Swamp Lantern (Lysichiton americanum -- aka Western Skunk Cabbage) emerges from the frigid, still waters of the swamp at Imbolc.
What waited all winter, dreaming beneath earth and water, is beginning to stir.
Heat builds in the spadix that will become a yellow flower as it grows toward the returning sun. It flows downward through the roots, warming the cold mud.
Soon the bears will awaken too, from long winter dreams where they heard the song the Swamp Lantern roots sang underground. Hungry, they will dig the roots and devour them.
Winter is still here, but life is stirring. Swamp Lantern comes ahead to prepare the way and open the gate, just as hir cousin, Skunk Cabbage, does in the eastern swamps of my childhood.
The blossoms that survive the bears will be dusted with pollen at Beltane, which I will use to anoint myself, blessing my body with blazing, ecstatic light and fire.
But for now, its the fire in my head that's blazing, as inspiration returns, and I engage with the world anew.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
The next Calgary Gay-Straight Alliance Roundtable is Jan 31
Calgary and Area Students and Teachers!
Please join us for the Calgary Gay Straight Alliance Roundtable.
This meeting is for students and teachers/staff who have a GSA or who are interested in starting one.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
6:00pm – 8:00 pm
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association Community Centre
(Free parking and just a few minutes walk from the Sunnyside C-Train station)
RSVP to:
Call Nick Moore at 403. 283. 5580 ext. 308 or email
nmoore@calgarysexualhealth.ca
Free Pizza and Pop will be provided!
Purpose of the meeting:
(Please share this info with any students and friends on Facebook or Twitter!)
This meeting is for students and teachers/staff who have a GSA or who are interested in starting one.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
6:00pm – 8:00 pm
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association Community Centre
(Free parking and just a few minutes walk from the Sunnyside C-Train station)
RSVP to:
Call Nick Moore at 403. 283. 5580 ext. 308 or email
nmoore@calgarysexualhealth.ca
Free Pizza and Pop will be provided!
Purpose of the meeting:
- Building-up and developing Calgary GSA Round-Table meetings
- Network and meet other members of GSA’s in the city
- Discuss how to develop safe and inclusive environments in Calgary and area schools
(Please share this info with any students and friends on Facebook or Twitter!)
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Casino Volunteers Needed!
The Calgary Sexual Health Centre Needs You!!!
Night Shift: 6:15pm - 2:30am
The casino is our Biggest Annual Fundraiser - by working one shift you will raise approximately $8,000 for our organization.
The casino will take place:
Wednesday, February 20 and Thursday, February 21, 2013
Day Shift: 11:00am - 7:00pmNight Shift: 6:15pm - 2:30am
The positions are:
2 General Managers
- One for the day shift on both days
- One for the night shift on both days
1 Banker
- For the day shift on both days
4 Cashiers
- Two for the day shift on both days
- Two for the night shift on both days
4 Chip Runners
- Two for the day shift on both days
- Two for the night shift on both days
Volunteering at the Casino is a lot of fun and we hope to see you there!
For questions about the position roles or to lend your support, please contact Sylvia at: skessel@calgarysexualhealth.ca Saturday, January 12, 2013
Practical Plant Magic
January 15 — February 26 — $200
Just as people living in the countryside traditionally knew how to deal with colds and coughs and scrapes and bruises using the plants around them, so too they knew how to enlist the plants’ help for clearing energies, protecting themselves and their homes, and blessing their lives.
Through a series of talks (given on conference calls but available afterward as recordings), traditional herbalist and witch, Sean Donahue will teach you how to begin doing this work with the plants around you. Calls will take place on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm Pacific Standard Time. A class forum will also be available for participants to post questions after the calls.
January 15 — What is magic anyway?
January 22 — Clearing energies with plants
January 29 — Plants for protection
February 5 — Plants for dreams and visions
February 12 — Love charms
February 19 — Plant allies
February 26 — Plants for prayers and blessing
This course will provide the basic knowledge necessary for those wishing to take the more intensive year long Plant Magic course at a later time.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for people doing transformational work in their communities
To register, e-mail seandonahueherbalist@gmail.com
Just as people living in the countryside traditionally knew how to deal with colds and coughs and scrapes and bruises using the plants around them, so too they knew how to enlist the plants’ help for clearing energies, protecting themselves and their homes, and blessing their lives.
