This week has been a cosmically crazy week. We had the lunar eclipse, which was also a special “bloodmoon” that brought forth feelings of excitement and optimism about new beginnings. At least, this is how I felt about the bloodmoon. I had a conversation with a friend that night on the phone as we basked in the red glow of the sun and the moon seemingly joined together, and we talked about blood. I remembered the words of Anita Diamante in her book, The Red Tent, and how she celebrated that all life requires blood. It was almost as though the eclipse was like New Year’s Eve, and the next day, we could all start anew.
But then, I realized another crazy thing. We were all celebrating Easter on April 20th. For those of you that don’t know, 4/20 is a day of celebration of marijuana and cannabis as well. In the same week that the moon and sun overlapped, we have another day that Christians and Pagans and Marijuana Enthusiasts also overlapped. It’s kind of cosmically awesome when you think about it.
Quick background:
Easter = celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Spring Equinox = celebration of fertility (i.e. bunnies and eggs and chicks)
4/20 = The police code for marijuana activity…hence the date (or time) at which pot smokers engage in recreation activities
ALL OF THIS IS OVERLAPPING!!!!! Like a friggin’ eclipse! It’s cosmic!
So, here’s my story to try together each of these concepts…
I was in a sorority. I know, get over it…it’s weird for all of us, but I found some great friends. Despite the concept of everyone being like everyone else, I was able to maintain my individual identity. I was not like many of the women in my chapter, but they all still embraced and respected me. And I them.
My senior year, my goal was to get all of the seniors high with me (by smoking the marijuana), and I thought it would be great to do during our senior retreat. I brought the weed. (Yes, I had connections thanks to my stoner boyfriend at the time.)
We rolled up a couple of joints, and some of us smoked. Before everyone could engage, we ran out of zig-zags. (This means that we ran out of the cigarette rolling papers needed to make marijuana cigarettes.) One of the women announced that it was okay and that we could use the blank pages in the back of her bible (that she’d brought with her) to use to roll the joints.
We did.
While smoking the joints on bible paper, we started to fondly reminisce about Sunday School and church camp and youth group, and we started to sing the songs e remembered from those activities. As we passed the bible wrapped joint, we sang “The Lord said to Noah” and “Oh Victory in Jesus” and many other greats. It was maybe the most blasphemous I’ve ever felt. And the most connected I ever felt to the women in my sorority.
It’s actually *maybe* my fondest memory.
It’s all so cosmic. Everything overlaps and interconnects.
Happy Bloodmoon. Happy Spring Equinox. Happy Easter. Happy 4/20. Let’s all work together!
Kelly Stone is a sexual health educator and college lecturer who likes to think of her stand-up comedy as “edutainment”. She began performing in 2006 at an open mic in Philadelphia and has been hooked on comedy ever since. She hosts the monthly Hot Mess Comedy Show at Bar 141 in San Marcos, speaks to various universities on many different topics, watches Project Runway, and is still trying to figure out how to keep her boys from smearing Greek yogurt on the furniture.
Follow her on twitter: @funnykelly or help stop her kids when they are trying to run across a busy street. There’s safety in numbers.
Show Dates:
Wednesday, April 16, San Marcos Game Night, 8:30 pm, Triple Crown, Free
Wednesday, April 23, Greeting from Queer Mountain, Cheer Up Charlie’s, 9:00 pm, Free
Friday, April 25, Hot Mess Comedy Show, 8:30 pm, Bar 141, $5
Saturday, April 26, Mr. Fest Comedy Showcase, 5:00 pm, Green Parrot, Free
Tuesday, April 29, Funniest Person In Austin Prelims, 8:00, Cap City Comedy, $6/2 Cans
Wednesday, April 30, San Marcos Game Night, 8:30 pm, Triple Crown, Free