Good Soil

Atlanta has been good to me. I have met people here who have touched my life in profound ways. I have built promising businesses out of nothing but my own imagination, twice!!! I have basked in the Southern sun, nourished the red clay soil with rehabilitated life, danced late into the night, loved ruthlessly, decorated passionately, & built myself a home I am proud of.

Because Mother Nature is so magically powerful, plants still blossom in scant soil. But different plants thrive in different soils, so sometimes when you plant a decent plant in a new place, it becomes a thriving, glorious plant.

I have many buds that want to blossom, but my roots seek a richer sort of soil.

Good-bye Atlanta.

I leave you April 3, 2010 - Holy Saturday, the very day in 2006 that I look out my bedroom window and saw Jesus standing there, standing as the shape of a tall tree, where there is no tree. Four years, Wow! What a lifetime! Now it is time to go....

Destination here: Upaya Zen Center

Biodynamic Astrology - a bold new future!

Hi blog-fans,
The following article is a topic close to my heart. Note that it has nothing to do with the "cliff-hanger" ending of my previous post. I will be writing about my dalliance with Zen in upcoming posts, but this article I just wrote for Biodynamics Atlanta, I felt was worthy of display.

So to begin...

I feel like the emerging discipline of biodynamic astrology must be in conversation with Western Astrology simply out of respect for the vast body of literature that has been cultivated using the classic Western model. Even though the scientist in me wants to throw away the framework in favor of the true-to-life map of the zodiac that biodynamics uses, I am continually astonished by how accurate and helpful Western Astrology is.

The model of the zodiac used in Western Astrology has been organized by our Roman forefathers to integrate perfectly with the Roman calendar. Western philosophers of yesteryear valued structure, precision, and beauty as a transmitter of Truth, creating a distinction from the chaotic "messiness" that is often experienced in our natural world. I believe this to be an origin of duality upon which our Western ways of perceiving were forged -> yes to order, no to chaos, even if dismissing chaos came at the expense of dismissing a immense paradigm of our human reality. This is also the origin of patriarchal thinking and social modeling, as the feminine or Yin mind generally has less issues with chaos. (Mothers with babies know instinctively that chaos is an essential part of reality.)

So the Western Astrology Zodiac is perfectly overlaid on our 365 Roman Calendar year, creating an energetic bind to the Roman Calendar. (As Americans, we fully embodied the Roman Calendar into our lives i.e. no one argues that it is Monday, even though "Monday" has absolutely no basis in the natural world.) So, just as I know for sure that today is...errr....well...Wednesday, I know for sure that I am a Pisces and embody the qualities of what it means to be a Pisces - even if these qualities have evolved over time to reflect what is actually Aquarian.
Biodynamic astrology would call me an Aquarius. And - an accurate reading of my Western Astrology natal chart as a Pisces would enshrine me with ample Aquarian qualities (my chart possesses a prominent Grand Air Trine, with Uranus in the 10th House).
My point is that for whatever unknown esoteric reason, my Western chart accurately reflects ME.
So, in shifting our thinking towards a Biodynamic model, we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater, by steering clear of what the profuse body of Western Astrology scholarship has to offer us.

In the meantime though, we are forging ahead into an unknown future by acknowledging that our old model of the zodiac is limited in its relevance to how we show up on the planet as human beings in the Here and Now.

Getting away with having it all...

The more recent years of my life in Atlanta have been an experiment in "having it all". Can I really have it all? What does having it all even look like?

For me, having it all meant having both the excitement and culture of the city and low-key lifestyle of the country.

I did pretty good here, being blessed with my awesome urban bungalow in Candler Park - although not quite as amazingly having it all as when I lived in Cabbage Town. Cabbage Town life was definitely like living in the county, but with Big City Easy Access - but Candler Park's not so bad. We have trees, community gardens, a large park, a broken sidewalk and houses painted funky colors.

Having it all means enjoying a "green" lifestyle.

Again, my Candler Park pad makes this easy. I walk to Sevananda or Edgewood Kroger for my groceries. I ride my bike to work. I have an organic garden, with a compost pile & worms. I am car-free. (I don't have rain barrels yet, but they are on my "to get soon" list.)

Having it all means a wild, free, glamorous totally punk-rock life!

I am in a queer glam rock psycho punk band called the Sexual Side Effects, which is fronted by the unstoppably gorgeous m-to-f trannie, Amber Taylor. I don't actually play an instrument or sing in the band. I wear skimpy punk outfits and shake my booty back & forth on stage with the other "Side Effect Girl" named Robin. I totally love this!!! The highlights of my past 2-3 years include our on stage performance at the Southern Comfort Conference for Transgendered People & the David Bowie cover band extravaganza where we were the headliners of about 8 local bands. That was the best. The thrill of shakin' it on stage really helped lift my spirits during the more drudgery times in theology school.

Plus, I used to run an indie record label and go to raves....

Having it all means being successful.

My client list is modest, but I attract "A-list" (my kinda A-List!) people. To me that works out better.

Having it all means being published.

So, I self-published - does it matter in the big picture? After all, the first printing of my workbook sold out in 2 1/2 months!

Having it all means looking cool.

I spend next to nothing on clothes, yet I LOVE my wardrobe. When I spent s**tloads on clothes, I never seemed to have anything cool to wear. What's my secret? Thrift & only shopping at local grungy boutiques (like Junkman's & Rag-O-Rama) in my neighborhood. No malls. No Buckhead. No "made in the Philippines". American Apparel is my indulgence.

Having it all means being surrounded by irreplaceable art.

Want to see a collection of some of the greatest artists ever to come out of Atlanta? Come over some time! I am fortunate to count many of them them as my friends.

Having it all means experiencing the Divine.

I am bankrolling on this one - being the free-spirited space cadet that I am!

But there's still some areas where I am striking out - like settling down with the right partner (who loves that I am so into Joy Division & Vice fashion reports right now & that I'm iffy on nightlife), and having friends who really "get me" (I have many friends. Most of them will tell you I am "out there"), and sharing my calling to spiritual practice with a like-minded, sustainable community.

I don't make a lot of money, even though I always have enough money. If I had more, I might work less and get into more mischief, so it is probably for the best, but it would boost my confidence if I didn't shudder every time I have to select an "income bracket" on a survey.

Despite all I have, I can't say I love my life all that much.

Which is why I am moving on....

(moving on, coming soon)

Much more interesting blog coming soon...maybe after dinner...

community is key

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