Dear Family, I honestly can’t believe that this is already the…
Dear Family,
I honestly can’t believe that this is already the fourth issue of One Veil. I have to say, April was a fantastic month. Not only was it so nice to feature the Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, but there was also some great Sister events happening over this past month. We (Sister Isadora and I) were fortunate enough to be able to travel to Nashville, TN and be present for one of the Music City Sisters Novice Events entitled H8’s a DRAG! It was evident that Novice Sister Faegala Tina Pfischzoot, as well as other members of the Music City Sisters, put a large amount of hard work, time and energy into making this event the success that it was. This Novice Event had Sisters from Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Oklahoma City and Orlando attending. As usual, it’s always a great time when this many houses are represented.
In addition to the Music City Sisters, we were so lucky to also be entertained by Raja and “The Pricess” both of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, as well as a host of other fantastic female impersonators. Everyone attending had a great time, and some great money was raised for the Anti-Bullying Grant Fund as well as a few other beneficiaries. Kudos to the Music City Sisters and Novice Sister Faegala Tina Pfischzoot on such a phenomenal event.
One Veil would like to thank our regular contributors for always lending their wonderful talents and giving such interesting articles to the magazine. For this month, we were lucky to get some input from other Sisters such as: Sister Right Sarong (Nashville), Sister Mona Little-Moore (Portland), Bad Habits Radio (Russian River) and Sister Bella de Ball (San Francisco).
We sincerely hope you enjoy the May issue of One Veil. Please remember, if you have an idea that you may want to share with One Veil and have it included in a future issue, please reach out to us and let’s make it happen.
In Service, Love and Light,
Sister T’Keela Mockingburd (tkeelamockingburd@gmail.com) And
Sister Isadora Knocking (isadoraknocking@gmail.com)
Portland Sisters of Perpetual…
Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
What is your full name and when did you become fully professed?
Sister Krissy Fiction, the nun that got nailed. I have been a fully professed Sister of Perpetual Indulgence since December of 2007.
Who is, or who do you consider your Big Sister or Mother to be within the SPI organization?
Sister Tasha Salad, now a Nun of the Above, was my Mother both when I was a Postulant and as a Novice Sister. She crossed the veil soon after I elevated to FP. I affectionately refer to Sister Irma Geddon as “Auntie Irma.” She was Mistress of Novices when I was a junior member and also played an important role in my journey to Sisterhood.
How has the relationship with your Big Sister/Mother influenced your Sister journey?
That’s a tough question. There weren’t many FPs in our House at the time that I was a junior member. I think all the FPs influenced me to one degree or another. Sister Irma Geddon was our Mistress of Novices at the time. Auntie Irma always gave me tough love and guided me in hijinx. I have a very fond memory of my first manifestation ever with Sister Tasha Salad. After a very somber and serious World AIDS Day vigil, we walked into a bar, Tasha grabbed my arm and said, “Let’s go get noticed.” We walked to a raised portion of the bar and immediately started ministering to people and passing out condoms.
How often does the Portland house have general membership meetings, and how long do they usually last?
Our general membership meetings are held once a month on the 4th Sunday of every month at space hosted by Cascade AIDS Project. Our meetings typically last about 2 hours, with an extra hour for FPs to discuss and vote on elevations and other issues.
What do you find most challenging while chairing a GM meeting? (explain)
Avoiding tangents and trying to limit discussion to only what is relevant to business at hand. It’s a bit of a balancing act. On one hand you want everyone to be able to freely express themselves and say what they wish to say, but on the other hand we want to respect everyone’s time and limit discussion to what’s relevant.
Since the day you joined SPI, what are the biggest changes that you’ve noticed or witnessed in both the organization and yourself?
I think one of the biggest changes I’ve seen in the Portland House from the time I joined to now, is our ability to communicate with each and disagree respectfully. I remember when disagreements were always … difficult. I think we have grown as individuals and as an organization and have learned to put out fires before they start. We don’t always agree with each other, but I do think we’ve learned to disagree in more productive ways. This allows us to spend more time serving out community instead of getting caught up in distractions. Personally, I feel I’ve grown as an individual as I’ve let “Krissy” filter down into my actual personality. I’ve always said that Krissy is my Higher Self - all the best, positive and altruistic aspects of who I am. Kurt is sometimes negative, worries too much, and is pessimistic. Channeling Krissy brings me into a better space. As a Sister, I think I’ve also grown more comfortable with letting my own personal calling be my own personal calling and to pursue that without worrying about whether or not others will support me.
