John Kaminski on José Argüelles (repost)

José Argüelles: the Pythagoras of our time

Architect of the human future on the path beyond technology

'WE ARE BECOMING BIOSOLAR TELEPATHS'

"The finest thing of all is singing." ~ Pythagoras

By John Kaminski

Master and servant. Master of the Law of Time, and servant of the universal vibe.

He was the Pythagoras of our time, whose impact on the future will compare with Newton, Tesla and Jung. Among 20th century philosopher/explorers of new realms of human consciousness, his achievements exceeded even Krishnamurti, who refused to be the Illuminati god, and Castaneda, who confirmed communication with inorganic beings.

José Argüelles, gracious bearer of the gift of natural time, died Wednesday in Australia at the age of 72.

A man's greatness is measured by the duration of his ideas — Euclidean geometry, Newtonian physics, Platonic solids. Pythagoras, for those who don't know, was the ancient Greek who gave us a system of knowledge that developed into modern mathematics and a concept of sacred geometry still ardently practiced today.


Argüelles, this eclectic Mayan mystic artist, rescued us from the unrealized tyranny of artificial time and established a fully functioning system of natural time already well developed among his thousands of followers throughout the world, seeping into people's minds as the obvious truth once you understand what he discovered, which is a clear pathway to a future of delightful and naturally occurring synchronicity and trust.

He left a happy memory of consciousness expanding events across the blazing trail of his life — foundation of Earth Day, 1987 Harmonic Convergence, the Arcturus Probe, the Telektonon prophecies, but best of all, he left us the 13-moon calendar, and the Dreamspell, that smile-generating board game that makes us realize the hollowness of the artificial systems that rule our lives as well as the heights to which our consciousness is about to expand. Argüelles spent his entire life telling us to pay attention to the natural systems we can perceive.

An untiring servant of the universal vibe, Argüelles expanded human consciousness to a degree that will be revered among the highest components of human knowledge in the centuries to come. He leaves us with the gift of natural time, many thousands of followers, and a new, encouraging view of the future.

With a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago, he wrote Earth Ascending in the 1970s. The worldwide celebration of Harmonic Convergence was followed shortly thereafter by the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Dreamspell game became a cult among the very intelligent, whose view of things began to expand greatly with the ever available assistance of universal synchronicity.

In his stunning interview with Regina Meredith just last December ("José Argüelles and the Mayan Calendar"), he left us with a forecast for the future of humanity that can only leave you breathlessly optimistic. We are becoming "biosolar telepaths", whole systems (universes?) unto ourselves who will get our nourishment directly from the Sun yet be connected by telepathy and empathy to everyone and everything.

" . . . our biological nature is totally hooked up to our solar nature. This is what the ancients spoke of as the coming sixth sign of consciousness of the new Solar Age. The new Solar Age is when we realize that our consciousness is intimately related to the Sun, to the solar radiation and the information rays of the Sun. So we are biological nature, that our consciousness is tuned into and regulated by solar pulsations, and that when we integrate the biological and the solar elements we activate our telepathic powers and we become biosolar telepaths."

Son of Mexican immigrants who grew up in Minnesota, the effects of Jung's concept of synchroncity were to mysteriously guide each step in the passage of his life into focusing on the subject of time. As a teenager, he ran all the way to the top of the Teotihuacan pyramid the first time he saw it and experienced a white light he was able to later identify as cosmic knowledge. Shortly thereafter working in a library he chanced across Sylvanus Morley's treatise on Mayan mathematics, and then received a Mayan calendar from Lakota writer Tony Shearer, but the real epiphany came in a clock museum in Geneva, Switzerland.

"I was in the Clock Museum and I realized after two hours that the whole of modern civilization is based on a frequency 12, like the 12 hours that you have on the face of any clock, that you find anywhere; 60 minutes and also the 12-month Gregorian calendar. I knew in a flash; I saw this is the reason why modern civilization is going to fall off the edge of the cliff.

"I was able to see what it was. This Mayan Time is cosmic; it’s universal; it’s endless cycles that put you in the rhythms of Nature.

Artificial time " . . . separates us from Nature. It makes, it separates us from our own souls. It makes us more and more alienated from ourselves. It makes us more and more alienated from Nature. The more alienated from Nature we become the easier it is for us to just deplete the resources and use them for our own goods to make money or to spend our money on. So, I could say that’s just a truck without brakes heading for a brick wall.


"The actual nature of Time is synchronicity, OK. That’s the nature of Time. Everything in the universe is synchronized with itself. The Moon is synchronized going around the Earth; the Earth is synchronized going around the Sun; the Sun is synchronized with its constellation in the local, with the galaxy in going around the galaxy. The whole galaxy cluster is synchronized, and so on, and so forth. So, everything is synchronized. When the birds wake up in the morning, when the first rays of the Sun come up, they stop their tweet-tweet-tweeting when the Sun goes down and everything is a big synchronistic symphony from the point of view of the Earth, the Earth is a whole. If you get out in Space and look at the Earth, sure, one side is dark and one side is light, but it’s always turning. But to the Earth as a whole thing it’s one same moment in Time all the time.

