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Jenny Quest

writer. maker. wanderer.

Month: January 2021

— Featured, Health/Wellness, Memoir —

Radical Embodiment

January 20, 2021
Ahimsa Wings

Author’s note: This is a piece I wrote a couple of years ago as I was developing a workshop called Radical Embodiment. I came across it again recently and thought of it again today, as I watched the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and felt my body respond: releasing years of fear and… Read More Radical Embodiment

Jennifer E. Langdon, PhD

But You Can Call Me Jenny Quest.

I’m a writer-maker-wanderer, seeking self-knowledge, right livelihood, and a place to call home.

Current and lingering passions: history and herstory; visionary feminist fiction, film and politics; tiny houses, vintage trailers and the open road; midcentury modernism and 21st century minimalism; permaculture principles for the planet, ourselves, and each other; found objects and upcycled anything; floating and flying and 5 rhythms dance; dreamwork and handcrafting… oh, and a strong cup of green jasmine tea. And my worm bin!

Fellow travelers welcome!

Join Me On The Journey!

This raggedy little guy is Gizmo. He’s been wand This raggedy little guy is Gizmo. He’s been wandering loose and close to the road for as long as I’ve been up here; this week I managed to get close enough to pick him up. I tracked down his people but they can no longer care for him. So, with their permission, I’ve been trying to find him a safer home.

He is a SUPER SWEETIE, big snuggler, not a barker, good on a leash, good with other animals, still pretty spry for an older fellow. Oh, and he’s a Lhasa Apso with AKC papers; with some serious professional grooming, I think he will be gorgeous. But there are challenges: he’s quite old (15 next month) and significantly hearing impaired. He needs shots and probably some dental work. Not the greatest candidate for adoption out of a shelter, right?

He’s been hanging with me in the #Avion, and yes, I will admit, I’ve had a few “Travels with Gizmo” fantasies but oy, I am SO allergic to this dog!

@OldDogHaven to the rescue (I hope)! ODH is a private organization dedicated to fostering and adopting out older dogs in western Washington, and they are working hard to find a placement for Gizmo. 

PLZ send some mojo his way! And check out Old Dog Haven. I am super impressed with the folks I’ve been working with and with all they are doing on behalf of senior dogs. And they have some terrific merch – guess what my fam will be getting for holiday gifts this year?!?!? I can already see my dad in an “I ❤️ Old Dogs” beanie!

