Cities are becoming increasingly privatized: commercial real estate dominates the streets, carving up open space that once belonged to the public and selling it as a commodity to the highest bidder. Architect Elizabeth Diller explores the causes and effects of this growing threat — and takes us on tour of her groundbreaking projects aimed at creating landscapes for the public to enjoy, from the High Line in New York City to Zaryadye Park in Moscow.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.
Cited by the L.A. Weekly as “the culture’s foremost spokesman for the psychedelic experience,” Terrence McKenna is an underground legend as a brilliant raconteur, adventurer & expert on the experiential use of mind-altering plants. In these essays, interviews & narrative adventures, McKenna takes us on a mesmerizing journey deep into the Amazon as well as into the hidden recesses of the human psyche & the outer limits of our culture, giving us startling visions of the past & future.
ACIM — Lesson 25- “ I do not know what anything is for.”
11 AM — Been a busy morning. I registered for a Shamhala talk tonight. “Ekajati: Queen of All Protectors.”I don’t know who that is but I’ll check it out. They invited me attend and it costs $10. I don’t respond to most of what I get on email from them but this one seemed interesting to me. It’s at 7:30 PM.
Had a zoom with the neurologist. All going well on the seizure front. No problems with the new med to control them. Have Yunus and math at noon. All good there. Hope I don’t scare him with my hair gone. Made some calls to Aubrey (if I have the right #) and my dental hygienist. Since they don’t want me to get my teeth cleaned until after chemo is over, I want to talk to her about what I can do to save the uppers. I couldn’t brush them for about a month. Just gauze and baking soda rubs. I can brush now thank God. The cancer in my mouth has receded enough for that. But since I can’t get them cleaned until May at the earliest, I want to know what I can do to help save them. I usually get my teeth cleaned every 4 months. And since my mouth is so dry, the only thing I am using is hard candy to keep my mouth moist. And of course that is not good for teeth. We’ll see what Misty has to say when she calls back.
My watch tells me I slept for 7 hours and 3 minutes with 3 hours and 23 minutes of deep sleep and 6 hours and 15 minutes of quality sleep. I’ll take it. I didn’t fall asleep right away after the Indica hits, but I relaxed and calmed down, listened to Bach piano, worked on ACIM lesson and sat with the weeping buddha and gradually made my way to the bedroom and laid down. And eventually drifted off. Better than buzzing around at night. I‘ll have to do that during the day and work on winding down intentionally at night. Had lots on those stoney insights but can’t remember them now. Probably not the right use of that word. We can just make up words you know. Gotta go get my lesson plan together for tutoring. I want to make sure Yunus is really clear on what a numerator is and what a denominator is in fractions. Not sure he really understands that yet. So If he has that, then we’ll continue with fraction calculations. If not we’ll keep going back until we find out exactly where he feels secure with his math. He’s a long way from Freshman Algebra which is what he’s taking in high school. I’d love to snap my fingers and have him all caught up. But it doesn’t work that way, at least not for now. It will be good to see him especially since we missed last week. So I’ll be back after tutoring and lunch and a couple of calls. Listening to some playlist that Apple music made up for me. It’s OK.
1:30 PM — Yunus didn’t show up again. He has one last shot or he’s out of the tutoring program and I’ll probably get another kid. We’ll see if he gets it together next week. Debbie across the street is going to Publix for me. I’m so foutunate to have folks tell me when they are going shopping and ask if I need anything. I sent her a list. She teaches — kindergarten I think — so she will go to the store after school. And I am going to make shepherd’s pie again only this time with the right ingredients instead of so many substitutions. It was good last time. Should be better this time. Misty hasn’t called yet. So I’m gonna do some reading and come back later.
3:30 PM I do not know what anything is for.
