Birthday 2009

Every year I create a mix-disc for my Birthday. I do it to share music that came out since my last birthday, or music that has inspired or meant something to me in the previous year. The biggest reason for this is that I have a HUGE love of music. I have over 3000 cd's. There are a lot of bands and music that I listen to that many of my friends don't know. I want to share the amazing music I listen to and introduce my friends to these great bands so...This is what was on my Birthday disc for 2009.

I'll be posting links to the bands websites, or places to purchase the disc. PLEASE PLEASE search these bands out and support them - either via purchasing on Amazon or BN, or directly through their websites.

(EDIT: I was asked to take the links down. If you want the info, let me know - otherwise visit the artists website and support them directly)

Birthday 2009 (songs from july 2008 - June 2009)

1) The Bones of You - Elbow www.elbow.co.uk
Elbow is a band that I discovered about two years ago. They were on my disc last year, and again this year. Some people have called them a new version of prog-rock. I would disagree. I think prog-rock and i think YES, while this is just good tunes. Guy Garvey has a great voice - it reminds me a bit of Damien Rice, but more throaty - more Irish if that makes sense. Alright - There is something about the chorus of this song that works for me - lyrically and musically.

this version is from their "The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road." The original ends the same way - with the trumpet sounding "Summertime" but the live version makes it more clear. And considering that my birthday is July - Summertime is good.

2) >Aquarius - Hair movie soundtrack
The trumpet continues from Summertime to a musical that reflects some of the thoughts, hopes that were around the year I was born. I love that brass from the opening of this track - and Melba Moore sounds amazing. On top of that, I can't hear this song without thinking of the Twyla Tharp choreography (yes, the same choreography from the end of 'The 40-year old virgin.' And there is a great sense of hope to this song - and I live my life hopefully. If you haven't seen the movie - go check it out.

3) Masterswarm - Andrew Bird www.andrewbird.net
After his last album was played over and over at Barnes & Noble, I fell for Andrew Bird. There is something about his music, something about his lyric, something about his voice, his look. It intrigues, it mystifies. I like this new album quite a bit. It has been played far far too many times at BN, and it is not something I would play - however if it does get put on, I still enjoy it. I like the way he has brought violin into pop music, the way he layers. soo cool. and the best thing - the alliteration. My fav part of the song starts with the bridge "so they took me to the hospital."

4) Wilderness Wheel - Issa www.issalight.com

Issa. She used to known as Jane Siberry. I won't say that I was in love the first time I heard her - I wasn't. I thought her music was interesting but it really didn't do much for me until "When I was a boy" and the album "Maria" that I started understanding her art. And her live 2-disc Christmas album is an amazing album. So - she has changed her name to Issa. her first album came out this year, and there are a lot of realy good songs on there - but Wilderness Wheel - there is something - the interplay of the nature sounds, her voice. The line "You/ You've come from so far/ To be here right now" Isn't that true? Think of your journey to be not only where you are, but who you are right at this moment. Even if you think that you haven't had an interesting life, your life is different from everybody else's life. I look forward to her next album, while still enjoying the work and art of Jane Siberry.

5) bleeding all over you - Martha Wainwright www.marthawainwright.com

I don't think this song needs an introduction. Since Rufus didn't come out with an album of his own this year (hopefully the Opera will be out next year) I turn to his very talented sister Martha. i love her voice, i love her writing, and this song is good - "I know you're married but I've got feelings too." haven't we all been in places like that? someone you are interested in, a onesided relationship, or otherwise involved too much in work to return the affection.

6) I'm throwing my arms around Paris - Morrissey www.morrissey-solo.com

I've been a fan of The Smiths and Morrissey for a number of years. I saw Morrissey perform at The Quest many years ago, and when i heard he was coming back to town - I was excited. I was talking to a friend of mine who asked if I was going to go to the show, and (since I was only working one part-time job I said probably not) next thing I knew he told me he had two tickets and was wondering if I wanted to go. I didn't hesitate to say yes. It was a great show and from this song until the next Smiths song - the songs are about a budding friendship/relationship. And while I've never been to Paris, there have been times that I have wanted to throw my arms around Mpls, or Tokyo because no one wanted my love. Like I've stated previously, I live hopefully so - hopefully things will change.

7) Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg www.landonpigg.com

I like Coffee Shops, I like Coffee, I like workers in coffee shops, and i really like this song. simple, sweet, and so true about new relationships...the excitement when you realize that there may be deeper feelings involved...all taking place in a coffee shop. could you ask for more?

8) F.N.T. - Semisonic www.semisonic.com

Yeah - the album came out in 1996. Fascinating New Thing. I've met a lot of great people this past year. This is for all of them, and a specific in mind. As the lyric states "I'm surprised that you've never been told before that you're lovely and you're perfect and that somebody wants you." I want every one I meet to know that somewhere, someone they are loved and they are perfect and that somebody does want them. ok...maybe not perfect...but loved and wanted. i have to remember this myself as well. I am loved, and while I may not know it - I am wanted...and perhaps someone does think that I'm perfect.

9) Hey Ya - The New Standards www.thenewstandards.com

Produced by Dan Wilson (of Semisonic) the album "Rock and Roll" came out this year. It is nothing but fun and good jazz. Covering everything from Peggy Lee to Lou Reed to Britney Spears? nothing but fun. And they are a local MN group so you really can't go wrong in my book.

10) La Llorona - Beirut www.beirutband.com

another one of my fave bands. I have no idea why but there is something about this band that I dig. Yeah - there is the whole ethnic sound to it, but there is also something about Zach Condon's voice. I think I have put his music on almost every mix-disc I've done. I can't get enough. Like Devotchka, or Issa, or Elbow - when a new album comes out, i start looking forward to the next one right away...only because I want to know where they are headed, i want to be on the adventure and journey with them. It is comforting and new - if that is possible. This year Beirut came out with a double album - "Beirut March of the Zapotec" and "realpeople Holland." yes, they are the same band with a very different sound. But so so good...

11) Time Will - Hercules and Love Affair www.herculesandloveaffair.com

I don't know where to start with this band. Great music, fun, and Antony doing guest vocals. What a great idea and a great sound. I love Antony's voice - lyrically I'm not sure what the lyric means but a great tune, and a good intro to Kylie Minogue.

12) Can't Get Blue Monday Out of my Head - Kylie Minogue www.kylie.com

Two great songs being mashed into one really great song. At least in my mind ;-) And Kylie is coming to the US for the first time ever? Sadly she is not coming to the Twin Cities, and I can't afford to see her in Chicago but - hopefully it will sell well and she'll be back. Like every one else, I first heard her version of "Locomotion" and thought it was cute. However, it was a dance remix version of "Spinning Around" that caught my ear, and hooked me on her. I believe that she and I are the same age...but what a great voice, great body, and i dig her alot - no excuses.

13) This Love won't Fail - Oleta Adams www.oletaadams.com

This goes back a number of years. The album "Come Walk with me" came out in 1997. I was a fan of Oleta Adam's first album, but this album slipped by me until the show RENT came to town for the first time. I'm a huge fan of RENT and that first year the cast took a Monday night and performed a cabaret. The final song of the evening was this song - and it was like the opening of Act II of RENT - the whole cast coming on, singing "Seasons of Love." Well - this year, RENT made its return to the Twin Cities. I wasn't going to go but then they said that most of the closing Broadway Cast would be touring, along with Anthony Rapp, and Adam Pascal. When I first saw RENT in NYC, I believe I saw Anthony Rapp perform, but Norbert Leo Butz was playing Roger instead of Adam Pascal. I couldn't give up a chance to see these two great actors play the show. And what a surprise to see my favorite crush Sean Earl in the cast. So - this is for them

14) There is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Divine Comedy www.thedivinecomedy.com

I will never miss a chance to share one of my all time favorite bands - The Divine Comedy. Sure, this isn't one of their songs, but The Divine Comedy covering one of my all time favorite Smiths song...I can't go wrong. I love it, I love the voice and the lyrics. It is near perfect...and a good ending to my little musical love nest.

15) Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead www.michaelfranti.com

This song is just for my girl Carise ;-) Great song, Great rhythm, great band. Michael is an amazing lyricist and has a great political mind, showing such care for the world, and the people. And he is very attractive in my book.

16) The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine in) - Hair (original cast recording)

A brand new production of HAIR just started treading the boards on Broadway, won Tony awards, and critical acclaim. Why this show and why now? I have no idea - but I look forward to seeing it when it tours (if it tours). I just think that this song is such a great ending to a great show - full of hope and desire and to some extent demands. Demands to look on the lighter side, to look on the good side of people, to let the sunshine in, to open up your mind to new ideas, to listen to others with an open heart, to care for others, to look out for others. I also have this desire to do this show just so I can be on stage, singing full voice these lyrics. I long for that day. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to do it, but i can...(what is that word again?) everyone together... HOPE!

17. One Day Like This - Elbow

If you know me at all, you know that I like themes to my mix-discs and I like bookends. This one has a double bookend - two songs from Hair, and two songs from Elbow. I think both songs make a good opening thematically and musically. I think they make the same sense when it comes to closing. Yes - it is from the same Live at the BBC recording. And again, a perfect ending. After the song "Let the sunshine in" how can you NOT put a song that rings "throw those curtains wide."?

So - there you are.

ciao,
krl

dang it..

so I just noticed that it has been since May 25 that I've put anything on here. Most of what I'm writing or posting is going on my LJ but (big news) I just started using dropbox so I'm hoping that I'll be able to post some links here for you to download my birthday cds...and other "mix-tapes" that I have done.

we'll see how this turns out.

I'm hoping to be able to get it done early this week as I'd like to have it in place before my birthday bash at Grumpy's on Wed.

lets hope it works..

ciao,
krl

April Breszny

4.1.09

"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you
believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take
responsibility for making it so. If you assume there is no hope, you
guarantee there will be no hope."
- Noam Chomsky

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In his book *When the Impossible Happens,*
Stanislav Grof describes a man named Kurt who was "very unhappy if
there were no problems in his life and adversaries against whom to fight."
Kurt didn't just thrive on crises; he felt uncomfortable if he didn't have
any. In my vision of how your destiny is unfolding, Cancerian, you now
have the ability to express a more temperate version of this capacity.
What I mean is that you could be highly entertained and resoundingly
moved by the dilemmas that come into your vicinity, but without going
overboard into obsession. You could embrace the challenges in
appreciation for the way they compel you to get smarter, but without
clutching them desperately.

4.8.09


"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of
it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad
belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to
cooperate with the good, that it may prevail. I try to increase the power
God has given me to see the best in everything and every one, and make
that Best a part of my life . . . No pessimist ever discovered the secret of
the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the
human spirit."
-Helen Keller

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Executives at an Austrian insurance company
have taken a novel approach to filling job openings in their sales division:
They're only seeking Capricorns, Tauruses, Leos, Aries, and Aquarians. "A
statistical study indicated that almost all of our best employees have one
of those five star signs," they said. I haven't seen the study, but
according to my personal analysis, it's a mistake to leave Cancerians out
of that privileged group -- at least in 2009. The members of your tribe
have exceptional powers of persuasion right now, as well as even more
than your usual skill at tapping into the subconscious minds of those
you're working with. I believe these advantages will be especially potent in
the coming weeks.

4.15.09

The Giver of Stars

Hold your soul open for my welcoming.
Let the quiet of your spirit bathe me
With its clear and rippled coolness,
That, loose-limbed and weary, I find rest,
Outstretched upon your peace, as on a bed of ivory.