"OK, it’s one same moment in Time all the time. Everything from the Earth’s point of view everything is in a state of synchronicity. But we live in an artificial bubble, so we can’t recognize that. Jung came up with the concept of synchronicity in 1952. That was like starting to scratch at the surface, that the edges were wearing out. You know synchronicity and then we got things like LSD and stuff like that that popped a couple more new holes in the veil there, you know. Then by the time you get to the 1980s, and “The Police” (Rock Music Band) put out an album called Synchronicity, and nowadays people are seeing synchronistic experiences becoming more “normal,” OK, because the fabric of artificial time is wearing out, and people are looking for ways out now. People have synchronistic experiences that’s telling them oh, wait; there is another reality.

"It should be our every day, every moment experience. So, the only way you can get out of it is to stop the clock."

Argüelles thought that the 12:60 system was imposed from without. "Exactly. And in my understanding of it this is precisely, then, why the Mayans incarnated on the other side of the planet to establish the fundamentals of what I call the Mayan Time science.

"Let’s put it this way, that the galactic Mayan surveillance team, let’s say, watching this part of the what I call experimental zone of the universe, this solar system here, they are watching this, they saw that what we might call a karmic stream from a previous world system that wanted to capture, let’s say, a particular planet, inject with this Babylonian/Sumerian idea of Time being based on the 12 and the 60, and that happened.


"And it’s interesting that the Sumerians knew that exactly at what we call the beginning of the Mayan Great Cycle, 3100 BC. So, that’s exactly when that occurred. You have evidence of that existing at that time. So, the Mayans, then, came in at the right time and said OK, well, we have to see where that’s at; we see where that’s going to go. It’s going to create disaster. The only thing that we can do is come down here and plant seeds of the correct timing sensibility, the correct mathematics of Time and pray that like at the right moment all of this gets discovered and that we’ll realize what it is, inject the data in there. I think that they were so uncannily intelligent that they knew that even though what we call 2012 in the Mayan long calendar, mathematically speaking, is 13.0.0.0.0. They don’t have a fixed starting point date. Everything is different cycles.

"Once we get past this 2012 hump our destiny is to become biosolar telepaths." The key hurdle is realizing this is the wisdom of the ancients. "This is something of what, say for instance, the ancient Mayans or Mexicans or Incas or Egyptians when the so called Sun Worshipers, that they actually knew that the Sun is the regulator of human consciousness, and that’s why they were paying attention to it.

"You know the ancient Mayans knew about this. [That’s] why I refer to them as the galactic wise ones who incarnated here and established themselves as the Mayans, here. They knew about this and they had a very sophisticated language to describe it. And one of the terms that they use is Tinkanata, (sic) which is the paranormal or telepathic powers that the human being has that are directly connected to the solar radiation. Tinkanata. Telepathy and solar radiation have a common ality, they are a kind of media."

Interviewer Regina Meredith asked José: "Looking at technology in the future, there was an interesting event yesterday, where Lynn Roberts led the group into a meditation and you could put yourself into the future and what it looked like. And, I interviewed Barbara Marx Hubbard right after that, and she and I had essentially the same visions, with slight variances, where it was this very organic sense of Time, organic sense of life in close companionship with the Earth, highly telepathic. But, we were in the presence of computer monitors, but it was connecting us with everything that’s possible, is. Anyone you needed to be in communion with anywhere on the planet and beyond was right there. So, it is quite possible, it seemed to me, it seemed quite harmonious and beautiful that even the types of technologies that have in its now primitive form have been given birth to, are going to work very well with the organic sense of Time down the road."

Argüelles agreed and delivered a diagnosis of the technological extravagance run by moral morons that threatens the future of humanity.


" . . . we’ve been too immature to deal with them (high tech inventions); we’ve become infatuated with the clock, developed a runaway system that we never tested, and it’s making morons and obese freaks out of us.

"So, we have to look at that. So, there has to be some kind of moratorium on all of this so we can recalibrate our intelligence and see what it is that we actually do need. Because the thing is, like I always say, wow, that’s really funny for 25,900 years Homo Sapiens did very well without cars and then now can’t do without them.

"So, it’s like you know so hey, wait a minute, we gotta, we have to stop this process. It’s a runaway technology that’s having all sorts of effects on our psyche, on our social psyche and our personal psyche that we can’t even control, and we’re all kind of just like sitting around helpless, you know, and watch our kids go crazy.

"Money is just like an illusion. Don’t worry; we’ve lived without this technology all this time. Just learn to grow a garden and relax. It’s all going to get better."

The doorway to the future is definitely located at the Foundation for the Law of Time.

Jose and I exchanged a few letters back in the early '90s in my pre-destabilization template days, sufficient to make me feel like his younger brother. I had triggered the connection after I read a line in his 1986 book, The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology.

