the triad is complete. over the weekend, the nipples got pierced and it was painful. oh, it was so painful. and my nipples have been erect ever since. + there i am hidding them. im extremly bashful and shy. my second name means shy. wonder why.. why the piercings? its transitional + celebratory. i've always felt that there lacks ceremonies, rituals and rites that offer a lens by which as a people move from being a to b one can desire for a heightened sense of belonging and know most intimatetly what is expected from them. in kenya, as in many afri. countries there is fgm and male circumsicion. even though, i cannot even begin to comprehend the immense sense of loss fgm brings, i understand the need for folks to peform ceremonies that illustrate growth. (irua). we are creatures of ritual and ceremony.

in the same gesture, i contemplate wearing mens cloths. i'm thinking of going bald again, get a couple of pants and shirts. maybe a tie or so. and suspenders a la carte larry king style.

Cross-Dressing Magic, Intersexuals & Female Husbands
by Roberta Perkins

Africa offers a great range of gender crossing types, more so than any other continent on Earth. There are examples of crossing gender by both sexes, there are cases of men and women taking on the roles of the opposite sex without adopting the appropriate dress, and there are rituals in which one or both sexes cross dress for the period of the ceremony only.

The magic of Cross Dressing

When female diviners of the Zulus are called upon to forecast rain they carry the spears and shields of warriors, the symbols of male potency to pierce the clouds. Among the Masai boys are dressed as girls during their initiation into warrior hood. The Sotho of South Africa dress their girls in boys' clothing for their initiation into womanhood. When a man in the Bangala tribe of the Congo is attacked by an evil spirit he dresses as a woman in the hope that the disguise will fool the demon. Zulu men put on women's girdles at a time of drought hoping this would bring sympathy from the rain gods. These are examples of cross dressing to induce a magical change in certain circumstances. The idea of temporarily donning the clothing of the opposite sex for the purpose of seeking supernatural help is not confined to African societies, but can also be found among some native Brazilian, Papuan and Asian societies. They all have one thing in common: the belief that a change of clothes will bring about a change of luck. {..more..}

to be candid. im not sure i fully understand the domme/femme dicotomy. the little i've read isnt very illuminating. i feel it fuels the sterotypes even further. the loss of ritual, wells one with a sense of loss and trepidation. as malidoma some in his book explains..' ritual provides not only healing but the recovery of memory and the re-affirmation of each individual's life purpose..'

and after many years, i finally saw this. oh, i cannot even begin to explain how i felt.
needless to say, i feel very lost with the new blogger changes. i'm comment challenged, seriously unable to place the comment link. any suggestions..