Let the flickering flame of your soul play all about me,
That into my limbs may come the keenness of fire,
The life and joy of tongues of flame,
And, going out from you, tightly strung and in tune,
I may rouse the blear-eyed world,
And pour into it the beauty which you have begotten.

- Amy Lowell, *Sword Blades & Poppy Seeds*
http://tinyurl.com/c3sqjd

CANCER (June 21-July 22): What I'd really like to see you do in the
coming weeks is party harder and party smarter than usual. In my
astrological opinion, you're most likely to attract life's maximum
generosity by shedding some of your social inhibitions and cultivating the
pleasures of free-form networking. Believe me, I know how important it is
for you to maintain the kind of strict boundaries that protect you from
being overly influenced by other people. It's what keeps you in close
touch with your intuition. But for the foreseeable future, I think you'll
thrive on the unexpected blessings that come from giving yourself to the
intelligence of the crowd.

4.22.09

"The planet is some kind of organized intelligence. It's very different from
us. It's had 5- or 6-billion years to create a slow moving mind that is
made of oceans, and rivers, and rainforests, and glaciers. It's becoming
aware of us, as we are becoming aware of it, strangely enough.

"Two less likely members of a relationship can hardly be imagined -- the
technological apes and the dreaming planet. And yet, because the life of
each depends on the other, [we have] a feeling towards this immense,
strange, wise, old, neutral, weird thing, and it is trying to figure out why
its dreams are so tormented and why everything is out of balance."
- Terence McKenna

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This would be an excellent time for you to
lead a populist revolt to overthrow the abusive authorities or out-of-touch
elites who have been working their dumb magic for far too long. It would
also be a perfect moment for you to stop cooperating with energy-
draining situations that undermine your autonomy. The Age of Passivity is
ending, thank Goddess. Launching the Age of Awakening may not be easy
or fast, but you will attract extra help and encouragement if you do it
now.

4.29.09

"Pain and conflict are, to a large extent, the result of a discrepancy
between the way we think others should treat us, react to us, and
appreciate us, and the way they actually do. Many of our miseries are
thus rooted in self-pity, the most worthless of all human emotions."

--Ann Davies, Qabalist teacher

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If His Holiness the Dalai Lama (like you, born
under the sign of the Crab) had a Twitter account, I bet that this week
he'd tweet something like this: "Nothing's permanent and we should
never be attached to anything, but wow! -- the goodness rising up now
may send ripples through eternity!" What he'd mean is that while reality is
always in continual flux, and it's wise not to cling obsessively to either its
pleasures or sadnesses, the powerfully healing mojo that's moving
through Cancerians' lives these days could have long-term positive
consequences.

long long time 2.18 - end of March

yep - this is a catch-up of Rob Breszny so...enjoy, or pass it on by.

2.18.09

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final
word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than
evil triumphant."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you ask young men what experiences have
afforded them the most adventurous fun of their lives, a majority will talk
about indoor activities. Some will say video games and others their sexual
escapades. Only a minority will describe far-flung events in the great
outdoors or exotic locales. What about you, Cancerian? Under what
circumstances have your most amazing forays into the unknown
unfolded? Where have you been transformed in ways that helped you
stretch to meet your destiny? I'd like to suggest that it's time to go
beyond those previous benchmarks. You're ready to transcend your
personal limits as you wander into the frontier.

2.25.09

The Evening Is Tranquil, and Dawn Is a Thousand Miles Away
by Charles Wright

The mares go down for their evening feed
into the meadow grass.
Two pine trees sway the invisible wind—
some sway, some don't sway.
The heart of the world lies open, leached and ticking with sunlight
For just a minute or so.
The mares have their heads on the ground,
the trees have their heads on the blue sky.
Two ravens circle and twist.
On the borders of Heaven the river flows clear a bit longer.

