Debating Anarchy and Chaos

Greek word for the undifferentiated mixture of raw elements supposed to occupy the Word-Goddess’s womb before creation and after destruction of each recurrent universe. It meant Goddess herself in her state of “eternal flux,” when the fluid of her womb was not yet clotted into the formative state of solid world. Chaos is expressed in the Bible as the condition of the earth before creation, “without form” and “void.” (Genesis 1:2).

Pg 160 The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker

Anarchy and Chaos…

Debating with my family in the living room on this topic of anarchy and chaos left me sparked for writing. Since my early punk days I found that both words, anarchy and chaos, were used a lot. As a naïve youngster I had fun with the meaning of these words into action. Now I see the words used just as naïvely still.

As though the words and their meaning are crystallized. Now I am embarrassed into saying that people who use the words don’t always know what they are talking about.

The “A” for anarchy symbol is more a fashion statement than a knowing one.

I found that one element that the two words have in common is the word organization. Anarchy being the opposing of authority or hierarchical organization. Chaos being the lack of organization or order. Where the two words are contrary or opposed is interesting.

To understand that the key to anarchy is knowing that it is a political philosophy is the key to knowing that it is all about human relations. Chaos is not. This is the opposition between anarchy and chaos.

Chaos is a process of the void, confusion and disorder. Anarchy is based on the social and interpersonal relations between human beings. It is a conversational place.

Additional perspective:

Over the last year it is clear to me that anarchy and chaos can be used diabolically. I see it in the realm of inclusion and a process of making life better. Old ways broken down and built up again for the betterment of humanity. Now the American government is, more specifically the White House and the GOP are, using elements of anarchy and chaos to cause discord that is snobbishly aloof and much too exclusive. Built on the platform of the powerful absorbent unscrupulous wealthy to suck our democracy dry.

Just look what he is putting us through now 2023…

fin

“Exuberance is Beauty”

The image above needs to be looked at sideways ! Symbolic meaning: We have the left and right side of our brain. We are goodness and evil. A point that we need to be aware of from Blake’s perspective…a balancing act that can bloom into a lovey sunflower.

William Blake

William Blake

I can only gaze at the images of Blake’s work in a book, or on the internet … (maybe at times in a museum) and that will have to do.

I have been pulled into William Blake again. This means trouble because he takes me to strange places of my imagination… like no one else can. The game is light and shadow play, and it is real life. I am reading The Marriage of Heaven and Hell edited with introduction and commentary by Michael Phillips. It is good to have his writing placed in the context of history. Analyzing the why, how and who is important in understanding Blake’s work, but for me the real place is always the inward place of the imagination. We all have this place and all we must do is to use it.

This, for me, is the best place to start with understanding Blake’s work. He does get unbelievably detailed though and sometimes it does take a lot of study time to reveal his meaning.

I like this book of Blake’s because there are only a few editions of this work in the world. He did all the work himself. He is an originator of free speech with a fanzine of his own. Including his opinions of current events, his spirituality and esoteric perspective. He mixes it all up in a wild whirlwind of images and does not exclude nature. Heartfelt satire, humor and word play also splash the pages with words that are even misspelled. Re-created words run through his work.

Maybe this was since his hand wrote out each letter of this book. Who knows?

I find it refreshing and I think back on my days as an editor and publisher of an underground fanzine. To print it and get it out was a fast movement in documenting a growing scene. To me the message was more important than the grammar or spelling and the parallelism I draw from Blake’s work; as he is my mentor and teacher, and what we achieved on each issue is similar. He helps me, in a sense; feel relieved from criticism that I have received. That either consciously or unconsciously he is making a statement; He shows cleverly his intentions as in the statement from the Book The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:

Improvent makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.
Proverbs of Hell Pg. 69

Yes, the words “Improvent” and “Improvement” are the same words with the same meaning. Smart, what do you think? Something to ponder. This is what Blake does best he gets us to ponder, think and imagine.

