throwing some focus on sex-positive asexuals. asexuals who have had sex or want sex or seek out sex or enjoy sex. your actions do not define your sexuality and your attraction!! hope you have a good international asexuality day!

Gotta reblog this for educational purposes. Learned alot from the comments!

In many cultures, ethnic groups, and nations around the world, hair is considered a source of power and prestige. African people brought these traditions and beliefs to the Americas and passed them down through the generations.

In my mother’s family (Black Americans from rural South Carolina) the women don’t cut their hair off unless absolutely necessary (i.e damage or routine trimming). Long hair is considered a symbol of beauty and power; my mother often told me that our hair holds our strength and power. Though my mother’s family has been American born for several generations, it is fascinating to see the beliefs and traditions of our African ancestors passed down. We are emotionally and spiritually attached to our hair, cutting it only with the knowledge that we are starting completely clean and removing stagnant energy.

Couple this with the forced removal and covering of our hair from the times of slavery and onward, and you can see why so many Black women and men alike take such pride and care in their natural hair and love to adorn our heads with wigs, weaves, braids, twists, accessories, and sharp designs.

Hair is not just hair in African diaspora cultures, and this is why the appropriation and stigma surrounding our hair is so harmful.

[ID: nine square images explaining the importance of Black hair. All but the first image have a plain light cream background, a title and text with a picture and are credited to @vibesofablackgirl.

Image 1: a picture of a dark-skinned Black woman wearing makeup with their hair styled in an Afro. A search bar across their face reads “Reasons why Black hair is not just hair”.

Image 2: Title is “The Pencil Test”. Text reads “Between 1948 and 1994, the pencil test was a method used to assess whether a person was White or Black. A pencil was slid into the hair of someone being assessed. If the pencil fell out you were White and if it stayed in you were Black. This was a tool used to segregate Black people and stop them attending functions, schools and events. Not only did this cause racial division it also tore families apart”. A sketch of a Black woman undergoing the pencil test is shown beside the text.

Image 3: Title is “Map to Freedom”. Text reads “Cornrows have a rich history in the Black community. Slaves would braid escape routes into their hair. They were used as a way for slaves to communicate with with one another without their slave owners knowing. Some of the cornrows and the number of plaits worn would let them know how far they needed to travel or how many roads they needed to walk til they would be able to meet one another to escape the plantation”. A photo of seven people with different cornrows.

Image 4: Title is “Means of Survival”. Text reads “The Black women who came before us were innovative and showed that the thickens and texture of Black hair was so valuable and had a purpose. This was because slaves would braid rice and seeds in their cornrows before journeying the Middle Passage. Enslaved mothers would also braid seeds in their children's hair so they could eat in case they were separated due to slave auctions”. A photo of a Black woman having her hair braided with food.

Image 5: Titled “Cultural Representation”. Text reads “Before colonisation in the 15th century, Black hair could tell you everything you needed to know about a person just by looking at the style alone. Hairstyles were able to indicate things like wealth, religion, culture, tribe, marital status, social status, age and plenty more. You were even able to know a person's last name just by looking at their hairstyle. This is because each tribe had their own unique hairstyle”. A photo of a Black person with a tribal hairstyle.

Image 6: Titled “The Tignon Law”. Text reads “Late 18th century in Louisiana, Black women were banned from wearing it in public and were ordered to cover it up at all times. This was because they wanted to curb the growing influence of the free Black population and keep the social order. It was also believed Black women's hairstyles would draw the attention of white men, and this increased the jealousy of white women”. A photo of a Black woman with her hair covered.

Image 7: Titled “Stripped of Identity”. Text reads “When the slave trade started and the slaves were captured, Black women were forced to shave all their hair off. This was the beginning process of eradicating the Black identity and culture. It was also a tool to minimise Black beauty and dehumanise Black women, as slave owners knew their hair was something they valued enormously, was part of their identity and it also held so much significance”. A photo of a Black woman with a fully shaved head.

