• Summer 2019 Cross Country Road Trip

    August 28, 2019 /

    OVERALL ROAD TRIP STATS

    -69 days on the road (ALL of June & July)
    -9 states visited
    -29 National Parks, National Monuments, and State Parks visited (+ many other natural areas)
    -10,000+ miles driven
    -41 nights spent in my van
    -20 nights spent with friends
    -7 nights spent in airbnbs
    -16 photoshoots as either the photographer or model
    -18 rolls of film taken of other people
    -20 rolls taken of landscapes for double exposures
    -29 self portrait sets taken
    -140 video blogs taken (I only missed 2 or 3 days the entire trip!)

    CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OF MY DAILY VIDEO BLOGS AND TRAVEL PHOTOS FOR FREE!!!

    I wrote weekly trip updates for my mailing list while I was on the road this summer. I’m going to share with you what I’ve already shared with them, that way you’ll have more details from when it all was fresh on my mind!

    Click here, scroll down, and enter your email to join my free mailing list! I periodically share free stuff, blogs, upcoming events, travel notices, casting calls, and other awesome stuff!

    UPDATE 1

    I’m currently at Ignite! A small burn (think Burning Man but a LOT smaller – like 600 people) in the Virginia mountains. This is my second year in a row coming here. Last year was transformative and I’m excited to see what kind of experiences I have this time around!
    I get home from Ignite on Monday and I’ll have 3 days to unpack, do laundry, repack, say goodbye (for now) to loved ones, then I’m leaving on the 31st for my first solo cross country road trip!!!!
    I’ve been dreaming of visiting ALL of the National Parks for so long, and this summer I’m going to visit a BUNCH of them! First I’m heading straight over to Denver Colorado. I’ll be there for a day or two, then I’ll be off to Utah for a week or so before I make my way through California, Oregon, and Washington.
    I’ll be sending out regular updates so you can follow along on my journey!
    Here’s a list of the places I’m hoping to visit throughout June & July:
    McInnis Canyons
    Arches
    Canyonlands
    Dead Horse Point
    Capitol Reef
    Bryce Canyon
    Zion
     Castle Mountains
    Joshua Tree
    Sequoia
    Kings Canyon
    Death Valley
    Yosemite
    Lassen Volcanic
    Redwood
    Crater Lake
    North Cascades
    Mt Rainier
    Olympic
    I’ll be spending most of my time in June by myself in the desert. I’ll be taking a lot of self portraits, video blogs (vlogs), and creating courses (more on that soon!). I’ve never spent more than a week or so by myself so I’m really looking forward to getting to know myself better, and spending a LOT of time outdoors.
    In July I’ll be meeting up with creatives in Seattle and Portland, I’m so excited!
    Colorado National Mounument

    UPDATE 2

    My 2 month solo cross country road trip has officially begun! I left NC Friday the 31st and drove to southern Illinois, stayed with Tiffany Nacke for the night, photographed each other and hung out the next day, then I continued west and made it to Topeka Kansas late Saturday night. Sunday I drove all day and made it to Denver before sunset! I’m really proud of myself for making the trip from Charlotte NC to Denver CO in only 3 days. WHEW! 
    Monday I stayed with my new friend Singingsiren44 and on Tuesday we drove into the Rockies and took photos in the mountain wilderness. On Wednesday I drove to Colorado National Monument, stayed the night, and explored more on Thursday (and almost got in big trouble with a park ranger but I am privileged and LUCKY AS FUCK and didn’t). After the ranger incident I decided to go ahead and head to MY FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH Moab Utah. I’ve been here since Thursday evening and I’m SOOOO happy to be here again. I’ve taken 11 self portrait sets (10 of them in 1 day), visited Canyonlands, Arches, Dead Horse Point, Castle Valley, and the La Sal Mountains.
    Yesterday and today I’m relaxing because I’ve been going non-stop and need a break!
    I’m making daily vlogs about my travels, click here to watch them! (And find out more about the park ranger situation haha)

