Mishkan Ha Guf presents: Lot Casting (Jewish divination) and mystical meanings of Hebrew letters. Hybrid zoom and in person. 3/29 6-7:30 pst Join Jewish somatic practitioner Amber Katzira for an embodied deep dive into the forces and elements beneath the letters, and an intro into using them for divination. Email willowandalder@gmail.com at gmail.com to register and for Access requests. 18 to $30 NOTAFLOF

Mishkan HaGuf presents :LOT CASTING:
Jewish divination and mystical meanings of the letters.
3/29
6-7:30 pst
Hybrid on Zoom and in Santa Cruz)
Mishkan HaGuf is: Somatic Jewish learning, Neuroqueer, Mad, Disability Justice centric.
18-30$ NOTAFLOF
To register:
willowandalder@gmail.com

When are we gonna talk about the overlap of Neurotypicality and it's social expectations with "nice white" social expectations and how it's almost across the board the same? "Almost" like Neurotypicality is just a facet of whiteness.

I should make some kind of chart or lmk if you've seen one.

Heart Pocket: New Moon Reading, Rosh Chodesh Kislev. A card and Hebrew letters reading on colorful scarves with gemstones and crystals strewn about. Substack.com/@amberkatzirah

New Moon Alef Beit and Angel Cards reading on my Substack! Substack.com/@amberkatzirah

Move up Move Back x1000 til all the ppl who are quiet and sidelined and discouraged from speaking are supported by those who do and become confident too bc they feel valued and listened to and then we all become confident that we can be heard and hierarchical social dynamics are just irrelevant.

History is full of "unlikely" leaders. You don't wanna be missing out on that, bc you only give leadership roles to abled, extroverted ppl.
+ it leads to Conflict bc the ppl who get sidelined will not be quiet and nice about it forever so check urself before it gets to that point.

Pedestaling those who are louder, more normatively abled, including in speech and presentation, when they don't know how to share power, you all do not want that trust me, they get attached to their positioning and will throw anyone under the bus to keep it. (Cont)

It seems like not that long ago it was a regular thing ppl said, the "step up step back" thing and now that's just, like vanished.
"Natural Leadership" qualities as people are saying are ableist, they have elements of other oppressions too. (Cont)

"of course" we want people to lead who are "good at leading" (so, neuropriv'd abled, extroverted, confident) ppl seem not to have heard of sharing power or checking in with the quiet or shy people suddenly. What gives, is it a symptom of online culture w social justice celebs? (Cont)

What happened to Move Up Move Back? Now I'm seeing: let's pedestal the ppl that show "leadership qualities" i.e. they are extroverted, norm abled and speeched and confident. And when anything is brought up challenging that they act like they don't know what I'm talking about. (Cont)

Bright yellow ginko tree in neighborhood with a telephone pole, yellow hydrant and street. The sky is a saturated, storm heavy gray.

I really loved this ginko tree against the rain drenched sky. Unfortunately pic doesn't do it justice. It was just so heart lifting, like a friend that gets you to go outside and touch grass when yr depressed.

Breath for Water. Part 1 of Elemental Breathwork Series. Sunday December 8th 4pm PST 7pm EST. Join me virtually for all or part of this 5 part Breathwork series, each dedicated to a different element. *Breathwork in this context is a breathing technique that facilitates altered consciousness, trance or dream states, energy movement and release. For questions, access requests and to register, email willowandalder@gmail.com. All proceeds will go to a displaced Gazan family of 5. This is a trauma informed, access-centric and pro Palestine container.

Elemental Breathwork Series starting with Water! It's a benefit for a family in Gaza who are experiencing great hardships and constant displacement. Cost is 18-80$ donation to their campaign Email me for more info!

For me, everything has it's "song", there is a tonal experience for all phenomenon. As a singer myself, I like to sing the tones if I'm at liberty to do so (i.e. not in public). Natural phenom (trees, sunsets, etc) sometimes rlly like when you
sing w them. Sometimes just want u to listen.

Omg yes please to hearing colors!! Colors and sound is a whole juicy sysnesthesia thing. Although tbh in cities it's pretty awful. Generally what's nice in Nature synesthesia-wise is hellish in towns for me.

Most ppl I know whom society calls savant (they don't necessarily ID that way) also have sensory icks. Whther or not our skillset includes stuff society values as "talent" most of us exp some amount of disability. I get called "gifted" artistically but Im vry disabled + def can't touch microfibre

Yeah definitely, that sounds similar, just a different metaphor

Wow cool! It's a mixed blessing, right? Depending on what yr looking at. I love talking about our non-norm sensory stuff

Bc I'm a synesthete, I dont like IG, my words already have a picture, trying to find a pic that matches what I see would be near impossible. I'd have to do a whole painting for everytime I post. I need the option to paint with just my words if I don't have the right pic bc the wrong one ruins it.

Wow I'd love to be in the loop about that.

Anyone have this? Common denominator thinking. Like the riddle what does x, y, & z have in common, my brain is always doing that. Like how does this art connect to politics and mysticism but like REALLY disparate elements being connected. Things resist categorization, they are always blending.

Synesthesia: it's not just the average 5 senses but also interoception. Like I look at concrete and I feel like I'm licking it, suddenly I feel every bump on my tongue and also my heart stings and my stomach fills with indigestible grit. It makes sense why I feel a million times better in Nature.

Synesthesia with sensory sensitivity is WILD. It's not just a color for a smell but like a whole movie unfolds in an instant, often a beautiful romantic tearjerker. But if I smell exhaust or garbage I can't stop seeing gray and red oozing tentacles that grab and shake my bones for the next 12 hrs.

Also like 2 yrs later everyone is saying the thing that we got ostracized for bc it wasn't "time" yet. No one remembers that they were awful to us for saying the same thing they are now writing a cunning think piece on.

Why art: Its a body sensation. Like I'm overflowing with inspo or just like a raw creation energy. I have to direct it, like water has to move. Also bc I'm extremely visually oriented and it's the best language for me.

Monotropism: I'm generally considered eclectic bc you might hear me expound on Ice Age art, the history of eugenics and crosstich in one rant and connect them. Varied special interests. BUT it sucks all the ability from everything else, like walking and eating. This is not really fun, trust me.

Photo of acorns strewn on concrete and dappled with golden light. Text boxes say The Butter Light On Madness, Oracleism and the Struggle to Not Stay Alone. My Latest on Substack. Substack.com/@amberkatzirah

This piece on my Substack about NQ and Mad aloneness and do we want that but the state of grace when we're alone and in our flow but also the barriers to not being alone if we don't wanna be and also how much they're missing out by excluding and not learning about us esp in Liberation movements.

*ibuprophen
*chocolate
*clip on ear buds to listen to podcasts
*Rocks, shells, sticks n leaves that were very important to pick up at the time but I can't remember why
*an embroidery or leatherwork project

Yes please.

This better be stay a place you can be dorky. I used to be dorky on IG posting like whimsical pics of me eating Haribo cola bottles in the Alps or urban decay that makes cool colors. Now it's Edgy Mean Girl Land. I declare this my dork space. PLEASE don't follow me if you don't want that.

Always