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Tuesday, 01 February 2005 |
Wow... what a year it has already been... It appears that this year somehow the thought/matter connection is pretty strong and that anything that you think about will come to you faster than ever before. So be aware of your thoughts!
 One of the most magical experiences in that regard for me has lately been the amazing developments around the Center for Conscious Creativity that I co-founded last fall (current logo draft on the right - am still revising). Many years ago I dreamed about building a center for artists to create in an environment of joy and collaboration infused with the spirit of working toward something higher and better. Over the years, the thought came up again and again. With some of my projects I tried to cover aspects of it, be it through supporting artists and non-profits with technology strategy, marketing and business knowledge, or through counseling and coaching people who were awakening to their creativity and their need to partake in this world through conscious acts of living. A few years ago, I explored the possibility of building an eco-Village in the desert as a location for such a center, but then the events in my life distracted me into different directions for a while and the whole project went into slumber mode waiting for the right moment...
It seems that it has come. My partner in the Center Kate (a most magnificient co-creator and astounding rennaisance woman) and I already had some great meetings with people over the last weeks, and a whole array of opportunities have been opening up. It seems that in this time of polarization of dualism (more about that in an upcoming paper) there is a strong need for integration, and for providing access to knowledge about how to live as a half physical - half spiritual being, the modern man who is beginning to turn back toward the source. Throughout the different areas of life dualism is reaching its climax and a new synthetic paradigm is evolving that finally unites again body and soul, matter and mind, particle and wave, the numinous and the phenomenal, the individual and the whole.
This new paradigm is evolving in the sciences, in politics and business, in academia, and even in new communities and ways of relating to each other. Artists and Shamans are journeying in exploration of this new paradigm. Their transformations toward a whole, their healing, transforms their communities through their artifacts and actions. They journey inward to connect to that Consciousness that is beyond their own and bring back stories, myths, and powers that can help transform all toward the one life full of joy, love, peace and conscious creativity.
To support these pioneers, to promote this new paradigm through arts&media, and to encourage all to willfully partake in the unfolding of this reality and consciously co-create, is at the core of the mission of the Center for Conscious Creativity.
Last Sunday, we held our first official event for the Center, a most lovely and magical experience. We hosted a salon with painter Joshua Elias who was talking about painting, inspiration, the creative process and much more. We filmed the presentation and dialogue and everyone there celebrated with us this initiatory event. There will be quite a few more coming up this year and I look forward to the many possibilites that have been unfolding. We are co-producing this fall's Southern California Writers Conference, and are preparing a lecture series as I am writing this, while at the same time continuing to collaborate with artists, media makers, community builders, and more. See the website at http://www.consciouscreativity.com for more details and sign up there if you wish to receive more information or would like to participate.
Onward we go serving the one life ;-)
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Tuesday, 01 February 2005 |
 Ahhhh, poetry... Words have such amazing power. I started writing poetry when I was 8 and stopped when I was 10 because I started to read other people's poetry and decided that I had nothing to add. Kids ;-)
Really loved reading poetry for many years, but then became continuously disillusioned with it as much of what was being written was more intellectual masturbation than anything that - as Goethe suggested - could give us glimpses of the numinous in nature and in ourselves...
Lately, thanks to my friend Stosh, I have rediscovered my love for it, and have even written some here or there... Stosh moved here from Chicago, where I met him, and where poetry is read like firetrucks. Although there are some really great venues in LA that have a whole variety of poetry to offer (my favorite so far is New Earth's open mic on Mondays), Stosh and I decided to throw our own last year. I made a vat of soup, and he invited a bunch of poets. We had several of those and tons of fun last year and had all kinds of additional entertainment, from handstand acrobatics to meditations with sound bowls by my friend Lahra, didgeridoos, music by my friend Mark from Cool Dry Place, as well as by my friends Chris and Thomas... Quite a trip... When I left on mine I was afraid there would be no more PoetrySoup after my departure to Switzerland. Fortunately, Stosh and my new delightful friend Carlye picked up the ball and ran with it.
