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Archive for April, 2009

City of Standing Water

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

Was there ever a city, raised of upward flowing water, which stood uncontained? Fluid buildings which opposed the laws of gravity and nature? Yes, this city surrounds us now.

And once it was revealed as such, did not this city fall in a rush of flooding fury, and become the sea where it stood? No… it remains standing still, electric in it’s disobedience. As we men and women pass through it’s streets, many are silent, lest the water fall and drown them. But fear not, for our hearts shall be vessels upon the flood, and light does pass through water as well.

Summoners, all

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

Raise these poles
Which are your voices, pillars upon which a roof shall be set
And a house for many built

Summon strength to turn your back on the world, and the Kingdom shall appear before you
Summon strength to speak from within, and the house will appear in wood and wire upon the earth

The Kingdom cometh upon Your Breath

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

Inhale
& the spark of fire that is life ignites within the body; upward it radiates through the crown

Exhale, and see the Kingdom appear; For your breathe of fire does singe a hole within the illusory screen of this dead world. And through this clearing, a city awaits
Continue to breathe, and as you exhale, speak clearly of what you see. Thus, the tongue brands Paradise upon the palette of the dead
Paint here the truth, that the city may be reflected until the dead take residency there and become the living

Your breath collects fog upon the window to the cold dead world; see now the barrier, and break it down

Desperate Uncertainty of the Artist

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Creating art is like sending a message in a bottle from a deserted island… Will any fucker ever receive it, and if so, will it be in time for rescue? Creating can feel like a repeated call sent out into the night with no response, echoing forward into time and beyond the limits of our own lifetime. And we make this call completely alone. And this is our work.

As artists, we seek an inner vision that is as pure a reflection of our own experience as possible. Often, this means separating from the “tribe” in order to more clearly distinguish our own inner voice from all of those around us. Once we create from this pure place, the eagerness to now share our personal work with the tribe can be very strong indeed, and can even feel like an emotional need.

We all know the disappointment that results from not getting a response we desire. Sometimes we’re not noticed at all, and sometimes a response is completely wrong. Motherfuckers may attempt to shut down our spirit or diminish our inner light and love. This can be so disorienting that we may even attempt to cater to these lesser tastes, and diminish our inner voice ourselves in hopes of better reception from others!

Truly, we must come to terms with the process of creation as an end in itself, regardless of the existence of feedback. At it’s worst, this can feel like pure terror… crying out in the dark with every fear, hope, heartbreak, and desire that makes up our heart… Speaking with the voice of a person we believe ourselves to be, but are still never sure… Vulnerably suspending ourselves without footing, adrift in the water without a shore upon which to set foot… Wanting to grab onto anything to keep us afloat, and then knowing that we cannot hold onto these anchors, and must let them pass.

But in this process, we come to sense ourselves as we never have before. Completely independent, unbound, unencumbered, weightless, free. Once we are in this place, the voice we use is clear, crisp, from our core, and represents our singular essence. We are ourselves, and that is all that is required of us. The voice we now use to create our work truly reflects our soul.

The challenge is to soothe our sensitive souls through this process of suspension and uncertainty, and yet still encourage ourselves to speak and create. It is faith that allows us to continue with this work: Faith that someday we will achieve a type of homecoming or safe harbor, even if it does not feel that way now. Continue to envision, express, and manifest a world of your own. Eventually, you will arrive upon it’s very shore.

Resurrection: returning to console those left behind

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

When someone dies, who is left behind? Do the dying leave behind the living as they transform from those who are not yet ready to pass on to the next level? Or, do we as the living leave the dead in the past as we move forward through the gateway of time?

In any case, death represents transformation. The Christian Bible’s story of Christ’s Resurrection is perhaps it’s best example of a figure negotiating spiritual change. Christ first ascends to a higher spiritual level through death. He then returns to Earth to, among other things, eat meat. And who can blame him?

But he also returned with a powerful message of consolation: Peace be unto you.

In this way, we can relate to an emotional impulse in the Christ-figure’s action. When we change as people, and depart from a world that is no longer right for us, that we have outgrown, how we wish to share our notes of transformation with those from the old world! How separation highlights our love and allows us to forget the debilitating restriction we felt. It’s like the hermit crab who outgrows a shell and stands naked upon the sand. The vulnerability of being without protection invites us to retreat to the old shell that is no longer a fit.

