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I’m excited to announce the first Life Drawing class that I’m offering at Golden Drum. Well … anywhere for that matter. It feels nice to be connecting back to one of the sources of how I really developed a fine love for the human form. I’ve been drawing relatives and friends for as long as I can remember. Everyone is a model to me. Especially people who sleep on the Subway. Fair game I say. Every gesture is a lesson in form and movement. There’s no better teacher for artistic observation than the human form. Nature is always a fantastic source of inspiration but there’s something about the shell of the soul that can speak volumes by the way a smile is rendered or how the reflection on an eye can be captured on a piece of paper that can immediately create a connection. Some of my favorite creative works were birthed while doing 30 second gesture drawings. There’s something so satisfying about being totally engrossed in observing that nothing else matters or can enter into the mind other than being consumed by the desire to capture a form on paper in a matter of moments. I still remember coming out of warp drive when the model moved to the next pose and gazing for a couple seconds at the marks that were left on the page before ripping the sheet to the floor and starting the process all over again. It was such a good lesson in detachment for me. Figure drawing really took me out of the mode of creating small controlled paintings and drawings. I have to admit that I’ve been moving back to that carefully designed format but I’m looking forward to revisiting the practice that broke me out of the mold to begin with. I am looking forward to sharing this practice with others. I hope that it can help others the same way that it has helped me.
Hi Everyone. I’m catching up on a lot of things tonight and I thought sitting down to share about one of my new projects should definitely one of them. For over a year now I’ve been giving classes in NYC and talking about the art of lucid dreaming. One of the things that I’ve heard from a lot of people is that they enjoyed the workshops but were wondering if there was a way to follow up to make it easier for them to develop a regular practice. Even I’ll admit that there’s a lot of things to learn and process when it comes to delving into the world of dreams. One thing that I came to realize that it really helps to have other people to share the journey with. Even though dreaming is an amazingly personal experience we often are blind to many of the messages that come to us. Its amazing what a little shift in perspective can do to illuminate what our dreams are trying to tell us.
Sharing our dreams can be amazingly healing. One of the greatest benefits of becoming part of a dream meet up group is that you get to put yourself in the shoes of others. You get to see the real fears of people which in many cases are quite similar to your own. A friend talked to me the other day about how he heard 20 people talk about their dreams one day. He was amazed by how similar they all were! When we consider that we all feel the same emotions its really not that crazy of a thought. It seems like we are so separate but we are all working with very similar building blocks that make up our life experience. Once we realize that I believe it makes life a little bit more manageable. Its some what comforting to know that your anger is the same as some one else’. It may even look different when it is expressed in waking life or in a dream. We are all on a journey of learning and I think if we can be there for each other as we go through our own personal transformations then we will all be stronger for it.
I hope to see you at one of the upcoming Shamanic Dream Collective gatherings soon. Our next meet up is on June 22nd at 8pm at Golden Drum 97 Green St Apt G24 Brooklyn, NY. Until then, much love.
I am excited to announce that my next workshop will be overnight. Since the subject matter is lucid dreaming, it only makes sense that we should be able to sleep during the workshop. Once the idea came to me, I knew this was the natural progression of how the class should be taught. It is great to know that this is finally coming to fruition. The workshop is made for all skill levels. Everyone from the seasoned dream yogi to the person who can’t remember their dreams is welcome. Together we will learn how to use our dreams as tools for personal development. In the morning we will share our experiences with one another as a group. There will also be an organic vegetarian breakfast served that is included in the price of admission. I believe that our dreams and visions are gifts and if we only keep them to ourselves then it is like we are stealing. Together we can share and develop our own lucid dreaming practice.
This poster was an exceptional challenge. My computer is getting repaired and I have been using one that doesn’t have Photoshop. As a result I used some colored paper that I’ve had laying around for a while to create the poster. It was fun to work with my hands a little. Cutting everything out was quite laborious but I’m happy with how it looks. There’s a certain tactile quality that you can try to imitate with computers but it’s just out of reach. The way the shadows fall off the edges of the paper is something that I could never do with an effect. My roommate let me use his computer to add in the type. This has made me very thankful for functioning computers. I will be happy to have mine back soon but I am also thankful for this exercise in patience and using scissors.
Thank you again to everyone who came to the workshop the other night. I was in a yoga class the last week and in tree pose and a thought popped into my head. Usually ideas come in and out and just like a dream they disappear before I have a chance to write them down. That’s my signal that it probably wasn’t a good idea to begin with. However this one stuck around till after I got out of class. The idea was to create this piece above for people who come to my workshop.
The symbol is the Tibetan letter A. It is used for visualization exercises in the Tibetan dream yoga practice. In dream yoga, the symbol represents the natural non dual state of the mind. During meditation the practitioner is to look at the symbol while meditating without shifting his or her gaze. It is also recommended not to think about the A, but to simply allow it to be within one’s awareness. Once the image is clear in one’s mind, they are to close the eyes and visualize it. The next progression is to visualize being the symbol itself. After this is achieved, one should try to release all images and simply become the essence on the A itself. It is good to give yourself enough time at each step.
