Uhh ... right. Well, actually I'm half-ghost, half -demon -- see, my mom was a demon, and --"
"Maybe we can save the backstory for another time, BJ," Delia told him. "Don't you have something you want to say to these folks?"
"Uh, yeah," he said. "Right. Well, uh ... what I did to all of you -- well, it wasn't very nice. But you ... you gotta understand -- I'm a demon! It's what I do! "
Skye screamed again.
"I know, I know -- I'm the big scary dead guy!" he said to the girl. "We all get it, okay? Jeez! "
"BJ," Delia admonished.
"Well, she keeps interrupting me! How am I supposed to apologise with her screaming every time I say 'demon'?"
Skye opened her mouth to scream again, but Mrs Feinstein put her hand over the girl's mouth.
"Wait -- what?" Otho said. "You're here to apologise? "
"Well, yeah ... I --"
"And I suppose you expect us to just forgive you? After what you put us through?" He sashayed over to the demon and poked him in the chest. "You tried to kill me!"
"You tried to kill me first! "
"I was doing my job," Otho said with a dismissive flip of his hand, and turned his back to Beej.
Beej's hair began to turn red, and he sputtered and fumed, trying to think of a response. He glared at the back of Otho's head for a moment, balling his fists and waving them around wildly -- he wanted nothing more than to punch this ... this meatbag, but he knew that Delia would be disappointed in him if he did.
"Maybe we should all take a moment to calm down," Delia said.
"I'm perfectly calm," Otho replied.
Beej stuck out his tongue. "I'm perfectly calm," he mocked.
"BJ, please," Delia said.
"Ah, come on!" the demon replied. "Lemme hit him! Just one punch -- that's not too much to ask, is it? After what he did?"
"And what, pray tell, did I do?" Otho asked, turning to face Beej, arms akimbo.
"Yes, well," he said hurriedly. "Perhaps you're right -- after all, I suppose even a demon can change his spots ... or stripes, in this case." This last was accompanied by a disdainful sneer at said demon's fashion choices.
In reply, Beej thumbed his nose at Otho.
Skye giggled. "You're kinda funny," she said to the demon, who turned around to face her, surprised. "Maybe ... you're not such a bad guy after all? I mean, you're scary when you want to be, but you can be funny, too.
"I'm Skye, by the way," she said, holding out her hand.
"I'm BJ. Or Beej," he replied, shaking her hand. "You're not scared of me any more?"
Skye shook her head. "No ... well, maybe a little. But not as much as before."
The side of Beej's mouth twitched for a moment, and then he bit his lip, smiling. "Do you wanna be my friend?" he asked her hesitantly.
The girl thought for a moment, and then she nodded. "Yes," she told him.
At that, Beej picked her up and whirled her around in a circle. "I got a new friend!!! " he exclaimed. He set her down again, and Skye reeled, dizzy from the experience.
"Well," Otho said petulantly, "I, for one, will never be friends with the likes of him! I mean, he's kinda cute -- in sort of a deranged psychopathic clown way -- but stripes? And what's with those lapels? My God, you'd think it was 1986! "
"Thanks!" Beej said with a grin. He grabbed Otho's face in both hands and planted a big wet one on the ersatz guru's mouth. "That makes me sooo happy! I don't wanna be friends with you, either -- you're a pompous asshole!"
He spun the sputtering Otho around and gave him a boot to the rump, sending him stumbling back to his chair.
"BJ!" Delia chided. "That's not very nice!"
"He started it!" he said, pouting.
"To be fair," Mrs Feinstein put in, "Otho is a pompous asshole."
Ted nodded in agreement. "I kinda wanted to kick his ass once or twice myself."
