My name is Happy Mystick Rainbow StompingBear. Everyone always asks why I changed my name, what was my motivation, and what is the meaning behind the names. 

The ‘a’ in Happy is a star; it is legally there and it represents me in several ways. I’m bright and shiny. I’m up all night, and I am normally the star of the show, not intentionally, but people like what they see and watch. This makes me mindful so I always try to behave in a respectful way. I named myself Happy because I’m always happy; well, most of the time (I do have moments).

Mystik is to justify it being a religious name change. But I am pagan, a shaman, a mystik, and a witch. I deal in the occult, the esoteric mysteries. I am a lover of nature. The gods I pay tribute to, pour libations to, pray to are Gaia, GreenMan and Fortuna (though I frequently deal with Dionysus, Pan, Nut, Thoth and the Fates). I’m a “soft polytheist,” meaning I believe in one God, I just celebrate aspects of Him/Her/It/Them. 

We all know what the Rainbow is. But that was me coming all the way out of the closet. I am transgender, male to female, my pronouns are either xe/xim or she/her. I’m fine with any of those. 

StompingBear — capital ‘b’ and no space, everyone messes that up — has a funny beginning. I am Native American, a member of Muscogee (Creek) Nation. But the name came about as a joke; a group of guys making fun of the way I was dancing. They said I looked like a stomping bear. #DoTheStompingBear.

I’m part hillbilly, part hippy. I love the outdoors, especially the night air. I love rain and bodies of water. I’m bisexual, transgender (male to female), polyamorous, Native American/Irish/Dutch and — very fittingly — an Aquarius. I’m an eclectic pagan: Wiccan, Shamanist, Hinduist, Qabalist, Animalist. I love tattoos. I play chess and build my knowledge bank. I’m a jailhouse lawyer. 

Sometimes I’m an artist (when the muse strikes) and sometimes I’m a writer. My power/spirit animal is the fox. EDM (electronic dance music) makes me dance, but I also like a wide variety of other music, from country and blues to jazz and rock. I learn quickly and retain information easily. I’m easy on the eyes, open minded, and can generally see both sides of an argument. I have big ideas and huge goals. I’m always working on projects of change; I feel I must change this prison system, it’s run all out of whack.

I’m an Okie. I was technically born in Arkansas, but only due to my mom driving from home (Colcord, Okla.) to Arkansas so she could access a better hospital. Nevertheless, I’m an Okie through and through; I grew up there until I was 15 when we moved to Arkansas. I got my GED high school equivalency at 16 and started working. Around that time I got into some trouble here and there, did my first ritual at 17, partied a lot, couch surfed, and lived between different flop houses. Every summer I would live on the rivers. That was pretty much my life, partying on the river or creek. 

Then in 2006, I had a daughter. Poor girl, she lived on the river with me, but we had fun, swimming every day and camping every night. I had her hugging trees at two, waving bye to the sun at sunsets. Then I lost her to the state. I was in jail and the officials didn’t transport me to the hearing, leading to the state terminating my parental rights. I’ll always love her, and I just found her recently, so I’m in the process of trying to reach out to her. 

I’m expected to be in prison until around 2030. Once I get out, I plan to start a self-sustainable, resilient homestead. I have some land lined up, and some people to help with this adventure, but I’m always looking to have some more sovereign-thinking people to join me. 

This is me. Please feel free to contact me, ask about the Bear Circle or the Bear Clan.