going to the World Expo with my family was an interesting experience. you'd have to wait in line for several hours to get into the popular pavillions - China, Japan, USA, etc. so we skipped those and went to the unpopular ones with no lines. the first one we visited was "Pavilion of the Future". it had a couple of exhibits on sustainable development and city planning, all of them of the techno-fix variety, but cool nonetheless.
next we took a boat across the river and went to the Iran pavillion. now, the relationship between Iran and China has always been cordial, going back to the days of the Silk Road. Among other cool things, there was a laser harp, a mural of president Ahmedinejad kissing the hand (it might as well have been the ass) of Ayatollah Khaminei, and Persian rugs that were ri-cock-ulously expensive. We had some Persian tea and some kind of yellow pudding which was very yummy. i'd love to go to Iran.
we hurried over to the Israel pavillion, only to find it closed earlier than usual. with nothing else worth seeing, we took the subway home. it felt like taking the BART or the Underground, but way more crowded. Shanghai has over 18 million people. that's more than twice the population of Washington state. "Mountains and oceans of people," as they say in Chinese. people here are rude and irritable, always cutting in front of you and pushing you around. living in such an overcrowded city will inevitably bring out these qualities, i guess. you'd have to come here to understand what overpopulation feels like - as a bodily sensation. i don't know if i can ever get used to it.
i'm not staying here for too long. onwards to better pastures.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Adventure Time!
tomorrow I leave for Shanghai, a city that reminds me of Los Angeles - with better dining options. i can already feel the cough in my throat. i've gotten used to the forest-filtered O2 of Bellingham (something we shouldn't take for granted), i don't know if i can handle anything else. fortunately, i'm only spending a few days in Shanghai before travelling to Chengdu. I had a blast when I went there with Will and David Ney two years ago. This time, i'll be travelling alone. at least i'll have my guitar to keep me company.
When people think of China, they imagine an exotic place. thar be dragons, that kinda thing. maybe that's what it used to be, but we're in the 21st century, folks! America has taken over. In ancient cities, tea shops have been replaced by Starbucks. Santa Claus one-ups Buddha on windowpanes during the holidays. it's like some kind of bizarro world where familiar sights appear with subtitles.
but i'm not travelling to have the same pre-packaged, over-the-counter experience you can have in the comfort of your own home. i want to leave my creature comforts behind and dive into the unknown. i want to drop my bad habits and learn something new. i want to fall in love. i want adventure! i want Life in its most raw and unadulturated form. i crave it, i thirst for it.
grant me my wish, o' universe. surprise me. laugh with me. climb to the peak with me. together we'll watch the sun rise.
When people think of China, they imagine an exotic place. thar be dragons, that kinda thing. maybe that's what it used to be, but we're in the 21st century, folks! America has taken over. In ancient cities, tea shops have been replaced by Starbucks. Santa Claus one-ups Buddha on windowpanes during the holidays. it's like some kind of bizarro world where familiar sights appear with subtitles.
but i'm not travelling to have the same pre-packaged, over-the-counter experience you can have in the comfort of your own home. i want to leave my creature comforts behind and dive into the unknown. i want to drop my bad habits and learn something new. i want to fall in love. i want adventure! i want Life in its most raw and unadulturated form. i crave it, i thirst for it.
grant me my wish, o' universe. surprise me. laugh with me. climb to the peak with me. together we'll watch the sun rise.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
interesting conversation
tonight I had an interesting conversation with a friend about the dark forces. my friend believes that 1) the Illuminati controls the weather. 2) they control popular media and in particular Lady Gaga. 3) they caused the BP oil spill to collapse the US economy and institute the Amero.
here are my thoughts
1) any human being with enough training can affect the weather without fancy technology like HAARP. Wilhelm Reich invented a device called the Cloudbuster, which can form and dissolve clouds, using very cheap materials. if we're good, we can do it with focused thought alone. water responds to thought energy, as Emoto and others and demonstrated. however, the weather is a self-regulating dynamic system so any force exerted on it will be temporary and tend to have "side effects." the weather is not a machine but an expression of the Life force of the planet, it will never react the same way twice.
2) of course the popular media is being controlled by the Elite (i.e. people with money), but that control can never be total, because humans are fickle. try as they might to fashion every taste we have through TV, movies, internet, and other artificial stimulus, it soon gets old and they have to come up with something new. as for Lady Gaga, i can't stand her music. good music will withstand the test of time, where as bad music becomes unfashionable rather quickly. Britney Spears, for example.
