Transmissions

This World, That World

Hi there! Back again. It has been a bit too long. I have been working on various projects, specifically keeping us housed and on my book. Spending time with our grandchild, Sorrel and his parents has been our highlights over the past weeks. Watching the changes in Sorrel (our grandson) is quite wonderful.

So, in this Edition We Have:

The Book

Transmission/Here

Transmission/There

The Journey - Mary Oliver

The Silence

Coda

—-

The Book:

Purchase Alcove of Dreams $49.00 (USA only)

(Please Contact Us for Overseas Price/Shipping)

Purchase Alcove of Dreams Signed Edition $59.00 (USA only)

(Please Contact Us for Overseas Price/Shipping)

Nearly 200 pages, a hybrid of sorts, combining some of my artwork over the last 2 decades with chronicles of adventures along the path as well. Illustrations included those done for the Invisible College Review, as well as sections for my visionary work, and for Radio EarthRites, another project spanning 20 years. The writing covers various adventures from the mid 60’s to the present. Some of the entries are entheogenically fueled, others not so much.

“Gwyllm does not withhold his cornucopia of visual delights. His collages are an abundant offering of intricacy, movement, and mystique. Sometimes, it is mysterious and thought provoking; at other times, it is accessible and fun. Either way, it is always delicious.”

Liba Waring Stambollion, Painter, author, queen bee of the artist-writer association “Dreams & Divinities”.

An Abbreviated PDF To Give You an Idea About It.

Alcove of Dreams 5-25 Online

Transmissions: Here

Last week, when we were sitting outside, our neighbor and his 4-year-old daughter came up to the fence and asked Mary about how to plant a new Tomato Plant Start. Mary got up from our small outdoor table where we were sitting, walked over to the fence and gave her recommendations along with instructions on how to do it, pot size, handling, light exposure… the works. Our wee neighbor then came back several times to get further instructions/consultations as you can see above. She was very excited; this was her first planting ever from what I understood. She came back every few minutes with more details, and to make sure they were doing it right. Mary went around to where they were planting and yep, they were following her instructions to the T.

Mary has always had a green thumb as they call it. We used to ramble through the English and Scottish countrysides when we were in our early days together. She would point out various plants, fungi, etc. even when we lived in apartments, she always had plants & planters.

A few years later everything took a different course in a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains; we are walking along a path and all of a sudden, she dropped to her knees, pulled out a cigarette (yes, we smoked back when) and emptied the tobacco around the plant, said a quiet blessing and snipped a few stalks of the plant. I was gobsmacked, I had never seen anything like it. She explained to me later that there has to be an exchange when you take from a plant.

Where did you learn that I asked? “From my grandmother Mitchell.” She answered. (Her grandmother was from Lithuania originally and she and her husband with their kids fled St Petersburg in 1917 to Scotland where their name was anglicized on entry). “My granny was a herbalist and she would take me along with her around the parks and gardens of Glasgow where she would wildcraft, picking herbs and edibles to take home.” From what I understand the gifting of tobacco was part of this ritual for her grandmother. Grandmother didn't smoke either which has always been a point of mystery for Mary.

Mary talks about what her art is, and I think she learned it initially back then. Since our early days together she has always had her hands in the dirt working with plants, tending to the nature around her. She is happiest when she's out in the garden, and her favorite color is green of course.

So, from her grandmother to the wee neighbor is a direct path of transmission. I had always heard about the ideas about spiritual transmission back when. Yet it is in the everyday sharing that transmission of knowledge and understanding that occurs on the main. Every act and conversation with others is a transmission. The key in this is what we are giving to others…

There's a lot to be said in trying to be conscious and aware and all of one's actions and words.

Mary's work with plants and in teaching others about plants and their needs is love in action. Perhaps the world needs more conscious transmission, it’s a thought.

Granny Mitchell visiting South Africa in the early 60’s

________________

Thanks to Steve Hines & Michael Zonta for this

I always find it strange that folks confuse the two. As I get older, I feel that religion is the antithesis of Spirituality. I don’t dismiss religion entirely, but watching what passes for religion on the main now days is disheartening. ___________

Promethean - Gwyllm Llwydd

Transmissions: There

Dreams/:

A few weeks ago, I had another one of those really odd dreams. In the dream I was watching the collapse of society and civilization in the US as we know it. It was like watching an illuminated map with lights winking out here there, everywhere, until the map was almost completely dark.

The lights went out in different parts of the world as we were going through systemic meltdowns…

At first, I can feel an overwhelming panic with what was occurring. Society was in turmoil. After a bit I realized that there was an underlying net of lights hardly visible that was still illuminated. Those lights were points of compassion and sharing.

I awoke knowing we would get through this.

Dreams 2: A Dream I had about my son and grandson:

Rowan & Sorrel at the beach last month

(When my son was young, he had a pack of invisible dragons that played with him. They first appeared when he was 4, and left him to live at the beach as he explained when he was 7.5 years old) When we would walk through Portland, he would describe what they were doing. Just before they disappeared out to the coast, I was starting to see them as well. Shared hallucination? Shared experience?

I meant this as a note to Rowan, but it ended up here:

Had a wonderful dream about you and Sorrel. Your dragons had come back from the beach, and everything was suffused in golden light around the both of you. There was so much joy and love in the dream, and in your shared lives.

The Dragons were dancing about you both; I couldn't tell if there were beings that accompanied Sorrel. Perhaps Dragons as well?

Simple Dreams. Full of hope for our shared futures.

____________

Mary Oliver - The Journey

This is an amazing piece of music. There are so many good bands and musicians out there. These guys, oh my, oh my:

Coda:

It’s hard to ignore the Social Chaos that is going on. Full on Samsara IMO. Practicing deep breathing sure helps. I have found myself being overwhelmed like many others. I now stand back, turn off the computer, the phone, listen to music, read a book, sit outside and take in the green and tumbling world. I come back eventually to my center.

I have contemplated what the generation (my parents) that fought the fascist in Europe, in the Pacific would make of those in our generations who are now actively supporting the dismemberment of what passes for Democracy in the US.

I imagine my stepfather, who spent 4 years in a Japanese POW camp, who organized labor and fundraised for the Lincoln Brigade in his late teens and early 20’s (he was born in 1917) in the Central Valley of California would make for those that support the dismemberment of the Courts, and Constitution, who was virulently opposed to Racism and Fascism in all of its aspects…

I consider my father, who spent 33 years in the military, coming out of a Rooseveltian Democratic leaning family, and what he would make of the present nonsense. Although he could be conservative on some social issues, he was certainly still within the same school of thought politically later on. He detested what the Nazi’s did in Germany & WW2. I posit that he would have absolutely abhorred what is going on in Washington at the present, and he was most upset with Bush and company’s antics with the Patriot Act etc. He would have been more than ashamed of what is occurring now and of those who support it.

I could go on, but all of my uncles on both sides of the family served, 3 of them landed on D-Day, and I know 2 of them were in the Battle of the Bulge. All were rabidly anti-fascist.

How do we turn this situation around? I think we do so by the simple act of taking care of our communities, showing up to voice our opinions, to write our Representatives and not let other’s skate along with Fascist/Authoritarian BS.

There are many folks who identify with the Right Wing that I have conversed with. I had a long spell of talking/exchanging emails with Pat Buchanan as an example. We still have a chance to turn this.

We do not have to go down this path. It is not written in stone. We do not have to have civil conflict. It would be nice though to see a bit of backbone in our reps in Washington on both sides of the aisle.

Enough for now,

G