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May 2004 event

Topic: "The New Employment: Success as a Self-Entrepreneur" Cancelled

Event Summary
Date: Wednesday, 5 May 2004
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dinner
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Panel discussion
Location: Capitol City Brewing Company
2 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Washington, DC  20002
Phone: 202-842-2337 Directions are provided below.
Cost: Fees are listed below.
RSVP: Registration is encouraged for this event by Monday, 3 May. To reserve, complete the online reservation form.

Don't forget your business cards for networking!

About the Event

Come nurture your entrepreneurial spirit by joining us at a networking dinner followed by a stimulating panel discussion. Let our panel help you answer such vital questions as:

  • Is being a self-entrepreneur right for you?
  • How do you get started?
  • What does it take to be successful?

Panel Speakers

photo of Gene Zaino Gene Zaino, CEO of MBO Partners, will offer the corporate viewpoint. You will learn:

  • Why contingent workers are so appealing to corporations
  • Why professional independent contracting is becoming a very attractive style of work
  • IRS and other corporate compliance issues that face businesses today
    Read Gene's biography

Kristin Dobbins, Member Services Specialist for MBO Partners will discuss how individuals can successfully and easily become part of the contract workforce. You will learn:

  • How to enjoy the benefits of being an independent consultant without the headaches of operating your own business
  • How to market yourself to companies, project managers and job boards
    Read Kristen's biography

photo of Patricia Srinath Pattie Srinath, self-entrepreneur, will discuss her personal story of transitioning from W-2 to independence. You will learn what to expect as you make the switch from traditional workstyle to a self-directed independent career. You will learn:

  • How to decide if independence is right for you
  • The pros and cons of being independent
  • How she started her independent career
  • The hard lessons she has learned so far and how she is using them to start over
    Read Pattie's biography

photo of Carolyn Kelley Klinger Carolyn Kelley Klinger will moderate the discussion. Come early to qualify for the door prize!
Read Carolyn's biography

You choice of one of the following entrees:

  • The Admiral's Fish & Chips
    Farm raised tilapia coated in our spiced buttermilk and corn flake crumb coating and deep fried. Served with creamy slaw, fries, Old Bay tartar sauce and lemon.
  • Pacific Rim Pasta
    Crispy Garlicky Tofu, snow peas, red peppers, green onion, carrots, and portobello mushrooms tossed with Angel Hair in a soy ginger sauce sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
  • Meatloaf & Brown Gravy
    Ground beef seasoned and massaged into a batch of edible stick to your ribs love. Served with thin sliced onions and savory brown gravy, roasted red potatoes, and chef's vegetables.
  • My Big Fat Greek Chicken
    A large breast of chicken stuffed with Feta, spinach and red onion. Served with roasted red bliss potatoes and a savory sun-dried tomato sauce garnished with chopped Kalamata olives and diced red peppers.

All meals come with hot pretzels, soda, coffee, and tea.

The Capitol City Brewing Company offers a full menu in addition to homemade micro-brews.

Fees and Registration

Admission Fees

$15 STC members
$10 Current STC WDC chapter volunteers
$25 Nonmembers
$25 Late registration and walk-ins

Admission fees help to offset the costs of our programs. Fees may vary from program to program because of the costs of food and beverages, room rental, and other services. Our attendees pay slightly different fees depending on whether they are members, nonmembers, students, chapter volunteers, or walk-ins. We also sometimes offer a program-only option for programs that are not held in restaurants.

If you are involved in the planning or production of an event, you are entitled to free admission at that event. If you would like to help and thereby qualify for this discount, contact the Events Committee Manager at . Note that we do not accept last-minute volunteers unless we have an unanticipated need for extra help.

To ensure that space is reserved for you, you are strongly encouraged to register and pay by Monday, 3 May.

To make a reservation, complete the online reservation form.

You may pay by sending a check through the U.S. Mail or by making a secure online payment through our PayPal page using your credit card, debit card, bank account, or by paying money from a funded PayPal account. (Using PayPal allows you to make purchases without revealing your credit card number or financial information to us.) We also accept cash or checks at the door.

If you have already registered and would like to submit a payment by check or through our PayPal page, see the reservation page for more detailed information about making a payment.

To cancel a registration, contact the Events Committee Manager as soon as possible. No shows who do not notify us that they need to cancel will be billed.

Advance Reservation Policy

We encourage all attendees to register in advance. If you are unable to register by the deadline, you can still attend the event as a walk-in, at the cost listed under Admission fees.

photo of the front of the Capitol City Brewing Company near Union Station

Capitol City Brewing Company, Capitol Hill
2 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Washington, DC  20002
Phone: 202-842-2337
Fax: 202-842-9025

The Capitol City Brewing Company, Capitol Hill, CLOSED in July 2011. There is still a downtown location.

Return to the past calendar 2003-2004 Events

Last modified Friday, 30-Nov-2018


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Arm Radio FM 107
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Meeting between Armenian, Azerbaijani top diplomats still uncertain
2018-11-13 13:27:04

It’s still uncertain whether the top diplomats of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Milan in December.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs have proposed organizing a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan before the end of the year, MFA Spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan told a press briefing today

“When the meeting is certain, the public will be informed,” Naghdalyan said.

Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan will participate in the session of the 25th OSCE Ministerial Council in Milan December 6-7.

The meeting will provide the OSCE participating States with an opportunity to review and assess the Organization’s activities and strengthen the dialogue on security issues in the OSCE area.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan last met in New York in September.

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[Edit: See the edit comments in Death and Theosis Post that explains recent trials deeper into the furnace of putrefaction that tempered a bit of the hubris that underlies much of this post. I’ve decided to republish this post as a record to spiritual seekers who might accomplish a tangible degree of power and accomplishment. I profess as an example of personal experience, the Hierophant wasn’t blowing smoke:

Although the magical virtues can indeed awaken into momentary life, in the wicked and foolish hearts, they cannot rein in any heart that has not the natural virtues to be their throne.

I urge all initiates, neophyte and adept alike, beware the pitfalls of perceived success. It’s hard to remain virtuous and humble when you experience “success” and personal satisfaction in all you do for too long without trial. There is a huge difference between spiritual accomplishment and wisdom, between Conversation and Union. May we seek the former only as a steppingstone to the latter.]

Based on some feedback I’ve received from my last essay, I’d like to provide a quick update before starting a series on The Four Worlds of the Kabbalah and the role of abstract mentation.

It’s curious to me how many people read my previous testimony and immediately express sympathy for the perceived struggle. This is entirely understandable to me. I remember well the anxiety and fear that life-altering events could induce in me before Hermetic initiation. But it’s conspicuous that little recognition (if any) has been expressed regarding the underlying transformative power that conflict, struggle, and strife can be for those most interested in the personal evolution of Self towards Illumination.

So it’s become evident to me that I may have missed the mark on what I intended by my prior testimony. Allow me to clarify. Personal struggle doesn’t happen to an adept; it occurs in conjunction with the adept’s will and is invited in (no matter how extreme or potentially dangerous) because the adept knows the formula and understands how to welcome it effectively.

Struggle, strife, conflict–whether external or internal–these aren’t repellent situations that an adept merely tolerate. Rather, they are the areas of personal discovery that show the initiate to themselves. They are the crucible in which the metals of the alchemist are refined and prepared as a fitting vessel for Divine Potential. The Hermetic adept welcomely births them into external material experience from the hidden depths of their soul to reconcile internal dysfunction and become Illuminated.

To those initiates for whom Nature has graced with demonstrable proof of this understanding, the conclusion I’ve drawn is both natural, reasonable, and self-evident. However, for most of us,  we yearn for much of our human lives to arrive at that point where hope, belief, and faith are no longer necessary for knowledge and understanding. And for others, your journey into the Greater Mysteries is yet on your first steps.

“How then,” I’ve been asked, “for the pre-initiate who is not in contact with their Higher Genius, does one make a decision to act or not in hopes of progressing their soul? How does a pre-initiate make choices to prepare for initiation?”

This is a good question, and I think the right one for almost every sincere aspirant to ask themselves.