It is also recommended to use the A as a point of focus as you are falling asleep. It is said to rest at the throat chakra and is to be visualized as a red four pedaled flower that faces up to the sky with the A in the middle. There is a mantra that corresponds to the four pedals. RA, for the pedal facing front, LA to the left, SHA to the back, and SA to the right. This practice will bring about peaceful dreams and more restful sleep.
It has been noted that my design has a certain Looney Toons feel to it. I was actually thinking about that while I was making it. I’ve always been a fan so I thought why not add a hint of that Merry Melodies flavor. I hope this brings your practice many fruitful experiences. That’s all for now folks!
I just got back from my trip to Ecuador and Peru yesterday. I’m still digesting everything little by little. While that’s happening I think that I’ll share an experience that I had yesterday while I was riding my bike. I went down the street and noticed everything moving faster then I had remembered. What was causing this shift in tempo? Was it something that was externally effecting my surroundings or was it something internal that had shifted. Things were much slower where I had just come from in the country side. Was it just typical culture shock? Perhaps on a certain level. Then what causes that shock? Two different frequencies coming together suddenly. It then occurred to me that the city had not changed as much as it was the speed at which my mind was moving. Over the course of my trip I had slowed down. The interesting thing was that even though things seemed faster, I felt more calm then I remember being as I rode through traffic with taxis buzzing past. I had traveled these roads hundreds of times and yet it was never like this. I suppose that it will always be changing. I hope that this change will continue to allow me to see more of the wonder that is around me.
I’ve been thinking about the apparent speed of dreams. When we are in the dream it seems to be moving just as quickly as our waking life. However, most of our dreams only last about 5 minutes when they can appear to last hours. So you can say that creativity is moving at a higher speed or frequency than the ordinary state of the conscious mind. Maybe remembering our dreams could be compared to getting off the highway. If you want to make a smooth exit with you car intact you need to decelerate gradually to make a safe and complete stop. If we want to retain our dream experience we need to foster an environment that allows our mind to retain our experience by realizing that we are going through a large shift in consciousness.
Maybe another way to look at it is thinking about our dream experience like an egg. When we wake up we decide the future of the egg. Does it splat against the alarm clock as we become startled and realize that we’re late for work? Does it land safely into a pile of feathers as we wake up with the awareness that we are awake and safe in our bed with plenty of time to get ready for the day? Does it land at all? Perhaps it remains suspended in air as we see it from all angles. Once I have fully processed, I would like to cook that egg and eat it for breakfast! Yum! We all need to learn how we can better guide this delicate transition along. Then we can begin to develop our dream recall in a very powerful way. The choice is ours.
Here is the third video from my Dream Signs series. The next time you’re in a lucid dream definitely try this one out. It’s one of those things that you just have to experience for yourself in order to really understand. I suppose that it’s much like lucid dreaming itself. You have no real clear idea of what it’s like until it happens to you. So often we have the intellectual understanding of something that we’ve never actually experienced. I find that I run into this situation a lot with my study of dreams. There is so much that I’ve learned about but have still not experienced. The interesting part is that as my practice has developed, the more I have begun to bridge the separation between concepts and the things that I’ve seen with my own astral eyes. I have continued to redefine what I think to be possible because of my lucid dreams. I believe that the same will happen to anyone who investigates this study for an extended period of time with a strong intention to develop their practice.
Continuing with dream signs, here’s another video that I made. I have to say that this of my favorite tests because it’s really easy and super reliable. Sometimes my hands don’t change shape enough by just using my will. Another quick option is to take hold of a finger and pull with the intention to stretch it. There have been times when I have to pull with considerable effort. Eventually you’ll stretch your finger to the point where you’ve convinced yourself that you’re in a dream. I haven’t tried to stretch other parts of the body but I imagine that it would work just as well. The other nice thing about this test is that you can do it through out the day with out looking too much like a weirdo. I tend to get some looks when I’m jumping in place on the subway platform to see if I’ll float in the air. Whatever seems to work for you.
Also try to think of a trigger that helps you to do reality checks. Maybe its every time you go through a door, or look at a clock, or maybe its bracelet on your wrist, or when you see your reflection, or when you see someone you know. There are so many but pick something that will naturally fit into your daily routine. Then when you have one stick with it! The longer you practice it, the more likely you’ll remember to use it in your dreams. Sweet dreamin!
I’m so happy to have this video out into the world. This will be the first of many videos that are really going to start turning people onto what we’re doing at GBT. For more information, please check out http://greenbustour.com. By the way, I created the animation at the beginning. And yes, that’s also me on the voice over. Not too shabby eh? My favorite part is power chord green man! If you feel compelled, spread the good word on your blog or facebook page by posting the trailer. We’re going to save the world but we can’t do it alone! Have a great weekend!
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