The line went: "The key to integrity is admitting your faults." My life took a significant turn for the better once I integrated that into my paradigm. In large part, it has led me to where I am today, telling you all this. In fact, I'd always planned on meeting him on the Rainbow Bridge, and judging by his website, I may still.

So, as the hunch playing pseudoepidemiologist you know I am, I'm making the bold prediction that the sooner the world comprehends and follows the humble directives of this inspirational servant of the universal vibe, better known in some circles at Valum Votan, president of the Foundation of the Law of Time, the better off we all will be. And I say the sooner the better.

Beloved Memnosis, master of cosmic memory (his persona in The Arcturus Probe).

Bon voyáge, José. We're right behind you, and we'll see you there. Thanks for the guidance.

John Kaminski is a writer who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida, eternally grateful for the graceful souls who pass through this world and leave gifts that make this life worth living. First posted 26 March 2011. Reposted 7 September 2017.

The Origins of Muscle-Brained Male Chauvinism?

When will this sort of obscurantist patriarchal crap end?

When women whip off their fig leafs, I guess!

[Thanks to Pat Goh for sending me this excellent cartoon. Whoever the artist is, bravo!

First posted 22 September 2011]

Star Trails Across The Australian Outback (reprise)

Extremely long exposure: Photographer endures 15-hour shoots in the wintry Australian outback to snare stunning images of star trails in the night sky

By STEPHEN HULL
30th August 2011

At first glance these spectacular swirls of colour may look like clever computer graphics or the result of faulty camera work. They are, in fact, the product of hour after hour of painstaking night-time shooting by photographer Lincoln Harrison. His stunning pictures of star trails across the Australian night sky were taken over periods of up to 15 hours. Read more here!

Pheeeeeew! Well done, Lincoln!

[First posted 16 Semptember 2011]

DO NOT DISTURB! THIS LAND IS SACRED! (repost)

Last week I blogged about the sudden intrusion of earthmoving equipment into Kampong Pertak and how our swift response was able to stop the rampage within a day. Well, the digging and scraping started on Friday. The excavator and tractor pulled out on Saturday afternoon. And late Sunday night a heavy downpour resulted in a major treefall - right across the access trail. The forest had decided to form its own barricade against vehicular traffic.

This slope has always been extremely sensitive to vibration, especially in wet weather. Since 1994 when I moved to Kg Pertak, there have been at least a dozen collapses, usually triggered by attempts to widen the trail, military exercises, or large convoys of 4X4s. Conditions here are similar to the catastrophic alternative road to Fraser's Hill. From an initial cost of RM6 million the roadworks ballooned to more than RM30 million, because of constant landslips. The road has now been abandoned.

A good chunk of the hill accompanied the tree...

These large boulders with tree roots wrapped around them are what holds up the embankment. Once a few big ones come tumbling down, the entire slope becomes permanently unstable. Slapping a layer of cement over the collapsed slope is only a band-aid solution that won't last more than two years. Proper reinforcement works don't come cheap - and will transform a charming trail into another soulless highway. Will some UMNO crony think of setting up a toll booth?

Muddy runoff... straight down the embankment and into a previously crystalline river...

The contractor wanted to finish the job as quickly as possible. No time to worry about where to dump the raw, scraped earth. So it gets piled up along the edge of a steep embankment, waiting for the next heavy downpour...

It's a vibrant new reality with Pakatan Rakyat in charge of Selangor. A few SMSes and phonecalls - and district councillor Chua Yee Ling is sent to investigate. She confirms that there has been no application for a permit to commence roadworks in Kg Pertak, the Forestry Department was not notified, and the District Office is completely in the dark. The fact that this illegal project was ostensibly funded by the MCA at the instigation of some UMNO members makes the whole deal even shadier. Some folks find it convenient to forget that this entire area is classified Hutan Simpanan Kekal - Protected Forest Reserve.

District councillor Yee Ling and her friend Ken took lots of photos and will be reporting to Elizabeth Wong, Selangor state exco in charge of tourism, consumer affairs and the environment. I suggested that the state government help the Orang Asli acquire a secondhand truck which can easily access the trail and bring out bamboo and durians harvested by the villagers. A much cheaper, simpler solution which will not bring about the further contamination of the area by greedy developers and those insensitive to the magical and mysterious nature of the forest.

[First posted 13 September 2009]

Morality Questionnaire (revisited)

[A sociology student posted me these questions in 2005 as a reaction to attempts by quasi-religious agencies like JAWI, the Federal Territory Religious Department, to enforce public morality by brute force.]

1. What are your views on the current morality of our Malaysian citizens and why do you think this is the case?

Morality comes from the word "more" meaning "social custom." As such, each society will have its own culturally specific, and ethno-specific, preferences and traditions. None of these traditional social customs is immutable, that is, social mores change with changing economic, educational, and technological conditions. Therefore, "morality" is NOT, in my view, a relevant issue.

