Welcome, Grandfather

Today I went to a Native American sweat lodge ceremony. The purpose of this ritual is self-reflection and purification, as well as connecting with nature.They had 20 of us sit in a 15 ft diameter tent surrounding a pit of fiery hot stones. There were 4 sets--one for each of the seasons and cardinal directions--and with each set they added 7 more stones to the unbearably hot tent. With each stone that entered the tent, we had to say "Welcome, Grandfather" in unison. The stones represent the old, wise men meanwhile trees are symbolic of femininity. We were supposed to communicate with the stones to find wisdom in our mind, body, and soul. Every few moments the group leader would pour water onto the rocks, which would hotbox the canvas tent with scorching steam. The tent was pitch black, so many ended up undressed by the end of the sets.


With every set of stones came a different theme:

1. Leaving things behind you and wishing/praying for your future (i.e. "I want to let go of my childhood and accept responsibilities with optimism")
2. Making wishes/prayers for other humans (i.e. "I hope my cousins experience life with an open mind")
3. Making wishes/prayers for the earth and non-humans (i.e. "I need humanity to appreciate nature so they will stop destroying it")
4. Saying what you are grateful for (i.e. "I am grateful for scented flowers and my ability to love")

The conversation was a free-for-all, when anyone could speak when they felt compelled, and everyone would say "Aho" in unison when one was done speaking. Not only did I find extreme honesty and compassion for those who I shared the experience with, the natural body high that we all felt after we exited the tent was fantastic.









I feel as though the Native Americans are the closest [in our dimension] to understanding what life is all about.






This beautiful artwork is done by Inka Essenhigh


















This is fantastic artwork by Xavier Nuez. I particularly found his artist statement significant because of how uniquely his art is produced:

"These images are extreme close up photographs of chinaware that I’ve re-glazed and repainted.

I select plates that already have designs on them (usually floral). I then apply a crackle glaze and different colored paints, which give them extraordinary textures and colors. They are less than an inch across and are extremely fragile due to my unusual process.

The tiny designs break down and flake away just days later, but with care, my photographs allow their brief but beautiful lives to be captured forever."

Happy Holidaze!

HAPPY HOLIDAZE!

Links in honor of our friend Mary Jane:

• Stoner Dash
• Put this to your own music and enjoy full screen!
  
• Simple and amusing
• Marijuana Myths

I'm too lazy to write anymore.

The Question

You may have noticed my poll on the right side of the page.

"If you could hang out with one mythical creature, which one would it be?"

I tend to ask this to every person I meet- whether they are a peer, a grandparent, a stranger, or a school administrator. Why? Because your answer says a lot about who you are. If I want a judge of your character, this is inevitably the question you will get.


I would personally hang out with the Keebler Elves because they sit in a treehouse and bake cookies all day.


Is there a wrong answer? Yes. And because you are taking the time to read my blog, I will tell you that if you ever say unicorn we probably won't get along well.
-Unicorns are probably the first thing that came to your head. If you took my question seriously, you wouldn't have settled for the first creature you thought of.
-You could truly hang out with ANY mythical creature- that includes ones that you design or make up yourself. They can have whatever powers you want them to have. Why the hell would you settle on a unicorn?


UNICORNS ARE THE ANTI-CHRIST
Don't fall for their pretty horns.



The only acceptable time I heard "unicorn" was when my friend David explained that if you hung out with a unicorn, you could potentially make it into a huge money making enterprise. You would probably make national news because everyone would want to see the unicorn.







My friend Ryan has never had a brain freeze. Can you imagine what life would be like without brain freezes? Furthermore, can you imagine trying to explain how a brain freeze feels?

On the same day I learned this interesting information, Ryan and I ran around with swords and told the neighborhood children that there were dragons in the area. We told the kids to holler if they saw one so that we could slay it.

The best part was that the kids believed us.

My Anti-Boredom

Here is some of my 2D artwork from the last year. Click for a larger image. Enjoy!




"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." ~Henry David Thoreau




"Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half of the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it." ~Bertrand Russell





"Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." ~Anonymous




"We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all." ~Buddha






"The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today." ~The Red Queen















Also, today I got a cool new toy. It's a caterpillar that lights up and stuff. The guy at 711 was really excited to sell it to me. I can't imagine why though, I figure these things are probably pretty popular. Wouldn't you want one for $5?












Maybe not, but Fiverr.com shows you what people would do for $5--anything from writing your child a personalized fairy tale to eating your soul.

For the record, I would do either free of charge.

Nonsensical Reality

To say I hate math would be an incorrect statement. I hate math class, I hate math homework, I hate using mathematical concepts in everyday life. However, these fractals are the reason "I hate math" is dishonest; for these mathematically generated images have an artistic quality to them which I enjoy. It is an interesting duality--math and art--because we often think of a mathematical mind as logical and rule based, and an artistic mind as free-flowing and limitless. Here, we see the two qualities collide, and the results are outstanding.
































Fractals (video)











By the way, I dyed my turtle purple.


Ace has been more confident ever since his change. He used to spend all of his time under his log, hiding from everyone, but now he is on the prowl, wandering his cage, more often.

I'm Just Wild

Unfortunately, my T9 (smart text) on my phone fails to recognize "blog" as a word, even when I save it. So every time I text someone to let them know my blog is updated, I have to take an extra few seconds to type in "blog".

It also converts "bagels" to "acid?", which in the case of "Mom, when are you bringing the bagels", it turns into "Mom, when are you bringing the acid?"

They never said life would be easy.












Through nature and nurture and 18 years of this fortuitous existence, I have collected a set of beliefs. I will share them with you now.



-There are aliens out there. Sure, they haven't visited us. That's no reason to shoot them down. We haven't visited them, either.
-Gratitude brings happiness. Just being alive is something to be grateful for everyday, and it makes me happy to think the odds of my existence were one in a million. I'm a lucky one, and so are you.
-Nature is healing. Returning to a natural environment, or even a natural mindset, would cure many ills of humanity. I believe humans are naturally good.
-It's all in your head. You have the power to see the bright side in everything, and you have the power to be resilient. Life is what you make it, because
-Reality is just an illusion. Since everything in the world is constantly changing and evolving, there is no such thing as the "real world". It could be real at that moment. But in the great scheme of things, it is just a blurry frame of a full-length film.
-We as humans are oblivious to basically everything. We only base "reality" off of what we see, touch, taste, hear, etc. but there could possibly be a sense that we are completely lacking, a sense that could potentially tell us why we are here and why we have the ability to love. Who wrote this film, anyway? There are dimensions that a human cannot perceive--in my opinion, spiritual dimensions.















I’m just wild


Turn for me,
This ladybug hesitates to fly

It foresees gliding,
tripping
tumbling
into ambiguity

Even with wings
It waits for the wind

Where is your ladybug
When did it fly

A whisper proceeds
But she hesitates still.





Rock on, Damon Soule:

The Canvas, Part IV

The two children felt it first in their fingertips, as if they were being sucked into a black hole. As they watched their fingers being stretched towards the canvas, they began to feel the pull throughout their arms, then their shoulders, then their heads…

Before either could muster a word, they were jerked wholly into a vortex of spinning colors and swirls, their bodies freely floating through a tunnel of energy and light. Emerson felt the bubbles and swirls engulf her, passing through her as if she were only a spirit. She had only dreamt about this sort of thing in her imagination—her emotion was of pure joy for it seemed like ten minutes.

Shortly after Emerson had taken careful mental notes about what the experience was like (to write it down later), Riley grabbed her hand, his body starting to disappear from the tunnel inch by inch. Looking down, Emerson realized that her feet weren’t visible anymore, yet she could feel a surface beneath them. Slowly, Riley and Emerson’s bodies disintegrated until they were only floating heads in the twisting and warping tunnel.

The kids looked around the new place with wonder and amazement in their eyes. Emerson’s grin could’ve lit up the sky, yet Riley’s expression was of pure confusion.

“Some hallucination,” Riley said with a smirk on his face, “How did you do that, anyway?”

“I’m pretty sure this is real, Riley,” Emerson said as she looked around at the lime green grass, purple river, and pink sky. “If I’m not mistaken-“

“-we’re in a dream!” Riley interrupted.

“That’s not what I was saying. If I’m not mistaken, we’re in the canvas. We’re in our painting. We created this place!”

“Well that’s flat out illogical. Irrational. Impossible!”

Just as Riley said the three formidable words, a boisterous tik resonated throughout the sky. The two looked up to see the giant purple clock that Riley had painted on the canvas, its hands rotating counterclockwise.

“Well that clock seems to be going backwards. How nice!” Emerson said, pleased with the fact that there is no such thing as wasting time when time is moving in the opposite direction. I must only be getting younger, she thought to herself and smiled.

Deep in her own thoughts and looking at the world she had created, Emerson started to wander off in search of the blue tree that she painted. She never had more of a desire to climb a tree, for she wanted to see her world from up above.

“Hey, wait up!” Riley exclaimed as he took Emerson’s lead. She slowed down, took off her shoes and socks, and sunk her bare feet into the soft, fuzzy grass. Just as Riley began to do the same, Emerson was already off and running through the endless field, her hair and dress fluttering in the warm wind. Riley chased after her until they were out of breath, clutching their knees and laughing hysterically. The two of them were overcome with laughter, although neither of them knew what had made them laugh to begin with.

After catching their breath and forcing themselves to quit laughing, the two of them stood smiling at each other, giggling here and there when they couldn’t control it.