00:00:08.900Welcome home to the Missing Witch's Coven.
00:00:13.300Welcome back, listeners, friends, tiny little irises, all the familiars who are here with us today.
00:00:22.720Welcome back. Thanks for being with us.
00:00:24.940This is our second episode dedicated to Indigenous futures, Indigenous future-isms for the month of May, while we celebrate our annual month of reparations and our joyful fundraiser wave, which is on their way while you're listening to this.1.00
00:00:43.320Hooray and good job, everyone, and let's fucking kill it all the way to the end.0.89
00:00:47.940Amy, do you want to tell folks a little bit about that fundraiser?0.98
00:00:52.140And then we will ease properly into an introduction of our incredible guests and I think beloved friends of the podcast.
00:01:02.320I certainly have come to adore them and their work and the way they think and their openness and kindness with their work.
00:01:10.580And yeah, the integrity and the sense of being brought into a portal that they both open that feels appropriate for talking about the future.
00:01:19.000Anyway, we'll let Crystal Toob and Edgar Fabian Frias introduce themselves in a minute.
00:01:29.740It's May, and that means I have a scripted speech to deliver about a fundraiser, and I will keep doing this all month.
00:01:39.540So every year we do a fundraiser with our coven in support of First Nations women, as always recent.
00:01:47.500and I will be contributing our profits for the month of May to the Native Women's Shelter of
00:01:52.840Montreal. In addition, we're asking our listeners to make a donation and a reparation. We know that
00:02:00.660most of you are listening from the United States, so wherever you are, we encourage you to find a
00:02:05.420local, a local Native Women's Shelter to support. And some places don't have First Nation-specific
00:02:12.740orgs, so we'll also accept donations from shelters for vulnerable women and children,
00:02:18.020sex workers, or victims of violence. But we would appreciate a focus on support of Indigenous
00:02:24.320people. This year, we've got more than 20 prizes, thousands of dollars worth of classes, art,
00:02:34.640jewelry, readings, books, and more donated by our Covenant Large, just waiting to be yours.
00:02:41.380These include prize packs from Jinx Monsoon, Sarah Gottsteiner, Pam Grossman, among others.
00:02:51.620So stick around to the end of this episode to hear the full list of prizes or head to our website right now for full descriptions and to see photos.
00:03:01.820But most importantly, here's what you're going to do.
00:03:05.900Make your donation of $10 or more, take a screenshot of your receipt, and email it to
00:03:11.820missingwitches at gmail.com with the subject line, reparation, what country you're in,
00:03:18.000plus the amount of your donation. The amount is important because for every $10, you'll get one
00:03:23.020entry into the raffle for these prizes. So if you donate $50, you'll get five entries, and so on.
00:03:29.300And just a reminder that we never touch this money.
00:03:32.940You can keep your tax receipts and know that we're not making any kind of profit off of this fundraiser.
00:03:42.320All of the details will be on our website and socials.
00:03:45.580Winners will be chosen at random and announced on June 1st.
00:03:48.460Plus, everyone who donates will automatically get discount codes from our favorite witchy businesses.
00:03:55.220As always, this fundraiser is an experiment.
00:03:59.300So if you think it's a cool idea, please help us make it successful by making a small or large reparation to First Nations women who have been systematically marginalized and disenfranchised, both socially and economically.
00:04:14.400Let's raise some real money, make some real change, and be blown away by what we can do when we work together.
00:04:22.580Thanks for being here, folks, and for listening to the spiel about the thing we do.
00:04:28.180this time of year. I want to invite Crystal first to introduce yourself. And I mean that
00:04:36.660in the broadest way possible. Like, who are you today? What are you working on? How are you
00:04:43.020feeling? You know, like, tell us a little bit about you and your work.
