#rasta community

[blackstarlineage]

[originalhaffigaza]

Real Rasta man Dem Which country is this plane ✈️ heading To ???

[failsktboarder]

[peterseerane]

Lucky Dube the Social Scientist 🥼📝

[mgstappie]

Conscious Vibez👁Hosted By Empress Gaia (@conscious.vibez.w.empressgaia) • Instagram-foto's en -video's

[jahbillah]

On Rasta continuum in Cuba

Real versus fake RastasNot unlike in many other Rasta communities around the world some of the more conservative religious brethren have introduced a view and language of authenticity with regards to what it means to be a Rasta. Framed in a discourse of cultural purity, they speak of so-called "real" and "unreal or “fake" Rastas. But, given the myriad of ways people in Cuba identify with and…

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

ATSV Fun Fact!! - Mumbattan Cultural Details

Gayatri & Inspector Singh follow the Sikh Religion

Have you ever heard of Punjabi Sikhs?

If you don't know - Sikhism is a religion that originates in northern India, specifically Punjab.

The turban Gayatri's father wears - along with his last name 'Singh' implies that her father is most likely a Punjabi Sikh.

I notice this the first time watching ATSV and was like 'wow that's so cool :)'

It only hit me today that 'Oh wait I don't think a lot of people know about this very-specific, rarely-mentioned religion maybe i should say something,'

And because I LOVE yelling about world culture, LET'S GO!!!

[a SHORT essay where I explain the basics of Sikhism, a religion built on equality and justice. And details in The Singhs design, and exactly why Sikh Representation matters]

So What's Sikhism about?

Often mistaken for Muslims - Sikhs are actually a non-Abrahamic religion, with 20 million followers worldwide.

But even with so many visible practicing members, most people know very very little about this beautiful religion!

Sikhs believe in equality and unity - and defending the oppressed. Their book of faith, The Guru Granth Sahib Ji, is called 'Guru' for a reason - Sikhs see the book as not just a code of conduct, but as a living, breathing teacher for every practicioner;

From Wikipedia on Guru Granth Sahib: Sikhs since then [1708] have accepted the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture, as their eternal-living guru, as the embodiment of the ten Sikh Gurus, the highest religious and spiritual guide for Sikhs. It plays a central role in guiding the Sikh's way of life.

The Guru Granth Sahib is the spiritual leader of Sikhism, and it's treated as such.

That's why in Gurdwaras - their place of worship - it's treated as such, being clothed and held in ornate structure, constantly fanned throughout it's readings (the fan you can see in the left picture).

They believe that by following the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, they can cultivate compassion, peace, and harmony in their communities, while diminishing 'Mara' - concepts like hatred or violence.

Sikhs believe that every Sikh should revere themselves as champions of unity. And because of this many Sikhs have the same last name -

Kaur for women (Meaning Princess) and Singh for men (Meaning Lion).

Having the same last name also does away with the Indian caste system, making it another point of equality.

In ATSV Gayatri last name is Singh. However from my understanding, her name would most likely be Gayatri Kaur in reality.

I think they kept her last name as Singh as a deliberate choice to keep her initials as GS, like Gwen Stacy.

So is Gayatri Sikh?

Maybe - most likely.

But we can't be sure. Mainly because of her hair.

Gayatri has a short bob haircut, and while that might not seem like it matters, it does!

In Sikhism there are the '5K's - different aspects Sikhs wear to show their faith.

Notice the first one?

'Kesh' is the practice of leaving ones hair completely uncut. That's why you may see a lot of Sikh men with long, long beards!

And hence, the large turbans.

It's done as respect for God's creation - leaving it unaltered.

[Fun Fact! - Rastafarians, a Jamaican religion, also don't cut their hair for this reason. Think Bob Marley. Rastas call God - Jah]

So, Gayatri having short hair means she doesn't keep Kesh.

However, Sikh is a super accepting and open religion, and it's main focus is on acceptance of difference, not conformity - so she could entirely follow the faith without doing all of any of the 5Ks.

Also, if you're curious about the steel sword K - Kirpan, yes that's a thing!

Sikhs of all genders are encouraged to carry a small ceremonial blade with them.

Instead it's a symbol of the commitment to fighting for what's right - and defending those who cannot defend themselves.