    Dead Horse Point State Park

    UPDATE 3

    I’m on day 22 of my road trip and whoa… out in Southern Utah amongst several National Parks it’s pretty difficult to find reliable internet and facilities. It’s been nice being semi off the grid (sometimes I get 4G on my phone so I can post to IG, answer emails etc), but now I have a BUNCH of computer work to do and there aren’t a ton of places to do it. I’ve been able to find showers and laundry easier than I’ve been able to find places with free wifi. Small town coffee shops so far have worked best for me, but they’re not in every town.
    I’ve been having a wonderful time exploring so many bucket list places since my last update: Goblin Valley, Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase – Escalante, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Valley of Fire, and Red Rock Canyon. I took a bunch of self portraits at Goblin Valley, Bryce Canyon, and Valley of Fire and I’m so excited to look through them!
    I’m currently in Vegas, even though I originally planned to skip it entirely. I’d rather be in nature than in big cities, but my body and mind needed a BREAK and I found a great airbnb for pretty cheap, so I’m here for 2 nights and it’s WONDERFUL. I took a SHOWER for the first time in a week, I did LAUNDRY, I’m sleeping in a bed that’s not in the back of my van for the first time in 2 weeks. It feels so gooooooooooood to be in a climate controlled house, in a big bed, on my computer getting stuff done. Also relaxing. Bigtime relaxing. Doing heavy emotional work on myself. Celebrating the fact that I still have over a month of road trip adventure left on this trip and I’ve listened to myself and my BODY when I needed a break from the constant go go go.
    If I can find a place to work for like, one day a week, I feel wayyyyy less stressed. I have a lot of stuff I can do on my phone with 4G, but there’s a LOT of stuff that I need my laptop and wifi to do, like this newsletter and uploading videos etc and if I wait for over a week to do anything I start to get really stressed out because I see the work piling up on me. I am here and being productive and also RESTING and RELAXING at the same time and ohhhhhh it feels great. <3

    I’ve continued to make at least one vlog every day so you can follow along on my journey, click here for the entire gallery of videos! There’s a LOT.


    Valley of Fire State Park


    UPDATE 4

    Officially one month on the road and I’m exhausted, but very happy.
    Since my last update I…
    -Spent a few days at an amazing Airbnb in Joshua Tree with some friends and made some AWESOME art (coming soon to my website!)
    -Got a stick n poke tattoo
    -Spent an afternoon in Joshua Tree National Park
    -Spent 2 days driving through and exploring Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (holy shit Sequoias are huge and old, wow such energy)
    -Spent 3.5 days driving north through the Eastern Sierras, visiting Alabama Hills, Sabrina Lake, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, Silver Lake, Mono Lake, and Lake Tahoe
    -Had a few days of freaking out because I took the saniderm off of my tattoo too early (late night bad decision that I REGRET), and was scared that I got it infected which turned into me feeling like I’m not taking care of myself and like I’m a failure (it’s healing better now but I’ll probably need to get it touched up)
    -Learned that I should probably not get tattoos while on the road
    -Had my first experience since being on the road of having trouble finding a place to sleep… a couple nights ago I went to FIVE different places before finally settling down at the SIXTH place. Drove around for an hour and a half trying to find a place I felt safe to sleep. Whew. Glad that’s only happened once so far.
    -Spent a lot of time next to rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. If you’re ever at Lake Tahoe I HIGHLY recommend Eagle Falls! It gets busy really fast so go early morning!
    -Decided to skip Yosemite because the main road into the park doesn’t open until after the timeframe I’ve planned to be in that area. Plus, I believe Yosemite deserves more of my time than just 2 days. I want to come back next year for at least a week. Apparently there’s a Vipassana center there?! I REALLY want to do a Vipassana and OMG how amazing would it be to do one in YOSEMITE?!
    -Am FINALLY spotting on day 45 of my cycle!!!! Last time I went on a road trip my body did this… waited a LONG time before bleeding. I guess it’s the extra stress on my body from all the traveling.
    July is when ALL THE THINGS happen! I spent pretty much all of June completely by myself, but July is when I’m being hosted by model friends, having a bunch of photoshoots, and hopefully doing even more hiking!
    I serendipitously scheduled myself to be in Portland on the same weekend as the Oregon County Fair and I’ve heard about how amazing it is so I plan to go at some point during that weekend. =]