00:04:49.640Chi-miigwech. I'm from Renfrew County, Pembroke, Ontario, unceded Algonquin territory. And I'm a0.96
00:04:55.720member of the Algonquins of Pikwaknagon First Nation. And I also have French, Polish, you know,
00:05:04.320my pie charts are real interesting. But I get my connections to my community through my mother
00:05:11.220and my matriarchal line. And after being displaced for several generations, I'm feeling pretty good
00:05:19.980today. Coming back to my ancestral community, I'm here with you all. Very excited. I love this
00:05:27.120annual fundraiser. I love how you are so smart and have done it. And I'm just feeling very equally
00:05:33.760smart having, you know, gotten myself here twice in a row. So I'm feeling really good. And what the
00:05:41.140heck, who am I and what do I do? I'm a public speaker, believe it or not. And I'm an educator,
00:05:47.240a counselor, a helper. And sometimes I am often a lot more comfortable behind the scenes
00:05:54.700doing those community helper things. But today I'm very excited to be upfront and I'm a mom,
00:06:02.900a wife, amateur, green witch, tattoo addict slash revitalizer. Yeah, I don't know. I have different
00:06:12.260little hats I can put on at any time of the day, but definitely very excited to be here with
00:06:18.080everybody. So, miigwech. We have to come back to Blackbird Medicines and that whole aspect of your
00:06:24.380work, but I feel so like electrified and really grateful that you felt like you could take your
00:06:30.940introduction to that place with us. I feel like we actually heard you there, which is so hard
00:06:37.200sometimes in introductions where we just like put up a list of our hits you know so I really
00:06:42.880appreciate that Edgar so are you who are you today tell us about your work and your how you're
00:06:52.320feeling yeah thank you so much for having me such a honor and a gift to be here and to be a part of
00:06:58.760this incredible event and to know that we're going to be supporting so many folks just really is
00:07:05.640warming my heart and I've just been really excited to reconnect again. It's been a moment since we've
00:07:11.280gotten to chat and so much has happened since we last saw each other. I moved to different states
00:07:19.060and finished a graduate program and I am back now in my fourth month back in Los Angeles which is
00:07:26.880also home to the Tongva people and my family's from Mexico. I was born in Southern California
00:07:34.300near Los Angeles. And my people are the Vida Rica, which is a community that exists all over
00:07:41.440the world, but it is predominantly in Zacatecas, Jalisco, Oaxaca. And I am feeling all over the
00:07:52.920place today in the best way where I have had the chance to work on art. I've been working on some
00:07:58.980writing. I got to go for a walk. I've just really been kind of feeling the flow today and just
00:08:07.140feeling a lot of gratitude for being able to live a life in this way and to be able to share so many
00:08:12.460parts of myself. I'm someone who exists in many realms. I'm, you know, a brujekis or witch and I
00:08:20.000offer workshops and events. I make spells. I also work on art because I'm also an artist and my work0.96
00:08:28.040can be seen in museums and galleries also on the internet and social media and any place I
00:08:35.260am able to share it and I also offer tarot I offer events and ceremonies and I'm also a therapist
00:08:45.140too definitely I'm someone who has a background in somatic psychotherapy and I integrate a lot
00:08:52.860of spiritual and creative practices into my therapy practice. And I've now been for almost
00:08:59.680a year in private practice where I work one day a week with folks, and then the rest of the time
00:09:05.080is art. So I feel really blessed to have been able to arrive to this place where I have this balance
00:09:10.500where I'm still able to offer support and to be with people in this way, while also focusing on
00:09:17.600all the many projects that emerged in my life so thank you so much for having me thank you
00:09:24.960oh my gosh I wonder if we can stay with you for a second would you think out loud about something
00:09:32.420you feel like your your practice your work it's so hydra-headed and like so poly vocal
00:09:41.040what is something that your work is has taught you recently
00:09:45.000oh yeah well I think one of the big things that it's really taught me is to get clear on my
00:09:55.520intentions and to really know what I'm trying to do with my many different disciplines and
00:10:03.140practices it's also really been a great teacher when it comes to learning about boundaries and
00:10:11.360really caring for myself and my time and my space because I really realized more and more as I
00:10:19.780expand and diverse and move into multiple realms that time is really precious and it's really
00:10:25.320precious what we're able to do with it and I think that's something that my practice has also really
00:10:30.200been teaching me is to really value what I'm able to do and how I'm able to reach folks and to know
00:10:37.080that I'm able to reach folks directly one-on-one and also knowing that, you know, we're creating
00:10:42.040legacies that we're leaving and, you know, we're touching people beyond time and space too. And
00:10:46.780that's something that I really feel like my practice has also been showing me is that I'm
00:10:51.800a part of a lineage and I'm also building something that is planting seeds and having
00:10:57.240effect beyond what I can even understand because I've been surprised over and over. So yeah,
00:11:02.800thank you so much for that question. I think it is such a big question that I'm just like,
00:11:05.860I feel like I could spend some time writing about this too just because there's so much
00:11:10.340so much there to connect with yeah well I want to read that when it's written and publish it
00:11:16.960if you if you want to smile I want to keep thinking about it and I want to keep drawing
00:11:22.140that question into how we think about the future you know keeping doors open or planting seeds for
00:11:29.000the future Crystal we do tackle this question with us or or share a bit of your perspective on what
00:11:35.260you're learning from your work these days well i i just i feel like i need to risk also the
00:11:41.940intention piece because that's something i find i've been you know having to reacquaint and
00:11:48.180realign like my perspective with my intentions it's it's definitely been something that has
00:11:54.300been coming up for me possibly with the crazy time of the recent new moon and mercury and
00:12:02.400and all these other things and like oh yeah plus you know perimenopause or whatever like hormones
00:12:08.420and age and that's a whole thing um and we're trying to you know age gracefully like these you
00:12:14.340know luscious berries on the vine and and that intention is just it it's really important because
00:12:21.380it does guide so much of these you know even just what you said about having these different
00:12:27.600kind of modalities and different ways that you do your work it's I struggle with that myself I
00:12:34.540always joke like I have the worst elevator pitch it's like non-existent it's like and my husband
00:12:39.780too when people ask him what I do he just he's getting better than me actually it's like where
00:12:44.960do I want to put my energy really how am I making sure I stay this luscious berry on the vine as I
00:12:53.360As I hang in there, the futurism piece of doing that work, especially with the helping profession and working with people one-on-one and unpacking and repacking and we're touching down with people.