3) it is interesting that someone who's smart enough to control the economy would do something so silly and stupid. an oil spill on the scale of the recent BP incident negatively affects the entirety of life on the planet. ultimately, we're all responsible for supporting BP and other oil companies with our money and therefore supporting deep sea drilling. though it might be emotionally satisfying to point fingers at powers outside of our control, perhaps there are ways this incident will help bring people across the world together to deal with a common problem. perhaps this incident will spawn new awareness of the connectedness of all life on Earth, and that we shouldn't be poking holes and sucking out her insides.
human beings are capable of immense good and evil. collective thought is perhaps the most powerful force on the planet. the dark forces have always tried to control collective thought with religions, governments, and secret societies, but they aren't the only players on the board. Life evolves towards freedom, diversity, and harmony through cooperation, and every human being has Life flowing through them, including people under the influence of dark powers. i am reminded of the last scene in episode 6 of star wars, where Darth Vader saves his son by slaying the Sith lord and dies because of it.
we live in interesting times, my friends. let Life, that innermost spark of consciousness inside of you, guide you towards joy and fulfillment.
here are my thoughts
1) any human being with enough training can affect the weather without fancy technology like HAARP. Wilhelm Reich invented a device called the Cloudbuster, which can form and dissolve clouds, using very cheap materials. if we're good, we can do it with focused thought alone. water responds to thought energy, as Emoto and others and demonstrated. however, the weather is a self-regulating dynamic system so any force exerted on it will be temporary and tend to have "side effects." the weather is not a machine but an expression of the Life force of the planet, it will never react the same way twice.
2) of course the popular media is being controlled by the Elite (i.e. people with money), but that control can never be total, because humans are fickle. try as they might to fashion every taste we have through TV, movies, internet, and other artificial stimulus, it soon gets old and they have to come up with something new. as for Lady Gaga, i can't stand her music. good music will withstand the test of time, where as bad music becomes unfashionable rather quickly. Britney Spears, for example.
3) it is interesting that someone who's smart enough to control the economy would do something so silly and stupid. an oil spill on the scale of the recent BP incident negatively affects the entirety of life on the planet. ultimately, we're all responsible for supporting BP and other oil companies with our money and therefore supporting deep sea drilling. though it might be emotionally satisfying to point fingers at powers outside of our control, perhaps there are ways this incident will help bring people across the world together to deal with a common problem. perhaps this incident will spawn new awareness of the connectedness of all life on Earth, and that we shouldn't be poking holes and sucking out her insides.
human beings are capable of immense good and evil. collective thought is perhaps the most powerful force on the planet. the dark forces have always tried to control collective thought with religions, governments, and secret societies, but they aren't the only players on the board. Life evolves towards freedom, diversity, and harmony through cooperation, and every human being has Life flowing through them, including people under the influence of dark powers. i am reminded of the last scene in episode 6 of star wars, where Darth Vader saves his son by slaying the Sith lord and dies because of it.
we live in interesting times, my friends. let Life, that innermost spark of consciousness inside of you, guide you towards joy and fulfillment.
Friday, May 14, 2010
dream with me
to paraphrase Ricky Martin, i'm a lucky guy. truly fortunate to live in such beauty, surrounded by forested mountains where rivers run free, blessed by sunsets over the Salish sea. to have friends who not only support me but aren't afraid to tell me when i'm being an asshole. to make a living doing things i believe in, with spare time for music, art, and contemplation. to have access to healthy food, clean water, and possibly the best oxygen in America. to live in a house with lots of interesting people...
although i don't have everything i want, i have everything i need. it is no lie that most people in the world are not so lucky. they might not have access to good food or water. they might not have a comfortable, affordable place to live. they might not have a close-knit community. they might face discrimination for their ethnicity, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. they might suffer war and famine through no fault of their own. this is the reality for many people on Earth right now.
there is a sense that the world's not big enough, that only the Chosen Few can live in comfort while the rest of us struggle to get by. they would have you believe that there's no way to meet the basic needs for all human beings on Earth, so we should only think about ourselves. this seems to be the consensus our world leaders reached at the Copenhagen Climate Conference.
i disagree. i am convinced that it is not an issue of ecological or technological restraints. it is a lack of Compassion and Creativity - unique qualities bestowed upon us by the process of evolution, or perhaps divine Providence. whatever the case, we are now experiencing pressure to evolve into a conscious planetary species. we're getting the cosmic wake-up call.
