#and by body and soul i mean literally all my artistic endeavors

[nowyoursoulisforfeit]

His poor eyesight, white trauma hair, and thigh high boots have bewitched my body and soul.

[asphaltvalkyrie]

Threnody

So, I've spent the last two months or soon-and-off writing an origin story for my Sorceror Tav, Ardea. I was going for a bit of a dark fairytale vibe and it could use more work, but its at that "If I look at this thing anymore my eyes are going to permanently cross" stage so I decided to just let 'er rip.

Also on Ao3 because holy shit I DO have one of those, don't I?

In the lower city of Baldur's Gate, tales of familial tragedy are more numerous than the cobblestones on the streets. Families torn apart in one way or another, sometimes quite literally, thanks to a bevy of warring gods, bargaining devils and capricious magic.

One such family began with a young husband and wife.  Both were human and talented artists - the husband highly skilled at carving wood, and the wife at painting. Oftentimes they would work with one another to create things of astonishing beauty.  While they were most famed for their beautiful and lifelike sculptures, everything they created seemed to be beautiful, down the the simplest kitchen tool or child's toy. And so, they were blessed with great success and wealth, with a greatly renowned workshop that they operated out of their home in the lower city.

The perfection of their work often drew covetous and jealous eyes from the city's many other artisans both noble and peasant, but the couple's kindness and humility were enough to cool even the most heated of rivalries. Indeed, it would take nothing short of divine malefaction and infernal machination to harm the prosperous pair.

The architect of their ruin would be the Stormlord Talos, who could destroy in a second anything which nature and mortal kind could build, no matter how ancient or beautiful. One need only look to a grand old tree uprooted by a windstorm or a millennia-old temple felled in a single streak of lightning to see the shadow of His hand at work. Though the artistic endeavors of a single well-meaning pair of mortals could hardly be construed as a threat by most gods, Talos was not most gods.  In fact, the more random and senseless the destruction, and the more beautiful the things destroyed, the greater his pleasure.

And so, Talos sent a mighty storm to ruin the couple - great winds that blew away paintbrushes, heavy rains that ruined paints and rusted saws and chisels, and, worst of all, lightning bolts that tore through sculpted wood and painted canvas with equal ease. The pair was thought to have perished in this storm as well.  However, they were discovered the next day completely unharmed, beneath a pile of the their ruined masterpieces, which had somehow fallen to create a shelter for them, as if the works had sacrificed themselves to save their creators. A true miracle. 

And so, the pair was able to rebuild their home and workshop with alacrity, aided by the hands of their many friends and neighbors. Talos, childishly satisfied with his work, turned to other destructive pursuits. However, the pair could not help but fear that they would once again catch the eye of The Raging One once their works again reached full glorious potential. And their fear only grew when the wife realized that she was with child. 

It was in their hour of greatest worry that one of the devils of Cania came to them in the form of a handsome elf. He offered them a contract stating that no storm born of the heavens would ever harm them, their work, or their family. What he asked in exchange seemed simple enough for them to risk the loss of their souls - all he asked was for them to create a perfect likeness of him in wood and paint in a tenday. Afraid but confident in their abilities, the couple signed the contract... It would not be the first time they had been asked to capture the visage of someone influential and dangerous. But as soon as their blood had dried upon the parchment, the devil laughed and shed his handsome face, revealing his true form; a body only vaguely humanoid. The whole of his being was a nightmare of impossible colors and intangible textures - a landscape as varied and horrid as the hells themselves. Grinning with a beak full of mismatched teeth, he bid the couple adieu, and said that he would return in three days time. And he wanted it perfect, down to every rough scale and curling claw.  Every patch of matted fur and scabrous skin.

Horrified but undaunted, the couple locked themselves in their workshop, and when the devil strutted cockily back once a tenday had passed, he was struck dumb by what he saw. There he was. In perfect likeness. His chaotic form captured in every tiny detail. The husband had rendered his body in exact anatomical perfection with hammer and chisel.  He had somehow coaxed from a block of wood the dry smoothness of scales and the gauzy lightness of feathers and fur.  And beneath, the contours of muscle and sinew. The wife had seen to it that the colors were perfect down to the smallest shade - from the leprous green mottling on his patches of humanoid skin to the oily black sheen of his iridescent horns. Colors dull and muted where they needed to be, and brightly lurid where they needed to be. Mixed and applied with flawless skill.

The devil was furious that the couple had gotten the better of him. But the sculpture was undeniably a perfect replica of him, and devils are creatures of their word.  And so, he placed a spell of protection on the couple's home and workshop and scuttled back to Cania, tails between his many legs, as agreed. But, a word is a flighty and ephemeral thing to stake one's life upon, as words can be twisted into all manner of shapes, for good or ill. 

A short time later, the wife bore their long-awaited child; a daughter.  And though she was strong and healthy, her tiny body bore the unmistakable signs of infernal meddling. Superficially her face resembled her father's, but her skin was the color of a winter sky and her eyes were black pits lit by two sickly yellow sparks. On her head one could clearly see the two swellings that would become horns as she grew, and if there was any further denial of her devilish heritage, one need have only looked at her long, fleshy tail.

A Tiefling. 

Once again horrified but undaunted, the couple vowed to raise the girl as they would any other child, and were true to their word. They named her Threnody, a choice they would later regret, for it seemed to mark her for tragedy just as blatantly as her devilish features.  True to her name, she was a rather unhappy child, prone to bouts of sullen silence punctuated with sudden outbursts of anger.  Though intelligent and observant with a sharp tongue, she was not motivated by the admiration of her peers or the praise of her elders, and thusly school seemed to only bore her. One would have expected her to be teased, given her unusual appearance and spontaneous birth into a human family, but there was something about the girl that made other children keep their distance.  She found few friends, even among other the other Tiefling children of Baldur's Gate. 

This did not seem to bother Threnody, as she preferred to spend her time in the workshop with her parents... Not for their companionship so much as to be in the presence of them as they worked. Even as a toddler, she would watch her parents work for hours, enrapt with the act of artistic creation.  It seemed, in fact, to be the only thing that could make her smile. Watching the marbled patterns that her father could coax from a piece of mahogany, or the sublime shades her mother could mix with the most disparate of colors brought forth the kinds of coos and giggles that a parent lives to hear.  Delighted, her parents did everything they could to encourage the girl, providing her with brushes and paints as well as sculptor's clay, and (when she was old enough,) carving and sewing tools as well.  

Their investments in their daughter's talent was rewarded again and again, as the girl seemed to have a great affinity with all things creative. By the age of 10, she was creating pieces nearly as exquisite as those of her parents, and the wealthiest citizens were offering greater and greater sums for works from the young prodigy. She had inherited from her father a fine grasp of texture, and from her mother, an eye for perfect color.  When she worked, the very air seemed to pulse with potential, and her grim and gray features brightened.  

If she had deigned to accept commissions for painted portraits or custom clothing or heraldic sculptures, she may very well have earned her family a place among the wealthiest patriars in the upper city. However, she followed only her own agenda, balking at the idea of following anyone's visions but her own. Most of her work was inspired by nature, and her favorite subjects were the marsh animals and plants that she often glimpsed on the banks of the Chionthar not far from her home. She rendered them in paint, embroidery, wood and clay with equal skill, often against exquisite backdrops of clouded skies and rivers that seemed to snake off into eternity.

Even without following any sorts of instructions but her own, Threnody's gifts could have made her beloved of anyone and everyone she chose.  However, she remained distant and cold to most anyone, and disliked the company of others while she worked. Though her judgmental gaze and sullen silence were her only weapons, those who braved being in her presence as she worked would sometimes find their flesh breaking out in goosebumps. Even her parents would only approach her long enough to offer a cup of tea or to retrieve a dropped brush or chisel. But that was usually long enough to glimpse an occasional happy smile or joyful gesture, and they took solace in that as one would from seeing a spring sun peek out from among a towering bank of winter clouds. Delighted by their daughter's abilities, if not by her off-putting tendencies, her parents began to describe her gift as something truly magical.  It fell them to entertain her many admirers, and accept their adoration on her behalf. They took great pride in her and her abilities, believing that their prodigious talent (and by extension, Threnody's) had defeated that scheming devil once again - overcoming the curse of the Tiefling child he had sent them through the beauty and power of art.  All the time, the devil had even stayed true to his word.  

Threnody was scarcely a woman grown when she set about producing something truly remarkable.  It would take her several years... And she would work in a manner that was quite unlike herself, patching it together piece by piece instead of as a harmonious whole. Her parents voiced their concerns about her methods, but all it took was a single look from her baleful yellow eyes to silence them. 

Though her work was slapdash and seemingly improvised, every element of it seemed to integrate perfectly. Every dab of paint and thread of fabric she placed seemed to weave itself into the exact state she needed it to be in.  Shades of paint mixed on different days matched perfectly, cut edges of fabric melded together with seamless grace, a chisel never chipped a speck of wood more than it needed to, drying clay never cracked. 

None save Threnody knew what the finished product was supposed to be, and though she often spent hours staring at it, she never spoke of her work on it. Eventually, it began to take shape, becoming some sort of long-limbed and graceful bird.  Her careless crafting process was evident in its construction - when it was finally recognizable as a bird, it was headless, one-winged and balanced on a single leg of impossibly thin wood.  Some parts were painted and varnished while others remained bare wood, hastily bent wire or stiffly starched fabric, or were absent entirely. Even so, it was resplendent as a phoenix in a thousandfold shades of deep blue, cloudy gray and wine red.  

As she worked, the climate around the family home seemed to change. The winters became longer, and the sky howled with wind and rain and thunder seemingly every night. But Threnody's parents only laughed.  They had the word of a devil, written in blood and sworn by the infernal sisters, that no storm would ever harm them or their work. Let Talos throw his tantrums... it must chafe him, they thought, as lightning forked through the sky above their home only to crackle away into nothing as the hells-touched girl wrought masterpieces just out of his reach.  How mad he must be when the wind howled and shook the rafters of their home, unable to even momentarily distract their girl from creating another work of electrifying beauty. She was to have been a curse, but she had proved herself among the greatest of blessings.

With every new detail, the bird became more lovely, as if it were flying in feather by feather from the highest peaks of Celestia. It was posed with an unearthly and impossible grace, with a delicacy that should not have been physically possible to coax from the materials she had used.  Its ungainly construction became invisible beneath the beauty of its many elements. A time came when it appeared finished, but it was missing something... The bird had no eyes, and it was obvious from the messy and unpainted pits in its head that it was intended to have them.

At this point, Threnody stopped her work for a long time, focusing on other projects, which she worked with her usual care and professionalism, employing none of the improvised and haphazard techniques she had been using with the bird. Still, every day she would stare at the nearly finished, nigh-paradisical creature as if weighing something very important in her head.  Her parents could never get an answer from her as to why, and chalked it up to apprehension about somehow botching the last element. After all, every artist worried now and then that a perfect piece could be ruined by something as small as a single careless brushstroke or errant stitch. Meanwhile, the winter storms seemed to grow stronger every year.

Eventually, she began work painting two small, perfectly round seed pods from a scraggly marsh tree outside of their home.  Her parents held their joy in check as they realized that they were to be the bird's eyes. She painted them in cool shades of yellow, dappled like an autumn moon with hints of purple, punctuated at the center by a pit of abyssal black, varnished to a viscous sheen. Even bereft of a skull to hold them, the eyes seemed to follow the viewer, conveying a secret intensity of some unknown emotion.  Her parents hadn't been there when she finally placed the eyes, but they knew that it had been done by the sudden change in the air that made the hairs on their necks stand on end.  Though both busy with chores on opposite sides of their home, the husband and wife nearly crashed into one another as they rushed to the family's workshop.

There Threnody stood before her finished masterwork, hands clasped like a supplicant at a holy idol. A beatific smile spread across her somber features as her closed eyes welled over with abundant tears.  It was so rare to see her smile so brightly, rarer still to see her cry tears of joy, and they treasured the sight. Proudly they interlaced their fingers and embraced, drinking in the sight of their dear daughter happy.  Their grip on one another tightened as Threnody seemed to grow taller, and they realized that her feet were no longer touching the ground. The air snapped and popped around her as she rose, and her tears began to swirl like raindrops about her head.  Her eyes snapped open as she beheled her creation again, looking in its fabricated face as if it were a living thing.  It was then that her parents noticed that the bird's eyes were the same color as their daughter's, and just as alive. Both sets of eyes began to glow as Threnody stretched her hand out, and the bird miraculously came alive, moving its head to rest it in her hand, as if she were a fairytale princess. Hair-thin threads of electricity arced between them.  It was impossible to tell in that moment whether the girl or the newly animated bird were their source, but in a thunderclap of an instant the wind began to howl and the workshop began to shake.  The husband and wife held one another tightly as the sound of crackling lightning and shattering timber filled the air, and a blinding light filled their eyes.

Her mother awakened to thunder ringing in her ears and the smell of burnt timber and singed flesh, with the body of her husband draped across her chest. Cold rain and hot tears stung her face as she cast her eyes on a scene of utter devastation all around.  And in the center of it all was Threnody, outlined against a patch of tempestuous and clouded sky where the wind had torn away the workshop roof.  Her magnificent bird was now nothing more than a smoking heap... but she still smiled.  She smiled.  Even as her dead father, her distraught mother and her ruined masterpiece lay before her.  Lightning arched from her horns and weaved through her hair like the ribbons she had once braided into her hair.  Her mother screamed her name, but the storm swallowed the sound whole. 