00:13:05.800Sometimes it's the worst time of their life.
00:13:10.960Certainly with my work with people around like death doula work and stuff like that, you know, sometimes they're so deep into the work they don't even realize they're doing the work.
00:13:20.660so intention it can just be such a powerful grounding I guess yeah that's what flourished
00:13:29.800there I want to ask you to respond to one more word that Edgar used that I think is so important
00:13:36.180and has been such a massive part of my like awakening is that word boundaries
00:13:42.140yeah Crystal just made the knowingest face I wish that I could describe it to you in better words but
00:13:50.160yeah boundaries it's a big one and i know that this is something you've written and thought about
00:13:54.640well i don't hopefully my dogs are not coming up so boundary it's it's oh what a great word
00:14:03.160and definitely something that comes up over time repeatedly because we get more comfortable with
00:14:09.880holding those boundaries you know we were chit-chatting a little bit about my my teen
00:14:14.560daughter before we got going and she is so good at boundaries like she could really teach a class
00:14:22.640and she's also working through those things with her peer relationships where she's recognizing
00:14:28.280that some some kids aren't learning that in their in their experience and you know it's just like
00:14:36.160how awesomely we teach our kids more about consent than ever before you know we have actual words and
00:14:42.680tools and skills to to frame consent for children it's one in the same right our boundaries are so
00:14:49.400fundamental to our own wellness and even learning that can take like 20 30 plus plus plus because
00:14:57.700so much of it is conditioned in our society to to let those boundaries be mowed down so when we
00:15:05.840when we take time to do that it's sometimes a lot more work when you have boundaries
00:15:11.620but i promise if you hang in it will pay off and in some places people believe they live longer
00:15:22.320so i think at least that's what my daughter tells me she's like i'm gonna be really old
00:15:26.720so my four-year-old is also excellent at boundaries it's inspiring honestly i learn
00:15:34.580from her all the time which you know gives me a lot of hope for the future for sure
00:15:39.940Edgar do you want to expand on the idea of boundaries and consent and how that charts
00:15:47.060a futurism maybe a future yeah there's so many directions we can go with this you know I I've been
00:15:53.520in a sense like one one of the reasons and I think this connects with intentions like I think I
00:15:59.240I have a part of myself that wants to expand and continue to expand and just do as much as I can
00:16:06.140and gets really excited and doesn't want to say no and I feel like one of the big lessons I've
00:16:14.140been learning is yeah how to have boundaries with that really excited part of myself without
00:16:19.260having it feel defeated or like it's not you know important to feel that excitement because I love
00:16:26.640that excitement and that feeling of like oh yay I'm like connecting with this community I'm
00:16:32.240supporting this project I'm doing this artwork that I love like and knowing really what feels
00:16:38.960important what my priorities are what I'm really wanting to work on for this like era or this
00:16:44.600moment in my life and being able to really create a scaffolding create some sort of container that
00:16:51.700helps me then make more of those things happen and I really feel like this connects a lot to
00:16:58.700lineages as I was sharing where I've been really feeling called to creating more work that is going
00:17:04.020to have a lasting impression that is going to be communicated beyond let's say 15 seconds on
00:17:12.420social media for example which is also powerful and I love and obviously traversed in those realms
00:17:17.420and I've also been thinking about more long-term like having folks find me in the library having
00:17:23.300people seeing me in archives or in our historical canons and the importance of bringing in
00:17:29.980queer trans indigenous voices into those spaces and i need boundaries to be able to focus on that
00:17:38.320to be able to know that that is a certain kind of work and i think unfortunately you know not a lot
00:17:46.060of us and i'm speaking for myself but i'm imagining maybe people listening could resonate with this
00:17:51.220Like not a lot of us are taught like those other elements or parts that like augment creative practice or spiritual or community or cultural bearing practices that are around like archiving and saving, containing, documenting, you know, organizing, doing all these things that like can give something longevity or can connect it to something larger than just, you know, one person.