HOWEVER, what we're really talking about here is the question of ETHICS. Ethicality - the innate sense of what might be called "decent" human behavior, particularly in terms of interpersonal interactions, is a universal concern and has validity beyond the confines of cultural imprinting, and beyond economic, political, social, ideological, and biological considerations.

Very few human beings on this planet are imbued with an ethical core; simply because the majority of humans are akin to farm animals, kept in a state of abject ignorance and powerlessness to alter their own destiny in order that their energy, their vitality, and their experiential data may be "harvested." Among the few who have somehow broken through their cultural and social programming and attained an ETHICAL sense (which is often accompanied by the evolvement of an AESTHETIC sensibility), there is a strong possibility of these rare individuals gaining sufficient self-awareness to ultimately achieve self-mastery.

Self-mastery implies that the individual no longer refers to any EXTERNAL AUTHORITY for instructions as to how to behave towards others. The "moral authority" is fully internalized in that the individual is no longer an ethical infant, but has indeed attained the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual maturity to govern himself or herself from the highest and most universal perspective available at any given moment.

From this standpoint, few Malaysians - indeed, few human beings, regardless of nationality - have any notion of "morality" that has not been inculcated or indoctrinated into its behavioral programming by an outside source - whether parental, societal, governmental, or ideological. These externally imposed concepts of morality are generally control mechanisms designed to make people easier to manage as statistics rather than as individuals. They often have absolutely no basis in organic reality and function purely as BELIEF SYSTEMS. As such, they are quite unnecessary and irrelevant to existence itself, but serve the hidden agenda of the Elite or ruling class.

When people refrain from certain behaviors out of fear of punishment, that is a sure indication that they have yet to acquire an ethical sense. Their fear of "breaking the law" and incurring "the wrath of God" or being penalized by the Law is what governs their actions. The more perceptive individuals who quickly learn that their parents and governments and spiritual leaders are inclined towards hypocrisy as a way of life ("Do what I say, don't do what I do!") will be prompted to break the taboos and behave in antisocial or criminal ways - but they will do so furtively because "getting caught" would mean severe punishment. Any attempt to "correct" their negative behavior can only result in more laws and more vigorous law enforcement, which ultimately strengthens the totalitarian state we might describe as "Big Brotherism" rather than enhance people's ethical sense.

In effect, the question you pose has to be rephrased differently if you desire an authentic answer instead of a superficial, programmed response. I suggest you work with this question: WHAT IS THE ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "MORALITY" AND "ETHICS" - AND ARE MALAYSIANS, SPEAKING GENERALLY, AWARE OF IT?

2. In your own point of view, do you think that there are any groups of people who need increased moral policing and why?

The phrase "moral policing" is offensive to me, but let's not quibble about semantic niceties here. In general, the stratum of society most often in need of ethical resensitization is the so-called "ruling class" (which includes hereditary rulers, politicians, bureaucrats, and the uniformed personnel employed and trained to protect their private interests). This widespread condition of hypocrisy has its origins in the distortion of truth stemming from a long history of political power coups whereby authentic authority has been systematically usurped by "pretenders to the throne" - in other words, those least qualified to rule (because they have yet to master themselves) are usually the ones most determined to seize power and pose as "moral authorities."

3. What are your views on the recent incidents involving increased moral policing by some religious authorities? (e.g. arrest of a transgendered person in a friend's house, JAWI raid on a KL nightclub, Malacca Belia 4-B campaign to spy on young people...)

No mature community would tolerate such a gross abuse of vested authority and power. Agencies such as JAWI are infested with hypocrites and serve only as a haven for acutely aberrated individuals. They definitely serve no constructive purpose and we would do well to abolish them completely.

4. What do you think is a better solution to address such situations and why?

There is really no problem and therefore no "solution" is called for. People everywhere will do what pleases them in the way of recreation - and, so long as their activities do not impinge on other people's civil liberties or become destructive, it's nobody's business what anybody does to amuse himself or herself.

5. Do you think the state or private bodies should be responsible to develop better ways to deal with those situations?

Ultimately, the state itself is an abstraction which exists only as a cover for criminal usurpation of the individual's divine right of self-governance. With clarity of mind, these "social issues" publicized in the press are red herrings, non-issues, and merely serve to distract the public from REAL problems, e.g., environmental degradation and the ruthless abuse and exploitation of "lower" lifeforms - whether these be categorized as the "less privileged" or "those not of voting age" or (in a patriarchal society, the female gender), or non-human species as a whole.

6. Do you think there are weakness in our current moral laws and why?

There is only ONE authentic, universal moral law and it simply states: DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD BE DONE BY. All other "moral" rules are arbitrary and utterly useless; and, as such, irrelevant to life and deserve to be abolished or repealed.

7. Do you think our moral laws need corrective measure or changes to be implemented to meet the current society's needs?

Refer to above response.