If you could change anything about your journey to full profession, what would that be and why?
If there’s anything I wish I had done a little differently, it would be to have made more of an effort to form a relationship with my Mother, Sister Tasha Salad. She passed beyond the veil soon after I was elevated to FP, and I always wish I had been able to grow closer to her. However, when I think of my time as a postulant and novice as a whole, I have fond memories of my time as a junior member. Even my missteps taught me things and forced me to grow.
As the president of the Portland House, what are your expectations or goals of the house for the rest of 2012 and into 2013?
We’ve been giving out yearly grants for several years now. Each year we’ve been able to give out more than we had the previous year. I’m hoping this year that we’ll be able to give away a minimum of $10K. I’d also like to continue to see our House diversify and grow to represent a broad range of the LGBT community that we serve. I’d like to see our Nuns be empowered to fulfill their own personal calling as a Sister with the community of other Sisters to call upon for support and encouragement
What are you currently most excited about?
We have a big Summer coming up. Portland Pride is in June. I always look forward to promulgating universal joy and telling as many people as possible how beautiful they are. I’m also excited about giving away more grant money than we ever have before.
If you were asked to give advice to a mission house that was going through the process of becoming a fully professed house, what would that advice be?
I’m no expert in this. I came to the Portland House shortly after we became a Fully Professed House, so I didn’t experience the mission process. But I would tell anyone that if this is their calling, don’t let anything deter them from that. Be open to learning from mistakes. Be flexible. Don’t be so obstinate that if this “isn’t” your calling that it keeps you from finding the right place for you to serve others. But if you have the calling, remember that it’s not a race. Be willing to go slow, if needed, and find your identity.
What does being an SPI member mean to you, personally?
While being a Sister is not a spiritual path for me, I feel that the vow to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt IS a spiritual principal. For me, being a Sister is the most relevant way to express my internal spirituality in an external fashion. You are not defined by the labels others place on you or that you place on yourself. You are loved, and worth loving, just the way you are. No exceptions. Period. And I am here to remind people of that as often as possible. That’s what being a Sister means to me.
In one word, give your description of the SPI organization.
Love > Fear (It’s more than one word, but since when do Sisters follow the rules?)
BAD HABITS RADIO is on KGGV 95.1 FM LP The Bridge and is…
BAD HABITS RADIO is on KGGV 95.1 FM LP The Bridge and is broadcast from behind the bathroom in a closet at the Guerneville Community Church.
Sister Dawna Matrix of the Kinky Flagellation started Bad Habits Radio in 2006 and has been hosting or co-hosting the show ever since. Now for those of you not familiar with the BAD HABITS Radio Show, and you do not live in the Russian River area, you can listen to the show live at: kggv.blogspot.com on Thursday nights at 7:00 – 8:00pm PST.
For a few years, Sister Dawna and Sister Coppah Feel co-hosted the show, and as luck would have it… a lowly postulant Sorenda ‘da Booty was tagging along at the show on a regular basis. When Coppah’s secular work schedule changed in the middle of 2010, Sister Dawna and Sorenda began co-hosting the show… It wasn’t until Sorenda became a novice sister that she began running the board (pushing all the buttons) and creating the playlists for the shows each week.
In the middle of 2011, we began to broadcast on ustream.tv (Look up SisterDawna or Bad Habits Radio). It started when we got another member of the order (Novice Sister Yoda Lay-He Hooooo) to join us on the fun. Sister Dawna did some research on Ustream, and we did a test run and ever since we’ve been broadcasting on Ustream.tv. The early episodes (yes, you can go back and watch them) were broadcast from the radio stations laptop. It had a horrible camera, so we switched from that to an iPhone. Most of the early ustream shows are solely of Novice Sister Yoda with a few cameos of Sisters Dawna and Sorenda (and the occasional puppet show). Now we have started to put the phone on a ledge and let you listen to EVERYTHING we do in the studio.