First, if you’ve been paying attention, you should consider the possibility that whatever you think, whatever you plan,
whatever you feel about any particular decision, all the information you are using to base your judgment is based on severely insufficient data. When the lower mind tries to act, it does so out of a limited experience and little more than biological programming. Now, when what you are deciding has to do with what to eat, how to make money, who to have children with, how to stay safe, how to gain friendship and admiration of your peers, well, in that case, all that limited experience and biological programming comes in handy. That’s pretty much all it’s there for. (And for an excellent reason if what we want is the continuation of the human species!)

On the other hand, you may one day find a yearning in your soul that stirs the question, “How do I make decisions that are productive for the evolution of my mind and soul?” If this is you, then recognize that none of your prior experiences or biological programming is going to give you adequate wisdom from which to draw productive choices. The first step is in recognizing that this is the most likely situation. When you acknowledge this–that you cannot make an actual productive decision–then you stop getting in the way. By this I mean, you allow yourself to halt the obsession to figure out the best way toward Illumination. How can this be more productive? Because the real answers are so completely anathema to the natural mind and intuition that one would never find the Keys to the Gateway of Hidden Knoweldge by reason, passion, and intuition alone.

My advice to those pre-initiates yearning for Truth: turn from acting to listening, from speaking to watching, from doing to paying attention. Look for the breadcrumbs that will be laid out before the careful observer. I hope that this blog is a good example. Watch, listen and feel if that voice inside you desiring Illumination begins to recognize something between the lines of what’s illustrated here.

In the meantime… Preparation for initiation means gaining new experiences, knowledge, and wisdom from those who demonstrate understanding. So study everything you can consume about Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Alchemy, Mysticism, World Religion, etc. Not because any one of these holds the absolute truth or infallible answers. They don’t. Not in my book anyway. No occult system is prudent if reduced to a literal dogma that requires your untested faith or belief. Study them because once they are internalized, their models and concepts can be abstracted to impress upon the mind. This then will ripen the aspirant for the time when their wisdom can be used by the lower mind to motivate actual life decisions: “Oh yeah… I guess I do want to listen to the voice in my heart that says sell my company, take my less-than-optimal savings and risk everything at a career as a mystery author to get in touch with my inner creative side. Yeah. That’s more Illuminating to my soul than the safety, security, and regular paycheck.”

Or even… “Yeah. I’m ready to let someone I barely know guide me over the internet through the darkness of the inner workings of my mind and soul for the promise that I can come to understand who I am in this greater reality and how I might contribute to the Soul of Mankind.”

Naturally, one might reflect on my thoughts and challenge, “How does one know that by willfully welcoming life’s challenges one isn’t still acting from the lower mind’s underlying motives to gain control of the kingdom of its own making?”

In truth, if the ego acts, it is acting out of the lower intellect’s slavish causes… Until (gods willing) the point where you know yourself so completely (are initiated) and can discern the difference. When this happens, discernment is as simple a matter as knowing with skill how to garden if what’s required is food to sustain life.

Finally, in an attempt to clarify my advice–to observe over to act–don’t misunderstand my words as a call for stoic pacificism or apathy. It is not productive to sit back and never do anything. If you take anything away from this current essay, know that it’s not the actions that matter. It’s the understanding. Your Higher Genius is always in control. No matter what you imagine are your motives, whether prudent or imprudent, your HG is always the one in the driver seat. (It’s also the car, engine, and road itself, for that matter.)

It is not the task of the aspirant’s to succeed with nothing but right-action; Your job is to gain the understanding of all actions taken. The gold lies within the experience that follows struggle, mistakes, and missteps. The treasure is not the pre-earned superpower that grants one an ability to know what’s productive before an authentic understanding of Self and Reality is even achieved.

eclipseSo, my friends, above all else, seek knowledge no matter what actions you either take or are taken upon you. Don’t strive merely to understand where you are right and good, but rather understand where you are dysfunctional. Uncover the hidden agendas within yourself that are wrapped in all the pretty packages of love, light, and spirituality. If you act, act. Then strive to understand the consequences. If you choose not to act, don’t act. Then endeavor to understand the consequences. That is the productive choice for the aspirant and the initiate alike

Choose to seek understanding above all else in all situations. Know Thyself.

Fraternal Regards,
Arsolis Perficio

[Edit: This post was originally published in September of 2017. This was weeks prior to a reaction from the treatment I was receiving for stage IV melanoma that had spread into my brain. The result was a deep psychosis following the swelling of my brain. The experience is beyond what I can explain. At points it was amazing, at others I thought it was utter hell. That was until I realized recently that it was only the prelude to a far deeper psychosis, personal hell, and trial of heath.

The weekend of my 40th birthday, nearly to the day, another reaction from the radiation therapy resulted in necrotic tissue causing more swelling in the brain, which in turn resulted in seizures, more confusion, psychosis, anxiety, and delusion. All while coming closer to death’s door than I had yet ventured. Emergency recourse was taken. I underwent brain surgery to remove the necrotic tissue. The weeks that followed were spent locked in various hospital rooms rehabilitating slightly paralyzed left motor function.

Needless to say, the experience was humbling. A month out from surgery, I have mostly recovered, which is no small miracle. I look back and can see the transformation that has occurred through undergoing such an extreme trial and being truly humbled.

I removed this post as soon as I recognized the arrogance and pride that had grown in me as a result of the perceived spiritual success of my occult training. To be quite honest, I’ve grown deeply ashamed at the recognition of the hubris that corrupted the deeper more meaningful intention of my words. However, I now desire to be transparent and not hide my shame. Anyone who seeks higher spiritual understanding and Illumination must undergo transformations. And many of these will expose darker aspects of the self.

So I now republish this post–as well as the one that followed–complete with its original hubris, arrogance, and the underlying fear of literal death that had been completely hidden from my conscious mind until having experienced my most recent trial in the furnace of death. And for the record… I asked for it. And I got exactly what I asked for, and I am eternally grateful for the Transmutation of Hearth and Soul.]

“For [he] must die to the world, to the flesh and to all the senses and to the whole man animal, who would enter into the closest of secrets…” — Anonymous, The Rosie Crucian Secrets, 1713

Out of the cave, and into the desert…

After I decided to publish essays, there erupted a flood of Hermetic and esoteric ideas I wanted to share with a broader audience. At present, I have about a half-dozen drafts on topics essential for anyone interested in how the world might appear to someone after Nature has pulled back Her veil. However, as is often the case, the very act of writing something down serves as a magical talisman to catalyze deeper and deeper discovery. In my case, diving down the rabbit hole over the last couple months paralleled the next grand adventure on my path toward Illumination–a deeper and more profound connection with my Higher Divine Genius, a mysterious opportunity to trade in the chains of the lower will for the wings of the higher.

A word of warning. The views I’ll be sharing in this essay are advanced. Not “advanced” as in “Oh, man, there’s no way your little novice mind could comprehend what grand wisdom I’m about to lay down.” Rather, it’s a latter perspective held by someone who has walked in Knowledge and Conversation with one’s Higher Genius for many years, not a view fully appreciated by the fresh adept (even after a true and faithful connection with the root of one’s Essence). Moreover, not even time on the Path assures this view of reality that is now so very self-evident to me.

Just as decades of marriage promise no real growth in the relationships between spouses, years in Conversation smolder unless stoked in the supreme desire for continued spiritual evolution and the pursuit of the Great Work. Anything less is the self-delusion of occultists playing at spirituality, presuming they want to be One with All, but habitually acting only to maximize control over material existence. To prepare the lower ego so it might become a fitting vessel for the Higher Divine Self to descend into and dwell upon the throne of one’s earthly kingdom; this is the genuine pursuit of the real Hermetic Adept.

Perhaps in future essays, I might be able to lay out a step-by-step map to help the aspirant walk their mind from its material fog to clear understanding, but for now, let me simply provide a very brief summary of the fundamentals of Hermetic initiation.

Authentic Hermetic initiation is designed to guide a candidate from the illusory identity of the lower mind to an authentic encounter with their Higher Genius, Holy Guardian Angel, Head Spirit, Agathodaemon–“by whatever name I call thee, thou art still nameless to eternity.” Once this encounter has been achieved, and (more importantly) proven through demonstration to the lower self that leaves zero doubt, the candidate is said to have been initiated. From this point, the real work begins for the aspiring adept seeking Illumination about the reality of mind, matter, and one’s relationship with The All and their True Will.