8. Do you think the State should be given some power to enforce these moral laws and why?

The so-called State has already abrogated unto itself way too many powers. What matters are human beings, indeed, all living beings - not artificial rules and regulations invented to conceal criminal abuse of power usurped from the inherent divinity (the God self) within each entity. Each of us as incarnate Souls ultimately has no evolutionary alternative but to accept TOTAL RESPONSE-ABILITY for how we experience "reality."

9. Many NGOs have campaigned for certain moral laws to be repealed and demand that the State should have no role in policing morality. Do you think this is fair proposition to all parties concerned?

The NGOs are on the right track but have yet to find the right tack. Rather than engage (and waste) their energy on "doing battle" against the "power structure" they will serve themselves and others far more effectively by paying closer attention to their own evolution as sentient beings, with the focus on attaining levels of consciousness some may describe as Buddhahood or Christhood.

10. To your own reasoning, why did you sign the Joint Statement and what do you hope it can achieve?

I am essentially aligned with the NGOs' broad objective of functioning as a system of "checks and balances" to established poltical authority even if I do not always agree with their terms of reference and modus operandi. An internet petition requires only a few seconds to sign and is the least one can do to contribute to positive social change - at least, in the short term.

11. What do you believe constitutes a moral society?

One in which each individual has attained "enlightenment" or Buddhahood and then evolved to the next level of spiritual maturity which some choose to call "Christ consciousness." As such, the "moral society" is constantly evolving and when the point is reached where enough individuals have reclaimed their sovereign power and freed themselves from external controls, the concept of external government will cease to exist - and ETHICS will be a "hardwired" integral component of our Operating Systems.

12. What do you think Malaysians and even yourself can do to bring improvement to the situation?

Ask the questions you have asked in this electronic interview and allow for the widest possible spectrum of responses. In short, we simply have to take time out to ponder the basic existential conundrums - preferably free of the corruption and distortion of institutionalized belief systems, i.e. religious doctrines.

13. Any last words or thoughts?

Enjoy the infinite possiblities of being in freedom and joy!

Thank you very very much 😁

You're entirely welcome!

Antares
~^@^~

[First posted 2 December 2006, reposted 1 October 2015 & 14 August 2019]

A Doubly Orgasmic Full Moon Equinox (reprise)

Self-produced artifacts are a big turn-on for me. As a kid I enjoyed making my own greeting cards. My most memorable effort was when I doodled a Jesus figure on toilet paper and used it as a negative to print a stack of postcards that read: "Peace on Earth. Goodwill towards Me." Wonder if anyone still has one of those original prints, circa 1970...

On 22 September 2010, I picked up the 2nd Coming CDs from Videoria on Jalan Tiong (near KLPAC). Jess Ho, the feisty manager, can be trusted to do a good job - and she's a lovely woman with a great sense of humor too.

Anyway, now that the CDs are ready to ship, I'd like to express my gratitude to Sharon Chin, who stayed up nights to design the album cover and label, using graphic elements and text I provided. Although I'm still mystified by her decision to change the font on the cover, I'm extremely pleased with the overall feel of her design and layout. I got a stiffy just looking at the gorgeous label she created for the CD, adding color and vibrancy to my personal logo.

I particularly love how Sharon created a mirror image of the exquisite rainbow I photographed from my front garden. Very intuitive and intelligent designer with impeccable taste. I knew she would add a touch of class to the final product and inject just the right amount of feminine essence.

"Priapus, a greek fertility god with a permanent erection." That's how Sharon captioned the above image. It takes a true artist to appreciate mythic resonances - and few artists are truer than Sharon Chin, who manages an art portal called Arteri and writes on the visual arts for Off The Edge. Sharon says: "In addition to being a high-falutin' artist, patriot and woo-er of pale young writers, I also moonlight as a graphic designer for people/projects I love."

Instead of the grim-looking mugshot I gave Sharon, she opted for this antiquated doodle which appeared in the original cassette inlay when the album was released in 1986. What does it represent? Well, the rabble-rouser with a wagging black tongue was used to illustrate "Terminal Hierophantiasis" - so my low opinion of the Amen priesthood remains unchanged.

Sharon Chin embraces the Earth. And the Universe embraces her right back. Read this insightful interview with a young artist who successfully blends intellect with intuition.

2nd Coming is now listenable &/or downloadable (for free)!

[First posted 23 September 2010. Reposted 3 September 2020 & 5 September 2022] 

Shamans Among The Machines ~ Talk by Terence McKenna (repost)

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Terence McKenna (1946 ~ 2000) has been studying the ontological foundations of Shamanism and the Ethnopharmacology of spiritual transformation for the past quarter century. An innovative theoretician and spellbinding orator, Terence has emerged as a powerful voice for the psychedelic movement and the emergent societal tendency he calls The Archaic Revival. Poetically dispensing enlightened social criticism and new theories of the fractal dynamics of time, Terence deobfuscates many aspects of the visionary lexicon, and then some. As Artist Alex Grey suggests, "In the twilight of human history, McKenna's prescription for salvation is just so crazy it might work."

