Tag Archives: poetry

Gusto Gräser 1930

Gusto Gräser: Gandhi or Lao Tzu of the West

Past Movers & Shakers, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Poet, painter, pacifist, prophet – Gustav ‘Gusto’ Gräser (1879-1958) actively resisted BAU (Business As Usual) over 100 years ago and inspired a ton of people to think (and do) more laterally.

Introduced to me by Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), who was somewhat of a student of Gusto’s in the early 1900s, both these wonderful men feel like older brothers to me, or uncles maybe who, long ago, walked the treacherous path of non-mainstream existence.

True Status Quo Movers and Shakers in thoughts, words and deeds!

Gusto’s life shines a light on the numerous connections that tie him to other movers and shakers of Europe and the world at the time.

He consistently resisted conscription, lived as a hermit in a cave for years, influenced many famous writers, artists, and was jailed and exiled numerous times for speaking openly about trigger topics such as war, peace, nudity, humility, free love, and the environment.

Today, there is renewed appreciation for his life, work, and sacrifices, highlighting the awesome desire of ‘right doing’in humans on the one hand, and the active, perpetuated crushing of’right doing’ through the nation-, state-, and war machines, serviced by automaton human beings.

Gusto, you are not forgotten! Peace, brother.

Excellent content in English and other languages (photo taken from here): http://www.gusto-graeser.info/

German Links: 

AhimsayamaBlog

Siebenbuerger.de

Merkur.de

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The Godfather of Solarpunk interviewed: Adam Flynn

Art, Culture, Fiction, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Adam Flynn wrote “Solarpunk: Notes towards a manifesto” three years ago. How far we have come! The article became a rallying cry for Solarpunksters everywhere, and Adam has been an important hub in the movement ever since (I’m not sure how he will like being called the “Godfather of Solarpunk” – but the title seems to suit him just fine in terms of symbolism!). Continue reading The Godfather of Solarpunk interviewed: Adam Flynn →

The Art of Solarpunks: acesonued

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Since I first met Laura aka acesonued (pronounced: ah-key-so-noo-eed) at Zday 2015 in Brisbane, she has really embraced her own style. And that style has become more and more Solarpunk whenever I had the pleasure of checking it out. Or the other way around, acesonued is defining the Solarpunk style more and more –  after all the Solarpunk style is still being birthed by artists just like her.

acesonued’s visual art is an expressive scifi-manga-co(s)mic-psychedelic-solarpunk fusion which I would call Dali-esque at times (not that I have many visual artsy credentials but I know Dali-dream style when I lay eyes on it!) – colourful, explosive, thoughtful, multi-faceted – in short, beautiful.

16715868_1459411790760442_359710060294127892_oIf that wasn’t Solarpunk enough yet, acesonued is also a musician. She plays guitar and piano, writes her own music and portrays it in her angelic voice – acting as much-needed and appreciated support in the healing of our Great Mother Earth and our own kind.

 

I greatly admire acesonued’s dedication to her creative expression, her art and style. She really lives on a different plane than most, sees the world with different eyes, and through her visions and creations shapes the world around her for the better – baby step by baby step.

Just like most of us Solarpunks do!

acesonued is showcasing her work and playing some tunes this coming weekend at her cave in Annerley, Brisbane, so come on over, say hi – and maybe even support her by buying a print that calls out to your heart’s desire…

<3

Connect with acesonued:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItStartsWithL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acesonued/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/acesonued

Support acesonued on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iamalreadyhome

acesonued solarpunk skizze

acesonued dimensions

The Work of Solarpunks: Rob Brezsny

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Rob Brezsny is a writer, musician, astrologist and “culture hero”, who has added priceless amounts of beautiful soul, mind and <3 food to the world since the eighties.

My housemate, friend and fellow writer Michelle Karen has followed his quirky-creative-hilarious-beautiful-uplifting (and usually spot-on) zodiac predictions for years. She leant me his book “Pronoia”, which is like an intriguing Solarpunk bible that I open at a random spot when I feel down and then don’t want to put down. Pronoia kickstarts our gratitude mode and inspires us to improve ourself, our lives, our relationships – and through all that, the world around us. In baby steps, in giant leaps, through dreaming, screaming or chilling the f*%# out – pretty sure Free Will Astrology will float your boat in various ways, just like the whole culture and genre of Solarpunk really 🙂

Some praise from Rob’s website:

“Like a mutant love-child of Jack Kerouac and Anais Nin, Rob Brezsny writes with devilish humor, spiritual audacity, and erotic intensity. The Televisionary Oracle is a kick-ass gnostic tale. Prepare to be astonished.”
—Jay Kinney (author, Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions

 

In one of Sacred Uproar’s signature performance art pieces, Brezsny offers revelers the chance to get married to themselves. “Let’s all just admit,” he says early on in the wedding ceremony, “that none of us is ever likely to find our perfect partner or create the juicy romance we deserve until we first master the art of loving ourselves with great ingenuity.”