Seems simple, right? Well, the challenge for any natural man or woman is in the proper preparation of the mind’s capacity to perceive what is so foreign to the ordinary material senses and intellect. Essentially, the lower binary mind is locked into a state of dualistic perception maintained by a force of separation between its poles. These are the Ruach and Nephesch of the Qabalah. Consciousness / Unconsciousness – Masculine / Feminine – Logical / Holistic – Reason / Passion – Good / Evil – Life / Death. The stronger that force of separation, the more profoundly a person identifies with the binary illusion–they are their thoughts; they are their passions; they are their relationships; they are their jobs; they are their spiritual orders; they are their religion; they are their desires for material comforts and success. The wider the poles of separation, the more profoundly an individual is locked into this false perception of reality, and the less able they are to see higher truth. The role of an authentic initiator is to guide the candidate toward a neutralization of this force of separation, just enough to close the gap and render perceivable their higher mind–The Neschamah. She then is the gateway of perception that opens the doors to Illumination. She is the bridge across the Abyss unto the Supernals.

Now for the kicker. As one is transformed from a self that identifies with the lower mind of Ruach and Nephesch to one that identifies with one’s Supernal Triad, one becomes something that is altogether a different kind of person. One’s identity changes. And as one’s identity changes from lower to higher, it feels to the lower like death. Sometimes metaphorical; sometimes literal. This is the vital process of putrefaction employed by the Alchemist as the first step in any real alchemical transformation.

At first, these encounters are coupled with fear and anxiety. But the more an aspirant sets aside this fear and anxiety and allows the Higher Genius to guide one’s steps, the more one experiences firsthand that the most productive outcomes for one’s life lie entirely in the supreme wisdom of the Genius, not in the presumption of ego’s lower intellect. Moreover, if one stumbles and insists on exerting will toward the plans of the lower mind–usually driven by a misguided understanding of what’s assumed productive for one’s Great Work–one also gets to experience firsthand just how much less productive it is to act from a position of ignorance and binary illusion. The reward is more often than not a stagnation of any real progress up the Mountain and the realization that one is no closer to their highest aspiration today than they were three, five, ten, even twenty years prior.

Either way, in time, with much experience on both sides of this fence, the adept is led to more evidence than any material scientist would require in support of an essential truth. To accomplish the Great Work is only possible when one sets aside their lower desires, plans, and pursuits and leaves a space for the Higher Genius to move them toward the most optimal direction, even if it is at the expense of losing whatever life they understand as essential to personal identity. The sacrifice may be small, like admitting it’s time to end a bad relationship; it may be big, like quitting a job, selling a home, and moving to Nepal to live as a solitary monk away from all friends and family. Either way, it is a death of the lower mind, a death of the flesh, a death of the man animal. But to the Illuminated, greater Life awaits in what resurrects from the ashes.

Fortunately, Nature has devised a gradual progression for any soul who would walk this path. At the start, any initiate will get to play with little deaths, sacrifices, and minor alterations of identity. Though they may feel significant at the time, they are not. (I remember when Thoth advised I cut off my coveted long-flowing hair that had been the outward symbol of who I thought I was for years. Oh, what an extreme sacrifice of self-identity! Oh, the cruel burden of a tyrant Father! Hehe.) With each voluntary submission, one gains experience in knowing that the Genius knows best and the lower mind is a child (no matter how well-meaning) that secretly wants nothing more than to hold on to the keys of the kingdom and make the world into its own lower image. With each continued step, the adept is led into the deeper unity of Will with the Higher Divine Self.

Yet, make no mistake. If your highest aspiration is the supreme fulfillment of the Great Work–to become a living vessel completely One with your “Father in Heaven”–each step will require more and more profound sacrifices of lower identity and will, until a time when the mind has been fully prepared to freely hand over everything, even if at the risk of losing physical life itself, if that’s part of the bigger plan necessary to transform the lower selfhood into the True Self.

Though success is never guaranteed, this is the very precipice up to which I’ve so recently been led. Having worked for decades in my pursuit, sometimes stumbling, sometimes greatly victorious, I now see future progress toward Illumination as only possible if I can come face to face with the biggest sacrifice of lower will–to willingly hand over my physical life into the hands of my Genius to do with as It sees fit. I share what follows, not to elicit any particular belief or understanding in anything I say, but rather to illustrate one example of how a Hermetic Adept lives by the perception of reality that develops years after being initiated into the Greater Mysteries.

A few years ago, while in Conversation, I was asked: “Do you want to prove to yourself that you are beyond the fear of Death?” A proof I knew was required to reliably hand over the lower will and let the Will of my Genius dwell within. This being my highest of all desires, I agreed, and within 24-36 hours of that encounter, I developed what became malignant melanoma on my neck. My first thought was, “Nice! Magic sure works fast for me these days!” My second thought was, “Oh shit… Magic sure works fast for me these days!” At that time, there was a bit of fear and anxiety, but the prominent emotion was the disillusionment that followed having to accept a literal end of my life. The period of this trial exposed a counterproductive aspect of my nature filled with pouting over not becoming a great wise Master Alchemist whose life had been prolonged by the consumption of the Elixir Vitae. As lofty as that might sound to any aspirant of the Great Work, it was still a lower desire as understood only by my Ruach and inflamed through my Nephesch. In time, my Genius led me through this encounter with minimal discomfort and toward a newly held demonstration to my lower self that I had, in fact, overcome my fear of literal death. It was a real possibility I fully accepted but was graced not yet to endure. But what to do with that awareness would require a few more years to mature.

So at last, at the start of this year, again in Conversation, I was asked if I was willing to continue my highest spiritual goal. I knew very well what that meant, and I knew that it would require the next level of willingness to trust my Genius. Long story short, soon after my acceptance, the previous melanoma spread to my lung and brain, where it now resides. Others around me were shocked, but I had been shown what was coming, and I was given a choice to accept or reject whatever may result. This time, with zero fear, zero anxiety, and zero desire to take control and steer the ship as I see fit. I’m grateful to be given another truly profound opportunity to test my metals within the crucible of my Genius in the hopes that I might be led that much closer to union with my Higher Divine Self. Whether in this life or the next–or maybe both at the same time!  Who am I to presume? 🙂

I was inspired to share the private details of my journey by a conversation I had with a friend and past student regarding my current health situation. It seemed to me that regardless of any portion of Hermetic teachings I felt he understood, his confusion regarding my attitude and approach toward full submission was beyond him. “What about free will? Isn’t that just fatalistic?” In conclusion, I’d like to address this very notion, because I know that how I approach life and death situations in the context of my Great Work is anathema to even those who claim a desire for Illumination above all material pursuits.

Many will not see a submission in this matter as any different than the “Let Go and Let God” mantra of those who must come to understand that they really have no control over their lives. For these folks, there is a need to come to terms with the fact that they can’t control everything. Submission for them is less about an exertion of free will and more about faith and acceptance. A true virtue indeed!

This, however, does not parallel the adept who has received, practiced, and demonstrated repeatedly (always with 24-36 hour effect) the magical link required to alter one’s physical condition, whether bodily or in the surrounding conditions of life. In popular occult circles, the repeated demonstration in a predictable manner of the rapid alteration of material existence is often the highest desire of the seeker. For the authentically initiated Hermetic Adept, finding and pushing buttons in the esoteric landscape that quickly result in desired effects are as expected as the roar of the engine upon the turn of the key. It is truly a simple matter.

What’s less simple is discerning when it is prudent to exert that will and when it is merely the act of the lower will trying to get its way. For me, at this point on my path, it is all or nothing. And to truly come face to face with that real choice, it must be about the most coveted possession of the lower mind–physical life itself. To let go and see what might transform in me through the full laying down of my lower inclination to avoid struggle and suffering.

