RADICALLY AND CONSCIOUSLY MOONING: ONLINE KNOWLEDGE SHARE
This will be the sixth cycle of this online knowledge share! In the past years over four hundred people all over the globe have participated. This coming cycle starts 03/31/18 and participants will have access to it for 6 months. I will be offering this online share self-paced for those that can not work with dates above. The project combines writings, videos edited and filmed by La Loba Loca, zines, interviews, articles collected from different sources and the opportunity for people to share their knowledge and practices through the internet. The grounding theme of this project is (re)learning the power of cycles and mxnstruation. The main driving force behind this project is the fact that mxnstrual education is an important part of sexual health that everybody should know about it! Therefore, this knowledge share is geared towards people that directly experience menstruation and also for those that are friends, family and parents to people that mxnstruate.
Why Mxnstrual Health? Why an online knowledge share? This project was birthed after realizing how little information and education is available on mxnstrual health. The information that I found available left me with a lot of questions and concerns- a lot of the stuff out there uses very gendered language, it is very cishetero-centric and white-centered. I wanted to create a body of knowledge that centered people of color and QTPOC experience as much as I could from my experience/body/territory. I started crafting reusable moon pads (you can see and purchase them here) and blogging about my mxnstrual experiences and practices and it dawned on me that people are interested on learning more about mxnstruation but mainstream education fails to fill this gap. I am not a physician and I do not have the answers for everything- I am a person that has been mxnstruating for over sixteen years. In this knowledge share I am compiling personal experience, research, acumen acquired through knowledge shares facilitated in different places of the Abya Yala and interviews with people. A goal of this project is to (re)learn and (re)discover ways to learn and share knowledge- it is important to remember that we have the power to (re)create communal knowledge.
People that sign up for the knowledge share will be able to access it all over the world. People that are part of the knowledge share will be using email, wordpress and vimeo.
People that sign up for the knowledge share will be able to access it all over the world. People that are part of the knowledge share will be using email, wordpress and vimeo.
During the knowledge share we will be looking at herbs and foods that can help us support our bodies as we moon.
We will be learning about reusable, eco-friendly and earth-loving menstrual products. There is even a video tutorial on how to make reusable moon pads by hand!
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Here is a short break down of the topics we will be covering.
*Branch I : Mi Sangre No Mancha -decolonizing and (re)claiming anatomy -talk on mxnstrual-shaming and the importance of (re)claiming and (re)learning its importance and power -menstrual education, unlearning authoritative 'teaching' techniques and the role of the menstrual promotorx *Branch II: We are all bodies of water -understanding the mxnstrual cycle -'we are al bodies of water' talk on how the moon impacts all of us -cycle tracking & how to use cycle as a guide -creation of moon map: how to start mapping emotional and physical changes through the cycle -impact of gendering mxnstruation as a 'woman-only' experience -Special interview with Pidgeon Pagonis, an amazing POC Intersex activist! *Branch III: Luna Roja -western cultural and societal negative feelings towards shedding -closer look to mxnstrual blood -moon blood medicine and magic -eco-menstruation and reusable mxnstrual products -how to make reusable cotton pads from scratch -'don't yuck my yum' talk on blood, culture menstrual art & other ways to use moon blood *Branch IV: Acompañamiento Lunar -how to physically and emotionally support people through mxnstrual cycle -Abuelita medicine for mxnstruation & natural ways to ease mxnstrual pain -self-massage, herbs and food to support cycle -pre-moon care for healthy bleeding -talk on honoring moonpausing/menopause *Branch V (Optional) This is an optional branch for those that want to fulfill a list of requirements and a final project to complete this knowledge share. Those that complete this online knowledge share will get a chance to share their beautiful faces + bios in a listing. |
There are 3 different tracks
each track caters different budgets + time constrains
Exchange
There is a lot of work that goes into creating and up-keeping online knowledge shares. I do not have spousal support, parental support, a trust fund or a pot of money hidden somewhere- this is my work and how I make a living under a capitalist system. I am asking for sliding scale* monetary exchange for this seedlingship to allow me to live + thrive + continue to do this work. If you do not know sliding scale is, please learn more about it here. All tracks have different sliding scale ranges so that you can make your own decision of what you can afford. There are also Youth of Color scholarships available and you are always encouraged to donate to the pot!
Payment
You can send the full amount or we can work out a payment plants. There is an additional fee to set up installment plants.