9 PM — What a great day this has been. John just called and told me about Gillian Welch so I’m listening to her right now. Had a good chat. He’s gonna help me stain my new back fence this Spring sometime. Debbie across the street did some perfect shopping for me. Read the chapter in Carey’s book about the dog Sadie when she died. Mde me tear up. Liz is coming over tomorrow and I think we will do some proprioceptive writing together on the back deck if it’s warm enough. Have not done that in a while but I have a bluetooth speaker and can cue up some baroque music and we can let the pens fly where they want to fly. That will be fun. Missed the news — oh well — not gonna get it every day. Had a wonderful visit with Aubrey on the phone. We must have spoken for over an hour. She lives in Athens now. Her boys — Sylvan is now a doctor at Stanford and Adrian is a renowned and becoming world famous artist living in LA. It was just so good to catch up with her after all these years. We reminisced, remembered and appreciated and encouraged each other. So good to be back in touch. Ate eggs and salmon and am drinking a home made mango lassi. Not as good as in a good Indian restaurant but also not as sweet. Frozen Mango, yogurt and a couple of other things. I even threw some chipolte powder in it.
So I get this email from Shambhala. Now I haven’t gone to anything Shambhala in years. Never could get into the whole lineage emphasis and the power they give it. I practiced the Shambhala path anyway not the buddhist path. That was kind of a Western path that Chögyam Trungpa Rimpoche created for Westerners to practice presence. But there was a talk tonight by someone I knew and respected about a deity that I was not familiar with — Ekajati. Here she is.Google Image Result for…Edit descriptionwww.google.com
Wish I could make the image bigger. There are lots of images of her but this is the one Valerie used in her talk. Valerie and I used to run into each other in the pool at the Y once in a while long after I had left the sangha. Anyway, I think you have to buy the image for a shrine or something to get a bigger one. You can google Ekajati and see all the different images of her. She is a fierce protector deity full of symbolism which I won’t go into detail about except to say she embodies the traits of both maleness and femaleness. She is strong and fierce and nurturing and protecting. The talk was very good, informative and brought me back into those years of practicing meditation daily. There was even one guy on Zoom from Karme Choling in Vermont which is the Shambhala center I have been to 2 times but where I first met David my financial guy. It was good to see the shrine room where he sat and listened to the talk. After the talk we chanted. Let me see if I can find that. Can’t. It might be secret anyway. But it was very good and Valerie went over it line by line and then we chanted it. I even remembered how to chant which really surprised me. Then we closed with the dedication of merit which I had completely forgotten.
Through this goodness may awakening spontaneously arise in our streams of being. May all obscurations and distortions fall away. May all beings be liberated from suffering, and the stormy waves of birth, sickness, old age, and death.
By this merit may all attain omniscience. May it defeat the enemy, wrong-doing. From the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death, from the ocean of samsara, may I free all beings.
Something Like ‘Darf The Yannum’ Or ‘Garf To Yaddum’
WASHINGTON—In an effort to approximate the phrase currently being shouted by his fellow protesters, late-arriving rally attendee Dane Stein reportedly cried out “Darf the yannum!” Tuesday, having no idea what he was supposed to be saying as he joined in with the chant. “Gerf to the plennum? Gerf to the plennum!” yelled Stein, who confirmed he had failed to make it to the protest on time after stopping by Panera to pick up a breakfast sandwich and had been forced to scan the signs held by demonstrators for clues as to the rallying cry’s proper wording. “Wait, am I supposed to be against the florff, or are we supporting it? I wish I could read lips, because all I’m hearing right now is ‘No more garffdan.’ Oh, fuck it, maybe I should just clap.” At press time, opting for the surest way to show his unambiguous support for the cause, Stein had reportedly lit himself on fire.
In February 2021 we have the 1st hit of the most important transit of the year: Saturn square Uranus.
The transit will be within orb throughout the whole of the year. But what’s particularly interesting is that Saturn, the conservative, traditional and “by-the-book” planet is in Aquarius – the most progressive sign, and Uranus, the revolutionary, unique, “breaking the rules” is in Taurus – the most traditional sign.
The Saturn-Uranus square can bring us enormous friction, but also incredible opportunities for change and progress.
History will be made during the year-long Saturn-Uranus transit, so you want to pay special attention to the themes that play in your life at the time of the 1st conjunction, on February 17th, 2021 – because these themes are here to stay.