The show has covered such diverse topics as homelessness, veteran issues, drug use, war, and let’s not forget Sister Dawna’s end of the world report. (Formerly The End is Nigh Report). We also have local celebrities in talking about everything from Sonoma County Pride, to tonight (April 19, 2012) we are having two guests talking about an organization called Sacred Hoop Rewilding.
The promotional shtick that the radio station puts out about our show is as follows:
Tune in to Bad Habits with your meditative hosts, Sister Dawna Matrix and Sister Sorenda ‘da Booty. Other Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, community leaders, and river celebrities often stop by or call in. It’s always a fun-filled hour of music, meditation, and discussion.
Feel free to watch, listen or call in at (707) 869-1131, kggv.blogspot.com, or www.ustream.tv/channel/bad-habit-s-radio
What is your full Guard name and when did you become fully…
What is your full Guard name and when did you become fully professed?
Guard Noah Shame became Fully Professed January 2007
Knowing that some guards occasionally find putting on makeup challenging, do you do your own make up or does someone else do it for you?
There is such a thing as “Noah Face” and it is the primary reason I rely on my far more talented Sistren & Brethren for assistance. Especially, Guard Lance Boyles in the Portland House. He’s my partner, so that comes in handy.
How many members in the Portland house are guards?
1 active FP Guard (me), 1 Emeritus FP Guard (Guard Lance Boyles), and 1 Novice Guard (Busta Hymen)
How do you describe the role of a guard, in your own words?
One of the primary roles is to provide a watchful eye & escort for Sisters & junior members walking to and from venues, especially if there are valuables/money present. Identifying individuals that lose control of their exuberance; the last 2 words I ever want to hear are “Nun down!” Being eyes and ears for event point nuns is also important. There are many potential needs; but in the end it is based on observation and patience.
What is the best advice you can give to a member who has decided to follow the Guard path?
Ask yourself about the path you are following/intend to follow. What calls you? If it’s not the veil, then what calls you to serve? Always ask yourself this. Ask questions of others as you observe, and always assume good faith.
What is your personal mission as a Guard?
Fostering good habits in our junior members. Establishing trust with venues and their security staffs. And I try to make sure no nun leaves an event alone if I can help it.
What are you currently most excited about?
The explosion of new houses!! Here in the Great NW (YAY YVR!!!) and back home in the Midwest (YAY OKC!!!) we are growing and bringing joy, sass, and awareness of our communities to more and more people. This makes me so happy. More cities to manifest in, too!! Sister road trips rock.
Besides the obvious, what do you think the difference is between Sisters and Guards?
The presence or lack of desire to be ‘in the picture’ so to speak. The Houses that have included the Guard path as an option are giving potential Aspirants another avenue to pursue a calling of service to the community, one that may be less showy but no less important. I love my Sisters with all my heart, and the vows I take to support you are heartfelt; but sometimes y’all need a sheepherder.
What is your most memorable experience as a guard?
I’ve shared tears with my community and my Sisters many times; each of those moments remains with me. I’ve had 2 moments that left me trembling with joy, however: Seattle 2006, The Abbey of St. Joan’s 10th anniversary party. My first major nun-huddle. The magic words “photo op” had gone out, and dozens of Sisters arrived on the bar patio. So much love; Sisters hugging each other, flashbulbs everywhere, shouts of joy. That moment will live forever in me, as will the Thursday night of Conclave 2012, when in a perfectly serendipitous moment, dozens of Sisters descended from opposite sides of Pioneer Square and met in a massive, joyous nun-huddle. Shouts of joy, the looks on the faces of folks that just happen to be visiting Pioneer Square at the time, and the incredible power we summoned as we first recited the ‘Portlandia’ poem to everyone, followed by a full recitation of Portland’s vows to ourselves and everyone else. And then more joy and laughter. Such public acts of love and support and recognition are very powerful, and I am proud to be part of manifestations like these.
All love, Noah Shame