Image 8: Titled “Cultural Appropriation”. Text reads “Black hairstyles are an outward expression of self-acceptance and self-love. However, the anti-Black hair sentiment has existed in society for centuries. Black hair has been compared to wool and often described as ‘wild’, ‘nappy’ or ‘ghetto’. Yet non-Black people are praised, credited and even profit from styles and trends that Black women have been ridiculed for. Cultural appreciation is about recognising the history and where it came from, which includes learning about and giving credit to what you're borrowing, instead of saying ‘it’s just hair’”. A photo of three white women wearing thick dreadlocks.

Image 9: Titled “The Corporate World”. Text reads “In 2010, Chastity Jones accepted a job offer from Catastrophe Management Solutions. However, the offer came with one caveat – she had to cut off her locks. Jones refused, and the company rescinded its job offer. Chastity’s case is not unique. Cases filed by Black working women alleging discrimination against their natural hair in the workplace have filled courthouses for more than forty years”. A photo of a Black woman on TV in court.

End descriptions.]

appreciation post for my wife

1: Ring I was thinking about planetary rings!

This gives me big Sailor Moon transformation vibes

I am also a tired, little bunny 🐰🐰

anime_irl

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2019/08/02/ethiopia-tree-planting/

Plants some trees, please

*me watching hollywood movies about ancient egypt*

Looking at you, Gods of Egypt.

hey so uhhh here’s an important update on what’s apparently happening at the border, especially with the use of the old japanese internment camps

all i can say is i’m sickened by this mess, by the atrocities committed against innocent people. and now there will be no surveillance. no one will be able to see what happens to these people. the UN, the media, and any other human rights organizations cannot get into these facilities, either, in order to stop what’s happening. by the way, coast guard members were apparently aiding in this process as well. so now it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a military movement.

no one gets in. no one gets out.

so when are we going to call this what it is? it’s fascism. it’s genocide. and if we don’t stop it now, it’s going to be disastrous.

contact your senators, your representatives, anyone that’s in office that can get off their lazy ass and do something.

can y’all please reblog this i’m begging

This is in tandem with the fact that the Trump administration will be releasing its hounds to round up people they claim are illegally residing within the country. Who is to say that they’ll only round up people who are illegally residing here? My last name is Garcia, I’m Puerto Rican, I’m a citizen, do I have a fighting chance?

this is exactly what i fear. i’m also puerto rican/cuban and i don’t know what’s stopping this administration from claiming us as illegal individuals. my last name is castro—do you bystanders see what we’re getting at?

a few weeks ago on twitter a white woman told me i’m upset because “my kind” is being rounded up, killed, damaged, traumatized. even though they’re not “my” people they are still my diaspora and they are HUMAN and they NEED humanity. the lack of empathy over something so incredibly inhumane sickens me.

also, my fellow vegetarians and vegans, especially WHITE vegs/vegans, i’m going to need you to start seeing what we’re saying about how brown and black people are being treated in this country and in north/south america. they’re being treated exactly the same as the animals we love and care about so much. where are you all now? where is the anger? the outrage? i’m exhausted.

i’ve been told and educated that calling reps/senators will not do anything any longer. direct action is our only hope.

UPG. Living in Ma’at Guide

Hello everyone, this is the Priest(tess) mentioned in Prince’s Kemetic guide about Set, here to compile my ideas for getting isfet and ma’at in some semblance of proper balance, at least in your immediate area, because it looks like the next couple months at least are going to be a riot.

Disclaimer: I’m neither a scholar nor a formal authority on the topic, and properly worship only one of the gods, which will color my perceptions, but I felt the need to share my thoughts on the matter nonetheless, due to circumstances that have cropped up in a lot of places, including my interactions with people and my own faith.

So, without further ado:

Welcome to Chess’ guide to adopting Ma’at into your daily life.

~!~

Part One: Ma’at is not peace.