A Kirpan can ONLY be used to defend the life of yourself or others, which is incredibly rare.

Why is this all so rad, cool, and important?

If you haven't noticed by now, Sikhism is a religion driven by justice. Not just in theory, but in really life as well.

That's why you may see many Sikh police officers and politicians, even here in the West. Most of them wearing the emblem on their turbans.

In fact, Canada has SO MANY Sikh politicians, that in 2019 they elected 18 of them.

For centuries Sikhs have been dedicated to justice, and developing systems of support, whether that be political involvement or feeding those in need.

The biggest Gurdwara (a place of Sikh worship) The Golden Temple feeds over 100,000 people A DAY.

For FREE.

It's a practice called Langar. A communal meal anyone can enjoy. And of course, Langar food is vegetarian.

Making Inspector Singh a Sikh - and showing him saving people and being warm to his daughter on screen is great representation for a community so often overlooked! Despite the fact they are over 20 million practicing Sikhs.

It's a great detail for Indian and Punjabi representation in specific. It accurate shows their beliefs and commitment towards helping others, no matter the cost.

And from what we can tell, this choice came later in development. We know this because ALL of his concept art shows him with a turban, not keeping Kesh.

It seems like someone later on down the line said 'Wait if his name is Singh I think he's Sikh and if he's Sikh then we're gonna have to redesign him and make that obvious oops'.

That, dear audience, is why you always have an Anthropologist in the writing room. Or some amateur anthropologist like me :)

-------------

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I really enjoyed writing it!! Sikhism is one of my favorite religions and if you have never heard anything from the Guru Granth Sahib I HIGHLY recommend it, it's very optimistic and compassionate. Sikhnet(.)com is also a great resource!

I have no idea if this will pique anyone's interest, but I hardly ever see Sikhs reflected in media and I know many many people may confuse them with Muslim, especially since many women Sikhs keep kesh and cover their hair as well.

But if you ever wanted to know the difference, here it is! If you read this far, thank you SO MUCH. And if you're a Sikh and reading this, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

As usual, here's a photo of Hobie for your travels.

BYE.

[itspheenixbaby]

MUSUTAFU in my mha dr

now playing...black list - hime

AKA; the devils resort

GEOGRAPHY

"when i hear that song, i wanna be with you"

musutafu (MST) prefecture is an island off the southern coast of japan located in the phillipine sea. its about 500-800km away from honshu, has 25,000 mi of land and is home to 35.3 million people. MST houses the most biodiverse tropical rainforest in japan (and one of the three most biodiverse in asia) which covers the entire island. MST has mild winters and minimal snow. it rarely reaches under 60/50 degrees F (10/15C?). both summer and spring are extremely humid.

HISTORY

"buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta"

i never script colonialism clean out, i just make it different. because im always like wait if we dont have colonialism why tf are so many people speaking european languages? makes no sense right? anyways heres how it worked (in all of my DR's btw); europeans had very little power & money compared to locals who integrated with the culture (including locals of european descent) and it was more of a "leader in name" thing. in actuality, colonialism was more similar to a trade partner agreement with colonies, and colonies themselves were very hard to keep--and usually made more money and had more clout than their european counterparts. MST had this situation with spain, england and portugal. as it was an island (and a rather big one) it was already very cut of from japan culturally, economically & socially. so when the mainland went in seclusion for the meiji restoration, the europeans had already gotten full access to MST.

CULTURE

"90 degress inna the shade, temperature tun up"

linguistics the standard language is a portuguese-spanish-tagalog-japanese fusion? and more japanese dominant. no fucking clue how thatll sound.

diversity MST is very racially & ethnically diverse, with a steady flow of immigrants from all over the world. a few prominent origin points include ; south east asia, central america, the carribbean, usa, western europe, south america, taiwan and india. but of course there are many more. the natives are pretty racially diverse as well, about half of the japanese population is "afro-japanese" which is genetically similar to aetas or melanesians.

motorsports drag racing is fully decriminalized and extremely normal. so much so that entire tournaments and elaborate race tracks are built to encourage it. (partially because of the tourism it brings) but before you can do any drag racing you need a permit or license. its very normal for celebrities and heroes to drag race, theres even a yearly competition for celebrities.