Otho huffed, looking at them in exaggerated astonishment. "Delia! Am I supposed to just sit here and be subjected to this ... this unprovoked character assassination??? "
Delia had had enough. "Oh, sit down and shut up, Kevin! "
Otho's jaw dropped. Without a word he flounced over to his seat and perched on the edge of the chair. He took out a handkerchief and dabbed daintily at the tears of embarrassment and humiliation running down his cheeks, and then loudly blew his nose. He stuffed the handkerchief up his sleeve and looked up at her. "Et tu, Delia?" he said.
Delia sighed. "Otho, you know I love you," she told him gently, "but BJ's right -- sometimes you are a pompous asshole. Maybe that's something we can work on together."
She clapped her hands together. "Okay!" she said brightly. "I think we can all agree that BJ isn't the embodiment of pure evil --"
"Hey! " Beej said, affronted.
"What I mean is," she continued, "he's evil, yes --"
"Okay, then -- that's better," the demon cut in, mollified.
"-- but we've seen that he can be nice, when he wants to be. And really, did he ever actually hurt anyone?"
Otho sighed dramatically.
"Other than Otho," she amended, "who, truth be told, did kinda deserve it?"
The others muttered in grudging agreement -- except for Otho, of course, who simply sat there, sobbing quietly.
"Okay!" Delia said. "Well, I think that's enough for today -- we can pick it up again next week!"
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Please help the P4W Memorial Collective fund a Prisonersā Justice Day healinā¦ Carla Stewart needs your support for Prisoners' Justice Day Healing Circle 2022
Please help the P4W Memorial Collective fund a Prisonersā Justice Day healing circle for former prisoners of the Prison for Women (P4W). Ā
For years, women have gathered on Prisonersā Justice Day at the site of P4W, located on traditional Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territories, to mourn and build solidarity through a healing circle conducted according to Indigenous protocol. Everyone is welcome, especially women who have known prison from the inside, as well as prisoner justice supporters and all community members who want to come together for healing.Ā
For this event, it is important for ex-prisoners to have the opportunity to travel to Katarokwi/Kingston from out of town. However, it is often not within their means to do so without financial support. Therefore, all money raised through this campaign will go toward ex-prisoners travel and accommodation costs. Your donations to this important event are extremely appreciated. Ā
About Prisonersā Justice Day:
August 10 is a day to show solidarity with prisoners and remember those who have died unnecessarily ā victims of murder, suicide and neglect. Prisonersā Justice Day began on August 10 1974 in honour of Eddie Nalon, who died in the segregation unit of Millhaven Maximum Security Prison located in Bath, Ontario. It has since continued to be a day of coordinated protests, advocacy, and memorials. Ā
About the P4W Memorial Collective:
The P4W Memorial Collective is a group of women ex-prisoners from the P4W who are working towards the creation of a permanent memorial garden and community space on the grounds of the P4W, in Katarokwi/Kingston, Ontario. Through their work they honor the women who lost their lives in P4W, and uplift the stories of the women who survived. They aim to raise public consciousness about injustices that continue to be perpetrated in Canadian jails and prisons, and to support resistance to carceral colonial power through coalitional decolonial abolitionist praxis amongst people with prison experience, and those who have never been inside. The group holds events at P4W each year on Prisonersā Justice Day, where they plant the seeds of transformative justice and move closer to planting a memorial garden.
Rosh Chodesh Elul:Ā An Affinity Healing Circle for Non-Men
Led by Rachel Abrams (she/her)
Thursday August 20 @ 7:30 PM EST
Sign up here!Ā (Itās free!)
Description below
Legend has it that at Mount Sinai, the matriarchs of our tradition were gifted with an extra day each month to take off from work, engage in study, and celebrate each otherās fabulosity and friendship. Ā This sacred day is called Rosh Chodesh, the first of the Hebrew month.
Let's reclaim this ancient practice together in a radically loving and radically inclusive, supportive online space for women and non-men to celebrate a new lunar cycle and the Hebrew month of Elul!
Join Rachel for an intimate evening learning about the origins of Rosh Chodesh, connecting with new friends, and reflecting on Jewish themes in the month of Elul.