The memories of the first time she and her husband had huddled beneath the rubble of their shattered life flooded back to her, and the devil's promise echoed in her mind.  She raised her voice again, this time screaming the words of the devil's contract that had now been violated.

"No storm born of the heavens shall ever harm you, your home, or your family."

As she shouted the final word, a realization hit her like a bolt from the blue. 

Even in his cruelty, the devil had been true to his word. The storm that had ripped apart their little family had come not from the heavens, but from within their own home. A storm channeled from the hells themselves in the form of a cursed daughter. She could only watch in despair as her daughter raised the wind and rain and lightning like a conductor of some hellish orchestra.  And in that moment, the unholy sound of hail beating against the wreckage of her home and the body of her beloved sounded almost like strident laughter. 

The young woman who emerged from this ordeal was no longer a beloved daughter, but an orphan of a storm of her own making. Her artisan's heart still beats within her, but it may be broken beyond repair. And if it cannot create, it will destroy.

[vindelllas]

Can you talk about beauty in revati women more specifically revati chandra? Thank you very much✨

i got you love 💕🤍💗

a mini exploration of revati chandra natives 🐘:

🐘 angelina jolie: revati chandra

🐘 rihanna: revati chandra

⌛️ in my opinion, revati chandra women have some of the best appearances out of the entire zodiac. they typically embody the best physical features of their genetics. they have the youthful features of the revati nakshatra’s ruler budha, such as plump, pouty lips; youthful and arched eyebrows; hypnotizing and magnetic eyes; strong jawlines and dainty noses; and larger foreheads. whereas, brihaspati (the ruler of pisces) bestows these natives with a naturally curvaceous, hourglass-shaped, and busty figure. their figures are not extremely thick or have such a waist emphasis like dhanishta, but more so a thickened, slimmer body type. the are typically of medium height, around 67-68 inches tall (budha-ruled women tend to be short but brihaspati-ruled women tend to be slightly tall, so there is somewhat a height balance). they favor embellishing their beautiful features with more yin characteristics like medium-to-long hair, long nails, diamond jewelry, and thinner eyebrows.

🐘 ali mcgraw: revati chandra

🐘 janet jackson: revati chandra

🌊 due to revati’s high expectations of both themselves and others, these natives are often prone to slight feelings of low self-esteem. they seem to struggle with accepting the losses and short-comings in their lives. this behavior sends them into an emotional spiral and causes them to forget how to handle situations of adversity. they may sometimes lack the practical and disciplined nature they need to survive during times of trials and tribulations. internally, revati chandras are quite compassionate to others and struggle with expressing the same compassion to themselves, as they are always under constant stereotypes and ridicule from others. this is why revatis may either seem emotionally unavailable (as an adjustment to society’s cruel nature) or insanely emotionally unstable (due to them growing tired of concealing their emotions to others and choosing to rather manically embrace all of their suppressed emotions at once).

🐘 whitney houston: revati chandra

🌱 revati belongs to the mridu (tender) nakshatras, along with mrigashira, chitra, and anuradha. the mridu nakshatras are best for pursuing platonic relationships and the enjoyment of life’s pleasures. such as, romance, dance, drama, fashion, and literature. because revati is also ruled by pushan, the deity for nurturing and safe travel, they are naturally called to explore the finer things in life before the ascend into the plane of pure spirituality. men, in particular, struggle with this placement more as it conflicts with their natural yang nature and causes many revati chandra men to become obsessed with the vanity of the physical plane. as budha-ruled men embody the trickster archetype to the fullest and become too consumed with pursuing the “next best thing” as fast as possible, like younger women and greater amounts of money. whereas, revati chandra women seem to focus on enjoying their creative pursuits and the journey of life much more.

🐘 salma hayek: revati chandra

🏹 revati chandra women are highly sexual beings. their mercurial nature makes them naturally quite shamelessly promiscuous and embody the stereotypical male fantasies of the “cool girl” (a woman with a youthful glow, high sex appeal, and a preference for vulgarities/alcohol/physical activities). this seems to cause great polarity in pop culture. revati chandra native cardi b is quite infamous for her highly sexually explicit songs and revealing outfits. budha-ruled women love to entice and tease others with their abundant looks and hypnotic aura. after all, mercury/budha is regarded as the playful trickster in vedic astrology and the elephant yoni is regarded as the best yoni for sexual endurance. yet, they know how to market their bodies to receive the utmost profit. think of revati chandra celebrities like salma hayek and eva longoria who are known for their figures and body revealing scenes in film. men seem to idolize and worship the playful sensuality of revati chandras, while women seem to often feel imitated and threatened by their nature.

an excellent musical example of revati’s constant hate they receive for wishing to control the sexual narrative of their bodies, harsh exterior, and their proneness to the usage of vulgarities:

🐘 cardi b (revati chandra): upper photo

🐘 eva longoria (revati chandra): lower photo

🐘 sade adu: revati chandra

🌬 because revati is symbolic of the natural twelfth house, the house of great intuition and our soul’s ascension/descension, these natives have a strong sense of intuition. they are typically expressive of their deep connections to the astral plane through their artistic endeavors. revati chandra native sade adu was known for her transcendental, almost aquatic-like voice and angelina jolie stars in the disney film “maleficent”, a fairy-tale and dream-like film. revati’s expression of the twelfth house is much different than the other pisces rashi nakshatras. revatis stand out in both the physical and astral plane, they bring unique qualities from both realms as they are the utmost mastery of the nakshatras. in “maleficent”, angelina jolie plays a misunderstood fairy who learns to embrace both her dark and nourishing nature. she has contrasting pale/dark features, large and black wings, and huge horns. she looks nothing like the other soft, pastel-loving fairies and is often stereotyped as mean or brutal. this is much similar to the nature of revatis, their harsh external nature is often confused for being robotic or aggressive, this is why tropical aries are often given such a bad rep for their agression. revatis feel so deeply and truthfully on the inside, but struggle with expressing their emotions out of fear that they will be even more misconstrued. everything affects them so much, they prefer to become almost numb. as they progress through life, their outer shell eventually shatters and reveals the strong, yet caring, individual they truly are.

🐘 anna wintour: revati chandra

✨ revati natives are sincere and passionate with everything they do. they strive for a clear and honest approach to their work and life and are called to live uniquely and embrace their individuality. like all mercurial nakshatras, they tend to embrace an ambivert/extrovert lifestyle and have very outgoing and magnetic personalities. their social nature and great beauty allow them to dazzle and hypnotize the hearts of the masses. this magnetism is why we see many revati chandras rising to the top of their respective fields. such as, rihanna and her fashion/cosmetic/music career, angelina jolie and her acting/philanthropy career, and anna wintour is often regarded as the reigning queen of fashion. revati is literally translated as “wealthy”, these natives continuously blossom and flourish thanks to budha’s charm and brihaspati’s blessings of prosperity!

hope this helps love 💕 happy february everyone! i plan on exploring chitra next!

xoxo, angel <3

[xoruffitup]

Adam Driver/Pale in Burn This

It’s now a week since I saw the play, and less than a month until I go back for Opening Night! Now that I’ve had some time to process past the initial fangirl feels and “He was so incredible, HOW?!”, I’ve finally got more substantive reflections on Adam’s performance and character. (Warning: Spoilers abound!)

This has got to be one of the most interesting and demanding roles Adam has ever played. (Except for maybe that weight loss for Silence) The character of Pale encompasses practically the entire spectrum of human emotion - Including the primal extremes of soul-wrenching grief and violent, blistering rage; along with the tender stillness of affection between the two. The amount of energy Adam expends traveling between these polar extremes so often and so quickly throughout the play is simply awe-inspiring. Somehow, there’s never a moment that feels forced or melodramatic. The most compelling and compulsively attractive quality of his character is his overwhelming vitality - His overzealous emotions, the honest brunt of his emotional expression that is abrasive and shocking and disquieting, because there’s never a single moment when it is filtered through niceties, excuses, or pretense. He is the embodiment of primal instinct and the depth of hard, gritty human emotion most of us would often rather not confront. 

(Also, he has a New York accent through the whole thing. Think the coffee shop skit from SNL.)

I already explained in another post how I saw the play, at its heart, being about the conflict between socially-mediated and disingenuous human emotions vs. the chaotic but purpose-giving deeper forms of human experience. Burton and Pale are representative of these two different modes of being, and Anna finds herself torn between them. Although Pale’s character is brash, crude, and insensitive, his unapologetic honesty and the sheer force and size of his personality make this a performance that is unforgettable in its authenticity and compulsion. He is truly perfectly cast. The director, Michael Mayer, stated very aptly: “Adam has this explosive, dangerous, unpredictable animal quality that really is this character Pale.”

Before I recount the particularly memorable moments of Adam’s performance, I do want to examine the character himself a little bit first. I have to admit, I think I would feel a lot less charitably towards the character had anyone else portrayed him. This is half because Adam has a way of making the character insistently charming, and of course half because I have an instinct to always love Adam on sight. :)) But because I can never quite turn off my feminist analysis lenses, there are still plenty of aspects to this character I have problems with. 

Yes, he’s technically separated from his wife, but he’s still cheating and the fact that he doesn’t tell Anna he’s married before they sleep together is highly suspect.

He lapses into violence when he and Burton meet, and never knows when to draw the line when it comes to being antagonistic. He never pulls his punches, neither in actions nor in words.

While it’s clear Anna reciprocates the attraction, he keeps assuming his welcome and access to her sexually, before giving her the space to work through the many complications their relationship causes. 

He makes unacceptable comments about Anna’s body before they’re intimate. (”You know you got no tits at all.” Yes, it’s a funny moment and Adam pulls it off for genuine laughs without it sounding lecherous, but still a red flag.)

He never confronts or admits the fact that he should have been more present for his brother. Anna says that Robbie talked about Pale and liked him, but Pale never seems to give full recognition or respect to Robbie’s sexuality or his artistic endeavors as a dancer. (It sat heavy with me when he used a slur to refer to Robbie and Larry.)

There were a couple moments when the character vacillated a little too close for comfort towards thoughtless, irreverent masculinity. Without Adam to endear the character to me, it’s likely I would have come away disliking him in full. 

But then - There were the touching, debilitatingly gentle moments that Adam portrayed with such feeling, it was impossible not to be taken in and share this character’s pain. 

He weeps. A lot. I mean full-body, hiccuping, sniffling, red-face weeping. Adam would sweep his hair back from his face, and that wasn’t the face of an actor working to manufacture tears - It was the face of an utterly broken man trying desperately to hold the tears back.

The sounds that are impossible to distinguish between screams and sobs. The first time he breaks down, he sinks to his hands and knees and with his head hanging, just starts screaming under the weight of everything he’s feeling. It’s jarring and unexpected, after his character spent the last 10 minutes in a rapid-fire, curse-laden monologue bitching about parking and how dirty and shitty the whole city is. But these screams aren’t angry anymore. They’re so full of every other emotion, they’ve become empty and helpless. Rather than extending the blistering, raging energy Pale charged in with - The primal sound is him breaking apart and all of the rage cracking open to abandon him, leaving him utterly hopeless. 

Although he makes comments about Anna’s body and her state of undress when she answers the door that hint yes, he notices her, he does seem to fall into their intimacy just as haphazardly as Anna does. This is a very, very fine balance Adam does a fantastic job portraying, because if this were lost then the character would lose any shred of likability or respect. He’s not preying on her because she’s grieving. If anything, it’s actually the opposite. He’s the grieving one in need. When they first sit down on the couch together and he puts his arm around her to hold her, he seems to be the one seeking comfort more than she. Their first physical contact is gentle and respectful, and Pale seems to seek it because he’s the more vulnerable in that moment. And its out of that vulnerability that they share a moment of profound connection. When they kiss, it doesn’t just feel like a distraction. It feels like the first genuine form of mutual understanding that’s happened on the stage so far. 

Although yes, he takes it a bit too far in assuming they’re a ~Thing now and of course they’ll continue sleeping together, this intimacy with Anna is just as bracingly genuine as everything else he does. And although the character can be insensitive, this is not selfish. The intimate moments with Anna are achingly quiet and fragile, showing that both of them are on equal terms to the extent that they’re exposing their true selves to the other. Pale becomes slow, quiet, and tender - The effect equally as impactful as his massive, violent moments; And devastating in its difference from his louder moments.

This line alone - One of the most memorable moments to me, the first time they kiss: “Let’s just start up the engines real slow here … maybe go halfway to the city and stop for somethin’ to eat … You talk to me, okay? … You’re gonna find out there’s times … I’m a real good listener.” He’s opening up and being honest with her about the extent of his own grief, but at the same time wants to give comfort just as much as he’s seeking to receive it himself.

The fact that he LISTENS when Anna breaks thing off, and finally gives her space to think everything through and make choices independently. The way he silently got dressed, tied his shoes, gathered his things, and gave her that last soft kiss before he left. 

“I’m gonna cry all over your hair.” - Delivered as a chagrined apology.

While looking up the script, I found this quote in a summary of the play and it really captures Pale’s essence perfectly: “Menacing, profane, dangerous and yet oddly sensitive, Pale is both terrifying and fascinating and, in the end, the one who brings to Anna the unsettling but compelling love that, despite her fears and doubts, she cannot turn away.”