Coming back to LA this month I was greeted with an invitation to a PoetrySoup at Carlye's place. She has a most lovely place perfect for gatherings of that kind, her and her husband are amazing and gracious hosts, and they even have a trampolin in their backyard, which was quite a success at the party as you might imagine... Altogether, it was a most lovely PoetrySoup event. There was tons of inspiring poetry, laughter and mindful conversation, and I got to make soup (Yam and Carrot with Orange/Pineapple - very Californian). Have a pile of pictures to sift through, but the above was funny, as it is a typical kitchen party scene, only in this case with a bunch of intent listeners ;-)
Look forward to the next one already. Looks like I might be in LA for a while after all. Too much going on here... So much for a three month Sabbatical ;-) Maybe next time?
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Wednesday, 19 January 2005 |
The last weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind. My friend stosh likes to say that "No plan survices initial encounter. But it's good to have a plan". Think he is right. I had a plan for 2005, and it already crumbled in the face of events. All good, though, and I am excited to watch the year unfold further.
Last Sunday I saw a most excellent lecture at the Philosophical Research Society, which featured an author my partner in the Center for Conscious Creativity had discovered. Quite phenomenal. Finally helped me to understand the symetry of triangles and squares, and how the universe appears to be folding nicely into a sevenfold structure. But that's a long story and will be the topic of future exploitations ;-)
 I also met a most beautiful artist on Sunday. I had heard about his work several years ago from a friend, but never explored him further until recently. Alex Grey paints a new picture of humanity. He demystifies and remystifies with his art, showing the human body's anatomy, and at the same time pointing at the numinous energies that surround it.  It was such a harsh contrast to see the BodyWorld Exhibit at the California Scenter of Science. In itself, it was a brilliant display of anatomy, of real human bodies cut in slices and displayed. They among others showed the difference between a healthy lung and a smokers lung - the latter being black due to the equivalent of 5dl of liquid tar inhaled every year when smoking 20 cigarettes a day, which, of course, added yet another good reason for me to quite that habit. Nice to see was that nearly all the lungs in the exhibit were black, which shows that smokers are nice enough people to donate their bodies for science ;-)
The exhibit was none the less disappointing. Interesting as it was, it seemed to miss a large part of human existence. That mysterious part, the conscious part that makes those bodies be truly alive, and will not be found in a configuration or pattern of brain cells. That, you can see in Alex Grey's art. He shows both particle and wave, body and soul, and in that shows us a more complete picture of a human being than any plasticised corpse could ever do.
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Tuesday, 04 January 2005 |
Happy New Year! Wishing you all you will for 2005!
 January, when it's cold outside, is always a good month to catch up on things. For my part, I had to interrupt my sabbatical in order to take care of some business. Just returned to LALAland to deal with INS, IRS, DDS a few days ago. Fun ;-)
Also have some even more fun events planned. A poetrysoup, a CCC event, some readings, art related meetings and more... and, of course, just plain catching up with people I haven't seen in a while.
Of course, I was hoping for sunshine and warmth, but am experiencing record rains. It's lovely, though; the plants seem to love it, and the air feels fresh and clear (always nice in LA). Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day after more than two weeks of pretty much continous downpour. At this point I am ready for it, although it was pretty romantic to sit in the studio with a fire going listening to the rain outside.
Since I got back, I have already gone through all the US food groups I have been missing: on top of the list Sushi, of course, then Indian, Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Fatburger, Domino's Pizza, and more... It is so amazing that there are all these cultures mingling in this country, and at the same time nobody seems to be getting along with the US. Strange, isn't it?
Wishing you all a most peaceful 2005!
smiles
philip
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Tuesday, 21 December 2004 |
My brother picked me up last weekend and after a lovely wedding on Saturday (friends of the family in Morbio, who were absolutely sweet and fed me for lunch nearly every day while I was staying in Switzerland), I returned across the alps to Germany....