- Charles Wright, *The New Yorker*

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I'm in quest of new role models. There've
been some good ones in my life, and I'm grateful for how they've
awakened me, but right now I need fresh heroes worth emulating. Know
any? I'm not dogmatic about what I'm looking for, and am willing to be
surprised, but here are a few qualities I admire: compassion combined with
unpredictability, high integrity mixed with an intense commitment to
creativity, and self-discipline blended with playfulness. I like smart talkers
who are also savvy listeners, and people who have a balance of open-
minded objectivity and emotional intelligence. By the way, what's true for
me is true for many of you, my fellow Cancerians: You could use a new
role model, too, and it's an excellent time to go in search of one.

3.4.09

"If you have ice cream, I will give it to you. If you have no ice cream, I will
take it from you."

- Rishi Suzuki (He calls this the ice cream koan)

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Scientists and fundamentalist Christians don't
share much common ground, but one thing most of them agree on
devoutly: There's no such thing as reincarnation. Now I'm pleased to be
able to offer you the chance to rebel against their dogmatic delusion. You
see, Cancerian, it's an excellent time to try out the hypothesis that you
have lived many times before and will live many times again. For one
week, act as if it were true, and see how it changes the way you feel,
think, and act. What if everything you do has repercussions forever?

3.11.09

"My feeling about technique in art," John Barth told an interviewer in
1968, "is that it has about the same value as technique in love-making.
That is to say, on the one hand, heartfelt ineptitude has its appeal and, on
the other hand, so does heartless skill; but what you want is passionate
virtuosity."

- Charles Harris, "Reading John Barth"

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As I compose your horoscope, I'm sitting in a
restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown dining on something the menu
refers to as a Milky Golden Prize Delight Bun. And I'm thinking, I bet it's
going to be a kind of Milky Golden Prize Delight week for you Cancerians .
. . a Sweet Creamy Lusty Elixir week . . . a Rich Thick Tasty Brilliance
week. If you can manage it, I suggest you try to have a dream one of
these nights in which you find a delicious morsel of the sun in a bowl of
pudding, and savor it all while listening to the full moon sing you a thrilling
lullaby.

3.18.09

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's
greed."

- Mahatma Gandhi

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A famous Youtube video shows a small crab
perched on top of a giant jellyfish that's swimming in the ocean. (It's
here: tinyurl.com/6ulpoe.) Apparently this is a common phenomenon. The
species known as the graceful rock crab not only grabs free rides on
jellyfish, but also steals food from them as it does. This creature is your
role model, Cancerian. See if you can develop a safe and symbiotic
relationship (perhaps temporarily) with a big stinging blob. At the very
least, wangle some benefit out of a clueless behemoth.

3.25.09

"The metabolic pathways of pain and malaise evolved because they
served the fitness of our genes in the ancestral environment. They will be
replaced by a different sort of neural architecture -- a motivational
system based on heritable gradients of bliss. States of sublime well-being
are destined to become the genetically pre-programmed norm of mental
health."
- David Pearce, http://www.hedweb.com/, The Hedonistic Imperative

CANCER (June 21-July 22): So many miraculous images of Jesus have
been appearing in Cheetos corn chips lately that a new cult of "Cheesus"
worshipers has sprung up. I suggest you consider the possibility of joining
them. This is a favorable time to switch your religious affiliation to a faith
that puts great stock in goofy miracles. ARPIL FOOL! I lied, sort of.
There's really no mandate for you to become a Cheesus Freak. But it is a
fine time to add tender irreverence and fun-loving funkiness to your
spiritual aspirations.

well...tweet

As you can see from my side bar, I'm a twitter-er. What is odd is that I never seem to take the time to actually blog, but I use twitter which is a form of micro-blogging. I have over 100 followers (quite a few of whom I don't know), and I follow about 100 people as well. Now, some of these people are the New York Times (I follow three different feeds of theirs), NME news, John Digweed, a site named Towleroad, Pink is the new Blog, and a variety of others. Then there are people whom I know in real life who I also follow.