And here lies the important point I’d like to make for those who may be confused by this extreme edge of the Great Work and what happens to the Free Will of the initiate the closer they become with their Higher Genius. When one is bound by the material illusion of the lower self–locked in identity with the intellect and passion of Ruach and Nephesch–one feels free when one is acting in accord with the desires for material existence. One feels free when one’s life is manifesting in accordance with one’s lower will. To the Illuminated, the illusion of this “freedom” is understood as nothing but slavery and chains, the material programming of the natural man animal. What feels like freedom is nothing more than ignorant obedience to internal forces designed for the sole purpose of maintaining existence in the physical world of the common human. Certainly, this state is critical for the individuation of any soul and all of Creation; the necessity of this mystery is profound, and one I would like to write about in future essays. But it is slavery hiding as freedom nonetheless.  True freedom resides in the Will of one’s Higher Genius, that part of Self which is All and knows All about the essential individual, completely free from the material chains that bind men with their poor intellect and worldly yearnings.

This is the journey from the aspirant to the fully Illuminated: from the illusion of self as identified with Ruach and Nephesch, as intellect and passion, where one thinks they are free but are really a slave to their own material programming, toward the full perception and understanding that one’s true essence is a state of being transcending all physical limitations and presumptions.

I realize the gravity of my particular journey would appear as daunting and extreme to anyone who lacked the years of evidence, proof, and demonstration I have received from my Higher Genius. Do not be discouraged. I also realize that I possess a greater detail about the story that’s unfolding for me (which I will not publicly share), but that fills me with a degree of trust and certainty that all will manifest exactly as it is orchestrated by higher forces. Might it kill me? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s far less important to someone who no longer views death from the perspective of material illusion. What matters is how the adept responds when faced with whatever manner their Genius asks them the question: “Are you ready to hand over the keys?”

Your journey will be your own; only you will know the limits of your courage and dedication to Illumination and what your essential nature is urging you to become. In my case, I will settle for nothing less than the absolute completion of the Great Work, even if it means handing over of my life while trying to prepare my being for the task. To some, that might seem fatalistic and a giving up of my right to Free Will. But by the lights that shine on me, I know it to be the complete opposite–the truest sense of freedom from the bondage in which a human can ever partake.

I hope you’ll pardon the rambling nature of this post. It was my intention in hosting this website that I’d start at the beginning, laying the groundwork to ease the sincere aspirant toward a desire for the Great Work. Inspire them with evidence and reason so they might gain the courage to continue on the pathway to the Greater Mysteries. But instead, this essay presents the reverse, starting with a most extreme understanding gained in Act 3. But make no mistake… there is still so much more to come in this story. 🙂

As opportunities arise, I will present more essays of the “gentle walk” variety to help thels true seeker tiptoe from wherever they may be in their esoteric understanding to a clearer view of how a person goes from playing at the occult to becoming More Than Human. In the meantime, I hope something I may have shared here helps settle any curiosity regarding how the Hermetic Adept understands the alchemical process of death and its role in catalyzing the transformations needed on the path of Theosis–the only truly Great Work. Whether your death-calling is big or small, figurative or literal, personal or global, I urge you to embrace it with courage. You will become truly liberated in the process, I assure you.

Fraternal Regards,

Arsolis Perficio


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Mark Wallinger

152 / 270

Barkingside 152 / 270

The station opened in 1903, probably designed by W.N. Ashbee. Now a Grade-II listed building, it has a notable interior that includes a hammerbeam roof to the ticket hall and canopies on the platforms bearing the original GER (Great Eastern Railway) initials. Barkingside station was closed to passengers during World War I from May 1916 to June 1919.

Barkingside is predominately known as the headquarters of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, founded there in 1866.

Your Journey Starts Here

Have you seen this artwork? What makes this station or area unique? Please add your comments and recommendations below.

posted by: Martin Fairhurst on 15 August 2013 at 9:40 am

On 27th September 1905, when Barkingside was a Great Eastern Railway station, a special train from Liverpool Street station conveyed the coffin of Dr Thomas Barnardo to Barkingside station. Thousands of people lined the streets of East London as the cortege, which included some 1500 Barnardo boys, proceeded from the homes in Stepney to Liverpool Street. From Barkingside station the coffin was taken to the nearby Girls Village Home where the actual interment took place on 4th October.
The only other person whose coffin has been carried on what was to become the Underground network was William Ewart Gladstone.
It’s possible that the station is so impressive because royalty took a great interest in the Homes, and could have traveled there by train.

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Pirelli Calendar Diver

Primary Creator
Photographer Uwe Ommer
Name of WorkPirelli Calendar Diver
Production Date1984
Production Location

Current Location

Media Typesphotographic film
General Notes

A classic example of photographic artistry. Simple design, dramatic composition, attractive presentation of female beauty in action (not so common).

Nude woman diving off diving board with sky in background.

Emotional Sum or Sense-of-life

Women can be strong, dynamic and unconsciously beautiful.

Context Information

One of a series of photos taken by this photographer and others, for the classic ongoing Pirelli calendar series (generally nude women).

calendars, dynamism, nude


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Fakt Abstrakcja opened last night

Fakt Abstrakcja is open 11am-5pm Friday -Sunday till Sunday 2 December

Artist's talk and presentation on fabs by Piotr Szymor - Saturday 17 November, 1 - 3pm

Fakt Abstrakcja by Malgorzata Sidor and Wienczyslaw Sporecki - opens Friday 16 November

Fakt Abstrakcja by Malgorzata Sidor and Wienczyslaw Sporecki

Opening Reception: Friday 16 November, 6-8pm

Artists’ Talk: Presentation on fabs by Piotr Szymor - Saturday 17 November, 1 - 3pm

(NB: artists' Talk changed from time announced earlier.)

Open Hours: 11am - 5pm, Friday - Sunday, 17 November - 2 December 2018

Curated by William Seeto

Fakt Abstrakcja is an exhibition by Malgorzata Sidor, Wienczyslaw Sporecki and Piotr Szymor. They are founding members of the Polish Artists’ Association, fabs. The curator first met Malgorzata Sidor whilst attending an art event at Lodz in 1993.  He connected with Wienczyslaw Sporecki and Piotr Szymor on subsequent visits to Poland when Malgorzata Sidor initiated and organised fabs art projects in Poland, U.K., Wales, India and Ukraine.
            Associations of artists in Poland are prevalent, even after the fall of Communism, with each city having one or more groups. They provide support for artists and are loosely based on workers’ unions. They can be likened to artist-run-spaces in the U.S., which are membership-based that provide studios and venues for performances, events and exhibitions.

            The artworks in the exhibition are informed by Western contemporary art, however they are moderated by connections to the past, as a recurring concept is freedom and self-expression. The exhibition provides a unique viewpoint for the Australian audience on contemporary art in Poland.

            The title of the exhibition is formulated from the acronym of the association’s name, fabs:
fabs (fact-abstraction) - the idea of the site of activity.
A group of artists (an association) who employ various forms, from performance and installation to ephemeral action, going beyond the classifications of art, which constitute fabs - a site of action, work and exhibition.
Fact is something that is known to exist - a thing in itself, abstraction in not identical with the thing in itself. That which happens between fact and abstraction, or between the physical and the abstract, is a field in which we work. We acknowledge that in the most precisely defined axiomatic systems there may appear some true statements that are impossible to prove.

Malgorzata Sidor

Born in 1960. Lives and works in Lodz and Zbludza, Poland. Initiator, co-founder and President of the Artists’ Association fabs.

Artist – Installation and photography. As an artist, she uses installation, photography, sculpture forms and performance. She studied at the University of Lodz, Poland, and Goldsmiths' College, University of London; and received a scholarship from Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany in 1998. From 2005 to 2010 she ran the fabs gallery, Brzeska 7, in Warsaw, Poland; in 2010, she set-up and directed the Association fabs’ Centre and Gallery in Zbludza, Poland. She also initiated a project to build the Piotr Kwit Museum at Zalesie, as well as a number of other projects that supported the local community of the Commune of Kamienica, Poland.
She initiated and organised international arts meetings: Siteations, Cardiff, UK, 1994; Nothing New Under the Sun, Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Southdown, U.K., 1996; Golden Seed, Mt Abu, India, 1997; Honey Forest, Bialowieza Primeval Forest, Poland, 1998; Antesound, CSW Inner Spaces, Poznan, Poland, 2000; Atopos, former Poznanski Factory, Lodz, Poland, 2001; Terrestrials, The Old Norblin FactoryWarsaw Poland, 2002; No Volume, Palac Sztuki, Lviv, Ukraine 2003; Phantoms 1, Borne Sulinowo, Poland, 2005; Phantoms 2, Koneser Factory, Warsaw, Poland.