[Source: Terence McKenna Land. Brought to my attention by Melissa Lin. First posted 8 September 2012]

A True Visionary and Oracle of the New Evolutionary Spiral

Visionary art as an antidote to corporate fascism (repost)

Galactic Alignment by Andréa Balt

The world appears to teeter once again on the brink of all-out war, as criminal regimes with covert links to oil giants, drug cartels, vice syndicates, mercenary armies and terrorist cells attempt to shock and awe the masses into docile submission to their totalitarian dictates.

Religious fanaticism, spurred on by vested interests with divisive survival strategies, rears it ugly head whenever the corrupt status quo feels threatened by increasingly vociferous demands for radical reform.

At apocalyptic times such as this, the soul finds refuge and revitalization in magical epiphanies of the unfettered imagination as expressed through visionary art.

Chêne (oak) by Gaëlle Van Nah Chong (6.7" X 7.9", Graphite on paper, 2013)

Notre-Dame de McFarlane by Gaëlle Van Nah Chong
(15.7" X 11.8" Graphite on paper, 2013)

They have always been with us, these conjurers of phantasmagoric landscapes who speak directly to the innermost cores of our being, bypassing our nitpicking intellects. 

A close encounter with such imagery restores our primordial memory of authentic freedom, of vistas undefined and unconfined by artificial boundaries and obstacles. 

They remind us who we really are, beyond outward appearances, beyond bureaucratic pigeonholes, beyond our own fears and fleshly limitations. It is the visionary artist we must thank for reconnecting us with our inner beings where our humanity is most deeply rooted.

Throughout the centuries, they have spoken to us from their own mysterious depths, with voices intimate and introvert, of the soul’s adventures in dimensions far subtler than consensus reality. Visionaries like Hieronymus Bosch, William Blake, M.C. Escher, Salvador Dali, Alex Grey, Abdul Mati Klarwein – who share an artistic lineage with magical realists like Dante Alighieri, Jorge Luis Borges, Lewis Carroll, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende. Their work serves an entirely therapeutic purpose, resensitizing and reintegrating our battered psyches, affording us a secure hideaway from the ruinous violence of outer realms ravaged by the territorial disputes of warlords and would-be world conquerors.

La Désalpe by Gaëlle Van Nah Chong (11.8" X 30", Graphite on paper, 2013)

It gladdens my heart to witness the continuance of this essential therapeutic service as signified by the coming together of three young visionary artists who, in expressing their own internal dreamscapes, remind us where our true freedom dwells – in the secret depths of our own unique individuality.

Melissa Lin, Pereira Irving Paul and Gaëlle Chong… thank you for freely sharing with us the astounding authenticity, veracity and raw power of your extraordinary inner visions.

Antares Maitreya

Magick River

1 September 2013

Oily Teh O Ais: 3 Person Show with Melissa Lin,
Pereira Irving Paul & Gaëlle Van Nah Chong
7 - 21 September 2013 @ LostGens'

“MAMAK! SATU LAGI O.T.O.A!” by T.S. HON 

It’s been raining cats and dogs for weeks now. These afternoon showers come unannounced but not unexpected. Though it puts a damper on our daily wheeling and dealing, it should be seen as a much needed respite from all the brouhaha generated during the country’s 13th general election and its bitter aftermath just a few months ago. 

Transformation of the child after cosmic poisoning
by Pereira Irving Paul (11.7" X 8.3",
Pen & acrylic on paper, 2011)

For many of the everyday people, the business of life and making a living goes on as usual. They’ve come to accept with resignation that the more things change, the more they remain the same. “Same shit, different day” as they say. Come Monday mornings, as they commute by trains or buses packed like sardines (or KFC poultry) to the daily grind, they turn off their anger and tune out their resentment with the major and petty transgressions both real and imaginary and go through the motions till payday. That’s when they put away their ‘salarymen’ attire, gingerly don their branded mall worshipper’s costume and proceed to engage recklessly in retail therapy. And everything turns out fine in the end... as usual.

Yet, there are those who do not rest easy even though it is so much easier to uncritically adopt a herd mentality to adapt to the workings of conventional society. They refuse to subscribe to a standardized way of living prescribed for them via enculturation, education or indoctrination. These ‘misfits’ and ‘outsiders’ hold stubbornly to their own dreams and beliefs that other, more authentic and spontaneous ways of existing are possible besides the roles/lifestyles promoted by consumerism, propagated by jingoism or sanctified by religious fundamentalism. They remain true to their personal convictions against the dilution of their individuality and the commodification of life in general by the machinations of the establishment (usually in complicity with regimes, those voted to power or those that seized it.)   

Bridal deceleration and mind control
by Pereira Irving Paul (11.7" X 8.3",
Ink & acrylic on paper, 2011)

Perhaps it is from this context that the exhibition ‘OTOA’ can be understood and appreciated. Featuring works by Pereira Irving Paul, Gaëlle Chong and Melissa Lin, ‘OTOA’ (the title being a private joke between Melissa and Gaëlle) is a three-person exhibition at LostGens’ latest venue - located at 8C Jalan Panggong in KL’s infamous Chinatown, which serves as an extension of its residency program. 