Ma’at is usually translated as order, harmony, truth, and balance. That doesn’t mean it’s peace and quiet, though those can be side-effects.

Keep in mind:

To practice Ma’at is to counter Isfet at its core, by every means you can. Means will be different from person to person, but the next part will cover common ways.

Part Two: Countering Isfet

Commonly perceived as doing things in old ways or rituals, but countering Isfet isn’t so simple as waving a candle and praying.

However, prayer does help a lot; sincere prayer, sans formality, sans pretention, is at its core one of the best ways to foster Ma’at in your life. Through prayer you can learn to speak freely and directly, which won’t always make things nice but if you’re true then you’re doing what needs to be done.

Directly, even, because fostering Ma’at in yourself and for the gods will directly affect their nature. The gods fight Isfet at every turn; to foster Ma’at is to aid the gods themselves, doing your part to keep the world turning.

However, prayer won’t be enough.

Here are other ways you can foster Ma’at through yourself and others.:

You don’t have to do all of them, but if you see the opportunity within your means, take it. Many of these will be difficult and frustrating, but in the end it will ease the pressure off your immediate area.

Everyone has a different way of doing things. More concrete examples would be like mediating or even facilitating an argument to draw out the grievances within and thus result in proper harmony, or advocating for reforms that will benefit those in need.

Part Three: Take care of yourself

I understand that these things can be dangerous to a lot of people. I understand that every one of these things can put your life on the line, in an abusive home or relationship, or a misguided community. Bear in mind: You cannot work Ma’at if you’re already dead, and the above are not absolutes.

Keep in mind:

This isn’t to say to shy away from pain, but to know that you shouldn’t kill yourself over the work. If it hurts, understand why, and address it as positively as you can, by what means are available and in-line with Ma’at.

If you know it’s necessary, even if you’re afraid of it, voice your thoughts and do what must be done.

Part Four: Ma’at for the gods

The above covers Ma’at among people, and the below will cover Ma’at in your communication and interactions with your gods, whether scholarly or mystical.

Some of these were covered in the above, but here they are doubly emphasized:

Part 5: Devotional activities

A word of notice first of all: This is a difficult faith to practice openly, but it’s one that shouldn’t be hidden away. If you can’t practice openly, this might not be the faith for you, at least at the current time.

That said, if you can devote only a small amount of time to the gods, do so as regularly as you can. Any activity can be a devotional if you offer it up to the gods you want to give it to, though some of them may have preferences.

Miscellaneous acts you can offer the gods:

Basically any projects or activities that take time and make you meditate on the gods or the activity in question, especially if you do it by yourself or can get a group moving in harmony.

You can also offer:

(Quick tip: I offer food off my plate because I can’t always make a shrine, and I do it by murmuring over it, “[god’s form of address], I offer you this [food, named as if you’re describing it to the judge of a cooking show], please enjoy this offering with me/eat together with me.” Modify as you please, but the basic idea is there.

This is specifically a devotional act if you eat slowly, enjoy the food, and have dinner conversation, so you might want to either save it for special meals or do it a lot and very quietly. When you’re done, thank them for sharing with you.)

Closing Remarks:

In the end, this is only a guide. Each of us fight Isfet and devote ourselves differently, personally, and most of all, with Ma’at, which might not always be fun but should always bring about something better than what came before.

Always keep in mind that what you do, what Ma’at is, is to make things better than they were before, as the world should be.

Thank you for reading!

If you have other questions about this guide or just want to talk about this kind of thing, please direct asks or messages to

chess-and-snickers.

The language of flowers

Black Cat Appreciation Post

adding a pic of my baby boy :’)

Like jokes aside this is so scary and sad, I really hope he’s still okay

Don’t worry, he’s ok! He posted this on Instagram a few days ago:

And he posted this recently as well

So, yeah, it’s really shitty that he went through that, but at least he’s healthy and safe.

Bless this man an his sea foam green stomach