AKQUARIUM 1 and 2. 2008
“I associate freedom with the road, with movement, so with a journey. A real journey with no return. So I thought: when we are very close to/with someone, we can move away a little, but we still remain attached. And, on the whole, we don’t question our intimacy, but, on the contrary, enrich and intensify that attachment. Thus there is some leeway within certainty. This is what I tried to show in the photographic series AQUARIUM 1. I would call it freedom; freedom towards truth. Because it is freedom that leads us to truth. And truths are most often something very simple; only one must know how to notice them. We need to remember that truths almost always are revelations, and that’s what makes them beautiful. This is what I tried to show in AQUARIUM 2. Why Aquarium? I probably thought of two things. For the first time I personally felt the passage of time; I felt that I lived in a time aquarium, and I wanted to realise it more deeply, and on the other hand I thought of Suvorov’s Aquarium, and of an antidote to that evil aquarium of his.
Aquarium is a partly autobiographical description by Viktor Suvorov of the GRU (Soviet military intelligence directorate). The ‘Aquarium’ of the title is the nickname given to GRU headquarters in Moscow by those who worked there.” Malgorzata Sidor.

AKQUARIUM 1 and 2. 2008
Wienczyslaw Sporecki

Born in 1964. Lives and works in the United Kingdom.
Artist – Photography and installation. Co-founder of the Artists’ Association fabs.
“After the period of primary and secondary education, 1970–1983, as a result of his upbringing at home, he engaged in activities against the political system effective at that time in Poland. This situation also contributed to the blockage by the authorities of further normal education and his forced enlistment in the army. 1981 saw a breakthrough in the decision to become an artist. Initially, thanks to his alternative education and independent contacts with lecturers of the Visual Arts High School in his hometown, he was educating himself and working in the field of graphic design and painting. His works at that time displayed serious political commitment; were inspired by German expressionism and DADA, and in particular by Kurt Schwitters, who fascinated him. These elements led to the creation of ‘Mobile Gallery MERZ1’ – an author’s gallery in a suitcase, whose space were some places that the artist reached during his artistic journeys, during which he found alternative spaces of contact with audiences (railway stations, private apartments, parks, underground passages, pedestrian streets, etc.), transformed into Mobile Gallery MERZ1’s space for the duration of art activity. After 1984, he gradually moved away from political involvement – as a result, among others, of forced service in the army – which he abandoned after taking up studies at the Faculty of Textile Design of the State Academic School of Visual Arts in Lodz in 1986; which he subsequently abandoned at the turn of 1988/89, disappointed by the lack of authority figures and the rigid framework of the educational programme inhibiting individual development. He defines this period by the sentence: ‘I never studied there, and only walked around this school’s corridors, looking for something intriguing...’. Contacts with independent culture circles, regular artistic travels around the country, outside official institutions of visual arts, and intense creative work resulted in a large number of presentations and his working out his own ways of communicating with the audience, which can be termed ‘physical Internet’ – a very direct, as for those times, relationship with the audience, which consisted not only of the presentation of his own work, but also of placing them in the context of the audience’s familiarity with art, including talks about the circumstances of the making of the work, theory and the artist’s ideas. After the political transformations in Poland and in Eastern European countries in 1989, he joined the mainstream activities. Unfortunately, he soon discovered the superficial nature of those transformations, which also led to the elaboration of the method of ‘anonymous artist’ and ‘fractional existence’. In 1996 he started to function as ‘Rudolf Schwarz – signum fractional existence’. At the same time he resigned from functioning in the official artistic circuit. Having met Malgorzata Sidor in September 1997, he began his involvement in the idea of creating the Artists’ Association fabs, which has become his only official form of functioning in the public space. The shows are extremely intimate. They are documented exceptionally sparingly, and their essence is a direct conversation with the audience, aimed at a thorough description and conveying the intent of the piece. An important stage of the artist's path was the work as documentary photographer in press agencies in 1998–2003, deliberately subordinated to the idea of ‘fractional existence’. Since 10 April 2010 (the day of the tragic plane crash of the Polish presidential delegation in Russia) he has lived in exile in the U.K.” Wienczyslaw Sporecki

“(Wienczyslaw Sporecki) is interested in the structures of power and the specific methods of influencing this power on people. He is trying to show the impact of public institutions on the functioning of various communities… Several photographs depict soldiers in a military unit. The signatures below are ‘Tal’, ‘Dioxin’, ‘Cortisol’, ‘Ergot’, ‘Bromine salt’. These are the names of toxic chemicals that can be used in foodstuffs, which can not be seen. Tal easily dissolves in water. In this way was poisoned former Russian intelligence agent, Alexander Litvinenko. Dioxins can be smuggled in vegetables. They were used against the current Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko. Cortisol can be given in meat. Ergot, the hallucinogen-inducing hallucinogenic parasite can be used in flour, and the brominated salt in salt. With these substances you can eliminate uncomfortable people. These are all new activities that have not been treated so far as military. And yet they use military special forces. It turns out that today a soldier does not have to wear a uniform and his weapon does not have to be a rifle.” Joanna Kiwilszo, 2008

Piotr Szymor

Lives and works in Warsaw, Poland.
Translator and Editor. Co-founder of the Artists’ Association fabs.
1978-1984. University of Lodz
M.A. in English Philology – specialisation: English literature.
1989-1995 University of Oxford (St Hugh’s College)
Postgraduate studies - passed a D. Phil. Qualifying Exam
Doctoral thesis: Shakespeare’s Novella-shaped World
Residencies as Translator
Spring 2007 Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium, Straelen, Germany
20/07-20/08. 2007 Das Übersetzerhaus Looren in Zürich, Switzerland
21/09-4/10.2009 The House of Literature at Lefkes, Paros, Greece

UnpackAssembleAddDiscardCreate - last weekend coming up

A project of William Seeto, showing work by Adrian Hall, Sibylle Hofter & William Seeto.

Artists talks 4.30pm Saturday 10 November

Closing event 6pm Saturday 10 November

Open 11am - 5pm Friday - Sunday until 11 November.

Sybille Hofter

Adrian Hall

William Seeto


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Tag Archives: Emily Matyas

Local Photographer Travels to Romania

Local Photographer Travels to Romania,
Lives Daily Life of Peasant Ancestors

For 25 years, local photographer Emily Matyas captured the Mexican spirit and heritage on film while living in Sonora, Mexico. In October, she decided it was time to catalogue her own heritage, a journey that would take her to the distant peasant villages of Romania.

Emily Matyas - Morning in the Beautiful Room 600px

Image “Morning in the Beautiful Room” by Emily Matyas

For Tempe photographer Emily Matyas, her deceased father’s Romanian heritage was always a mystery, a missing piece in the puzzle of her sense of self. In Oct. 2013, she decided it was time to fill in the blanks.

With friend and fellow photographer Kathleen Laraia McLaughlin, an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Emily made her way to the Romanian village of Sarbi, where she would spend 10 days taking self-portraits as she lived the life of her peasant ancestors — wearing the traditional garb, helping with the exhausting chores, and interacting with the locals.

“I decided to photograph myself as if I were my grandmother, as if I had lived there all my life,” Emily said. “You can hear all the stories you want about your relatives, but when you actually go and experience their lives, it is a totally different level of understanding.”

Though Emily admits she often felt like a fish out of water living in a village of outhouses, haystacks and ancient customs, she said the trip helped her understand her identity more fully.

“This experience had to do with belonging,” said Matyas. “I had to find out where I belonged and this trip made me feel complete. If people have questions about their heritage or identity, then these photos may represent a way to find what they are looking for.”

People will have the chance to view Emily’s photographs, along with seven other up-and-coming photographers, during “Home Bound,” an art exhibition Jan. 17 to Feb. 28 at Gilbert’s Art Intersection (207 North Gilbert Road, Suite 201, Gilbert).

