Urban Mystic Tarot at the Evolver Illuminations Party Sat 7/12

Have you ever wanted to know about what a Tarot Card reader sees or thinks about when he or she gives you a reading? This Saturday at the Evolver party, I will be giving a Tarot Workshop, in which I will be giving insight into what a tarot card reader sees when he or she does a reading for you! I will be using the Thoth deck.

EVOLVER: ILLUMINATIONS

Reality Sandwich invites you to join in its radiant one-year anniversary party. To celebrate this luminous night, we're bringing together the glorious dreamers, ecstatic revelers, and visionary artists who make our fair city shine. Join us at the spacious Sandra Cameron Dance Center adorned in your brightest, most sparkling costumes and explore four rooms of exotic entertainment and enchanted activities.

DJ Room: Unleash your body to the high-energy dirty bassline bliss of Jesse Mann; the uninhibited EthnoMesh of Bulgarian Bar resident DJ Joro Boro; the funkalicious soulful house of Been Jammin; and folktronica artist Zack Hagan.

Cabaret Room: Open your heart to sensuous singing, seductive storytelling, on-the-fly beat-boxing, and ribald puppetry. MCed by Sister Mary Manhattan and Martin Dockery with performances by Americana blues trio Shanimal; Nikki Borodi's Chakra Rock; Mahout Ensemble Jazz Illuminations; Puppetry Burlesque; Acoustical Foreplay by Glen Ashlee; David “I am Another Yourself” Bryson; the angelic voice of Shannon; with delectable cocktails at our bar by Winkel.

Activities Room: Engage your spirit in 3D and multimedia installations, interactive performance art, games and more. Featuring a video screening of the Cosmic Biofeedback of Eliott Edge’s and Dr. Strangelove’s “Positive Programming;” Psychedelic Video Game Remixes and Interactive Video Art by Dr. Domino, Kaliptus and Æres; The Conduit - Vibrational Sound Journey (with Guy Douglas and Owen Lozewski; luminous 3D art by Kahlil Calavas, Amy Zera and Jeramie Bellmay; “On the Spot Blasphemy” by Matthew Daniel, Mrs. Adrian Shirk and their army of mechanical typewriters; I Ching Divination; mind-centering Geometric Origami with Kamal Sunflower; Angels and Angles: Sacred Geometry with Basem Hassan; The Art of Sigil Magic with Mr. Domino; face painting and JAGUA Painted Tattoos with Kaliptus and Mr. Domino; tarot card readings by Æres. Bring your own art pad to share and use.

In the Dome: Chill your mind and open your soul with Tibetan Bowl & Didj Massages by Azarai; Tantric Puja and Active Meditation with Najakat Kavish; "Blindfolded True Confessions." Bring pillows if you like.

Workshop Room: Deepen your soul through mystical, whimsical, and playful workshops including a Shamanic Midnight Sun Ceremony with the NY Shamanic Circle; Argentine Tango with Sandra Cameron’s Amanda Luken; Jamye Waxman's "Sexy Toys for Sexy People;" Jonathan Phillips' "Sacred Warrior Workshop;" and Anthony Williams' "Urban Tarot."

The evening kicks off with a panel presentation, "Transformational Culture in the Digital Age" by Reality Sandwich’s Ken Jordan and Jonathan Phillips, then flows into a full-on night of fun and revelry. Winkel will be providing tasty food and beverages at the bar.

Saturday, July 12
Sandra Cameron Dance Center
199 Lafayette St (one block south of spring between Kenmare & Broome)
(9pm-5am, $20)
www.realitysandwich.com

FIGMENT CLIPS!

Two weeks ago on the historic Governors Island, I helped create an event called FIGMENT, which is a yearly event that celebrates participatory art and culture.
I set up the Urban Mystic Village which hosted some speakers such as Alan Steinfeld (creator of New Realities) Alex Gordon-Brander (builder of the 12,000 sq. ft. crystal temple - you can check out the website www.pantheogenesis.com) and performers such as the conscious hip hop crew Propaganda Anonymous
(here is the link - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=14839838). There were also reiki practitioners as well as a chakra balancing workshop.
I included a video that showed highlights of the event. The sections in the video where people were hooping and having a blast was in the Urban Mystic Village!

