pansexual | Oneness Ministry

Now that I have Arrived

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Tropical Trail Does transition ever end? For those who are transgender this question will likely be answered differently over time. I used to think that it would all be different once I transitioned to living as the woman I am. Wrong. Well I suppose things are very different, but the things which really matter have not changed. I am still basically the same person, inside. My personality has changed a bit, however my thoughts and beliefs have not. If any change has occurred there it has nothing to do with being transgender. Thoughts and beliefs change because we choose them too. So let me get into the power of chemical wonder, hormones. You are what you eat and if you are taking hormones or even if you are getting them through the environment, food, drink, etc. things will change drastically. The question of which comes first is hard to prove if not impossible. Are we transgender because of environmental chemical influence or because of genetic, inborn causes? I feel it is a combination of both. And most likely it is a different combination of both for each of us. During transition our outer world and appearance changes drastically, but as for the inner world, not so much. So let’s make sure we are clear here, I am speaking of gender. My gender has not changed and is clearer now, so the success here is that I now know myself better than I ever have! Perhaps this is the point of the whole experience.

What is not so clear is my sexuality. I am attracted to the female form more so than the male form, but both are beautiful and enjoyable. The most attract feature to me is personality and chemistry. Certain people are just exciting to me for reasons I have no clue. So by definition this makes me Pansexual although lately I have chosen asexuality. All the books I read insist that sexual orientation is fixed at birth so who am I to argue? I will say that social expectation is a strong factor in shaping the behavior of an individual, especially when they are young. The fear of persecution has lead many a person astray, including myself. So now that I have arrived, (lol) Who am I? I am the same person who started this journey only I am more aware of my nature and my desires. I am a person who dresses and acts a certain way whether it conforms to social construct or not. I am a person who is being the most loving I know how and seeking to expand this state of being. I choose Love and forgive any other perception. I live in a loving world and for this I am deeply grateful.

Sequoia Elisabeth

OnenessMinistry.info and Transness.org

Gender Related Transitions

Leave a comment »

Celebrating Diversity Revisited

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transitions Blog is meandering along and in keeping with topics related to Gender and Sex I am re-posting a blog from 2010. It is fairly basic, but I bet many of you have not thought of sexual orientation as I present it here. Thanks for reading and please share your ideas for new topics.

Sexual expression comes in many different flavors, and is possibly as unique as the number of people on our beautiful blue planet. The old school wants us to conform to the old ‘boy meets girl, girl has baby’ scenario and while that does serve its purpose as a race we are moving beyond that. Relationships are so much more than adding one more baby to the rising population, or even the aspect of replacing the self. The world may appear to be a binary system with only men and women, but I can assure you it is not.

Sexual orientation is an aspect of gender that Dr. Carl Bushong describes as “Brain Sex”. “Our love/sex patterns, and how we relate to others on a social and interpersonal as well as sexual level, often referred to as our “Sexual Orientation”.” (1995) This aspect, like gender identity, is hard wired from birth, which means our brains, being much like a computer, are programmed to be attracted to certain physical attributes, genders and personalities.

To restrict every person on the planet, all 6.8 Billion +, to being either heterosexual or homosexual is unrealistic. Instead it is much more feasible that each person on earth has their own unique sexuality which falls into several categories. The categories as they exist today are, heterosexual, homosexual, asexual, bisexual, and pansexual. There are a few other words being used but overlap these so I will stick with this list. Within each category will be a sliding scale so that each person falls somewhere on the scale and is not necessary stuck exactly in that spot, although they will stay within a category.

Just briefly hetero means opposite sex attraction, homo means same sex attraction, The (a) in asexual means no sexual attraction, The (bi) in bisexual means both sexual attraction, and the (pan) in pansexual means all sexual attraction. I do not like the term bisexual because it implies there are only two sexes, male and female. This is the old world paradigm and no longer works (if it ever worked). Pansexual includes everyone and applies to anyone that is sexual but not strictly attracted to the opposite or same sex. This term is far more appropriate in today’s society.

The whole labeling game gets a little absurd after a while because the terms become contradictory and putting people into boxes is both confining and inaccurate. For instance, a transwoman who is attracted to women is lesbian or are they heterosexual since they were born into a male body? And what about the woman who was attracted to this person not realizing they were transgender? Does that make them a lesbian? So what if it does?

The world is coming out! We are becoming more aware of gender identity and sexual orientation, which is leading to more understanding and eventually to more acceptance. I ask only that you stay away from the labels as much as possible and simply love the person. This is why I like the Pansexual label best because it is defined as “A sexual orientation characterized by the potential for aesthetic attraction, romantic love and/or sexual desire for people, regardless of their gender identity or biological sex.” (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pansexuality#English, 2010)

Who you are attracted to should not be grounds for discrimination. (In reality there are no grounds for discrimination) Could you imagine if the world judged you on the grounds of your attraction to hair color? “Oh you like redheads, uggg or ewww”! Actually Blondes often get joked about and while it may be in fun, it is only fun to the person joking. Sexual orientation is just another of many category’s that are used to separate or define humans. Being unique is a gift, and it makes us lovable and desirable. Just think of a rare diamond or rare flower. Uniqueness is a desirable trait in our society, so why not extend that to your relationships. Celebrate differences and LOVE the person – stop separating! We are One – one big family of Human. Love the One your with!

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity

Gender Related Transitions

Leave a comment »

Sequoia’s Wisdom Part 2

by Sequoia Elisabeth

It is time for us to dive a little deeper and address gender identity and sexual orientation. This is a continuation from yesterday’s blog, so here we go.

“I am a spiritual being having a human experience”. It behooves you to keep this in mind along the way. Do spiritual beings have gender? Per Buddhists teachings, all attachments lead to pain, so since we are in a body and “have” a life – pain is inevitable. However suffering only occurs when you hold on, resist, or ignore the signs/messages. Pain is a messenger! It means something, and it is up to you to figure it out. If you need help with this many others are available to help. When you listen to your guidance you find the answers you seek. Life is like a game of connect the dots. You move from one dot/spot/experience to the next like a string of moments and it all adds up to your life. Being attached to gender identity or any identity can be painful!

Gender Identity is your personal sense of who you are, man, woman, or other. It is in your mind and relatively fixed, however the brain has little to do with this contrary to what many think. Nor does any physical body part! The body is simply an effect of previous thoughts. The DNA is a code for encrypting these thoughts which have been decided long before you are born. This slide show explains it further, but keep in mind this was made a few years ago and my understanding has advanced since then. It includes scientific information which is dated. Click here to view.

I wish I could explain self-identity fully (gender and sexual orientation are aspects) but it has taken me years and many books to figure this much out. I am still working on it. My advice to you is to ask questions and above all listen. Here are three authors who can help, Tom Youngholm, Neale Donald Walsch, and Dr. Michael Newton.

The secret to understanding Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation is to understand the Divine Plan. It is bigger than you are and so it is unlikely that you will fully understand it in this lifetime. Suffice it to know that everything is connected – literally. Man is a part of Woman who is a part of Animal who is a part of Plant, Mineral, and Stars. The web is multilayered, all reaching, and complex. The Divine Paradox of life is complex beyond comprehension and yet as simple as One (1). Thus computer language is a series of (1’s) and (0’s).

Man’s taboos, social norms, and societal behaviors are all “make-believe”. You can do whatever you choose, however there are consequences. Not because there is good or bad, but because of Universal Law and even this is not fixed, all you need do is go beyond this Universe. Gender is a human experience and a man-made condition of this world. How you experience this is up to you. I encourage you to explore, but be careful because everything you do affects another. (Remember this is not good or bad) Even choosing to “do nothing” has effects. Can you imagine life without gender?

Sexual Orientation is another aspect of the human experience, nothing more, nothing less. Because of soul contracts made before you were born you have certain proclivities, although it is not fixed per se. It is my belief that everyone is basically neutral or if you prefer bi-sexual (given you believe only two sexes exist). I like the term Pansexual, meaning you are attracted to all sexes per personality coupled with appearance and not sexual body parts. Personally I have been attracted to many different people at different times of my life depending on who I am with, how I feel, and the situation. Bottom line, sex is an expression of love or at least it is supposed to be. It can also simply be a biological function when existing in lower forms. The animal human is designed to encourage sex on a basic level; however it is possible to move beyond these urges and in fact evolution requires it. The pleasure derived from sexual encounter may be used on the path to God as the Kama Sutra teaches. The intention behind the sexual encounter becomes paramount. Sex for the sake of sex or to reproduce is one thing, but sex for the purpose of obtaining higher states of being is something altogether different and can be attained with either a same sex or opposite sex partner.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Free eBooks

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

1 Comment »

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

Unity in Gender Diversity Free eBooks

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

Leave a comment »

Celebrate Diversity

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Just briefly hetero means opposite sex attraction, homo means same sex attraction, the (a) in asexual means no sexual attraction, the (bi) in bisexual means both sexual attraction, and the (pan) in pansexual means all sexual attraction. I do not like the term bisexual because it implies there are only two sexes, male and female. This is the old world paradigm and no longer works (if it ever worked). Pansexual includes everyone and applies to anyone that is sexual but not strictly attracted to the opposite or same sex. This term is far more appropriate in today’s society.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

Leave a comment »