00:18:17.300And I think it's been definitely like a growth edge. And I feel like I'm in a part of my practice. I think kind of going back to the earlier question of where we are, like I feel like I am in a place where my art practice is evolving and changing and I'm having to like reprioritize and think about it in different ways. And it's hard. Like, I feel like there are no classes for this or we're not really taught these types of things.
00:18:42.260And so it is a lot of self-reflection and coming to understand what you value and what
00:19:02.980And I do feel like boundaries are a big part of really helping at least to create some
00:19:06.640sort of scaffolding in what can really feel, you know, like hard to navigate.
00:19:11.100And so you create at least some sort of path that you can follow and that can support you as you start to make decisions.
00:19:19.660I love the idea of boundaries as container.
00:19:23.580That's so magical and protective, a way to think about that idea.0.97
00:19:29.480It's not always about, like, keeping shit out.0.91
00:19:32.940Sometimes it's about, like, nurturing what's inside the boundary.0.96
00:19:36.600Okay, can we sort of glimmer forward? Can you just imagine out loud what this future looks like? And also, how did we get here? This like, this dazzling future on the horizon, you know, Edgar and Crystal's books are not just on the shelves, but they're, you know, at the heart of an important canon of Indigenous thinking and practices.
00:20:06.600queer practices and feminist practices this whole movement has has like brushed forward a hundred
00:20:14.740years like what who else is there how did we get there let's just play the future game
00:20:21.140will you do that with me i think of caregivers i think of celebrity and legacy and i think of
00:20:31.260how our society makes the move from what it is now to that future and that
00:20:39.960i i i want to see this shift where the caregivers become the celebrities or at least
00:20:48.980paid and held up in the same way that we value these you know these i mean i'm a
00:20:58.340absolute cinephile but there's a little bit of pay disparity that can just shift
00:21:05.400and we can and the celebrities are joining these causes with speaking out about the importance of
00:21:12.980caregiving and caregiver work and it's always since time immemorial been the foundation of
00:21:19.240our societies and it's we know that we're better off when we're more cared for so i see that
00:21:27.920i'm calling it into the path ahead because
00:21:33.240we have this legacy work as doulas that we can do if you're a birth or death doula whatever it is
00:21:43.880you might be called upon to help form a legacy for someone who's who's gone through to the sky
00:21:49.900world and some people get really freaked out about that and it's always sounded to me kind of
00:21:56.920like those obituaries where it's sort of your little paragraph to crow with the world about
00:22:02.500how wonderful this person was and then we watch it on like pbs finding our roots or something
00:22:07.620where they really found the stories and those are awesome and there's this really cool thing now
00:22:13.320that they do where you can get a little qr code on a gravestone or as part of a you know an obit
00:22:19.540or something like that and i think about that sometimes because we know that celebrities now
00:22:24.420talk about you know there's a real burden of growing up and having everything documented
00:22:29.260in social media and the internet that we didn't have 30 years ago and if you had all of that
00:22:35.440documented and I see I thought of that legacy for the future and if I was to get my little QR code
00:22:42.980scanned how would I feel about what came up honestly I felt kind of awesome but
00:22:48.640i was like that's my parameter what do i want to come up and i think that's how we have to think
00:23:00.380when we're trying to get there what do we want to think when we're there what do we want to have
00:23:06.900realized when we're already there and maybe that can start forming the the stones on the path for
00:23:13.860I love that you're sharing care in the center. That feels so good to my heart to hear that and fully agree that there is this like reorientation that feels so powerful and magical to turn community back towards what's been there for thousands of years, which are the, as you said, doulas, the healers, the medicine people, the visionaries,
00:23:42.040The folks who really hold community together and who help in these big moments of transition as you're sharing. And I feel like that could be such a profound medicine and a balm to all of the ways in which people are feeling really lost and really disenfranchised and hopeless.
00:24:05.900And there is definitely a moment that we're living in right now where there's a big competition about who gets to really create the, you know, the dream world or the imaginal world that we exist in.
00:24:21.860And I know that Indigenous communities are experts at creating worlds, at making realities.
00:24:31.580And to me, that's a big part of this future is being able to bring in cosmologies, ontologies, ways of thinking and existing and perceiving all throughout all of the different disciplines and regimentations that colonization has made.
00:24:49.960And then, of course, dissolving all those regimentations and unifying practices and bringing people into the fold of an imaginal world that we all get to create together.
00:25:03.100And that to me feels like such a big space of potentiality, such a scary place, such a messy place, and also somewhere that we really all need to show up in our full authenticity.
00:25:17.200And it's a beckoning that I think a lot of us feel and a lot of us are feeling called hordes. And I also feel like it's scaring a lot of people and especially folks with a lot of privilege.
00:25:30.360It's really scaring people to know that that world, which so many were benefiting from, is dying. It's gone. And the more folks really grieve and come to accept that reality, the more that we can make space and hold space for what is wanting to emerge between us.