I can only gaze at the images of Blake’s work in a book, or on the internet now… and that will have to do.

This next quote I have chosen is very current and insightful for our times. He also uses something I call “Nature Politics” in his work.

As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
Proverbs of Hell Pg. 68

A layperson’s notes on the study of William Blake ends here but will continue in the future…

http://www.ashmolean.org/exhibitions/williamblake/

NEW … this October 2016…. and I am so happy!

http://www.johnwindle.com/shop/windle/WilliamBlakeGallery.html

Catalogue 65, William Blake, “Always In Paradise ~ John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller

Post about our visit to the John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller Blake Gallery

The mysterious distance….

October Folly

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise…and folly is the choke of knavery. ~ William Blake

A little Jazz…

and everything is all right baby !!

“Maybe that’s what life is…a wink of the eye and winking stars.” Jack Kerouac quote

We listen to KKJZ FM on the way to school

A couple of songs made me feel real cool

I am trusting my intuition

owls leading me to inspiration

Two songs

Trust me and Like Young.

I feel the cool weather coming

before it comes..

I love Autumn.. it makes me feel like young…!!

Vatileaks

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

After the Goddess smiles the “Orphic” hymn has the line.

“She received the glittering vessel which contained the Kykeon”

~ Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter by Carl KerenyI

Happy Birthday Mr. Crash

“In the vacuum of outer space particles tend to clump together. We clustered together as young punks and we created a scene that is still amounting to something? We were a forgotten stagnation of youths that yearned for change. We were unhappy with our world and ourselves.”

~ Excerpt from My Punkalullaby by Hudley Flipside

“You’re not the first you’re not the last, another day another crash.”

I am not going to do a critical documentary and linear history of Darby Crash. My time in the early punk scene is based on blurred colors and images as a Claude Monet painting. My feelings and emotions linger and still wake me up late at night.

I found him shy, troubled, and out of control. The beat of underground music brought us together. I was unaware of any agenda he had, or anyone had for that matter because the lines were fuzzy.

Darby was a baby when he died. My son is his age now. I often think about how young and inexperienced Darby was.

The below image is a shirt that was given to me by my longtime friend Edward Colver the punk rock photographer extraordinaire.

I love the shirt. When I investigate Darby’s face that Ed captured, I see a small degree of the man he was becoming.

It was not the young face that I knew. A face that I took for granted. I thought Darby, the early punk scene, and my youth would last forever but nothing does.

Edward Colver, Thanks for the t-shirt buddy !

My only regrets are.

I wish I would have given him a little more of my time,

I wish I would have given him more of my clothing when he asked,

I regret laughing when he was drunk, high, and rolling in glass,

I regret this the most.

What a kid,

What a character…

Happy Birthday Darby, RIP.

I am not the faithful fan as many seem to be of the Germs or Darby. There are many that knew him better than I did. I rolled in the same wave that moved that early Los Angeles punk scene. He was one of the unique originals, the few Los Angeles punks.

Approved by the Ghost of Pat Fear…RIP

I told X8

The black leather jacket was left behind after one of X8’s female conquests, left behind in his car. He gave it to me and it fit. As a vegetarian and beertarian my frame was petite. Now the jacket is dry and shrunk and I’m round and plump. I had my son model it.

It was a simple complete-black leather jacket. The Charged GBH logo went on top first thing in the early 1980s. I love this jacket. We were inseparable. My friendship with X8 faded and he never knew what became of the jacket. A few years ago X8 and I rekindled our friendship for a brief time on MySpace. I told him about the leather jacket and what became of it. He was surprised and seemed interested.

This leather jacket is special to me because X8 thought of giving it to me, and the girl who left it behind…not a clue?

You think Occupy Wall Street is licked ?

The Five Rules

” 1. I shall never forget that, I the People, I am the government of my country.

2. The Senators and House Members which form the Congress are my representatives, I elected them to represent me, but not to pursue their own agenda or an agenda their party imposed on them. I elected them to be my faithful servants, and I shall closely monitor the quality of tasks they are doing for me, their boss.

