In Buddhist culture, there exists the core notion of the three poisons, which are considered to be the cause of all sufferings.

In English, the poisons are generally translated as confusion, desire, and hatred, or variations of these terms.

In my experience, while confusion and hatred are generally grasped correctly, the poison of desire is often misunderstood.

In short, confusion refers to the mistaken notion that individuals exist in separation from one another and from everything else. In other words, it corresponds to identification to an « I » that is separate from everything else.

From this confusion, hatred, or aversion, arises. It refers to the feeling that results from being confronted to a particular experience one doesn’t appreciate, and to the activity of nurturing this feeling.

Similarly, from this confusion, desire, or greed, arises. But what does it refer to ?

One definition of desire is : « the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state. » So, in other words, desire refers to the feeling that results from being confronted to the absence of a particular experience one appreciates, and to the activity of nurturing this feeling.

·

In order to avoid the sufferings that stem from desire and aversion, it is tempting to simply eliminate what causes desire and aversion. In other words, just like, in the case of aversion, one might be tempted to sever all interactions with objects of aversion, in the case of desire, one might be tempted to relinquish all objects of desire.

In my experience, this temptation to avoid, although quite common it would seem, is based in error. It stems from not recognizing the function of the arising of the objects of both desire and aversion.

I believe it is important to recognize that objects of aversion arise in order to redirect the individual on their path. They are important clues that inform about something which has gone wrong, that the mark has been missed. And thus, trying to suppress them once they have arisen is like denying oneself of the lesson. Ultimately, it is choosing not to learn, and not to grow. So in this sense it is self-denial.

Attempting to eradicate objects of aversion is the act of compounding error with additional error. It is creating more bad karma, instead of attempting to understand, and to create good karma. It only makes matters worse. A striking illustration of this course of action would be escalation of hostilities leading to war.

·

The next interrogation is then : why do objects of desire arise ?

According to the Wiktionary, the word « desire » could come from de and sidus, the latter meaning « a star. »

Thus, I believe it is essential to realize that objects of desire arise in order to confirm that the actions of the individual are on the mark. They are important beacons too. They inform about something which is going according to plan. They embody the next part of the path which is gradually coming into view.

The function of such objects of desire is also to provide incentives for maintaining the forward motion on the rightful path. As such, they are essential to keep the growth process alive. They are stars pointing to the destination and the repentance-free path.

So, similarly, attempting to relinquish objects of desire is basically self-denial. It is the act of not rewarding good practice. It creates bad karma, bad habit-energy, because of training oneself in such a fashion as to prevent the process from occurring properly.

·

In my view, the crucial distinction to make is that the problem is not the objects of desire, but desire itself. The problem is in the sustaining of that feeling that something is absent. In other words, it is focusing on missing instead of focusing on the process which leads to getting.

It is a problem because it throws off the process. When energy is not invested in the process, the process doesn’t yield fruits. And when the process doesn’t yield fruits, then, eventually, it becomes tempting to abandon the process altogether.

And then all sorts of doubts arise. Perhaps the process isn’t worthwhile, or perhaps one isn’t worthy, or perhaps it’s not okay to want things, or perhaps it’s not okay to have things, or perhaps one doesn’t deserve anything and everything. Ultimately, if they are pursued, all such doubts become hurts which will have to be healed.

It is important to observe that these doubts are objects of aversion themselves. Doubt is not a pleasant experience. When these doubts arise, they in fact inform us that something is going wrong, namely, that the process has been abandoned. And indeed, when one resumes focusing on process, these doubts vanish.

Thus, all kind of problems arise when one stops addressing the process, and instead becomes obsessive about the fruits. That is desire. That is the poison.

·

And I guess the point is, that it’s okay to want things and to have things. In fact, it is necessary if one is to live in the ordinary. It’s part of the process. And it’s okay to have a dream, or a vision in one’s mind about where one wants to go or what one wants to experience. In fact, isn’t it unavoidable ?

But if one finds that when they pursue the vision, their efforts don’t seem to bring them any closer to it, then making themselves feel bad about it by concentrating on the unsatisfied state is to be avoided. Because that is desire. That is the poison.

One should instead resume concentrating on process.

Why focus on denial and distance, instead of focusing on entitlement and the joy of the experience of advancing towards, and reaching the object of desire ? Why thus make distance and denial seem bigger, instead of emphasizing the positive aspects ?

Isn’t desire subtly masochistic ? Isn’t it an addiction to self-denial, and suffering, and gloominess ?

Instead, why not direct one’s efforts towards what one can do, in the present moment, to keep going forward towards the fulfillment of the vision ?

·

(« Photo of the magnetic field of two bar magnets with unlike poles close together » by Alexander Wilmer Duff)

There are equivalents to this interpretation in other cultures. For instance :

In « The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan » :

Many times a person in a pessimistic mood, in a kind of disturbed condition may wish for death, wish for failure, wish for anything. If he only knew what an effect it has, he would be frightened. Even in pain, if a person could refrain from saying: ‘I am in pain’, he would do a great deal of good to himself. If a person who has met with misfortune would even avoid saying: ‘I am experiencing misfortune’, it would be a great thing. For when a person acknowledges the existence of something he does not want, he only gives it a greater life. In the same way when a person acknowledges something that he wants, he gives that life too. But when a person says: ‘Oh, I have waited and waited and waited; my ship will never come’, he is keeping his ship back in the sea. His ship will never arrive in the port, while the one who does not even see the ship, but says: ‘It is coming, it is coming’ – he is calling it. It will come.

(source : The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Vol. Two – THE MYSTICISM OF SOUND AND MUSIC, CHAPTER I : The Power of the Word)

From Søren Kierkegaard :

Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.

