Camp Shooz

Mike Kelsey, famous backpacker and climber, suggests carrying a pair of shoes to wear around camp. I picked up these TOMS a few years ago for $2.00 and have been pleased with their longevity. But the last year or so the mice have favored the left one and, worst of all, they've taken on an odour.

Among the myriad tasks to complete while in town was/is to find their replacement. Today, car registration and a meeting with a Dakini are taking precedent. First things first! Yah!

 

Margot Anand Documentary

Updated: 1, December, 2019 at 8:57 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

HHUURRRRAAAYYYYY!!!! YOU DID IT!!!! 

$52,877.00  pledged toward a goal of 50k.




This woman's done more than anyone to promote unconditional love except maybe Winnie-the-Pooh.

Dear Michael, Lire en français ci-dessous. Dear Friends Of Margot Anand, My name is John Antonelli.  I’m making a documentary film about the amazing life and work of Margot Anand.  I’m reaching out to you with Margot’s permission.  We’ve created a Kickstarter campaign for the project.  Complete information including a sample of the film is available by clicking on this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnantonelli/higher-love Your email information is protected and won’t be used by Kickstarter or anyone else as a result of this contact.  If you’d rather not I have your email, please reply to this email that you want to be taken off the list.  You may have received this email previously. We've been unable to reach some email addresses, so our team just wants to ensure our message is received.  Thank you to all of you have already made positive comments about the campaign. The early pledges are extra meaningful because they let others know that there’s a strong community that supports the project.  We hope that once you see the film sample and read about our plans to share Margot’s story with the world, that you’ll join us by pledging a few dollars or a few hundred, or even a few thousand. No pressure, of course. All donations of whatever size will be greatly appreciated. There are some wonderful incentives for pledging anywhere from $50 to $10,000.  Kickstarter campaigns run on an all-or-nothing basis. Please help to keep the progress moving forward so we can reach our goal.  Don’t be shy about making a smaller pledge. Everything that moves us even a little closer is meaningful to us and to everyone who is considering pledging. Margot and I really appreciate your support.  Warmly, John Antonelli ******************************************* Chers amis de Margot Anand, Je m'appelle John Antonelli. Je fais un documentaire sur la vie et le travail étonnant de Margot Anand. Je vous contacte avec la permission de Margot. Nous avons créé une campagne Kickstarter pour le projet. Des informations complètes, y compris un échantillon du film, sont disponibles en cliquant sur ce lien: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnantonelli/higher-love Vos informations de courrier électronique sont protégées et ne seront pas utilisées par Kickstarter ou par quiconque à la suite de ce contact. Si vous préférez ne pas avoir votre courrier électronique, veuillez répondre à ce courrier que vous souhaitez supprimer de la liste. Vous avez peut-être déjà reçu cet email. Nous n’avons pas pu accéder à certaines adresses e-mail. Notre équipe souhaite simplement que notre message soit reçu. Merci à tous d’avoir fait des commentaires positifs sur la campagne. Les premières promesses ont plus de sens car elles permettent aux autres de savoir qu’il existe une forte communauté qui soutient le projet. Nous espérons qu’une fois que vous aurez vu l’exemple de film et pris connaissance de notre intention de partager l’histoire de Margot avec le monde entier, vous nous rejoindrez en promettant quelques dollars, quelques centaines, voire quelques milliers. Pas de pression, bien sûr. Tous les dons, quelle que soit leur taille, seront grandement appréciés. Il existe de formidables motivations pour promettre des contributions allant de 50 à 10 000 dollars. Les campagnes Kickstarter fonctionnent sur une base tout ou rien. Aidez-nous à faire avancer les progrès pour que nous puissions atteindre notre objectif. Ne soyez pas timide pour faire une plus petite promesse. Tout ce qui nous rapproche un peu plus est significatif pour nous et pour tous ceux qui envisagent de donner en gage. Margot et moi apprécions vraiment votre soutien. Chaleureusement, John Antonelli" Message endorsed by Margot Anand. Margot Anand

For more information about Margot Anand, her bestselling titles, and teachings, visit her new website at margotanand.com

On the Tantra Trail

As I've mentioned numerous times over the past several years, thanks to Jozien Keijzer, I have become a devotee of Margot Anand. (It was Jozien who, disdaining Margot's book as too technique-oriented, sent it to me.) Anand's work led to The Function of the Orgasm (link is to a 38-page pdf) by Wilhelm Reich who led to Bronisław Malinowski and his trilogy about the Trobriand islanders.

I have yet to discern the connection (perhaps someone can enlighten me?) between Reich's work and the Trobriand peoples, but I suspect it has to do with the islanders' sexual practices. (Haven't had time to read what with Cook's sciatica and all the cat-sitting.)

But this morning's delving took me to the first pages offered on Amazon of the first volume (of the trilogy), Argonauts of the Western Pacific.

What I found striking is Malinowski's comment (on p.5) about the (white) folks already on the island: "Here were men who had lived for years in the place with constant opportunities of observing the natives and communicating with them, and who yet hardly knew one thing about them really well. How could I therefore in a few months or a year, hope to overtake and go beyond them? Moreover, the manner in which my white informants spoke about the natives and put their views was, naturally, that of untrained minds, unaccustomed to formulate their thoughts with any degree of consistency and precision. And they were for the most part, naturally enough, full of the biased and pre-judeged opinions inevitable in the average practical man, whether administrator, missionary, or trader, yet so strongly repulsive to a mind striving after the objective, scientific view of things. The habit of treating with a self-satisfied frivolity what is really serious to the ethnographer; the cheap rating of what to him is a scientific treasure, that is to say, the native's cultural and mental peculiarities and independence -- these features, so well known in the inferior amateur's writing, I found in the tone of the majority of white residents."

