This weeks God Swap was awesome. Two people showed up. Since i haven't been able to speak since the last one, i'm stoked i wasn't by myself!

Not speaking for two weeks was interesting. Starting Saturday i was figuring out what was going on and talking it through. I've had several conversations in the last few days with my awesome friends.

I've been feeling like i can't talk about God Swap. It's either going from somewhere where i don't feel like i'm qualified to lead that conversation, or that i should have guilt or shame around just wanting to go into a conversation to "pimp my wears". After several talks i've realized that i am not only qualified, but an excellent steward to facilitate this discussion. I've been talking about this in a less formal way for as long as i can remember and being uneducated formally, i'm less likely to have an agenda i can't walk away from easily. More importantly, it's not <i>mine</i> to pimp. It's an experience with everyone who shows up and together it's <i>ours</i>.

I really have nothing to do with what happens after i start. I'm here to take the first step and let it be ok, whatever happens after that.

I also learned that as this is a spiritual type of ceremony, I might want to look at it as such. Start to think more about the live experience mirroring existing ceremony. Create simple things people find comfort in, so it has a familiar "taste" to what they know in their current spiritual practice. Make something people will easily be able to navigate, because i've created a board specifically for the game.

Part of that being proclaiming the space and my authority in it. It helps people feel safe and will have a cumulative effect on the container making it capable of going deeper.

I started proclaiming to people specifically to feed the conversation by inviting people who i've had exceptional conversations with. I made my first phone call about 4 hours before the event Monday. I made a goal to call 5 people who who really gave me braingasms. The final call was the person who showed. Everyone else was very excited to join the event soon. Since then i've beefed the list. For the sake of this blog i will refer to them as my spades, not that they are more important, or trump so much as, having them makes the hand more interesting to play.

The best part for me of this weeks event was that the spade noticed the dynamic i've been painstakingly trying to achieve. No matter what anyone says, everyone's contribution has the same value and meaning at God Swap. My personal path with my gods stared early and i have very elaborate mythology i use to communicate the moves and meanings. There is no inherent hierarchy making anything more or less. It just is.

I also realized what it is exactly that i'm doing. I'm cultivating a laboratory of god. Everyone brings their meaning and we put it all out in the space. Collectively we create a god that represents that specific time and place. It's like a scientific process where we, as scientists, never expect to see the same thing ever. That's the point of the exercise. That god is always changing and when we're done, if we've been honest about or experience and been open to understand the experiences of others, we have a ad hoc religion that dissipates after we leave and holds no dogma. It's a relationship we create with each other and each others greater whole out of interchangeable parts that come together like a puzzle without edge pieces.

I'm truly blessed to witness it and even more to initiate it. Those of you that have come thank you! Those of you yet to i hope to see you there soon.

Peace
Rebekah

Check out what i've been doing at

godswap.com
rebekahsreligion.com
openly.us

I've found as i travel though life, that the ten year mark inspires me to do an inventory of my life. As i approached 20 i had reached rock bottom in my life. However, the only reason it ended up being "rock bottom" is because an inventory made it clear i was miserable and needed to drastically change my life, so i did.

It's that time of life again and i have to say thank you to my gods for an amazing journey!!! I'm totally bubbling out of my mind with happiness everyday i wake up! Not just when there is another female there, all the time. Even when i'm scared i can see something to keep me focused.

At 19 i was living with an abusive girlfriend, in a roach infested house. I worked as a dishwasher and hated my life and had no plans for the future. This may seem critical at 19, but i'd been on my own for 3 years and had nothing to show for it and was going nowhere.

Now i live in an inspiring event space with some of the most amazing and creative people who are so supportive of me. I love my job! I play with toys all day and have plenty of time to work on personal projects during the down time. I have a very solid 3 and 5 year plan. I have a 401k (not that it's worth much right now...) I have a beautiful woman that i love dearly and i get to wake up next to her on an exceptional day. I have started my first project exploring and sharing my relationship with my gods, in the first step of what i know is my destiny. I have the most talented and fun group of friends and lovers and teachers...

Thank you all for everything and being a part of it.
I love you!
Peace

www.youtube.com/watch

I call it like i see it. I would sound less racist if they'd all quit acting alike.

...At least it was entertaining!!!!!

www.youtube.com/watch

For those of you that don't know i'm an operations manager for the audio visual dept at a four diamond hotel.
This is a little taste of what i do everyday.
To my area manager at 7:15am today:
>I have a situation and I need advice on how to handle it.

>We have a huge gala tonight.

>Originally (when I made the schedule), we had nothing in the ballroom the next day and I scheduled a little army (3 Swankers) all day to strike.



>As of the BEO meeting Tuesday I find that the whole ballroom is in use at 8 am tomorrow. I schedule additional union labor to strike. The gala ends at 930pm if they end on time, so 10pm. At 11pm my existing union crew goes into overtime and meal penalty. At 12am they all get late night pay. At 1am if the strike crew isn’t fed they go to meal penalty. (For the sake of folks that don't know: Union rules are the technicians go into meal penalty if they aren't given food and a 30 minute break in a timely manner. If you can't feed them they get a hour break. I have nothing to feed them, and i can't lose an hour of labor at 1am, so there is no point giving them a break.)



>As of last night I find out that we DON’T HAVE A RELIABLE LIFT. We are flying 2 projectors and 5 lights that will have to be struck with a ladder. Setting this way caused my night crew last night to go into overtime, and I’m very concerned about tonight.



>Please help

...still waiting

Anyone with happy thoughts for me? I'll really need it. My work day is gonna suck dirty ass.

Peace