“The exhibition looks at the main differences of perspective on what we think of as home,” said “Home Bound” Curator Carol Panaro-Smith. “The work is full of beauty, but also makes us think about our home, experience and heritage.”

Other photographers featured will include LA-based artist Kristin Bedford, whose images of the “Father Divine” religious sect were recently featured in the New York Times, and Daniel Coburn, a Kansas-based photographer whose first book “The Hereditary Estate” is due for release April 14.

“People are bound to home, for better or for worse,” said Matyas. “I would hope that the viewers can take away different meanings of home that support and guide them in their lives.”

Emily Matyas - Walking Into the Picture 600x400px

Image “Walking Into the Picture” by Emily Matyas

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Cover ai2teacheryheader

Refresh and develop your art with ideas from women artists

In the original Artist Inspired course we looked at the work of various male artists from history to revitalise and enrich our art.

This is Artist Inspired II: 'The Women'.

Dive into a diverse mix of female artists from past and present, explore their ideas and techniques, play and experiment to your heart's content...

...and use what you learn to develop the unique voice of your own art.

“I love how you fit in so much inspiring and useful teaching in a way that is simple & clean – and therefore visually digestible online. Your presence and humor comes through wonderfully in your work & video commentary, in a way keeps us focused on the art. And I really appreciate the insightful details like "if you loved this artist, you may like" and the lists of words to keep in mind when experimenting with each artist's approach. Brilliant!””

Elizabeth Teal

This course is for you if:

  • You're in an art rut and could do with some fresh new energy and inspiration
  • You love exploring the work of other artists but find it hard not to just copy them
  • You love making art but work best with a jumping off point
  • You want to develop your own artistic voice
  • You love art history
  • You like to work at your own pace...
  • ...but also like access to a group of friends to share and discuss the work with
  • You enjoyed Artist Inspired and would like to explore the work of some female artists now :)

“I feel as though I have a lot more options available to me with regards to style and I have a much better idea of how to abstractify my art. I was so tired of copying other artists and trying so hard to get it perfect, and now I don’t have to anymore and I’m happy about that.”

Carol Gey van Pittius, Artist Inspired student

When I had the idea for the original Artist Inspired, it was sparked by both the experience and observation that two things often happen to us as artists:

  1. We get stuck in ruts and feel uninspired at times
  2. While it's natural and even helpful to be inspired by other artists, it can be hard to do so without copying them or being overly influenced, and losing our own voice in the process

I knew these were frequent concerns, from my own practice, and from observing and talking to others. I wanted to find out how to allow other artists to inspire me - and to enjoy the fascinating wealth of art history - without copying them. So I created the course to showcase the work of some of the greatest artists in history and find ways to learn from them while developing our own artist voices. I didn't think about it much at the time, but all the artists I chose were men!

This 'sequel course' redresses the balance, with a selection of women artists, both contemporary and historical, whose work is powerful and distinctive, and whose techniques and ideas we can certainly borrow and play with while navigating our own journeys as artists.

“I loved every single lesson!! My passion is growing and I know what colors and some paint strokes I am drawn to. I feel braver.”

Mary Ann Echols, Artist Inspired student

What you'll learn

  • Key points about the life and background of each artist
  • Insights into their processes that you can borrow and experiment with
  • A variety of ways to begin a painting
  • How to adopt an experimental approach that encourages confident exploration
  • What the artists felt about their work and how that can inform your own
  • How to take aspects of another artist's work and go beyond copying to adapt and develop them into your own
  • Techniques used by the artists that you can translate into your own work, such as adding gold leaf, using different types of tools, and working from photos
  • What materials can be used to create different effects and types of art
  • How to think laterally about what inspires you and step outside your own boundaries
  • How to use key words to focus your painting
  • That even the most successful, experienced and talented artists had to deal with demons too
  • How to use apps to develop a painting
  • How to deal with paintings that just don't work

About Tara

Avatar taraleaver 3 17 1000

I’m Tara, artist, writer, and creative encourager. :) I have been where you are, many times! I’ve lost touch with my connection to inspiration and I’ve found my way back, and continue to do so. I’ve also found myself tangled up in the fine line between inspiration and being heavily influenced by another artist, and not knowing quite what’s mine.

We all have a unique energetic signature that will come through in our art and make it cohesive and recognisable if we're prepared to keep at it. It can be very easy to lose track of that however, with all the inspiration around us, and our curious artist minds constantly at work!

This course is about harnessing that inspiration, and expanding on it, so you can become ever more familiar with what’s truly yours about your art, and develop it into something distinctive and consistent, while exploring the legacy of those who've gone before us.
With Artist Inspired II I’ve combined my love of art history and some of my favourite women artists with a range of approaches and ideas to jump start and develop your art!

Which artists will we be exploring?

Lesson One:
Joan Mitchell

Lesson Two:
Marlene Dumas

Lesson Three:
Helen Frankenthaler

Lesson Four:
Georgia O'Keeffe

Lesson Five:
Joan Eardley

Lesson Six:
Alice Baber

Lesson Seven:
Barbara Rae
Lesson Eight:
Anne Ryan

Lesson Nine:
Maggi Hambling

Lesson Ten:
Dominique Fortin

Screenshot secret extras 2

Registration is now closed.

Click the button below to hear when the course next opens.

Artist Inspired II: 'The Women'

  • 10+ lessons, each including a video exercise, ideas, tips, and information about the artist for context and inspiration
  • Suggestions for taking the ideas presented and making them your own
  • Further resources to really immerse in the artists and their work
  • Instant access to the entire course; start when you're ready and take it at your own pace
  • An invitation to a private Facebook group for sharing and feedback
  • Lifetime access so you can revisit the course any time

Join the waiting list


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Aboriginal Art

Arkeria Rose Armstrong
a vibrant young female Gamilaraay artist, was born in a small town in South Australia called Ceduna in 1988 to Stephanie and Robert Armstrong. Art has always been a part of Arkeria’s life. Her mum still has her childhood drawings in boxes under her bed as well as a few pictures framed and displayed in their family home. Arkeria now lives in Bendigo, Victoria with her partner and is in her final year of university studying teaching. Naturally she is majoring in art and likes to use her artistic skills when teaching. Her middle name comes from her grandmother Rose Fernando who has since sadly passed away. Rose Fernando was a Gamilaraay Elder and one of the last sand painters in northern NSW and her special nickname for Arkeria was “Lilly-Rose”. She had a significant influence on Arkeria, both in her daily life and now years later in her art. Arkeria credits her grandmother and her mother for encouraging her to develop a strong connection to culture and a strong personal identity. Women are intrinsically linked to the stories portrayed in her artwork. Women telling stories, sharing ideas and knowledge is what Arkeria has known all her life and this can be seen in her art.

Peter Overs
Peter Overs was born in Brisbane in 1976. A Kamilaroi man, his home country is Dirranbandi in South-West Queensland. Growing up, Peter had continual exposure to his country with hunting trips, fishing and story-telling of his people’s traditional ways. This ongoing exposure to and connection with his culture saw him join a group of 26 young men who became the first Kamilaroi to be formally initiated into tribal ways for around 100 years. As part of that process, Peter took the traditional name of Dhinawan or Emu. Peter primarily paints his people’s Emu Dreaming Story which relates to the balance and order of the universe. In the story, the emu eats the quandong fruit and the seeds get stuck in its feet and beak. As the emus move around the countryside they disperse the seed and new quandong fruit regenerate. Peter’s started to paint over 25 years ago and he has taken inspiration from Dorothy Napangardi, Walala Tjapaltjarri and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa. It was their works and encouragement that saw him develop his own unique style that he continues to explore today. Peter currently lives in Alice Springs.