And if you or anyone you know is looking for a sweet geezer dog to love and care for in his final years, plz let me know! 
#iheartolddogs 
#olddoghaven #gizmoneedsasafehome #olddogsneedlovetoo #lhasaapso #lhasaapsolove #homefortheholidays #supportyourlocalshelter #adoptadog
On today’s walk I found the local goats — and On today’s walk I found the local goats — and they are both charming and intrepid! #ILoveGoats #LocalGoat #RockClimber #AmWalking
The veil thins and the new year begins. Boo! #samh The veil thins and the new year begins. Boo! #samhainblessings #gosmudgeyourself #halloween #happyhalloween #alchemyfair 👻🦇🎃💀❤️‍🔥
Happy May Day everyone! One last glorious sunrise Happy May Day everyone! One last glorious sunrise here at #fountainofyouthrvpark ❤️ I’m heading north again after a very satisfying DIY writing-swimming-chilling retreat. Well, maybe not chilling as my month here was bookended by triple-digit heat. Still, I am happy to report substantial progress on #TheFileOnMargotBlack — I am seeing big light at the end of this very looong writing tunnel. #neverthelessshepersisted #campnanowrimo #amwriting #noirmorethanever
#desertsky #sunrise #sunset #homeiswhereyouparkit #desertsky #sunrise #sunset #homeiswhereyouparkit
My friend Dawn popped by the other day for a visit My friend Dawn popped by the other day for a visit. We met at Fountain of Youth a few years ago and bonded instantly. (I’m gonna try to dig up a pic of us riding her Segways — with Fiona the Incredible Eyeball-Free Pug!) What a treat to reconnect with her. We hung out poolside, hiked the labyrinth, and talked and talked and talked. She shared great stories about being an extra (she AND her badass van) in Nomadland (so jelly!) and gave me some advice on rejiggering my truck space to fit an electric bicycle (after showing off hers — again, so jelly!) This is one of the best parts of road life — the fabulous people you meet and then run into again and again. ❤️ #roadsisters #nomadland #wanderers #roadlife #fountainofyouth #womenontheroad
Arrived. Arrived.
Well, more #roadtripdrama this morning.... Just as Well, more #roadtripdrama this morning.... Just as I was leaving my friend Hotrod Lynda’s house, I noticed oil leaking from the bottom of Blanca’s engine. Not terrible but enough for me to want a mechanic’s eyeball before heading out into the desert for hundreds of miles. Don’t worry — that engine in the lower left corner isn’t mine! 😂It’s just a leaky gasket, easily repaired and not too expensive. That’s the good news. The bad news: today’s travel plan is totally kaput. #quartzsite will have to wait for another trip.... The silver lining: another night at Lynda’s posh pad — and I’ve declared it #taconight🌮 ❤️🥑 So one more day of fun with a friend before I head south for a month-long DIY #writingretreat with #campnanowrimo ⌨️Big thanks to #bigotires of #mesqitenv for keeping me #roadsafe! #avioncamper #camperlife #roadtrip #bettersafethansorry #ontheroadagain #travel #womenontheroad #adventureisoutthere
My #avioncamper has some new stickers to commemora My #avioncamper has some new stickers to commemorate my latest adventures. Just call me #stickerslut Casinos are my idea of sheer hell so all I did in Vegas was drive the freeway through downtown but OMG, that alone was a high-stakes big roller adrenaline rush. Talk about #whiteknuckledriving AACK! So, yeah, even without stopping, I earned that sticker. Both  #lostcitymuseum and #valleyoffirestatepark were wonderful, much calmer and way cooler than #sincity and its #meanstreets. Stay tuned for pics of gorgeous native baskets and wild rock formations! And, of course, #route66. Someday I’m gonna drive that road from beginning to end.... #bucketlist #roadtrip #camperlife #avion #littleladybigtruck #exploring #desertlife #ontheroad
Lazy Sunday lunchtime: Simple salad. On a patio. I Lazy Sunday lunchtime: Simple salad. On a patio. In bare feet. I’m pretty easy to please these days. #alfresco #simplelife #simplefood #desertlife #mesquitenv #easylikesundaymorning
Me yesterday, driving through the middle-of -nowhe Me yesterday, driving through the middle-of -nowhere-desert toward Barstow, CA and getting the dashboard alert that there was a problem with my right rear tire. Uhoh! But #allswellthatendswell — and this did just that. Thank you #goodsamclub #roadsideservice for helping get me back #ontheroadagain. Thank you #flyingj of Barstow for hosting me overnight — again! Thank you #lesschwab of Victorville for fitting me into the tire repair queue! #beprepared #lookforthehelpers #feelinglucky #camperlife #gratitude
Hello #Spring! I’m kicking off the season with a Hello #Spring! I’m kicking off the season with a trip to the Merced Farmers Market with my super foodie brother-in-law — who comes every week and knows all the vendors by name. #foodislove Snap peas, arugula, radicchio, an array of citrus 🍊❤️ I can’t wait for dinner! #goodfood #farmersmarket #shoplocal #shoporganic #supportyourlocalfarmer #supportyourlocalfarmersmarket #smallisbeautiful #sustainableliving #community #camperlife #mercedfarmersmarket #vintagefarmsuds #rawrootsfarm #quicheycreations #shaskyfarms #eatyourveggies
This is what #road-ready looks like! I’ve done a This is what #road-ready looks like! I’ve done a ton of work over the past week — cleaning, purging, organizing, fixing — to get my #Avion camper ready to roll. And today’s the day: I am heading south in search of some sunshine for my #SAD lizard body-brain. 🦎 Squeeee! 123 #LFG! #roadtrip #thedesertiscalli gandImustgo #womenontheroad #camperlife #tinylife
Day 9 #womenshistorymonth Harriet Tubman as The Day 9 #womenshistorymonth
 
Harriet Tubman as The Chariot
 
Yaaaaasssss! 
 