We will prepare our souls and our hearts with loving care for the coming High Holy Days, and begin to build a foundation for our Rosh Chodesh ritual to continue each month.
Please bring a candle with you for our Zoom ritual.
*While the origins of Rosh Chodesh rituals center female bodies and menstruation, we aim to create a space that is welcoming for people of all bodies and all gender identities/expressions who find meaning in the holiday!
Huge Celebration For Pride ā89
Dykes on bikes, radical faeries and the ruby slipper
NEW YORK [July 10, 1989] ā There's been a marvelous party! A highly emotional party. A love-in on the grandest and gayest scale. Nearly 200,000 women, men and children, strong of pride and loud of lung, stormed Fifth Avenue on Sunday, June 25th [1989] to celebrate the anniversary of Stonewall in the Heritage of Pride 20th Annual Lesbian and Gay Pride March. In evidence at this largest-ever party, were the largest-ever contingents of people with AIDS and people of color in the parade's history, smaller groups including Armenian lesbians, farm dykes, pagans, radical faeries, grandmas for gays and The Rob Lowe Defense Fund, and one admittedly-heterosexual mayoral candidate, kicked off from Columbus Circle promptly at 12:30, led with a cacophonous roar by those dykes on bikes, the New York Sirens. One Canadian rider, Nora, wearing a black leather hat, vest and little else save a maple leaf, a Marlboro and a smile, confided, "Man, this is the largest group of women motorcyclists I've ever seen. We're gonna make some noise down Fifth Avenue." And yes, they did.
[...]
Ovations greeted the Gay and Lesbian Youth of New York, who chanted raucously "2-4-6-8, how do you know your kids are straight?"
The first ever lesbian-sponsored float glided across Central Park South, carrying a resplendent band of singing lesbians. One of the largest groups in the march was the People With AIDS Coalition and the AIDS-related health care agencies, including the Gay Men's Health Crisis. Members of the Healing Circle frequently stopped to join hands, form a circle, and awe the crowd with their New Age, holistic techniques.
[...]
At 39th Street, Mayor Koch, in the briefest of parade appearances, met the press and felt the heat from marchers who gathered around him to chant, "Dump Koch. Dump Koch." As several drag queens approached, the Mayor's security men became tense, the veins popping in their necks. "Please," they hissed at a large young man in a small black dress, "please. Stay back. Give us a break." Give us all a break.
[...]
Then, the parade halted and the salsa music stopped. Everyone stood still, raising their fists and clasped hands into the air. Nearly two hundred thousand breathed as one, in remembrance of those who have died from AIDS; there was no sound. The air was as empty as the Honorary Grand Marshal's conventible, left vacant by the death of Edward Francis Murphy, known as the "Original Stonewaller," who passed away on February 28, 1989. Slowly one balloon drifted skyward. Then the crowd cheered as thousands more balloons were released.
[...]
The day ended with a stunning display of fireworks over the Hudson. And if you've never seen fireworks with a mob of gay people ā who all oohed and aahed in unison ā you've never seen fireworks.
Walking home on a vacant sidestreet, my lover and I passed below a terrace from which floated big band music. We gleefully ballroom-danced, feeling the full spirit of Gay Pride and freedom breathing in us. [...] Then a voice from above shouted "Dip!" Then again, "Dip!" "Are you ready?" Basil asked me, mischief twinkling in his eyes. I was. "Dip him!" they yelled. And yes, he did.
ā Keith Miller, OutWeek Magazine No. 3, July 10, 1989, p. 10.
The Biology of Belonging: What Happens Inside Your Body When You Feel Truly Seen
Science Meets Spirit
Neuroscience & Ubuntu Ā Ā·Ā Ubuntu Village
Your Nervous System Was Built for This
Think of the last time someone truly saw you. Not your productivity. Not your performance. Not the version of yourself you carefully assemble before walking into a room. You. The unedited, unguarded, whole person underneath all of it.