    I’m currently at an airbnb outside of Reno for the weekend so I can do a TON of computer work, shower, and DO LAUNDRYYYYYYY! Clean sheets and wifi are such a luxury.


    Joshua Tree National Park


    UPDATE 5

    Since my last email I’ve visited Lassen Volcanic National Park, Arcata CA, Redwoods National & State Parks, and (briefly) Eugene OR. I had an overnight camping and half day shoot adventure with a photographer in Lassen, which was a trip! I was NOT expecting it to be as cold or for THAT MUCH SNOW to still be on the ground! There were sections of the park that were still under about 6 feet of snow… IN JULY! A couple of lakes were still ice and snow covered, with just the tiniest bit of BRIGHT BLUE water peeking out underneath. The campground we stayed at was not in the snowy area (thank goodness) but there was definitely a fair amount of snow still on the ground in the forest nearby. Lassen was definitely on the more extreme side of landscapes to model in. I scraped my body up posing on sharp pine needles, rough tree bark, and even inside of a burnt-out tree!
    I spent a couple days with friends in Arcata CA, and I fell in LOVE! <3 They live NEXT TO A REDWOOD FOREST so of course I took a walk in the forest every day I was there. It was incredible, I wish I lived close to a space like that. Ferns as tall as I am, clovers as big as my palm, and Redwoods towering above. It’s magickal in there. Not only is Arcata beautiful forest-wise, but it’s also only a few minutes away from the Pacific Coast. They took me to Moonstone beach and my first time seeing/touching the Pacific ocean did NOT disappoint. There were huge rocks, lush green caves, and TIDE POOLS! My first time seeing tide pools, too… such a beautiful mini-ecosystem.
    After I left Arcata I went through Redwoods National & State Parks, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park. I spent most of the day driving through groves of enormous trees and happened to park at the trailhead for Big Tree which is 286 feet tall, over 23 feet in diameter, and estimated to be about 1500 years old. All of the parks were wonderful, but I think my favorite was Howland Hill Road through Jedidiah Smith. It’s a really narrow 2 way dirt road that’s 10 miles long and takes you through a big chunk of the park and has lots of places to stop along the road. There are a few places where the massive trees are growing so close together that only one vehicle can get through at a time. I did part of the Boy Scout Tree trail which was GORGEOUS, but it was almost sunset and I ran out of time to walk the whole trail. I definitely want to go back and spend more time there in the future.
    I just got to Portland (after a very brief stop in Eugene for food and sleep), and I’m in a coffee shop getting some computer work done until I can meet my friend at his place after he gets off work. I have an exciting few days coming up! I have a half day shoot with a photographer outdoors somewhere, and the next day I have a modelographer group shoot at a nude beach! AHHHH so excited!

    As always, I have lots of new daily travel vlogs for you to watch! click here


    Columbia River Gorge

    UPDATE 6

    Oregon is GORGEOUS, y’all!
    I’ve spent the last several days here in Portland and I’m LOVING IT! I’ve had a shoot every day, including the nude beach gathering group shoot a few days ago which was SUPER FUN! By the end we had a naked cuddle pile of 8 people on the beach while a photographer photographed us with their drone! AHHH! I am SO EXCITED to see all of the images from that day, I got a sneak peek of the drone shots and OMGGGG <3
    If you’re ever in Portland and want to see lots of gorgeous nature stuff, go to the Columbia River Gorge area. Just… wow. I’ve spent 2 days there this week and I’m in LOVE. Beaches, waterfalls, forests, mountains… it’s all there.