Another special theme in February is that we have an Aquarius stellium. The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn (and for a few days) the Moon are all in Aquarius – we haven’t had so many planets in Aquarius since 1962!
And to make things even more ‘interesting’, all the planets in Aquarius are square their depositor, Uranus.
But let’s have a look at the most important transits of the month:
February 1st, 2021 – Sun Square Mars
On February 1st, 2021 the Sun (at 12° Aquarius) is square Mars (at 12° Taurus). This is the first (of many) squares in February between the planets in Aquarius and the planets in Taurus.
Sun square Mars is a prelude to this month’s Saturn-Uranus square. While the Saturn-Uranus square has a collective influence, Sun square Mars is very personal. Sun square Mars will initially trigger us, irritate us, frustrate us… so that we finally take action.
Mars is the first planet to go a full circle around the Sun (as seen from Earth). Before Mars, we can think about things, feel about things, dream about things… and do nothing at all.
But when Mars comes into play, there’s no more fooling around. Action means actively changing the status quo. It means going into the world, and making a difference. Any difference.
Many successful companies measure success based on the number of projects you initiate (or even the number of projects you fail).
That’s because they have realized that taking action is the very first prerequisite of success. Whatever you are called to do at the beginning of the month, just do it!
February 6th, 2021 – Venus Conjunct Saturn
On February 6th, 2021 – Venus is conjunct Saturn 5° Aquarius. Venus-Saturn transits are emotional reality checks. This is when we see things for what they really are, and for what they’re really worth.
Aquarius is the sign of friendships and groups of people, so Venus conjunct Saturn in Aquarius can bring us a reality check connected to our friendships and communities.
Reality checks might have a negative connotation, but they don’t have to be negative.
There’s a lot of love in Saturn’s maturity and responsible approach, and if we’re ready to act from our higher Venus (non-self-gratifying) Self, then Venus conjunct Saturn in Aquarius has a lot to give!
February 8th, 2021 – Sun Conjunct Mercury
On February 8th, 2021 Mercury retrograde is conjunct the Sun at 20° Aquarius.
Whenever Mercury Retrograde makes a conjunction to the Sun, a new Mercury cycle begins. Just like the Moon has cycles, Mercury has cycles, too.
A “New Mercury” cycle is a great time to initiate a project connected to Mercury themes: communication, mindset, trade, marketing, blogging etc.
February 11th, 2021 – New Moon In Aquarius
On February 11th, 2021 we have a New Moon at 23° Aquarius. With a record of 6 planets in Aquarius, this New Moon is as Aquarius as you can get!
If you’re still unsure about the Age of Aquarius agenda or how this energy will influence you, now you will find out.
A New Moon is a new beginning, and a New Moon with 6 planets in Aquarius means a BIG Aquarius new beginning, whatever that means for you (according to where the New Moon falls in your natal chart).
PS: In the AGE OF AQUARIUS Community, each month, we have a New Moon goal-setting ceremony to help you work with the special energies of each lunation.
February 11th-15th, 2021 – Venus Conjunct Mercury And Jupiter In Aquarius
On February 11th, 2021 Venus is conjunct Jupiter at 12° Aquarius. The next day, on February 13th, 2021 Mercury Retrograde is conjunct Venus at 14° Aquarius, and on February 15th, 2021 Mercury Retrograde conjunct Jupiter at 13° Aquarius.
Triple conjunctions are pretty rare, and the triple conjunction between Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in Aquarius is one to look forward to. As a general rule, Venus-Jupiter conjunctions are one of those few 5-star transits all astrologers agree that are 5-star transits!
Mercury retrograde will only make the conjunction even more potent, and give it even more meaning and depth.
If you have planets or angles between 12-14° in Aquarius – or in the other fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio – this triple conjunction will speak to you directly.
February 17th, 2021 – Saturn Square Uranus
On February 17th, 2021, Saturn (at 7° Aquarius) is square Uranus (7° Taurus); this is the first ‘hit’ of what is the most important transit of the year.
