The Madness of an Artistic Fool

 

“”I have pretended to go mad in order to tell you the things I need to. I call it art. Because art is the word we give to our feelings made public. And art doesn’t worry anyone.”
— Iain Thomas

 

Real art has the ability to make us uneasy. Yet like the King’s Fool of old, the artist is allowed to say things in their art that others would never be able to. At its best, it holds up a mirror to show us both our flaws and our beauty and force us to see things from a new angle. If artists are considered off in ways or mad, perhaps it is the insanity that comes from looking too often into the dark and unusual aspects of our existences. After all fools do go where angels may fear to tread.
Blessings, G

 

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Eye in the FlameEye in the Flame by G A Rosenberg

 

Her Avatar AppearedHer Avatar Appeared by G A Rosenberg

 

Mauve Gateway2Mauve Gateway by G A Rosenberg

 

Wake-Up Call

 

“I would like to write a Book which would drive men mad, which would be like an open door leading them where they would never have consented to go, in short, a door that opens onto reality.”
― Antonin Artaud

 

In dreamlike existence
I move through life
seeking wakefulness
Everywhere are lullabies
temptations towards sleep
lulling me
through media melodies
into stupor
Where is the alarm
that will awaken me?
What will turn my face
towards the new day’s sun?
— G A Rosenberg

 

Blessings, G

 

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Through a Keyhole to a Better ExistenceThrough a Keyhole to a Better Existence by G A Rosenberg

 

Whispers From the WellWhispers From the Well by G A Rosenberg

 

Madness with a Public Face

 

“Maybe each human being lives in a unique world, a private world different from those inhabited and experienced by all other humans. . . If reality differs from person to person, can we speak of reality singular, or shouldn’t we really be talking about plural realities? And if there are plural realities, are some more true (more real) than others? What about the world of a schizophrenic? Maybe it’s as real as our world. Maybe we cannot say that we are in touch with reality and he is not, but should instead say, His reality is so different from ours that he can’t explain his to us, and we can’t explain ours to him. The problem, then, is that if subjective worlds are experienced too differently, there occurs a breakdown in communication … and there is the real illness.”
― Philip K. Dick

 

I find that it is getting more and more difficult for me to judge madness in another. Not that I believe that I could or should do so.I have become of so many people who’s beliefs are way off the beaten track from anyone else’s and yet they live totally functional lives. There are so few people who follow what the media and society tells us is conventional thought that I find that the very concept of a sane human being to be as mythological as that of a unicorn, perhaps more so. Yet no matter how mad most people I know may be they have the discernment to not share their mad sparks with the world at large (well with the exception of the artists and writers but then we are given more leeway than most to be eccentric). Perhaps that is the whole reason for social consensus. To give people a baseline for discernment of their public faces.
If only more of us were open to each other’s brand of madness, not to mention our own, social consensus would not be as bizarre as it is…
Blessings, G

 

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Alien Shaman Studying PatternsAlien Shaman Studying Shadows by G A Rosenberg

 

Roadways AbstractionRoadways Abstraction by G A Rosenberg

 

Let the Madness Show

 

“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.”
— Allen Ginsberg

 

Don’t you sense it? That feeling that no only are you different than everybody else but that if people were aware of your difference they’d think you were crazy? Oh maybe not locked up danger to yourself or to others but nuts all the same. If they only knew the thoughts that went on in your head. Everybody has the gibbering madness behind their eyes. Some of us get better at not showing it. Some of us get so good at it that we convince ourselves its not there. It’s a bit of a shame tho. That spark of madness tends to be our creativity and our true self. The more we let it out the more we create beauty whether it be in art, writing or our lives. Oh some of it can be pretty strange and frightening yet the more of our madness we let show the more we become fully ourselves. It is not in the sun that we shine the most but in the light of our inner moon. For that is where our shadows contrast it. Indeed, they are inextricably wed.
Blessings, G

 

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Night ApproachesNight Approaches by G A Rosenberg

 

Saturnine Space WarpSaturnine Space Warp by G A Rosenberg

 

A Goofy Proposition

 

