Category Archives: Art

Art, Art Classes

Art Classes – to Grow your Soul

drawing-shadingArt Classes – ” Grow your Soul with Pencil Magic” are currently happening online every Friday morning at 10:30 am pt here – http://www.justin.tv/gorebaggtv

How is this bardo training? That varies who it participating. In a way, doing Art is a sneaky way to get someone meditating, and to speak with Kurt Vonnegut (please see posted letter at the end) – we are growing our soul. Meditation does have a profound effect on your brain and states of consciousness.

Working deeply with animals and Nature can awaken a part of your soul. Doing art awakens another. Almost anything can work as a tool for transformation, a tool for awakening – we just happen to be doing this one at the moment.

In all honesty, the “class” part tends to happen at the beginning of the segments, then it is practicing together – shading, scribbles, figure and ground to start with. This practicing together, the participation and willingness to engage and stay with the process – also is bardo training – building essential qualities and habits.

Lately I have come to this: the only real purpose is to wake up and live life from that place. Having become a harmonious human being is a good thing to be able to actually live life according to your highest knowing, but not a prerequisite to awakening. To even begin to intuit for real, to start to see that is IS a dream – to really get the oneness of it all – leaves one speechless.

In any case , you are invited to join, to participate -and to grow your soul a little more. We would love to see you and  the classes are free.

 

Here is a link to the series which is the foundation for this class: Draw Good Now

A Fun video from the house and tree class

In 2006, a group of students at Xavier High School in New York City were given an assignment by their English teacher, Ms. Lockwood, that was to test their persuasive writing skills: they were asked to write to their favorite author and ask him or her to visit the school. Some of the students chose

Kurt Vonnegut. He was the only one to reply – and it is an inspiring letter. He died  April 11, 2007. With much gratitude to all involved, there is the text:

November 5, 2006

“Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:

I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.

What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.

Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?

Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash recepticals. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.

God bless you all!”

Kurt Vonnegut

 

 

 

 

 

Art, Guitar, Music

Music as a transformational tool – What happened to that guitar?

Or – The Creation of Necessity

Music and making music is one of the most transformational as well as invocational tools. Intentional bardo voyaging often uses sounds and music for transport. Music gives access to some spaces that have no other opening keys.

…ya, so – what happened to that guitar we got 3 years ago? (yes, I looked it up – it was 2009)

Remember – when we were getting the Lessons for DumDums for the Guitar?

How is YOUR practice going? Are you playing – alone or with others?

Good News: Keep an eye out on gorebaggtv for announcements if you are interested in reviving your guitar playing – or tell someone who is totally new.

Myself, I have played off and on, mostly off, but ever since the added task of taking care of the dogs, starting October 2010, then chickens and the garden and now more dogs – there is even less time. But really, that is an excuse – I am lacking a certain kind of discipline, & I don’t have the talent or passion to continue “just because” & for no obvious reason, even though it can be such fun. So what does one do?

I occasionally still practice some cords and have been “planning” to get back into it regularly and learn to actually play  …..  alas ….

But then TODAY – someone asked: what happened to the guitar classes you were gonna give. Are you going to start them?  I said: What guitar classes?????? …and then it came back …ah, yes, those … reviews for all us guitar newbies. Regular practice – in a group – online. Last year, in 2011, the plan had been for 2 of us to have a gorebaggtv show for others – to get us all back into it – the guitar playing. Just simple folk songs. But then, my friend moved away – and it never happened.

Ok, …when will you start …ok, next week, I had to fit it in between the chickens and the dogs and dinner and the dogs again …. so we found a time for the winter months at least :).

You are invited to check in and join, bring friends http://www.justin.tv/gorebaggtv Tuesdays at 7 to 730 pm Pacific time – “Our guitars and Voices” – Guitar for newbies and those who can help and those who wish to engage together in making music.

I find myself having thoughts like: I am not photogenic, my stage presence sux and my guitar playing is rudimentary – what the hell I am I doing? I don’t know how that will go – it is an experiment born of desire to include and integrating music making into our lives.

Again, E.J. Gold has poured a lot of time to show us a way that makes it possible for ANYONE to get started in this ….to use the tools he offers, you DON’T have to be an expert, you can be a beginner. Later on, when someone has joined some expertise, other doors open, but to start – all you need is willingness to learn – and an action step. I LOVE that about all these tools.

On some level – for me – this is an application of:

NECESSITY – if you don’t have the discipline, accept to do something for others and thus create enough necessity to do what needs to be done.

Actually, I have had this guitar for almost 40 years – it has been VERY patient and forgiving.

Kinda like: do for others which you could not do for yourself.

I must be crazy to commit to another thing to do ….

…. on the other hand, I am committed to serve as best I can, to learn to love, to help awakening hearts and consciousness on this planet – for the relief of suffering of sentient beings – The Absolute.

And: being able to make music is a good bardo skill to have. Keep an eye out on gorebaggtv  & letz do this.

Invitation for all, especially newbies.

In any case, there is a guitar that has been patiently waiting to sing ….

… or maybe has been waiting to make you sing or  me sing or us sing together … hm

…  and maybe your voice has too. And maybe you won’t need a guitar to sing along?

 

 

 

Refresher from the youtube vids made back then.: