Tag: digital art

Images in the Mist (March 2018)

 

“The best way to avoid responsibility is to say, ‘I’ve got
responsibilities.”
― Richard Bach

 

The above is another quote that I find applies to so many things. The best way to avoid studying is to say “There are so many things I want to study.”
The best way to avoid learning a skill is to say “I have so many skills I want / need to learn”
The best way to avoid spiritual growth is to say “There are so many directions I can go in”
It feels so easy to be like the mule who starved to death because he stood in between two bags of feed and could not decide which to start with. Ultimately, what action we choose to take doesn’t matter. What matters is doing something that will further us in some way. Everything we do eventually benefits us more than inactivity ever will. We can always course correct later. This is a lesson that has taken me way too long to learn.

 

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Manifesting in the Flames by GAR

 

Neuronic Roots by GAR

 

Rage’s Liberation (March 2018)

 

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Intellectual despair results in neither weakness nor dreams, but in violence. Thus abandoning certain investigations is out of the question. It is only a matter of knowing how to give vent to one’s rage; whether one only wants to wander like madmen around prisons, or whether one wants to overturn them.
— Georges Bataille
Raging at stasis
wanting to rip down structures
and watch them burn
in chaotic beauty
tear down this fleshy existence
on the return to pure spirit
Liberation to a better world
on the decaying bones of the old

 

Partial Setian Masque by GAR

 

Chromatic Rage Redux by GAR

 

Pinched Feet

 

“The Shoe that Fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases”
— Carl Jung

 

2016 was both a year of growth and a year of confusion for me. In some ways I realized more of my ambitions than I have before. Yet I find myself with less definition of conviction than ever before. This was at least partially due to my reaction to the US Presidential election. It seems people were so polarized and had definite feelings of the rightness of their case. So many of these reactions seemed and still do unreasoned. I found myself growing more and more uncomfortable with the polarization that has been happening. People seem to be using their opinions to justify bad behaviour on both sides and there is little willingness to either challenge one’s own beliefs (something which is one of the few rules I have for myself) or be open to those of others. People justify their beliefs not because they have tested them and won out but because they can find them mirrored in the beliefs of almost all of their friends and social media acquaintances. I regret having to say this but if all of your friends agree with your political views no matter what they are, you need to widen your circle of friends.
Blessings,
G

 

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reflecting-inner-skies-reduxReflecting Inner Skies (Redux) by G A Rosenberg

 

manifesting-the-elks-spiritManifesting the Elk’s Spirit by G A Rosenberg

 

The Price of the Ticket

“Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion”
— Hunter S. Thompson

 

Funny how victimized we can feel by our own choices. “He took me home that night and he hurt me. He used me until there was nothing left. It’s no wonder I haven’t been able to find a good relationship since.” No, no and no. No matter how good a line he had you made a choice as an adult to go with him and stay with him even tho you felt drained. You needed the lesson and what you can learn from it. Now you find that you don’t have enough to give to another vampire. Fine, see if you can find someone who can make your heart sing. See if you can do it outside the bar scene. You bought the ticket.
“He screwed me over on that deal. I’m always too trusting and I always get fucked over.” Again, No, I’d agree with you if you were right but in all of those times you have never learned that if you don’t specify terms before hand, the other person may take advantage. How many times do you need that lesson.
“That’s It. I followed another fake guru and found out he’s full of shit. I’m an atheist. All of this spiritual stuff is bullshit.” Sigh, Again you bought the ticket. I hope you enjoyed the ride but there’s no refunds of time or money. Tell me, you spent so long learning from this guy. Are you really saying you learned nothing? I have learned something from ten minutes spent with the dullest people imaginable. There must have been something in what this guy said that made you want to learn from him. Even if the only thing of value said to you was in the first moments you met, you must have gained something to make you think the ticket was worth the cost of the ride. If you spend some time thinking about it, you probably gained a lot more. If the only thing that came out of it was the self-knowledge of what buttons you have that push your spiritual pilgrim button then wow, you learned a lot. Don’t sell the ticket or yourself short.
In the long run, there is little in life that isn’t worth the price of the ride. On some level we know that. It’s why we choose to play in the first place.
Blessings, G

 

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Burnished Self imageBurnished Self-Image by G A Rosenberg

 

Tribal FusionTribal Fusion by G A Rosenberg

Just My Imagination…

“See I’m Imagination. I’m Real, and I’m the best friend you ever had. Who do you think got you all this cool stuff?
The clothes you’re wearing, the room, the house, the city that you’re in. Everything in it started out in the human imagination”
— Alan Moore, Promethea

 

Through our imagination we create. Without the ability to imagine a finished result would we do anything volitionally? We imagine each step of the way the results of our actions and then decide our next actions on how well the results matched what we imagined and how we picture the result of our modifications. Our art and our speech are the expressions of our imagination. Everything we do and basically everything we allow ourselves to be. Ultimately we are all magicians using our will to express our imaginations.
Blessings, G

 

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Auric ShadowAuric Shadow by G A Rosenberg

 

Cubic PathwaysCubic Pathways by G A Rosenberg

Don’t Shoot the Ego Messenger

“How to get rid of ego as dictator and turn it into messenger and servant and scout, to be in your service, is the trick.”
― Joseph Campbell

 