    I’m heading to Seattle soon for another week full of photoshoots. I’m meeting up with some friends I’ve shot with before and also meeting several new people I’ve followed for a long time, so I’m looking forward to creating lots of art. As always. =]


    Mt Rainier National Park

    UPDATE 7

    I’ve been spending the last 2 weeks with a shoot just about every day, and they’ve all been wonderful! The shoot that I’m most excited to tell you about is the nude beach group shoot I organized outside of Portland.
    None of us knew everyone, most of us knew one or two people, and some of us had never even met anyone… and we all came together with creativity and love. We spent a decent amount of time just hanging out at first, then once most of us were there we all got in a circle and introduced ourselves and said what we could contribute to the group (photographer, model, assistant, BTS etc). I led us through a really short group meditation, then we talked about what we all wanted to do first, made some vague plans, then started shooting! The group morphed and changed, smaller groups broke off from the whole, people moved from group to group, and by the end of the day we had an 8 person nude cuddle pile while Jake took drone shots of us from above!

    It was an incredible experience and now I’m more excited than ever to start planning more in-person creative gatherings.


    Glacier National Park

    UPDATE 8

    Holy moly why have I never made a trip to Montana or Wyoming before?! It’s GORGEOUS here!!!
    Since my last newsletter, I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Tetons National Park! After I was in Tacoma for about a week, I went back to Portland for another last minute shoot, then I headed East for the first time in about 2 months. I drove from Portland to Glacier, spent a couple nights there, then a couple nights in Yellowstone, drove through some of Grand Teton, and now I’m in Thermopolis WY staying with friends of the family for a couple nights. I’m doing as much computer stuff as I can today while I have wifi, and this evening I’ll probably go check out the hot springs in town! I’ve been near a lot of hot springs on this trip but I have yet to get in one… hopefully I’ll have experienced a natural hot spring for myself before my next newsletter!
    I probably won’t be doing these newsletters every week (like I have been) once I’m back home because I won’t have as much to talk about. I plan on locking myself in the house and going through the THOUSANDS of photos I’ve taken on this cross country adventure and getting them ready to share with members of my website. I’ll probably do newsletters every 2 weeks or once a month in the future.
    *If you follow my instagram and watch my stories regularly, you’ve probably seen that I’ve been going through a lot of emotional stuff lately. I made a really vulnerable vlog about what’s going on with me personally that’s in there with my other daily vlogs. If you’re curious what’s been going on with me, that video explains it really well.*

    click here for the daily travel vlogs I’ve been making for this trip!


    Yellowstone National Park

    UPDATE 9

    I got home on August 7th after 69 days on the road. This is by far the longest trip I have ever been on, and the longest time I’ve been on my own in my entire life. It changed my life, honestly. I now enjoy spending time by myself, and look forward to it! I never wanted to be alone before. I care even LESS what people think of me, which is really awesome because now I have a lot more room in my brain for much better things like what I want to eat and where I want to explore next! haha
    I have complete faith in myself that no matter what life throws at me, I can handle it. It might be hard and uncomfortable, but I am capable. I have a large support system of wonderful family and friends and if I should falter, I know they will help pick me back up. I am so grateful.
    Since July 1st….
     I’ve visited: Lake Tahoe, Lassen Volcanic, Arcata, Redwood, Portland, Tacoma, Mt Rainier, Bainbridge Island, Olympia, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Thermopolis, and Bloomington! (California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Illinois)
    I had 13 photoshoots. I organized a nude beach gathering with 8 other people. I went to 2 different nude beaches. I drove over 5000 miles. I stayed with friends for 20 nights and slept in my van 17 nights.
    I saw the Pacific ocean for the first time, saw tidepools for the first time, and had my first natural hot spring experience!
    I became single, by choice, for basically the first time in my life. I’ve learned that solo polyamory and relationship anarchy feel the best for me in terms of relationship at this point in my life.