00:25:52.000And I think we need to also move through that in order to get to this future. We need to move through all this grief, this sadness, this transmutation that needs to happen. And reorganization is definitely huge.
00:26:06.720And so I'm really grateful to this scaffolding, this container of us moving healers and caregivers into the center of community and then having them guide us and provide support and us obviously supporting them back so they can continue to do their work and uplifting their work.
00:26:26.680And this already will start to reorganize society. So I have so much hope in what's to come. And I know that there is so much work to do and feel really grateful to be called to be a part of this work.
00:26:39.780I was interested in what was going through your mind with the idea of mourning the death of that world that many people benefited from, especially from your perspective as a death doula.
00:26:53.580How can we apply or how could you maybe apply your way of thinking about that work on the larger perspective of death?
00:27:04.480It feels separate and it feels the same.
00:27:08.220it you know there's there's the part of like this world that is dying absolutely and this
00:27:14.440you know these kind of powers of power are are definitely crumbling at the foundations and that
00:27:21.680is so hard for people with privilege and there's some kind of you know interesting you know reach
00:27:30.920for those folks to kind of discredit and those there's the things that are said that it's like
00:27:35.440oh woke blah blah blah and you know they find a way to kind of poo poo and everything and
00:27:40.760and that's you know kind of expected right but I just I think about there are folks that keep
00:27:49.420trying to get it and they don't seem to quite grasp it and I there's like just this layer of
00:27:57.860fragility that's really they're really snuckled up tight in and I mean I just don't envy that
00:28:05.280particular part of the process for folks it is super uncomfortable and super awkward and
00:28:12.880as a death doula and you know supporting people through grief like so much of you know with the
00:28:18.960pandemic and climate crisis you know piled on top of each other and compounded of having a pandemic
00:28:27.040and then resource extraction continuing and violence at man camps and women are still going
00:28:31.960missing and horrible things are still happening in healthcare institutions. It just is really
00:28:37.520exhausting and discouraging, but it is something that I'm happy to be able to at least witness
00:28:47.820a major leg of this shift in my lifetime. There's so many layers to it, whether it's from,
00:28:55.120You know, for the first time, we have all of this socially acceptable dialogue around mental health.
00:29:07.060And, you know, maybe some people who are struggling with those shifts and those deaths and those griefs of everything, maybe they'll be part of that.
00:38:36.060And I love what you were just sharing around the different ways that nature can show up in cities and outside of cities and knowing that it is so important if you're able to, to, you know, get outside of a city every once in a while or give yourself the gift of being really surrounded by trees or to be surrounded by land or water.
00:39:00.000and to also know that it is in those small moments where you are connecting with a flower essence or
00:39:06.780you have a glass of water or crystal in your hand these are also moments where you can connect and
00:39:12.900to also give yourself that if whenever you're able to to give those moments to really tune into and
00:39:20.340be still as you were sharing because I think that's a big part of the practice that can really
00:39:26.860nourish us too and give us those moments that we can really use to reconnect and receive
00:39:32.320guidance and support. I've had so many moments in my life where I felt lost or I felt hopeless or
00:39:39.560disenfranchised or dislocated. And it was a plan that rescued me and brought me back in
00:39:45.460and shared some wisdom with me that I was really needing to hear. And I love sharing about this
00:39:53.940with people because I want people to know that that's a resource. And earlier, Crystal, you were
00:39:59.000sharing about the work that these systems sometimes do to invalidate or dismiss these
00:40:05.700types of experiences. And I think that's why I also really share about it because it's important
00:40:11.780to know that these experiences are real. These relationships are real. And we're not alone
00:40:18.260because I think that is what ends up happening is that people feel like they're lost and they're
00:40:22.900all by themselves when they're surrounded by so much life and love and support and i think that's
00:40:28.840really important to name that it's always there waiting for us and there are an infinite amount
00:40:34.560of ways that we can access that okay this is a strange question and or i don't know don't don't
00:40:42.240answer this if you don't want to but if as i believe it is centering an indigenous understanding
00:40:51.600of kinship relationships, that availability of this healing, many-voiced world is right at the
00:41:01.300heart of mapping a future, a living future, what would you say, and it's not your responsibility
00:41:10.200to say it, but what would you say to all of the settler white people who feel crippled with guilt
00:41:18.500in some ways and white fragile guilt of like that's not for me i shouldn't touch that i mean
00:41:25.920like left wing good meaning intentioned or right wing but witches who are like i i don't i don't0.93
00:41:32.680want to take something that's not mine that's not fucking for me i know how much damage has been0.90
00:41:37.920caused there is there is there a path to that that makes sense for you to talk about well i0.94
00:41:45.320health is a lot a lot a lot a lot there's a lot of cultural appropriation and in doula work