NOW, let’s talk about Adam. It’s no exaggeration to say his first appearance on stage is as a literal hurricane. He doesn’t appear until about 15 minutes in, but then remains on stage for about 30/40 minutes in a blistering, restless bundle of raw energy. He is utterly absorbing, even entrancing. First he’s stalking around the stage yelling about the traffic, bitching that his pants and shoes have dirt on them, criticizing Anna and her apartment. Then he and Anna begin probing the topic of Robbie, and he starts coming apart - His rage unraveling into loud, dramatic misery. Once he sinks to a level of such wretchedness that Anna begins trying to comfort him, their exchanges turn gentle and sympathetic. She leans against him to comfort him, he puts an arm around her, and next thing you know they’re gently kissing. It’s nothing short of a stunning progression, considering that during Adam’s first five minutes yelling on the stage when he seemed clearly repugnant to Anna, I could not for the life of me see how these two were going to end up attracted to each other. And then within a half hour together, it happens. And it’s believable and incredibly touching - Thanks in large part to Adam’s insane range that enables him to embody such polar opposite emotional states and unite them within a single convincing character. 

LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT PURPLE ROBE SCENE. He comes out from Anna’s bedroom in her purple silk kimono-style robe and it’s THE MOST HILARIOUS SHOCK I’VE EVER SEEN. My brain needed a moment to process which was a DAMN SHAME because he first comes out with the robe untied and just underwear underneath before he ties it. So people - Be ready to check out that chest for those couple seconds it’s on display!! :’D

He then spends a few minutes struggling to get his massive arms through the billowy sleeves with holes in weird places, and it’s simply hilarious. As if him wearing this robe (and paired with knee-high socks!!!) wasn’t enough, this entire scene just becomes more and more golden. When Anna’s roommate Larry offers him tea, Pale admonishes him for making it wrong and goes to make a proper pot of tea himself. So picture this - Adam in a women’s purple silk robe, expertly fussing with a kettle on the stove, then very precisely pouring out tea with a dishtowel wrapped around the kettle handle (to keep from burning him of course.) I just.... cannot believe I was blessed to witness that. :’)

I honestly don’t know how Adam doesn’t lose his voice! He does an insane amount of yelling and screaming, and holds nothing back. But even as he’s yelling most of his lines, he’s sending the audience into hysterics every other minute. Pale’s monologues are absurd and bizarre and only half lucid. It would be so easy for both actor and audience to just get lost adrift in these long verbal onslaughts - But Adam manages to give meaning to everything, and also somehow convey a connection between his far-fetched rants and some emotion the audience can tap into. The way Pale sees the world and the descriptions he uses are thoroughly unconventional and strange - And yet Adam’s delivery elevates them to more than just the ravings of a man on amphetamines. He becomes insightful, perhaps even clever, with a total lack of self awareness and thus zero pretensions. 

All in all, the two most important elements of Adam’s performance:

He can deliver the kind of sweeping, consuming, all-encompassing emotion and desperation that this character demands

He can balance the spectrum of the character’s explosive emotional displays with just enough control to make Pale someone we can still root and feel for. He makes Pale just purposeful enough that he never quite hurdles past the point of losing self-control or becoming unhinged. Yes, his character is unsettling and threatening in some moments (we certainly believe Anna when she says she is scared of him), but he is not aggressive or violent by nature. The audience can recognize that the volatility within him is just as likely to turn him gentle and sincere as it is to cause the explosive moments. We can feel all too easily why Anna cares for him so quickly and deeply. 

Not only does Adam bring the character to life with unforgettable spirit and biting intensity, he also brings heart and sympathy to a character who - for me - could easily have had neither on the page. I’m so thankful I got to see this stellar performance, and it’s truly no exaggeration to say Adam is hands-down one of the most talented actors in the biz. I hope lots of fans will get the chance to see him in this insane, brilliant role. <3 If anyone has any further questions at all, I would be more than happy to answer!

[sheilacwall]

Kanye West & Numerology as Jesus the King Hits #1

Kanye West & Numerology as Jesus the King Hits #1

Has the album been well received? I’d say a resounding yes. Here are the numbers.

Jesus is King Record Sales

Jesus the King just debuted at #1 in the US, Canadian, Australian, NZ & Norwegian charts whilst entering at #2 in the UK & Irish charts.

Jesus Is King opened at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 264,000 album-equivalent units, of which 109,000 were pure album sales.

The chart-topping position stood as the sixth time that West did so with an album in the 2010s, tying him for second place with fellow rapper Future and Canadian singer Justin Bieber for most number one albums of the decade. The album simultaneously entered atop the US Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums charts.

All 11 of Kanye West’s songs debuted on the latest Hot 100:

Rank, Title

No. 7, “Follow God” No. 17, “Closed on Sunday” No. 19, “Selah” No. 23, “On God” No. 33, “Everything We Need” feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Ant Clemons No. 36, “God Is” No. 37, “Use This Gospel” feat. Clipse & Kenny G No. 44, “Every Hour,” feat. Sunday Service Choir No. 50, “Water,” feat. Ant Clemons No. 59, “Hands On,” feat. Fred Hammond No. 62, “Jesus Is Lord”

West is among the most critically acclaimed musicians of the 21st century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 140 million records sold worldwide.

He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time and the most Grammy-awarded artist of his generation.

Kanye’s Evolution

Kanye is a year older than me and like me, he had to move to another country as a child due to his parents’ job. For him it was China at age 10 years old as his mother found a teaching job abroad, for me it was the USA at age 9.

It seems like he had a similar problem I had at school with the same outcome.

“China was a time where me and my mom spent the most time together, we spent a year together, and she used to homeschool me. I was in school and I wasn’t doing so good, but it was actually because I was bored and after she homeschooled me I did so good on the tests they put me two grades above in a lot of different courses.”

I read that before Donda West passed away, his mother had recounted tales of a young Kanye break dancing on the streets for yangrouchuan (lamb skewers) for small change.

Mrs. West said that although she found the language difficult, her son found it amusing that the word ma meant both “mother” and “horse” depending on how it was pronounced. “He played that to the hilt,” she recalled in her book.

I remember using the word “rubber” in America, when I’d made a mistake writing something down and the kids laughing. Rubber means “condom” in America and the word you need is “eraser”. I think I played that to the hilt after that as well.

You probably know that Tupac’s parents were Black Panthers. You might be surprised to know that Ray West, Kanye’s dad, was also an ex-Black Panther and is now a Christian counsellor.

So, it is not that surprising that Kanye is following in his father’s footsteps away from his rebellious side to a more Christian role now that he is a father of four. In his interview with Zane Lowe, he says he’s drawing inspiration for a more secular role due to his daughter’s love of the Church.

The Number 27

Jesus is King clocks in at 27 min and 4 secs. Why?

What is the meaning behind number 27?

27 is an interesting number and it is the perfect cube of 3 x 3 x 3. Dark matter is assumed to make up 27% of the universe and also makes up 90% of the brain (grey matter).

27 just happens to be the number of books in the New Testament & there are also 27 Nakṣatra or lunar mansions in Hindu astrology.

Number 27 is the atomic number of cobalt & the atomic weight of the only stable isotope of aluminum. Both forms of these metals are used in dentistry. Kanye had his mouth wired shut after a car accident in 2003 after which he recorded, “Through the Wire”.

27 is also the number of bones in the hand – See “Hands On” below.

From Affinity Numerology:

The numerology number 27 is about philanthropy and compassion in a cooperative atmosphere.

The number 27 is a wonderful number. The energies it represents makes the number kind-hearted, tolerant, intelligent, a team worker, and so very much wanting to see humanity better off than it is.

27 endeavors to inspire others to support humanitarian groups and organizations, using its diplomatic skills and enticing them with a vision of an ideal. The groups and organizations are carefully chosen for their effectiveness.

A sense of fulfillment for 27 comes with others adopting its sense of idealism and actively helping to achieve that end.

The 27 essence contains:

the 9’s essence, such as being non-judgemental, humanitarian, and tolerant, plus a generous dose of the 2’s essence, such as cooperation, relationships, and diplomacy, and a dose of the 7’s essence, such as introspection, study, and spirituality.

The result is a unique essence.

https://affinitynumerology.com/number-meanings/number-27-meaning.php

According to the Secret of the Tarot…

Angel number 27 is a sign from your angels concerning your soul mission or calling in life. Our guardian angels are always there to provide us with the support and inspiration necessary to live up to our highest potential.

Angel number 27 is all about living a purpose-driven life. When you see this potent angel number appearing in your daily life, know that your angels and the Ascended Masters are telling you to have faith and trust that you are on the right path.

https://thesecretofthetarot.com/angel-number-27/

On Finding God

First scare: car crash

Kanye was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, mentioned in the song, Through the Wire, as “the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died,” and had his jaw wired to his face in reconstructive surgery. Two weeks after being admitted to hospital, he recorded the song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut. Consequence recalls West started rapping the lyrics to the song three days after the accident.

The song’s title refers to the wires used to hold his broken jaw together. When asked about how the incident changed his music, West stated:

Well, the only thing this accident’s saying is, “I am about to hand you the world, just know at any given time I can take it away from you.” To nearly lose your life, to nearly lose your mouth, your voice, your whole face, as a rapper…and I had to be on TV! My face looks crazy to me now… But I have to just thank God for the situation that I am in… “Through The Wire” is the worst thing that could’ve possibly happen to me, and now it’s obviously the best thing. Look how it exploded!

Second scare: Trump Backlash

Backlashes over his erratic behaviour, the anniversary of his mum’s death, his wife getting robbed, his comments on slavery & his support of Trump all proved to be too much emotionally and put him in a hospital. No-one knows quite for sure what happened in the hospital, but he has emerged as a born-again Christian.

There are many, many problems with taking the bible literally and Kanye proves another one in the video above when he talks about taking his own eye out.

I googled it & it looks like this is from Matthew 5:29 and concerns “adultery”:

New International Version “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”

Selah

Selah is likely to mean “to praise” or “pause and reflect upon what has just been said.” Lauryn Hill used this name for her daughter.

“Selah” is the name of a city from the time of David and Solomon.

In Islam and in Arabic generally, Salah (also pronounced Ṣalāt) means prayer, and Selah means connection. Both words come from the same original root Sel which means connect.

‘Ye makes a number of references to the bible when talking about freedom from slavery in Selah.

“Closed on Sunday” makes a good point about Capitalism, but, why is he still brand name dropping a junk food store, Chic Fil-A, a fast food chicken chain?

Did he get paid to sneak this in or is he looking for sponsors?

It’s also a sneaky back reference to a line in “N***as in Paris” when he was in a different mindset. Maybe he is trying to tie a past hit record to this song. A powerful mind trick.

“She said ‘Ye can we get married at the mall? I said look you need to crawl ‘fore you ball Come and meet me in the bathroom stall And show me why you deserve to have it all (Ball so hard) that shit cray, (that shit cray) ain’t it Jay? (Ball so hard) what she order? (What she order?) Fish fillet”

“On God” is where he gets the realest, actually raps and he gives his reasons why he supports Trump… and it comes down to… taxes & prison reform (lines highlighted in bold below).

“”How you get so much favor on your side?” “Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour,” I replied Thou shalt love thy neighbor, not divide I’ma ride, that’s on God His light shine the brightest in the dark Single mothers know they got my heart And all my brothers locked up on the yard You can still be anything you wanna be Went from one in four to one in three Thirteenth amendment, gotta end it, that’s on me He the new commander and the chief That’s on Keef, that’s on God Before the ranch, I had horses in the garage When the Forbes cover was just a mirage They had me chasin’ statues, that’s on pride “Oh my God,” Bust said that’s on Tribe When I thought the Book of Job was a job The Devil had my soul, I can’t lie Life gon’ have some lows and some highs Before the Grammy’s ever gave a nod I wore my heart on my sleeve, I couldn’t hide In ’03, they told me not to drive I bleached my hair for every time I could’ve died But I survived, that’s on God I’ve been tellin’ y’all since ’05 The greatest artist restin’ or alive That’s on L.A. Reid, that’s on Clive That’s no Jive, that’s on God Off the 350s He supplied The IRS want they fifty plus our tithe Man, that’s over half of the pie I felt dry, that’s on God That’s why I charge the prices that I charge I can’t be out here dancin’ with the stars No, I cannot let my family starve I go hard, that’s on God”

“Hands On” is another interesting record.

This is what a police office often yells whilst pulling people over for DWB – “Hands on the hood”!

‘Ye points out the unfairness of black people being thrown into prison over misdemeanors and the three strike rule. Then he calls out the 13th amendment again.

“Got pulled over, see the brights What you doin’ on the street at night? Wonder if they’re gonna read your rights Thirteenth Amendment, three strikes Made a left when I should’ve made a right Told God last time on life Told the devil that I’m going on a strike Told the devil when I see him, on sight I’ve been working for you my whole life Told the devil that I’m going on a strike I’ve been working for you my whole life Nothing worse than a hypocrite Change, he ain’t really different He ain’t even try to get permission Ask for advice and they dissed him Said I’m finna do a gospel album What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me Make it feel like nobody love me They’ll be the first one to judge me Feelin’ like nobody love me Told people God was my mission What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me Make it feel like nobody love me Make you feel alone in the dark and you’ll never see the light Man, you’re never seein’ home and you never see the domes I can feel it when I write, point of livin’ in the right If they only see the wrongs, never listen to the songs Just to listen is a fight, but you booked me for the fight It’s so hard to get along if they only see the slight From the love of religion What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me Make it seem like nobody love me I’m not tryna lead you to Visas But if I try to lead you to Jesus We get called halfway believers Only halfway read Ephesians Only if they knew what I knew, uh I was never new ’til I knew of True and living God, Yeshua The true and living God (Somebody pray for me)”

The 13th Amendment

Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Some prisoners in eight states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas—are not paid at all for their labor in government-run facilities.