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849, using the North Star and some mad naturalist skills to guide her to Pennsylvania and freedom. And then she went back, again and again, each time risking her own freedom to rescue as many as 300 others. Thirteen trips from the safety of the north back into slavery and out again.
During the Civil War Tubman served as scout, spy, nurse, and guerilla soldier for the Union Army, and in 1863 led a raid on a group of plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina, which resulted in the liberation of about 750 enslaved people.
 
After the war Tubman settled in Auburn, NY, in the heart of the burned over district, a hotbed of religious radicalism, abolitionism and feminism. Her home became a gathering place for elderly and displaced freedmen and women. This land and the restored buildings, including the Tubman Home for the Aged, are now a National Historic Park, the latest in a small but growing constellation of historic sites recognizing the centrality of African-Americans in this nation’s history.
 
A national park. An award-winning 2019 feature film. And a renewed push to put her likeness on the $20 bill. I love that this incredible woman is finally getting her due. I hope the $20 bill happens and that the design includes the North Star…. She has been and continues to be that guide to freedom, brilliant and fixed even in the darkest of skies.
 
From the Guidebook: Harriet Tubman as the Chariot is the light on the horizon. She bears an important message: find your North Star and run toward it. Turning back is not an option. Go forth. Have faith. Move ahead.
 
#HarrietTubman
#TheChariot #ourtarot
#NorthStar
#Freedom
#Abolition
#UndergroundRailroad
#HarrietTubmanNationalHistoricPark
Day 7 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth Frida Kahlo Day 7 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth
 
Frida Kahlo as Death
Mortality/Grief/Loss/Transition/Impermanence
 
How perfect that Death in the #our-tarot deck is represented by Frida Kahlo (1907-1954, Mexico)! I am a HUGE Frida fan, very drawn to her narrative of transforming personal pain, disability, and politics into transcendent art. Kahlo took up painting in the aftermath of a horrific streetcar accident. Despite multiple surgeries and constant pain, she became a leading figure in the world of Mexican modernist art and radical politics.
 
From the Our Tarot Guidebook: “Frida as Death reminds us to give up what isn’t truly important to us…. What aspects, problems, and situations in our lives do we need to allow to end? How can we transition and transform, creating a new beginning?”
 
#FridaKahlo
#DeathCard
#Mortality
#Transformation
#Closure
Day 6 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth Lucrezia Bo Day 6  #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth
 
Lucrezia Borgia as Seven of Swords
 
The Borgias, one of the leading families of Renaissance Italy, are practically synonymous with trickery, lies, and betrayal – all hallmarks of the Seven of Swords. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519) was the illegitimate daughter of a Catholic cardinal who later became Pope Alexander VI. Gossip, strife, intrigue were central to the politics and culture of Rome, and the Vatican, during this period, and Lucrezia’s life was dominated by her powerful father, who arranged all three of her marriages for the family’s political gain. At the same time, she is often considered the ultimate femme fatale, as a ruthless player in the game of political intrigue as any of the men who surrounded her. 
 
Whatever the truth about her (and the Our Tarot guidebook notes that she was the focus of much gossip and was maligned both in and beyond her own time), Lucrezia Borgia raises such interesting questions about public image and the forces that shape our perceptions of powerful figures, especially powerful women….
 
According to the Our Tarot Guidebook, Lucrezia Borgia as the Seven of Swords asks us to consider whether we are projecting our own impressions instead of listening to someone when they tell us who they are. Are we being tricked by our subconscious belief systems?
 
#CardsAgainstPatriarchy
#WomensHistoryMonth
#LucreziaBorgia
#SevenofSwords
#Betrayal
#Trickery
#Projection
Day 5 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth Nefertari as Day 5 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth
 
Nefertari as The Empress
 
Nurturing/Nourishment/Womanhood/Protection
 
Nefertari (not to be confused with the earlier Egyptian queen, Nefertiti) was the first and favored wife of Ramses II, with whom she had at least six children. Beloved by both her husband and the people of Egypt, the highly educated Nefertari elevated the role of queen in ancient Egyptian society. The relics and artwork in her tomb depict her alone or of equal size (and presumably standing) as her husband, and suggest that she was a valued partner in the work of the realm. Nefertari was also frequently associated with the goddess Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of womanhood, motherhood, and joyful abundance.
 
