Oneness Ministry

1 Comment »

Be The Observer

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Observation is our best tool in transition. Children use this technique and so should we, so what do I mean “Be the Observer”? It is really very simple and it goes like this. Of course you must know what your desired result is to start with. It is like writing a good book, you start with the ending!

Let’s use the example of male to female transition. You know you are a woman in a male body, so hold a vision of the woman you feel yourself to be. Create a picture and keep it with you. Share your vision with others who are supportive. (Stay away from people who constantly criticize) Desire to express yourself more appropriately as the woman you are by learning how to be a woman not a man. Use the power of observation to simply observe women in action, walking, talking, getting angry, laughing, smiling, working, etc. It is good to choose a woman who you would like to be like, a role model.

Observe how they dress, coordinate colors and styles, cook, clean, shop, and all the usual daily tasks. The power of observation will teach you how to act like a lady in public, walk like a lady, hand & body gestures, ways of styling hair, etc. You get the idea now to watch your role model(s) every move and copy it! The result will be as good as your choice in role models.

Obviously you have your own personality, likes and dislikes, however even most of these are learned from your parents and family or the people you are around the most. If there are traits you do not like, then you can pick and choose just as you would in a buffet line!

As you practice being the observer you will create the person of your dreams. The secret to it is being aware enough to make the observations consciously so that you can incorporate them into your behavior. Be very attuned to detail and notice the small things. Life is full of nuance and that is the beauty of it all.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

What Transitions Blog Is All About

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transitions Blog is dedicated to assisting the Journey of Love called “transition”. This journey can and does take many forms. It can be multi-layered and dynamic, and often it is. It often feels like a wave that picks you up and thrusts you forward. It can feel outta control and scary, although it also can be fun like an amusement ride also.

The experience will be different every time, and unique to the individual experiencing it even though others are experiencing it with you. They have their own interpretation and experience which they need to grow. Yes, transition is ultimately about growth -emotional, physical, and spiritual. There is no way to go through life with it!

“Transition: movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change: the transition from adolescence to adulthood.” (Dictionary.com) There are always others on the journey with you to assist in your passage, whether you see them or not, so take comfort in this fact. Even if you feel totally alone, you never are! Ask and ye shall receive.

Unity in Gender Diversity is all about being there with you on the journey, offering techniques to deepen the experience, ways to cope, and smoothing out the ride. Please read over the website, explore your feelings, and contemplate your “transition”, whether it is physical as in moving to a new place, or emotional as in falling in or out of Love, or Spiritual as in ascending in consciousness! Yes, it could be all three at the same time!

Gender transition is about all three and often takes years if not an entire lifetime. The physical is obvious and often takes center stage, esp. at the beginning. The inner feelings need to express and they do, one way or another. As the individual comes to terms with this expression they realize it goes deeper than a whimsical adventure. The emotional shift is then allowed to take place. This in turn begins the Spiritual shift.

The emotional feelings the person has felt, but denied or suppressed all their life come flooding out, sometimes explosive and sometimes a simple oooz. Tremendous relief is felt as a balance and harmony is restored to the person’s life. Like waves on the beach the feelings will come and go, and may never reach a total calm or balance, but then this is life on Earth.

Spiritual transition involves a change in the individual’s perceptions and beliefs or at least a deeper realization of these. Once again this is often a lifelong journey and yet it can simply be a realization of what already exists. Transition for most people is about discovering who they are and what can be more Spiritual than that?

Thank you for taking the Journey of Love with Unity in Gender Diversity, may your journey be a Joyous one.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Sex and Sexuality click here

Give Up Defining Yourself

by Sequoia Elisabeth

“Give up defining yourself ~ to yourself or to others. You won’t die. You will come to life. And don’t be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it’s their problem. Whenever you interact with people, don’t be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of Conscious Presence. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are.” ~ Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth)

The Transitions Blog has been teaching this point from the very beginning and this is a good time to re-emphasize the relationship we have to identity.

“We are all on a journey to discover who we are. In the process of thinking and doing, we see who we are not. Along the way many personas emerge, and with each step you are closer to who you really are. In the end we discover that there is really only one, and that is GOD.” (Unity in Gender Diversity)

Eckhart Tolle introduces an interesting concept which I had to really think about to comprehend what it means. What I share here is open to interpretation as always. What exactly is “the field of Conscious Presence”? How does one be this?

At times we have all been connected to Source in such a way that we are aware of being aware. It is a combination of being both a separate ego and a connected soul. The feeling is one of knowing that you are not your body, or even your identity, but the consciousness that is aware that you are aware.

The reality is that God is all there is, and we are one individuation of this one infinite, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent being. Since we are made in the image of this being and the expressions are infinite it matters not what this expression is, there is no way for you to not be who you are, “you cannot lose something that you are”.

No matter how you change the exterior it is the inner core which holds the essence of who you are. Sometimes we need to test this and so this is where the need to dress up, wear costumes, and present in various ways emerges. We are simply expressing the infinite! This is not to presume that gender identity is not real, for this is a life path chosen for the express purpose of testing reality. I can assure you that the inner drive to transition is profound and unavoidable. This goes for most any and all transitions, as sure as a rock falls when dropped. The goal is to see this field of Conscious Presence that each person holds and understand that the package is simply that. Love the person inside!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Sex and Sexuality click here

Why Transition?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Recently I was asked why anyone would want to take hormones and have surgery to change their sex. They were curious about the personal benefits involved. We often hear the costs involved, such as $$$, social status, and sexual dysfunction, however what a cysgender person cannot know is the pain, dysfunction, and inner turmoil that exists for a transgender person. The very question demonstrates a lack of understanding. So let’s set the record straight by explaining a few things.