    Now I have 18 rolls of film to get developed… OH MY GOSH I’ll have SO MUCH to share with members of my website once I get all of my photos back and in order! I so look forward to sharing all of this wonderful nude art!!!

    CLICK HERE TO BECOME A MEMBER FOR INSTANT ACCESS TO ALL OF MY CONTENT!


    Arches National Park

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  • Cross country road trip: one month down, one to go.

    July 1, 2019 /
    In 1 month on the road I’ve:
    -driven over 4500 miles
    -visited 18 National Parks, National Monuments, and State Parks
    -visited 4 different states (Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California)
    -taken 5 showers
    -spent 24 nights sleeping in my van
    -spent 5 nights in airbnbs
    -spent 2 nights hosted by a friend
    -shot 15 rolls of landscapes for double exposures (MORE ON THESE SOON!!)
    -shot 28 self portrait sets (holy shit I counted just now and didn’t realize I’d taken that many already wowwww)
    -made 86 daily travel vlogs (for you to watch for free! see below!)
    -made 26 videos with my digital camera
    -made hundreds of videos with my cell phone

    Now that I’ve put all of this info together I feel SUPER pleased about how much I’ve accomplished. Wow. And to think I was feeling some kinda way about productivity earlier this month… pshhhh.

    All of my relaxing or “doing nothing” time is ALSO time that *all the things* are in the process of being done. Things need to marinate sometimes. I cultivate my creative energy by doing things for ME, and the BEST time to create is when I am filled with creative energy, wouldn’t you agree?!

    Wow, I’m really typing this to remind myself more than anything. I have such a tendency to push myself to work and check things off to do lists that it’s easy to put myself last. I can talk all day about self care and the importance of doing things for yourself, just because… but when it comes to myself sometimes I forget.

    This trip has really helped me remember the importance of just… laying in the grass. Climbing rocks. Crying next to a river. Sitting between two massive trees and watching the wind in their crowns.

    We as a society tend to go and do and think about what’s next and and and

    I’m catching myself speeding up, feeling more inadequate, more anxious, in my head too much when I’m looking at screens a lot of the day.

    There’s been a new kind of anxiety of not knowing when I’ll have internet again, or even phone service because of some of the remote landscape locations I’m visiting. But it’s SO FREEING at the same time.

    I have my own full attention. No notifications from the computer in my pocket.

    The relief of being completely alone.

    I am able to see more details, like the little bird flitting around under the bush, the secret little nook in the hollow of a tree, or the way the light shines through the trees in just the right way to see a spider web high above.

    This is my reminder to come back to myself.

    This trip is showing me how to just BE with myself. I so often avoid introspection because I have a hard time disentangling my thoughts and feelings and I don’t usually know how to explain what I’m feeling or why. It’s easier to just fill my schedule with tons of things to do so that I don’t have to sit with myself.

    That’s made my thoughts and feelings just get more confused and intense and it’s time. Time for me to sit with them. Disentangle them. Ask them their names and why they’re here inside of me. Acknowledge their presence in my life and ALLOW THEM TO BE THERE. Take the time to sit with them, feel through them…. let them tell me whatever it is I need to know. And let them pass.

    Time with myself makes me want to spend even MORE time alone. I’m at this point in my life where I feel like I’m finally starting to figure out who I really am. Not what’s been expected of me by our monogamous cisheteropatriarchal racist capitalist society. That version of life is too constricting, too hollow, too exclusionary.

    Time with myself allows me to stretch and learn and grow and BLOOM.

    And I feel like I’ve only just started.

    —————————————————–

    If you haven’t already, join my free mailing list! I’m sending out updates every week or so along with the link to ALL of the (more than) daily vlogs I’ve made on this trip! To join, just go to bunnyluna.com, scroll down, and enter your email!
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  • Ecosexual memes!!