Whatever themes or projects you start to develop around the date of this first direct square, will be part of your life throughout 2021. Unsure what to expect? Pay attention to the houses Saturn and Uranus are transiting in your chart.
February 18th, 2021 – Sun Enters Pisces
On February 18th, 2021 Sun enters the last sign of the zodiac. Happy birthday to all Pisces out there!
Sun’s transit into Pisces is the “culmination” of the yearly astrological cycle. This is the time to complete whatever we have started at the time of the Spring Equinox last year.
No matter what your Sun sign is, take your time to meditate, contemplate and ponder things, and prioritize them for the next cycle. Slow down and reflect on what this astrological cycle has meant for you, and what you are moving towards or inviting in the next Sun cycle.
February 19th, 2021 – Venus Square Mars
On February 19th, 2021 Venus (at 23° Aquarius) squares Mars (at 23° Taurus). Venus and Mars are the eternal lovers who are always chasing and seducing each other.
Squares bring friction, and in the case of Venus and Mars, these “frictions” are in the sphere of relationships and romance. Of course, when we talk about Venus and Mars, “friction” usually translates into passion… but at times this can also lead to irritation and emotional drama.
Ultimately, Venus square Mars is an invitation to go (Mars) for what you want (Venus), so take this opportunity to take action that is aligned with your heart’s desires.
February 20th, 2021 – Mercury Goes Direct
On February 20th, 2021 Mercury goes direct at 11° Aquarius. This was an ‘interesting’ Mercury retrograde to say the least.
Mercury retrograde was engaged in a triple conjunction with Venus and Jupiter so there are so many stories the planets in Aquarius had told us… and now that Mercury goes direct, we will gain even more clarity about this new Aquarius chapter of our lives.
February 25th, 2021 – Venus Enters Pisces
On February 25th, 2021, Venus enters Pisces. Venus is exalted in Pisces, which means that is in this watery placement where she is able to express herself at her best.
In the following weeks, you will be more receptive and intuitive than usual, and will relate deeply to love, art, poetry, music – and everything that is beautiful.
February 27th, 2021 – Full Moon In Virgo
On February 27th, 2021 we have a Full Moon at 8° Virgo. This is one of the more positive Full Moons of the year, because it is trine Uranus and opposite Venus.
Whatever seed you’ve planted at the time of the New Moon, will bloom into a beautiful flower.
Age Of Aquarius
We are 3 days away from February 1st, which means that the doors to the Age of Aquarius membership are now open! Enroll before February 1st to get access to astrology training, tutorials, webinars, forecast videos… and of course, a lovely community!
What more of an Aquarian thing can you this month, than to join our vibrant astrology Age of Aquarius Community? Here is the registration link, see you there:
MIFF Get tickets at http://2020.miff.com.au/film/coded-bias Director: Shalini Kantayya Language: English What does it mean when the technology that surrounds our lives is built on systemic racial and gender-based prejudices? This is the truth about the invisible forces that decide everyday human potential.
“We are all one question,” Mary Ruefle wrote in her sublime essay on why we read, “and the best answer seems to be love — a connection between things.” And yet, so often, we forget — we disconnect.
When we are in conflict we tend to make such sharp oppositions between ideas and attitudes and get caught and entangled in what seems to be a hopeless choice, but when the neurotic ambivalence is resolved one tends to move beyond sharp differences, sharply defined boundaries and begins to see the interaction between everything, the relation between everything.
Three decades before Susan Sontag admonished that buying into polarities imprisons us, Nin contemplates how we can bridge our anguishing inner divides by embracing the interconnectedness of all things — the true mark of maturity:
I opposed subjective to objective, imagination to realism. I thought that having gone so deeply into my own feelings and dramas I could never again reach objectivity and knowledge of others. But now I know that any experience carried out deeply to its ultimate leads you beyond yourself into a larger relation to the experience of others. If you intensify and complete your subjective emotions, visions, you see their relation to others’ emotions. It is not a question of choosing between them, one at the cost of another, but a matter of completion, of inclusion, an encompassing, unifying, and integrating which makes maturity.
