@siin@pagan.plus
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siin

@siin@pagan.plus

ritual handwork tattooer & multimedia artist curating transcendent experiences

site in progress:
https://artofsiin.wixsite.com/siin

creating a sanctuary in the desert #RanchoDeLaLibertad

desert inkwitch, practicing magick in blood and bones
attempting to exist tangential to social reality (and mostly failing)

books closed for all but referrals
support: https://ko-fi.com/lacasadebrujas

#InkWitch #LandWorship #Siin #SacredTattoo #InkWork

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siin, to random
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

Finally got the studio-in-progress organized and it's workable, although I'm definitely still looking forward to getting tipis together and having a better ceremonial space for tattoos.

To-dos include hanging art, setting up a space for my illustration & flash portfolios, sanding and refinishing my workbench, and getting some fitting and dedicated linens for the futon.

#Siin #RanchoDeLaLibertad #Workshop #Studio

siin, to Quotes
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

"That picture is just too simple. It implies that all we need to do, if we decide to right the wrongs of the system, is to throw these men out. It feeds into the conspiracy theories and thereby provides a convenient excuse to turn on the TV and forget about it all, comfortable in our third-grade view of history, which runs: 'They' will take care of it; the ship of the state is seaworthy and will get nudged back on course. We may have to wait for the next election, but all will turn out for the best...

...It would be great if we could just blame it all on a conspiracy, but we cannot. The empire depends on the efficacy of big banks, corporations and governments--the corporatocracy--but it is not a conspiracy. The corporatocracy is ourselves--we make it happen--which is, of course, why most of us find it difficult to stand up and oppose it. We would rather glimpse conspirators lurking in the shadows, because most of s work for one of those banks, corporations or governments, or in some way are dependent on them for the goods and services they produce and market. We cannot bring ourselves to bit the hand of the master who feeds us."

From "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@Julian_Invictus Ahh this is a good one

Cat_LeFey, to paganism
@Cat_LeFey@pagan.plus avatar

Today we took our annual trip through the corn maze! These modern-day labyrinths are prominent all over the Midwest, US.

When my kids were little, we ran around trying to find the exit. But now that I'm older, it's about getting lost in the liminal space, sinking into the feeling that I don't know where I am, enjoying this strange human tradition that has lasted through generations.

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@Cat_LeFey Oh this is the thing I miss the absolute most! This and Witch's Brew wine. Delightful. I'm so glad you get to have this experience with your family each year :)

siin, to bluesky
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

I've been on BlueSky for 10 minutes and... (An Essay)

I get it now. I used to be like "Why can't people just stop using Twitter/Instagram/WhateverTheFuck? If they need social media, why can't they just use Mastodon? Why doesn't Pixelfed get more users? It's literally the same UI".

But I get it. I've been on BlueSky for what? 10 minutes? And I can feel my brain chemistry changing. Mastodon is a coffee shop. It doles out caffeine. You still get the little dopamine hit when you get notifications, you get that kind of substitute for human interaction that feels nice. But Twitter and BlueSky and Instagram and these apps from companies with access to inordinate amounts of data to build algorithms designed by psychologists to literally be As Addicting as Possible? These apps are dealing meth. But they've pressed it like ecstasy and made it cute. They've made it socially acceptable. But let me tell you something.

Ever since I logged onto BlueSky, I've been thinking about it. I don't think about Mastodon all day. "Oh my god what should I post next? What will get me followers? Would this be funny? Is this on brand?" I don't think about it. I come here because I have interactions with people without the pretext that they're engaging with me to get engagement in return. Because sometimes in my life I feel isolated and because this substitute for human interaction feels nice.

I thought I'd get BlueSky (despite their horrifying privacy policy - more on that later) because there are some Things Going On that make me need to get a little more serious about making money. But fuck, if this is the only way? I'm taking a vow of poverty, or getting a day job.