lifestyle lazy, indulgent and leisurely. days are spent relaxing at a beach, vibing at a local cookout or shopping. were very friendly, open and relaxed. its a city with very big & bold personalities. most people are ambiverts and its cartoonishly easy to make friends. unfortunately the culture can be a little shallow at times.

beauty standard few are fussy on beauty standards but a visible sun tan is universally preferred. however theres two big rules: no fake tanning under any circumstance & never tan more than two shades darker. in terms of body types, both men & women with toned bodies and "nice" asses are attractive--but for women the addition of being curvy is preferred.

religion among the japanese population the most practiced religion is catholism. this branch of catholism is very heavily mixed with shintoism & buddhism though.

mardi gras/carnaval the prefectures biggest holiday. its both the best and the worst. the sense of community is a focal point, millions of people celebrating and having fun (including the sizable portion of non-christians). everywhere is packed, music is blasting and half the city is drunk and/or high. by night everyone forgets how to act. surely the busiest day for MST based heroes.

MUSUTAFU CITY DISTRICTS (16 total but im only writing for 4)

"on an island in the sun, we'll be playing and having fun"

the beach durrr the city has a ton of beaches, but this one is the most iconic, large and populated. its right in front of the cities biggest shopping center (what is basically our equivalent of times square...but not as dirty or ghetto). theres always people at this beach, hanging out, on a work break or at a cookout.

the ghetto about 2-3 districts are classified as ghettos. they have an extremely high crime rate, but low quality of life, income & rent. expect seas of street vendors, houses stacked on eachother, music playing all through the night and walls panted with street art. (urarakas district 😍)

the islands a fifteen island archipelago off of the cities coast. considered middle class or lower middle class. life in the islands is slow and easy going. many people work in agriculture or fishing so its known for food & open air markets. the islands have a fun nightlife scene but its generally more laid back. (my district)

rural district the largest district in the city. known for its rich traditional japanese culture, the abundance of natural marijuana and nature. the district is very sparsely industrialized, especially compared to the rest of the city, so its mostly jungle/rainforest. theres also so much wildlife there! and disturbingly large roaches. something cool about it is this biiig ass gate surrounding the whole district! (todoroki family's district)

all districts have a fair share of mongrels / stray dogs. many people take them in to "guard" the house, or just to care for them

people from the islands like to have cute lil sea animal mailboxes!

KNOWN FOR

"as i recall i know you love to show off"

love for sports. soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball & surfing are extremely popular (among both genders)

lots of the population has a shopping addiction

elaborate heists.

trashy reality tv.

big film / tv industry.

high crime rate.

musutafuans want to go to the beach like every fucking day.

really good music.

clubs, casinos, nightlife in general.

beautiful beaches. white sand & clear blue water.

POP CULTURE

"aserejé, ja, dejé"

GTA game based on MST

love & hip hop: MST

brazilian funk, rnb, afro beats, amapiano, dancehall, reggae, dembow, reggaeton and rap are really popular. way more than non japanese/latin pop music

real housewives of MST

we have golden crust, jollibee, mama empanada, and kfc but no mcdonalds 😬

havianas are really trendy.

im actually considering scripting my version of MST in some of my other DR's (idol dr especially) but im on the fence.

if any of this inspired you your free to include some for you dr <3

[blackstarlineage]

[originalhaffigaza]

[ladysavich]

Defender Trio General Headcanons... Defender Trio GENERAL HEADCANON! DEFENDER TRIO GENERAL HEADCANON!!!!

(Please~ :3)

YES! YES YES OF COURSE!!!! All yours @mimpinightmare

Defender trio general headcanons

North shaw

Real name: Nathan Shaw or Killian Shaw (idk, the supa strikas website is confusing me. Killian sounds better tho)

In his mid-20s

Australian

 I can picture him being an only child

 💯does parkour

Dreamed of being a lifeguard when he was younger.

Favourite food: cheese burgers

Least favourite:  chicken and rice (get the reference???) As well as spicy food (he will he stuck on the toilet for god knows how long)

He can't stand seafood even though his mom loves it.

(Often takes his parents to seafood restaurants )

Has stolen El Matador’s hair dryer before and doesn't regret his actions.

After the “On Klaus Inspection” he has used his dirty socks to torture El Matador whenever he is being dramatic.