Generate Wealth Alan Watts reads a passage of Carl Jung’s work. This piece of work is one of Alan’s favourite pieces from Jung. This piece is written for a group of clergy, where he tells them what is needed in order to truly heal someone. Jung explains how one must accept their own dark side, before helping another accept their own. Jung says that once that occurs, it is a moral achievement.Once you see the egoism and neurosis in yourself, that is when something truly leads to change. “There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” -Carl Jung Subscribe Here For More Content Like This: https://bit.ly/3pVAfCc Jung’s Books: https://amzn.to/2YayeWbhttps://amzn.to/3piq3mBhttps://amzn.to/3iLvmIThttps://amzn.to/3pj0xO7
The Leo Full Moon forms a t-square with no less than five other planets involved: the opposition to Saturn, the Sun, and Jupiter together in Aquarius square the Mars–Uranus conjunction in Taurus. It might be easy to feel a little sorry for the Moon, all alone in Leo, trying to hold on to personal pride and dignity! Meanwhile, the trio of planets in Aquarius hold an air of superiority, not least with Saturn in a sign that it naturally rules. Aquarius is often associated with principles that are applicable to the collective. Undoubtedly, it is difficult for everyone to be fully represented in all situations, so this may be more of an ideal than practical reality.
Opposition can mean polarization, so hopefully, authorities will be setting rules that address both individual and collective needs in ways that seem reasonable and fair. There is a decided air of unrest, however, in the t-square aspect where Uranus and Mars gather. Situated in determined, heavy-footed Taurus, the rebellious and unorthodox qualities of Uranus with the hot-headedness of Mars — thought to be something of a bully in Taurus, the sign of its detriment in traditional astrological weighting.
Sometimes, bullying occurs in a passive-aggressive context of behavior rather than overt intimidation. Neither experience is likely to be comfortable on the receiving end! Yet, if we’re dealing with subtle manipulation or a bad atmosphere, it can be important to access new courage. Break out and find positive actions to take versus absorbing bad vibes or going into subconscious responses because we’re dealing with social taboos. Being able to chat with a trusted friend, or someone in a position to hear about our struggle, may be the first line of positive defense.
Not everything about Mars in Taurus is negative! It may also be possible for us to find this new courage and a different way of dealing with a problem than we have managed before. Again, it might not be the most comfortable process, but the cue from the restless, volatile conjunction of Uranus and Mars, is to realize that now truly is the time for getting out of our comfort zone and finding a fresh approach. Since these planets square the Moon in Leo, it might involve letting the curtain of pride down for a moment and allowing ourselves to be a little more vulnerable.
This is where the Aquarius planetary grouping (Saturn, Sun, and Jupiter) can come in handy. They remind us of truth, creativity, and reality and how these facets can blend together in a positive way. For example, if we can be honest about not really knowing all the answers in a situation, we can then ask for assistance. That will likely allow any scenarios based on Saturnian fear to come down to earth, to a place of practical reality. From this point, we can look at matters squarely and then, with help behind us, creatively move forward in a more informed way. With any luck, we will gain more knowledge and skills just as expansive, worldly Jupiter would like!
First of all, we may need to stop pretending that we’re managing fine alone if we’re not, or that we don’t need other people’s help when we clearly do. Refrain from pushing away any help offered because we’re angry at “the system” or frustrated at ourselves for not being able to cope in the first place. If we can see the creative potential that this t-square represents for our lives, then we can break out of old, dogged ways that have done their time, and move to a better place,
This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Diana Collis.