    April 17, 2021 /

    I was sharing memes on instagram that included nude images but deleted them all when ig did their most recent update to the terms of service because I was scared of getting my account deleted AGAIN. My original account with 22.6k followers got deleted in October 2018 and I never got it back, so I really would like that to NOT happen again.

    I still love the memes that I made and want to share them, so here are some of the ones that I used to have on my ig before I deleted them!

    Original caption:

    I first heard about ecosexuality through Charles Eisenstein’s essay “The Ecosexual Awakening” and ever since then my life has changed. I now see my entire life through an ecosexual lens. I truly believe that ecosexuality can assist in healing our society and our world.

    I personally avoid saying “mother Earth” because mothers are (unfortunately, thanks to patriarchy) frequently exploited. It’s assumed that mothers are required to do all or most of the housework, cooking, childcare, etc and their work usually is unpaid and unappreciated. I have no intention of doing this to my actual mother or to the Earth.

    My relationship to the Earth is one of reverence, worship, wonder, and love. I view the Earth as a best friend, teacher, partner, and lover. I strive to live my life in loving relationship to the Earth and receive such immense pleasure from simply being with and spending time with the Earth.

    The Earth is sacred. We must treat it as sacred.

    Photo, model + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah during my 2019 cross country road trip)

    Original caption:

    I personally use both ecosexual and demisexual as my primary sexual and romantic identities. Ecodemisexual maybe? Can I make that a thing? I think I will! It’s my own label so I am able to use what works best for ME.

    If you consider yourself an ecosexual, you’re able to use that label in the way that works best for you. Anyone who says you SHOULD or HAVE TO use a label doesn’t have the right to do that, only you get to decide what label(s) work(s) best for you. The label(s) you use may or may not change over time, and that’s okay! Only you know what label(s) describe you best. How you identify is up to you, not anyone else.

    Do you consider yourself an ecosexual? I have a feeling that more people probably are than they realize, simply because most people aren’t aware of what ecosexuality is. The understanding of labels makes it easier for us to know which ones are right for us.

    Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)

    Original caption:

    Ecosexuality as an identity/label covers a broad range of experiences and in my opinion can be used to describe many different things about someone. For example: sexual attraction to others (including the Earth) while also covering a range of sexual desires (from asexual to allosexual), the importance of ecological health and healing to an individual, and their understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings, creatures, ecosystems, and life on Earth.

    For me, as an agender trans person, most sexuality labels didn’t feel like they fit me because of the gender component of a lot of LGBTQIA+ labels, some are too narrow and some are too broad. It took me a long time to find a label that fit me, that felt GOOD to use and felt TRUE to my lived experience. Ecosexuality allows me to explain my attraction to others in a way that includes the nuance of my gender, my demisexuality, and my passion and love for the Earth.

    To be specific, I am ecodemi, and for me that means I am attracted to people of many gender expressions, and it’s the connection and interaction that I have with them, and the way they show up in the world, that determines my attraction to them.

    Your specific definition of your ecosexuality may be similar to mine, or it may be completely different. That’s the beauty and magic of ecosexuality, as long as it includes the Earth as a lover, it can mean something different for each of us.

    What’s your flavor of ecosexuality? Comment below, I’d love to hear your perspective/experience!

    Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)

    Original caption:

    Have you ever seen a flower dripping with dew on a spring morning and marveled at its beauty and eroticism, feeling the urge to put your mouth on its delicate petals?
    Have you ever felt your body come alive after jumping naked into a river, flushed with excitement and pleasure?
    Have you ever become aroused while surrounded by a forest of tall thick trees, their presence changing something deep inside of you?
    Do you yearn for the warmth of the sun’s rays on your skin, the cool squish of mud between your toes, the gentle breeze softly reminding you that we all exist on an Earth that offers infinite sensual pleasures?