Uses blok as a shield all the time. I swear a Fricken cannon can go off in front of him and he will duck behind blok. 

His teammates can't understand his surfer slang

Shakes and Klaus have tried to…

Used to collect a huge amount of sea shells when he was younger. (his mom still has those and uses then to make little pictures frames for her pictures of  little North)

Has wanted to do the no bath challenge. Coach shut that idea down immediately

Blok

Josef Rybar is his real name

Love this man Brislovian

A little older that north

Also his Teddy is so cutee.

GUYS APPARENTLY HE HAS 2 OF THEM!!!!!AAHHHHh!!!

He definitely has tiny night suits for them including those little stupid hats.

He definitely has a big sister

I forgot he has a brother too. Attak

 I never understood how coach and SS used to communicate with him before Shakes arrived. Because if I am not wrong, Shakes was the first to learn brislovian in the team.

Anyway, he loves cold weather

Favourite food: mashed potatoes and French fries

Least favourite: chicken and rice.

 Afraid of heights

Snores….a lot

I can picture him being

a) a damn swimming god.               

b) he wears those little arm floating thingies when he swims

 Eagle eye

Does anyone know his real name? Cuz I can’t find it

late 20 or early 30s

Very very observant  (are you surprised)

Good cook

Likes hiking and nature.

Def used to carry a little book full of birds and looks for them when he was younger

Boy Scout maybe👀

Will never tell klaus that tho.

He has  2 older sisters but I can also picture him a big brother as well

Favourite food : ham sandwiches and stir fried broccoli 

Least favourite food: oysters 

THIS GUY USED TO PLAY FOR COSMOS??????

We need an episode on that!!!!! Excuse me Moonbug Entertainment?!!!!!! HELLO????

Ughhhh I love his hair

He is apparently one of the oldest members of the teamDef 2nd or 3rd oldest (1st being Rasta of course)

Very close to all the defenders including Gris and Rizo

Helps Griz when he feels sea sick

Mysterious  beautiful and smart man

He needs more screen timeeeee!!!

The trio hcs together

 North and blok come into eagle eyes house uninvited at times

Eagle is basically their babysitter

They hang out a lot at each others house

sBlok has become famous with eagles sisters

Blok gives north piggy back rides and once they forced eagle to have piggy back ride too

North is disgusted over the fact that one of eagles favourite food is broccoli 

North, Blok ,rizo, Griz and Eagle eye best team

Maybe North and the other defenders make sure to be with Eagle whenever they have a match with cosmos. 

Since Shakes el Matador, klaus and even blok himself have been victims of the other teams dirty play so they make sure that Eagle remains safe??

He is also the most observant guy in the whole team.

Kinda wanna see an ep on this

Hope you like this!! It took me a while to think about all 4 of them

[1v31182m5]

SO UM Ppl don't really see me write but I've been inspired by this edit which broke me into 10000 pieces and danced on my grave

I tried to make Skarra in character as possible with his swifty personality of being self centered and desperate at the same time with quick switches and not to make him go in with just one personality here because I love my struggling boy with narcissism management class absences

Summary: Shakes and Skarra have a talk at the community center during the night that doesn't goes that well

No beta we die like Rasta's leg

Skarra and Shakes are at the back side of the community center. The coldness of the night is freezing both their faces and so of their classmates who have already finished their aftermath of training chit chat and night time enjoyment together. Well, without the deadly duo this time. It seems they're not leaving yet. Not until they do.

Skarra's looking around and waving to them a silent goodbye with quick smiles, no one really cares to ask what's up with these two for not having a word for the last few minutes since they pulled eachother out of the group into the side of the building. Shakes's avoiding eye contact with Skarra nevertheless, sometimes Skarra's eyes catch him but never gets a return. He has a cigarette on his fingertips that's been burning for a while but didn't really smoked. Ah, what a waste. Has Skarra ever smoked?

It's getting lonelier enough for it to be impossible for both of them to ignore each other's close presence next to eachother now. Skarra takes a deep inhale out of the cigarette and steps on it on the ground without looking at the cigarette, but to Shakes. Great, now Shakes's looking directly at him, seems to be ready. But not to open his mouth, Skarra will handle that

"So?"

