| Date |
Place |
Reflections |
| 1.14 |
Johansen Dance Studio, downtown |
Myself and other aspiring percussionists met and were led in an exuberant tutorial in Chinese parade music. The building smells old. The teacher, who speaks virtually no english, was one of the most fantastically energetic and enthusiastic people I've come across in a while. He is grand. He was outrageously animated in his gestures when he gave us instructions, which amounted to very consistent and straightforward hammering on gongs and cymbals, while he masterfully hammered out complicated rhythms with some crazy transitions. Our part is very simple and somewhat menial; his drumming is fantastic - I tend to get blown away when I try to comprehend the structure of music of non-western origin. It was great. |
| 1.18 |
The domicile |
I've stumbled across an incredible "recipe" if you will, a delightful gem of wisdom, that describes in supreme detail how to construct a musical instrument out of various salvageable pieces of other people's (or your own) garbage. Elaborately termed the Boviphonic Ohm Cannon, it is a mirthful and actively mobile musical instrument, which promises to be an ideal addition to any public occasions that call for a band. Specifically, I am considering the spring time rumors of an Arts, Environment, and the Child Procession of the Species marching band. Perhaps it is premature to pursue this now, but it's far too exciting for me to abandon, and I'd just like to see if I can actually construct this wonderful device. If so, I might help facilitate a group next quarter that could construct all their own instruments out of garbage. Oh the possibilities... |
| 1.22 |
Johansen Dance Studio |
More rehearsal. The room is hectic and crowded, various members of Chinese families are present throughout rehearsal, wandering around the room with swords, practicing tai chi, and of course, performing the Lion Dance. Everyone seems to be related to each other and I'm not sure how. More standing and chatting seems to happen then playing. It is a little awkward. I am amazed at the casual ease with which the dancers move with grace - many of the dancers are younger than I but posses a much more active understanding of how to move with beauty and ease - which I silently find marvelous. |
| 1.29 |
Bed |
My body has been possessed by an extraordinary illness. Simply, it hurts to exist. I am disappointed with myself because there are various meetings pertaining to class, especially related to the Longhouse Garden, that I theoretically want to participate in, but my body will not allow, which feels miserable. It's as though there's a block between my mental desires and my immediate physical and emotional needs. I believe that this sickness is a manifestation of an imbalance within myself that I have ignored for too long, and it now must assert itself in such a powerful way that it disrupts my essential physical capabilities. It is emanating from my head; specifically it seems, my throat. To my conscious mind, this suggests issues of disharmony in the processes of expression, communication, activation, and manifestation, in short the dialogue between the inner reality my perceptions create and the external commons. Winter is the time of deconstruction, the time when the external processes decay to properly cultivate an inner awareness and rest... I guess sometimes if we don't respect that process it asserts itself very directly and immediately. |
| 2.05 |
House of Welcome, TESC |
WOW. AHA... the big party. It is apparent that a lot of effort and noble intentions were put into and given out of the whole two days. What an explosion of joyous people intent on cultivating awareness and celebrating beauty. Chungliang, Red Pine, and Stuart Dempster all rearranged my world and brushed upon some passions that resonate within. They have demonstrated an ability to deliver fierce Pranic shocks. Chungliang is a true warrior and sorcerer; I suspect that he has enough of an emotional/energetic/bodily awareness that he knows how to do extraordinary things like flying. What a fluid, present, and alive person. He and Stuart are my heroes. |
| 2.10 |
Goddess Circle |
The Circle seeks to understand how each of ancient Greece's Goddesses present themselves as archetypes that exist within our psyches. Of interest to me is exploring the effectiveness of associating with ancient female figures of divinity as a manner of subverting and overcoming, at least within the psyche, the establishment of patriarchal societal construct. I gotta say that I love Artemis, the wild goddess of wild places, dwelling far beyond the clutches of kings and cities, nurturing and protecting her self and her undomesticated home. As Goddess of the Hunt, she oversees the sacred exchange of energy we know as life and death. I would love to band together with her and Pan and revel in the Forest amongst all their wild devotees and nymphs... |
| 2.11 |
Longhouse Garden |
It is a quiet, fragrant, cold morning. The birds are out. Ben and Joe appear, we chat about various things, clear the stream, and unwrap some of the Crawling Blackberries from the other plants, clearing out dead material as we go. Ben is slightly hungover. I spotted a small Nettle poking up in the garden; he is the first I've seen this year. |
| 2.19 |
Goddess Circle |
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| 3.1 |
Gypsie nation dance ritual, House of Welcome |