all the problems of today are interwoven - poverty, famine, war, pollution, climate change, disease - they all feed into each other like some kind of never-ending nightmare. we've discovered, to our dismay, that it's a small world after all and what goes around comes around dirtier and faster than you can order a double tall mocha and do you know how much coffee growers are getting paid in Ethiopia? because you should. as Bob Marley once said, a hungry man is an angry man. even if you don't give a damn about these people - who are our brothers and sisters - they have a right to their share of the pie.
one nation cannot solve its problems at the expense of other nations. neither can central banks and trans-national corporations provide for us indefinitely. indeed, these are the same institutions that perpetuate cycles of debt and exploit just about everyone.
"what can i do?" you might ask. if we want there to be enough to go around, we need to all have a smaller ecological footprint, particularly in so-called "developed" countries. this means providing our basic needs with the least amount of energy and resources possible, on our own terms, with our friends and families and a land base.
this isn't about giving things up (though i've been told it builds character). let's dream about the life we want. Imagine. your own personal utopia, your little slice of heaven on earth. An abode that not only sustains you but sustains Life. a lot can be done with a small piece of land, so dream big. no one will have the exact same dream, but there will be plenty of overlap, or what i'd like to call "Imaginal Resonance." Like tuning forks, these shared pieces of dreams build off of one another, becoming more and more intense in the collective consciousness.
At some point enough energy will be gathered to create a "paradigm shift." This is when the current world will end. which ain't that big of a deal. after all, we shape the world with our thoughts, emotions, and dreams.
it's easy if you try. here, i'll help you get started...
i want to live with my family and friends somewhere in the Nooksack Watershed (i.e. Whatcom County). i want to share a 2.5 to 5 acre property with 7 to 10 people. i want good neighbors who want to live together in an eco-village type settlement, perhaps 20 to 50 people to form a sustainable core group. our community will be self-sufficient in terms of water, food, construction materials, fuel, electricity, and basic skills, though we may need to band together with other communities for healthcare, childcare, education, technology, and culture.
the city of Bellingham will be full of communities like ours, including First Nations tribes that have lived this way for thousands of years (sustainable, perhaps?). in fact, the world will become a network of self-reliant, self-governing tribes and communities. This is hardly a new idea. during the days when European settlers first came to America, everyone lived in small, self-governing communities. the key difference now is a worldwide communication network that enables us to distribute information and resources very efficiently, making it easier to plan ahead and learn from our mistakes.
and the Nooksack River will be full of salmon once again, enough to feed the whole county. it's just a matter of time once we stop industrial farming and logging and reforest all the streams. indeed, Whatcom County will be renowned for its abundance of great food and friendly humans.
my dream was just a small seed, but it's growing. one day it will provide shelter for multitudes of living things. for it is not only my dream, but part of an old dream that belongs to the Planet, which is part of the ancient dream of the Verse.
friends, dream with me
although i don't have everything i want, i have everything i need. it is no lie that most people in the world are not so lucky. they might not have access to good food or water. they might not have a comfortable, affordable place to live. they might not have a close-knit community. they might face discrimination for their ethnicity, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. they might suffer war and famine through no fault of their own. this is the reality for many people on Earth right now.
there is a sense that the world's not big enough, that only the Chosen Few can live in comfort while the rest of us struggle to get by. they would have you believe that there's no way to meet the basic needs for all human beings on Earth, so we should only think about ourselves. this seems to be the consensus our world leaders reached at the Copenhagen Climate Conference.
i disagree. i am convinced that it is not an issue of ecological or technological restraints. it is a lack of Compassion and Creativity - unique qualities bestowed upon us by the process of evolution, or perhaps divine Providence. whatever the case, we are now experiencing pressure to evolve into a conscious planetary species. we're getting the cosmic wake-up call.
all the problems of today are interwoven - poverty, famine, war, pollution, climate change, disease - they all feed into each other like some kind of never-ending nightmare. we've discovered, to our dismay, that it's a small world after all and what goes around comes around dirtier and faster than you can order a double tall mocha and do you know how much coffee growers are getting paid in Ethiopia? because you should. as Bob Marley once said, a hungry man is an angry man. even if you don't give a damn about these people - who are our brothers and sisters - they have a right to their share of the pie.
one nation cannot solve its problems at the expense of other nations. neither can central banks and trans-national corporations provide for us indefinitely. indeed, these are the same institutions that perpetuate cycles of debt and exploit just about everyone.
