Thanks to Rob Brezny's Free Will Astrology :
THE RICH GET RICHER
"Dear Beauty and Truth Laboratory: Help! My old Buick's transmission is
dead, my credit cards are maxed, my kid's got to see the dentist real bad,
and the one-speed bike I ride everywhere is about to collapse. I'm working
two low-paying jobs already, although I just applied for a more lucrative
gig as a strip-club dancer, only I'm having so much mysterious pain in my
joints I'm not sure how sexy my gyrations will be. Please clue me in to
some tricks that will help me keep a pronoiac attitude in the midst of the
mess that is my life. —Pickled"
Dear Pickled: Here's the first thing I want to tell you: Pronoia does not
assume that material comfort is a sign of divine favor. The universe is an
equal-opportunity provider, conspiring to shower blessings on every one
of us in the same abundance. But while the blessings may come in the
form of money and possessions, they're just as likely to consist of other
gifts that aren't as concrete.
Here's a hypothetical example. Let's say you have the gift of feeling at
home in the world no matter where you are. The universe has determined
that it's the exact skill you need in order to fulfill the specific purpose you
came to earth to carry out. Having a prestigious job and big salary, on the
other hand, might be exactly what you don't need.
The question of what gifts are essential revolves around your precise role
in the universal conspiracy to perpetrate blessings.
The second meditation I'll offer you is a passage from the Gospel of
Matthew: "Whoever has, shall be given more and more, while whoever has
nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him."
Pronoiac translation: Whatever you choose to focus your attention on,
you will get more of it. If you often think of everything you lack and how
sad you are that you don't have it, you will tend to receive prolific
evidence of how true that is. As you obsess on all the ways your life is
different from what you wish it would be, you will become an expert in
rousing feelings of frustration and you will attract experiences that assist
you in rousing frustration.
If, on the other hand, you dwell on the good things you have already had
the privilege to experience, you will expand your appreciation for their
blessings, which in turn will amplify their beneficent impact on your life.
You will also magnetize yourself to receive further good things, making it
more likely that they will be attracted into your sphere. At the very least,
you will get in the habit of enjoying yourself no matter what the outward
circumstances are.
Bear in mind that you are a great wizard. You can use your powers to
practice white magic on yourself instead of the other kind. The most basic
way to do that is to concentrate on naming, savoring, and feeling
gratitude for the blessings you do have—your love for your kid, the
pleasures of eating the food you like, the sight of the sky at dusk, the
entertaining drama of your unique fate. Don't ignore the bad stuff, but
make a point of celebrating the beautiful stuff with all the exuberant
devotion you can muster.
--- - - - - - - - - -
I am not uncritical of Mr. Brezny's constructive positive position, but i do enjoy it very much. When i have run out of Tom Robbin's books to keep me sane and out of harm and depression's way-- i have Rob Brezny.
I often think that my identification as a middle schooler, reading about 4 dozen fantasy books, with Elves, half-elves... led me to have the lean physique that i inhabit. (Although the physique is common among my male co-aquarians).
Similarly-- I like to think that community can be brought into being through casual meditiation and desire over a number of years.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thoughts on Post-Industrial Construction and the (anti?) Pursuit of Perfection(ism)
I put in my two weeks at work after the boss invited us to a motivational conference featuring Colin Powell, Rudy Guiliani, Zig Zigler and others.
No real correlation besides temporal.
I've been at this job, described as a carpenter's apprentice, because I was interested in 1) Working with wood, 2) Learning more about general construction of houses, and 3) To improve my blue-collar credentials.
I've succeeded mildly in all three, however, over all I've learned that the modern construction of a house requires such a diverse skill-set that the learning curve is incredibly steep. Because of this, I figured that I would not be knowledgeable enough to even consider asking for a raise for quite some time (as is true with most jobs, but these previous jobs were sub to my school work at the time, or something i seriously loved-- farming- once, fancy food/cheese-second, which made the challenge of the learning curve less overwhelming;) But I am not willing at the moment to commit to this particular learning curve given the present conditions. It is time for something different.
Anyway.
Part of the disenchanting part of the Job is its pursuit of perfectionism-- much like what I would imagine building a new car would be like if it were by hand--, that accompanies the majority of the work we perform.
We try to bring our cabinets and doors to a level of perfection many times before, during and after painting, which cannot be maintained--- only pursued (because always working, and moving the pieces always endangers them to bump doorways, boots, elbows, tables,...) and once added to the house, will quickly lose their flawlessness.
So what is this perfect moment we are striving for?
Is it an image? A claim for less liability on the part of the company for the wood future imperfections/dents/expansion/contraction?
I know it is part of an appeal to the wedding/fiesta/love at first site/ celebration- psychology that many appeals to our artistic eye contain. I accept this and can appreciate this. However, this architecture/construction/carpentry that moves me and get my hands dirty within its loomingly historic and deeply rich field is largely not this.