Ganesha and the Black Eyed Peas

The superstar producer Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas is
heavily influenced by Lord Ganesha, who is called the Lord of Hosts, the
Lord of Music, The One whose Body is the shape of OM. Sources say
their megahit album Elephunk was inspired by Ganesha, the
elephant headed deity. It was also said their album Monkey Business
was inspired by Lord Hanuman.

Will.I.am.will be collaborating with veejay/singer Sophia Choudhary
on a song on his next album. They will be recording a song in a fly ass studio in
Bahrain that is owned by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The Roots of Shamanism

Nat Bletter, one of the cutting edge ethnobotanists on the East Coast
gave an amazing discussion on Psychoactive plants, and their (pardon the pun) roots
in myth, shamanism and culture.

Although many diehard explorers would know of the information he discussed,
I found his talk enlightening, interesting and highly informational.

I found the fact that DMT (also penned The Spirit Molecule ) is located right behind the pineal gland which is the location of The Third Eye or the Ajna Chakra, the gateway to higher consciousness very interesting.

I was also fascinated by the pop culture images that we have adapted and how it relates to psychoactivity. For instance, the image of the witch on a broom, was a possible metaphor of witches placing these plants in their vaginal canal to increase its potency.

Can I get a Witness? - try this meditation!!!

I have a body, but I am not my body. I can see and feel my body and what can be seen and felt is not the true Seer. My body may be tired or excited, sick or healthy, heavy or light, but that has nothing to do with my inward I. I have a body, but I am not my body.

I have desires but I am not my desires. I can know my desires, and what can be known is not the true Knower. Desires come and go, floating through my awareness, but they do not affect my inward I. I have desires but I am not my desires.

I have emotions, but I am not my emotions. I can feel and sense my emotions, and what can be felt and sensed is not the true Feeler. Emotions pass through me, but they do not affect my inward I. I have emotions, but I am not my emotions.

I have thoughts, but I am not my thoughts. I can know and intuit my thoughts, and what can be known is not the true Knower. Thoughts come to me and thoughts leave me, but they do not affect my inward I. I have thoughts but I am not my thoughts.

This done – perhaps several times- one then affirms as concretely as possible: I am what remains, a pure center of awareness, an unmoved witness of all these thoughts, emotions, feelings and desires.

If you persist at such an exercise, the understanding contained in it will quicken and you might begin to notice fundamental changes in your sense of “self”

Wickerman 2008 Review

Last weekend I went to Wickerman, a burningman-esque event located on the edge of the Allegheny plateau in southernmost central Pennsylvania. It is not officially a Burning Man event but I am sure it will be soon enough. Although this the first time this event was held here, the group known as Four Quarters has been around for 14 years now. They are an interfaith church and are Neo Pagan in their orientation.

Ironically enough, and possibly different than a lot of my fellow burners, I was particularly attracted to the spiritual aspects of the community. I was yearning for spiritual renewal, relaxation and a different type of fun that I was used to in the city.

Everything worked together so well for me and my girlfriend to go that it seemed destined for us to be there – or at least it seemed like the right decision. Outside of a few travelling snafus, we experienced a weekend of abundance. A bunch of us set up our tents at night with the intention of moving them early the next day. However, after exploring the campsite, we realized that it was the place to be. After we set up our tents and the kitchen, it looked like we had our own theme camp! We ate, rested and treated ourselves and one another like kings and queens!

The campgrounds were clean, expansive and relatively bug free except for the occasional caterpillars. The weather was a bit colder than we expected. Although we were used to preparing for the cold due to our BM excursions, the mountain cold gave us a good chill in the wee hours of the night. Even though I wore almost everything I brought with me it still wasn’t enough! Thank goodness for the fire. As an aside, I must say that the bathrooms were extraordinary. The bathrooms were built on top of an open air platform which helped keep them clean. The water in the showers was warm and comfortable even up until the day we left.

Even though their burn continued the tradition of having fire spinners as a prelude to the event, the actual burn itself was a profound experience. In their efforts to create a full experience, the creators played some Star Wars – esque music during the Burn, which created laughs and sarcasm by some. However, I was impressed by their attempt to create meaningful symbolism. The music they played was from Gustav Holst’s The Planets Symphony which based its sections on the personalities of the planets in our solar system. They chose to play the theme based on Mars, the God of War, which astrologically speaking is a fire sign. Among other things, the element fire represents the creative will, the power of life and creativity. I found myself having a deeper appreciation of their efforts when I realized the extant in which they tried to create a truly symbolic event.

