Cyrsti's Condo "First Timer's?"

Clearly this "Holmes Community College" student in Goodman, Mississippi has never shaved all the hair off his body or rocked those heels ever before this womanless pageant?  (wink wink!)

Two Spirits

Every once once in a while, I happen across an article which goes into an ancient culture's belief in the "two spirits" gender identity.  In fact the acceptance of transgender people was common in many indigenous communities to the point they assumed the role of "shaman's"

My latest "discovery" comes from the New York Times and is called: Two Spirits in the Venezuelan Jungle By Jake Naughton  — Here is an excerpt:
A chance encounter with an anthropologist in Caracas led Álvaro Laiz to Venezuela’s remote eastern edge, where an indigenous people known as the Warao have lived for millenniums. Mr. Laiz was intrigued when he heard about transgender women the Warao called “tida wena,” or, twisted women, because he had been working on a global project about transgender identities in nomadic and indigenous populations. “For me it’s about identity,” Mr. Laiz said. “The kind of things that make you the way you are.” Like other women, the tida wena tended to the home, cooked and cared for children and elders. They also participated in the harvest of important crops, like the ocumo chino, a starchy tuber. Historically, tida wena were sometimes the second or third wives of polygamous men. They also occasionally performed the role of shaman — the Warao are deeply rooted in the shamanist tradition — and tida wena in particular are thought to possess two spirits, bringing them closer to the ancestor spirits that roam the jungle.

When ever I read of the number of cultures who embraced  the "Twin Spirits" (it's estimated to be documented in 130 American Indian tribes alone)  individuals, I'm at once shocked, saddened and frustrated at the lack of understanding we face in the modern world.  Even more so when you consider the bitter in fighting in our own community.

If you are interested in researching any of this, follow the link above, or search the subject on line.  It is very enlightening!

One person who I know has always researched the Twin Spirits subject in depth is a regular visitor to Cyrsti's Condo.  His name is Don and he is in the midst of medical issues. I hope you all can take a second to pass along some positive vibes to Don, from what ever spirit you worship.  Thanks!!!

Homecoming Dance Fun

School is back in session around here in the Cyrsti's Condo part of the world.  The tradition is to have "Homecoming Dances" in the middle of football season. A chance for the students to get dressed up and party for the evening.  Including these two couples who were both actually cross dressed students in this picture from JJ Levine....

What is She Really Saying?

One of the comments here in Cyrsti's Condo I didn't have a chance to respond to yet came from Thomas Braylen:

A guy generally is a female actually is actually the tone of voice to fit. There are lots of operative products and services who have aided attain a great difficult wish. Any transsexual or a man or woman that has gone through sexual change surgical treatment is usually a brand new rising breed.

We have heard from Thomas before, but still don't know exactly where he is from which is why the translated version coming through to us, looks the way it does.  If Thomas is saying what I think he is, he brings up a huge point of how we sound in the world as transgender women or cross dressers.  

Indeed there are tons of "self help" voice coaches and guides on line and depending on where you live-trained speech therapists to help.

As far as I go, I do the best I can to cover the feminine vocal basics. I move my voice up in my diaphragm, stopping at a point well away from producing a falsetto voice and, that's about it. As I was just getting by vocally,  I became more aware of what I was saying and which gender I was saying it to.was becoming more important than how I sounded saying it.

Then there was the Trans Ohio Symposium class I attended last spring taught by Kent State University's Kristen Precht-Byrd.  She presented a fascinating look at "gender speak" (my term) - or- how the genders speak to each other. Her title is "Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics." and she essentially put down on paper what I was learning on the job.

These days, I'm having more and more people not noticing me at all, until I talk. It just doesn't rank high up my list of concerns. If I was younger and in a day to day job, I'm sure the pitch and sound of my feminine voice would be more of a factor to me. I'm just lucky it's not and I'm just lazy.

Finally Thomas, yes, the stories of transsexual women and men seem to be everywhere these days and all of that is very positive.  Even more positive is the Janet Mock's, Carmen Carerra's and Laverne Cox's of the world are redefining who we are as people , not just items of curiosity.  

We "Gotz" Mail!

I was kicking around Cyrsti's Condo, wondering what to write about today, and a bunch of you stepped up and helped me with several fun and informative comments.  On certain days, my mind is on overdrive with ideas and others, it's very much on "sleep" mode!

In no particular order, I'm going to try to pass along the highlights of the comments and direct you back to the individual post for more.

The first comment comes from Cheri about my "Bitchy"  Quote of the Day:
I love this. That's how I feel today!
Thank you!
Hugs, Cheri

You are welcome!  I'm not sure if there comes a point in our transitions (especially if you take HRT) when the ability to be a bitch just comes with the territory.  Or, as my genetic friend Missy says, women are just mean away, so you have to be a bitch to survive!