“I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid…because I’m not MYSELF you see…I’m afraid I can’t put it more clearly…for I can’t understand it myself to begin with…”
— Lewis Carroll

 

Every so often my mind goes to some pretty strange places. An idea pops into my head and I just run with it even tho many may find it off-putting. At the very least I entertain myself.
Someone tonight happened to say to me “Be careful what you wish for.” For some reason I was taken with the notion of a weird combination of Micky Mouse in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia with the banquet story from the New Testament. Imagine if once Jesus started the loaves and fishes coming, he couldn’t stop it. People buried under Fish and Bread, suffocating, not to mention the smell. From there, I started imagining the New Testament as done by Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse as J. C., Donald Duck as Judas, etc. The sermon on the mount in the voice of Micky had me giggling like crazy. I would love to see it done. Nah… the real thing wouldn’t be half as entertaining as the version in my head. Oh well on to the next idea. All the President’s men done with Loony Tunes…
Blessings, G

 

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SolaceSolace by G A Rosenberg

 

Seeking the Night's SacrificeSeeking the Night’s Sacrifice by G A Rosenberg

 

You Understand…

 

“I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.”
― Khalil Gibran, The Madman

 

You understood my secret self
and took away my refuge.
No longer could I hide
behind the unknowable
I had to step out
and claim sanity’s burden
within your knowing smile.
There are those who revel
in being unknown
while they clamour
at fools’ innocence
Not knowing you cannot have it both ways
Your have made a window in my airless room
and my heart forgives you.

 

Blessings, G

 

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No Rescue RequiredNo Rescue Required by G A Rosenberg

 

A Tree Remains in the ForestA Tree Remains in the Forest by G A Rosenberg

 

It’s Madness

 

“There is a fissure in my vision and madness will always rush through.”
― Anaïs Nin

 

Madness is not always such a bad thing. In a world where people are becoming busier and busier running on the hamster wheel trying to live up to the necessities of job, family and social lives. So many of us keep trying to do more and more while holding accountability for less and less including their own peace of mind. It’s insane and those who refuse to keep running on the wheel and wish to be accountable for what they do and who they are are considered mad. Especially if we want to schedule less and do less in order to make this so. As the King of Siam said “It is a puzzlement.” The world won’t end if we have less meetings. Life won’t stop if we miss one dinner or one engagement.
I would rather enjoy my madness at leisure than keep hurrying towards insanity.
Blessings, G

 

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Dissolving VisionsDissolving Visions by G A Rosenberg

 

Finding the Phoenix EggFinding the Phoenix Egg by G A Rosenberg

 

Tarot Post – The Moon

 

XVIII-The Moon (♓︎)

 

The Moon (F)The Moon by G A Rosenberg

 

Illusions seem real
reality a dark dream
when the moonlight wanes

 

I heard her calling me last night
Her voice the whisper of
the waning moon
casting shadows with her secrets
raising doubts from seeds left buried
all so long ago
She lured me with her promises
Secret knowledge offered
Illusions granted
Calling me through castle doors
Strange creatures howling point the way
I beguiled go
She showed me things that couldn’t be
Demented Nightmare’s gift
monstrous awakening
She took from me my secret fear
replacing shadows in its stead
I trembling go
and yet to reach the morn
through Hecate’s night reborn
–G A Rosenberg

 

At night, by the light of the Moon (particularly when its waning) we can see a lot less of our external surroundings than we can by daylight. Things appear shadowed and hazy and any light may seem blinding. Our imaginations have full play and we try to fill in the darkened spaces with a combination of intuition and imagination. What we see and how we interpret it can tell us a lot about ourselves if we are open to it. The Moon force in this way illuminates our interior selves.
The Moon trump shows us our fears and dark desires. It can give us deep understandings of our hidden longings or it can send us reeling into insanity, beset by fears and emotional demons that we have repressed and refused to face. When we find ourselves least able to cope with this psychic and emotional shit storm, the best that we can do is endure, knowing that night inevitably gives way to day.
When talking about the greater cycle of the Fool’s Journey or the Great Work, the Moon comes at a time when we have bravely made it through most of our shadow work and what’s left is some of the really dark repressed stuff that we were not yet ready to face. Under the influence of the Moon it becomes revealed and with courage, will and endurance we will survive.