The Empress represents a connection to the divine feminine in its many aspects: nurturance, abundance, compassion, love, sensuality, fecundity, creativity. According to the Our Tarot guidebook, Nefertari as The Empress asks: what small action can we take to nurture ourselves right now? How can we bring more harmony into our world?
 
#TheEmpress
#Nefertari
#AncientEgypt
#Hathor
#DivineFeminine
#Womanhood
#Motherhood
#Abundance
#Nurturing
#Protection
Day 4 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth Florence Owen Day 4 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth  Florence Owens Thompson as Five of Pentacles
 
You may not recognize this name (I didn’t) but I know you know the image: Florence Owens Thompson (1903-83, United States) was the real woman behind Dorothea Lange’s iconic Depression-era photo, “Migrant Mother.” The photo was taken in the spring on 1936 outside a migrant camp near Nipomo, CA. Lange was documenting the abysmal working conditions of itinerant agricultural laborers for the Farm Security Administration; her photograph of Thompson came to symbolize the hunger and hopelessness experienced by so many during the economic collapse of the 1930s.
 
The Five of Pentacles is a card of financial loss, adversity, and social isolation, a card of deep resonance for current conditions. In the #ourtarot deck, Florence Thompson as the Five of Pentacles asks us to consider the challenges of those around us as well as our own. What can you do to help others who might be struggling? How can you use your own inner strength to pull yourself out of a tough situation?
 
#CardsAgainstPatriarchy
#FiveofPentacles
#FlorenceOwensThompson
#DorotheaLange
#GreatDepression
#MigrantMother
Day 3 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth Catherine of Day 3 #ourtarot #womenshistorymonth  Catherine of Aragon as The Hierophant // Ah, the staunchly Catholic first wife of Henry VIII, married off first to his brother Arthur to cement an alliance between Spain and England, then cast aside when she failed to produce a male heir — a habit of Henry’s that left heads rolling (literally) and political-religious institutions roiling for decades, indeed for centuries.... Catherine of Aragon as The Hierophant represents the forces of tradition and institutional power throughout history, reminding us that sometimes institutions can be used for good but also warns against the abuse of power. This card prompts us to ask: Which traditions, systems or institutions add quality to our lives? Which stifle us?  #CardsAgainstPatriarchy #CatherineOfAragon #TheHierophant #thehierophanttarot #tradition #tudor #tudorengland #protestantreformation #marrage #religion #politics #interestingbedfellows
Day 2 #ourtarot – Sophie Scholl as Five of Wands Day 2 #ourtarot – Sophie Scholl as Five of Wands
 
Wow. Just two days in, and this daily card pull for #womenshistorymonth isn’t pulling any punches…. The Five of Wands is all about conflict, tension, divergent opinions and ensuing chaos. Talk about #rippedfromtheheadlines!
 
And Sophie Scholl, whoa. She was a German woman who joined with other University of Munich students in 1942 to form The White Rose, an underground anti-Nazi organization that produced and distributed pamphlets urging passive resistance to the fascist regime. A year later, she and the other young leaders were arrested and convicted of treason, without being allowed to speak in their own defense.
 
These were Scholl’s last words before she was executed on February 22, 1943, at the age of 21:
 
“How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause? Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?”
 
From the Our Tarot Guidebook: “Just as Sophie called on her fellow Germans to resist, the Five of Wands calls us to action. We may not know how the battle will end, but she reminds us to act in accordance with our conscience. There may be a cost to doing so but what is the price of doing nothing?”
 
Wow. So much is coming up for me around this card. I’m a historian of the complex, vicious stew of fascism, anti-fascism, anti-communism, anti-Semitism, toxic masculinity, and the cultural politics of un-Americanism in mid-20th century U.S. I’ve spent the last 4+ years in a hyper-vigilant freak-out around the parallels between then and now. There is soooo much I want to say on this – but you don’t need me to #connectthedots, right? So, enough said. Let’s do this, people.
 

#CardsAgainstPatriarchy
#WomensHistoryMonth
#OurTarot
#FiveOfWands
#SophieScholl
#TheWhiteRose
#resistfascism
#LFG #NeverAgain #neveragainisnow
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