Surrealistic Symbol Play

“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”
― Salvador Dalí

 

I deal in symbols and meanings both my own and that of others. For symbols are the truest language from which all others derive. We look at the world and filter what we see through symbols both universal and uniquely our own. When we play with symbols, mixing and matching them, we create waking dreams in which we can gain new understanding and thus stretch our understanding of ourselves and the universe. We create possibilities and relationships that did not exist before, opening new pathways in our psyche.
Blessings, G

 

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Desert TripDesert Trip by G A Rosenberg

 

Questioning the Fish in the Golden CorridorQuestioning the Fish in the Golden Corridor by G A Rosenberg

Meditating Once Again…

 

“I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.”
― T.S. Eliot

 

Water dripping…then silence
an itch…then silence
a bad play on words about trees in the forest…inner laughter
then silence
a rumble in my stomach leads to thoughts of dinner
silence again
from the silence..
a word…
a sound like a drum
echoing soundlessly
my word for the moment
the word bounds then silent
Peace

 

Blessings, G

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Tender of the ForestTender of the Forest by G A Rosenberg

 

Abstract BalanceAbstract Balance by G A Rosenberg

Starlight Wishes

 

“There wouldn’t be a sky full of stars if we were all meant to wish on the same one.”
― Frances Clark

 

Everyone wishes on the North Star
or the first one seen that night
They wish and dream
most for the same things
They wish money or love
wealth and health
and while gratitude
i feel for the measure
of those gifts I have
or may have
My dream is different.
So I found a new star
and wished for some of its light
I wanted words and visions
to flow from my hands
as the star flowed into me.
I wanted to wake
the slumbering heart
of those who wouldn’t see
I yearned for stories to tell
in ways that would be true
I would be Prometheus
and carry the light home
I would not hide it
nor horde it
but give it away
in art I made
and words written
So I will wish on a farther star
and take what may be given.

 

Blessings, G

 

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Sun GazingSun Gazing by G A Rosenberg

 

EmitterEmitter by G A Rosenberg

The Good Part of Distraction

 

“Time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible, then one must try to wriggle through by subtle manoeuvres.”
― Franz Kafka

 

When it comes to creative endeavours, I work best when my conscious mind is distracted. As a young man, I would write my best poetry either in bars or around campfires with people playing music, talking and singing. Now I find I make my best art when I have a movie or television show playing in a corner of my computer screen. When I tell people this they tend to be somewhat incredulous.
“How do you do that? I would never be able to focus?” I have heard from a few people.
Yet when I focus completely on making art, I tend to overthink things and second-guess myself. My conscious mind interferes with the process. When I have something to keep my monkey mind occupied, the good stuff tends to flow easier from whatever creative well I draw from. Oh I make decisions as I go along but they tend to be on the aesthetics and I do relatively little judgement or guessing other than decide whether or not it feels right. I guess the monkey-mind just likes to be entertained.
Blessings, G

 

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Conversation in the Jewelled FountainConversation in the Jewelled Fountain by G A Rosenberg

 

Star CompassStar Compass by G A Rosenberg

Each Day’s Aspect

 

“There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I.”
― John Steinbeck

 

On Sunday I rose like the sun. The sky was filled with snow so I made my own light meditating and doing things that filled me with joy.
Monday, I became reflective, showing different aspects of myself as I attended to my inner self.
Tuesday, Mar’s day, I did battle with things that I found challenging, following the warrior’s way.
Wednesday found me playful and Mercurial, teasing out and making a game of my daily chores.
Thursday, by Jupiter, I did things I’ve never done before, expanding with joy.
Friday I walked in the woods hand in hand with my love and it was beautiful.
On Saturday I felt the weight of my years and realized the lessons I had learned.
Blessings, G

 

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New DawnNew Dawn by G A Rosenberg

 

Starred VisionStarry Vision by G A Rosenberg

The Seed of Adventure

 

“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”
— Hunter S. Thompson

 

There is a seed of adventure that is planted in the heart of each of us. Some of us water and feed this seed regularly excited at the prospect that just about anything may grow from it. Some even go as far as not letting anything take root besides this seed, worried that anything established in their garden no matter how beautiful or desirable may choke it off and kill off the possibilities that the adventure may offer. When choosing between the known and the unknown, they will always choose the new and different.
Others are more cautious. They will plant things much easier to route and take hold of than a new adventure. They prefer the gardens of their youth and want theirs to look as close as possible to what they have known all their lives. Yet still no matter how they neglect the seed, it will at some point take hold and break out of their staid existence, forcing them to see at least the prospect of something new emerging. Many have been sent screaming to their beds at the mere thought of a flowering adventure. It may be as if they have taken root themselves and will not be moved.
Still adventure flies in on the wind. I will never resist its call for there are many ways to travel and adventures take many forms. I hope yours grow beautifully and bring you where you most need to go.
Blessings, G