 

Astrological Correspondent – Pisces(♓︎)-Pisces is an inward dwelling intuitive energy. It lives in its dreams and then brings them to the surface.Like an iceberg, three quarters of what Pisces feels is hidden and it prefers it that way. Pisces is sensitive and compassionate and feels things deeply both for itself and others. This can sometimes lead to self-pity or an over sympathetic approach.
Pisces would rather face happy dreams than unhappy reality. When it sees external life falling short of its dreams it tends to withdraw or may indulge in self-destructive behaviour. It looks for direction from other more self-directed energies. The Piscean energy can all too easily lose its identity as it takes on the characteristics of those it admires or who can get them through the storm seas. It is self-sacrificing in the extreme and this can lead to loss of self as well. Pisces is ruled by Neptune and is mutable in its ways.

 

Runic Correspondent-Othala(‘property’)othalaOthala means property in the sense that it is an ancestral land or sacred space. A sacred space is one in which we can be still and receive messages either from our ancestors or from our unconscious mind. It is a coming into our birthright in a spiritual sense and bringing what we learn to others and using it for the good of all. Another rune that is connected to The Moon trump is Algiz.

 

Path on the Tree of Life – Path 29-Qoph – Qoph translates as the back of the head. If the head in general is seen as the font of consciousness than the back of the head would represent that hidden dark side of our conscious awareness. This path is referred to as the Physical intelligence of Corporeal Intelligence because it concerns to the automatic and unconscious influences on the physical both in the sense of autonomic bodily functions and our psychosexual subconscious aspects. It connects the sephiroth of Netzach (“Victory”) with Malkuth(“Kingdom”) and shows the influence of Venusian Desire upon our physical form.

 

When the Moon shows up in a reading it may indicate that the querent is living in their imaginations quite a bit. This can be very positive if they are finding a way to express their imagination but can also have the negative connotation of jumping at shadows. The card may mean that the querent is beset by fears and imagining the worst in everything and everyone. Everything that once seemed bright may seem dark now. This is what many refer to as the dark night of the soul. When one is going through this, the best advice may be to just endure it until its over. There is value in seeing what one’s fears are and daylight will come eventually. Sometimes one has to feel the feelings until they stop and then move forward.
The Moon may also be telling the querent that they need to trust their intuition even if they don’t feel that they can see things clearly. They need to accept what their perceptions are and move beyond them, as difficult as that may sound. When one has lost their way in the woods, it is not what they imagine that matters but what signposts they can find that will lead them out.
The card may also mean that the querent is dealing with emotional issues that they have been repressing.

 

The inversed Moon may mean that the querent is recovering from a period of emotional stress and delusion. Things may be seeming a bit brighter and they may be seeing things more as they are and less how they fear them to be. It may mean that they are struggling against integrating recent lessons about themselves into their life and regressing a bit. The Reversed Moon may indicate that the querent is caught up in a frenzy of day to day activity to avoid taking a good look at emotions and thoughts that they are repressing. The card may also mean that someone has their psychic channels activated but due to their own lack of clarity is unable to distinguish between what’s real and what’s illusion.

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

Accepting My Own Madness

 

“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, The Red Book

 

When I was much younger, I realized how out of step I seemed to be with the world at large and questioned my sanity. As I grow older, I realize that most if not all of the people I know have their own flavours of insanity. We all have windmills that we tilt at and believe they are dragons. Many of us repeat our actions and methods endlessly expecting different results each time. I no longer question my sanity or lack thereof as much as embrace it. How I differ from each person brings an endless flood of self-knowledge and confusion. Now my main concerns tend to be around how much my words and my behaviour reflect my authentic self and with time even that concern fades for it seems more and more to be something that can’t be done and worried at at the same time.
Blessings, G

 

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Dreaming Under Red SkiesDreaming Under Red Skies by G A Rosenberg

 

Tie Dyed WebTie-Dyed Web by G A Rosenberg