From Henry David Thoreau :

The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

From Richard Wagner

One supreme fact which I have discovered is that it is not willpower, but fantasy-imagination that creates. Imagination is the creative force. Imagination creates reality.

·

And in conclusion, as far as Buddhism is concerned, I believe it is important to realize that

Buddhism proposes vehicles (namely : Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, wherein the -yana suffix translates as vehicle).

Or, in other words, Buddhism does not propose destinations, apart perhaps from its core promise of leading to the end of suffering, which can be construed as a sort of destination.

But from this, one shouldn’t infer that there aren’t any destinations, as, obviously, if there weren’t any, then why would vehicles be needed ?

Perhaps the point is not to systematically let go of everything, like the proverbial monk in the cave at the top of mountain, in the hopes of attaining an ultimate experience of complete enlightenment, from which there is no return.

Perhaps what Buddhism proposes is a way of functioning in the cosmos, free of suffering, by virtue of having recognized the mechanisms of the cosmos, and of diligently remaining observant of these mechanisms so as to stay on the repentance-free path.

Perhaps enlightenment is correctly understanding the vehicles, recognizing how and why they work, and extinguishing the tendencies, such as desire, that prevent the vehicles from functioning properly, so as to be able to use the vehicles to reach destinations one envisions, free of suffering, by virtue of having recognized the behaviors that ultimately cause suffering, and of abstaining from them.

Perhaps this is the Magic City, from where everything that can be envisioned can be experienced.

The rationale seems to be that the intent of the challengers is merely to « make wrong, » and that those who challenge are just not « confident in their own beliefs. »

But what then if the intent is not to « make wrong » ? What if the intent is to shed a different light ? What if the prompting comes from the heart and not the ego ? What if the ego tries to ignore the overwhelming need to challenge, but ultimately fails ? Should we abstain from challenging simply because we are confident in our own beliefs ? Should we simply let others cope on their own however they can ?

To me, there’s a major flaw in this abstention. In fact, it would be correct if we were not intrinsically related to one another. But we are…

In my view, there is a form of individualistic spirituality that seems to be rampant these days. In the vocabulary of Buddhism (I use it because it’s the one I know), this would be the equivalent of the Hinayana, which is the so-called « small vehicle » which leads to the so-called « small nirvana. » In my understanding, its hallmark is detachment, whereby one can free themselves, to a certain extent, by recognizing how their attachments cause numerous sufferings.

But this detachment is also a form of attachment, and the detachment cycle must culminate in detachment, not only of attachments, but of detachment itself, and even from the notion of attachment-detachment. This is necessary in order for true engagement to take place, wherein one can truly invest themselves in worthy objectives without egoistic concerns for their own sake.

In Buddhist terminology, this is equivalent to the mission of the Bodhisattva who vows to free not only themselves, but the whole world. This lofty undertaking is not merely an apparently noble but ultimately rhetorical gesture. The Bodhisattva makes the vow because there’s no other choice. When one truly realizes how they are indeed their whole world, then individualistic liberation becomes nonsensical. Why do you think the original Buddha kept on preaching and teaching and setting up schools after enlightenment ? How can one seriously claim to be in any way enlightened while parts of themselves are left utterly in the dark ?

In other words, the so-called small nirvana is all well and good in theory, but in practice, exactly because we are one, exactly because I am you and you are me, exactly because there is no outside, exactly because there’s only this one infinite consciousness that we all partake in, large parts of the world crumble around the Hinayanist while they revel in their navel.

If it were not true, who would need to seek enlightenment ? People would have learned detachment a long while ago and the matter would have been settled for all eternity. But obviously, it is not the case. Small nirvana is actually child’s play. It’s not even one tenth of the battle. « *eff* you » is not the ultimate spiritual way, it’s the way of those whose understanding doesn’t reach beyond their own ego.

In doubt, try it for yourself. It doesn’t take much effort to sever one’s outflows. Anybody with sufficient determination can achieve this in a matter of a few years, and probably even quicker than that if they really mean it. Then, try to remain silent if you can, try to remain aloof. And when occasions for repentance keep arising despite your sainthood, then you’ll know that you cannot let your brothers and sisters in the dark without suffering the sorry consequences.

But thankfully, such a thing cannot happen, exactly because we are all one, we are irresistibly attracted to each other, we are overwhelmingly compelled to interact so as to dispel the utterly dark parts of ourselves.

I exhort you, do not be mistaken, this has never been a « I’m-okay-never-mind-the-others » kind of thing. There’s only one mind. Either all of it is enlightened, or none of us truly is. Either we all go, or nobody goes.

Obviously, there is still work to do. And here is my challenge to you : stop resting on your laurels and start fighting for real !

the « objectiveness » of reality is a function of the strength of identification to self…

the stronger the ego, the more marked the duality between self and non-self…

the aim of reality is to foster the return to egolessness…

thus, the more egotistic one is, the more rigid their reality appears…

and similarly, the less egotistic one is, the more malleable their reality appears…

Mathematics of Karma :

the gap in correlation between what’s outside and what’s inside is a measure of ego…

Back in 1998, I underwent a very peculiar experience, indeed, thus far at least, a once-in-a-lifetime event, which opened many doors for me and confirmed some of the directions I had previously chosen.

In time, I came to consider this occurrence as an instance of satori, a sudden momentary flash of enlightenment if you will, the intensity of which still resonates with me to this very day.

Satori is a Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment that literally means “understanding”. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to a flash of sudden awareness, or individual enlightenment, and is considered a “first step” or embarkation toward nirvana. (source : Wikipedia)

In hindsight, I recognize the event to be a defining moment of my existence as the knowledge I have accessed through this unique experience became a cornerstone of my whole approach to living.