The main dance camp there The Party Liberation Front kicked some major ass as well as hosted some of the best fire spinning that I had ever seen. I also met some great new people as well as deepened my connection with some others. The size of the event made it amenable to really hanging deeply with people, which is something that I have been longing for.

Thank you Wickerman for restoring and renewing my faith in life, myself and my passions.

The Pope, The Hierophant and Earth Day

On the news I saw some guys cheer the Pope like he was Ozzy Osbourne. I never realized how popular the Pope was. Although I grew up Catholic and my mom is Catholic, they never mentioned to Pope at all. Or, at least I don't remember. I wonder how much the Pope has an influence on the daily lives of Catholics in NYC? True, his coming has made a major effect on traffic, but I wonder is his effect only limited to Fifth Avenue. Any catholics reading this feel free to comment.

On a spiritual perspective, the Hierophant, the fifth card in the Major Arcana was supposed to represent the pope in the early days of the tarot. In the Crowley Deck (which I use pretty exclusively to do readings) the zodiac association of the Heirophant is the earth sign Taurus. I bring this up because the Pope is coming to NYC during the weekend of Earth Day (which is a Taurean sign) where the zodiac moves from Aries to Taurus. HMMMMMMMMM!



POPE BENEDICT XVI ARRIVES IN NYC
Becomes Third Pontiff To Address United Nations In Speech Focusing On Preservation Of Human Rights
Will Visit Park East Synagogue Friday Evening
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Pope Benedict XVI arrived in New York City on Friday morning, receiving a hero's welcome on a red carpet at John F. Kennedy Airport. He was then quickly transported to the United Nations, where he delivered a speech to the General Assembly that strongly stressed the preservation of human rights across the globe.

At JFK, the pontiff emerged from "Shepherd One" at 9:40, waving to the overjoyed crowd, before being greeted by Edward Cardinal Egan and many other high clergy. Gov. David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg also welcomed the pope as he made his way down the red carpet.

Following the small ceremony at the airport, Benedict was flown by helicopter to the Wall Street Heliport, where he was taken by motorcade to the United Nations, arriving around 10:20. After meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and taking part in several photo shoots, he delivered his speech to an anxious audience, the fourth time a pope has addressed the U.N.

In his speech, the pope touched on a number of topics, especially the safeguarding of human rights and the development of weaker countries.

"I am thinking especially of those countries in Africa and other parts of the world which remain on the margins of authentic integral development, and are therefore at risk of experiencing only the negative effects of globalization," he said.

He pushed the importance of first-world nations aiding those third-world countries that are overpowered by poverty and struggling with development, warning that ignoring diplomacy would "do the real damage."

"Every state has the primary duty to protect its own population from grave and sustained violations of human rights, as well as from the consequences of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made," he said. "If states are unable to guarantee such protection, the international community must intervene with the juridical means provided in the United Nations Charter and in other international instruments."

The pope also turned his attention to the separation of church and science. He praised the expansion of technology, but cautioned against allowing science to dictate humanity.

"Notwithstanding the enormous benefits that humanity can gain, some instances of this represent a clear violation of the order of creation, to the point where not only is the sacred character of life contradicted, but the human person and the family are robbed of their natural identity," he said.

He added that finding a happy medium between religion and science was a question of "adopting a scientific method that is truly respectful of ethical imperatives."

Benedict's New York visit will also include a visit to a synagogue. History will be made when he steps inside Park East Synagogue – it will be the first time a pope visits a synagogue in the U.S.

The pope's last scheduled event Friday is a meeting with leaders from various Christian denominations at the Church of Saint Joseph in Yorkville.

For many New Yorkers though, the most important aspect of the pope's visit will be figuring out how to get around town.

"Friday is gonna be a good Friday for New Yorkers, but it's gonna be a terrible Friday for drivers," former NYC Transportation Commissioner San Schwartz said.

Before and after the pope's visit to the U.N., nearby streets will be frozen. First Avenue from 42nd St. to 48th St. will be closed until 3 p.m.

East 72nd Street. will be closed from Madison Avenue to Fifth Avenue until 11:30 pm Sunday. East 67th Street and East 68th Street will be closed between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue until 8pm, as well as 87th Street from First Avenue to York Avenue. Even ferry service on the East River is going to feel it:

"The East Side will be completely bolloxed up so we have to move the traffic over to the West Side," Schwartz said. "Therefore, don't even drive into Manhattan. Don't even think of driving into Manhattan."