Because then there's their privacy policy. Access to websites you visit before and after, identifying information about your device, purchases you make, and it goes on. But even that level of invasive access should give us pause, right? I have a lot of things set up on my computer that mitigate some of that access, but then let's think about how we give the app access to our photos and videos (all of them, not just what we post in the moment), our device's camera and microphone (not just while we're using it) and so on. And then think about how our society grooms us to believe (and maybe in some circumstances this belief is true) that we need these sites for access, for engagement, to make money.

The price of not working in a warehouse is every piece of information we can reasonably gather about you to use and sell however we please, for whatever purpose, indefinitely, and it never expires and we don't pay you for it.

This is exploitation and my ancestry makes me pause, horrified, at what this information will eventually come back and do to us when inevitably the wrong person/group gets ahold of it. And that's pretending like we even know who has our data and what they're doing with it, right? Because we don't know. We really don't. Call me paranoid, say that I shouldn't worry if I have nothing to hide, give me all of the excuses you've been programmed to give about why we should not worry about a surveillance state that we pay for. Then come online and rant about how dangerous governments are and fail to see the irony in it all.

And I'm a hypocrite. I bought in, too. For personal gain. After criticizing others for years for doing the same thing. It's true. But the interesting side effect is that I've gained so much insight into why we're so addicted to sensationalism, why we're so addicted to these sites, why we're so unwell in general. The kinds of things my feed is inundated with, especially since I haven't curated it yet and it's showing me what it wants to? My god. We cannot have a healthy society when this is what we're consuming all day every day. There is no way to be a healthy person, I believe, when consuming this all day every day.

So anyways. As always, perhaps a bit sanctimonious. But I'm a little dumbfounded at the experience of all of this after years off of corporate social.

#BlueSky #Meditations

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

And I just want to add some things. This is one of those things where people who use it and have a positive experience are going to maybe feel defensive, and I just want to be clear that I really don't have any stake in what choices you make, personally. This is my own rumination on a choice that I made and the resulting experience. I recognize that there are reasons why some people have a better time on apps like BlueSky than on Mastodon, or why for one reason or another they choose to remain on a platform that has a larger user base and is likely to bring them more benefit. I've done a lot of thinking about this, and I recognize that factors that lead us to make the choice to engage with these platforms. Do I agree with the underlying ethics of the platforms themselves, or the people who create them? Absolutely not. Do I sit here and declare them Absolutely Horrible and Off Limits? Also, no. Very few things in life require such a severe value judgement, and I hope if you read this you can recognize that I'm meditating on my own ethical conflict here and my own experience, and not yours.

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@dameoutlaw @jpaskaruk Not interested in getting into any kind of a debate, I just came here to point out that Mastodon does not rely on algorithms at all, unless something has changed drastically in the last year and wasn't announced to users. It relies on a chronological timeline. Your home is only people you follow, local is only people on your server, and federated is the only timeline where you might get to experience the "endless scroll" effect, because there are a lot of posts, but it isn't curated to your interests and therefore isn't usually that interesting.

BlueSky does use algorithms. Whether you follow anyone or not, it uses your location and other information to pick a default timeline to begin to show you, and feeds to recommend you. Exactly how this all works is, of course, proprietary information because that's how these companies make money: building better models that serve users content that keeps them scrolling longer.

My credentials are that I was a data scientist once briefly (a short career, but I have the schooling to understand how these models work), as well as Director of Marketing for a small firm in LA and then a freelance marketing consultant after that.

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

There's something else really interesting happening on this post, and that's the phenomena of "If you don't feel the same way I feel, you're attacking me".

I'd really urge anyone who was severely upset by this post to read my first reply, re-read the original post, and then to take a step back and evaluate your feelings before replying.

I'm always open to disagreements, and learning that I don't know as much about something as I thought. I love respectful discussions where I can learn something. I know that I don't know what I don't know, and that plenty of you can fill knowledge gaps, and that's such a beautiful thing.

However, this is a post about one single person's experience (mine). What about it makes you feel that I'm judging you? Why would you care about my judgement in the first place? Why does it bother you that I don't want to use this other platform, and why does it make you feel that you need to defend your use of it?

