notes from the cough land (dates, Ordeal Path, Movies, shoot)

Gah! Portland Fetish Ball and Fashion Show will be the first weekend of August- and I already agreed to be at Ohio Leather Fest. Portland Kinky Karnival is May 13th, and I'll be in Australia. Boo hiss. Why can't local folks confirm/annnounce dates earlier? I am performing at Reed Fetish Ball the 14th of April and they *just* confirmed the dates a week ago.The last few days have been beautiful, frustrating, illuminating... they have the seends in place for life changes and happiness, and I then coughed a whole lot.Yesterday I hit the town after Duke Euphoria held my hand to buy cough suppresant and pick up my repaired shoes- I was soooo out of it. I headed to Coffee Cake & Kink to meet up with Hellasdottir. Hellasdottir is an ordeal path worker who connected with me by way of Raven Kaldera (another just contacted me today, argh, I can hear her growling, arghhhhh, I hate being a bitch to forces) whose work and tone really impressed me when she turned me on to her page on BME a while back:http://iam.bmezine.com/?HelasdottirWe'd hoped to conenct last weekend, but this weekend worked, and worked well. Over the course of 4 hours we commiserated, connected, laughed, planned, plotted, networked, bitched, and in general lay some great basework for places to go in the future. We're hoping to do some work on one of my blocks, and I'm hoping to help her put together a more formal network of Ordeal Path workers in the world.There is a hunger for wisdom in this world.There is a need for the Ordeal Path, and more and more keep turning to it as droves of neo-pagans, modern primitives, and sports enthusiasts can attest to. In a world dominated on the surface by brains, bodies are calling to answer the soul. What we do is not easy, what the world needs is not easy.There are more souls that need fed, needs that need met, than there are individuals with the resources and tools in hand to help them.I have been doing this work on some level for ages, but I have been doing formal work for less than 5 years...But she keeps growling, or plodding around in her cave, and I try to listen.I know a lot of really amazing people who do Ordeal Work, but are not Ordeal Workers. Hellasdottir explained it to me as people in three major categories... those who do the work, those who help, and those who at least won't get in our way. There are those who do get in the way, on purpose or out of energetic blindness, but they are a seprate category. She asked for a list of those I know who did the Work, seriously. A few names came to mind... (this list is bigger than the one I gave to Hellasdottir, as I've been working on it a few days now)Raven Kaldera : http://www.cauldronfarm.com/Deborah Addington: http://www.fistandfangs.com/about.htmSharrin SpecterMistress Eva Destruction (and a few other members of Temple of Atonement)Mama Lisa (though I've never spoken to her formally about it), from Portland/EugeneSarah Sloane : http://www.darkodyssey.com/DOSC/presenters/sarahj.htmlAmanda Wildfyre : http://www.amandawildefyre.com/Other people also came to mind, as network tools, though not on the path per se:Kate Bornstein & Barbara Carrellas: http://www.tootallblondes.com/Dak Odyssey Summer Camp: http://www.darkodyssey.com (note, summer, not winter, until they actually have pagan activities as more than excuses to fuck at winter) (here is the direct link to Summer Camp- http://www.darkodyssey.com/DOSC/ )So, a question to LJ-land...Who else do you know that does Ordeal Path work, or bdsm for spirital service, or healing through ordeals...?After my time with Hellasdottir, which is far from being my last (hm, much to contemplate), Islani and I had a bite to eat and went to go see The World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins, which was spectacular (plot snopsis- an 80+ year old man from NZ tries to fulfill the lifelong dream of racing his motorcycle in the salt flats, and makes odd friends along the way). Good for almost all ages in my opinion, I am sooooo recommending this film around. It was nice to see Islani again, if, as always, a bit non-matching in conversation etc... oh well, still good company of an old friend.I didn't want to go home when he left, so I wandered and ended up taking msyself out for soup then off to go see Tsotsi. This movie is NOT all gaes by any stretch of the imagination, but was deeply gripping and personally very satisfying. For those unaware of this film, wow, get acquainted. Please. Plot synopsis- a teenage thug from South Africa's great sprals of humanity township through some depressing turns ends up with a small child to take care of, and the ways it changes his life. lots of violence, amazing amazing soundtrack, and breastfeeding. The trailer makes it look like there is lots of sex, there is not, and I was glad foir it... it would have detracted from the tale. It really was an amazing movie about the concepts of Decency amidst poverty and gang violence.Today I shot with Brian X. I adore working with this man... and today I had more fun than I deserve to have at work. The first few shoots were... sexy but almost banal? strip shows, bondage, etc- amazing look I came up with for my cyber amazon... and an amazing headcage, but I was concerned I'd leave feeling mediocre about the shoot. Nope, we turned it around with teh last scene of the day- where I got shackled up in a shower wearing a plastic sparkly see-thru rain coat and swim goggled, and had the spray turned on me. Before that we had me just do suds/plastic/water fetishy images. The whole segment was so fucking sexy. I am often kind of neutral bout latex or plastic fetish stuff, looks good but isn't a turn on. I was reminded today what does it for me for both- warm water. I love swimming in latex. I now love warm showers in plastic. Add it to my fandom fur suds (specifically suds in men's chest and pubic hair), and yeah, fetish heaven. i have a feeling I'll behaving lots of fun in my new shower at home, yup. Hm, when Dale re-does the shower I should see if we an install two points to shackle someone to...Okay, back to coughing, packing, and coughing. In thr morning I begin the slow trip home. I'm not looking forward to the 4+ hour layover in Newark.