First of all, incongruency exists for a transgender person, because they live in the opposite body of which both their brain and identity have aligned. They are operating without the proper chemistry and attempting to work with the wrong tools. You can use pliers to hammer nails but it just does not work very well.

Hormones assist in the regulation of brain function. What determines Gender Identity is the effect of hormones on the fetus in the earliest stages of development. “Scientific evidence has been growing that somehow certain brain-structures in the hypothalamus (the BSTc region) determine each person’s core gender feelings and innate gender identity. These structures are “hard-wired” pre-natally in the lower brain centers and central nervous system (CNS) during the early stages of pregnancy”. (Dennis, Carina 2004)

Further, “Six years ago, the Netherlands Institute of Brain Research published the results of a study they had been conducting…. A subsequent report was published last year in the leading international journal for neurological studies, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism [85 (5): 2034-41; May, 2000]…. What the researchers found were significant differences in the brains of men and women relevant to reproductive hormones, cognition, emotions, and our body’s responses to them. The differences were both in magnitude and consistency and involve a region of the hypothalamus identified as the BSTc. Human males average about twice as many neurons within the BSTc as do females. In both males and females, transsexuals did not have the neuron number typical of their gender, but, instead, had the number typical of the sex they always believed they should be.” (Niedermayer, Grace 2004)

The relief a transgender person feels from the proper hormones is usually a euphoric experience. The beautiful thing about contra-hormone therapy (CHT) is the effects are reversible completely for about the first six months and even after years of therapy if the person decides to revert, although sterility is likely. In only a few weeks it is clear if CHT is the right choice.

Testosterone in a body wired for estrogen or vice versa will create dysphoria, agitation, and irritability. So if euphoria and a general peaceful feeling are not experienced then CHT is not the answer and other treatment is indicated. Yes, CHT is a treatment for a medical condition, gender incongruency (formally known as Gender Dsyphoria).

As in any medical condition it is best to have specific medical guidance by someone with experience in gender therapy! It is possible to treat yourself, just as anyone with any medical condition can do, however the results very drastically. Hormones are not a recreational drug! I find this almost comical that someone would think so, and yet invariably people do. If you would like to know more about hormones, their effects, what to expect, other gender and sexual info please read my eBook, Sex and Sexuality, One Woman’s Journey of Discovery.

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Transgender?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

How does one know they are transgender? The answer to this question is both easy and complex. Easy in that only the individual knows they are transgender by how they self-identify and complex in that identities often blur together.

A person can identify with many others who are important in their life. Gender is not always important, meaning they may identify with both men and woman and sometimes other beings as well, such as animals, plants, or insects. We do it all the time, it is called anthropomorphization, projecting human characteristics on to things other than human. A statue of stone can be made in a human image signifying a personality cold as stone. Or metal could be used to give the figure a fiery nature. You are not your body, but a Spiritual Being having a Human experience.

Getting back to self-identity, gender identity is usually apparent by the age of 3-6. For this reason historically the Native Americans and recently some modern families are choosing to allow their child to tell them how they identify instead of looking between the legs and then pasting them with an identity. Certain characteristics such as toys chosen, behavior in certain situations, and how the child interacts can be indicators of masculine or feminine characteristics. However just because a boy likes to play with dolls does not make him transgender.

Gender is a spectrum not a binary and in fact 80% of the population falls somewhere in the middle of the bell curve. It is rare to be totally male or completely female in gender. Just think back about your life and did you not enjoy doing things which were considered opposite of your gender?

The point of the Transgender movement that has been growing since the fifties is equality. Everyone no matter their gender, race, orientation, status, finances, appearance, mentality or any other characteristic deserves to be treated as an equal. Each person in their own way is an expression of God, Great Spirit, or Infinite Intelligence. And it is up to the individual to decide how they identify!

Doctors, Lawyers, or parents do not have the right to impose their interpretations on any other person. Now they can and will offer their expertise, but it is still up to the individual to take that information and do with it what they will. Even a child 3-6 years old can tell their parents how they feel.

The parent can then provide opportunity for the child to explore their feelings, and with love and support the child will fulfill their destiny. And for those individuals who have suppressed these feelings for decades it is never too late to give yourself permission to be yourself!! Ultimately, Love is the answer to every question.

I encourage those with doubts or questions to explore their feelings by looking deep within the heart. The only way to know for sure is to try different gender role expressions. When you arrive at a conclusion it will feel right. Of course, this is for the moment because life is filled with moments and this feeling may change, although the wiring of the brain is fixed at birth. Life is an exercise in discovery and forgiveness.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Transgender and The Age of Aquarius

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This blog is about terminology, identity, and transition. The entire world is in Transition in many ways, so it is time we revisited Transgender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation so that everyone understands the meaning of certain words and concepts that put life into perspective. First and foremost it is important to understand that gender and sex are different things and have multiple meanings.

Gender is your self-concept of who you are man, woman, transgender, androgynous or other. Each individual is born with this, but is not aware of it till the ages of 3-6. If a discrepancy is perceived then this awareness is often suppressed or denied, however this is now changing, children are coming out and telling parents who are actually respecting their concerns.

Cisgender is a term that specifically means “not-transgender”, and is used to mean genetic girl (GG) or genetic boy (GB), a person with a matching gender identity and physical sex who has never questioned their gender. Since transgender persons have a label we feel it only fair for others to have one too.

Transgender is a person appearing or attempting to be a member of the opposite sex, such as a transsexual or habitual crossdresser. This term is an umbrella term to include the entire community of individuals who cross gender boundaries on a consistent basis. For more on terminology I cover it extensively at this link.