·

At the time, I was living in a large cottage located on Chemin St-Louis in Québec City. Friends and I had rented it in July 1997 so we would have a place to make some music without disturbing the neighbors. Just like the house, the rent was huge, and so the three of us had hoped to enroll three more housemates via ads. Things eventually unfolded as planned and before long there was six young and not-so-young adults living under this one roof.

At the beginning of 1998, I decided to move my belongings from the second floor to the basement where the music room was located. There was a screening room down there, but as we almost never used it, it turned out to be the perfect place for me. It was larger than my former room, so not only did all my stuff fit nicely into it, but it left me with enough space to setup an additional work table, a diminutive atelier where I would paint, draw, and make other such visual art pieces. The move also freed up one room, which allowed us to receive one more housemate. But most importantly for me, I was now just a few feet away from the music studio and that was very much appreciated whenever inspiration would strike, and it did many times a day back then.

I remember investing much time and attention into what I called « exploring the three Ps, » namely, Physics, Psychology, and Philosophy (Eastern philosophies in particular), both online and offline. I had already begun my Buddhist studies a few years earlier, and at the time of the event I had already read the Dhammapada many times, the Tibetan Book of the Dead at least once (perhaps twice my I’m not sure about the timing), and a few short sutras.

Perhaps more importantly, I was nurturing a burgeoning meditation practice, and I had begun reading the Avatamsaka Sutra, possibly the longest text of the Buddhist canon, and surely one of the most thorough. In parallel with that demanding read, which required over two years to complete, I was also reading Stephen Hawking’s « A Brief History of Time » which a housemate friend had recommended.

I was going through one of the most creative and expansive period of my life, always keeping myself purposeful in a desire to uphold Buddhist teachings. I was effectively in charge of the whole household as I was the only one of the three renters who had a steady job, and I had the privilege of working from home which meant I was available most of the time if there was a problem to be addressed around the house. So basically, when I was not developing accounting software, creating music or some other art form, studying Buddhism, exploring the recesses of human knowledge, or taking care of something in the house, chances are it was night and I was sleeping.

And thus, one particular night I had a one-of-a-kind dream wherein everything turned into this blinding pure white light into which I merged. The sheer intensity of the experience woke me up, and there I was in the middle of the night, utterly awestruck at what had just happened, sitting in my bed, deeply absorbed in a new knowledge that had been offered to me in the dream.

I was recognizing that the whole universe was replicated in my mind, but not as if the two were separate entities and that the contents of my brain were somehow a mere copy of the outside world. I was understanding that the mind and the so-called outside world were two aspects of one and the same thing, and that in fact there had never been two things. And I was realizing that a change in one of the two aspects necessarily meant a change in the other. But it was not merely an intellectual realization, it was not just a passing thought. It was like being thoroughly infused with the knowledge. It was like downloading the lesson straight to my neurons, to my whole being in fact. It was like being filled with light. It was like becoming light.

I stood up and moved to my futon where I sat back down, still enthralled by what has just occurred. I remember staying there, just looking in front of me, reflecting on this whole new idea and its ramifications, not being aware of my surroundings nor of the passage of time. When the feeling eventually subsided, I saw that the light of day had entered the screening room through its tiny and only window. Over three hours had passed in what appeared to me as possibly half an hour at the very most. Then I went back to my bed and returned to sleep.

Over the course of the following days, I was tempted many times to discuss what had happened with friends with whom I used to share my findings. But on every occasion I felt unable to weave the topic into the conversation, each time wondering how to « get there » as it always seemed to involve taking too large a step. I trusted that I could describe the event in details, but not that I could convey its intensity nor its full significance, which in fact still exceed my capacity to translate experiences into words. Eventually, other preoccupations took over and finally I decided to keep the whole thing to myself.

·

As I was preparing the present account, I searched for reference material and found the following excerpts in the « satori » entry of Wikipedia.

Satori is typically juxtaposed with the related term kensho, which translates as “seeing one’s nature”. Kensho experiences tend to be briefer glimpses, while satori is considered to be a deeper spiritual experience. Satori is an intuitive experience and has been described as being similar to awakening one day with an additional pair of arms, and only later learning how to use them.

It is therefore customary to use the word satori, rather than kensho, when referring to the realization of the Buddha and the Patriarchs with Bodhisattvas; these figures recognized that “all things are Buddha things” and therefore any separation between self and the universe is illusory.

I find the first excerpt to constitute a very apt illustration of how this realization felt like, while the second is a more traditional way of describing the object of the realization.

·

Looking back, my interpretation is that I’ve been graced to an experience of what is referred to in Buddhist literature as « sudden enlightenment » (as opposed to « gradual enlightenment »). As if my concentrated efforts at understanding had successfully breached the wall which until then had prevented me to access those luminous parts of my mind, allowing me a momentary glimpse at my own nature. Or perhaps I have been granted a peek at the final destination of this growth process that is life. In any case, I would venture that if it is possible for a person to experience heaven in this present existence, then surely this was it.

I wish for every being to experience this very same life-changing wonderful realization. And in fact, probably there is something I can do about it. Perhaps, if I persist in sharing my own experiences and realizations, others will be inspired to reach for them too, and hopefully they will be successful in their attempts. And then, possibly, in turn they will help others do the same, so we can all awaken one day to discover our additional pairs of hands, and keep on striving to hone them.

Samsara

Poligraf’s first album will be entitled “Samsara” in reference to the cycle of reincarnation in Buddhist culture.

Samsara is a Sanskrit and Pali term derived from to “flow together,” “to go or pass through states,” “to wander,” and which translates as “continuous movement” or “continuous flowing.”

In Buddhism, it refers to the concept of a cycle of birth and consequent decay and death, in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Samsara is traditionally associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of nirvana.

An alternative interpretation proposes that Samsara is rather the process one must undergo in order to achieve enlightenment. Proponents of this view believe that individuals create their own worlds on their way to enlightenment. When their current world is starting to decay, they will create a new world and move into it.