    If you feel a connection to any of those questions, or a longing for these sensual experiences, you might be an ecosexual.

    What is your favorite way to connect to the erotic, sensual Earth?

    Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)

    Original caption:

    I want to talk about two topics that honestly deserve their own individual posts: sex and consent.

    Let’s rethink our definition of what sex is. In this cisheteropatriarchal society, we are conditioned to believe that sex is P in V penetration. This definition excludes many people from the sex conversation, including but not limited to queer and disabled folks.

    I invite us to redefine sex as any consensual, meaningful, pleasurable experience. This gives ALL of us room to define what sex is to us, individually. This means that a lot of us are probably having sex much more than we ever thought we were before.

    Notice that this definition of sex includes CONSENT? This is extremely important, because if you don’t have consent, then it’s not sex, it’s rape.

    Consent in relationship to the Earth is just as important as consent with people. It is possible to communicate with and receive consent from the Earth, it just doesn’t include the language that we are used to (verbal consent). Consent from the Earth may come in the form of an energetic pull or a felt sense knowing. It may come in the form of a dream or a whisper in the wind. It may come in the form of a being joining you in meditation to give you a message or a sign.

    Consent with the Earth isn’t always as straightforward as consent with people. We have to listen harder, feel deeper, and trust that the Earth will share their message with us when they are ready. We must not rush, or push, or pry, or force. We must be quiet, and open to receive.

    Have you received consent from the Earth? What was that experience like for you?

    Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)

    Original caption:

    If we have learned one thing from this pandemic, it’s that we are ALL interconnected. This doesn’t only involve the interconnectedness of people, but also our connection to animals, plants, insects, bacteria, forests, oceans, deserts, rivers. We all exist together on this planet, we are all connected, and we all influence each other whether we realize it or not.

    Part of my personal ecosexuality is recognizing the impact of colonization, cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, racism, ageism, ableism (…all the -isms). Recognizing that these systems of oppression exist and impact each other and every one of us (including the Earth). As beings existing on this planet at this time we are all a part of these systems, whether we realize it or not, whether we see the direct impact we make or not.

    This also means that we each individually have the potential to make POSITIVE CHANGE in ourselves and our communities, which in turn impacts the rest of the planet. Every action and every inaction adds up for each and every one of us.

    Imagine what the world would be like if we all collectively chose to live in right relationship with the Earth and each other. If we all actively put in the work to decolonize societies and the planet. If we all live from a heart-centered place, with healthy boundaries and an understanding of how powerful we are. If we all live our lives from a place of love, compassion, generosity, and empathy instead of from a place of fear and separation. This is the world I want to live in.

    When did you first realize how connected you are to the rest of the world?

    Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)

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  • MEMES! Gender, labels, + consent, oh my!

    April 10, 2021 /

    I was sharing memes on instagram that included nude images but deleted them all when ig did their most recent update to the terms of service because I was scared of getting my account deleted AGAIN. My original account with 22.6k followers got deleted in October 2018 and I never got it back, so I really would like that to NOT happen again.

    I still love the memes that I made and want to share them, so here are some of the ones that I used to have on my ig before I deleted them!

    Original caption:

    Photo: Chip Willis
    Model + meme: me, Bunny Luna

    I am angry today so I am channeling that anger into making my first ever meme. Hah, it’s funny that I’m choosing this as my first post since my hibernation. (TW: breach of consent) This meme is dedicated to the TWO middle aged white men who assumed it was okay to touch me without consent yesterday.

    They obviously felt entitled to my body because I have a vulva and am younger than them? One rubbed my freshly cut hair on the top of my head, without asking or commenting or anything, just touched me out of nowhere. The other literally pulled me by the arm so I could pose for him in front of some photos of mine, and then proceeded to move my arm to get me to pose in a certain way. He didn’t even ASK if I wanted to take a photo. I told him my rates, and he laughed.