 

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Satyrday Evening in the WoodsSatyrday Evening in the Woods by G A Rosenberg

 

The Stress of holding on too tightThe Stress of Holding on Too Tightly by G A Rosenberg

 

A Conversation With My Future Self

 

“Be silent and listen: have you recognized your madness and do you admit it? Have you noticed that all your foundations are completely mired in madness? Do you not want to recognize your madness and welcome it in a friendly manner? You wanted to accept everything. So accept madness too. Let the light of your madness shine, and it will suddenly dawn on you. Madness is not to be despised and not to be feared, but instead you should give it life…If you want to find paths, you should also not spurn madness, since it makes up such a great part of your nature…Be glad that you can recognize it, for you will thus avoid becoming its victim. Madness is a special form of the spirit and clings to all teachings and philosophies, but even more to daily life, since life itself is full of craziness and at bottom utterly illogical. Man strives toward reason only so that he can make rules for himself. Life itself has no rules. That is its mystery and its unknown law. What you call knowledge is an attempt to impose something comprehensible on life.”
~ C.G. Jung

 

Lately I have been attending a webinar life coaching series. One of the exercises in it is a guided meditation to talk to my future self. In it I evoke that best possible self and engage in conversation with him. I imagine it would be something like this.
I start out walking on the beach in Tofino, BC. Tofino has always been a magical spiritual place for me tho I have not known many beaches that aren’t. There the land, sea and air meet beautifully and there is a sense of peace. Especially at night. In this walk, I pass by a campfire and there is someone sitting there watching the flames. I know this man somehow tho we haven’t met. I can tell he is older than me but there is a joy and peace in his eyes that somehow make him look younger.
“Are you going to sit down or what. I’ve been waiting for you and we don’t have a lot of time.”
I look at him again and of course I catch on pretty quickly. Between the science fiction I’ve read and the spirit visions I’ve known both my own and that of others. Besides the face may be slightly different but it is close enough to the one I see reflected in the mirror.
“What year are you from?”
“Oh not too far ahead but enough that when you called I came to help.”
“How has it been going?”
“For us and those around us not too bad. Believe it or not, we’re still here and things have gotten better. I can’t say how. Spoilers you know.” We both grin at the Dr Who quote.
“How are Zev and Aaron?”
“They’re both doing great. Oh Zev still knows how to push our buttons yet the communication improves quickly from the point you’re at now. We do a lot of laughing. Aaron is doing great. He has actually learned how to take and enjoy down time and we’ve done a lot of travelling. We’ve come a long way together in many ways. Like you always tell people, ‘shovel the shit out of the communication room and good things will happen.’The rest… Well let’s save some mystery.”
“Well what can you tell me? Do we manage to focus on art? Was the tarot book published? How about web design? What have you learned?”
“Well which deck and book are you working on now? Oh yes, still the first one… well that one goes over well tho didn’t set the world on fire. Still people said your poetry made the cards clearer for them…We do work on the more complex one that you are so worried about. Listen you’re on the right path. Yes we meander but we always end up exactly where we need to be. Our combination of dumb luck and internal guidance still stands. I do recommend more time spent meditating. The time I’ve spent paid off well on helping me focus. Play to our strengths and you’ll be fine. You have an amazing ability to communicate in various ways and you can and will help many. Believe it or not, you’ll second guess yourself a lot less as time goes on. Remember there are no mistakes. Just lessons we give ourselves on the way”
“Wow all the things I tell other people.”
“Yes, don’t you think its time you listened to yourself…”
“Obviously.” We both laughed. I liked the confidence I saw in this older me. I also liked it that he had kept himself in shape. He was at least 20 lbs lighter than I am and was well toned. The fire started burning down.
“It’s time for me to leave.”
“Wait I still have questions.”
“Do what you do now. Keep the question in mind and then go get busy doing something else. Take the dogs for a walk. Do dishes. Listen to music or meditate. You’ll get the answers the way you always do.” He started to fade into shadows.
“Any last words?”
“Take Neil Gaiman’s advice, trust yourself and trust your story. You’ve already done more than you realize. It’s not going to be all joy and laughter but you already know that. Keep your sense of humour, try to do something productive, crossing a few things off your list each day and you’ll be fine. Goodbye, I love you.” He was gone.
I sat by the remains of the fire, lost in thought and smiled.

 

Blessings, G

 

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Another Land Another TimeAnother Land, Another Time by G A Rosenberg

 

Dark FountainDark Fountain by G A Rosenberg