As an illustration of this principle, one can consider the many « lives » individuals go through over the course of their physical lives, as they evolve through schools, jobs, relationships, activities, and so forth.

In this perspective, the many ups and downs, joys and pains, successes and failures, achievements and setbacks one experiences on their journey can be seen as metaphors for constant spiritual growth.

In accordance with the latter interpretation, the album presents a collection of compositions that depict the journey of an individual facing a series of challenges through which they will experience various forms of transcendence, on their way to a better version of themselves.

·

In its early years, Poligraf went through numerous changes as non-core members would often come and go for whatever reason. By the time of the dissolution of its original core in February 2003, five years after its inception, the band had already existed in over ten different incarnations. And every time a member joined us or left, a new phase of adaptation would begin as not only did each of us have to adjust to the new group dynamics, but the music would often also change. So, as you can imagine, the band’s general trajectory was pretty much similar to the white line depicted on the album’s artwork, all in ups and downs, although always progressing.

Thus, the album title seems very appropriate to describe this first effort given a band’s history characterized by its many cycles of reincarnations, and which in itself can be regarded as an instance of samsara.

That which you can’t escape
Welcome as a teacher
You will never espouse
More talented lover

That which you won’t challenge
Can’t ever make you wise
But that which you surpass
In freedom makes you rise

That which you merely change
Comes back in a new guise
But that which you outgrow
Won’t again meet your eyes

A free body diagram of a mass on an inclined plane by Mets501

How long have I hankered
For the right way to go
How far have I wandered
To know what I now know

Laying under the moon
Rising up with the crow
And the wail of the loon
In the rain or the glow

How many ups and downs
I had to lose the count
Just as with forms and nouns
To keep climbing the mount

How many times I slipped
Escaping restriction
Expecting to be tripped
By disguised protection

To hell and back again
I journeyed so often
The tempter of his den
Titled me denizen

And all the times I yelled
At the gates of heaven
Why was freedom withheld
Why were no signs given

Through trials I learned the laws
Governing ascension
And got rid of the flaws
Hampering progression

Never I thought I’d shed
This world that never was
Yet where my path has led
Suddenly there I was

Trembling on highwire
Goaded under duress
Across straits so dire
That I had to witness

Known doors becoming walls
So walls could reveal doors
To magnificent halls
And infallible floors

Shatter The Mind Of Scarcity

Map of the Principality of Waldenburg

I was at A. I wanted to get to B. I did not know how to get to B. The questions that came naturally were :

- what do I have to do to get from A to B ?
- what did others do to get to B ?

I never questioned those questions. I should have. Those were wrong questions. The question should have been :

- what must I change in myself to become the person I need to be to be at B ?

And the answer is simple : it is not possible to know from the onset.

I could not have recognized what had to be changed in myself, because recognition implies cognition, or in other words, recognition implies knowing already. Knowing comes from experience. If I had already known, it would have meant that I had already experienced B. But I had not.

Furthermore, even if I could have recognized what needed to be changed, I could not necessarily have conceived the experiences needed to effect those changes.

Some people follow programs hoping to stop smoking and find that it doesn’t work for them. Some people see a man smoking and coughing his lungs out and stop on the spot.

So how did I get to B ?

Again the answer is simple : I followed my heart and trusted the process.

James “Gator” Fiske is a Historical Interpreter at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Palm Coast.

A work in progress, the museum is located in the most historic portion of Flagler County, bounded by Pellicer Creek, and the Princess Place Preserve, near U.S. Route 1. Its mission is to preserve Florida’s agricultural past, interpret the agricultural issues of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and educate the public about those issues through enjoyable experiences.

Recently, James sent a message mentioning that 468 acres of land are now available to anyone interested in an algae or bio-fuel venture that could be incorporated into the Museum.

As I wasn’t even aware that algae could be turned into energy, I researched the subject only to find some astonishing facts :

Algae grow rapidly and can have a high percentage of lipids, or oils. They can double their mass several times a day and produce at least 15 times more oil per acre than alternatives such as rapeseed, palms, soybeans, or jatropha. Moreover, algae-growing facilities can be built on coastal land unsuitable for conventional agriculture.

They can grow 20 to 30 times faster than food crops.

(source : Algae fuel on Wikipedia)

• Algae is the fastest growing organism/plant on the planet.
• Depending upon the type of algae, 50% of it’s body weight produces “lipids” or vegetable oil.
• Corn will only produce about 18-20 gallons of oil per acre per year.
• Palm will produce between 700-800 gallons of oil per acre per year.
• Algae will produce over 20,000 gallons of oil per acre per year – when grown in an open pond system.

(source : James’s Page on PickensPlan)

Furthermore, algae can in fact yield even more oil when extracted using this High Density Vertical Bioreactor :

Algae, like all plants, require carbon dioxide, water with nutrients and sunlight for growth. The bioreactor technology is ideal for locations adjacent to heavy producers of carbon dioxide such as coal fired power plants, refineries or manufacturing facilities, as the absorption of CO2 by the algae significantly reduces greenhouse gases.

Looks like this is indeed be a very efficient and clean energy generation method. No wonder some consider it to be the ultimate in renewable energy !

If you’re interested in such a venture, please contact James via the link above, or through the Florida Agricultural Museum Network on Ning.

You are also invited to support the Museum.

• BA Energy first oil sands developer to file for protection :
  

  BA Energy Inc., developer of the $4-billion Heartland Upgrader near Edmonton, Wednesday became the first oil sands company to file for bankruptcy protection, fearing its parent company’s major lender, Credit Suisse, will recall a US$507-million loan.