Through a series of talks (given on conference calls but available afterward as recordings), traditional herbalist and witch, Sean Donahue will teach you how to begin doing this work with the plants around you. Calls will take place on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm Pacific Standard Time. A class forum will also be available for participants to post questions after the calls.
January 15 — What is magic anyway?
January 22 — Clearing energies with plants
January 29 — Plants for protection
February 5 — Plants for dreams and visions
February 12 — Love charms
February 19 — Plant allies
February 26 — Plants for prayers and blessing
This course will provide the basic knowledge necessary for those wishing to take the more intensive year long Plant Magic course at a later time.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for people doing transformational work in their communities
To register, e-mail seandonahueherbalist@gmail.com
Friday, January 4, 2013
Clearing with aromatic plants
"Medicine and magick started as aspects of the same activity and gnosis - they only are separate if you make them so." -- Mitch Bebel Stargrove
The medicinal and magical actions of a plant are inextricably linked. Medicine is just a specialized form of magic -- ``the art and science of creating change in conformity with Will`` applied within the realm of the human body. All magic operates within this same universe of matter and energy we inhabit, and so it stands to reason that the physical properties which we use to identify the medicinal actions of a plant can also be used to understand and describe that plant`s more esoteric gifts.
Aromatic plants exist in most every ecosystem. They release volatile oils into the environment that help to kill airborne pathogens, protecting the plants (and the other plants around it) from infection. Aromatherapist and herbalist David Crow coined the phrase ``community immunity`to describe the ecological function of these volatile oils.
These plants are easy to identify. When you rub their leaves between your fingers they release their potent scents (and the scent will likely linger a bit on your skin.)
When ingested (whether by chewing on the leaves or taking a tea or a tincture or absorbing them through the skin in a bath or by burning the plants and inhaling the smoke), plants rich in these volatile oils:
-- Combat infection in the tissues they come in contact with
-- Irritate the mucosa (some mildly and some more severely) promoting the secretion of new healthy mucous and thus breaking up congestion
-- Help to carry other medicines more efficiently through the body when included in formulae
Not surprisingly, most cultures use the aromatic plants growing in their environment ceremonially to clear stagnant emotions and protect, clear the mind and heart, and protect against spiritual contagions such as rage, envy, jealousy, and resentment (known in many traditions as the evil eye). Whether burned as smudges, infused in bath water, or carried as talismans, these plants can be powerful allies in clearing the way for magical work by dispersing unwanted energies from in and around a witch.
Aromatic plants with a nauseatingly bitter taste like Wormwood and can serve to root out deeply festering energetic infestations.
Oily, aromatic roots like Angelica and Osha, with their spicy, earthy scents, stir what sleeps in the deepest waters of the unconscious, opening the way to dreams and visions.
Sweetly aromatic plants like Sweetgrass help to nourish the heart and settle parts of us that have been upset by grief or pain.
It is essential when working with plants, however, to remember that they are not inert objects, but living entities -- not ingredients in ritual preparations, but active partners in the magic being done. Treated with respect, over time a plant will reveal more of its character to you and offer itself more deeply in your work.
But it all begins with meeting the plants around you and engaging them with your own senses. And the aromatic plants, filling the air with their scent, are ready to begin sharing themselves with you.
The medicinal and magical actions of a plant are inextricably linked. Medicine is just a specialized form of magic -- ``the art and science of creating change in conformity with Will`` applied within the realm of the human body. All magic operates within this same universe of matter and energy we inhabit, and so it stands to reason that the physical properties which we use to identify the medicinal actions of a plant can also be used to understand and describe that plant`s more esoteric gifts.
Aromatic plants exist in most every ecosystem. They release volatile oils into the environment that help to kill airborne pathogens, protecting the plants (and the other plants around it) from infection. Aromatherapist and herbalist David Crow coined the phrase ``community immunity`to describe the ecological function of these volatile oils.
These plants are easy to identify. When you rub their leaves between your fingers they release their potent scents (and the scent will likely linger a bit on your skin.)
When ingested (whether by chewing on the leaves or taking a tea or a tincture or absorbing them through the skin in a bath or by burning the plants and inhaling the smoke), plants rich in these volatile oils:
-- Combat infection in the tissues they come in contact with
-- Irritate the mucosa (some mildly and some more severely) promoting the secretion of new healthy mucous and thus breaking up congestion
-- Help to carry other medicines more efficiently through the body when included in formulae
Not surprisingly, most cultures use the aromatic plants growing in their environment ceremonially to clear stagnant emotions and protect, clear the mind and heart, and protect against spiritual contagions such as rage, envy, jealousy, and resentment (known in many traditions as the evil eye). Whether burned as smudges, infused in bath water, or carried as talismans, these plants can be powerful allies in clearing the way for magical work by dispersing unwanted energies from in and around a witch.