The national average for inmates receiving the least compensation for their maintenance work in these prisons is 14 cents per hour, according to the non-profit Prison Policy Initiative. The countrywide average for those receiving the most for the same type of labor is 63 cents per hour. Inmates in Minnesota and New Jersey can receive the highest hourly rate for prison maintenance jobs: $2 per hour.

Note: Kanye wants prison labourers to make his shoes. It will be interesting to see what he will pay them.

Anyway, back to the music. Kanye employs Jewish saxophonist Kenny G on “Use This Gospel”, but fortunately for Kenny, there is no mention of Jesus on the track. I wonder how much flack Kenny G will get from the Jewish fundamentalists for appearing on the track?

It’s seems to me like Kanye wants to sit back and be a director, producer and preacher now whilst letting someone else take over with the rapping and singing.

I think being a rapper was getting in the way of his “mission”. Creating a church will increase his power and wealth to get done what he wants to get done… whatever that is.

I can imagine youtube being flooded over the coming years with covers such as this. He wants his music received by a much larger audience and after watching the Dame Dash interview with Adam22, it looks like this might have all been orchestrated for a long time.

Let’s see if he continues down this path and where it leads or whether he’s still “on strike with the Devil” and will be back to his old self. It seems to me at the moment, his biggest hurdle will be getting his wife on board with this new lifestyle.

I can think of a few places Kanye will be welcome with open arms right now though, such as The Philippines.

I feel like this album is a stocking filler for later albums. He’s just testing the water to see which ones connect with the public. I’m not sure the songs on this album are strong enough to stand the test of time, but I think this is just a warm up, plus it will get major airplay in the “Bible Belt”, especially “Use This Gospel”.

The post Kanye West & Numerology as Jesus the King Hits #1 appeared first on Hip Hop World Music.

from Hip Hop World Music https://hiphopworldmusic.com/kanye-west-numerology-as-jesus-the-king-hits-1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kanye-west-numerology-as-jesus-the-king-hits-1 from Hip Hop World Music https://hiphopworldmusic.tumblr.com/post/188838310368

[olaluwe]

Seun Onigbinde [photo credit] Daily Post

In less than four months or thereabout into the second term of the Buhari administration, nemesis in a way has caught up with two of his proven critics in a manner, arguably, never before seen in the political history of the country.  

I say this, reasons being that, I’ve been around for some time now and I don’t think I’ve heard or seen similar scenario ever played out in Nigeria where politically active personalities would be barred from joining, in whatever capacity, a government of which they once hold critical opinions.

I might be wrong as I don’t have a monopoly of knowledge. As such anybody with a superior experience is free to correct me.

And the executor of the judgment on the two was none other than the Buhari Media Organization and by extension his die-hard fans.

The undoing of the two, like I hinted above, was after all the while of throwing invectives at the person of President Buhari and his government they suddenly make a U-turn by accepting an offer to serve in the same government.

The first casualty of the Buhari Media Organization’s intolerable stance for anybody who looked double-faced a personality was Festus Adedayo.

Festus is a brilliant writer and critic who has not spared the Buhari administration with the vitriol of criticisms ceaselessly flowing from his pen.

He has a well-referenced stockpile of unkind words for the president and his men in his locker-room as an opinionated writer.

It is fair enough, you might say. After all, being a Nigerian and a writer, he is such a critical stakeholder in the country’s democratic project that’s duty-bound to breathe his perceptions on the state of the nation.

He is also eminently qualified to hold the government accountable as far as governance is concerned.

But more often than not, his written pieces are borne out of bad faith, personal aggrandizement or a calculated but hidden lure of lucre through self-promotion unto the government consciousness by way of launching scathing attacks on it which all played out not too long afterward.

All seem to be going well for him as an independent critic until he veered off the track in a manner of speaking by accepting the appointment as the chief media aide to the current Senate President Ahmed Lawan.

The Buhari Media Organization, as well as his supporters, would have none of it. And their response was tidal enough to cause a significant shift in official quarters.

Adedayo was not only severely criticized by the group for accepting an appointment from a government he sees nothing good in, his innocent benefactor; Ahmed Lawan was likewise hounded through a frenzied social media campaign into terminating the said appointment.

That settled the score with critic Festus whose only rebuttal was his vehemence resolve to continue criticizing the government where and when it appears it’s not doing well as it concerns good governance no matter whose Ox is gored.

I personally wish him well at such a laudable endeavor from which I also advise that he should never deviate.

But if feelers from his antecedence are anything to go by, that’s left to be seen because I’ve it on good authority that he was once a media aide to one of the governors in the south-south region of the country. 

This makes it a forgone conclusion that he would always be on the look-out for similar openings by whatever means suitable including demonizing his targets.  

This time around the victim, literally speaking, is Seun Onigbinde.

Before his appointment gone awry as the Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, he was the co-founder of a certain IT company named BudgIT which specializes in fiscal transparency.  

Like Festus, Seun has been a long-standing caustic denigrator of the government of the day, and indeed of the president.

He had at some points in the past described the president in the lowliest of language imaginable. Summarily, the president to him is 'incompetent, dictatorial and perpetuating illegalities' in one of his rabid jibes.

And those men and women of goodwill and genuine interest of the country at heart which includes my humble self who support the president he had also uncharitably characterized as 'ethnic jingoists'.

It is a thing of interest that long before now the route of criticizing a government of the day at every opportunity has been traveled by many with clearly the singular motive of getting noticed and followed by an appointment.

And many indeed were later appointed into the same government they had harangued at every turn even needlessly for the reason of not appreciating its limitations as a bunch of elective and appointive persons seeking the good of the country in their various capacities.

What usually happened next is they were not only quieted but would go on to singing a new song of praise of the government in which a while ago they see nothing good to write home about. Isn’t that hypocritical? Yes, it is. The reality that had stared us in the face-up until now is that they always get away with it.

With the few examples so far seen, it seems that is not working with this government because its supporters are strict, conscious and are well-armed to take on individuals who might want to access the government on the back of being self-entitled critics of its programs and policies.

And I think it is a good one. People, by whatever names they go – critic, opponents, name it should not be allowed to eat their cake and still have it. You cannot describe something or someone in the most odious terms and still want to co-travel with it. It shows in practical terms a total lack of honour, decency, morality, and integrity.

If the critics truly believed in the ideas and ideologies they are espousing which indeed most of the time are at variance with the government one should expect that they find an alternative home in the wide skies of our political climate to push them rather than seeking to sneak themselves into the same government at nightfall thinking people will just look the other way.

To me, it is nothing short of an act of moral instability or bankruptcy if you like which has long been condoned in the political landscape of the country.

It is even quite different from when politicians switched allegiance from one political party to the other no matter how ridiculous the stated reasons are.

In their case, they constitute themselves into arm-chair critics and are from their cozy inner-rooms slashing at the heart, body and soul of a government only to emerge as beneficiaries of such dirty antics while the real party men get soiled from head to toe in the murky trenches of Nigerian electioneering campaign. 

Without mincing word, Seun Onigbinde is a social and intellectual scoundrel who seeks to profit by a calculated subterfuge. He is a horrible wretch hoping he would not be uncovered.

And his types should be restrained or resisted if you like by every means possible from having their ways in our society just as the Buhari Media Organization has done.

It is not about clamping down on the rights of Nigerians to keep an open mind and freely expressing their views and opinions on issues of national importance like some people are saying.

It is about the critics themselves not condescending into the domain of imbalanced and hysterical commentaries and analyses of national developmental issues for selfish gains which is what the likes of Seun and Festus has been doing when they have the platform to constructively engage the government.

                                                             Instead, all they spend their day doing was shading the government without proffering solutions. And they still have the effrontery to step forward to accept an appointment from the same government.

Whereas if they have shame, they would never have even secretly desire to serve in a government they both had at one time or the other called illegality among other unprintable words while deliberately overlooking the fact that it is a democratically elected government we are talking about here.

And for going as far as deleting his Twitter account so that his ridiculous and denigrating posts against the President Buhari administration would not be recalled, Seun has shown himself to be a tendentious opportunist - a scam artist to the core.

And that's mostly regrettable because it is coming from a young Nigerian whom we all have been vigorously campaigning for to be given a chance in a leadership position in the country.

I think more searchlight should be beamed on him lest we have another Obiwanne on our hand pretty soon.

Now if we think the political class is the worst set of people in the country, I think more than ever before, we should begin to have a serious rethink.

I believe like the Buhari Media Organization said that there are countless supporters of the President who have more powerful backgrounds and records, who are better qualified, and who would offer better professional and intellectual support to the attainment of the President’s ideas and goals, which they believe in – which Seun, from his posturing, has said he does not.

More so, I also think it is high time conscious efforts should always be made by public office holders to recruit only people whose political positions aligned with theirs into appointments to avert a similar occurrence in the future.

This is because we have had enough of people of imbalanced and unstable morality trying to reap roses where they had sowed thorns.

It is the most unimaginable evil. And it should never be allowed to stand.

I pledge my availability and support to fight the scourge of moral instability wherever it rears its ugly head because it is not good for the progress of this country.

And for those who think he (Seun) shouldn't have resigned from the post, and that he should have come prepared for the criticisms that was bound to follow his appointment knowing fully well his own antecedent as a critic of the government, they are not only being dishonest with themselves they are equally promoting the cause of travesty of decency, honour, integrity and above all moral stability.

Finally, I for one strongly believe there should be a clear demarcation of political ideologies in operation in Nigeria; instead of the current ideological fluidity in the system which is leading us to where.

No wonder Nigerian politicians’ cross-carpet at will from one political party to the other simply for a lack of political ideology. What we have today is more of politics of interest, of jobbers, of butchers and not politics of pan-national development driven by ideologies.

[juanitastar]

BNHA: Round I-III

You got blood on your face Looks like you're a total disgrace You came here to take me down But I only see one of us on the ground

Like a dog with a bone I won't stop 'till you buried and your tombstone Reads "here lies a soul Who should have fucked with someone that wasn't so cold.

Seriusly, Round One by Red vs Blue is my ost for this arc.  Now...

Round I: 

I loved it. Class B was freaking ruthless.  Revelation was strong and smart… just like Beast from X-men. But more ruthless. Pervert-boy has a really good power. 

Everyone from Class A (plus Shinso) got a time to shine (that was a strong comeback). Even kaminari, who exceed expectations by simply not fucking it up with his voltage limit.

Overall, good round, good display of characters from all sides, good win. 

Round II:

It started strong, with darkness brothers and rivalry between girls that has nothing to do with wanting to fuck the same boy. And not even a negative rivalry! Just a girl wanting to fuck the other girl up and the other girl is like “aaaw, so sweet of you”.

My big problem with this round: Momo was lauded as a future promise, his rivalry with big hands as the big thing for this round.  Then that got resolved pretty easily with one… two punches.

Tokoyami on the other hand made the best display out of literally everyone. He defeated his designated rival… no wait, let me say that again: He destroyed his rival, pulverized him. He fucked him hard against the floor, against the wall and then he  stayed for cuddling time and told his rival he was pretty.. That’s why Kuroiro was so shy when he meet mushroom girl afterwards. His legs were still shaking.

Speaking of mushroom girl, that bitch is the top alpha dog of this round. Holy shit, that was a scary ending.

Anyways, point is: Toko was the one to shine from page to page, while Momo was lauded for like, doing a clever thing. It was odd for me. And where the hell are the afterwards comments. I feel robbed.

The reason Tokoyami looks so buffed is because he was carrying his whole team since he got in there, the fuck.

Round III:

This turned to be an all out battle from the get-go. Thats… thats fine for me, actually. Nice way to change the formule.

First of all, the pages with Endeavor were hilarious to me. Please mangaka-san, keep making fun of this man.

I'm a huge x-men fan. So, when I hear a new quirk and his description, cant stop comparing. This INCREDIBLY hot student, have a quirk very similar to this guy from the Marauders. And yes, Kaibara can rotate his dick. Let the fics be born.

AND I TOLD YOU HE WAS GOING TO FIGHT OJIRO, THE “ARMS UP POSE” WAS A AGGRESSION DISPLAY. Plus, pretty face vs smoking hot body is always fun to watch. Please let then fall on the melted snow and ditch half his clothes to make this a mud fight.

My Little Pony is a hawk style manipulation, but with less things flying. On the plus side, she appears to never run off of horns? Also, she is terribly cute. Good think she is not fighting Tsuyu because that would be a killing attempt… against our hearts.

Anyways, nice first chapter.

My whine are that they will appear to centered on the two main characters. This… this is not bad per se, I mean, is supposed to be this way. 

My whine comes from me wanting to know more about Shoji and Ojiro. The first is a powerhouse of physical strength; the second is a martial artist with an extra limb. I need to see a battle centered on then. I really, really want to see some nightmarish technique from Shoji and his extra-limbs… and please take off that mask.

Some predictions:

-Someone is going to get trapped on the floor when sandboy gets hard again.

-Todo is going to hurt himself or someone with fire if he tries to use “that technique”.

-Ojiro will win his fight. Maybe we get some inner thoughts about his hard work, maybe.

-Shoji will remain without the credit he deserves.

Class B will win this if Todoroki gets incapacitated, since Class A strategy is centered around him. Unless they planned for Todoroki to be fucked like a bitch by Tetsu and made a plan B.

My overall complaining is girls being on second base. Vines girl was looking like a real thread for a second and got taken out in the next two panels. On his case, it was justified because Shinso is a game changer. But what is the excuse for Momo vs One Punch-girl being over so fast.