00:41:52.820so much and and in healing work it's kind of ridiculous and even calling folks out can somehow
00:42:03.560warp out at times and turn into some really crazy pr campaign that actually backfires and they get
00:42:11.740even more attention yeah there's that's something I had to plan for with the death doula training
00:42:18.620the indigenous death doula training I when I decided to become a death doula I could not find
00:42:26.220anything specific or anywhere specific to reach out to to learn or to get a little advice or heck
00:42:34.000share some some links on the interwebs with and everything was geared to kind of mainstream
00:42:41.240supports and I just found myself struggling over and over again and then you would say okay well
00:42:48.380I'll learn what I can and then you end up in an environment where you're learning Indigenous1.00
00:42:52.920customs from non-Indigenous people and they're not even doing it right and they don't credit0.99
00:42:57.740where they learned it from and they're making money from it and and and and and uh so all that
00:43:04.420to say i had to strategize and we i've seen this in indigenous women's support centers over the
00:43:12.880years shelters like you name it if it says indigenous on it there's going to be somebody
00:43:18.960who comes along and definitely wants to be front of the line and i've seen people have a lot of
00:43:27.160different reactions I was taught a lot of different reactions and there's always one now
00:43:34.200that I share because it's so such an issue and also because we have a lot of folks here who don't0.58
00:43:41.140know their ancestry and they maybe have you know oral history that they're it's oldest worst game
00:43:50.040telephone ever so what i was taught was that we all belong in the circle regardless of your you
00:43:58.060know color creed race whatever we all are meant to be part of the circle and you're always going
00:44:06.720to be welcome in the circle but when you're joining the circle bumps other people out who
00:44:14.760are not able to get to that circle you know there's a lot of good things i see people do like
00:44:21.180you know support like pay it forward kind of thing i really haven't seen a lot of folks be turned away
00:44:28.300but it's when they start causing harm and that's the thing like that's how we ended up all colonized
00:44:34.900like indigenous people are polite and accommodating and no not all of them that's crazy but
00:44:41.320but there is like there is a lot my my nation other nations that I've learned about there is
00:44:48.540like there's manners there's definitely you know ways where we were welcoming folks into that
00:44:55.160circle and looking out for each other as as beings not categories and that's always the
00:45:02.960underlying spirit it's it's just when you're when you're asked you know one of the things I used to
00:45:08.900do is work with the kairos blanket exercise and this is something that has been really largely
00:45:14.140controlled by ecumenical bodies despite it being you know family stories family history lived
00:45:22.520experiences uh so there's a lot of ways that people you know express that fragility and when
00:45:31.020you completely derail something derail an event derail you know everyone else's enjoyment
00:45:38.180this is when you've gone too far this is when the you've made a wrong turn it's okay to be there
00:45:45.480it's okay to be participating but it's important to ask permission it's important to be respectful
00:45:51.980I get a lot of random questions all the time and I always have and I you know what I'm always going
00:45:57.280to answer them because that's something I can do that maybe you know will prevent some harm
00:46:03.820harm reduction for my community. And if I can provide that harm reduction, so they're not
00:46:10.140bothering more people in the community, that's important as well. So I always tell people just
00:46:16.080ask, ask permission. The latest thing was like someone was invited by a First Nation to join
00:46:24.060and facilitate like a farmer's market. And they won an award for how wonderful this farmer's
00:46:30.880market was and then they invited the non-indigenous people from the farmer's market to talk about
00:46:38.080the partnership and collaboration and why they won the award for collaboration and she came to
00:46:45.280me and she was like i don't feel right about this it's like yeah good instincts why don't
00:46:51.020you go back to the people who offered you the space and also pay them
00:46:54.620so many of us do this work to you know pay the bills and we're going to do it whether we
00:47:03.760pay the bills or not unfortunately that's kind of the nature of helpers but yeah it's it never
00:47:10.380hurts to ask but maybe don't ask just one person and maybe make sure you're asking the people whose
00:47:17.040land you're on that's always a good start to nativeland.ca great resource yeah I feel like
00:47:25.380you know the word you know take I feel like really stood out in what you were sharing just
00:47:32.080because I do feel like that that does speak of that like fear or that like imbalance that comes
00:47:38.220up for folks and I really appreciate what you were just sharing right now crystal around
00:47:43.720being in right relationship and being able to understand the space that you take up,
00:47:50.240the privileges you go into spaces with, and also understand what is needed to keep certain
00:47:57.600people and systems alive and thriving and, you know, both human and non-human. And so
00:48:04.680I think that, you know, connecting back to, you know, Indigenous concepts of land stewardship and
00:48:12.120And being in right relationship with different elements or different beings means to be someone who is of service and who is caring for and who wants to see things thriving and growing.
00:48:25.820And so it definitely behooves people to learn what it means to offer back to the land.
00:48:33.960Or if you're going to ask for something, what does it mean to give something?
00:48:39.900What does it mean to enter into a relationship, to build PACs and agreements?
00:48:45.940What does it also mean to have folks from your own communities that are available to help you process when that fragility comes up?
00:48:55.880And I think going back to this dream of a future of having caregivers in the center, I think there's also a way that we could center folks of different communities that could be available.
00:49:09.900to help people when they get up against these spaces where they need that support
00:49:15.200from someone, maybe from a community that's more aligned with them so that it doesn't have to
00:49:21.440become a burden for other people to then hold that space for them. But then, of course, we need to
00:49:27.340have these systems in place to really be able to offer these resources for people and to be able
00:49:33.040to support each other in that way. And it's going to also require a lot of cross-pollination and
00:49:38.740cross-collaboration between communities because we all do need each other. And I do feel like
00:49:45.620there is something around this feeling of taking and this feeling of extraction that
00:49:51.500is really coming up for healing and transformation because it's been so
00:49:56.280damaging to so many communities, including those who benefited from them.
00:50:02.080Thanks for both engaging with that question. Not to add emotional labor to the
00:50:06.620mapping of the future. This is my last question. And then maybe Amy has more or can ease us out
00:50:14.360with offering an act of reparation that folks can make while they're listening. I wondered if
00:50:20.200there's a piece from your artistic practice, your spiritual practice, your cultural practice that
00:50:29.920helps you make decisions like the ones we're talking about, you know, where do I put my energy?
00:50:36.620How do I, how do I map this future? Is there, is there something that you do that you can do that we can do?
00:50:46.200My people have a sacred technology called the Nyerika, and it is a map that you use to both represent reality and also to create reality.
00:50:59.200And it's actually been a big part of my both research and also artistic practice has been really connecting with the Nyerika.
00:51:07.320And I've also had the honor of being able to guide folks to connect with Nyarikas that I have made and just hold space while they explore what comes up for them and how they are navigating that representation and connection.
00:51:22.880Because Nyarika are also used for ancestral communion and being able to connect with other parts of ourselves.
00:51:31.020And so I've definitely been using Yerika both as a way to help myself structure and think about my life and also to do some divination and spellcasting and imagining of what my life can look like.
00:51:45.200And it's a practice that I feel really called to bring more into community and to also find ways to connect it with other sorts of divinatory and ancestral communion practices, seeing that there are many communities that have done these types of practices and have their own maps that they've made.
00:52:05.880And also, I've been recently really pushed to find ways to connect these technologies to emerging machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, because I'm getting a sense that these technologies are going to become really prevalent and endemic.
00:52:21.960And I do feel like there is a deep lack of the understanding of what people are doing in creating ontologies and realities using these technologies.
00:52:33.100And so I do feel like these creators and coders and people who are immersed in these technologies that are in maybe ways going to be making lots of money on these technologies really do need to learn from Indigenous people and really understand what they're doing.
00:52:50.080And this is all very rudimentary. I'm actually working on a writing piece around this. But I really do feel like feeling called to really make this connection and to really have a centering of Indigenous technologies within these emerging technologies, because that conversation isn't really happening. And I'm just feeling really called to be that bridge and to weave those webs.
00:53:10.740I'm just so excited. I'm so excited. First of all, just to be in circle with both of you. You're both so energizing. It's like a warm glow. That's the exact perfect temperature. You're like the Goldilocks of guests, both of you.
00:53:28.100And I really, really appreciate that the sort of accidental theme of tonight's conversation was the word care, because that ultimately is what we're doing through our Reparations Fundraiser Month, but also every day with every episode and every zine piece and everything that we do as a community is we're inviting you to care.
00:53:56.060We're inviting you to care about each other and about yourself and about your non-human friends and the air that you breathe and the water that you drink and people you don't know and people you do know.
00:54:08.400And again, Crystal and Edgar, I'm so grateful.
00:54:11.320Both of you are just these role models of a sense of care that I feel like will carry us into the future if we can center people like the two of you.
00:54:22.080So before I do my spiel, I would love to know, Crystal and then Edgar, how can people support you? How can they find you? What's the best way for listeners to shower abundance upon you and help you to fruit your future?
