Free to Be

If you could distance yourself from your species, and then look at the world dispassionately, you might see things through the lucid lens of awareness, instead of murky mindless societal conditioning.

There are exemplary individuals, and wondrous human achievements. 

But, if we look at the species as a whole when it comes to being stewards of the planet, then an F- grade is being generous. Let’s say there was an out of control species called the ‘doomers’ ravaging the planet for resources, we would classify them as pests, and summarily hunt them down to exterminate the problem.

To cite the famous Pogo quotation: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

What now? What next? Unfortunately, most humans don’t have a built-in barometer that tells them it’s time to stop mindless propagation. In the end, Mother Nature will restore balance at a cost that will be brutal.

There’s an insightful and prophetic scene from the 1999 film, the Matrix, which puts the current state of humanity into perspective. Agent Smith isn’t human; he’s a digital agent of the Matrix, a computer-generated world that is accepted as our everyday reality.

Here it is:

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Sweetie Boy, the cockatiel

The other day, I kicked back on a chair facing Sweetie Boy, the cockatiel. My head leaned back on one large armrest, and my legs dangled over the other.

As I was watching Sweetie Boy go about his business, he eventually stopped on a perch and turned his back to me. You can see from the above photo, the bird’s mid-back is a mottled gray and off-white.

Sweetie Boy suddenly stretched out his wings, pull them back in, shook himself, ruffling his feathers. What happened next was amazing. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A photorealistic image of a face appeared in his feathered mid-back section. But, this was not some arbitrary image among a random overlay of feathers, as the brain is constantly trying to give meaning to patterns. The portrait, beard, and all, was of my longtime master art teacher, Max Shertz who had recently departed this mortal coil.

Synchronicity. I leave you to come to your own conclusions.

For those interested in my time with Max, the master, please click here.

You can also learn about a great creator and view his marvelous artworks.

Earth Guardians

Here’s a quote about embracing wholeness (the positive and negative) by an unknown source that often makes the rounds on the internet.

“Only when we can love hell will we find heaven.”

Does this make any sense to you? It would have been better to write: Only when we are aware of hell will we appreciate heaven.

It seems that the origin of this thought had been wrung dry of any grounding in reality or inspiration through the insidious politically correct extractor.

To feign a feeling, even for good intentions, still paves the way to you know where.

Here is my take on the duality of wholeness (there is no up without down) from An Artist Empowered:

To know heaven, you would have to know hell—and what pure, rare, and subtle colors would then grace your bold palette.

Amen, brothers and sisters.

Stonehedge Redux

Adapting, often on the fly, is a prerequisite for unleashing original work in art, or in any worthwhile endeavor.

From An Artist Empowered:

What happens when what you previously knew as being totally true suddenly becomes untrue? How do you handle such a revision of reality?

Your world can be turned inside out. Down is up and up is down. Can you accept the new standard, or do you wallow in the shallow remains of the old contradictory belief system? This is a fundamental issue you must confront—now would be a good time—in order to triumph over attachment and its palpable potential to defeat you.

Making a significant change in your perception of what is true demands discarding that which is familiar no matter what the cost, a process that is ultimately more liberating than psychologically traumatic. Everything of value comes at a price. And if you are aware, you will get what you pay for because you know the value of what you are acquiring.

To dismiss what you believed in the face of unequivocal and contradictory evidence is the enduring path of the brave artist.

What choice do you have?

Making the Cut

By midday in Santa Fe, things as nuisances, and some more serious, had already invaded my time and energy.

My haircut was long overdue. My cutter told me she’d be with other clients for at least an hour. I’d come back.

As I now had some time, I thought I’d try Java Joe’s, which was in the huge shopping center. Could they make a cappuccino the way I like it? The steamed milk must settle so it is creamy, not full of foam-like bubbles. This simple instruction eludes many a barista.

As I was entering the cafe, two men were leaving. One man turned to the other: “I can’t believe it—it’s been one thing after another. These problems are getting me down.”

There it was again. Another reminder to see beyond my own limited drama, to perceive events through awareness, not fearful ego.

Recall my object lesson: instead of being disappointed, say that’s revealing and lift yourself beyond the fray. When the problem seems overwhelming, remember that the problem is the teacher. The lesson is there; it is up to you to grasp it, as it is in the Zen tradition of learning.

With these perceptions you will triumph with gratitude, leaving any notion of victimhood in the dreary dust.

Java Joe’s passed the steamed milk test.