3. I shall remind them by writing to them or calling them that I am approving or disapproving of the way they represent me on matters that are important to me.

4. I shall read and understand the Constitution of the United States including the Bill of Rights and I shall teach and explain to my family and children the wealth and beauty of this constitution and of Democracy.

5. I shall vote. Moreover I shall put voting as one of my top priorities in life. If I vote I am the boss of my government; I help lead the country towards the direction I think beneficial for me and my country. If I don’t vote I am of no help to my country.
Moreover, I am a parasite waiting for the other citizens to do the work to shape the country so that I can enjoy a democracy, without ever adding my contribution to the process.”

I think every US citizen should memorize the above five rules. This is what the Occupy Movement is all about. I agree that the re-election media saturation is not focusing on the Occupy movement now, but The occupy movement still is fighting the good fight ! It will always be there and just because the media does not cover it in the news does not mean that it is not fighting for the rights of the people currently.

As as an older woman who has put a great deal of her history into promoting free speech I hope that a younger generation will continue with this important point. Our rights as US citizens to protest against unjust polices that are running like monsters throughout this republic.

Corporations are not people, the Federal Reserve was not created by the people and for the people but instead by the wealthiest people for the wealthiest people. We are talking big banks, financial investors that play with big money like Texas Holdem Poker.

The Occupy Movement is the voice of citizens crying out for justice, fair-pay, women rights, gay rights and most importantly they are the cry of the watchdog who watches the government. Forcing the government to be accountable for its actions. Good journalism once was the watchdog of government and big business. Now the people are doing their job. The Occupy Movement is made up of a country of citizens and maybe even your neighbors. Collectively as a people we are witnessing strength, bravely and action and I think we need to honor our friends that dare to fight this good fight called the Occupy Movement. I am proud of them!!

“Jefferson Smith: I guess this is just another lost cause Mr. Paine. All you people don’t know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for and he fought for them once. For the only reason any man ever fights for them. Because of just one plain simple rule. Love thy neighbor. And in this world today of great hatred a man who knows that rule has a great trust. You know that rule Mr. Paine and I loved you for it just as my father did. And you know that you fight harder for the lost causes than for any others. Yes you’d even die for them. Like a man we both knew Mr. Paine. You think I’m licked. You all think I’m licked. Well I’m not licked. And I’m gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause. Even if this room gets filled with lies like these. And the Taylor’s and all their armies come marching into this place. Somebody will listen to me.” ~ Film, Mr Smith goes to Washington with James Steward.

Autumnis Mantis

Outside of our french windows is a trellis over the patio. Across from this we have a pool fence. We put it up when the children were small for their protection. It is now a place for Praying Mantis. When the spring comes and the baby mantis break their egg sack, hundreds of babies run along the claw proof dark plastic mesh.

The first days of autumn brings me a great visitor; a big mama mantis on the pool fence. This is very odd in the middle of the day with the sun overhead. We watched her wobble about. Her back-end is quite large. She shock many times as she moved using her long legs to balance her weight. I then decided to move her. I usual do not interfere with nature. She is big and it took five months for her to get this size. I am sure she can take care of herself…but I love her so, and did not want to see her devoured by a cat. Some would see this as equal punishment for the many creatures she sucked the life force from. I do not judge nature.

I put my hand and arm out to her. She looked round at me with her large yellow-green eyes. The end of her spider legs reached out grasping the hairs on my arm like cactus hairs, pulling her towards me. She was aboard me. Quickly she ran to my right shoulder than the left shoulder. Then she was on my head. I felt her weight on my neck and she tickled me. I laughed out loud. Walking slowly towards the trellis I rest my head on the vines and flowers. It did not take long for her to skip jump up to a branch. Now, she was almost camouflaged from my gazing green eyes. Later in the day she was gone from this spot. In my heart I knew she was nearby.