00:54:37.160oh thank you i mean i'm on instagram blackbird underscore medicines and that'll lead you to my
00:54:45.700personal account as well i'm gearing up to launch self-published books so if you're following and
00:54:53.440paying attention to that i would very much appreciate it i'm also absolutely on inviting
00:54:59.540folks black indigenous people of the global majority please if you're feeling called to
00:55:04.500you're very welcome to take the Indigenous Death Dela training for free until December 2024. So0.99
00:55:10.560I'm going to keep pushing that. And also thanking you both for that. All for all for this, like you
00:55:18.920said, the surprise theme of care, because that's, that's everything just to be able to offer care
00:55:24.600for others and that ongoing grounding work of caring for myself. So and that's my writing. So
00:55:30.840very very thankful to everyone for just this chat it's been great yeah this has been so great i
00:55:39.100am feeling the glow and the warmth of that fire that we are all sitting around and feeling also
00:55:45.460really energized and moved by this conversation and this theme that's emerged between us of care
00:55:51.040and yeah really grateful to the labor that goes into creating these types of containers for our
00:55:58.860communities, the labor both that we're all putting in together that y'all are doing, and also the
00:56:03.720labor that folks that are going to be offering their resources and their time and their energy
00:56:09.480to this beautiful container that we're all holding together. And yeah, if people want to connect with
00:56:17.400me, I definitely want to encourage folks to sign up for my newsletter. You could find that at my
00:56:21.740website, edgarfabianfrias.org. And I'm on all the socials, so you could find all that on my website
00:56:28.500as well but I definitely want to center my website because as we know we're living in times of social
00:56:34.080media instability so yes we are on those platforms and also I do think it's also important for folks
00:56:43.560to know that you can always find my work on my website and I have an archive and also do post
00:56:49.540upcoming events and ways you can connect with me and I do have a couple of really exciting projects
00:56:55.100that I'm working on this year that I would love, love, love support with. So when you see that on
00:57:01.320my newsletter, definitely share the word and do what you can to support because it helps me
00:57:06.720continue to do this work. Just like all the caregivers and folks who are needing that level
00:57:12.320of centering, bring us into the fold of your community. All of us. Yes. Thank you both so
00:57:18.660much for caring. Thank you so much for caring. Thank you so much for caring. I am going to read
00:57:25.880out a very long list of very generous prize donors. This conversation is a spell. This is a
00:57:32.300fundraiser. Think of it as an act of ritual sacrifice. And I want to just bring Crystal
00:57:42.380one more quote from you. We all belong in the circle. Everyone, we all belong in the circle.
00:57:49.900So make your donation of $10 or more. Take a screenshot of your receipt and email it to
00:57:57.220missingwitches at gmail.com with the subject line reparation, plus the amount of your donation.
00:58:04.420All of these details will be on our website at missingwitches.com. Here is the full list of
00:58:11.480prizes. A prize pack from Jinx Monsoon, a magic class with Pam Grossman, a full year of classes
00:58:22.300with Kate Ballew and Kristen Lizabee with the Bardo Institute. That's a full year of writing
00:58:33.280workshops. Amazing. Julia from Root Kitchens has donated a series of classes. Sarah Godestiner,
00:58:40.200a 45-minute tarot reading. Palma has offered us some custom-made silver jewelry, so if you win
00:58:47.980that prize, you'll actually get to make specifications about the piece. Melissa Wang,
00:58:53.320a watercolor artist, has offered a piece of her art. Felicity Roberts is doing a foraging and
00:58:59.920cooking workshop over Zoom. Key Martinez, an astrology consultation. Amy Wild of Spectral
00:59:08.180Communications is doing an animal communication session. I'm so excited. Whoever wins this,
00:59:13.880please keep me posted a bit. Ash Yezuita, an intuitive co-created tarot reading. Ritual
00:59:22.840Herb has a gift box of Ritual Oils to be won. Don the Kitchen Witch from Kuchina Aurora Kitchen
00:59:30.300Witchery has a whole gift basket of Kitchen Witch goodies, including signed copies of both
00:59:37.740of her books. Heather Darby DeMarco, head witch of Wild Moon Charm School, is offering a medium
00:59:44.500reading where she suggests you can hear from your beloved dead. Say hi to them for me. Sarah Beck,
00:59:52.280a copy of her children's picture book, The Tarot Deck Mess, and a copy of the companion
00:59:58.060Major Arcana mini deck, My First Tarot. Hannah Lewis has a handmade greeting card pack that you
01:00:06.660can win and send greeting cards to your friends about how you just won a prize.
01:00:13.880Tamara, the acupunctress is offering a sound bath. James Davis, a weaving class over Zoom.
01:00:20.740You could learn how to weave. And Rachel Sklar is offering one of her art pieces, which is also
01:00:27.840woven. Gorgeous. Go to our website to take a look at beautiful pictures. Granddaughter Crow is
01:00:33.480offering three sessions so three of you are going to get to have a sit down with granddaughter crow
01:00:38.600and finally michelle pajak reynolds has offered us a hundred dollar gift card from her jewelry shop
01:00:47.760again go to missingwitches.com for all this info and don't forget everyone's a winner because
01:00:55.080everyone who makes a donation is going to get a coupon codes for our favorite witchy businesses
01:01:00.680That's everyone who makes a donation is going to get these digital coupons for these businesses.