Something happened today that I'm not sure how to translate or interpret.

I Twittered on Sunday that I was doing some work for Jostens. Today I got an email and a phone call from my mom (who works at Jostens) who said that one of her co-workers had written something on twitter that pulled any mention of Jostens. Now - that I understand, as a company you want to get a sense of what people may say out there about the company you work for. After she saw my tweet, she then kept reading my tweets and mentioned to my mom my most recent tweet about what I had for breakfast. Nothing major (and it seems that this is mainly what I tweet about for some reason) but it freaked my mom out.

I guess this woman is a bit of a gossip and mom was concerned about what information I was putting out there in the world - that someone could find me on twitter, see my name and enter it into dex, find out where I live, etc. She even brought up the fact that no one thought people would kill each other via craigslist.

So - here are some questions:

1) if you twitter, are you concerned about someone stalking you online? and possibly IRL?
2) In a situation like this, is it my duty to make my tweets private so that my moms coworker cant read them? or is it my mom's responsibility to ask her co-worker not to follow me, or to find out what her twitter name is so I can block her?

thoughts? comments?

ciao,
krl

Six Degrees

I recently re-watched "Six Degrees of Separation" by John Guare.

I first came across this play back in the '90s when I was working at the Unicorn Theatre in downtown Mpls. We were doing a production of "Torch Song Trilogy." The 2nd act of Torch Song takes place with all four characters in or on a bed. The director wanted us to go see "Six degrees.." as all the actors stay on stage at all times, and step forward to the playing area when needed. Tim wanted us to utilize the same format for the 2nd act of Torch Song.

I found the play to be incredibly well written and fell in love with the writing and style of John Gaure. Of course, watching the film is always good because of the amazing cast - Stockard Channing, Anthony Rapp, Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen, etc. I was a bit pissed when Will Smith made a bit point out of NOT wanting to kiss another guy during this film but the film makes up for it.

so in watching it, not only am I always amazed and interested in the whole concept of the six degrees - but also for this:

(spoiler alert) Below is the last or close to the last scene in the movie. So - if you don't want to know how it ends, do not watch this...but read on (spoiler alert)






The key that I want to bring here are these lines:

"...we turn him into an anecdote to dine out on. Or dine in on. but it was an experience. I will not turn him into an anecdote. How do we fit what happened to us into life without turning it into an anecdote with no teeth and a punch line you'll mouth over and over for years to come. 'Tell the story about the imposter who cam into our lives--' 'That reminds me of the time this boy--' And we become these human juke boxes spilling out these anecdotes. But it was an experience. How do we keep the experience?"

So - all the stuff that we blog about on a daily basis (or bi-weekly basis in my case). All we talk about, all that we do experience...how do we keep that experience an experience? or is this an impossibility? Is everything that happens to us in life bound to become a story? and anecdote?

ciao,
krl

March March March

Happy Mardi Gras, and welcome to Lent.

Have you given anything up for Lent this year? and are you making it difficult? or just an exercise?

In the past I have given something up almost every year. I realized this year that it isn't so much about denial as it is about discipline. This year I have decided to do a couple things - mostly financial.

1) put some amount into savings every paycheck
2) make payments first before planning any dinners out, movies, etc
3) do some research towards my thesis every week - some article or book

that is about it this time. I'm slowly working my way through my cd collection and deciding what I need and what i can sell. At the same time I'm updating my delicious library database so that it reflects my thoughts on my collection instead of Amazon's thoughts. I need to start working on getting my books in there as well, but right now with over 3000 cds, the program is so slow I'm thinking of using an online book library/database. Do you have any you would suggest?