And I just… don’t care about Todoroki. The “all powerful with a dark/traumatic past” character trope bores me to dead, unless your name is Kurapika. Not that he don’t have some hold on me (he really does), just that he is not my reason for wanting to see round III from the beginning.  

 Iida… Iida is a treat, please focus on him more... please. 

[ilaroseart]

Exploring Non-attatchment Through Art

Author:  Caitlin Howard | March 20, 2017

Eugene artist Ila Rose forces viewers to value her art’s process, not the final product.

“We do that with art and creativity. We strip away the soul and how it connects us as a community and individuals and we just make it this thing you look at, this object of value, of monetary value.”

“The reward is in the process of creation.”

***

A young woman gracefully trudges up a grassy hill bathed in sunlight wearing only a loincloth fastened by a heavy turquoise-beaded belt. She’s carrying a large load on her back that hangs from a braided rope wrapped across her forehead. Among some harder to recognize objects, the load includes a baby asleep in a foetal position, bones from what appear to be two different animal rib cages, and a handful of various plant materials. Off the back of her sack dangles the skeleton of some sort of animal foot whose bony fingers interlace with those of a young girl with dark billowy hair who walks behind the woman. Bright red poppy flowers sprinkle throughout the girl’s hair, the woman’s belt, and the lumpy bundle. The piece is called Transmigration and it hangs high in Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon. It is a painting by local artist Ila Rose.

Transmigration is the journey that the soul takes as it passes from one body to the next after death. Rose’s whole being is soft; she has piercing green eyes, hair dyed lavender, and is fascinated by ephemerality. “The body is temporary,” she said. “Everything is temporary, you can’t attach yourself to the thing, you have to find the purpose or the meaning beyond the thing. And art is like the perfect example of that.” Her art is not about the final piece but rather the creative process of crafting a painting and then the dialogue that unfolds afterword among viewers.

A symbol of her efforts toward detachment, Transmigration is actually painted over one of her other well-known paintings, Life, in Passing, which contained many of the same elements -some still present in the newer painting- but represented the simultaneity of life and death throughout humanity. “So the painting becomes the shell or the body,” Rose said of having painted over it. “And then as it changes it’s like the soul or the energy or the idea of it moving through without attaching itself to the physical form.” The story of the physical paintings becomes the story depicted in the images: life, death, transmigration.

Rose’s affinity for arid climates and themes of life and death in her art reflect influences from her family. Although born and raised in Eugene, her mom and dad are from Arizona and New Mexico, respectively, and she feels an innate nostalgia for those areas. “I love the landscape and the sky; and the sunsets and sunrises are unbeatable,” she said. “I mean, you have so much sky if you’re out in the desert or on the plains and you have to turn all the way around to see it all.” The influence of her sister runs even deeper. Watching her older sister, who has cerebral palsy, exist in a dysfunctional body with a functional mind had Rose pondering the meaning of life and death from a young age. “When you love somebody and you watch them go through that and there’s no great outcome – like, she’s never going to get better – it brings the existential question of reality into the forefront of my mind,” she said. “And I think that literally my art is a way for me to work through that because there’s no answer.”

More than anything else, what Rose brings to her art is her authentic self. Every person has their own individual life experience and so innately staying true to that core being ensures uniqueness. “I come from an authentic place based on my own perspective and my own life experiences and I just try to be true to myself and my creation,” said Rose. “And that inevitably is going to be unique because we’re all so different.” At only a glance her art stands apart from other painters with its boldly archetypal symbols and bluntly – but beautifully – heavy subject matter.

Rose’s approach to art is a reaction to what she sees as our culture’s obsession with material objects. “We do that with art and creativity,” she said. “We strip away the soul and how it connects us as a community and individuals and we just make it this thing you look at, this object of value, of monetary value. It’s such a shame.” She saw the effects of this mentality first hand at Vino Van Gogh, a painting bar where people come for community art classes over a glass of wine. Rose used to teach classes there 2-4 days a week. First-time painters came in with their friends, petrified of putting the paintbrush to the canvas because they were convinced their final product would be a worthless failure. “There’s no chance of failing here, so just do it,” she’d tell them. “It’s about the process not about the outcome.”

As she would explain to her Vino Van Gogh students, Rose believes that the value of art lies in the creative process and the subsequent dialogue that unfolds for viewers. She understands her art as having an organic life of it’s own, a story, rather than being simply an end product for purchase or viewing. “The reward is in the process of creation,” she said. “Also what I’ve found with my art is, when you see it and we talk about it and what our shared experience around it means, we realize the value is not in the art, as an object.  It’s character and value is sculpted by the resultant conversation about how we perceive the world collectively.” There’s an inherent element of community in her approach. She wants to drive connection and communication through her art. There’s no wall between her as the creator and her audience. The art serves a purpose for all, and that purpose is up for debate – in many ways the debate itself is the purpose.

Rose toys with this approach in various of her artistic endeavors. Most notable is the mural she painted on the corner of 5th Street Alley and Blair Boulevard in the Whiteaker neighborhood. She’s also painting the Oregon Country Fair poster for the third year in a row. Less known is the fact that she collects old photos at garage or estate sales and keeps them in a photo album for future use in her projects. “It’s like I’m developing a relationship to that person to some degree, paying respect to them, to their energy or their soul,” she said. Instead of – or perhaps in addition to – their souls going on to other bodies, Rose is manifesting the opposite of reincarnation and recycling the physical bodies of those in the photographs. She also had a series of drawings on exhibit a few years ago with a notebook in which viewers were encouraged to write their responses. It’s worth noting that she was perplexed to find that a vast majority of the entries entailed viewers, who didn’t know Rose personally at all, projecting their own narratives onto her life. “Never let how tired this reality makes you feel control you,” one read. “You are a beautiful God.”

To further the conversation, Rose hopes to do more murals in the future. She’s drawn to the inherent ephemerality of street art and how it forces people not to attach themselves to the final piece. It’s not something that anyone can take home or buy; it’s something that she gets to create for the public to admire in a shared space. She loves how it can draw communities together around a collective identity. “The whole idea is that you have local artists and people from the neighborhood decorating the neighborhood and telling the story of the neighborhood,” she said.

Whatever the medium, Ila Rose’s art is sure to continue to grace the streets, festivals, bookstores, cafes, and galleries of Eugene for years to come. In fact, she’s confident that her art will only get better over time as she grows older, insisting that as her age increases, so will her art’s ability to impact others through humility and wisdom. “I was blessed to be compelled to create,” she said. “It would be such a shame and a waste not to.”

[stephenpetroniocompany]

“Bloodlines is the project of a lifetime.”

Melanie George’s program notes for the 2017 season of Bloodlines

“I don’t have one dance home. I have lots of homes.” -Stephen Petronio

Bloodlines is the project of a lifetime. Literally. Initiated in 2014, on the heels of Stephen Petronio Company’s 30th anniversary, Bloodlines simultaneously looks forward and back on the legacy of Stephen Petronio, while making space for the vision and lineage of his most influential predecessors. With specific focus on Petronio’s post-modern heroes and mentors (Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham, Anna Halprin, Steve Paxton, and Yvonne Rainer), Bloodlines endeavors to shift dance history from the books into the body, and, in doing so, encourages audiences to reframe the narratives assigned to these dances within history. Part homage, part investigation, through Bloodlines, Petronio draws a serpentine line from post-modernism to his own signature elegance and kineticism.

Beginning with Merce Cunningham’s RainForest in 2014, each season, Stephen Petronio Company has added one or more historic post-modern dance works to their repertory, to be performed alongside a new work created by Petronio. For its 2017 season, the company presents an excerpt from Steve Paxton’s Goldberg Variations, a triptych of early works by Yvonne Rainer, and Anna Halprin’s solo The Courtesan and the Crone, performed by Petronio. Though the artists have a shared history in modern dance chronology, each of the works represents a different era in the artists’ lives: Rainer’s works are from the start of her career, Paxton’s dances were originated in his late forties, and Halprin was a septuagenarian when she created her solo. Bloodlines is not a retrospective. More than mere tribute, the repertory is in dialogue with itself and current and future pieces by Petronio. Similar to revisiting great written works, within each dance is context and subtext promoting a rereading of what we think we know of these dances.  

Yvonne Rainer’s Diagonal was first presented as part of the evening length work, Terrain (1963). Diagonal is a playful game, full of humor and chance, but with clear rules for space, time, and movement, denoted by letter and number. In reducing the design to a series of actions, devoid of meaning, the performers relationship to the movements is revealed. Dancers alternately revel, grapple, and impose their will on one another. In Diagonal, we glimpse the seeds of Rainer’s movement aesthetic that would eventually be immortalized in her No Manifesto and most famous work, Trio A: a fascination with pedestrianism and repetition, direct locomotor movement, limb initiation as an obstacle to traveling movement, and an averted gaze.

Trio A with Flags (1966/1970), is one of many versions of the iconic dance, Trio A. Originally titled The Mind is a Muscle Part 1, Trio A was first performed on January 10, 1966 at Judson Church. An egalitarian, movement-focused work performed by any willing participant with any degree of skill, Trio A can be a trio, solo, an ensemble work, or duet. Its focus on movement invention sans repetition, seduction, or spectacle, would, over time, be seen as the ultimate rebellious act of post-modern dance. In questioning, and ultimately breaking, most of the rules of conventional dance composition and performance, it succeeded on its own terms and redefined those terms for the field, in general.

In program notes for a March 1968 performance, Rainer stated

“Just as ideological issues have no bearing on the nature of the work, neither does the tenor of the current political and social conditions have bearing on its execution… This statement is not an apology. It’s a reflection of a state of mind that reacts with horror and disbelief… not at the sight of death, however, but at the fact the TV can be shut off afterwards as after a bad Western. My body remains enduring reality.” (1)

Her words reflect the inherent iconoclasm of Trio A’s origins. Though the content remains unchanged, or perhaps because of it, the intent is endlessly malleable. In the case of Trio A with Flags, it is overtly political. First performed in 1970 by Grand Union (with David Gordon, Paxton, and Rainer) during the People’s Flag Show, the dance was used to protest the arrest of fellow artists. Nude, with five foot flags tied around the neck, this version has rarely been performed since 1970.

The decision to revive Trio A with Flags at a time when our cultural and political climate is fractured, is a purposeful, tactical act of resistance. Petronio has chosen to speak with his most effective medium. He states, “...our actions are the architecture of our souls, and so we shall be remembered for the heart and breath and fierce passion of our march.” Where words fail, the body speaks eloquently, transforming what was once a timeless counter-culture political statement, into a timely, necessary declaration on the role of art in society. It incites. It reflects. It validates. It comforts.

Chair-Pillow is an excerpt from 1969’s Continuous Project-Altered Daily. The most structured and conventional of the three excerpts presented on this program, in the original evening length piece Chair-Pillow served as an interstitial counterpoint to a series of interchangeable solos duets, trios and group dances. In documents from the rehearsal period, Rainer writes extensively of a need to interrogate the role of authority and directorship in her creative process. Of this time she commented, “It seemed a moral imperative to form a democratic social structure.”(2) Chair-Pillow is an interesting byproduct of this approach, as it is organized and repetitive, but, in its original incarnation, could be initiated by any dancer, at any time in the performance.(3) What is clear in the early performances, and the Petronio restaging, is Chair-Pillow is a dance about self-inflicted obstacles, theoretical and tangible. Though Rainer and her Judson Church compatriots rarely get due credit for their whimsy, how could the accompanying Ike and Tina Turner performance of “River Deep, Mountain High” be anything but whimsical. In the narrative of the anarchical, political, and experimental leanings of Judson Dance Theatre, humor is often excised. By adding these works to the Bloodlines repertoire, Stephen Petronio Company balances the scales between the wit and wisdom that is woven through Rainer’s choreographic history.

Of the many dance interpretations of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Steve Paxton’s work is, perhaps, the most invested in variety. Beginning in 1986, Paxton’s Goldberg Variations project extended over six years, rooted in his commitment to never perform the work identically. Inspired by Glenn Gould’s 1982 recording, and intrigued by the juxtaposition of an ever changing dance set to a fixed audio reproduction, Paxton did not commit to recording any of his performances until the project’s end in 1992.(4) A quarter of a century later, the video serves as a lush portrait of who Paxton was as a mover during this time, though that was never his intent. Widely revered as the shepherd of contact improvisation, history texts often fail to mention the exquisite nature of Paxton as a performer of his own repertory. Yvonne Rainer once commented that Paxton developed his aesthetic as a means to avoid the inherent technical brilliance of his dancing body.(5) This excerpt from Paxton’s work highlights the magic that results from mating a highly evolved mover with a masterful improviser. Shifting from isolation and fine motor movements to athletic gross motor movement, existing in all dimensions in space, contrasting strong, quick effort with undulations of the spine, the dance, and Nicholas Sciscione’s performance, are facile… curious…. alluring.

The Courtesan and the Crone was chosen for Petronio by Anna Halprin. Halprin created the dance in 1999, at the age seventy-nine. A feminist work about aging and image, the piece is emblematic of the manner in which Halprin remains present in her work, evolving thematic material to reflect current states, eliminating the distinction between life and art.  Inspired by the gift of an Italian mask from her daughter, Halprin designed a humorous dance of seduction, revelation, and resignation. Petronio’s performance is sly and provocative, as it simultaneously assumes and subverts the character through age and gender. His performance poses questions found in Halprin’s artist statement: “What next? Where am I going? What is my work now…?”(6), while also touching on drag and genderqueer themes. The result is a mix of illusion and vulnerability from a character of indeterminate identity.