Well that wasn't much but it seems the place to talk is more at Shakes's shoulders and there isn't more to add for his sake.

Still enough to encourage

"No.." Says looking at the back of his right foot with arms now crossed. Skarra tilts his head closer to his face with a confused face even he didn't realized he was doing.

They meet their eyes for a second, Skarra fixes his posture back. Wanders his eyes around the sky and his left to the right as fast as he can to come up with something while his mouth softly opens and shuts up with multiple things he stutters to say but doesn't.

Now he locks his face, focused enough to say "Why not?" Just full of curiosity now, unable to understand a reason why. Maybe Shakes can fill that gap. Oh, but he doesn't seem so normal as Skarra now, his closed mouth getting wider on his face and his eyes squinting under his eyebrows in distress. It takes him a lot of courage to let out the words "I wish you were a girl..."

The buzzing sound of the night time electricy light sounds louder than ever. The silence made them realize no one was left at the park now, they stopped checking the others leaving after they had started the conversation. A wind blowed so cold that it could've been the reason why Skarra's face is frozen in a broken smile but it was Shakes's last words.

Taking a step back, what else was there to say now, it's already been hard to just start it it wouldn't have been easier to continue as expected. Now he's not saying a word after he had turned his head around to a direction Shakes can't see. The distance makes Shakes take a step forward to get them to their old closeness a minute ago and reaches out his hand to his's

"It's okay"

"No it's not." Skarra pulls out his hand that Shakes didn't even touched yet to the back. Turning his body directed to him now, got over it.

What. What was I thinking when I said that, I just wanted to not give him the burden to respond to that now I wanted to finish it myself, Shakes thinks to himself before Skarra breaks into his thoughts with a yell you can imagine to have been filled with multiple question marks at the end if it was on text

"You're straight??" He feels a vibration on his throat after that yell. Now that just sounds unbelievable to him, kinda gets him into a shakey position to both make a talk and process that in his head.

"How is that even- For you- Alw-" well he's not succeeding in doing so.

"Shakes I have done everything I am everything you can't be considering some girls who hasn't even been as close as me to you to be the better option. Who else would it be to be your crush but not me? Aren't am I the best for you?

No, of course, I can't say that. You can like them. Shakes I don't care how many girls you want to be with but- ...what is wrong with me? You don't like me?"

"I like you..!"

Well that ended the high chance of some tears coming in if that lasted five seconds more. But it's just because his head is now focusing into what that meant. Didn't he said no at the beginning? Then what is-

"Please I'll be a secret."

Shakes feels heat on his forehead caused by some sweats

"You can have- You can have as many girlfriends as you want.

Fake- Fake girlfriends.

No one will know. I will never- will never tell anybody. I get what you're getting at. Ahahh, hah I get you! I get you. I understood what you're thinking of. I understood now. Sorry- Ah sorry I should've thinked for a second more then I would've-"

"Who would do that? Having fake girlfriends while dating you? How can you think I could do something like that to you."

Skarra's surprised to see his saving the situation options to be declined this quickly. They were awesome options too. He can handle it he thinks to himself.

Shakes please talk, I can't get myself to talk. Please I can't do it.

"Don't downgrade yourself like that Skarra. But I'm not that guy to do that. Or accept my happiness only if it's under closed doors without everyone I want to know not knowing. How long would that even go? You know if we start I would like to end the boyfriend stage to get to the next one"

"No, of course, of course I understand I understand you haha you misunderstood me of course I also think of- think of that- you said that- yeah I do." He says whilst lifting both his hands. What a nervous tone, how not fitting to Skarra's usual self everyone has always seen. Even Shakes to be honest. But he has never been this desperate.

Shakes seems to think this isn't going anywhere now expect for the bottom. But just a flinch of his legs to the side direction makes Skarra grab his hand and pull it closer to his chest as he makes sure for it to be not going anywhere. Not at this moment no Shakes can't leave he'll figure this out.

"Shakes please I have never cried infront of you you can't make me now. I'm not a girl but what else do you want me to do now you can't just leave me without a clue. Are you cruel you're not cruel you're sweet- so sweet"

This sentence has period dots in it. In real life it didn't.

Shakes's focus shifts into the heartbeat his hand manages to feel as they're still being gripped infront of Skarra's chest, those are as fast as his words. At least his heartrate won't be known now.