Sarrita King
Sarrita King was born in Adelaide, South Australia on the 5th March 1988. She is the younger sister to fellow artist, Tarisse King and daughter to the late highly regarded artist, William King Jungala. Sarrita inherits her Australian Aboriginality from her father who was part of the Gurindji tribe from the Northern Territory. The Gurindji tribe came to public attention during the 1960s and 1970s when members employed by the Wave Hill cattle station led a landmark case which became the first successful land rights claim in Australia. It is this same strong sense of self and pride that Sarrita embodies and it fuels her drive to paint her totemic landscape. Sarrita spent most of her youth growing up in Darwin in the Northern Territory. Not far from where her ancestors inhabited, it is here that her connection to her Aboriginality and subsequently the land was able to grow. Her exposure to the imperious weather and extreme landscape has provided the theme for her works of art, since she began painting at age 16. Rolling sand hills, cracking lightning and thunderstorms, torrential rain, fire, desert and tangled bush are all scathing environmental factors that shaped her forefather’s lives and also her own. Depicting these elements in her paintings, Sarrita provides a visual articulation of the earth’s language.

June Peters
June was born on Texas Downs Station in 1962. She has lost both her mother and father however Madigan Thomas (Senior ochre artist) and husband Sandy Thomas, a Traditional Elder, brought her up and treat her like a daughter. She lives in Kununurra, has eight children and visits her relatives at Warmun frequently. She was from an early age taught painting by the best of our famous first generation ochre artists, including Jack Britten (dcd), Madigan Thomas, Lena Nyadbi. These Elders devoted their lives to teaching youngsters culture, Traditional Dreamtime stories and ochre painting technique. June is the niece of our most famous ochre artist, Rover Thomas. June’s mother was one of five sisters (Rita being Rover’s wife) and every one of these women, all from Texas Downs Station, have produced highly talented artists. June’s eldest daughter Deanne is following in her mother’s footsteps and is an accomplished artist.June has an extended family, and through her mother, father, aunties and uncles, is able to paint the huge expanse of Kitja land, including Purnululu (Bungles) and Doon Doon. This gives the artist a wonderful content for her works, and June is fastidious about the Kitja Dreaming Stories represented in her paintings. She travels extensively in her country, and paints with precision and authenticity. June paints both in the typical Warmun style (thick, crusty ochre), as well as fine, detailed works in minimal palette. She is the only artist we know who has completed collaborative works with the highly sought after artist Tommy Carroll – June’s detailed style combined with Tommy’s balanced, minimal imaging resulted in magic paintings.

Thomas Tjapaltjarri
Thomas Tjapaltjarri was born sometime around 1964 in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. Thomas and his family which includes fellow artists Warlimpirrnga, Walala, Yukultji, Yalti and Tjakaria led a completely nomadic life until they emerged from the desert, coming to Kiwirrkurra in 1984. Dubbed “the Last Nomads” or “the Pintupi nine”, they had had no contact with western society until this point. Amazingly, he transitioned from an utterly traditional lifestyle to commencing as an artist within a matter of a few years and painting the traditional stories of his people. Thomas paints simple, geometric designs and uses a dotting technique shared with other Pintupi artists such as his brothers, Warlimpirrnga and Walala, and with Willy and George Ward Tjungurrayi. Thomas’s works explore the stories of the Tingari cycle. Tingari are the legendary beings of the Pintupi people that travelled the desert performing rituals, teaching law, creating landforms and shaping what would become ceremonial sites. As far as we can know, the meanings behind Tingari paintings are multi-layered, however, those meaning are not available to the uninitiated.

Debra Young Nakamarra
comes for an important and influential family of artists from the Western Desert region in Central Australia. She was born in 1964 to parents; Walangkura Napanangka and Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula; both of who are famous Western Desert artists represented by Papunya Tula Artists. Along with Debra, her two sisters’ Lorraine Yungut Nakamarra and Katherine Marshall Nakamarra are also emerging artists in their own right. Central Art has the pleasure of presenting art by Debra, Lorraine, and Walangkura Napanangka.Debra began painting in 1984 along with her sisters, under the guidance of their mother who taught them their Dreaming stories. Walangkura also shared with them the important traditional Aboriginal iconography used to depict stories through art. As such Debra’s works are similar and fit within the Papunya Tula movement with thick paint application and dots which join. Of course Debra has made her Dreaming her own by adding her own preferred colours and individual touch. Debra’s depictions are bold, strong and culturally significant for Pintupi women.The women’s stories which Debra is known for share the sacred knowledge of women’s places where Dreamtime stories are shared and handed down through the generations. She focuses on the geographical features of the Western Desert around Kiwirrkurra and Papunya, displaying rock holes, sand hills and caves. The traditional iconography represents meeting places and the landscapeand encompasses all the important “business” which occurs at these sites.Debra mixes the traditional designs with bright and feminine colours such as orange, purple and pink and as you view the artworks you get a sense of the important stories which are shared through the artwork on multiple levels – through the land and the emotional connection between women as they share stories and participate in ceremonies. Central Art has some good examples of her painting style and colour schemes.Debra’s works have begun to be exhibited more in the recent past with her works being recognised and admired by local Alice Springs galleries and around Australia. She is an emerging artist and the stories that are shared through her artwork are important and sacred for Pintupi people and as such should be included in any collection.http://artnassau42.com/artist/aboriginal-art/

Artworks in the gallery


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Bresser Biorit ICD CS (review)

So a while back i've decided to buy a stereoscopic microscope. Not a microscope to look at bacteria but a microscope to look at microchips. The QFN48 I've replaced on my C.H.I.P I've been looking around and I saw that Louis from The Rossmann Repair Group uses

Posted by Ashley Van Steenacker on December 09, 2016


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Chinese Canadian Stories

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Chinese Canadian Stories

[edit] Vision Statement

The “Chinese Canadian Stories: Uncommon Histories from a Common Past” web portal is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary project led by the University of British Columbia Library and Simon Fraser University Library. Funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP), the project will serve as a valuable mechanism of communication and collaboration between UBC, SFU, community partners and students. This project will reshape the way all of us understand Canada, and reclaim the forgotten histories of peoples who have long been ignored in Canadian history.

For more than 200 years, migrants of Chinese heritage have traveled to Canada to live, to work, and to raise their families. They have come at different times and from different places in China and throughout the world. Many have called a variety of places home before coming to Canada, but once here, they formed vibrant communities that have significantly shaped Canadian society.

Until now, there has never been a one-stop web portal dedicated to collecting, digital archiving, accessing and distributing information about Chinese Canadian history.

[edit] About the CCS Project

The project involves the coordination of an array of academic units within UBC that are each at the forefront of their fields. It brings together the outstanding expertise and resources of a wide range of UBC campus units and off-campus partners, including local civic institutions and community non-profit organizations. The initiative aims to create:

1) A portal website that will be the first stop for Chinese Canadian history that is multilingual with English and Chinese resources

2) A digital archive that deposits and preserves digital material created from partner organizations funded by the CHRP and saves it in a searchable database

3) Workshops in the summer of 2010 and 2011 that will be attended by participants from local community organizations and from targeted community organizations across Canada that are receiving CHRP funding. These workshops, along with select community engagement events across the nation, will also help promote the process of digital preservation and collection and share what occurred at the summer workshops.

4) Promotion of Grade 5-12 classroom use of both the portal website and the digital materials through the creation of learning resources and teaching materials that will use CHRP created materials, embedding the material within a rethinking of the role of Chinese and First Nations peoples in the building of the CPR and in building Canada. The project aims to print 500 copies of teaching guides for the use of the downloadable web resources that can be accessed for free at the UBC website.

5) Virtual experiences that will appear in different forms on the portal website and within portable interactive kiosks, to be launched in early 2012.

This project was made possible through funding from the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP), part of the Citizenship and Multiculturalism Branch. The CHRP program funds community-based commemorative and educational projects that provide recognition of the experiences of ethno-cultural communities affected by historical wartime measures and/or immigration restrictions applied in Canada, and that promote these communities’ contributions to building Canada.

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Huangshan: the Magical Yellow Mountain

When we were standing in a thunderstorm, with spectacular lightning, sheltering from the torrential rain that was threatening to go over the TOP of my shoes it didn’t seem to be a good idea that we’d said “screw the weather” and continue with our planned trip to Huangshan, the Yellow Mountain.

We’d already conquered fears and Mount Huashan, and despite the calf trembling pain of the few days after that, we’d gone back for more. This time, it wasn’t a sacred mountain, just another item on the Bucket List.

Not as easy to get to either. To get here, after our sojourn to Nanjing, we’d had to take an afternoon train south to Huangshan.  The train station that actually is not near the mountain Huangshan, but actually the town of Tunxi (but it’s called Huangshan).