Finally - taking a hint from my LiveJournal... I'm going to open up the month of March to be "Ask me Anything month."

leave a comment with a question and I'll answer it. All the comments are screened so if you don't have an LJ account and want to ask me a question that is private - ask it and I'll see what I can do to make sure you can read my reply.

If you want to leave me a comment here and ask a question here - feel free! I'd love it either way!

ciao,
krl

love of Rob

It has been a while and there are still some things I want to do with this blog and am trying to figure out how. In the mean time - here is some catching up with Rob Breszny.

1.21.09

+

"There is a muscular energy in sunlight corresponding to the spiritual
energy of wind."

-Annie Dillard

+
PRONOIA says that evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit.
Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure
is our birthright. Receptivity is a superpower.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "When I grow up," writes Ramona McNabb, "I
want to be a river." In the coming year, that would be a worthy aspiration
for you as well, Cancerian. You'd generate a flood of benefits, some
unexpected, by cultivating your ability to be perfectly yourself as you
flow ever onward in rhythm with the sky and earth, unimpeded by the
fluctuations of light and darkness, and in love with the ceaseless
movement of your own strong currents.


1.28.09

+

"The degree in which a poet's imagination dominates reality is the exact
measure of his importance and dignity."

- George Santayana

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "We are all stupid," wrote Mark Twain, "just
on different subjects." Ain't that the truth? Sometimes I get
overwhelmed when I think about all the blanks in my education and the
ignorance that pockmarks my understanding. The good news for me --
and for all of you, my fellow Cancerians -- is that we're now in an
astrological phase that's ideal for getting a crash course in any subject
we're dumb about. If you're brave and humble, you could fix several holes
in your intelligence.

2.4.09

+

"The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul."

- Wassily Kandinsky

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Born in 1822, my great-great-great
grandfather Edward Dembowski was a bohemian philosopher and
columnist who led a revolutionary struggle to liberate Poland from
plutocrats and foreign occupation. A feminist long before most European
men entertained the issue of women's liberation, he edited a journal that
was the main organ of the "Enthusiasts," who fought for women's rights.
He's one of my heroes! I invite you, Cancerian, to delve into your own
ancestry to see if there are inspirational role models like Dembowski.
According to my reading of the astrological omens, it's an excellent time
to activate more of your dormant genetic potentials. One good way to do
that: Use your imagination to establish psychic and spiritual links to your
admirable forebears.

2.11.09

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"Love is everything it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for,
being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk
everything, you risk even more."

- Erica Jong

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GUIDING QUESTION for cultivating PRONOIA: "The secret of life," said
sculptor Henry Moore to poet Donald Hall, "is to have a task, something
you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every
minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important thing is—it
must be something you cannot possibly do." What is that task for you?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Over the course of your lifetime, if you're
average, you will spend about 336 hours kissing. But why be average?
Especially now, when the cosmos is begging you to use your mouth to
incite ingenious bliss and explore the frontiers of closeness? To be in
maximum alignment with the great cycles of nature and make God happy,
I suggest you experiment with Guinness-Book-of-World-Records-levels of
smooching and licking and sucking. If you can't find a human partner to
collaborate with, then kiss the sky, the trees, the rivers, and even the
mist. (P.S. For extra credit, use your mouth to murmur lyrical praises and
whisper poetic temptations.)


again, just to clarify, this guy amuses me and makes me think of things in a new manner.

hope that life is treating you well -

remember that you are loved...

ciao,
krl

one more rob

So - this is what was sent out on Dec. 24th. I think there is some really interesting things written - especially because Rob Brezsny is not a Christian...

anywho...here is it...

SOLSTICE INVOCATION FOR TRICKSTER ALLIES
by Caroline Casey

This is the midnight hour of the year, and of 8,000 years of Empire in
which humans ceded authority (Saturn) to socio-pathic dingbats. Until
now!

This Solstice poses the question: "What must we die to, within and
without, lest we die from."