My initial reply to this post was extremely clear that I'm not placing a value judgement on anyone, and yet there are several replies calling me out for being narrow-minded, for trying to ruin things for other people, and for playing into something specific to Mastodon that is apparently a dislike or constant discourse about how bad other social media platforms are. Some are just telling me I'm wrong (about my own experience!).

I ask you: so what?
Why would it bother you if any of that was the case?
Then also, did you read the post? Did you read the whole thing? Did you realize that the entire post was a humbling post, saying "oh shit, I've been on my high horse, but I have a lot of empathy now because I became obsessed with this well-built app in 24 hours, how silly, let me not use this!"?

I recognize that many of us are trying to manage emotions in our physical lives and our virtual lives, and that our virtual lives become outlets without consequence for the frustrations that are generated both by physical "real-world" things, and by the things we encounter online. But if you're willing, maybe take a step back and use this as an opportunity to reflect on your anger. If I am truthfully the sole reason for your anger after you really sit with yourself and attempt to be honest with yourself, then perhaps there are other things you need to be focused on, because you don't know me and my opinion of a web site (a web site! not of you as a human being! a web site! you didn't build it!) shouldn't shatter your world or create a heightened emotional response.

I truly never meant for this to get so popular, and I really kind of wish I hadn't. It's been an emotional few weeks, and the least you could do is to take a deep breath and be kind in your reply. Disagree! Call me out! Whatever, just be nice about it. Because I have to read you to know to block you, and I really don't think that I'm the source of the problems in your life. If I am, then I envy you for this being the biggest problem in your life today. Share some gratitude for that, if that's your reality.

#Meditations #BlueSky #Mindfulness

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@REEL You're absolutely right.

But it's interesting to think about right? Like, what about our self-image or worldview leads us to constantly project our insecurities and assume the worst about the intentions of everyone?

And then maybe "how do we fix it?"

Because ultimately it seems we're all screaming for community, but we can't even begin to dream that until we stop deferring responsibility and do some work on ourselves (and our awareness of the structures that lead to these issues as well).

siin, to bluesky
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

I'm on BlueSky (for now)

@artofsiin

I have a lot of Thoughts about the platform and their data practices, and if you want to point out that I'm being a little hypocritical by being there then you'd be right. There are Reasons, but that doesn't make it less hypocritical.

#BlueSky #Siin

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@SpiritBearDreaming As soon as I figure out how invite codes work I'll send one over!

RayK, to random

Reading through platonic texts is a bit hard. I don't know if it's the nuance or the fact that I come from a different background but philosophy is hard to read through yo. I wish they could dumb it down way more for me because I must be stupid or something

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@khthoniaa @RayK Oh! Totally forgot to mention. Don't diss checking out other translations. Some translators are notoriously dense, some take a lot of liberty with the text, and some try to stay true to the original writers but add lots of useful footnotes that make comprehension easier. Daphne's comment about it "being in a different language" made me think of this because lots of times things were written in different languages and we're reliant on translators to make it comprehendable to us.

siin, to random
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

Did you know that you don't need to publicly express your opinion on the Israel vs. Palestine conflict? Did you know that you don't even have to have an opinion?

Did you know that it's really highly likely that if you live in the US or the UK or probably Canada that it's really, incredibly likely that your opinion is not only probably pretty skewed and misdirected because of the nature of these country's relationships with Israel and the "middle east" as a whole, but that also it really doesn't benefit... anyone engaged in this conflict for you to share your opinion online?

And like, if you're spending your energy talking about this or policing the way others (in the US/UK/Canada) are talking about this then that's a valid life choice, but I'm just here to let you know that you don't have to do that just because it's trending right now.

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@Julian_Invictus I totally 100% agree. Thank you for putting this so succinctly. That's why I sometimes post things like this. It's really, (I promise) not to be a sanctimonious asshole, but because I really genuinely feel the pressure to say something meaningful about trending world events and it's just... not really that healthy quite frankly. Or productive.