Adagietto Claude-Achille Debussy – Clair de Lune (Mondglanz, Mondschein, Moonlight), Suite Bergamasque, Debussy, piano. The Suite bergamasque was first composed in 1890-1905. “Claude Debussy Plays His Finest Works” Claude Debussy, Piano Roll, 1913. NOTE: This is NOT an ACOUSTIC RECORDING. This is a recording obtained by PIANO ROLL, see further details below. But acoustic recordings were made by Debussy with Mary Garden and you can hear here: https://youtu.be/W3NX_TrxfVk?t=1h17m25s (tempo 01:17:25) From 1903 to 1913, Claude Debussy recorded several of his own pieces on piano rolls. Debussy was delighted with the reproduction quality, saying in a letter to Edwin Welte: “It is impossible to attain a greater perfection of reproduction than that of the Welte apparatus. I am happy to assure you in these lines of my astonishment and admiration of what I heard. I am, Dear Sir, Yours Faithfully, Claude Debussy.” More than one century old, these recordings allow us to listen to the great composer playing his own works. Debussy made his last recordings when he was 52 years old and suffering from cancer, in 1913. He died less than five years later, on March 25, 1918. Rolls for the reproducing piano were generally made from the recorded performances of famous musicians. Typically, a pianist would sit at a specially designed recording piano, and the pitch and duration of any notes played would be either marked or perforated on a blank roll, together with the duration of the sustaining and soft pedal. Reproducing pianos can also re-create the dynamics of a pianist’s performance by means of specially encoded control perforations placed towards the edges of a music roll, but this coding was never recorded automatically. Different companies had different ways of notating dynamics, some technically advanced (though not necessarily more effective), some secret, and some dependent entirely on a recording producer’s handwritten notes, but in all cases these dynamic hieroglyphics had to be skillfully converted into the specialized perforated codes needed by the different types of instrument. The playing of many pianists and composers is preserved on reproducing piano roll. Gustav Mahler, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edvard Grieg, Teresa Carreño, Claude Debussy, Manuel de Falla, Scott Joplin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev, Alexander Scriabin, Jelly Roll Morton and George Gershwin are amongst the composers and pianists who have had their performances recorded in this way. Claude Debussy’s famous Clair de lune is the third piece of the Suite bergamasque for piano, a work whose title was chosen as much for its composer’s love of the word-sounds as for its Renaissance implications (though the work can rightly be described as something of a tribute to the French harpsichordists of olden days). The D flat major of Clair de lune is perfectly chosen, the gleaming melody in parallel thirds (con sordina, Debussy requests) expertly balanced by the beautifully dissonant tempo rubato that follows it. During the un poco mosso middle section of Clair de lune, the music swells far past the pianissimo of the opening, and in its climax one might say that the young composer has crafted more of sunlight than of moonlight; the incessant arpeggios may well be overdone, but one can cherish them all the same. Little wisps of these arpeggios find their way over into the reprise of the opening music, and the rolling tones of the middle section are given a few measures to plead their case once more before the final chromatic cadence, a moment of absolute tranquility, is made. Clair de Lune is a French poem written by Paul Verlaine in the year 1869. It is the inspiration for the third and most famous movement of Debussy’s 1890 Suite bergamasque of the same name. ‘Clair de lune’ (‘Moonlight’) is from Verlaine’s early collection Fêtes galantes (Gallant Parties, 1869). Clair de lune Votre âme est un paysage choisi Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques. Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur L’amour vainqueur et la vie opportune, Ils n’ont pas l’air de croire à leur bonheur Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune, Au calme clair de lune triste et beau, Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres Et sangloter d’extase les jets d’eau, Les grands jets d’eau sveltes parmi les marbres. Paul Verlaine Moonlight Your soul is a select landscape fair Where charming masqueraders and bergamaskers go Playing the lute and dancing and almost Sad beneath their fantastic disguises. All sing in a minor key Of victorious love and the opportune life, They do not seem to believe in their happiness And their song mingles with the moonlight, With the still moonlight, sad and beautiful, Which gives the birds to dream in the trees And makes the fountain sprays sob in ecstasy, The tall, slender fountain sprays among the marble statues. Paul Verlaine
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When we are in conflict we tend to make such sharp oppositions between ideas and attitudes and get caught and entangled in what seems to be a hopeless choice, but when the neurotic ambivalence is resolved one tends to move beyond sharp differences, sharply defined boundaries and begins to see the interaction between everything, the relation between everything.