Aromatic plants with a nauseatingly bitter taste like Wormwood and can serve to root out deeply festering energetic infestations.
Oily, aromatic roots like Angelica and Osha, with their spicy, earthy scents, stir what sleeps in the deepest waters of the unconscious, opening the way to dreams and visions.
Sweetly aromatic plants like Sweetgrass help to nourish the heart and settle parts of us that have been upset by grief or pain.
It is essential when working with plants, however, to remember that they are not inert objects, but living entities -- not ingredients in ritual preparations, but active partners in the magic being done. Treated with respect, over time a plant will reveal more of its character to you and offer itself more deeply in your work.
But it all begins with meeting the plants around you and engaging them with your own senses. And the aromatic plants, filling the air with their scent, are ready to begin sharing themselves with you.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Our 40th Anniversary Year-in-Review
What a year! The Calgary Sexual Health Centre (CSHC) has celebrated our 40 years of service in style. Every month we held an event, participated in a community collaboration or brought together long-time supporters and new friends to recognize the past and illustrate our community impact today.
Here's a look back at a few of the moments we celebrated with you over the past year!
In February, we joined our fellow members of the Canadian Federation of Sexual Health to promote "Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week". From February 12-18 we focused our social media efforts on raising awareness of important sexual health issues. The week-long initiative is an example of how sex education has evolved over the past four decades, utlizing new technologies and the power of social media in acheiving our aim toward the normalization of sexuality, in all its dimensions.
Open House
On April 18th, we invited the public to take part in our 40th anniversary celebrations as we threw open the doors to our newly expanded office space and library.
We were pleased to welcome to our Open House over 100 people from across the community to help us celebrate the 40 year journey of our work in Calgary.
We hosted our 2011 AGM on June 14th at the Calgary Winter Club. While the event reflected on the previous year, it was also an important evening for celebrating our anniversary. It was moving to reflect on the challenges and progress that has been made over the past four decades, and to learn about the passionate and innovative work that continues today.
Pride Celebrations
The event featured a short program of speeches by some of our founding members, long-time staff and our ED Pam Krause. Our guests were regaled with a look back on how society's views on gender, sexual orientation and reproductive health has shifted over the past 4 decades - and how we have responded.
Another highlight of the event was our "Paint a Woody" auction. In the months leading up to the Gala, we had invited some "featured artists" to raise their brushes to paint a woody - a wooden demonstration tool we use to teach youth how to properly put on a condom.
With Woody Artists like Rick Mercer, Sue Johanson, Jon Montgomery, Mike Morrison and W. Brett Wilson, the unique art pieces fetched over $4,500 at our auction!
Here's a look back at a few of the moments we celebrated with you over the past year!
MISS REPRESENTATION - a documentary film by Jennifer Siebil Newsom
On January 18th, our year-long celebrations kicked off with a screening of the acclaimed film, "Miss Representation" at the Globe Cinema. The film exposes how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. We were pleased to bring the film to Calgary and engage our audience with a panel discussion following the viewing.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week
 |
| Open House |
Open House
On April 18th, we invited the public to take part in our 40th anniversary celebrations as we threw open the doors to our newly expanded office space and library.
We were pleased to welcome to our Open House over 100 people from across the community to help us celebrate the 40 year journey of our work in Calgary.
Annual General Meeting, featuring author Amy Schalet
 |
| ED Pam Krause with author Amy Schalet |
A highlight of the event was of course the keynote presentation by acclaimed author Amy Schalet. Ms. Schalet's book, "Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex", examines the regulation of adolescent sexuality in American and Dutch families. Ms. Schalet shared her stories and insights into cultural differences around teen sexuality - and the impact of those differences. The presentation resonated with our staff and guests.
Pride CelebrationsIn September we were proud to take part in the Pride festivities in Calgary and celebrate our long history of supporting the LGBT community. Our float in the Pride Parade was a colourful celebration of our 40th anniversary and our strong support of LGBT rights.
40th Anniversary Gala
To celebrate 4 decades - and to look forward to many more - we brought together long-time supporters and new friends for a playful and thought-provoking celebration at Belgo on October 25th. 