    Original caption:

    Labels are complicated, and have the potential to be both positive AND negative. As someone who has learned a lot about themself over the last year, and changed quite a bit, labels have been something I’ve honestly struggled with. It’s easy to say that labels are not important, and they don’t have to be if you don’t want them to, but for some people they’re incredibly important, especially when you’re trying to figure out who you are.

    Labels are positive in that they help us figure out what space we occupy in the world, they help us describe ourselves to others, and they help us find community and people who are similar to us. Labels can be negative when people assume incorrect things about us, put is in boxes that don’t fit us, or when they refuse to see us for who we really are.

    It feels awful to be labeled as something you’re not, and it feels amazing and is so affirming when someone uses the correct label(s) to describe you. No matter what, only YOU can choose what labels are right for you. There is nobody who knows you better than yourself.

    Some labels that I personally use because they feel right and true for me: non binary, queer, ecosexual, non monogamous, artist, witch, demisexual, creative, sproutling (my mom came up with this to describe me to others instead of saying that I’m her adult child and I love it!)

    What labels do you use that feel authentic to you?

    Self portrait taken in Utah during my 69 day cross country road trip in 2019 (before I cut my hair obviously).

    Original caption:

    Never touch anyone without their explicit consent. Yes, this includes hugs with friends and family, asking or talking about someone’s tattoos/clothes/hair, directing a model for a photoshoot, posing with another model, kissing your crush…

    The ONLY exception to this that I can think of is if that person is in immediate danger and there is literally no time to ask for consent.

    Keep in mind, consent is not only for physical touch. You should also get consent when flirting with someone, commenting on someone’s body, sharing difficult or potentially triggering information, sharing a story someone told you with someone else, posting photos of people… basically if it involves someone else, you probably need their consent.

    Have something to share about consent? I’d love to read your thoughts/stories in the comments!

    Words: Douglas Pierce
    Photo + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)

    I didn’t save the caption for this one, but it’s pretty self explanatory. =]

    Original caption:

    I am not the person I was a year ago, or last week, or yesterday. You probably aren’t either. We are all on perpetual journeys of growth and expansion. Every day we learn something about ourselves, every day we become a newer version of who we know ourselves to be.

    Without change there is no innovation, no deeper understanding, no growth. You are a bottomless ocean filled with gifts unknown, until you dive in and explore your depths.

    Photo + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Colorado)

    Original caption:

    I recently had a really difficult conversation about my gender with a family member who is unwilling to do the work to understand and accept me for who I am. Their response to my being non binary was that I’ going through an “identity crisis” and it’s something that I’ll “grow out of” once I figure myself out.

    It’s especially frustrating to me that they feel that way, because I know myself better now that I ever have. I know that I can’t make them see me for who I truly am, and that’s their work to do, not mine. It still hurts that someone I love doesn’t actually know me and instead chooses to only see me as the person they thought I was when I was younger and didn’t know myself.

    I will continue to correct them when they misgender me (which is something I am constantly struggling with and tend to just stay quiet about it), because I want them to know that this is ME, not an “identity crisis” that I’ll “grow out of”

    Sending lots of love to all of my trans siblings who have to deal with this every day. It’s really hard, and you deserve to be honored and acknowledged in your gender. I see you. I honor you. You are valid and important and I love you for WHO YOU ARE.

    Photo/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Colorado)

    Original caption:

    I moved through the first 28ish years of my life carrying the layers of expectations and assumptions of society that were thrown on top of me as a child before I knew I had any other option. Now that I know more about how the world works, I realize that I’ve been holding on to many things that are not truly mine. Parts of me buckled under that oppressive weight of binary gender, compulsory cis hetero monogamy, religion, racism, and capitalism (among others).

    I am choosing to let go of the layers of anything that is not for the benefit of myself and the earth. It is a constant shedding, and it is not easy, but it is worth it. I wake every day with less of what isn’t mine so that I can understand what truly IS for me. I learn who I am by questioning.

    Self portrait in Colorado

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