Although I've never thot of myself of scientific bent, (albeit, according to Good Luck Duck by virtue of being a polyamorist I DO qualify as qweer...a form, I'll propose, of bent-ittude), Malinoski's description brought to mind the Bud Lite & Big Tires folk in their gray t-shirts and khaki shorts.

I'm also intrigued by the recent adoption of the beard affect. Hit youstuh be a signature sign of beatniks and poets (think Allen Ginsberg). Wha' happint?

Margot on Freedom

Several years ago Jozien (yes, that's her in the first two photographs), you've seen her comments on some of the posts, sent me a copy of Margot Anand's The Art of Sexual Ecstasy: The Path of Sacred Sexuality for Western Lovers. I've been exploring Anand's ideas ever since. A few days ago I discovered her blogs and there is a video.


The video....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=361&v=j82AaLIGqxw



This article is about her most recent book, Love, Sex, and Awakening which I read a bit of each morning the way some folks read Happy Aphorisms for the Wan & Ennui-struck. Just ignore the cover; it doesn't have anything to with anything except marketing. Her story includes her philosophy, both a guide to discovery as well as personal accounts of her own travails and delights.

Good reading, Maynard!

Diff Strokes

The following was prompted by a video on Rolling Steel Tent's blog. Below is the COMMENT I made in response to the video. Later, I added a few afterthots.



COMMENT (made on RST's blog):

Interesting...and look (below) at what it inspired!


I have yet to check out her (Kelly Doyle) prev vid, but what strikes me is how much time she's spending in "nature" in L.A. whether it be the beach, dog parks or where Sophie can be off-leash.

Maybe in her other vid she mentions the incredible exhibits at LACMA or MOCA. Does she mention Bergamot Station, the San Pedro area where you can wander around the docks and boats, or the INCREDIBLE Buddhist temple (I think this is the one, it's been a couple of decades.), one of the most ornate in the western hemisphere, right in the center of downtown L.A.?

(In 2006, prior to going nomadic, I made a trip to L.A. to see Gregory Colbert's Nomadic Museum exhibit Ashes and Snow - Wiki article;   Ashes and Snow - video)


I go to L.A. and other cities for their cultural offerings. But I don't find rollerbladers, surfers, squalling children, the immense cacophony of innumerable cars and planes or the fact it CAN take 45 minutes to go 7 miles or having to move three times a day energy-inspiring.

I've been around Tucson for almost a month. While here (camping in the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness and at various places on State Trust Land) I've attended several meetings of the Tucson Psychedelic Society and one of the Ayahuasca group. I've investigated the MANY alternative and BDSM groups and am looking forward to seeing their venues and perhaps attending some get-togethers.

I saw the Zoppe Family Circus, an olde-world circus from Italy that was started in 1842.

I've seen the Richard Avedon show at the Center for Creative Photography (always free) and attended several concerts (also free) at the Fred Fox School of Music that were offered as part of a weeks-long festival. I spent an incredible hour (it was overwhelming and all I could take) at the world-renowned gem show. The whole time I've been here I've been phoning physicians, chiropractors, my primary physician in Albuquerque and my attorney to try and get treatment for the whiplash and help with making sure I wasn't liable for the $3,247.22 emergency room bill that came after the accident on December 22 (while descending from Jerome, AZ).

In between the above I made a run out to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to avoid the snow that fell in Tuscon a few weeks ago.

At the end of this month Flam Chen, a Cirque-style group that performs around the world but based in Tucson, will perform Octopus Heart, their most recent.

Last time I was here I visited the Zen Archery dojo and video-taped segments of the class. See:  https://uakyudo.wixsite.com/azkyudo  (See blogpost Jan 24, 2016)

At age 67, and after the accident last December, I'm not as able to get up and go. But truth be told, I've NEVER enjoyed racing to the goal. I'm a process-oriented guy and have most recently (last five years) been attracted to Tantra for its (generally) slow pace and focus. I rarely meet other folks who give attention to the cultural goings on or even, when in the wilds, the things going on around them.

It takes all kinds, and I've seen some incredible art in L.A., but a good conversation about cats, art or the art of love-making; a butterfly going by, coyotes howling, the unbelievable smell of the innumerable flowers as you descend into Death Valley in the evening when they give forth with their scent; the distant sound of a stream renewed by a recent snow, the sparkle of light on water, the LACK of overflight noise or anyone else's voice; a tarantula, (OMG!) a coatmundi...or a bear; all combine to give ME energy.

It's my impression if you're in the company of your dog (NOW where'd it go?), peddling your bike (watch out for that rock!), or "hiking" to the top of the hill (the top!), you're missing the small bones in that scat; the one-and-only of its kind flower in the area, the pleasure of an amble to simply "go see."

I always enjoyed One El's reply when I'd call and ask, "What're you doing?" "Nothing" she'd say.

And I'm getting better at it all the time.

(If you look back at my blogposts over the last month (years) you'll see some amazing places, people, food and art. I don't know about other people, but I enjoy my own company. And I sure as hell ain't jus' sittin' around (as Ms. Doyle suggests at 3:42 in her vid).

And just for the record, I rarely have a fire. I've seen what they can do when they get loose. But when I/we do, we'll often sing C.O.R.....or practice Lokita & Steve Carter's The Breath of Tantric Love, both of which are quite energizing!