The event featured a short program of speeches by some of our founding members, long-time staff and our ED Pam Krause. Our guests were regaled with a look back on how society's views on gender, sexual orientation and reproductive health has shifted over the past 4 decades - and how we have responded. |
| Rick Mercer's "Lil Stevie" woody |
 |
| Thanks to blogger Mike Morrison for his great job at MC! |
Nearly 200 guests attended our Gala to celebrated our milestone and raise funds to support our ongoing work.
View our photo album on Facebook for more pics from the Gala!
View our photo album on Facebook for more pics from the Gala!
Thank you to everyone who joined us this year in celebrating 40 years of audacity!
We look forward to another great year of serving Calgary in 2013.
From all of us at CSHC, we wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Self Medicating
I am always a bit taken aback when I hear herbalists using the term ``self-medication`` in disparaging ways.
After all, self-medication is a big part of what we promote. We encourage our friends, our families, our students, our clients, sometimes even people in line at the grocery store to try Elderberry elixir at the first sign of the flu, or an onion poultice for a nasty cough. We teach kids to chew up Plantain leaves and make spit poultices for bee stings and bug bites. And we talk about the right of people to make informed choices about what they put into their own bodies.
Sure, if someone tells us she has been taking Oregano oil internally for persistent colds we might tell her about the damage to the lining of the digestive tract that her go to cure might be causing, and the impact of that damage on her immune function, and suggest some better alternatives. And if one of those nasty colds turns into pneumonia, we might suggest that she go to see a clinical herbalist or a naturopath or even a doctor. But all of that is likely to come with a compassionate understanding that our friend is doing the best she can with the resources she has to meet a real need.
So why then is there so much moral judgement when we speak of people ``self-medicating`` for spiritual or emotional pain with Cannabis or alcohol or sugar or what have you? The people doing this are doing the best they can to get through their days with the strategies that have been successful enough to keep them going in the face of that pain. No, these strategies are not the ones we would recommend if someone asked us -- but why judge them more harshly than the strategy of taking Oregano oil internally for colds? And, yes, these strategies tend to exacerbate the underlying problems. But so does the strategy of giving steroids for asthma.
I would love to see us as herbalists approach people who have been trying to deal with pain and trauma through substances that make them hurt less in the short term with the same compassion we have for people who have tried every treatment they could imagine for the chronic physical health problems that are disrupting their lives. Shame and guilt compound people`s suffering, and the using the term ``self-medication`` in disparaging ways suggests that we don`t trust everyone to make their own health decisions.
The people who seek our help deserve to be treated with dignity and kindness and respect, no matter what the source of their pain may be, and no matter what they have done to deal with it.
After all, self-medication is a big part of what we promote. We encourage our friends, our families, our students, our clients, sometimes even people in line at the grocery store to try Elderberry elixir at the first sign of the flu, or an onion poultice for a nasty cough. We teach kids to chew up Plantain leaves and make spit poultices for bee stings and bug bites. And we talk about the right of people to make informed choices about what they put into their own bodies.
Sure, if someone tells us she has been taking Oregano oil internally for persistent colds we might tell her about the damage to the lining of the digestive tract that her go to cure might be causing, and the impact of that damage on her immune function, and suggest some better alternatives. And if one of those nasty colds turns into pneumonia, we might suggest that she go to see a clinical herbalist or a naturopath or even a doctor. But all of that is likely to come with a compassionate understanding that our friend is doing the best she can with the resources she has to meet a real need.
So why then is there so much moral judgement when we speak of people ``self-medicating`` for spiritual or emotional pain with Cannabis or alcohol or sugar or what have you? The people doing this are doing the best they can to get through their days with the strategies that have been successful enough to keep them going in the face of that pain. No, these strategies are not the ones we would recommend if someone asked us -- but why judge them more harshly than the strategy of taking Oregano oil internally for colds? And, yes, these strategies tend to exacerbate the underlying problems. But so does the strategy of giving steroids for asthma.
I would love to see us as herbalists approach people who have been trying to deal with pain and trauma through substances that make them hurt less in the short term with the same compassion we have for people who have tried every treatment they could imagine for the chronic physical health problems that are disrupting their lives. Shame and guilt compound people`s suffering, and the using the term ``self-medication`` in disparaging ways suggests that we don`t trust everyone to make their own health decisions.
The people who seek our help deserve to be treated with dignity and kindness and respect, no matter what the source of their pain may be, and no matter what they have done to deal with it.
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