Sexual Orientation is also hard wired at birth and does not change, although many people now days are bisexual or pansexual meaning they are open to the individual’s personality and not so concerned with physical sex. A homosexual is attracted to their same sex and will not consider being with the opposite sex, just as a heterosexual is only interested in the opposite sex. With Transgender individuals these definitions get blurry, so it is up to the individual to identify. Make no assumptions because each person is different and may change their mind from time to time, especially if they are young and exploring. The term sex can also mean physical or biological sex, amongst other things.

Mass consciousness is shifting due to the era we are entering, The Age of Aquarius. The traits of the Aquarian Age person is that of being bisexual (pansexual) and androgynous which explains much of the trans-revolution we are experiencing today! We are moving from the end of the Piscean era (money, power, and control) to the new era of Aquarian. I have spoken of this in other blogs and find that this explains much of what I have been experiencing. (A great article that explains the shift from Pisces to Aquarius is found at this link.)

Does this mean I was not to transition? Of course not! This is the purpose of these times and my life is a mirror of the greater whole just as your life is! Your path is up to you and if you have questions I am happy to assist! Please visit the website below and explore the Gender Learning Center. It goes into gender at length as well as sexual orientation and the different aspects of each of these. The eBook “Sex and Sexuality” is available free on this website and is an extensive look at gender, sex, orientation, sexuality, and more. The website below lists gender and spiritual information in several formats -video, powerpoint, written, quiz, and eBook, so you can find what works best for your learning method.

The first step in loving someone is not judging them, and seeing beyond the outer appearance. The second step is getting to know them and the third is following your heart to a deep friendship or more relationship. It is time we let go of money, power, and control and embrace love, unity, brotherhood, and integrity.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Sex and Sexuality click here

Restroom Etiquette

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Restroom etiquette touches each and every one of us, however for those in the Transgender community it is an especially touchy subject. This should be common sense and quite obvious although from the news articles and first person reports which bathroom you use is very important.

In an ideal world you simply use whichever bathroom you want, when you want, and dressed whatever way you are at the time (the way it used to be done). Depending on where you are this still actually does work. In other places not so much. The first separate toilets for men and women appeared at a ball in Paris, 1739. So the concept of gender privacy is fairly new.

We can blame our puritanical Anglo-Saxon roots for the need for privacy as it would seem that most beliefs surrounding the embarrassment and shame have been instilled by Christianity. The separation of men and women restrooms is simply an extension of these practices. In many societies around the world, men and women are not allowed to mingle, again based on religious beliefs. Since the modern toilet did not become popular till around the mid 1800’s this is when men’s and woman’s rooms became the norm and this extended well into the 1900’s depending on the location and the level of development of the community.

Everyone must use a restroom in the developed “civilized” world, so the question then becomes do you use the men’s or women’s? Unisex toilets do exist, and are growing in popularity not only for transgender use but for families needing to attend to babies and small children. Unisex toilets are meant for anyone, so use at your discretion.

The unspoken rule for transgender restroom use is simply to use the restroom appropriate to the gender in which you present. Meaning if you are dressed as a woman then you use the women’s room. Since most restrooms these days have separate stalls, this is not a problem. The bigger issue arises in dressing rooms or locker rooms since there is often no privacy there. Most transgender individuals simply avoid these situations in fear of being ridiculed, run out, or more drastically forcibly removed.

It is sad that the human race is not mature enough to respect one another no matter their physical presentation or sexual differences. If common decency etiquette is followed there would be no concern of safety or embarrassment! Part of the issue at hand is a personal one of feeling worthy to use the restroom to which you identify. The rule is to live & let live and unless the other person is in danger of harming themself or someone else leave them without judgment or persecution.

The advice I give any person including transgender/transsexual individuals is be yourself, act naturally, and life will simply flow. Problems arise when you are trying to be something you are not. The biggest challenge concerning this is for crossdressers who identify male and are dressed as a woman, or vice versa although this is much less common. It is important to be that which you present. If you are dressed as a woman, do not stand nor face the toilet to urinate. Do your business and move on. Of course for women “doing your business” means checking your makeup and hair, washing your hands, and making pleasant conversation after actually using the restroom. In the men’s room it means do your business and get out after washing your hands and combing your hair if need be.

Stop feeling guilty going to the bathroom! We are human beings and this is part of the package. Embrace the social aspects however seems best for you by what feels right, mind your own business, and all is well!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Sex and Sexuality click here

An Expression of Inner Self

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The essence of gender transition is an expression of inner self. A process of living authentically as the person you are. It is throwing societal dualistic expectations to the wind and being true to your soul. It could be described as a deep spiritual experience accented by physical changes. The journey is painful, loss is always involved, and the rewards are felt deep within your soul.

Gender transition is much like any transition. Take ultimate transition for instance, the above paragraph could just as easily be describing what happens at death! There is no choice about it, once you realize that your destiny is to transition it is a forgone conclusion. The choice becomes, “How will I experience the transition”.

A common statement I have heard over the last few years working at the Gender Identity Center coming from new people who are inquiring of their services. “I want to be a woman, do you provide hormones?” A clear demonstration of misunderstanding! It is not about wanting anything; it is about being who you are! It is not fixed by taking a pill or having surgery, those are treatments for symptoms that may or may not be apparent at this point.

Gender Incongruency is the present terminology for describing “an incongruence between, on the one hand, what identity one experiences and/or expresses and, on the other hand, how one is expected to live based on one’s assigned gender (usually at birth) (Meyer-Bahlburg, 2009a; Winters, 2005)”. Gender Identity is self-determined; meaning the person seeking treatment must tell the provider how they identify. There are personality tests, feedback from family and friends, and general behavior markers that give a clue as to the gender identity, but those are only guidelines. The individual must look within their heart, see the path they are already on, and then choose to walk it. Meditation is a great tool for achieving this.