• A sticky ending for the tar sands :
  

  Look west from the office towers of the energy companies that dominate Calgary, and the view is spectacular: rolling prairies rise to tree-clad foothills, with the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Rockies on the horizon. Looking down, however, is more unsettling. The city is dotted with motionless construction cranes poised over the pits of abandoned projects. A five-year energy boom here in the administrative heart of Canada’s oil patch and in the tar sands far to the north has ended.

  (also Canada oil boom shifts on sands of time)

• Canada delusional about oil :
  

  There is this Canadian delusion that the Alberta oil sands will give us special influence with the new Obama administration, that energy is our trump card in the Canada-U.S. relationship because, it’s argued, the United States desperately needs our oil. It fosters the false belief that we can get concessions from the U.S. in other areas by producing more oil.

  (…)

  The bottom line for Canada, though, is that Obama’s energy strategy is to sharply reduce oil consumption by massive investments in new energy technologies, strongly supporting the transition to renewable energies (25 per cent of electricity by 2025), electric plug-in autos (1 million on the road by 2015), smart electric grids, and other measures and by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by making the use of oil more expensive.

• Tar Plane Wayfarer: Kamikaze Tar Plane :
  

  An Illinois native growing up amidst corn fields and prairie landscape, Mitch Mitchell knew nothing about Fort McMurray or the tar sands before his visit last October. Camping with two friends for 55 days, the U of A fine art graduate student inadvertently gained unprecedented access to active construction sites.

  (…)

  Not knowing his actions were both prohibited and rare, Mitchell, sketchbook in hand, followed the sporadic “booms” heard through the distance, which turned out to be sound deterrents situated near tailing ponds, placed to ward off wildlife. Surveying the massive oil-and-gas site, the self-identified nature lover was simultaneously overcome with repulsion and attraction to the devastations he witnessed and sketched. In every direction surveyed, depletion at every level was occurring with Tonka trucks the size of two-story buildings rolling through a completely degraded landscape, creating three-story dirt piles, enormous tailing ponds of orange and yellow, all with the acridity of burnt metal and oils wafting through the air.

  (…)

  Tar Plane Wayfarer is Mitchell’s direct response to his experience of walking through the tar sands development and the stories he heard in the camps. As a three-week-long, ongoing installation, the process becomes the work on display in the Red Strap’s street-front windows. Activating the space with pedestrians and drivers gazing in both intrigued and confused, Mitchell is attempting to re-create a heightened experience of moving through, over and along the tar sands. Creating tailings ponds and dirt hills by labour-intensive treatments of paper with asphaltum, water and carborundum, Mitchell aims to induce both the spatial and olfactorial sensations that both repulsed and transfixed him.

• World running out of oil, says ex-CEO :
  

  Consumers shouldn’t get too comfortable with cheap gasoline, because the planet is running out of oil and prices will go “sky high” –as high as $20 per litre–as petroleum reserves dwindle in the coming years.

  That’s the view of Jim Buckee, the British oilman who was CEO of Calgary-based Talisman Energy Inc., one of Canada’s largest energy producers, from 1993 to 2007.

  (…)

  “Black oil has peaked,” he said in telephone interview this week. “The biggest oilfields in the world have been producing for 50 years and they’re all getting tired.”

  He says no giant oilfield, capable of replacing those in Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Kuwait that produce more than half-a-million barrels a day, has been discovered and developed since the 1970s.

And still plenty more to come…

• Youth protest against the tar sands in Fort Chipewyan :
  

  The march was organized by 10 year old Robyn Courtoreille, who got other youth involved in the protest.

  “Syncrude and Suncor have been poisioning our water, air, so we protested to let them know we want a future not cancer,” said Dailen Powder, 12, after the protest.

  “I was protesting because I dont want anymore deformed two jawed fish in our lake,” said Cherish Kaskamin, 11.

• Environment Canada says tar sands pollution will get worse :
  

  The Toronto Star has obtained documents from Environment Canada that say pollution will continue to plague Alberta’s oil sands despite plans to pipe harmful greenhouse gases deep underground.

  Part of the task of cleaning up the oil sands involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions and storing them in geological reservoirs in western Canada. But Environment Canada says carbon dioxide isn’t the only hazard, adding that chemicals linked to acid rain, respiratory problems and ozone depletion could pose serious problems over the next decade.

  Plans to triple oil sands production by 2017 could see those harmful chemicals escaping into the atmosphere at an even faster rate. That could offset the benefits of carbon dioxide storage, which is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80 per cent over the next eight years.

  Environment Canada also says the carbon storage technology creates emissions of its own, offsetting the effects of the gas it has captured.

• Oilsands told to slow the flow from the Athabasca :
  

  Four oilsands giants have been ordered to slow the flow from a northern Alberta river.

  Canadian Natural Resources, Suncor Energy, Syncrude Canada and Shell’s Albian Sands have been told to reduce the amount of water they draw for their operations from the Athabasca River.

  Alberta Environment says water flow levels in the river have dropped into the “yellow” warning zone and withdrawals may increase stress on the ecosystem.

  Environmental, conservation and aboriginal groups have been critical of the amount of water that oilsands projects use.

• Suncor shelves expansion amid first loss in 16 years :
  

  Suncor Energy Inc. is “downing tools” on the $20.6-billion Voyageur expansion underway at its northern Alberta oilsands operations as it reports its first quarterly loss in 16 years, blamed on falling commodity prices, production setbacks and higher costs.

  (…)

  Oilsands projects in Alberta that have been put on hold recently include Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd.’s $345-million Alger project, StatoilHydro’s multibillion-dollar oilsands upgrader, Royal Dutch Shell’s Carmon Creek thermal oilsands project and its proposed second oilsands mining expansion, and Petro-Canada’s $21-billion integrated Fort Hills oilsands project.