There is a lot of work that goes into creating and up-keeping online knowledge shares. I do not have spousal support, parental support, a trust fund or a pot of money hidden somewhere- this is my work and how I make a living under a capitalist system. I am asking for sliding scale* monetary exchange for this seedlingship to allow me to live + thrive + continue to do this work. If you do not know sliding scale is, please learn more about it here. All tracks have different sliding scale ranges so that you can make your own decision of what you can afford. There are also Youth of Color scholarships available and you are always encouraged to donate to the pot!
Payment
You can send the full amount or we can work out a payment plants. There is an additional fee to set up installment plants.
What to expect
All POC and QTPOC people in videos and drawings, a lot of love and hard work put into the knowledge share, personal narrative, original art work, link to (some) outside resources in spanish, real blood and blood stains throughout the knowledge share. Since this is an online knowledge share, people will have access to the information at their own times. People should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week looking through the readings and videos, and an extra hour or two if you plan to look the extra resources and do the weekly 'assignments'. People doing the Do It in Group Track (DIG) should expect to spend 1 to 2 hours per branch.
What not to expect:
Definite answers, to learn 'everything' about menstruation, unfortunately videos are not captioned (we need to fundraise to do this in the future), answers for specific health ailments (facilitator is not a medical provider), hierarchical learning (this is a knowledge share, facilitator of the project shares knowledge but has no 'final' or 'correct' answers to all topics around menstruation)
All POC and QTPOC people in videos and drawings, a lot of love and hard work put into the knowledge share, personal narrative, original art work, link to (some) outside resources in spanish, real blood and blood stains throughout the knowledge share. Since this is an online knowledge share, people will have access to the information at their own times. People should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week looking through the readings and videos, and an extra hour or two if you plan to look the extra resources and do the weekly 'assignments'. People doing the Do It in Group Track (DIG) should expect to spend 1 to 2 hours per branch.
What not to expect:
Definite answers, to learn 'everything' about menstruation, unfortunately videos are not captioned (we need to fundraise to do this in the future), answers for specific health ailments (facilitator is not a medical provider), hierarchical learning (this is a knowledge share, facilitator of the project shares knowledge but has no 'final' or 'correct' answers to all topics around menstruation)
APPLICATION FOR CYCLE 5
SPONSOR A YOUTH OF COLOR SCHOLARSHIP!
We want to provide scholarships only for Youngstars (21-years-old or less) of color, Migrant Undocumented Youngstars of color and Queer/Trans* of color Youngstars that are not able to afford the knowledge share. To donate click the link below and make sure to leave a note that states the money is going to the scholarship fund.
-'I loved the variety of topics! I felt like I wasn't really sure what I would be learning about when I signed up and it covered such a variety of things, many topics I had never learned about before. I like how Loba combined family/cultural knowledge and personal experiences with information from books and websites (...)it was really wonderful and taught me some amazing skills that I am already using to help me deal with mood swings and trauma and developing a stronger relationship to the moon, earth and plants which is above and beyond what I was expecting.' Robin Cycle 1
-'After I stopped taking birth control my extreme symptoms began to come back. Excruciating cramps and uncontrollable PMS. I signed up for the first knowledge share out of desperation and as a last resort before going back on bc and it really made a difference. I was amazed at how much I still didn't know about my body and how to care for it. I loved the safe space Loba created to share experiences and knowledge with each other. I also really appreciated the decolonized lens that all of materials and discussions came from. I highly recommend this knowledge share for anyone wanting to learn more about their bodies, problems or not. I will probably take it again in the future.' Tara Cycle 1
-'Brain explosion. I’m super fascinated by all the information, it’s better than the sex ed classes from 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grade.' Maria Lozano Cycle 2
-'The radically and consciously mooning online knowledge share felt very personal and gave me the opportunity each week to really sit down with myself and meditate on blood and body. it opened up portals inside myself and allowed me to expend all the creative energy and curiosity around blood magic that i've been holding onto for so long. all of the images and videos create a visually pleasing experience where you feel like if you just close your eyes long enough you'll be transferred to Loba's living room. chingos of love and intention was put into this project and i highly recommend signing up or donating funds to keep supporting it!" Yucca Cycle 2
-'The process has been really great, honestly I took my time with it and explored it slowly and I got so much from this, reflecting, having to broaden my perspective some times and doing more research.I feel like this already has had a huge impact on my mxnstrual self-care routines and I can't wait to share with other people with more confidence and continue exploring decolonial practices. Loba's vision comes through brightly.' Ana Sobhina Cycle4