Petronio’s latest work, Untitled Touch, is a mix of purposeful propulsion and dexterous motion. The dancers often act upon another, rather than work in tandem, orbiting around each other while transitions and groupings dissolve. The movement allows varied aesthetics to rub together, as classical lines collide with the deliberate release of effort. As noted in the title, it is a tactile work, but is neither sensitive nor indulgent. Instead, it employs surprisingly percussive movement vocabulary. The accompanying score, composed by frequent collaborator Son Lux, suggests an ongoingness in opposition to the decisive irregularity of the staging. In these moments of juxtaposition, Petronio makes his own dance history transparent, referencing his influences without mimicry or portraiture. The non-discerning eye might miss the elements upon first glance, but in the context of this program, we see clear nods to Trisha Brown’s dynamism, Paxton’s athleticism, Rainer’s intellect, and Halprin’s humanity. In Untitled Touch, and the Bloodlines project overall, Petronio unpacks these coexisting aesthetics, reassembling them like a three dimensional puzzle with its own internal logic and multiple non-linear perspectives.

Bloodlines continually plays with sum and parts, discarding the notion that one is greater. Of note is Petronio’s decision to explore the work of other artists at a point in his career when most artists are concerned with concretizing their own legacy. The notion of legacy as synergistic is anomalous to the vision of modern dance history as a roster of individuals chiefly concerned with authoritative personal statements. Though historians often encourage the reductive geometry of timelines and family trees, we know the evolution and chronology of art is rarely linear or singular. No art form evolves in a vacuum. An alternate reading of the Bloodlines project highlights cooperative artmaking as one of the lasting lessons from Petronio’s early dance training. A dancer’s movement profile is an amalgam of every physical experience encountered over time. There are preferences and predispositions toward style, genre, and technique, but one cannot undo his physical history. What the body encounters changes it, dynamically; what the eyes capture imprint on the brain. The result is a complex recipe that cannot be quantified or duplicated, but is tangible and visible in performance.

-Melanie George

(1)  Rainer, Yvonne. Work 1961-73. Halifax: Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, 1979. Print. (2) Ibid (3) Chair/Pillow History. Perf. Yvonne Rainer, Mila Parrish. Vimeo. Arizona State University ArtsWork Theatre, 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. <Chair/Pillow History>. (4) Steve Paxton's Introduction to the Goldberg Variations. Dir. Walter Verdin. Perf. Steve Paxton. Vimeo. N.p., 1993. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. <https://vimeo.com/188213292>. (5) Kourlas, Gia. "Yvonne Rainer Talks about Her Newest Dance and Judson." Time Out New York. Time Out, 30 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. <https://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/yvonne-rainer-talks-about-her-newest-dance-and-judson>. (6) Halprin, Anna. "Artist Statement." Anna Halprin. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2017. <https://www.annahalprin.org/artist-statement>.

[phynxrizng]

SOURCE, New post on Simply Solitary

New Moon in Gemini: The Portal to The New Earth Opens!

by simplysolitary

May's New Moon Ushers in The New Earth.

May 24, 2017, The Moon in Taurus is Void of Course at 3:08 p.m.

May 25, 2017, The Moon enters Gemini at 8:15 a.m.

The New Moon opens the New Dimension at 3:44 p.m.

My loves, I wonder if you have been feeling an anticipation coming into this new moon?

One symptom of this moon's energy has been a confusion about direction. As if one wanted to step forward into something but the direction was not quite clear, as if there was a veil over our intuition.

Some people report being of two minds, of standing with each foot in a different world. Others are feeling a sense of loss, wishing to look backwards, but being compelled forward!

Gemini's influence is already permeating our psyche and spirit, offering us a choice that seems impossible. What is this choice?

A new moon is always about new beginnings. This one is about the beginning of something ascended masters have been speaking of for centuries, and the angels have been speaking of for time immemorial.

Since the prophesied end of time as we knew it, the last 26,000 year cycle spoken of by the Mayans, this dimension has been readying energetically for the shift into The New Earth. My loves, the portal to the New Earth is fully open as of 3:44 p.m. on May 25th and remains open until for the whole of the Aquarian Age -the return of the Feminine!

What does this mean? What is a New Earth and how will we experience it?

The New Earth occurs in a dimension that we can choose to enter. There has been a cyclonic surge towards it, the only imagery I can provide is one of a rocket entering the atmosphere of another planet or the moon. There is propulsion towards this dimension, an increased activity in energetic force which by its very power seems terrifyingly frightening (terrorism, political upheaval, war, increase in refugee crisis, environmental stress/disasters, human rights violations) and then, the moment when we break through into the next level, and discover ourselves on the other side of that dark energy that happens just before the light, and we find ourselves literally in a new world.

The whole of the Piscean Age has been rooted in war and disconnection so this period of thrusting through as I describe above has been going on for all of recorded history. My first question to my guides was "does it not seem as if we've always been in this approach of the New Earth in terms of violence and hate?" The answer was that to us it does seem like a very long time but in the scheme of things, it is a mere second.

Since I was raised in the Christian tradition and already have a connection to Christ Consciousness, my guides have used what is familiar to me to translate this message. Jesus spoke of a new earth, where if memory serves me correctly, the lion would lie down with the lamb, and people will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. There is also the idea that some of earth's inhabitants would enter the new earth while others would not.

This Ascended master spoke in parables which were grossly misunderstood and misconstrued. What he was speaking of was a dimension where those who chose to, and were ready for ascension, could live in without actually leaving the space they occupied physically. It is an ascension of spirit, not body, although he himself did take his body with him when he left, as did other great Masters, and we will all at some point remember how to ascend in this way.

This New Moon heralds The New Earth, not surprisingly to the Mayans and other Indigenous tribes who understood the signs of the planets and stars.

Those of us who are ready to initiate the energy of this New Earth, will do so, and transition to the new role in consciousness, while some of us will choose to remain in the conscious state of the earth as it is at present moment, to help those who must stay behind, as the energy of the preceding dimension plays itself out until it disappears. This is hard to explain but think of life as a series of holograms which can appear or disappear at will according to their own purposes. I am unfortunately no physicist so explaining the intricacies of quantum physics truly escapes me. So sorry!

I don’t know if you're jumping up and down or not, but this is the biggest news that has hit this projected thought from Source since the habitation of this planet!

Something to Know about Ascension to the New Earth.

Those who ascend are not in any way 'better' or more evolved than those who stay. The religion I was raised in taught me that the 'bad' people would stay in the old world and the 'good' people would go to the new one. A very clever and manipulative trick that unfortunately has influenced a great many. The New Age movement is also guilty of propagating the myth of more 'conscious' types ascending while the dregs of humanity does not. Ego has had a hay-day with such rubbish.

The truth is, all people are simply incarnated light beings, we are all inherently Love, but in this world of dualities, we experience our lessons in varying stages of readiness, and while some remember their divine nature readily, others provide the ground for lessons such as forgiveness, compassion, empathy, etc. On this planet, we have been learning the road back to Love. I am not privy to all the reasons why, but suffice it to say, there are many civilizations watching what happens here with great interest and anticipation of our awakening.

Any thoughts of 'us awakened ones', versus 'those unconscious ones" is the ego clinging to its prime source of food, judgement and drama. The ego is an essential protective force by the way, so please don’t try to rid yourself of it, simply observe where it nourishes itself.

I use the word ascension because of the way our minds work in the third dimension. We see time as linear, and progressing from one state of being to another as either up or down. So we naturally think the New Earth will be 'up there' as referenced by the concept of heaven. But none of us are going to be above anyone else in this New Earth or below if we stay what we are experiencing now. That's an illusion of the third dimension, just like thinking our past lives occurred 'before'. Everything happens simultaneously. Oy, where is Einstein when you need him?

So by inhabiting the New Earth, we are simply vibrating at a frequency that recognizes the frequency of peace and love while unable to operate on the frequency of war, hate and greed.

Symptoms of New Earth Ascension

Inability to harbor anger at situations that normally would cause us distress.

Extreme compassion for the pain bodies of perpetrators of crimes and war atrocities

Strong desire for forgiveness, even towards those who have caused severe abuse and trauma

Empathy coinciding with well-held boundaries

A greater awareness of the suffering of others and a desire for altruistic endeavors

A deepened desire for a 'different' life, one that would have seemed unrealistic before but which now seems impossible to avoid

A desire for ridding oneself of possessions, becoming richer in experience

A great and urgent desire for knowledge, especially esoteric

A heightened awareness of one's health

A clearer view of one's path, or in the interim, a decision to clear the way for such a path

A desire for silence

A desire for meaningful partnerships

An overwhelming urge to purge friendships, partners

A newly awakened awareness of one's inherent wild nature/refusing to conform to tradition/a break with the path we were following and seeking souls urgings against all the odds

A sense of peace in the face on all occurrences

A sense of inexplicable calm

A sense of being in the presence of Source at all times

An overwhelming need for time spent in nature, almost a crippling sense of sorrow when away from it

An unbearable sense of not-belonging in the present vibration; this may present as disease, but will be temporary

Spontaneous healing from longstanding illness

An aversion towards judgement

And aversion towards negative conversations

An overwhelming need for groundedness

A release from patterns rooted in negativity and low self-worth

*headaches and great pressure in the head or feelings of confusion are also common during ascension

The New Earth has in reality always been there, and millions of souls over time have chosen that frequency, so many of those whom we learn from now, (they may be called saints, great scholars, inventors, politicians, writers, artists, poets, dancers, etc) who still influence us through their life stories, lived in that dimension without naming their experience.

Before the Piscean age and recorded His-story, we were already existing in The New Earth frequency. One way we heard of this was through the story of the Garden of Eden. It is much too long a discussion to get into here, but suffice it to say that the exit from that frequency was not what we have been taught, and certainly had nothing to do with being the fault of the Sacred Feminine. In the New Earth, The Feminine and Masculine are beautifully One. The rise in Feminism is another herald of the discord between these Twin Flames.

Also important to remember is that many civilizations still exist today on that frequency, the portals can be found at Mt. Shasta in California, Makana in Kauai, the sunken Atlantis (Bermuda Triangle or so), the sunken Lemuria under the Pacific Ocean in proximity to Hawaii and Fiji, and a certain grid-pattern over Great Britain (where most crop circles occur/stone circles), under the labyrinth in Notre Dame Cathedral, and the list goes on. The new Earth is not exactly new. But never before has this portal been open and so accessible for such a long period of time, as we understand it.

The number that corresponds with May 25, 2017, is 22, a master number which culminates at the number 4. 22 is the Master Builder, dreams made manifest, ancient wisdom, realization, force of nature, the future, evolution, it synthesizes and expands the powers of 11.

4 represents the beginning of a new phase, this is where the material world began, the birth of matter, within sacred geometry - Earth, Fire, Air and Water and according to Carl Jung, the quaternity of self - the thinking, feeling, sensing and intuitive man.

4 is the mystical connection between the circle (representing the Divine) and the square (the visual representation of the self) and we find it instinctively when we divide the square into quarters -seen in mandalas, and in sacred architecture within temples such as Notre Dame for instance. This is called 'Squaring the Circle'. Crop circles also use fourness in their designs. We can’t really get away from numerology and sacred geometry as it is actually embedded in our DNA.

A New Earth is built via the number 4, just as this plane was built via the number 4.

Mantra for New Beginnings

Sa Ta Na Ma. In my Kundalini yoga practice I find center using this mantra. It is for New Beginnings.

Birth, Life, Death, Re-birth. We can use this mantra as a reminder of our re-birth into this powerful new dimension. There is so much to teach about this, I share a link for more in depth study. Please do read.

After my first trip to Makana in Kauai, I had this mantra tattooed on my inner arm to make visual a spiritual transition I made while there.

Learning to Bow our Head to the Earth

Another practice that also embeds New Earth energy and brings us to a place of gratitude is to lay our foreheads to the earth. One of the nicest ways to do this is in Child's Pose which opens our intuition and wisdom, and is an act of surrender to what we know in the deepest part of ourselves - soul surrender, our personal truth. The attached link provides more knowledge.

To surrender like this is to acknowledge one's full incarnation as a human and also a divine being. It is allowing our body to be grounded via gravitational pull to the earth below us while connecting our Third Eye to the wisdom of the soul.

Surrender is an important step in becoming all that we wish to be. First we let go. Then we come into our innate knowing. First we let go, first we let, go first we let go. Surrender. Peace is a natural gift of surrender. If we all surrendered, we could no longer support fear. Do you see where I am going with this? Self-mastery. Surrender your fear. Lay down your arms. Love.

"There is no way to peace, peace is the way" A. J. Muste (not Gandhi)

My loves I could go on but this is only the beginning, other messages will surface and I lay myself down in surrender and gratitude to all the beings who influenced these words and my guide Aiden whose faith in me moves me to tears even as I protest that I am surely not the medium for this type of message, and could he not find someone else to explain physics. For those of you who have invited him into your lives as a guide, you will know that he finds these kinds of protestations humorous and just tells me to keep typing. I am humbled to bring this message to you, please take it into your own awareness with every degree of discernment and personal filter. I am not here to influence, merely to share.

Consult your own angels and guides as to this process if this is your choice, protection is always wise in any kind of inter-dimensional travel.

*If you have been experiencing an undefinable dis-ease while in your body this incarnation, a tiredness, achiness, heart-ache, soul-ache, it is a pattern of vibration that signals your dis-comfort in your surroundings. My guides have two things to say about this.

One, this is not your natural state of being. This is also not your 'fault'. The new Age teaching of placing guilt, blame and judgement on oneself and others for illness is a manipulation of truth. You are however responsible for your attention to that dis-ease and to mitigate it via whatever channels open to you (all your bodies - emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual, ethereal, etc. - suffer simultaneously).