For those who seek to serve mankind as creative artists, or in any other sensitive capacity, the desire to reach back to nurture those from whom we departed is strong.

But transformation is a time for personal discovery, for the new life of spring. It is a time to disrobe old patterns in order to integrate new ones. It can be a solitary experience in many ways, discovering oneself in a new world, the way Christ must have truly found himself upon his arrival in Paradise.

In this advancement, the old world concepts must be set aside so that we can fully feel the new energies at this higher rung of the ladder. As we undergo change, it it is our job to remain full in our new world while refusing old energies seeking to re-attach. We cannot return to an outgrown body, as Christ was able to do. Our new language will no longer translate.

Instead, we must accept the challenge of growth and channel the new energies that emerge with the spring, remaining alone in the delicate light of loss, self-nurturing and possibility of a new self through transformation.

I feel you

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Lost souls in the field

Without body, without form

I feel you

As day passes into night

And becomes day again

Ghosts of the American Highway

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Somberly, an unseen muse seduces a tractor trailer off the road.  The driver’s gleeful amusement at death crowns the echoes of collision.  Traffic proceeds ever onwards, through my chest, pulling my heart toward the horizon… and beyond, chasing tail lights into the dark.

We are a bountiful superpower upon the promised ancient land.

Voices under Fire: the role of the Artist during crisis

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

When the community undergoes a transformation like the current recession, the values of the old consumer world are tested. How disorienting to let go of that old world & the old identity & purpose that grounded us within it! It demands nothing less than a shift in consciousness, with trust and the ability to wholly let go. Now especially, mankind is more integrated than ever before, with the media and online communication affecting us all on a larger, more holistic level. It means we are all experiencing together.

In such a time of darkness, it is easy to falter and become stagnant. What is needed are clear visions for our future to inspire us toward action and creation once again.

This is where the artist must heed the call of creative duty. One must be brave, go inward, summon the power of their unique vision, and share it clearly for all the world to see. The life of an artist requires the spiritual devotion of a monastic buddha: protecting oneself, creating an inner sanctuary, and honoring it’s truth above the noisy demands of the modern consumer world. It demands great sensitivity, and the expression of unconditional love (at least for self) in the face of this often-times repressed and disconnected culture.

These visions shall illuminate, as if voices of the angels, providing light in the darkest of hours; offering hope, initiating movement, and providing new values toward which we may transform into a more promising, integrated human race. Choose the values you wish to see embodied tomorrow- love? unity? peace? creativity? hope? Now, in the darkness, call these words out so that we may begin feeling our way toward one another. Now is the time of change when any dream or possibility can come true. Believe, and express your truest self.

With love, gather all people.
xoxo, gabe

Creators vs. Consumers

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

In today’s consumer world, the promise of spiritual growth & inner harmony is pre-packaged and readily available to anyone. It is easy to forget that this pathway can only be found within. It is the result of tuning into our own unique core and remaining there with stillness. The voices of spiritual leaders may assist in guiding us there, but it is ultimately a place that only we can find and inhabit. Living in this place generates in us it’s own language that distinguishes our essence from anyone else’s.

When we act as consumers, we seek this language of knowledge as a product that another has created. Acting out of fear, we run from ourselves and prefer to be spoon-fed teachings by someone who feels & lives on our behalf. But true feeling is a product that only we can create for ourselves.

As creators, we must accept responsibility for developing our own VISION of self and sanctuary. We must be brave to separate from all the language of others, look within, be alone. We must also refuse to carry and spoon-feed other consumers who cling & insist on doubting their own inner source. Separating from them with compassion will encourage them to look within, as well.

Once our unique experience is more fully realized, it will float it’s own language out that we may speak as true words of our own unique soul. Then, we may partake again as consumers, simultaneously, exchanging ideas instead of relying upon them, and receiving INSPIRATION in the same way that we may now offer it.

Knowing our unique visions, as people, as artists, is the first step in truly being present, with love, here on Earth.

Sleek apartment Broker.

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

I enter the broker’s office & fire-breathe onto the secretary, igniting her face.

“Be a hero,” I tell myself.  I reach through the back of her skull to grab a cold beer from the fridge and extinguish her flames.  Next, she’s gratefully mounting me…  “There’s no shame here; only chance is to drive forward into the endless fucking…”  Petal to the metal, America. You just got yourself a new crash pad.  xoxo