• Canada: Environmentalists hail shelving of Enbridge “Trailbreaker” project :
  

  Environmental groups are hailing celebrating a decision by oil and gas giant Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) to shelve its $346-million “Trailbreaker” pipeline expansion.

  They say the pipeline would have increased dependence on oil from the tar sands, which they describe as the “most destructive project on earth.”

  The group of assorted environmental activists says in a statement the decision gives central Canadian provinces time to pursue alternative energy strategies that are less reliant on oil.

  (…)

  “This is a great opportunity,” said Steven Guilbeault, deputy executive director of of the group Equiterre. “Ontario and Quebec spend tens of billions of dollars each year to secure a piece of the increasingly unstable supply of an energy commodity whose long-term price projection is skyrocketing.

  “We must start making the transition away from fossil fuels and pursue aggressive energy security policies that are both sustainable, make sense economically, create green jobs at home while fighting climate change.”

  See also :

  • Activists push policy change for oil pipeline
  • Tar Sands Pipeline Delay Makes Room for Alternatives
  • Economic downturn shuts down oil pipeline proposal

Stay tuned for more tar sands news…

Well, one thing I can affirm for sure, without even the beginning of the shadow of a doubt, is that the singular process which led to the creation of the story, soundtrack, and website, and then turned into a cause, has been the most mysterious, surprising, and fascinating thus far for me. All along the way, story elements emerged from various sources such as the news, Google Maps, or crop circles websites, to form a cohesive whole.

There have been so many instances of one-brow-rising coincidences throughout the course of the development of this project that I’ve decided to run a series entitled “Strange Occurrences in Creative Process.”

Here’s the first instalment, the story of Bunny Boy.

The Residents

Around mid-December I asked my friend Mark (a.k.a. Steamboat Jim on the Cult Vault) if he would be interested in lending his very unique artistic abilities to the creation of a storyboard. Here’s part of the reply I received on December 18 :

Chris this is the kind of stuff I love messing with. I can definitely work with alien rabbits. Are you familiar with The Residents ? I got a kind Of Residents vibe on some of the soundtrack stuff I listened to (which I really dig so far, just listened to about five minutes of it).

A few days later I finally found some time to check out The Residents. I explored The Residents Blog and also their Wikipedia entry. At the time I was deeply immersed in the finalization of the story and the project’s website, so I was very enthusiastically intrigued when I found out that their 2008 album was entitled “The Bunny Boy” !

Still exploring and clicking around, I ended up watching the following video, which had been posted only a few days earlier, on December 12 :

(2009.02.23 : Update : apparently the channel video above has been reorganized. The video I am referring to is entitled “Bunny Saves The World” – see in the “Shows” tab – or go check it out here)

The idea of the Bunny Boy saving the world stuck in my mind, and so when came time to promote the project I couldn’t help but use it in the “Calling All Artists !” invitation :

Say do you recollect
Our journey started here
You joined in the project
And were willing to hear

The call of bunny boy
Who had to save the world
And you stopped being coy
And your power unfurled

Which eventually turned into a video.

Thus I probably am the Bunny Boy… won’t you help me save the world ?

Feel like taking action now ? Here’s the Step-By-Step Participation Guide. Have fun !

After reading the work, around the turn of the millennium, I was animated by the intelligence shared by Wilson and felt like using the word in the title of one of my compositions as a tribute to the book and reminder of what it stood for and represented for me. Thus “Lepufology 101″ came into existence.

Given Wilson’s determining influence on the whole creative process that led to the realization of the project, it only seems natural that one of the project’s aims consists in raising public awareness of the body of work that he produced.

And so I would like to thank contributor Dustin Towler for creating the context for the present post by providing us with an elaborate collection of RAW-related submissions.

Dustin’s contribution to the project is comprised of ten songs recorded under the pseudonyms of “The Mechanical Asparagus Project” and “Jiggity Fool,” along with an excerpt of a RAW speech in which he discusses lepufology, plus four documents including a slide presentation entitled “Robert Anton Wilson, Philosophy with a sense of humor” and a poem inspired by discordianism :

• The Mechanical Asparagus Project : Theory of Relativity, Plan-Plant-Planet, Doorway, Fools Last Dance, Pronoia, Cats Game Universe, Truth
• Jiggity Fool : The last revolution, All is One, Modes
• Robert Anton Wilson : Discussion on Lepufology
• Robert Anton Wilson – An Overview by Dustin Towler
• Robert Anton Wilson by Dustin Towler
• Robert Anton Wilson – Philosophy with a sense of humor
• Discordian Poem by Dustin Towler

Dustin manages The Lepufology Establishment on MySpace, and his personal website is Where the Hell Am I?.

From Wikipedia :

Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (born Robert Edward Wilson, January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American novelist, essayist, philosopher, psychonaut, futurologist and libertarian.

Wilson described his writing as an “attempt to break down conditioned associations-to look at the world in a new way, with many models recognized as models or maps and no one model elevated to the Truth.” … “My goal is to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone, but agnosticism about everything.”

My first and main contact with the work of RAW came via “Quantum Psychology.” Among the numerous stimulating ideas put forth in the book is that of E-Prime, which stands for English-Prime, English without “isness.”

From the book excerpt :

In 1933, in Science and Sanity, Alfred Korzybski proposed that we should abolish the “is of identity” from the English language. (The “is of identity” takes the form X is a Y. e.g., “Joe is a Communist,” “Mary is a dumb file-clerk,” “The universe is a giant machine,” etc.) In 1949, D. David Bourland Jr. proposed the abolition of all forms of the words “is” or “to be” and the Bourland proposal (English without “isness”) he called E-Prime, or English-Prime.

(…) E-Prime seems to solve many problems that otherwise appear intractable, and it also serves as an antibiotic against what Korzybski called “demonological thinking.”