Once the choice is made to walk the destined path, then treatment is appropriate! Professional guidance makes the journey much easier and more rewarding as does treatment with hormones and surgery. A person can walk this path alone and many have, but that is like crossing the Himalayas on your own, instead do your homework, make the appropriate preparations, and then with the help of a guide make the journey a fun and exciting one that leads to Shambala!

Please remember that everything we do is ultimately for the feeling it brings us. In the case of gender transition for the gender incongruent it brings relief, contentment, and joy!

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Free eBooks click here

Livin Large

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This year of 2012 is the year of coming out and living large! There is no time like the present, so why not make your dreams be true right now? You think there is something to lose? Do you think living someone else’s dream, following their path, or obeying their rules will make you happy or fulfill you in any way?

I am not suggesting that you get in anyone’s business, only that you take care of your own! YES, take care of yourself. Listen to your heart (soul) and follow your own compass. The brain is logical and we have been taught to follow it’s guidance and that has gotten us to where we are now. What I suggest is to let go of logic and rational thinking, in fact let go of all thinking. Of course you cannot do this completely…unless you do.

Limits are created by you for you. They are intended to direct your path and protect you from danger. What they have become though is a walled off room with no exits. Even a maze has exits! Get out the “metaphorical” dynamite and create an exit… Listen to your heart and you will know what to do. There are no mistakes, only scenic routes and direct paths. It is your choice which path you travel.

Unity in Gender Diversity is here to help you in this Journey! The words of wisdom offered on its pages are intended to motivate, inspire, and guide you to reach for the stars! Just as this blog does. If you have not read previous blogs, please look them over and read the ones your heart guides you to read. Be not afraid, the answer lies within! Within your heart, within the pictures you see, the words you read, and the feelings you experience. “Life is simple; easy is up to you!”

Transitions Blog is packed with psychological coping techniques, spiritual principles, and metaphysical musings. If you have a specific question, please write the author and make it known. Or simply leave a comment on this blog or another one.

Unity in Gender Diversity wishes you a most Joyous New Year!

Make what you will of it ♥

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Free eBooks (including “Livin’ Large”) click here

Makeup Application

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Lipstick Beauty

BASIC COSMETIC APPLICATION GUIDE

Makeup is an important part of any woman’s wardrobe; although now-a-days it depends on how you identify and where you live as to how important it is. Since I grew up in the southern USA, it is very important to me. Just how much you wear is up to you and will depend on the occasion you are preparing to attend. For instance, my daily wear consists of moisturizing lotion, mascara and lipstick only. Sometime I add eye shadow for a bolder look and if it is a formal event I use foundation and the works.

It is important to always clean your face first and then use a good moisturizing lotion to protect your skin. Foundation can dry out the skin and cause wrinkles over time. From this point just follow the guide below, leaving out any steps you deem unnecessary.

1. CONCEALER

· Purpose: to hide dark shadows and under eye circles.

·Selection: a shade that’s slightly lighter than your skin tone.

·Application: dot in the inner corners of your eyes and gently blend out with your ring finger.

NOTE: can be applied a second time over foundation for additional coverage.

2. FOUNDATION

· Purpose: to provide a smooth base for long-lasting application, add color, even skin tone and hide imperfections.

·Selection:

a. Shade: warm undertones or cool undertones to match your skin. If you have to blend with your neck, it’s too dark!

b. Skin type: normal, oily, dry or sensitive?

·Application: Apply sparingly to forehead, nose, checks and chin using fingertips or sponge. Blend gently downward to the jawline. Never apply below jawline.

NOTE: some foundations change color after application. Wait a few minutes and check color. It should blend so well it’s almost invisible.

3. POWDER

·Purpose: to “set” makeup, reduce shine and help foundation last longer. Also helps blush apply more smoothly and evenly.

·Selection: match intensity of foundation

· Application:

a. apply after foundation and before blush.

b. as a finishing touch after completion of makeup.

Apply with a puff or loose powder brush. Dust lightly across forehead, down the nose and across the cheeks and chin concentrating on shiny parts of the face.

4. BLUSH

· Purpose: To add color and glow and accent bone structure. Adds a vertical lift to the face.

· Selection: select to match coloring and skin tone. Drier skins often do better with a cream rather than powder form.

·Application: Apply blush starting at the center of the cheek, blending up the cheekbone and diagonally out and up toward the hairline right above the ear.

NOTE: Blush and lip color should be selected from the same color family

5. EYES

Purpose: To accent the face and make you be noticed. Eyes are the most important feature on your face in terms of makeup. Using mascara alone will make a big difference.

Selection: Choose a color that matches your hair color, unless you desire a dramatic effect.

Application:

put eyebrow mascara (if needed) on first and go lightly, should blend naturally, while making the brows more noticeable.
Apply mascara next and use curler. Choose colors that accent your clothes and hair color.
Professionals at the makeup counter in dept. stores or specialty stores are good at assisting with color selection and application techniques.
Also look on youtube.com for visual instructions. The more you see it done the easier will be to develop your own style.

6. LIPS

Purpose: To accent the face and enhance your beauty. Lips are very personal so experiment to find your favorite.

Selection: Choose a color that compliments your eye color and makeup.

Application:

Use a lipliner when using traditional lipsticks and cover the entire lip with lipliner after it is applied along the edge of lips. This hides the use of lip liner when the lipstick wears off.
Lip inks or other lasting lipsticks really do not need lip liner.
Apply traditional lipstick after eating, drink, or kissing. Will need to be touched up every few hours unless a long lasting version is used. This is again personal preference. Have FUN 😉

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Coming Out Process

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Coming out is a tiered process that starts with a personal admittance. It then touches those closest to you and branches out. The depth of your personal admittance determines the effect you experience and in many ways determines the reactions others show you.