Aleister Crowley in his Liber III vel Jugorum wrote of a whole regiment designed to control the thoughts and train the ego. It involved razor blades and self-flagellation and while it may be effective may be considered a bit much for some people. Still the ego tends to be tricky. Even when we don’t believe that it controls us it can be the most manipulative and passive aggressive of servants. Also, the more we worry and obsess about whether our egos are controlling us or not, the more we can be sure that they are.
Perhaps it is better to just have awareness. Witness our thoughts and witness our actions and emotions and then try to have awareness of who it is that is doing the witnessing. This does not mean that to stop doing things volitionally. It does mean that we can be mindful of our actions and see where that leads us.
Blessings, G

 

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Unexpected Roadside AppearanceUnexpected Roadside Appearance by G A Rosenberg

 

Love's Strange MirrorLove’s Strange Mirror by G A Rosenberg

The Road Not (Really) Taken

 

“What’s in store for me in the direction I don’t take?”
― Jack Kerouac

 

Our lives are determined by our choices. Large and small we come to crossroads daily, knowing that any decision we make may have lasting consequences. Years later we may reflect on life’s crossroads and wonder “What if?” We may spend time reflecting on what our lives would be like if we had only turned right rather than left.
Back in my younger days I used to try to cheat this. I’d stand in the crossroads trying to look down the roads of any possible choices as far as I could. I would then with loud HOORAHs choose a course go down it a short ways until something felt off and then would curry back to the centre thinking that NOW i would make my REAL choice. I did that for years with many many decisions and misfires. Eventually it dawned on me that those choices did count and the act of choosing them changed me so even when I went back to the centre, I was not the same one who had chosen the first time. For it is each choice that determines our life and our path is EVERYTHING that we do, even and perhaps especially the misfires.
Blessings, G

 

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Serpentine Web2Serpentine Web by G A Rosenberg

 

Gosamer DreamGossamer Dream by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – King of Pentacles

 

King of Pentacles (Fire of Earth)

 

KIng of Pentacles (N)King of Pentacles (Revision) by G A Rosenberg

 

Wise leader of men
You teach us to tend the earth
Who can know your heart?

 

Welcome to my home
Surrounded by woods
we can walk in nature
with no neighbours to disturb us
Yes my garden is beautiful
and the landscaping the best.
They work hard
as I have
to get where I am.
Oh luck has been there as well
but I’ve played the game well.
Come inside! Enjoy!
That’s what its all there for.
Can you make our guest a drink?
Sit down and relax
Now hold a minute while I take this call.
— G A Rosenberg

 

The suit of Pentacles refers to the element of Earth and of practical matters such as money and partnerships both of a business nature and of the home. They can also represent nature, the Earth itself as well as our bodies. Kings are the leaders, the shakers, the initiatory force or person that get things moving. The King of Pentacles is a provider and source of the material. He is the patriarchal businessman who has achieved his success and now wants to help others do the same. He is solid and stable and very aware of both what he has and how he got it. He has weathered many storms and has shown courage in the face of adversity and yet his adventures have mainly been in the business arena. He has social position and wields it in a very relaxed fashion.
The King of Pentacles knows how to enjoy and take pleasure in what he has rather than feeling the need to explore things in depth. He enjoys nature and the outdoors tho he is more for walking in his fields and gardens rather than exploring paths unseen. He is generous of spirit yet finds pleasure in his interior life without the need to go deeper into that as well. He is at his worst when frustrated in his desires to rise to his natural place.

 

Astrological Correspondence – Astrological Correspondence: 21° Leo – 20° Virgo Elemental: Fire of Earth – Mixes the self-confidence and leadership drive of the third decan Leo with the generosity, discipline, and focus of the first two decans of Virgo and success is almost inevitable. People who are influence by this energy are at their best once they have achieved this success wielding in a very natural fashion the discipline and charisma that got them there. They are fantastic organizers and care for people around them both in the general philanthropic sense but also on the one-to-one level. They may be late-bloomers tho they utilize everything that they have encountered on the way to bring them to the top.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 62) Hsiao Kwo – Preponderance of the Small –

___ ___
___ ___
_______
_______
___ ___
___ ___

 

The Trigram for Thunder is over that of the Mountain. — Thunder is louder when it is in the mountains as the sound echoes and more focus and attention on detail is needed to avoid landslides and lightning. This Hexagram recommends that success comes when attention is focused on details rather than on large grandiose stunts. There is a hint in here of the story of Icarus who with his wax wings attempted to fly into the sun only to have them melt. The flight itself was an amazing success. Thus if the focus is on step by step achievement of what is possible than success is sure to follow. With attention to right action at the right time, everything is possible.

 

The King of Pentacles in a reading may often signify someone in a position of power who can help us either financially or with strong practical advice. This person may be found either in the board room or out in nature. He may be someone who is remote or difficult to know but who can be counted on. The card may also mean that play time is over and it is time to attend to practical matters in a detailed and disciplined way. The King of Cups may also mean it is time to enjoy our carnal sensuous side more, almost in a work hard and play hard kind of way. The card often refers to a need to find more enjoyment in every area of our lives as what we enjoy and pay attention to thrives.

 

The King of Pentacles reversed may indicate someone who feels inaccessible to us whom we were counting on to help. It may represent either someone who is thwarted in their ambitions and has become bitter and resentful or may represent this quality in ourselves. The reversed King of Pentacles may refer to someone who has developed a drinking problem. It may also refer to someone who’s empathy is too deep and has given way to despair.