Consider for instance the following set of affirmations :

Standard English : The photon is a wave.
English Prime : The photon behaves as a wave when constrained by certain instruments.

Standard English : The photon is a particle.
English Prime : The photon appears as a particle when constrained by other instruments.

Again, quoting the excerpt :

Clearly, written in Standard English, “The photon is a wave,” and “The photon is a particle” contradict each other, just like the sentences “Robin is a boy” and “Robin is a girl.” Nonetheless, all through the nineteenth century physicists found themselves debating about this and, by the early 1920s, it became obvious that the experimental evidence depended on the instruments or the instrumental set-up (design) of the total experiment. One type of experiment always showed light traveling in waves, and another type always showed light traveling as discrete particles.

This contradiction created considerable consternation. As noted earlier, some quantum theorists joked about “wavicles.” Others proclaimed in despair that “the universe is not rational” (by which they meant to indicate that the universe does not follow Aristotelian logic.) Still others looked hopefully for the definitive experiment (not yet attained in 1990) which would clearly prove whether photons “are” waves or particles.

If we look, again, at the translations into English Prime, we see that no contradiction now exists at all, no “paradox,” no “irrationality” in the universe. We also find that we have constrained ourselves to talk about what actually happened in spacetime, whereas in Standard English we allowed ourselves to talk about something that has never been observed in spacetime at all — the “isness” or “whatness” or Aristotelian “essence” of the photon.

In “Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything, or Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance,” a collection of audio tapes, RAW reformulates the example using the word Jew (or is it Jewish ?) which has five different definitions, and thus can lead to even further confusions.

My personal favorite example is with pianist. Is a kid dabbling on a piano a pianist ? Was Glenn Gould still a pianist after giving his last live concert and retiring at the age of 32 ? A man who has never had contact with a piano of his entire life enters a music store, plays one note, and then leaves without touching a piano ever again. Is he a pianist ? As he been a pianist ? How many notes must one play before they are considered to be a pianist, and how many person must be there to listen when they do ?

And to conclude this rather lengthy post on an even more humorous note, here’s the Discussion on Lepufology :

What is the BSI ? From the website :

The Boreal Songbird Initiative (BSI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to outreach and education about the importance of the Boreal Forest region to North America’s birds. BSI works to mobilize environmental and birding groups and individuals to influence Canadian government and industry policies.

The BSI is an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Based in the United States, the organization is working to protect the Canadian Boreal Forest because it is one of the largest intact forest ecosystems left on earth, it is critical to North American birdlife, and they believe international attention is a key part of conserving the Canadian Boreal because of the volume of trade between the U.S. and Canada.

They have a well-presented website with a comprehensive menu bar that makes for easy navigation. Here are some selected sections :

• The Boreal Bird Blog is authored by Dr. Jeff Wells, Senior Scientist for the Boreal Songbird Initiative, and is dedicated to his perspectives on the conservation, migration and interesting habits of Boreal birds.
• The Boreal Songbird Network presents conservation and birding groups interested in raising awareness in the U.S. and Canada about the importance of the Boreal Forest to North American migratory birds.
• Their Alberta Tar Sands feature includes an interesting links section where you’ll find a backgrounder on the impact on birds of tar sands oil development in Canada’s Boreal forest that explains how millions of birds will be lost due to tar sands development over the next 30-50 years. There is also a fact sheet providing a good overview of some of the various consequences of tar sands oil.
• the Global Warming page explains how the Boreal Forest shields us from global warming, how the industry accelerates global warming, and how boreal birds are impacted.
• The Get Involved section offers a collection of actions you can take to support the initiative.
• And last but not least, they have an extensive section on boreal birds which includes a comprehensive guide to more than 300 species of birds, an in-depth guide with detailed description of 30 featured species, and maps that allows to view migration routes and to identify the species of boreal birds that occur near selected American cities.

If you feel like supporting the organization, here are the donation instructions.

• Before Canada, A Must-Read Book on Tar Sands for Obama :
  

  The result is an environmental disaster area destroying Canada’s largest river basin. The tar sands are also the prime reason why Canada is projected to increase global warming emissions 24% by 2020. That puts Prime Minister Harper on a collision course with President Obama who on November 18th — two weeks after his election, declared:

  Stopping climate change won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But I promise you this: When I am President, any governor who’s willing to promote clean energy will have a partner in the White House. Any company that’s willing to invest in clean energy will have an ally in Washington. And any nation that’s willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America.

• The age of oil is ending :
  

  Our recent consumption rates are the most voracious in history. By the end of 2007, the world had consumed about 1.1 trillion barrels of oil. Half of this was consumed over the last 25 years alone. So far, we have consumed about 50 per cent of the total recoverable oil, according to the World Energy Council.

  Simmons’s pessimistic view is shared by oil companies like BP and Shell plus a number of international studies including the World Energy Council’s 2007 Survey of Energy Resources.

• “And Then Let’s Go For That Justice” – Indigenous women demand respect in Ottawa :
  

  For example, in Alberta, indigenous people living on reserves close to tar sands plants, residing downstream from tailings ponds, or dwelling on land slated to accommodate government pipelines have a hard battle to fight: against health problems of all kinds – including soaring rates of cancer which are picking off their friends and family members at an alarming pace – and against a government that is constantly attempting to push them farther off of their land for the purpose of extraction and exploration.

• Watch Out Tar Sands, LCFS Spreading in US :
  

  11-American states have just signed on to develop a Low Carbon Fuel Standard for the American northeast and mid-Atlantic region.

  (…)

  LCFS programmes pose a serious threat to “dirty oil” production such as the Athabasca tar sands as they focus on life cycle emissions which tend to include the massive greenhouse gas emissions produced in the process to refine bitumen into artificial oil.