Something happened in your body in that moment. Yourā¦
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When you join this intention ceremony, you receive a collective astrology reading and dice roll, astrology insight for all 12 signs, guidance on specific intentions to set for the new moon depending on where this moon is happening in you natal chart and the House of Chiron Self Discovery Worksheet. In addition, you walk away with deeper insight into your individual timing and intentions, a better understanding of yourself and your patterns, community connection, a chance to maximize your manifestation ability and more clarity and confidence.
ABOUT THE NEW MOON
The New Moon is the first moon phase of the total eight phases in our lunar cycle. New Moons are a time to set intentions for the journey ahead. They occur when the Sun and Moon meet in the same astrological body at the same degree point. At the time of a new moon, the moon is not visible in the night sky, so there is absolute darkness; hence the alternative name for this moon cycle, The Dark Moon.
The symbolism of creation and darkness is present, as all creation comes from a space of ānothingness.ā We are embarking on a new journey and the start of a new cycle in each of our lives. Where the new moon occurs in our individual charts will tell us more about the intentions we should be setting and the new beginnings we are embarking on. Planting the seeds under the darkness of a new moon assists with harnessing the potent lunar energy to create our deepest inner desires. Under the new moon you are guided to go within, embrace your heightened intuitive abilities and to seed intentions for your future. You can now beginā¦again.Ā
Date: May 19th, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm CST/ 7:00 pm EST/ 4:00 pm PST
Location: Virtual (link will be provided 24 hours before the event)
Disclosure
Once you purchase your spot in the ceremony, you will receive a confirmation email to secure your spot. The private link to the ceremony will be sent via email 24 hours before the event.
You can purchase for a loved one, but please complete the Reiki consent form with their information during the purchasing process. I will not perform Reiki on anyone who has not given written consent.
Recite a prayer of intention to receive the healing energy of Reiki. Open your energy mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to receive the healing energy of Reiki by Jasmeen, Reiki Master.
No Refunds. Please readHouse of Chironās Refund Policy.
The New Moon is the first moon phase of the total eight phases in our lunar cycle. New Moons are a time to set intentions for the journey ahead. New Moons occur when the Sun and Moon meet in the same astrological body at the same degree point. At the time of a new moon, the moon is not visible in the night sky, so there is absolute darkness; hence the alternative name for this moon cycle, The Dark Moon. The symbolism of creation and darkness is present, as all creation comes from a space of ānothingness.ā We are embarking on a new journey and the start of a new cycle in each of our lives. Where the new moon occurs in our individual charts will tell us more about the intentions we should be setting and the new beginnings we are embarking on. Planting the seeds under the darkness of a new moon assists with harnessing the potent lunar energy to create our deepest inner desires. We are guided to go within, embrace our heightened intuitive abilities, and seed intentions for our futures. We can now beginā¦again.Ā
Date: March 21st, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm CST/ 7:00 pm EST/ 4:00 pm PST
Location: Virtual (link will be provided 24 hours before the event)
Once you purchase your spot in the ceremony, you will receive a confirmation email to secure your spot. The private link to the ceremony will be sent via email 24 hours before the event.
You can purchase for a loved one, but please complete the Reiki consent form with their information during the purchasing process. I will not perform Reiki on anyone who has not given written consent.
Recite a prayer of intention to receive the healing energy of Reiki. Open your energy mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to receive the healing energy of Reiki by Jasmeen, Reiki Master.
No Refunds. Please readHouse of Chironās Refund Policy.
February 6, 2014, the day after my first chemo, I arranged for one friend to drive me to Berkeley for a sound healing with Edie Hartshorne. Another friend agreed to pick me up.
The sound healing was a gift from Clare ā one of the leaders of the Healing Circle.
Edie has a pair of antique temple bells from Kyoto, and 14 Tibetan bowls. The sounds she made during the ceremony were wonderful and Iā¦