We stayed in our cheapest accommodation to date, at 65 CNY, we paid just GBP 6.50 or (USD 10 ish) for our 10 hours or so in the very good value, but don’t look too hard Yongle Hostel literally on top of the station in Tunxi.

We stumbled over the bus to the town at the base of Huangshan, paid our 22 CNY and bounced around the back seat of the bus for an hour until we arrived in Tankou.  This is often also called Huangshan, just I think to confuse us westerners.

We sweated our way down the main street, looking for both the bus station and also the Ala Hotel, which cunningly provides pictures of what it looks like in the dark, but not the daylight. 7 locals later we were in the lobby asking to store our bags until we arrived back for our booking 36 hours later. No problem.

Map from Ala

Map from Ala

The great team at the reception desk through a three way English-Chinese conversation also provided what I think is the best map of Huangshan.  They suggested a route for us to walk and arranged to buy our bus tickets for on onward trip to Hangzhou once we’d returned.

Minutes later we were heading for the bus station and the 18 CNY tickets to take us to the Huangshan ticket office. This was going to be another of those not cheap visits to a Chinese mountain.

Our shuttle bus took us to the East Steps base, where in torrential rain we bought our 230 CNY (YOUCH! that’s GBP 23) tickets for the mountain and the single cable car ticket, another 80 CNY. By just after noon we were zooming up a very misty, drizzle bound Yellow Mountain on the Yongu cableway, or telpher.

10 minutes into our foray onto the mountain we were donning waterproofs.  Then we were sheltering under the trees with 20 other Chinese tourists considering the folly of our ways and listening to the hugely loud thunder cracks. But we were here, and we trudged on, contemplating the mist through the trees, and the grey outlook now below us. Similar to Huashan, there are no trails as such , it’s all concrete or stone paths, and there are steps upon steps upon steps.

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We’d made it to poetically named “Beginning to Believe Peak” – named apparently, by a disbelieving tourist that there was anything worth looking at up here. We were wet, our feet were sodden and we were contemplating the selfie that would contain just our faces, rain day hair and a grey background, when all of a sudden the mists cleared.

Beginning to Believe

Beginning to Believe

Magical. We were there on Beginning to Believe Peak, suddenly believing. It wasn’t just us, we met a Chinese national, back from 30 years in the USA, who snapped a shot of us, as she said it mirrored the delight that she felt too, beginning to believe.

Delight as the mist clears

Delight as the mist clears

We were staying on the mountain to try and catch a sunrise, as unlike Mt. Huashan, it’s not possible walk up Huangshan in the dark.  So your options for sunrises and sunsets are to stay on the mountain or stay on the mountain. There are quite a few places to stay. We’d chosen the cheapest best located for a sunrise, the Behai hotel and headed there to check in and claim our beds before continuing our hike around the summit.

At the Behai

At the Behai

We’d gone for dorm beds at the Behai, which even so cost us 240 CNY each. Separate male and female dorms. Double rooms started at 720 CNY, and we figured that we’d be getting up at 0430 for the sunrise anyways. We ended up rooming next door to each other and without a keycard for the rooms – which have 6 bunk beds each.

The usual in cheaper chinese beds – there is a wooden board involved and not a great deal of comfort. It was clean though, with clean bedding (the reviews on TripAdvisor worryingly had warned that there wouldn’t be) and there was a bathroom in each room – it had just been a regular room, with the twin beds replaced by three sets of bunks.

I ended up sharing with 2 sets of Chinese girls, who stayed in the room all afternoon and evening glued to a very loud TV watching what I can only imagine was crap Chinese TV. I suspect the content wasn’t relevant, because there was even a program in American English broadcast. That was crap too, but they watched avidly until I made a point of turning the lights off….

Food options on the mountain are not limited at all. They’re only limited by what you want to spend. It looked like a great full menu in the restaurant at the Behai – which also had one of the fastest in China wifi connections available in the public areas, but it was expensive. We figured that a main course each would have set us back around 150 CNY.. so we headed outside, using the experience of Nige’s roomie who hailed from Marin County (how cool, a neighbor!).

Corn on the cob, a parcel of sticky rice and two Chinese sausages (contents unknown) each for the bargain cost of 24 CNY. Beers were off the menu being too expensive, but we’d lugged tea bags up the mountain and had a kettle in the dorms, so we were going to drink tea.

I’ve written before about the noise that the Chinese make. They excelled themselves at the Behai. We were bedding down at around 10pm, with alarms set for 0420, with a start planned for 0430 (we’d come back for showers after the sunrise). Sunrise was scheduled to be 0518. And still the noise continued in the corridors, and in adjoining rooms. Doors banging. The usual shouting conversation going on outside the door. Damn. Should have brought the earplugs up the mountain.

None of my fellow roomies snored. But two of them did start to get up at 0330, but that’s ok, because I was wide awake by then, because clearly some other groups were also getting up, and had applied the “If I’m awake, then all the rest of you are going to be too” technique of justifying their early rise.

Stumbling out in the dark we followed the crowds, up more steps and as they headed to the designated “best place to watch the sunrise” and as they continued on, we peeled off to the right, found ourselves a wall over the cliff and claimed our spot.

It was glorious. Watching the scene go from dark, to dawn to the sun rising. Watching the mountains and trees slowly take form and the landscape change. It was worth the extra cost, the sleepless night, the irritation at the smokers in the cafe area where the wifi was and the annoying know it all travelers who persisted in competing with Chinese noise levels and giving us the benefit of their considerable experience.

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As good as Sunrise got

As good as Sunrise got

The weather didn’t get any better. In fact the sunrise was the best part of the day – as the sun rose the mist rolled in and the drizzle started. The wind got up and by mid morning it was 40 miles an hour at the top. We’d planned to walk around the peaks at the top, summit Lotus Peak and Celestial mountain, but they were closed. Our calves thanked us immensely and agreed to walk down the mountain instead of taking the cable car down.

IMG_0691Even so, the walk down was 15 km and took us four hours, we took the longer, more scenic route – known commonly as the Western Steps (as opposed to the Eastern Steps – which we’d bypassed by using the Yungu cableway). Easier than the descent from West Peak to the North Peak Cableway on Huashan because the steps were much more uniform, but harder as the wind made it hairy, and the sheer number of steps were just overwhelming. We passed sedan chair offer after sedan chair offer, we passed folks on their way up. We peered at the Welcoming Pine through the fog and held on tight to handrails as we slipped down wet treacherous steps.

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We considered the small food, drink and souvenir stalls on the way down.  The price here was just the same as the prices at the top, but here, everything has to be carried in, there’s no cable car to ease the load.

Like we said on the Great Wall, anything we buy we have to carry, so thanks, but NO. Especially to the child size bamboo chair, which seemed to have no place 3 km’s up a mountain.

We passed porter after porter, some carrying what we calculated to be more than 148lbs of weight. And looking at them (and their calf muscles) you’ve got to believe that was actually more than their own body weight! They carried rice, gas bottles, bottles of water, coke, vegetables.

We saw groups of tourists, blindly following their guide, who in one of the most irritating features of a Chinese mountain, use small speaker sets to broadcast their patter. Don’t come to the mountains for peace and quiet..

Walking down through the Forest

Walking down through the Forest

Need a lift down?

Need a lift down?

New Career?

New Career?

Maps on the mountain leave a lot to be desired...

Maps on the mountain leave a lot to be desired…

We walked through the forest at the bottom, listening to the high pitched sound of the crickest, of insects and of something else, very loud and shrill.

And we arrived at the bottom, paid our 18 CNY for the shuttle bus ,although you can actually walk down the road as well if you so wish. Before long we ended up back in Tankou.

Huangshan won’t be our last mountain in China, but it’s certainly memorable. I can still recall the delight on that mist clearing.  I remember how incredible it was to see the landscape change as daylight broke.

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About Sarah Carter

Sarah Carter is an avid reader, writer and traveller. She loves hiking, sailing, skiing and exploring the world through food. She left a successful career in IT security and compliance in both the UK and US to travel the world with husband and partner in adventure, Nigel.

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