It is like an explosion with shock waves which reverberates out and back again. The energy you put out will come back to you! This is why it is so important to do your inner work or shadow work and forgive yourself to start with. (Even though there is nothing to forgive, but the illusion forgiveness is necessary.)

Coming out is usually a LGBTQ thing, however it can apply to any aspect of your life that you have denied. It is a way of getting to know yourself; a labeling process if you will. Self-identity is so important in society and will determine your success in this world. The reason is simple, as a beacon of energy your thoughts are transmitted out to the world and come back to you in your experiences. Love yourself and the world loves you back!! Hate yourself and watch out!

Are you aware of your inner feelings? Have you sat in front of a mirror and looked deep within your soul (eyes)? This is the first step in coming out! The next step is to embrace this identity and live it. Live the life you know is right for you! Share with those close to you… “I have great news…etc.”.

The next tier of coming out is to dress and act in a fashion that is authentic to your soul. Allow those close to you to see the person you truly are within. It may be like coming out all over again so be patient with them. Maintain your positive attitude and allow them space to adjust to the new you. Ask them not to jump to conclusions and offer to educate them or for them to do it themselves. This is why websites like this one exist, to educate on gender and sexual orientation. This is a soulful, spiritual journey, thus the Spiritual Learning Center is offered as well.

As the journey progresses you will get to know yourself better and so will your friends and family. It is a win-win because we are all in this together! So, coming out is a process that begins within and is shared with close friends, family, and associates (conceptual level). It then progresses to the visual and interactive level where you are living the life you desire in the fashion you choose. After a time, this will become natural and the process goes deeper and sometimes goes full circle leading back to where you started, although now this state has been processed and everyone is comfortable with it, most importantly you!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Medically Necessary Part II

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Con’t from Nov. 21st

What this question is really speaking to is the insurance industries requirements for payment of treatment. The fact that it is treatment means it is considered a disease and that it is a social non-conformity that needs correction. Gender Dysphoria is presently in the DSM and the treatment includes GRS/SRS, FFS, etc. (as listed above). So my answer would be yes, it is medically necessary from the medical/social perspective, because society as a whole expects people to be either male or female. However from the Spiritual perspective, the answer would be no, it is not necessary because life is not being threatened by not having the surgery. Some argue that the individual will commit suicide if they do not get this surgery or the person is marginalized into a high risk group for hate crime, thus it is life threatening. I simply do not agree with this analysis. It is an excuse plain and simple. This does not mean that it is right or wrong.

Surgery is a coping mechanism, one way to cope with the perception that one’s body is incongruent with the person’s self-image or gender identity. There are other ways to cope and it is the responsibility of the patient and their therapist to explore these options. This is where things get very tricky! Perception is a personal thing and others may perceive things differently. In all manners of equality though, one has to ask if having any surgery is “medically necessary”? Just because someone dies; it is not a bad thing. Life goes on! Maybe not that individuation of life and the belief that all life is to be preserved is based in compassion. To me this is the crux of the issue, Compassion! Caring for another’s needs whether “real” or imagined takes compassion and this is why surgical intervention is necessary. Either a life has value and must be preserved or it does not and can be allowed to pass. Who makes this choice? It should be the individual’s choice and most often it is, with a few exceptions.

Life is about choice, because we are constantly choosing our path, the quality, and the extent of the experience (everything you think, say and do is a choice). The value we place on this path/experience determines what we get out of the experience, including whether surgery is medically necessary. Of course once we decide it is necessary, the medical community has to agree with us, which is done by offering lots of money, or the opportunity for caring compassion, or both. Societal views are shifting in a more compassionate direction so more and more insurance companies are covering the surgery and many more surgeons are performing it. The medical community after all is based on the compassionate care of others for the betterment of mankind. (this includes insurance companies!)

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Medically Necessary?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

What exactly does this mean? I posit that it is a very dangerous term being slung around, at, and by the transgender community. I ask you to consider the ramifications of using this phrase.

In the transgender/transsexual world the treatment for Gender Incongruency or Gender Dysphoria is to transition from one gender role to the other including surgically altering both primary and secondary sexual characteristics. This includes for MtoF, Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS), Breast Augmentation (Breast implants), and GRS/SRS (Genital Reassignment Surgery/Sexual Reassignment Surgery). For FtoM, the surgeries include, Breast reduction/reconstruction, Hysterectomy, Metoidioplasty with urethral lengthening, Scrotoplasty with testicular implants, and Vaginectomy. And this is list does not include all possible surgeries, for instance other cosmetic surgeries could also be included.

The question is… does the above surgery fall into the “Medically Necessary” box? And I would have to say it depends on which model of medicine you follow. It also depends on your Spiritual beliefs and understandings. The body you were given at birth is a gift, plain and simple. What you do with your gift is up to you; or your parents more realistically, at least to the age of 16 (18 in some locations).

Each person is perfect in the eyes of God! If birth defects are present it means they are meant to be there for the benefit of the individual and the people involved – family, medical professionals, friends, etc. It is an opportunity to express who you are, to learn and to grow (expand this self).

Would it be right to surgically change this body to conform to societal “norms”? Do we really have to stay within the gender binary? Is this not the point of being transgender in the first place? Meaning there is no binary and in fact it is a gender spectrum. How an individual expresses their gender and sexuality is a personal statement of either non-conformity or conformity. There are many factors involved, however ultimately this is simply a fact of individuality. There is no right or wrong!