• Are Canada’s Tar Sands in Peril? :

  Stephen Harper could be in for rude awakening. For years, he has been dealing with likeminded climate change deniers in the Bush Administration who were only too happy to buy as much oil from the filthy Alberta tar sands as they could get their hands on.

  The times they are a changing.

  In the last week, key appointments in Obama’s cabinet have all made a point of detailing the perils of climate change.

• The Costly Compromises of Oil From Sand :

  The oil that is extracted from Canadian dirt is being portrayed as saving America from energy dependence on the unstable Middle East, or an environmental catastrophe in the making – depending on the perspective.

  (…)

  Not all oil is alike when it comes to environmental impact, and many environmentalists single out production from the oil sands as the epitome of “dirty oil.” In a recent study, the RAND Corporation estimated that oil from the oil sands generates about 10 to 30 percent more greenhouse gases than conventional crude.


Posted in News, tar sands Tagged: age of oil, alberta, alternative energy, amazon rainforest, barack obama, bitumen, climate change, collaborative art project, costly, deforestation, devastation, dirty energy, dirty fuels, downstream, emissions, first nations, fishing, GHG, greenhouse effect, LCFS, lepufology, lepufology project, most destructive project, News, not-for-profit, oil sands, petroleum, pollution, robert anton wilson, Stephen Harper, stop development, tailing ponds, tar sands, toxic, trapping

• Jens Mügge has added another sound meditation entitled “Finale”
• Jens has also added the note “Reading what Greenpeace Canada writes”
• Michiel Waterman‘s video “Climate Change the Netherlands” has been embedded
• Michiel has also suggested “The Story of Stuff” which, while not directly related to the tar sands cause, seems very relevant to me in terms of highlighting our increasing needs for energy and questioning their pertinence
• I have added Macdonald Stainsby’s video “Tar Sands & Water: Fort MacKay and Fort Chipewyan” video. Macdonald is the coordinator of oilsandstruth.org.

And quite a few interesting developments in the news over the last few days :

• Oilsands companies have PR problem: survey :

  Oilsands producers have received the word from the public — half don’t believe what they are being told.

  (…)

  The poll, conducted by academic researchers in June, did in-depth questioning of 425 people in each of the cities. It found 46 per cent believe the oilsands companies have not done a good job of balancing the environment and the economy, a balance that 71 per cent think is possible to achieve. Concerns about fresh water topped the list of environmental problems cited.

  (…)

  The poll found 50 per cent of respondents do not believe what oil and gas executives say in the media, and 44 per cent do not believe information supplied by the industry.

• NRDC President Statement on President-Elect Obama’s Economic Recovery Plan :

  Today President-elect Obama unveiled his economic recovery plan. Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, released the following statement:

  “President-elect Obama’s proposal to repower America with renewable energy and make the nation more efficient will jump-start our economic recovery, create new jobs and cut global warming pollution.

  (…)

  We are all ready to work with President-elect Obama to create a new energy economy that will provide a lasting recovery for our nation’s economy and a clean energy future.”

• Syncrude facing private prosecution over dead ducks :

  An Alberta resident launched a private prosecution against one of the country’s largest oils-sands’ operators, alleging that it was responsible for killing 500 ducks at its northern Alberta facility last spring.

  Jeh Custer, a member of the Sierra Club Canada, commenced legal action in Edmonton Wednesday against Syncrude Canada Ltd. He said that if nothing was done, such practices by oil companies would continue without consequences.

• Oil price slump undermines controversial tar sand projects :

  With the price of a barrel of oil dropping from almost $150 ( £103 ) last summer to around $41 ( £28 ) a barrel yesterday, many of the oil giants are having second thoughts about multibillion-dollar investment programmes designed to extract oil from tar-soaked sands or shale deposits in North America.

  According to a study undertaken by The Times, over $60bn worth of projects have been delayed in the past three months alone, while a number of planned projects have been shelved indefinitely.

• Enbridge cleaning up spill at oil sands terminal :

  Enbridge Inc, Canada’s No. 2 pipeline firm, said a malfunctioning valve at an oil storage facility in the oil sands region of northern Alberta this week spewed out 4,000 barrels of oil, but the spill was mostly contained on the grounds of its tank farm.

• OPEC’s future blowin’ in the wind :

  For the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, clean and (sometimes) quiet renewable power – not the sludge that comes out of the Alberta oil sands – is the biggest threat to the 48-year-old oil cartel’s prosperity in 2009.

  Over the next 20 years or so, wind power, hydroelectricity and more exotic renewable forms of power will be the fastest growing source of new global energy, according to the United States Energy Information Agency.

I have reorganized the Step-By-Step Participation Guide to include two new pages :

• Take Action presents a list of suggestion actions. The list is rather minimalist for now but I’m sure more actions will be added along the way.
• Linking Back offers an extensive collection of resources that can be used to link back to this website. Included are examples of Text Links, Banners and Badges, Blogs, and Micro-Blogs.

I would like to thank someones.life for the permission to use the “Stop the tar sands sign” photo.

That’s about it for now. More to come… as soon as possible !

Also, some new submissions have been uploaded since yesterday’s blog entry :

• Jens Mügge has added two of his sound meditations, “Freedom” and “Lamento”
• Marco Tonini has submitted a soundscape named “Pulsatilla.” The title comes from the latin “pulsat illa” which translates as “look at (our planet), it beats, it throbs”
• Mark Brumfield has added another one of his unique visual compositions featuring rabbits
• Michiel Waterman has shared this video on climate change in the Netherlands

That last clip is not yet available in the drop as I’m trying to figure out the best way of handling videos which tend to take up vast amount of storage space. I’ll most probably go for the embedded playlist-player solution.

And before I forget : Best wishes of a very joyful, prosperous, and peaceful 2009 to all of you !