 

Get sucked into Rob’s book, “The Televisionary Oracle“, with the first few chapters available to read online:

Welcome to the Televisionary Oracle

Coming to you on location from your repressed memory of paradise

Reminding you that you can have anything you want if you’ll just ask for it in an unselfish tone of voice

Programmed to prevent the global genocide of the imagination

 

Hi, beauty and truth fans, and welcome to The Most Secret Spectacle on Earth, brought to you by the Menstrual Temple of the Funky Grail, Beauty and Truth, Inc., and Twenty-Two Minutes of World Orgasm.

 

We’re your hosts with the Holy Ghost grins, and we’re proud to announce that this is a perfect moment. This is a perfect moment because you, my beloved friends and teachers, have taken the first step in a ritual which could lead to the end of your amnesia.

 

At this perfect moment you have somehow managed, by fabulous accident or blind luck or ingenious tricks, to tune in to the Televisionary Oracle — proving that you’re ready to recover your repressed memories of your sublime origins, and know again the Thirteen Perfect Secrets from Before the Beginning of Time.

 

Welcome to the end of your nightmares! The world is young, your soul is free, and a naked celebrity is dying to talk to you about your most intimate secrets right now!

 

Just kidding. In actuality, the world is young, your soul is free, and at any moment you’ll begin to feel horny for salamanders, clouds, toasters, oak trees — and even the ocean itself!

 

Whoever you think you are, whatever friendly monsters you’ve tried to make into your gods and goddesses, whatever media viruses you might have invited into your most private sanctuaries-you can decide right now that your turning point has arrived. You can decide that you’re ready to change your lives … and change your signs … and change your changing. Because when you tuned in the Televisionary Oracle, you tuned into your own purified, glorified, unified, and mystifying self.

 

We’re your hosts for it all, beauty and truth fans. Your MCs for the Televisionary Oracle. Your listeners and your protectors and the sacred janitors we hope you’ve always wanted.

 

Does it matter what we call ourselves? You can refer to us any way you want. Your Sweet Fairy Godparents. Your Spirit Guides or Extraterrestrial Midwives or Personal Diplomatic Representatives to the Queen of Heaven.

Read more

rob brezsny

Solarpunk in Zine Form: Check out OBSOLETE!

Art, Fiction, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There are several awesome things about OBSOLETE! Press – especially, obviously, that their latest issue from February 2017 is on Solarpunk.

I immensely enjoyed their About page, so I’ll just go ahead an quote a couple of t why the name OBSOLETE!?

In post-post-post-modern society even the term “obsolete” is becoming obsolete- products are obsolete before they hit the market-place, technology is only good as long as its replacement is in beta-testing.

And this beautiful explanation of why a zine in print form was created in the information age of digital everything, where knowledge does not equal wisdom and cultural rigidity is indeed more ripe than we like to admit.

 In the early part of the 20th century, Harold Innis, a Canadian media theorist and predecessor of Marshall McCluhan, postulated that great civilizations were those that balanced “time-binding” media (which retain ideas and history), and “space-binding” media (which allows ideas to travel rapidly). He felt, back in the 50’s, that western society was relying too much on space-binding media like radio and television, and that the over-exposure was leading to a culture where “…The emphasis on change is the only permanent characteristic.” He felt that this trend would kill shared experience and local identity and create and atmosphere of paranoia and rigid political militarization. No one knows what Innis would have thought of the internet, but despite all of the great gifts of modern technology, some of Innis’ warnings seem to be coming true. Despite the gushing flow of “free” information, cultural rigidity appears to be setting in.

And lastly, spoken by true Solarpunks:

The books we publish reflect our love for the physical world and the DIY aesthetic.

I’ll add here that digital versions are also available as the good OBSOLETE! peops recognises the digital media!

<3

Peace yo, and keep up the good work!

Obsolete Solarpunk Issue # 10

The Art of Solarpunks: Marina DeBris

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There is plenty of art out there that could be “classified” as Solarpunk, but the genre is still so underground that not many identify with it (yet).

So I will introduce some artists who I would love to label as Solarpunks, even though labels don’t usually sit well with me…more on that in future posts. In the context of Solarpunk though, I am more than happy to label and be labelled, and hopefully so will these wonderfully inspiring individuals that currently form the centre of my artivism focus!

Making art and fashion – pardon me, I meant of course – trashion out of “junk” collected on beaches is how Marina DeBris encourages us to re-think, re-use and re-cycle stuff.

What an excellent, Solarpunky way to question how we use stuff and what happens to it when we are done with it.

DNA marina debris solarpunk