“Medically Necessary” is a phrase used by the insurance and medical community to substantiate surgically altering the body or not. Is it really medically necessary to surgically alter the body? To whom is it necessary and for what purpose? Is being Transgender or Transsexual a life threatening medical disease? Based on past medical precedent surgery is used to correct the bodies function to maintain life. It is also used for cosmetic reasons to make the body more attractive.

Makeup Questions

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Let’s do something fun for a change! There are six questions below that I have answered and I am asking you to answer as well. You can post the answers in comments section. The question is in Hot Pink, the answer is in Neon Green. Think not only of the answer, but why that is the answer…why do you use that product or why do you use make-up in the first place? We can get to know each other, but most important you will get to know yourself.

1. What Brand of Make-up do you use and what types, like Foundation: Powders, Creams, Airbrush, Liquids, or stick on?

I use different Brands depending on the purpose, so for basic use I prefer Mary Kay and have both liquid foundation and mineral powder. For a more dramatic effect I have Mac foundation with a complete brush set, blush, concealer and cream foundation.

2. What brands, colors, & styles of eye shadows do you like? Example: Smoky, Natural, Animal, Punk, Classic, Trends 1930’s—1970’ and so on… YOU have Gothic, Drag Queens, Move stars, you get the point. (three part question)

I used to sell Mary Kay so I have lots of their product, so that is the brand. The colors accent my reddish hair and light skin tone, so I use a lot of earth tones, browns, reds, & greens. As a natural type girl I do not dress up very often, but when I do I like the Egyptian Goddess look, or Mayan/Amazon Princess.

3. Do you wear False Eyelashes? If so, what brand and types.

I do not wear falsies usually, but have when I had make overs done by a professional. So I am not sure what the brand or type was. My latest mascara is “The Falsies” by Mabelline which I like very much, especially the curved and angled brush because it lifts and separates the lashes making them fuller.

4. What brands, types, colors, of Blushes do you use? For example creams, powders etc… you get the point.

I also do not normally wear blush, but when I do it is Mac cream in a natural medium shade skin color or I simply use lipstick so it matches the color scheme I am using.

5. Lipsticks: What is your color…. Brand, or flavor?

Lipstick is by far my favorite and I used to wear it even as a boy. I no longer do boy mode, and continue to wear lipstick at all times. At the very least I have Chapstick on. My favorite brand of lipstick so far is Avon, My Lip Miracle Lipcolor. I also have Mary Kay, L’Oreal, Revlon, Maybelline, and some off brands which I chose for the unusual colors. The colors I prefer are Corals, Pinks, Purples and Lavender. I used to have light blue but that is gone. I would love to have the entire rainbow! The lips are our sensual window to the soul – feeling! Nothing more sensual than a juicy lesbian lipstick kiss! However, guys kiss pretty good too 😉

6. When was the first time you ever put on Make-up?

Around the age of 9-10 with my Mom’s makeup I dressed up. It felt good, but I was also very afraid of being caught, so I did not do this very often. Now I wear make-up, at least mascara and lipstick, every day. It is something I enjoy, because I like feeling pretty. On a deeper level I think it connects me to the women I most love, my Mom, Grandmother, and Aunts. I cannot imagine not wearing make-up!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Man, I Feel Like a Woman

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Do you feel like a man or like a woman? What is a certain gender supposed to feel like? How do you know? I realize that most cisgender people have not considered these questions, but for a transgender or transsexual individual it is of constant concern. Gender incongruency is something ~98% of the population can’t even fathom. Consider the possibility the concept of gender as taught in the schools is inaccurate?

First understand the difference between sex and gender. Sex is determined by the parts between the legs and gender is determined by the parts between the ears. At least this is the modern or current understanding by science. Consider the possibility that each person is here in this world for a purpose and they have chosen the roles they are to live before they are even born.

What if in fact gender is determined by consciousness, the Source Field which surrounds the body and makes up everything in this world? What if no one has a gender until they acquire one? Much like sexual orientation it must be discovered by the individual. I cannot tell my brother that he is gay or straight or if he is man or woman. These are things he must discover. Life is a discovery! And we are explorers.

The prevalent teaching about God, Great Spirit, Universal Mind, Infinite Intelligence (or whatever you choose to call this energy) is that it has no sex or gender. Eastern philosophies have known this for centuries and slowly the western philosophies are accepting that God is not a man sitting on a throne up in heaven. Our philosophies are merging, especially here in the USA where we are surrounded by both all the time. A new understanding is emerging and I call it Oneness. We are all One.

The idea I present here today is that God is all there is and since God is all, so are we. This means that no one has a gender or a sex in reality! Those things only exist in the reality we call life on earth. We are indeed all androgynous beings of light! You may have seen this image presented before as alien life, for instance in the movie Cocoon (1985) or in episodes of Star Trek and in multiple instances in the media. Everything is energy.

I mention the idea of androgyny here because I feel this is the truth of nature. I believe that hetero and homo sexuality are creations of the human mind or the mind of man. This goes for the concept of man or woman also. How do you know what a man or woman feels like? You do not know any more than anyone else does! Just because you seem to have been born male or female does not mean you know what a man or woman feels like. It is what you say it is.

The core of our being is pansexual androgyny, meaning we are characterized by the potential for aesthetic attraction, romantic love and/or sexual desire for people, regardless of their gender identity or biological sex. And we are neither men nor women, but a combination of both to varying degrees across a spectrum. In some individuals this can shift back and forth as well. You will define it as is comfortable for you.

In the end you feel like YOU. Accept this feeling and get comfortable with it; it is all you will ever have in this lifetime. No matter what you change on the outside, the inner core remains the same. The experience will change as this is the point of the material world. Enjoy the ride, act with authenticity, and live with pride! This is your role in life and it is mine.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

We Are One Consciousness

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transition as we know affects each of us in our own personal ways, so today I would like to look at this a little closer and point out the similarities of Human growth. Transition is really a Universal Consciousness phenomenon. While you may have very intimate personal experiences in your life, you are not alone in these experiences!