He snaps back to reality as his eye notices Skarra's shaky hand lifting a bit to reach to gently touch his face but his low courage pulls it back before even he gets a tiny bit close.

Now he lets the other hand drop Shakes's hand too. Seems like nothing he says will change his mind. "I'll think." Shakes says and gives him hope

"Yes. Yes you go think. You should think." Skarra nods quickly

"Would you want me to drop you?"

Hah, what a question. Is Shakes even emotionally avaible to consider the chances of this whole rollercoaster happening again but this time in the car with more risk and no way of walking away? Even if he told Skarra to come only in the condition of him not saying a word again about it just the tension would be enough to make him regret it

"No, thanks"

"It's okay" adds quickly "I wasn't gonna leave now anyway hah I was gonna leave in an hour or so" lie. He only says that so Shakes has enough time to walk back home before him having to drive past him in an awkard way.

Shakes goes home with the failed plan of "thinking about it when I arrive home", for he wasn't able to think of anything else the whole road.

Skarra falls asleep in the car. Not because he was so sleepy but why go back home now? He was gonna come here tomorrow anyway. No need to meet up with some housemates who's probably been still awake at this hour.

[redheadgleek]

End of Year: Fiber Arts

I knit four scarves this year, to go with the three I had made last winter and gave them to my college girlfriends. That makes a total of 12 scarves I’ve made in the last three years and I finally used up all of my Rasta yarn!

I made my first shirt! It’s a linen/cotton blend that was somewhat rough to knit, but definitely softened as I went along. I made a decision early on to not do shaping around the bust, and that was a mistake, as it’s a little more boxy of a drape than what I like. I also had to go back and reinforce the neckline because it was giving Flashdance vibes.

I learned how to crochet and made my mom a kerchief for Christmas. I like crochet because it’s only one loop of yarn you’re dealing with at a time, but finding the beginning of a round is so complicated, I basically did the whole thing three times.

I went to Thailand and learned how to do back strap loom weaving from some of the Tribal women. I’m pretty proud of what I managed to accomplish in just three hours!

I tried out spindle spinning, but I haven’t had enough time to devote to it – it’s really challenging pulling out the fibers just right to get the right tension and circumference.

My dolls from last year are still languishing. I was trying to design a little suit coat and haven’t gotten the proportions right and now it’s been long enough, I don’t know where the mistakes are, so I’m probably going to have to start over. I’ve also been trying to knit a pair of “glittens” (I don’t like the fingers on the pattern, so it’s a fingerless glove with a flap), but I’m struggling with the thumb and just discovered that I’m off on my count, so I had to go back several rows.

This was also the year that I discovered a knitting community and have been spending my spare Thursday afternoons at my local yarn store knitting with others. And I reconnected with a couple of friends: my next door neighbor and another friend from the old MoFem days both knit and spin, so they came over several evenings to “stitch and bitch.”

[wehneyjo]

My favorite radio station in St Louis, MO died yesterday Jan 31st, 2025. All of the creative volunteers and volunteer DJs have been formally dismissed, and live studio broadcast are now "paused".

My dad used to always play this station because he loves blue music, and it would drive my Mom crazy listening to "all that old crap." I didn't really get the appeal either as a kid.

When I started driving I played the music on my phone or iPod through my car stereo mostly, but curiosity made me eventually tune in to 88.1 KDHX to give it a shot, maybe as a way to honor/think/give respect to my Dad or something or other.

What I discovered was a totally unique and cool place to hear all kinds of music, all genres, from passionate and knowledgeable DJs who just wanted to share their collections of tunes with the St. Louis community and the world. Their service on the airwaves wasn't just limited to music though.

Through my dozen-ish years of tuning in to KDHX on my commute not only have I found awesome artists that no algorithm from YouTube or Spotify would recommend ever, but I also got to enjoy the unique feel of each DJ's show and voice every day of the week.

Pablo Meshugi is the (now former) host of a show "No Time to Tarry Here" dedicated to OLD freakin' music. I'm talking wax cylinder shit and recordings that are half scratching noises accompanied by folk yodeling and banjos. But I LOVED listening to this man talk. Slow. Drawn out. Enunciated. Every track was followed up with Pablo sharing stories and history pertaining to the selection of music.