Rather, it is more in line with the learning to love your partner/siblings/roommates occurance that so parallels the beauty of old buildings with their layers revealing themselves.
Ianto Evans is quoted to say "I build old buildings" (Hand-Sculpted House)
This he described as buildings that look old within a year or two after construction. I respect that this is not very everyone, but I am passionately engaged in this aesthetic and its promotion. This is largely because the region i have been raised in (and its patron-statehood) is severely lacking this aesthetic, (and i understand that it even passively promotes it worldwide).
Part of this aesthetic is giving in the aging, which for a building involves a particular disposition towards its climate.
Another, for me, is a house that encourages use, that invites it. A well designed kitchen, workspace, living room, garden; Warm, easy to clean, easy to mess up. Ones that make you want to cook, work, play, love, garden, etc.
Not: "Not for sitting"
This is the type of cabinets we are building. So ironic, because a cabinet's design function is to be used.
Instead of going to that faultless linearity, impeccably flat planed fronts, and perfectly sanded and painted right angles, --
instead of this, take a look at Sunray Kelley's Work, take a look at "the Hand Sculpted House"
If if you don't have the benefits of your own mill, chainsaw, etc, A space, a cabinet can still look beautiful-- and perhaps even more so with time , if its imperfections are chosen more carefully. Sanded down to be sure- for the most part-- smoothed , and made pleasant to the touch--
but exactly that: Pleasant to the touch. And not a touch that is afraid of the Perfection of its beheldst. The cabinet says: Use me. Respect me, but please use me.
Tomorrow, and Saturday, and less than two more weeks of Partly Panoptic Perfectionism,
No real correlation besides temporal.
I've been at this job, described as a carpenter's apprentice, because I was interested in 1) Working with wood, 2) Learning more about general construction of houses, and 3) To improve my blue-collar credentials.
I've succeeded mildly in all three, however, over all I've learned that the modern construction of a house requires such a diverse skill-set that the learning curve is incredibly steep. Because of this, I figured that I would not be knowledgeable enough to even consider asking for a raise for quite some time (as is true with most jobs, but these previous jobs were sub to my school work at the time, or something i seriously loved-- farming- once, fancy food/cheese-second, which made the challenge of the learning curve less overwhelming;) But I am not willing at the moment to commit to this particular learning curve given the present conditions. It is time for something different.
Anyway.
Part of the disenchanting part of the Job is its pursuit of perfectionism-- much like what I would imagine building a new car would be like if it were by hand--, that accompanies the majority of the work we perform.
We try to bring our cabinets and doors to a level of perfection many times before, during and after painting, which cannot be maintained--- only pursued (because always working, and moving the pieces always endangers them to bump doorways, boots, elbows, tables,...) and once added to the house, will quickly lose their flawlessness.
So what is this perfect moment we are striving for?
Is it an image? A claim for less liability on the part of the company for the wood future imperfections/dents/expansion/contraction?
I know it is part of an appeal to the wedding/fiesta/love at first site/ celebration- psychology that many appeals to our artistic eye contain. I accept this and can appreciate this. However, this architecture/construction/carpentry that moves me and get my hands dirty within its loomingly historic and deeply rich field is largely not this.
Rather, it is more in line with the learning to love your partner/siblings/roommates occurance that so parallels the beauty of old buildings with their layers revealing themselves.
Ianto Evans is quoted to say "I build old buildings" (Hand-Sculpted House)
This he described as buildings that look old within a year or two after construction. I respect that this is not very everyone, but I am passionately engaged in this aesthetic and its promotion. This is largely because the region i have been raised in (and its patron-statehood) is severely lacking this aesthetic, (and i understand that it even passively promotes it worldwide).
Part of this aesthetic is giving in the aging, which for a building involves a particular disposition towards its climate.
Another, for me, is a house that encourages use, that invites it. A well designed kitchen, workspace, living room, garden; Warm, easy to clean, easy to mess up. Ones that make you want to cook, work, play, love, garden, etc.
Not: "Not for sitting"
This is the type of cabinets we are building. So ironic, because a cabinet's design function is to be used.
Instead of going to that faultless linearity, impeccably flat planed fronts, and perfectly sanded and painted right angles, --
instead of this, take a look at Sunray Kelley's Work, take a look at "the Hand Sculpted House"
If if you don't have the benefits of your own mill, chainsaw, etc, A space, a cabinet can still look beautiful-- and perhaps even more so with time , if its imperfections are chosen more carefully. Sanded down to be sure- for the most part-- smoothed , and made pleasant to the touch--
but exactly that: Pleasant to the touch. And not a touch that is afraid of the Perfection of its beheldst. The cabinet says: Use me. Respect me, but please use me.
Tomorrow, and Saturday, and less than two more weeks of Partly Panoptic Perfectionism,
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