Paula Goodwin commented on our Glamour, Goddesses and More post:

My boss asked me to pick him up a copy of Mayfair (quite soft porn, but would now definitely not be considered suitable for work!) I complied with his request, when I returned to the office I walked up to his desk handed it over after sheepishly pulling out my copy of Waterways World which I had hidden inside it. From that day on the girls in the office never let him forget what a *%$@#er they all thought he was! 

Thanks Paula, who by the way is heading on a vacation to Malta where she will need a swimming suit. That "fashion frontier" is obviously very unforgiving and I have given the idea quite a bit of "what if" thought on occasion. I do feel now, with HRT, i would have less to worry about in a swim suit-but still, it would be highly challenging.  Fortunately, I have never been much of a water person, so unless Liz would really want to go, I would never miss it!

This comment goes back a bit and involved the Pinterest picture I chose which for all the world looked like a young cross dresser in his college dorm room.  Back in the day, I actually went to two different colleges and one had a very active fraternity/sorority system.  Although I never did see them, it was rumored a couple of them did get together and a couple frat boys would be "chosen" for a sorority makeover.  Here was the comment from Mandy: 

 I did (go to college.) And I was (a fraternity member.) But I wasn't (asked to dress up.) Might have had something to do with the fact that I didn't live on campus...or more likely, they didn't think I'd be pretty enough?

Will never know for sure...

The young cross dresser on our left is neither Mandy or myself.  It's not hard to speculate what happened to him after his sorority "make over" and if the rest of his hazing involved going out with the rest of the girls that night!

I will have more comments soon in a future post!!!

Cyrsti's Condo "Quote of the Day."

Glamour, Goddesses and More!

Recently, Sally Bend commented on the Cyrsti's Condo "Glamour Magazine" article: Can't say as I normally read Glamour, but I'll be out looking for the September issue today. Fantastic! 

Sally, I can't say I am a regular reader of Glamour either, but my partner is.  Obviously, neither of us are going to achieve the beauty standards of most of the women in the magazine but I have learned we are not supposed to.  When I did hit that part of my girl learning curve, I began to have a little fun and work with what I did have.  I just happen to have a ton of my own hair, so I can look for colors and styles which may be fun for me and perhaps make me look a little better.  Then again if I was still wearing wigs, I could get ideas also.

To put it in a male perspective, Glamour is the feminine version of one of the car parts magazines I used to look at back in the day when I was a "motor head."  Most of everything I saw, I couldn't ever hope to have but it was fun to dream!  Plus, another example of how I use Glamour is spending time looking for fall fashion ideas I can wear. Most I can't wear, but then again, some I can!

 ( **Hint-For those of you who are still in the closet, just hide your Glamour issue in a stack of old Playboys!)

In another post, I wrote about a group of spiritual women who embrace their inner Goddess and how impressed I was when they included anyone who lived their day to day life as a woman.  I wanted to pass along to all of you a picture of Rachel Kilgore . (left)  Her inner Goddess is shining through!

A Pleasant Surprise!

As my partner Liz and I were looking for possible earth based spiritual places and events to possibly sample later this fall,  this one came to our attention, not too far away from us in Indiana.

The Women's Goddess Retreat was created for all women who want to pause and honor the Goddess in their lives and in themselves. 

While I know the word goddess is open to many different translations and feelings, I look at my inner goddess as my core being who I have seen the world from my entire life- no matter how poorly she "synced up" with my exterior being.  As I read the first several paragraphs though, I began to worry if I would be welcome at all and would run into any resistance from the rest of the group.  I was wary of the weekend being similar to the "terfs" run "get together" such as "Michfest." Before I could voice my concerns to Liz though, I read this: 

This retreat is open to anyone who lives their daily life as a woman. This year's theme is The Norse Goddesses
Learn more at our website: http://www.asteriabooks.com/retreat

Seems as if the group may have welcomed a transgender woman or two into their circle in the past!

Cyrsti's Condo "Star Gazing"

With the holiday and all this week, I have been a "little behind" with everything.  Ironically, with the way I have been eating and HRT, I won't have a "little behind" for long!  This week, my stars - and those of you fellow Libra's,  have grounded us a bit! Read on Condo-Ites!


(September 23-October 22): Angry thoughts will come in and out of your head, but that doesn’t mean you have to be distracted by every one of them. Using your honey or your BFF as your barometer of focus now will be a big help. Although you don’t want anyone judging you, it’ll be your own voice that will be the most untamed and will require a slap or two in the face with some straight up truth.

Well, my "untamed voice" has been a part of me as sure as my gender dysphoria, so that is not a problem!

My choice this week for "guest sign" is Taurus!

 (June 21-July 22): You’re going to have one of those weeks when all of a sudden it’ll feel good to just let it out. Ramble on with your opinions and all the nitty-gritty details of your neurosis and everything that bothers you about the people around you. Yes, gossiping is good now and if you give it, you will get it. Sure, it’ll give you a bad rep among few, but when did being controversial ever scare you?

Don't forget kids, if we missed your sign this week, don't despair.  Go to theFrisky for yours!