Like the sacred hoop of the Oglala or Woodstock Nations, this is a psychic space that is not dependent on a consistent physical space to exist - like the TAZ it organically springs forth whenever and wherever its participants collectively invoke it. In this sense it is sacred, it is malleable, it is an immediate form of every participant's intentions - as such, the Nation exists solely by actively maintained intent, putting the participant into a delightfully empowered position of awareness and focus upon the possibilities of the immediate experience... and the music initiates a journey... |
| 3.2 |
A talk by Dr. Pizzorno |
Alarming statistics about the statistical individual's state of ill health in the US. He argues for and encourages a holistic approach to health, with preventative naturopathic health as his big deal, as opposed to reactive allopathic treatment of symptoms by toxic means. Powerful stuff, really, asserting that proper he lath demands an entire radical shift in lifestyle and values. He is concerned mostly with the restructuring of the public "healthcare" apparatus; it would've been neat to hear about more individual oriented approaches. |
| 3.2 |
Steve Badanes lecture |
EMBODY SUSTAINABILITY - if yer rich enough to... Fascinating examples of energy-neutral domiciles whose specific forms and functions are governed by the aggregates of a site. Minimizing toxicity through appropriate selection of materials, extraordinarily high building quality, etc. Seattle: the legendary P-patches, the Freemont Troll. |
| 3.3 |
MARISHA!!! |
Goddess, I adore this woman, her work, and lifestyle. She always stokes the permaculture fire within. Having the intention, attention, and discipline to establish a situation in which one weens oneself from the political and economic structures of a sick society - at least in terms of sustenance - wow. I admire and respect that. I think I need an internship with her... |
| 3.3 |
Astronomical mycologist and Gaia-lover Paul Stamets shares his reality |
The mycelium of our fungal kin extend all over the surface of the Earth ("8 miles of mycelium were found in 1 cubic inch of this soil") - they are sensitive and cognizant transmitters and receivers of the consciousness, movements, energetic vibrancy, and intentions of all who move upon them, the physical embodiment of the interconnected lattice of the fabric of Nature... Our ancestors, those who wish to save what's left of the world must seek them out as allies... beautiful. But I don't feel so peachy about this "intellectual property" business... |
| 3.3 |
Peggy Dylan's transpersonal educational experience |
Straight up, this woman works with sorcery - the systematic cultivation of enhanced consciousness or nonordinary awareness and its deployment in the world of deeds and objects to bring about desired results. Through intense inward examination, the creation of psychic/physical space or openings into a space of untrammeled expression. A wonderful reminder to seek the feeling of endorphins rushing in new and surprising ways. Breath is stronger than we might conventionally assume... |
| 3.4 |
SKEETER!!! |
Listening to to him speak, hearing articulated and seeing embodied what lies so prominently within my heart threw me into a fantastic state of disillusionment beyond the grasps of mordant paralysis - wake up, man get to it. His shtick is the venerable notion of active CO-CREATION between a landbase and its humans - the refutation of the hunter-gatherer/agriculturist dichotomy in favor of a fascinating and enchanted unity of habitat restoration, social and individual healing, and permaculture. A prominent model is the unmolested Turtle Island of 600 years ago, with its mutually assured reciprocity and respect between humans and non-humans. So go forth. Ask for guidance and permission from the land and the Tribal Elders of its people, begin to sow the seeds for a lush "wilderness" that does not exclude sane humans, heal yourself, heal the Earth, laugh with coyote... |
| 3.4 |
A lecture from Paul Anastas, the "molecular engineer" who believes the church of science and technology will save us |
My spirit is not enticed nor is my joy aroused by hypothetical talk of the restructuring of the business and chemical manufacturing sectors. Despite his good, if benign intentions, this man's ideas seem to have at their foundation the perseverance of business and Man's right to manipulate, synthesize and enhance Nature. His fundamental assertion is that science and technology have "improved [our] quality of life" as civilization has continuously refined its efficiency. The Scientific Method is unable to experience the Majik of Nature. I hold science and technology, generally speaking, responsible for incubating and fostering the sickness and misery that plagues much of this planet and its people. I don't feel empowered by this kind of gentle reform. Not quite my thing. |
| 3.5 |
Goddess circle |
APHRODITE - As a goddess, she valued emotional experiences with others that were beyond the Virgin goddesses' isolated independence or the vulnerable goddesses' permanent and needy emotional bonds to others. Aphrodite energy is the quality of refreshed fascination, a focused yet receptive acute awareness for the exciting depths of what is. "For behold - all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals". I seek to cultivate her majikal, frenetic, visceral, autonomous, and reverent joy for the totality of all things in life. |
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