Two, the most effective way to find balance is through silence. We talk about it, a lot, and we talk about meditation, but rarely do we offer enough of that type of healing to ourselves. Connection to our Highest Self is where dis-ease ends. Sometimes it does happen spontaneously, usually through breakdown we find breakthrough. But so often we stop at breakdown, not realizing that it is the portal for breakthrough. Find as much Stillness as is necessary to break through.

There is a lot to say obviously about all these ideas but I encourage you into researching more beyond my words here.

In closing, and I know this has been lengthy, for all those who wish to step through the portal, I bow to you, and for all those who wish not to, I bow to you. We are One. We are all doing what we came here to do. ©

Namaste, Monika. image: Mt. Shasta 500px.com

simplysolitary | May 24, 2017 at 6:07 pm | Tags: Alchemy, astrology, channeled messages, Moon Lore, spirit | Categories: Musings | URL: http://wp.me/p44EFj-AY

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[contentmag]

Charlotte Kruk is a San Jose-based artist who crafts wearable sculptures from repurposed objects.

Tell us about your artwork, medium, style, subject matter, etc. I’m a maker of all things “object”: utilitarian, aesthetic, and primarily sculpture-related. The most recognizable of my artworks are “wearable sculpture” made predominantly through the transformation of post-consumer trash into sculptures that appear as garments. Assumptions are frequently made about my work, incorrectly assigning me the title “fashion designer”; my intentions have never been such. I consider what I’m fabricating as sculpture, a form of anti-fashion social commentary, within which I slyly wink at our cultural castaways and repurpose detritus to create fresh narratives, often referencing history. (“Consumer couture; the politics of having.”)

For years I have worked predominantly with candy trash. Partly as a means of confessing my own sweet tooth sins, and partly to awaken the concept of the “goods” vs. the “package.” As a child I was taught to be sweet, and in early college felt a [yen] to package myself literally into the recycled candy wrappers, thereby encouraging others to recognize the “recycling, upcycling, repurposing.” Since 1994, I have indulged in a playful conversation with my garbage, carefully unwrapping, collecting, and cleaning the waste from most everything I personally purchased, ate, and shared. My interests in the way we “package” ourselves for visual consumption to create a sense of “belonging” pair with the relationship to the contents of our own personal character. Who in fact is “pretty on the inside,” as opposed to purely polished or privileged externally? My issues with weight, sugary flirtations, conversations about brand association, caste system/money identity, packaging, consumption, and repurposing are all funneled into this sculptural work.

My ceramic work and jewelry work are equally visually sweet with undertones of conceptual commentary for those willing to endeavor to go beyond the surface value of the materials being explored.

What are your biggest challenges in creating art? Time for me is always an issue and becomes a challenge for accomplishing as much work as I have on “to-do” lists. My artwork is intricate, rich in details, and generally labored over with embellishment. Often I stitch multiple times around the graphics within the packaging to create focal emphasis in the work. I balance teaching high school sculpture and moonlight/weekend/summer-vacation as a professional artist.

The biggest hurdle I face in creating wearable sculpture is that I am not formally trained as a seamstress. I find that it likely takes me five times longer than it might had I a structured background in this media. I first invented my process by deconstructing garments to understand how they were built, then began learning to read patterns with the support of my mom and my grandma in order to understand how more complicated garments are built. It is typically impossible to find a pattern for what I’m visioning…and I create chaos by trying to put sleeves from one pattern with the bodice of another and the collars from yet another.

What is a day of working like in your studio/creative space? Do you have any rituals that help you get motivated or in “the zone”? Coffee is ritualistic in my world. I created a body of work around the concept of “Caffeine-Nation”. I wake at 5am with two cups of coffee and arrive at Lynbrook High School campus by 6:45am. My students begin arriving shortly after 7am, and class begins promptly at 7:30am. If I don’t keep the lab open for students after school to continue their works in progress, I am immediately home in my own studio by 3:30 in the afternoon with yet a second dose of coffee. I’m fairly religious about going to bed before 10pm unless a deadline is imminent. Those precious afternoon hours from 3ish to 10ish are focused on baby steps of production towards end goals. I typically have a multitude of projects going simultaneously…this way, when I reach a sticking point, a tough decision, a crossroads that I’m reluctant about…I can avert disaster by giving the work some breathing room and push a different project a few steps further. In the summer months and weekend days when I’m afforded all studio, all day, I pretty much keep to that timeline and routine schedule of waking and sleeping…and can be greedy with my time. Sometimes starving myself socially…. My life as the resident sculptor at Lynbrook helps to provide social balance.

When you are in need of inspiration, are there particular things you read, listen to, look at, or do to help find that idea or fuel your work? Traditionally I have more ideas than time, so it’s rather a matter of discipline and continuing with one major work until it’s finished. Deadlines are helpful for this maintenance of focus. I begin to unravel if I don’t witness projects come to completion on a regular basis, which is another reason I prefer to have multiple artworks and diverse media happening simultaneously. When I struggle to gain focus, I walk the neighborhood for “change”—literally and figuratively. My sister and I are in a constant competition to find the most street coin, or what I call “street charm.” I pick up every penny and beyond, plus a lot of random shiny objects and candy wrapper trash.

The hardwood floors in my house/studio double as a danceable surface, and I take consistent breaks to allow my uncomfortable sewing machine posture to shake itself out and get my spine back into alignment. I also seem to have acquired a taste for Pinterest…a fun diversion where I can dig through amazing imagery. This “craft porn” offers oodles of opportunities for liberation from the days of laboriously pouring through books at the library.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? I have no formal training in sewing. The truth is I fell into sewing purely by accident. Rather a natural accident, as I come from a long line of seamstresses, or shall I say terrific homemakers. Until the age of 23, I had avoided sewing as it felt like “women’s work,” and I was on a trajectory to avoid just that. My dad died in a hang-gliding accident when I was almost 4; my sister and I were raised single-handedly by my mom. Thankfully, she is a dedicated, motivated, determined woman who was/is a terrific role model.

It was important for me to be a bit “tomboy-ish” growing up. I distinctly remember pitching fits when my grandma tried forcing me into a dress for school. I yearned to develop skills that my mom didn’t possess as a way to balance the lack of male influence in my life. I was grateful to have the dynamic mentorship of metalsmith Rand Schiltz in the jewelry lab at San Jose State University. He nurtured me as a kind of adopted “daddy”…and didn’t mind that I called him that. He was extremely kind to me at a time when I needed it the most. Under his tutelage, I was able to master torches and saws; eventually I came all the way around to developing my distinct style and turned his macho, yet elegant, jewelry lab into a boudoir for my thesis show.

What advice would you give others just beginning their creative careers? Create because you must. Create because you love the process and eventually the outcome. Invest in yourself, challenge yourself, and keep learning every day with a growth mindset that you will improve if you keep working at your craft. Strive to find the uniqueness in your ideating. I love the balance that my day job provides. I have the privilege of helping others find their value and the means to honor their distinctive path. Because of the steady income, I never feel compelled to make what the market dictates is popular creatively, instead I can honor what my inner voice insists, allowing the pureness of my voice to reign true. It is splendid when someone thinks your work is worth owning…but so much more precious if your soul is satisfied and the work is completed because you needed to see it, and only in making the work is that possible.

Charlotte Kruk instagram: charlotte.kruk facebook: kruktart

Interview by My Art Resources Photography by Daniel Garcia

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Charlotte Kruk Charlotte Kruk is a San Jose-based artist who crafts wearable sculptures from repurposed objects. Tell us about your artwork, medium, style, subject matter, etc.

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: The Fulfillment of Crafting a Home Like Art

Linda and Andy Weintraub’s house in Rhinebeck, New York (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)

RHINEBECK, NY — Growing up in a cramped, rent-controlled apartment, I had one primary fixation: drawing floor plans for where I wished I lived instead. I studied photographs in library books of homes built into hillsides and cliffs, then combined their best features in my sketches: nearly invisible skylights tucked into grassy knolls and furniture carved into stone interior walls. Now, as an adult residing in an urban center, I’ve once again ended up with living space that’s off-white and rectilinear. I’ve somehow come to accept it as something over which I have little control.

An unexpected visit to Linda Weintraub’s homestead in Rhinebeck, New York, jogs my memory of those earlier visions of what home could mean: curving, textured walls punctuated by bursts of organic material; wholly original landscape features; and a soft blurring of the boundaries between domestic space and the natural world. The value of my childhood wish for home to mean not only earthy womb or cozy cave but also, more importantly, a space tailored to the individual and context, became obvious when I stood in her living room for the first time.

“My creative urges have always extended beyond my art studio and office,” Weintraub tells me. “It never occurred to me that I would not design my own living space.”

The living room

An artist, educator, curator, and consummate writer about art (especially the intersection of contemporary art and ecology), Weintraub is a serial (and possibly congenital) homesteader.

Her homesteading — or “crafting a lifestyle,” to use her words — grew out of a questioning of accepted wisdom about child rearing and nutrition. As a parent making choices about how to best nourish and care for a family, she found that, “in each instance, ‘good’ was never good enough if it required accommodating to conditions that were pre-fabricated or objects that were mass-produced. Gradually, this pattern of interrogating cultural norms evolved into homesteading.”

Weintraub also describes being lured in by the “elation [of] crafting a living environment that is as personalized as a painting or a poem.” Over time, her homesteading became deeply interwoven with her interest in contemporary art. “What began as a personal lack of confidence in the status quo has become a crucial component of my professional activities,” she explains.

Linda Weintraub in her kitchen

Linda and her husband, Andy Weintraub, have built eight homes together so far, all in upstate New York or Pennsylvania. Each move was meant to accommodate a new phase in the family’s development.

Their current home, of the last two decades, is an 11-acre property in the Hudson Valley. The compound consists of three ultra-efficient galvalume (steel coated in zinc and aluminum) structures surrounded by a meadow, an orchard, multiple gardens, and a pasture, all ringed by forest.

Less visible during my wintery visit are a stream and waterfalls, and though the Weintraubs keep beehives and animals ranging from fowl and rabbits to sheep and pigs, at this time of year, only ducks, geese, and chickens are in evidence.

The Weintraubs’ birds

This homestead is the culmination of everything the Weintraubs have learned through previous projects — including the confidence to try out their own ideas — and has been guided in equal parts by economy and aesthetic pleasure.

“[I am] intent on disproving that satisfying one’s needs by personally crafting them is outmoded or obsolete, that physical labor is demeaning drudgery,” Weintraub explains. “Domestic routines are incalculably enhanced when they are, literally, framed by the occupants’ tastes and skills.”

Linda Weintraub with a cold frame

In milder weather, those domestic routines include caring for vegetable gardens, fruit trees and bushes, and all of the animals — as well as foraging for mushrooms, other wild foods, and wood (fuel). In the winter, she slaughters and freezes meat and cans, pickles, and ferments excess produce. The coldest months are quieter and sometimes sadder, with less sun, garden activity, and animal companions. But nourishing foodstuffs and cozy spaces stocked with artifacts from the landscape around her make for rich reflection.

It’s unquestionably hard work, but, Weintraub assures, not alienating. “I offer personal testimony regarding how deeply gratifying it is to nourish your own body and soul, instead of purchasing consumer products.”

Stored foodstuffs

Weintraub says that, through the process of living this way, the rhythms of her daily life have become her own, and her relationship to the societal infrastructure that we all share has shifted. “I have gradually reduced the disempowerment and anonymity that accompanies global, industrial, and corporate dependencies by generating my own sources of sustenance.”

But “going back to the land,” as people say, and finding deep satisfaction in that are not unique. Once I get beyond the pleasure of just being in the environment Weintraub has envisioned and formed, I find it’s the connection of her choices to her professional endeavors that I’m most curious about. I see her variety of homesteading as the application of conclusions arrived at through a deep knowledge of art making.

For example, in conversation, Weintraub’s feminism and eco-centricity emerge repeatedly as the deepest reasons for the choices she has made. But questions about how and where the choices interconnect always bring her back to what amounts to a politicized discussion of materials. She describes her landscaping skills as arising out of an “increasing need for a growing medium,” which led her “to master terracing with the abundance of stone and the shortage of fertile soil.” When queried about the beliefs underlying her aesthetic choices, Weintraub expresses “an abiding conviction that shape, color, texture, and their arrangements carry cultural significance despite the medium, subject, or context to which they are attached.” She sums up years of “comparing the fluid aesthetics of ecosystems and the rigid aesthetics of engineered environments,” both through research and personal experience, with this simple (but chilling, if you think about it hard enough) thought: “aesthetic ingredients embody social values and worldviews.”

Galvalum at the Weintraubs’ house

In her home, this awareness is demonstrated in the way she’s used the built environment to highlight the natural one. Nothing feels predetermined; everything is fluid and irregular, keeping your eyes in motion and your ears perked. Birds call out, a dog rustles, quiet splashes in a small indoor pool alert you that fish are navigating the same space that you are. The overall impact is one of liveliness. Each element that your eyes or mind encounter is calming, but your mind is never allowed to fall into the habit of predicting what will happen next and then tuning out. The patterns and surfaces keep you present in a way that blank white walls never could. You don’t shut down. When the walls, floors, stairs, handrails, doorbell cover, and living creatures all call for your presence, staying present begins to feel much more important than it does when you see a prompt on a coffee mug.