DJSheBeatz hosted on KDHX the world's first ever FM radio show dedicated to holistic healing, meditation, and mindfulness, and her music selection of chill hiphop beats was the HIGHLIGHT of my Thursday afternoons. She also has a lovely and relaxing voice and calming energy when she speaks. i was torn when she left the station, but I listen to her new broadcast "TheSheHealzShow" on Spotify.

Ital K (former host of "Ital Rhythms") had the chillest most vibin' reggae and rasta music show on the planet and he was also a pleasure to listen to.

All of the Hiphop DJs that I like, GWizz, Kut, Iceman, DJ Speed, helped me appreciate hip hop at it's best, and I know I'm not going to hear the same types of curated beats ever again.

Darren Snow (former host of "Rocket88") consistently delivered an amazing rock n roll and rockabilly show that was full of energy and variety. Some shows had themes: English Invasion, Japanese bands (He played freakin' Baby Metal one show), etc.

Sherri Danger formerly hosted "Dangerous Curves" with a focus all on female artists throughout the decades.

I'm running out of compliments to give these wonderful people who have been a truly important part of my life. I'm upset that something so good has to suffer and ultimately die from internal personal problems at the studio among staff and DJs coupled with greedy board directors who want to make a buck at the expense of something as special as KDHX.

Goodbye KDHX. I thought you could hold out and live through the mass exodus of DJs from a year and a half ago when all of my favorites all left at once, but the writing was on the wall then. I heard a few of the volunteer DJs and staff really were bad / toxic for the station, and that this was inevitable, but I still miss the music and passion.

[sierrawitch]

Celtic Customs: Hair

by autumn sierra

I’d like to share a bit about the significance of hair in Celtic culture, specifically how it pertains to myself. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a folk practice, just a general custom. (This isn’t an article just a general post based on a prompt.)

In ancient times, the Celts (be they Irish or Scottish or Welsh, etc) were very well known for their grooming and cleanliness. They were the ones that inspired the use of soap for the Romans and Anglo-saxons. With this, there was an incredible amount of importance placed on one’s hair.

Many Celts carried ivory or wooden combs to maintain their hair, preventmats, and washed it regularly. They developed intricate braids along with normal three strand plaits in order to keep their hair long and healthy. Later on, it became popular for Irish men in particular to cut their hair into a bowl shape in the front and short in the back—the “glib”—but for the longest time in history, they were most known for their long, well kept hair.

It’s an ongoing debate whether the Celts incorporated the use of locs in their customs. In some cases, I would argue that yes, locs were present due to lack of resources among the lower class. However, it wasn’t the standard as many Irish and Scottish peoples regularly bathed and groomed themselves. Some may have received “fairy locs”: matted and woven sections of hair made by the mischievous sìthe.

(This is not cause for the accusation of cultural appropriation, as there are many types of hair patterns from 1a-4C, and such ideas didn’t even exist in early centuries. Those with curly, kinky, or coily textures are more likely to have naturally occurring locs which can be maintained through what we now know as crocheting, and twisting, etc. Certain curl patterns are not exclusive to the African, Baye Fall, Rasta, and other communities considered black. For these reasons, locs—not necessarily “dreads”, since there is cultural significance there—have also been worn by Indigenous American (and possibly Inuit) peoples, Aztecs, Minoans, the Polish, Indigenous Australians, Tibetans, and Indians throughout history.)

Long hair is said to be a representation of spiritual growth, connection to the self and the natural world. The head was considered the vessel in which the soul resides in ancient times, specifically in Celtic folklore. This is evidence for why warriors would take the heads of their enemies in battle, as a symbol of victory over another’s soul. (Quite brutal, indeed.)

My hair is also an insanely important part of my identity, and I’ve adopted similar practices of maintenance as my Celtic ancestors. I’m now recognized by family, friends, and coworkers for my hair’s length, vibrancy and shine. I’ve also realized some symbolism of plaits, the three strands representing the body, mind, and spirit. It’s great to meditate on the interconnectivity of these while braiding. I usually braid it like this, or keep it twisted into a bun or hair pin to keep it from matting in the breeze. Somehow, it seems the wind has become more enticed with tangling my hair as of late. Maybe the sìthe found their way to me only to tangle my hair!