The I Ching chimes in: 24. The Turning Point -- Winter Solstice

"After a time of decay comes the turning point. The powerful light that
has been banished returns. There is movement but it is not brought
about by force. Societies of people with a unifying vision are formed. But
since these groups come together in full public knowledge and are in
harmony with the time, all selfish tendencies are excluded, and no mistake
is made. Everything comes of itself at the appointed time."

"From deep stillness comes replenishment and the gathering of strategy
and wits. Not striving, but calm and merriment.

"The Winter Solstice has always been celebrated as the resting time of
the year. In winter the life energy is still underground. Movement is just at
its beginning; therefore it must be strengthened by rest, so that it will not
be dissipated by being used prematurely.

"The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an
estrangement; everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the
beginning, so that the return may lead to flowering."

Now more than ever.

All of Creation is holding its breath at this deep time, anticipating the
birth, within each human heart, of wonder and a willingness to cooperate
with everything. May we kindle the warm glow of Trickster kindness,
within us all, transform our emotional default setting to one of "Woof
Woof, wanna play!?!" Each moment awaits our imaginative dedication.

So let's toss all that is neither beautiful nor useful into the roiling cauldron
of re-birth, that Time is so kindly providing us. Let's compost all past-
patterns of self-sabotage, personal and collective, for starters.

And let's bow at the threshold of this New Year, to release and redeem all
that we do not wish to take with us through the door. Remorse is said to
be the highest of the negative states, the closest to clarity --because we
see and feel all those times when we didn't respond to life's "woof woof
wanna play?!" When we fell for the compelling illusion of
separateness, and forgot that we are all in one large, pulsing, shape-
shifting-according-to-collaborative-intent dream.

The Sufi, and we with her, gently pats her heart and whispers
"estafirahlah" "forgiveness of self and others." And may "forgive" mean
"to give energy for change."

The protoplasm of reality is particularly susceptible to imprint now, by the
power of word, language, story and metaphor. Allowing ourselves one
true hyperbole: Never before has the power of human story-telling been
so essential in determining what dies and what lives.

Let us dedicate ourselves to animating the desirable story. (To do
otherwise would be complicitous with the evolutionary dead-end of
empire.) We suck the chi of our complicity from that which is dying, and
exhale into the blooming of dynamic collaborative kinship. We are here to
re-dedicate ourselves to the responsibility of dreaming the desirable world
into being.

Saturnalia: Deeper Dedication is the anti-dote to fear, as feeling useful is
the anti-dote to depression. There -- that's handled.

So, let's visualize and dedicate, wherever we are around the Solstice time,
and journeying on into this powerful Winter, that we are offering our
unique and necessary Medicine, into the collective cauldron brew, and
ladling ourselves a cup of All-Heal.

Trickster Medicine is really the sine qua non that brings all the other
medicines into bubbling accord to produce the elixir of Dynamic Reverent
Ingenuity.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!
by Rob

Some Christians might be shocked to learn that Jesus Christ is one of the
Main High Dudes in my pantheon of deities and avatars.

They may believe that people like me -- Goddess-worshiping tantric Sufi
Qabalist pagans who hang around with Zen trickster witches and espouse
a socialist libertarian political philosophy -- couldn't possibly have an
intimate and vivid relationship with the cosmic hero they claim to own.
They act as if they have commandeered the trademark of one of the
sweetest, wildest avatars in history.

But I do have an intimate and vivid relationship with Jesus Christ. How
could I not? He was a champion of women's rights, an antidote to the
established and corrupt political order, and a radical spiritual activist who
worked outside religious institutions.

The dude owned nothing and was a passionate advocate for the poor and
underprivileged. He was uncompromisingly opposed to violence and war.

Besides that, he was a master of love and he devoted his life to serving
the Divine Intelligence.

He even went so far as to say, "Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat
you."

I want to be like Jesus Christ when I grow up!



So - Don't we all want to be like Jesus when we grow up?

krl