Ellen sent me this photo of the wall hangings I made for her framed and hanging in her breakfast nook.
When Christy read about them she left me a comment on facebook saying….
“I love the thoughts of the church ladies at the church picnic. Interesting that I feel it connects in a gauzy sort of way to the “hidden” goddess and you’re freeing her with the flying vulvas.”
Christy has touched on something I was feeling too, after making the wall hanging and hearing Ellen’s reaction to them.
I do feel like those ancient Goddesses are hidden in the linens and the whispered conversations of the women who owned and made them.
Christy’s words “you’re freeing them with your flying vulvas” are just right for the idea, born of these wallhangings, that’s brewing inside of me.
From my How To Keep Your Husband quilt. You can Listen to our latest Podcast here.
Jon and I both reacted, in similar, but different ways to the 2016 election.
We both decided we didn’t wanted to spend our time being angry and arguing our beliefs, so we decided to act on our beliefs instead and turn our anger to good.
Jon found good work to do supporting Refugees and older people who would be hurt by the new government policies. He started the Army of Good, so many of you, who have given money to support people in need.
My art has become a vehicle for my actions. I began voicing my ideas and beliefs on women’s issues even more than I had in the past. Spreading the word of women voice, freedom and strength though my Flying Vulva’s and other works.
Both of us went to issues that were personal to us. And we support each others work in different ways.
And you and listen to any of our Katz and Wulf On Bedlam Farm, podcasts anytime by clicking on the Podcast buttons on my blog. It does take time and money for us to create our podcasts, so if you like them, want to and are able to, you can donate to them by clicking on the Support my Blog button.
“Love the word yoni.” Janet wrote ” When I was a kid my mother called my pelvic area, my crotch, my “fat piece of meat”. Not kidding. Then Janet told me the story of a Yoga student she had…”She was one of five girls. The family word for yoni was bobo. The girls were at the zoo and a gorilla had a name plate Bobo. All five of them almost died when they saw it.”
Janet’s stories made me think of how, when I was growing up, we didn’t have a word for vulva. Or for penis either. As far as I can remember, we just didn’t mention them.
The good thing about that is it gives me the freedom to think of and call my own vulva whatever I want without the baggage of past, potentially negative identities.
But really, even with all the Vulva Awareness I’m experiencing at this point in my life (and it is actually a new thing for me to be creating and writing about vulvas) I never thought about naming my vulva. But I think it’s important to do, because when we put a word to something, we give it an identity.
Throughout my life I’ve used the word “pussy” to mean someone who’s afraid to do something. I’ve said, “Don’t be a pussy” to plenty of people. Sometimes it still slips out, even though I definitely don’t want to be implying that women and their genitalia are inherently weak.
Women have been reclaiming the word pussy for years. The guerrilla, feminist Punk Rock band Pussy Riotis a great example. Imprisoned for their political beliefs in Russia, they’re hardly weak or afraid to stand up for themselves and others.
More and more I’ve been thinking of my vulva as Pussy, even if I haven’t officially named her that. Not in the way of “don’t be a pussy” but in a soft and sexy way. Much like how our cat, Flo, will wind herself slowly and seductively around my legs.
My vulva is a sensitive and powerful gatekeeper. The sacred entrance. Like Janet, I love the word Yoni too. It is serious and playful at the same time. It elevates my vulva to the holiest of places.
The word Pussy has a crassness to it, which is kind of enticing and endearing, but dangerous too. Like the spider who eats the male after mating. I like taking the word back, from the image it evokes in me, of boys taunting each other with it on the dead-end street where I grew up.
I like making it mine.
Perhaps my vulva deserves two names. Pussy Yoni, or Yoni Pussy, depending on how I’m feeling. She can handle it. And I know she’ll like having a name, being known. She’s definitely not as shy as she used to be.
Janet B. (a different Janet), inspired me to make some more Flying Vulva Potholderswhen she asked me to make her a few to give to her friends. They’re for sale in my Etsy Shop and like all vulvas each one is different. They’re $25 each + $5 shipping. Click here to see and buy them.
Once upon an election Was a forecast of a wave. No one being quite certain Of the direction it would take.
The ground began to rumble Speculation was unending. And when the dust had cleared The vulvas were ascending!
It’s past time, said the sisters We’ll not settle or retract. The shift of power has begun And there is no going back.
Raise our hearts and voices Give the old guard a needed rest. Welcome in a new shift of True equality and respect.
I sent Cheryl a few of my Flying Vuvla Buttons and Cheryl wrote this poem capturing the meaning of my Flying Vulva’s so well. Thank you Cheryl, I just had to share it.
Yesterday I wrote about the shame I’ve felt about my stomach, but many women have the same kind of shame about their vulva.
Because vulva’s, like the rest of us, come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. And the idealized vulva, (which often comes from pornographic images) like the idealized woman’s body, is not what most of us have.
The video explains that most women don’t even know what their vulva’s look like. And often only think about it when a man, who has an idea of what a vulva is “supposed” to look like, tells them.
I have to admit, this is something I never thought about.
Honestly, until recently, I never thought much about my vulva at all. Just watching this video makes me aware of how strange that really is. How disconnected from this very important part of my body I’ve actually been. And how little I know about vulva’s in general.
This all reinforces my idea of lifting the shame and stigma associated with our vulva’s and vaginas. And being able to talk openly about them and understand them, just as we would any other part of our bodies.
My new Flying Vulva Button. I’ll be selling them in my Etsy Shop next week.
I’ve gotten some meaningful, fun, insightful and angry responses to my Flying Vulva’s whether they’re on Potholders or decals.
But I’ve learned something from them all.
Some people send me their own stories that the Flying Vulva’s remind them of. Others the stories of Goddesses. I even appreciate the responses from people who are upset by them. Those are the ones that help make me more articulate about my reasons for making the Flying Vulva and articulating what it means to me.
It was Sharon who sent me the story of the Hawaiian Goddess Pele and her sister Kapo. It goes like this….
“Once when Pele and her sister Kapo were traveling they were seen by Kamapua’a (the hog-man demi god). Aroused by the sight of Pele he pursued her. Kapo however, happened to posses a detachable vagina. To save Pele she threw this decoy away from the direction of their flight and Kamapa, distracted, went off after it...”
I had only barely heard of the Goddesses Pele and Kapo, before reading this story. And the little I’ve found out about them shows that they are very powerful.
But I saw a truth in this story that spoke to me.
It made me wonder how many women have given away their sexuality to save themselves from men who wanted to take it from them. As if they had a right to it.
We learned to cover and hide, be embarrassed by and even be disgusted by our own sexuality. We’ve learned to hate and be afraid of women who are proud of their sexuality and refuse to suppress it.
How many women have been accused of deserving “it” because of the way they dress or act. We give away our sexuality to save ourselves. And our religions and our Laws and society reinforce the idea.
But things are changing. Maybe not quickly and in a crooked line, but there is progress.
And that’s what my Flying Vulva’s are about. That new freedom strength and power that women are feeling and living right now.
You can buy my Flying Vulva Decals in my Etsy Shop just click here.
Cheryl often leaves comments on my blog in the form of poems. This morning I she did just that, sending me a poem about my Flying Vulva.
She has captured in her words so much of what I’m saying with my image.
Here’s Cheryl’s poem…..
“The vulvas on wing It’s beautiful thing My morning began With a smile Can the labias lead? Will the patriarch cede? Has the status quo Substantially shifted? Rise up! And fly high Leave the paradigms lie Wear your pussy hats Choose our most gifted.”