Pereira Irving Paul (36) is a full-time multidisciplinary artist, independent curator and occultist currently based in Singapore whose works are guided by western and eastern magickal traditions. He specializes in Tarot and energy healing. 

32-year old  Gaëlle Chong hails from Lamboing, Switzerland. She is also a self-taught whose works are rich with mythical, archetypal symbols and imageries. She is a full-time artist based in Kuala Lumpur. 

Completing the trinity of this three-person exhibition is Melissa Lin Shi Min (31) or Mel as her friends calls her. Born in the state of Johor, Mel studied literature formally and later enrolled in an art academy in the Netherlands but has switched to astrology instead. She is as a full-time artist and certified astrologer (having obtained her certificate of graduation from the Nightlight Astrology School a couple of years ago) and is currently based in KL. She continues to practice and take advanced classes with her mentor, the writer and astrologer Adam Elenbaas.

John, dealing with the spirits from CCLAON by Pereira Irving Paul
(8.3" X 11.7",  Pen & correction fluid on paper)

The transfiguration of CCLAON
by Pereira Irving Paul (11.7" X 8.3",
Pen on paper, 2011)

This exhibition could have been like any of the many weekly showcases of new works by upcoming, mid career or veteran artists in the Klang Valley; nevertheless what sets ‘OTOA’ apart from the rest is the unconventional subject matter. These are not the predictable outputs of academically trained visual art practitioners, whose objectives are mostly commercial. 

Rather the artists of ‘OTOA’ belong to that small minority of creative individuals who, unshackled from the tyranny of conventional society’s regulations and expectations, dare to tap directly into that unfiltered wellspring of the universal via the unconscious, inspired and alchemical, to explore the many parallel universes, realities and possibilities beyond the fossilized versions zealously maintained by institutions, organizations and the ruling classes. And to discover what it means to be a conscious and individuated human being living in a society of the spectacle.  

Moreover, ‘OTOA’ comes at time when there is a discernible feeling of lethargy in the local art scene, a feeling of pointlessness and apathy towards all the banal, formulaic and generic looking works circulating around the galleries in the city. With so much sheen, shenanigans and vacuity masquerading as visual or performance Art, it is getting harder these days to penetrate the hype (or spectacle) and come across artists who are brave and willing to express (or rather expose) themselves in visual vernaculars that are deceptively unassuming, idiosyncratic  but accessible enough to be understood. There is much food for thought here, way more enriching than all the expensive aesthetic candy that is being sold in the private showrooms for the ‘loaded’ and ‘cultured.’ 

Ten sacred mystery gates of CCLAON
by Pereira Irving Paul (11.7" X 8.3",
Ink & acrylic on paper, 2011)

Without the profit motive, hidden agendas or obligations, they came together in a spirit of camaraderie and kinship, each bringing something discovered or drawn from their ‘night journeys’ to this exhibition. Their works embody a little bit of magick, mystery and madness, elements that were familiar to our primordial selves before it was suppressed or exorcised in preparation for our (forced) entry into society as functional, efficient and obedient workers/consumers by our guardians, teacher and leaders. This they have done successfully with coercion, alternating between promises of remuneration and threats of punishment. 

With the ‘spirit’ driven out from the flesh, once hardened, we are ready to become the nuts, bolts and cogs that form the ruling classes’ means of production or their instruments of destruction. This dehumanizing process can also be detected in our surrounding environment which was designed to suppress the subjective and spontaneous, and aggressively induces us to see the world objectively in only blacks and whites, namely yes or no, profit or loss, us or them, left or right. It encourages us to become more and more like the electrical contraptions or electronic gadgets we operate, use and enjoy; one-dimensional and manageable with the turn of a key, swipe of a finger, flip of the switch or push of a button. 

Volpocalypse by Pereira Irving Paul (16.5" X 23.4", Mixed media on paper, 2013)

Psychiatry Sucks by  Gaëlle Chong
(10.6" X 5.9", Oil pastel on paper, 2013)

The discontent and alienation are real and natural reactions to the stultifying conditions imposed upon us. Our unconscious mind seeks to communicate with us, to warn us of the imbalances in our lives by presenting signs, symbols or symptoms through our dreams, slips of tongue, or susceptibility to certain diseases.   Can the artists’ non-objective subject matter (and the way they live their lives) be read as a conscious but subtle objection to the process of objectification of life? Perhaps.  

Hopefully it is evident from their thoughts in the following interview. Will their works be able to stir, resonate with something within us that the system has not managed to extinguish completely and inspire us to question the validity of the ‘reality’ sold to us, or at least to reconsider the many life-affirming choices previously denied us?  That will depend on whether we are prepared to face the truth about our existence. A life which has been comfortably boxed in within these four walls made up of denials, subterfuges, prejudices, and false impressions.  If we are able to push the boundaries of our comfort zone and to peek or to slip through when the cracks appear, we have given ourselves a chance to step out of a long dark shadow cast over our lives, and to finally begin that search for our rightful place in the sun.  