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@Julian_Invictus That's a powerful and worthwhile journey you're on, friend. Wishing you the best.

siin, to magick
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

Image CW: blood, tissue, as part of an art piece. This one is actually likely to be disturbing to many, and is not as "gently" disconcerting as some previous work

WIP in my studio

I asked 10 people close to me "what is a window?"
I found this window in the building that used to be my studio, and it predates us living here by several years. I wanted to consider what a window actually is beyond the material:
What gets through a window beyond just light?
How does the viewing of something through a window change the perception of the scene being viewed?
If a window can two-dimensionalize a three-dimensional scene, how else could this portal alter the dimensionality of something?
Consider the intrigue of the ways our minds use these portals to stop time: how a view out one specific window in a home or other familiar building might always elicit certain memories, emotions, perceptions.

I got some fascinating answers from friends as well, too diverse to get into here (for now).

And then I made this deeply personal. I had a significant bleed earlier, I guess I've been pushing too hard (not too surprising, my activity level has been pretty elevated) and that brought with it heightened emotions.

I collected some of the blood and added it to the piece, because not only is it an incredible source of energy, but because I want to exhibit the silver linings, because I want this window to shape my perception of this event and turn it into a piece of art that will glow and glitter and refract the light.
Where I get to choose what's on the other side.

I look forward to finishing this tomorrow (after some rest).

#Siin #Sculpture #FoundArt #ExperimentalArt #MagickArt #Magick

Shattered glass on a white canvas dropcloth covered in blood The blood on the glass creates fascinating colors and plays with opacity and translucence

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@iraantlers Very. The biggest question mark is still "what is on the other side" with this piece.

siin, to random
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

Feeling so, so inspired after this weekend's festival & visit from one of our favorite friends, even though I wasn't able to participate in some of the festivities to the extent I had wanted to.

I'm feeling like I have much of my energy back, pain has mostly subsided and all signs point to recovery going better than we initially thought.

We're converting the Airstream into my studio, and kid-proofing it this time so my daughter can come hang out and do art with me. I haven't had a proper studio in a very long time, and the delay in getting tipis built made it look like I wouldn't have one until spring. But here we are, and I'm extremely optimistic that I'll be building, painting, and holding space for tattoos again very, very soon. Eventually I do think I'll build a tipi specifically for tattooing, but for now we'll be using them for guest spaces and building one very large ceremonial space. In the meantime, the Airstream works quite well as a studio. Quite frankly, in its current state, it will make a better art studio than guest space anyway.

I painted one of the objects that is a critical part of my performance for the Dia Muertos event yesterday, and have been figuring out many of the other details and making a list of the few things that I will be purchasing for the ceremony & celebration.

I have plans to finish processing the fox bones & sheep skull that I started forever ago this week, and I'm praying that they haven't degraded too much, but whatever their condition it will feel good to finally get those finished and usable for some projects I have planned.

My neighbor had a ceremony and slaughtered a goat with her family this weekend, so I inherited yet another skull I get to start on as well.

Lastly, a new friend of ours gifted me an entire hide worth of black Italian leather to create things with. I'll need to get the proper needles, awls, and some other supplies (which I've needed to anyway to work with the other leather I inherited last year) prior to doing anything with it, but I have many ideas and cannot wait to share them when the time comes.

This emergence from my recent low-energy and relatively depressed state feels profound, and I feel like I'm just radiating gratitude for this much hoped-for change.

#RanchoDeLaLibertad #Siin

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

Some more updates, since it's been pretty motivating for me to share:

While kiddo was napping today I was able to make a significant amount more progress on some projects that have been sitting around, and some new ones.

A friend of mine brought me a dead (found) fox a while ago, and we cleaned off most of the tissue together, however the bones, along with a sheep skull my neighbors gave me, then sat in water for somewhere between 8 and 10 weeks while I was fighting morning sickness and then healing from the recent loss. I had been putting off that project for so long since I had just developed this strange fear of becoming nauseous if I smelled the bones, but today I finally got everything de-greased and into a peroxide soak. Some of the more fragile bones had soaked for too long, and became compost, which is unfortunate but not the worst outcome for something that would otherwise have been thrown in a landfill.