The main house entry, with a view of the aviary

The fish pond

With her artwork, which is crafted from materials like sap, feathers, moss, acorn caps, and soil, Weintraub has a precise and timely agenda: “As an eco artist, I rely upon aesthetics to convey the patterns that foster stewardship of our planet.” This means a commitment to working with objects that decay and shift shape and color over time in response to the conditions around them. The materials decorating her home are chosen for the same reasons: a resistance to the illusion of permanence and to “the on/off abruptness of technologies.” At its core, this philosophy “rejects the authority of top-down hierarchies and replaces them with bottom-up, generative processes.”

Weintraub — whose knowledge of art history and comprehensive grasp of what makes for an art vanguard is singular — says she’s certain that the “movement that will be featured in future art histories are not the artists who augment the allures contrived by programmers and engineers,” but “those who reject it.” She comes down hard on the side of “neo-materialism” — an alliance with matter over the dematerialized or the digital. “Our reinstatement of substance, density, temperature, moisture, and so forth entails a radical revision of contemporary norms,” she explains. “Neo-materialist art is not ‘realistic’; it is real.”

And so, what began for me as a retreat to the hideaway-in-a-hillside of my childhood fantasies became instead a rabbit hole of consciousness about how I move through the world. And though I don’t feel quite able to contend yet with the implications of a full awareness of what’s encoded in my choices, I do find Weintraub’s advice to potential homesteaders a reasonable place to begin: “Be patient. Proceed by increments. Gain experience by taking small risks. Join a community of like-minded seekers. Embrace the process.” Then she promises, and I want to believe her: “The quest is as invigorating as its fulfillment, and the fulfillment is well worth the effort.”

The studio

A set of stairs

The Weintraubs’ house

Casey the dog

Linda Weintraub walking to her studio

Linda Weintraub is presenting her work tonight, February 24, from 6 to 8pm, at Central Booking (21 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan), in conjunction with the exhibition Icons in Ash, Death in Art.

The post The Fulfillment of Crafting a Home Like Art appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[sheilacwall]

Kanye West & Numerology as Jesus the King Hits #1

Kanye West & Numerology as Jesus the King Hits #1

Has the album been well received? I’d say a resounding yes. Here are the numbers.

Jesus is King Record Sales

Jesus the King just debuted at #1 in the US, Canadian, Australian, NZ & Norwegian charts whilst entering at #2 in the UK & Irish charts.

Jesus Is King opened at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 264,000 album-equivalent units, of which 109,000 were pure album sales.

The chart-topping position stood as the sixth time that West did so with an album in the 2010s, tying him for second place with fellow rapper Future and Canadian singer Justin Bieber for most number one albums of the decade. The album simultaneously entered atop the US Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums charts.

All 11 of Kanye West’s songs debuted on the latest Hot 100:

Rank, Title

No. 7, “Follow God” No. 17, “Closed on Sunday” No. 19, “Selah” No. 23, “On God” No. 33, “Everything We Need” feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Ant Clemons No. 36, “God Is” No. 37, “Use This Gospel” feat. Clipse & Kenny G No. 44, “Every Hour,” feat. Sunday Service Choir No. 50, “Water,” feat. Ant Clemons No. 59, “Hands On,” feat. Fred Hammond No. 62, “Jesus Is Lord”

West is among the most critically acclaimed musicians of the 21st century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 140 million records sold worldwide.

He has won a total of 21 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time and the most Grammy-awarded artist of his generation.

Kanye’s Evolution

Kanye is a year older than me and like me, he had to move to another country as a child due to his parents’ job. For him it was China at age 10 years old as his mother found a teaching job abroad, for me it was the USA at age 9.

It seems like he had a similar problem I had at school with the same outcome.

“China was a time where me and my mom spent the most time together, we spent a year together, and she used to homeschool me. I was in school and I wasn’t doing so good, but it was actually because I was bored and after she homeschooled me I did so good on the tests they put me two grades above in a lot of different courses.”

I read that before Donda West passed away, his mother had recounted tales of a young Kanye break dancing on the streets for yangrouchuan (lamb skewers) for small change.

Mrs. West said that although she found the language difficult, her son found it amusing that the word ma meant both “mother” and “horse” depending on how it was pronounced. “He played that to the hilt,” she recalled in her book.

I remember using the word “rubber” in America, when I’d made a mistake writing something down and the kids laughing. Rubber means “condom” in America and the word you need is “eraser”. I think I played that to the hilt after that as well.

You probably know that Tupac’s parents were Black Panthers. You might be surprised to know that Ray West, Kanye’s dad, was also an ex-Black Panther and is now a Christian counsellor.

So, it is not that surprising that Kanye is following in his father’s footsteps away from his rebellious side to a more Christian role now that he is a father of four. In his interview with Zane Lowe, he says he’s drawing inspiration for a more secular role due to his daughter’s love of the Church.

The Number 27

Jesus is King clocks in at 27 min and 4 secs. Why?

What is the meaning behind number 27?

27 is an interesting number and it is the perfect cube of 3 x 3 x 3. Dark matter is assumed to make up 27% of the universe and also makes up 90% of the brain (grey matter).

27 just happens to be the number of books in the New Testament & there are also 27 Nakṣatra or lunar mansions in Hindu astrology.

Number 27 is the atomic number of cobalt & the atomic weight of the only stable isotope of aluminum. Both forms of these metals are used in dentistry. Kanye had his mouth wired shut after a car accident in 2003 after which he recorded, “Through the Wire”.

27 is also the number of bones in the hand – See “Hands On” below.

From Affinity Numerology:

The numerology number 27 is about philanthropy and compassion in a cooperative atmosphere.

The number 27 is a wonderful number. The energies it represents makes the number kind-hearted, tolerant, intelligent, a team worker, and so very much wanting to see humanity better off than it is.

27 endeavors to inspire others to support humanitarian groups and organizations, using its diplomatic skills and enticing them with a vision of an ideal. The groups and organizations are carefully chosen for their effectiveness.

A sense of fulfillment for 27 comes with others adopting its sense of idealism and actively helping to achieve that end.

The 27 essence contains:

the 9’s essence, such as being non-judgemental, humanitarian, and tolerant, plus a generous dose of the 2’s essence, such as cooperation, relationships, and diplomacy, and a dose of the 7’s essence, such as introspection, study, and spirituality.

The result is a unique essence.

https://affinitynumerology.com/number-meanings/number-27-meaning.php

According to the Secret of the Tarot…

Angel number 27 is a sign from your angels concerning your soul mission or calling in life. Our guardian angels are always there to provide us with the support and inspiration necessary to live up to our highest potential.

Angel number 27 is all about living a purpose-driven life. When you see this potent angel number appearing in your daily life, know that your angels and the Ascended Masters are telling you to have faith and trust that you are on the right path.

https://thesecretofthetarot.com/angel-number-27/

On Finding God

First scare: car crash

Kanye was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, mentioned in the song, Through the Wire, as “the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died,” and had his jaw wired to his face in reconstructive surgery. Two weeks after being admitted to hospital, he recorded the song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut. Consequence recalls West started rapping the lyrics to the song three days after the accident.

The song’s title refers to the wires used to hold his broken jaw together. When asked about how the incident changed his music, West stated:

Well, the only thing this accident’s saying is, “I am about to hand you the world, just know at any given time I can take it away from you.” To nearly lose your life, to nearly lose your mouth, your voice, your whole face, as a rapper…and I had to be on TV! My face looks crazy to me now… But I have to just thank God for the situation that I am in… “Through The Wire” is the worst thing that could’ve possibly happen to me, and now it’s obviously the best thing. Look how it exploded!

Second scare: Trump Backlash

Backlashes over his erratic behaviour, the anniversary of his mum’s death, his wife getting robbed, his comments on slavery & his support of Trump all proved to be too much emotionally and put him in a hospital. No-one knows quite for sure what happened in the hospital, but he has emerged as a born-again Christian.

There are many, many problems with taking the bible literally and Kanye proves another one in the video above when he talks about taking his own eye out.

I googled it & it looks like this is from Matthew 5:29 and concerns “adultery”:

New International Version “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”

Selah

Selah is likely to mean “to praise” or “pause and reflect upon what has just been said.” Lauryn Hill used this name for her daughter.

“Selah” is the name of a city from the time of David and Solomon.

In Islam and in Arabic generally, Salah (also pronounced Ṣalāt) means prayer, and Selah means connection. Both words come from the same original root Sel which means connect.

‘Ye makes a number of references to the bible when talking about freedom from slavery in Selah.

“Closed on Sunday” makes a good point about Capitalism, but, why is he still brand name dropping a junk food store, Chic Fil-A, a fast food chicken chain?

Did he get paid to sneak this in or is he looking for sponsors?

It’s also a sneaky back reference to a line in “N***as in Paris” when he was in a different mindset. Maybe he is trying to tie a past hit record to this song. A powerful mind trick.

“She said ‘Ye can we get married at the mall? I said look you need to crawl ‘fore you ball Come and meet me in the bathroom stall And show me why you deserve to have it all (Ball so hard) that shit cray, (that shit cray) ain’t it Jay? (Ball so hard) what she order? (What she order?) Fish fillet”

“On God” is where he gets the realest, actually raps and he gives his reasons why he supports Trump… and it comes down to… taxes & prison reform (lines highlighted in bold below).

“”How you get so much favor on your side?” “Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour,” I replied Thou shalt love thy neighbor, not divide I’ma ride, that’s on God His light shine the brightest in the dark Single mothers know they got my heart And all my brothers locked up on the yard You can still be anything you wanna be Went from one in four to one in three Thirteenth amendment, gotta end it, that’s on me He the new commander and the chief That’s on Keef, that’s on God Before the ranch, I had horses in the garage When the Forbes cover was just a mirage They had me chasin’ statues, that’s on pride “Oh my God,” Bust said that’s on Tribe When I thought the Book of Job was a job The Devil had my soul, I can’t lie Life gon’ have some lows and some highs Before the Grammy’s ever gave a nod I wore my heart on my sleeve, I couldn’t hide In ’03, they told me not to drive I bleached my hair for every time I could’ve died But I survived, that’s on God I’ve been tellin’ y’all since ’05 The greatest artist restin’ or alive That’s on L.A. Reid, that’s on Clive That’s no Jive, that’s on God Off the 350s He supplied The IRS want they fifty plus our tithe Man, that’s over half of the pie I felt dry, that’s on God That’s why I charge the prices that I charge I can’t be out here dancin’ with the stars No, I cannot let my family starve I go hard, that’s on God”

“Hands On” is another interesting record.

This is what a police office often yells whilst pulling people over for DWB – “Hands on the hood”!

‘Ye points out the unfairness of black people being thrown into prison over misdemeanors and the three strike rule. Then he calls out the 13th amendment again.

“Got pulled over, see the brights What you doin’ on the street at night? Wonder if they’re gonna read your rights Thirteenth Amendment, three strikes Made a left when I should’ve made a right Told God last time on life Told the devil that I’m going on a strike Told the devil when I see him, on sight I’ve been working for you my whole life Told the devil that I’m going on a strike I’ve been working for you my whole life Nothing worse than a hypocrite Change, he ain’t really different He ain’t even try to get permission Ask for advice and they dissed him Said I’m finna do a gospel album What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me Make it feel like nobody love me They’ll be the first one to judge me Feelin’ like nobody love me Told people God was my mission What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me Make it feel like nobody love me Make you feel alone in the dark and you’ll never see the light Man, you’re never seein’ home and you never see the domes I can feel it when I write, point of livin’ in the right If they only see the wrongs, never listen to the songs Just to listen is a fight, but you booked me for the fight It’s so hard to get along if they only see the slight From the love of religion What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me Make it seem like nobody love me I’m not tryna lead you to Visas But if I try to lead you to Jesus We get called halfway believers Only halfway read Ephesians Only if they knew what I knew, uh I was never new ’til I knew of True and living God, Yeshua The true and living God (Somebody pray for me)”

The 13th Amendment

Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Some prisoners in eight states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas—are not paid at all for their labor in government-run facilities.

The national average for inmates receiving the least compensation for their maintenance work in these prisons is 14 cents per hour, according to the non-profit Prison Policy Initiative. The countrywide average for those receiving the most for the same type of labor is 63 cents per hour. Inmates in Minnesota and New Jersey can receive the highest hourly rate for prison maintenance jobs: $2 per hour.

Note: Kanye wants prison labourers to make his shoes. It will be interesting to see what he will pay them.

Anyway, back to the music. Kanye employs Jewish saxophonist Kenny G on “Use This Gospel”, but fortunately for Kenny, there is no mention of Jesus on the track. I wonder how much flack Kenny G will get from the Jewish fundamentalists for appearing on the track?

It’s seems to me like Kanye wants to sit back and be a director, producer and preacher now whilst letting someone else take over with the rapping and singing.

I think being a rapper was getting in the way of his “mission”. Creating a church will increase his power and wealth to get done what he wants to get done… whatever that is.

I can imagine youtube being flooded over the coming years with covers such as this. He wants his music received by a much larger audience and after watching the Dame Dash interview with Adam22, it looks like this might have all been orchestrated for a long time.

Let’s see if he continues down this path and where it leads or whether he’s still “on strike with the Devil” and will be back to his old self. It seems to me at the moment, his biggest hurdle will be getting his wife on board with this new lifestyle.

I can think of a few places Kanye will be welcome with open arms right now though, such as The Philippines.

I feel like this album is a stocking filler for later albums. He’s just testing the water to see which ones connect with the public. I’m not sure the songs on this album are strong enough to stand the test of time, but I think this is just a warm up, plus it will get major airplay in the “Bible Belt”, especially “Use This Gospel”.

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