“Under the paving stones, the beach!”

T.S. HON interviews the three artists of OTOA

T.S.HON: When did your passion in art begin and who or what was your earliest influence(s) -visual arts, music, literature?

Pereira Irving Paul:  I think what came first to me, what is more important than a passion for art is a passion for imaginative fantasy. I think that's the biggest factor that makes me who I am today. Art, music, writing, magick, are just vehicles that lead imagination into reality, making Imagination real is my true inspiration and passion I would say. 

I started doodling and writing stories from as young as 10 but spent more time in my head with imaginary friends and places and that is still true for me today, at 36 years of age. I truly started art making in 2008, when I started working as a Tarot card reader. The archetypes opened something up in me and all these visions started pouring out proper. So in a way, Tarot has been a major influence in terms of how its energy and magickal mystery affects me to create. 

Flight over Eradon by Pereira Irving Paul (16.5" X 23.4", Mixed media on paper, 2013)

TSH: What was the impact of these influences? 

PIP:  The mystery of Imagination has helped me build a strong 'interior universe' which is so critical to my creation and magickal process that it cannot be separated.

There's a term called ‘Paracosm,’ a fully developed interior world that began growing in early childhood. This universe is populated with its own denizens, logic, language, philosophy and life. This is where I live from and express myself artistically and magickally. My imagination is always evolving, becoming a source of greater power every day and becoming more alive to a point where I think it is now a kind of Guiding Spirit that I’m in contact with. It informs me and instructs me on my creative processes, it wants to come out and make contact with this world. 

And there the vision saw me but mine eyes were closed by Pereira Irving Paul
(8.3" X 11.7", Pen & acrylic on paper, 2011)

TSH: Who are your favorite artist(s), author(s)?

PIP:  I'm largely influenced by the world of H.P Lovecraft as an author. Artistwise, I respond to and identify very well with Nathan Menglesis  for some reason even though his themes aren't exactly in line with mine, but his style, the mess, the dirty look, the intensity, I love it. 

TSH: What are your current concerns and how are the images you've produced able to communicate your thoughts? 

Negotiation of the 4 worlds by Pereira Irving Paul
(23.4" X 16.5", Mixed media on paper, 2013)

PIP:  Right now, my main mission is to translate occult extraterrestrial technologies and philosophies into something people can engage with through my writing, visual art, spoken word, film and sound. Each form or medium plays a part in creating the 'total work of art' or Gesamtkunstwerk. 

Writing/poetry/spoken word is, as much as possible, the 'explanatory' element, the form of expression that tries to convey the sense of things, using language, to give certain meaning to feelings and energies I’m trying to convey. Sound and Vision are the instinctive, emotional and spiritual vehicles for these energies. It's about the feelings and powers one feels looking or listening to the work created. Visual works are symbolic, maps of concepts condensed into an image, that when looked at, opens up portals in the mind and soul. All of it together acts as a kind of interconnected trigger to open up doorways to secret realms and arcane power that I hope can help people to expand their consciousness and Spirit. 

Guardians at the threshold by Pereira Irving Paul
(35" X 24",  Mixed media on canvas, 2013)

My concern is in the field of alternative consciousness expansion, of discovering alternate paths to Spiritual unfolding and attainment. I deal with darkness a lot; darkness as a kind of necessity that actually makes you shine brighter as a Light Force. 

I feel that there are people who find it hard to connect with traditional paths of religion and spirituality and I hope that as an artistic and occult vessel, I can create works that 'fringe or esoteric avant-garde lovers' can identify with on some level, that the art can at least point the way to further exploration of unbeaten and extraterrestrial paths. 

TSH: What are your preferred art mediums?

PIP:  If I really had to choose one, I would say pen and paper, it's organic technology. I think marks made with ink grounds 'far out ideas' into something earthy (paper) and Ink has more permanence than say charcoal or graphite and I wish to earth certain energies and keep it here for future generations to tune into. Black makes things possible; all colours vanish into the black so in a way I think black contains all spectrums.  It also represents mystery and the hidden universe, which I love exploring using art. 

TSH: A quote from you on the works you've produced for this exhibition or your philosophy in life in general.

PIP:  I believe in having and living a rich interior life. That is where magic and art co-exists as one. Both are creative powers, magic and art is one and the same. External manifestations may pass away but an inner life lives forever. I believe it is what we continue into after the physical body dies and the inner life is intimately connected to a much immense, more powerful form of Life Force that is ever present and eternal. I think it’s important to stay true to the inner life no matter how alien or 'scary' or weird. If it is empowering in some way to you, then it's a power that should be developed and honed. For more information please visit www.ipaulpereira.com 

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[First posted 14 September 2013]