Everything your senses sense are recorded in the Akashic records for later soul review (after life review) and these experiences are linked to the greater race consciousness and Universal consciousness as well. So thoughts and experiences can be shared. Each chakra represents a level of consciousness and you may not be aware of all 12 at this time, however there are many more things in heaven and earth….

This sounds complex and indeed it is. It is also a miraculous process as well. Take gender transition for example, modern science as told us that the brain is wired female, while the body is constructed male (or vice versa) and this is the cause behind the human experience of being Transgender. I submit that this is a gross oversimplification of a multi-dimensional phenomenon. The dysphoria runs much deeper than gender or even sex. From my experience it is something that spans many dimensional levels and not just one chakra level (gender/sex is the second chakra).

We have all been experiencing changes in life over the past few decades and in fact the entire Universe is experiencing these energetic shifts. It is a proven fact that every planet in our solar system is experiencing global warming for instance. Everyone I know is experiencing some sort of transition and some are experiencing multiple transitions! By transition I mean major change in your life. This can be change of career, moving to a new country, sex change, relationship changes, health changes, etc.

Now it is true that life here on earth is all about change, however I venture to say that these are affecting more of us than ever at one time, thus proving the inter-connection of everyone on earth. What you do effects everyone else at some level and when we work together for a certain change, like Occupy Wall Street, or World Peace. The change is even more rapid and profound. Know that by embracing your life’s purpose or calling you empower others. Just the simply act of following your dreams opens countless doors! As you say YES, it echoes throughout the land (conscious mind). We are One.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Sex and Sexuality Revisited

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transitions blog offers a reminder today about an eBook available at no cost on this website. Sex and Sexuality, One Woman’s Journey of Discovery is a part of Unity in Gender Diversity’s growing set of spiritual materials. It is about using sex, sexuality, gender and the attractive aspects of self to discover Truth. Hormones, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Jesus Christ, and Relationships are among other aspects explored in an effort to deepen human understanding. The author’s own personal story is offered as an example of what the transgender journey consists of, because I find that by sharing stories we get a deeper understanding of each other. This book is designed to inspire a closer look at who you really are. The significance of all relationships, as well as the meaning of sexuality, and so much more are discovered. I invite you to take a journey of discovery!

The eBook is directed to those who are ready to move beyond the body and realize Divine nature, although anyone can come away from reading this a more educated, entertained, and enlightened individual.

Features to consider are: It is an eBook, easy to download, short and easy to read in a few hours, wastes no paper (easily printable), chapters are linked, direct links to website, No Cost and it is instantly available for download in PDF.

The benefits you receive by reading it: A transgender story to relate with, offers great pictures and graphics in color, learn about the transgender journey, understand your body better, get to know your inner-self better, become a better person, enjoy sex more, not just sex but the entire relationship, improve all your relationships!

Please share Sex and Sexuality, One Woman’s Journey of Discovery with anyone you think would benefit from this eBook. It is a great way to educate friends, family or employers to the Transgender Journey. Use it as a coming out tool. Ultimately it is about Love – loving yourself by allowing others to love you!! For more on Love please read the other eBooks offered.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity

Unity in Gender Diversity

2 Comments »

All Death Is Suicide

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Musing about a recent death in my life, I came across the following quotes which shine a most illuminating light on things. Just so you know, a dear friend that I worked and played with has left this earth plane by way of car accident (official designation). It is my belief that she left by choice in a method agreeable by most she knew. I find it strange that to die by “accident” is unavoidable but to die by suicide is sinful and unacceptable. These beliefs serve a purpose of course, because they help us to make it through tough times when it is so easy to just end it. Love is the answer, everything else are just excuses. Consider the following quotes and make up your own mind.

“There is no such thing as an accident; everything that happens to you in every moment of every day is an exact vibrational match (thanks to the Law of Attraction) to the dominant thoughts you are thinking.

No exceptions, ever.

And, just to really throw the cat among the pigeons (as the saying goes), here’s one of Abraham’s most controversial (but completely true) sayings…

All death is suicide.

…which is a natural conclusion anyway if there is no such thing as an accident.” Stingray

It seems that everything is a choice, even death! This goes right down to the color of your eyes and your genetic structure. Not that all choice is conscious. These choices were made before you were born and through thoughts, words and actions taken by you.

“However, the fear of death is unnecessary. The truth is that all death is suicide. At its core, everything is a choice. There is an awakening occurring on the planet for those who are paying attention in which we are realizing how much choice we actually have in the creation of our reality. As we accept our power we must let go of the desire to be accepted or understood by those who are stuck in mainstream thought. This willingness to transcend the fears of others and become a pioneer is crucial to personal evolution.

In life, a central challenge is to let go of the idea that your body is decaying with time. It is not. It is actually recreating itself constantly.” Unification.com

“In the Conversations with God Series by Neale Donald Walsh, God says that all death is suicide, and it is just a matter of whether we want to do it quickly, or over time with eating bad food, breathing polluted air, smoking, drinking etc. If someone is in pain, God does not want one to suffer, and does not blame someone for leaving their body quickly. If someone was to love you so much they would understand that, to keep you is selfish, everyone is sad when someone dies, not because so much they think something bad happened to them, but they cry for themselves, that what they want is no longer with them. Take this story for instance I was so in love with this guy, we lived together for a year, but I noticed he would go in the bedroom all sad and close the door sometimes. I found out he was looking at pictures of his kids he loved so much and his wife he was still in love with. I planned it out and talked him into moving to the city where his children and ex lived, and when we got there I said this is where I drop you off, I am moving on. I loved him enough to let him go and try to work things out with his wife and to be there for his children. Now, that is love.” Kathy Miller

Remember that every thought, word and action leads to your experience in this world and ultimately to your fate. We are guided by higher powers, no matter how you think of them, either Divine Being, God or Higher Self. Listen to this guidance and you will make it through the maze of life to the Promised Land. There is no right or wrong way home.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

http://blog.beliefnet.com/astrologicalmusings/2011/07/androgyny-and-the-aquarian-age.html

1 Comment »

Aquarian Androgyny

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Many do not realize that there are forces far beyond our little selves that not only influence our direction they often control it. These times are indeed remarkable and the reason most of us chose to be here. We are in Transition from the Piscean age to the Aquarian.

What exactly this means will vary depending on the Astrologer you speak to but there are some common threads presented here. This has been my personal experience as I discover who I am and how this relates to the rest of the world. Let me share what I have learned of the Aquarian age and you can put the pieces together.

“Aquarians are not “gawky nerdy”, “absent-minded professors” or “mad scientists. The characteristics that better describe them are iconoclasm, emotional “hardness”, bisexual, asexual or androgynous orientation, teambuilding, innovation and perhaps some social anarchy (from behavior that shocks conservative people to a general disregard for rules). In addition, we may see a gradual replacement of the icon of Jesus with something that is indicative of Aquarian values, such as the computer, the committee, the scientist, the group, the mind or the iconoclast.” (Nancy R. Fenn)

Androgyny and the Aquarian Age

by Lynn Hayes | Wednesday July 13, 2011

I have always found it interesting that the worldly definition of “Uranian” according to Wikipedia is:

Uranian is a nineteenth century term that referred to a person of a third sex — originally, someone with “a female psyche in a male body” who is sexually attracted to men, and later extended to cover homosexual gender variant females, and a number of other sexual types.

Delving a little deeper, I find that the origin of this association with the word Uranian with the “third sex” originated with a German scholar named Karl Heinrich Ulrich who was what we could today call transgender, meaning he identified as a woman in a man’s body. The term Uranian was picked up by Victorian writers such as Oscar Wilde, who wrote: “”To have altered my life would have been to have admitted that Uranian love is ignoble. I hold it to be noble – more noble than other forms.” (Ulrich’s chart shows Venus opposite Uranus, and Uranus squares the Moon in Wilde’s chart.)

As we transition into the Aquarian age , it’s not surprising that gender roles are blurring and homosexuality is becoming more openly accepted. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, the planet that inspires us to live a life that is as authentically true to us as possible. Uranus governs radical behavior and rebellion against the status quo, and this includes greater acceptance of lifestyles that don’t fit into the rigid social norms that fall under Saturn’s domain. With Pluto, lord of destruction and regeneration, traveling through Capricorn, Saturn’s sign, these rigid social structures (Capricorn) are being pummeled and demolished.

As an astrologer I use the term “Uranian” to describe any person or trait that reflects this desire to move past old ways of thinking and manifest an authenticity in one’s thoughts and behavior patterns and this goes far beyond gender issues. But a strong Uranus in a birth chart does tend to indicate a person whose gender identification is less than rigid although this doesn’t always manifest as homosexuality.

Androgyny is nothing new in the rock world (David Bowie, Marilyn Manson), but a new singer has taken gender neutrality to a new level. Justin Vivian Bond (Moon square Uranus) is not only transgender, but uses the neutral pronoun of “v” to describe “vself” and says: “I like my penis, and I am keeping it, but I am creating a transbody — a physical record on my body and a medical record that I am a transgendered person.”

IndyWeek.com reviewed a recent performance by Justin Vivian Bond, saying:

The gender-ambiguous voice is unrepentant, a queer mixture of the sexes, “monstrous.” Monster comes from the Latin monstrum, meaning an aberration within the natural order. In other words, the so-called monster defies categories. Not surprisingly, what we call monsters are often only reflections of our most profound terrors and desires. Less obviously, monsters reveal the fact that we each contain something of the other; elements of “you” lurk within “me.”

And with the hermaphroditic, we are reminded that even in our differences, we all possess male and female attributes. Writing about Michael Jackson’s violation of the rules governing racial and gender identity, James Baldwin offered that perhaps what is truly monstrous is not ambiguity but the fight against androgyny in an effort to reinforce conventional gender roles. What is terrible is a restrictive gender regime; a terrorist is someone who polices the borders of gender.

This is just the beginning, and the more radical societal changes become the stronger the backlash of conservatives who fear this kind of extreme alteration to their world view. This is part of what we will be seeing over the next four years as Uranus squares Pluto and takes us deeper into the Aquarian Age.

The article is very revealing to me and gives me another label to play with,” Uranian”. Upon further investigation I discovered that Edward Carpenter also identified with this term which is significant to me as my birth name includes Edward Carpenter. He was a Gay activist, a pioneering socialist and radical prophet of a new age of fellowship in which social relations would be transformed by a new spiritual consciousness.

Conclusions drawn from this on my part are simply that my life is a part of a greater whole influenced not only by my life here on earth, but by the entire Universe and span of time. The message I wish to convey is that your life too is a part of the Greater Whole, the Cosmos! The forces guiding us are much larger than most realize and to resist is an act of futility. GLBT is the wave of the future! It is a sign of the Aquarian times! We are in the transitional period now where Piscean traits are giving way to the Aquarian and 2012 is the Tipping Point! Embrace this destiny and keep an open eye (Third Eye). Seek with the heart (soul) for it always leads to salvation (Higher Self). Pain is beside the point, if you can see the purpose in your folly.

😉 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Sex and Sexuality click here