Driving across the alps was fun... snow storms and ice on the roads and getting to Germany was like driving into winterworld.... Had just recently complained about not having had white xmas in a while, but it looks like I might get lucky this year... This morning the thermometer was at 20 below Fahrenheit! Even after growing up here and the years I spent in Chicago, I am still not a big friend of the cold.... Soon to be in warm LA/Ticino again ;-)
Wishing you all a most blessed couple of holidays with whatever labels and ceremonies you enjoy!
smiles
philip
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Thursday, 16 December 2004 |
  Yesterday I picked up the very first bronze sculptures I ever made. The creative process is truly amazing. I made sculptures from wax, and now, I hold them in my hands, 10 times heavier, and they are no longer wax, but metal, bronze. Really neat. Had always enjoyed the process of seeing something develop, whether a picture in a dark room, or a piece of stone waiting to set free a sculpture, or a canvas begging to be caressed with paint. But for the first time I created something, and had it cast. Feel like an architect, who drew plans and now sees the completed building for the first time. Really cool. Never had this particular creative sensation before (and of course I want more already). It is so exciting, how life keeps offering new opportunities to be creative.
Just this morning I was answering a client inquiry for liveartfully. A woman contacted me because she felt the need to be creative, she felt unhappy with the available templates on "how to be", and wanted to "do" something to feel alive. Alienated by television, popular music, the bar scene, she was looking to do something to feel more creative and had tried a variety of media to do so, but could not find a good valve to let off her creative steam. It seems that this is a common problem these days. We appear to be in the midst of a major cultural transition toward conscious creativity and more conscious living. Following is roughly what I wrote her back... |
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Thursday, 16 December 2004 |
Words, words, words,... English words, German words, Italian words, French words, Spanish words, Latin words, Dutch words, Sanskrit words, words in languages I can't even name. It has been a delight to be in this hodgepodge of languages and see the effect it has had on my cognition. Just the other day I wrote an essay about the power of the word and how with our words we co-create this reality.
 Language plays a significant role in this. There is the example of a man who decided to call a table a glass, and a glass a bird, and so on, and was put into a mental health facility, because he could not communicate with the world around him any longer. But what if someone came up with a language, spoke and sang words that nobody else knew as such, but that everyone could still understand and relate to? Music is often considered a "universal language". My friend Janubia just came out with a new record and was sweet enough to send me a copy to Switzerland (that and a lovely letter from my friend Shaunti were my first two items of mail here - apart from a electricity bill). I had heard bits and pieces before but for the first time took a proper and full listening. Wow.... She did it ;-) She created her own language, and recorded most beautiful songs in it. Although I have no idea what she is singing about, I can feel it. Her music and her words somehow make sense. Music has always been like a drug for me. Different music induces different mental states. From bombastic Beethoven to mellow Marley, I have always enjoyed the variety of experience that music can provide.... and now this.... Janubia's music makes me want to dance, sing, hop around, laugh, all kinds of things - wonder if she is suggesting that in her lyrics... Definitely check it out, you will not regret!
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Thursday, 16 December 2004 |
 Ahhhh..... the green fairy. Muse of many artists, poets, creatives of the past. She dances with you, tickles your brain; intoxicating, she lets the world be seen anew once again....
In case you are wondering... the green fairy refers to Absinth. Switzerland can be considered as the birthplace of Absinthe. In the Valley Val de Travers in the Swiss Jura the original Pernod distillery was located, and after the prohibition of Absinth, many bootleggers stayed around there. Now, almost 100 years after the prohibition, Switzerland is relegalizing Absinth as of the beginning of 2005 (most of Europe already did so a few years ago). I was lucky to have a little early taste of a genuine La Bleue (bootlegged, homemade, delicious) that a friend brought back from Val de Travers. It was utterly delightful and indeed created interesting cognitive phenomena. Yet again goes to show what an amazing neurological machine we have in our skulls. And again goes to show that nature was kind in providing in its many forms fuel for the machine...
To what end, though? Drunkenness? Inebriation? What's the difference we wonder...
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