With these, I can now make talismans for two friends: one new friend who's moving into a new place, and another friend who I just feel would appreciate or benefit from having one in his space.

Additionally, the skull will feature in a sculpture project that's been awaiting me finding someone to assist for at least a year now.

I was also able to paint a few eyes for a project I just started, and flesh out ideas for yet another project from found materials that has been just sitting in the back of the old studio building for a very long time.

#Siin #RanchoDeLaLibertad #Updates

siin,
@siin@pagan.plus avatar

@iraantlers thank you dear friend 🖤

khthoniaa, to religion
@khthoniaa@pagan.plus avatar

deleted_by_author

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    siin,
    @siin@pagan.plus avatar

    @khthoniaa @cbontenbal This is such a fascinating question. I think that I generally align more with the others in this thread who won't or cannot define "god" or "God".

    Though, I suppose that coming from a Catholic upbringing there is the tendency in my mind to imagine that "God" is a singular creator being, and I'm not sure that I believe in such a thing. I go back and forth on this. I believe that all gods in polytheistic belief systems are personifications of aspects of a "God" (which I don't find to be dismissive of these religions at all, because I think that should any God exist it is all gods and one god at once, I think that the distinction that we make here is an attempt to rationalize the Divine with material language that doesn't transcend human experience).

    I identify generally as an animist, knowing that that isn't necessarily a specific identification.

    *Edit:
    And just to clarify, I absolutely am not an atheist, in that I do believe that there is some Force, some Creative Divinity beyond our understanding. It's just difficult to confine that Something into the label of God or gods, again, possibly because my upbringing has given me a strict definition of those words that I can't reconcile with my experience of the Divine.

    SpiritBearDreaming, to tarot

    deleted_by_author

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    siin,
    @siin@pagan.plus avatar

    @SpiritBearDreaming I had never heard of or imagined transparent Tarot, but I'm inspired. This deck is both visually beautiful and it seems incredibly useful as well. Thank you for sharing this story!

    Malleus, to random
    @Malleus@pagan.plus avatar

    @Cat_LeFey had an interesting poll on the classic ritual objects.

    Does anyone else have an unusual object or type of object they use in their practice?

    For instance, I use an Octohedron that I had custom 3D printed for me. It's about the size of a honeydew melon. It's silver in color.

    I had a trance this morning that determined I should write or inscribe certain words on the eight sides. I'm considering this but I don't want to ruin it. It's very elegant as it is.


    siin,
    @siin@pagan.plus avatar

    @Malleus @Cat_LeFey I love that you set up this tangential post because when I saw the poll I actually didn't respond simply because the items listed weren't applicable to my practice.

    But I find that I use items found in nature quite a bit, either as focal points for meditation, offerings to ancestors or spirits, or sometimes in ways I don't expect until an item is found and calls to me in a way. For example, using a raven feather in conjunction with palo santo for smudging, in an effort to channel its observant nature (so, as the space is purified, there is the additional intent that I will be more observant and able to deal with unwanted energy or occupants in the future).

    I feel like this eclectic and foraged approach has worked better for me than more ceremonial modes of magick that have always felt too rigid for me, personally.

    siin, to random
    @siin@pagan.plus avatar

    #DiaSacrificia is officially postponed until November 6th.

    As always, DM or email with questions or for invite & details.

    #RanchoDeLaLibertad #Siin

    siin,
    @siin@pagan.plus avatar

    @iraantlers it stopped appearing in my mind today. Perhaps I missed the message by not paying enough attention?

    SpiritBearDreaming, to random

    deleted_by_author

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    siin,
    @siin@pagan.plus avatar

    @SpiritBearDreaming This is so fascinating! It sounds unrelated, then, and yet I'm still so curious about the phenomenon you've experienced with regards to solar intensity (because it feels aligned with my experience as well, although I'm not sure I've ever intentionally observed it enough to really be certain). Perhaps someday we'll find answers ☺️

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