"what can i do?" you might ask. if we want there to be enough to go around, we need to all have a smaller ecological footprint, particularly in so-called "developed" countries. this means providing our basic needs with the least amount of energy and resources possible, on our own terms, with our friends and families and a land base.
this isn't about giving things up (though i've been told it builds character). let's dream about the life we want. Imagine. your own personal utopia, your little slice of heaven on earth. An abode that not only sustains you but sustains Life. a lot can be done with a small piece of land, so dream big. no one will have the exact same dream, but there will be plenty of overlap, or what i'd like to call "Imaginal Resonance." Like tuning forks, these shared pieces of dreams build off of one another, becoming more and more intense in the collective consciousness.
At some point enough energy will be gathered to create a "paradigm shift." This is when the current world will end. which ain't that big of a deal. after all, we shape the world with our thoughts, emotions, and dreams.
it's easy if you try. here, i'll help you get started...
i want to live with my family and friends somewhere in the Nooksack Watershed (i.e. Whatcom County). i want to share a 2.5 to 5 acre property with 7 to 10 people. i want good neighbors who want to live together in an eco-village type settlement, perhaps 20 to 50 people to form a sustainable core group. our community will be self-sufficient in terms of water, food, construction materials, fuel, electricity, and basic skills, though we may need to band together with other communities for healthcare, childcare, education, technology, and culture.
the city of Bellingham will be full of communities like ours, including First Nations tribes that have lived this way for thousands of years (sustainable, perhaps?). in fact, the world will become a network of self-reliant, self-governing tribes and communities. This is hardly a new idea. during the days when European settlers first came to America, everyone lived in small, self-governing communities. the key difference now is a worldwide communication network that enables us to distribute information and resources very efficiently, making it easier to plan ahead and learn from our mistakes.
and the Nooksack River will be full of salmon once again, enough to feed the whole county. it's just a matter of time once we stop industrial farming and logging and reforest all the streams. indeed, Whatcom County will be renowned for its abundance of great food and friendly humans.
my dream was just a small seed, but it's growing. one day it will provide shelter for multitudes of living things. for it is not only my dream, but part of an old dream that belongs to the Planet, which is part of the ancient dream of the Verse.
friends, dream with me
Friday, April 30, 2010
time to plant!
if you live in Bellingham, now's the time to start those vegetable gardens. my personal goal is to cultivate more food every year until I'm growing/hunting/foraging enough to feed myself, and to do it as sustainably and easily as possible. so far, i've planted a lot of kale, mustard greens, and peas. the potatoes and sun chokes are coming back from last year, which is awesome. i have also been harvesting nettles, which are yummy and very nutritious (and i don't have to plant them!)
My gardening technique follows the guidelines of Permaculture, Natural Farming, and Biodynamics. i use no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified seeds. i use myceliated mulch, compost, and, occasionally, biodynamic preps and EM. I save seeds from the healthiest (tastiest) plants growing in the toughest conditions to reseed my garden. That way, the plants will become more resilient over time.
my garden's in the middle of the city on a northwest facing slope. Definitely not the best growing conditions. even still, you'd be amazed how much food we can grow here, and how easy it is. Before we started the garden, the backyard was filled with Himalayan blackberries, morning glories, and hundreds of broken beer bottles. After 2 years of weeding, the blackberries and the beer bottles are under control. Morning glories and creeping buttercup are still rampant, but as soil conditions improve they're getting easier to manage. I don't weed until I'm ready to plant, and the only one i throw out of the garden (instead of letting it decompose on spot) is morning glory. people who have dealt with this tenacious plant (which I have a great deal of respect for) would understand why. I like them, just not in my garden.
i'll post some pictures soon.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
What kind of world do you want to live in?
My world will have lots of different tribes and communities connected by a planetary communication network. Each community is unique and does something none of the others do. Everyone has enough to eat and a warm, dry place to sleep.
People will identify themselves primarily as Earthlings, and respect other humans and non-human life forms. There's no longer strong attachments to one's race, religion, or country, but people are fiercely proud of their communities and the bio-region where they live. The Earth shall become a beautiful paradise, and beings from all over the galaxy (no, the whole Verse) will marvel at our accomplishment.
I have seen this world in Visions, but they are not mine alone. I have felt the power of a planet dreaming. and it's about to wake up.
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