Tuesday, September 14, 2010

#47 (SOMA)NIMAL COMMUNIQUÉ

A Collaborative (Soma)tic by CAConradErica Kaufman

DAY ONE: On 8 small pieces of paper draw 8 different animals with crayons, magic markers, pens, paint, or whatever. Elephants, bats, tigers, wolves, and even supernatural animals like angels, dragons, leprechauns, horse ghosts. Make one of these your spirit totem, or at least an animal you feel an affinity for. On the back of the drawing write something like, “HELLO, my name is Craig, and I am a dragon from rural Pennsylvania. You might have some questions for me, and I might have some questions for you.” Create an e-mail address to include with your message. Go out into public and leave each animal for strangers to find on subways, in libraries, at hair salons, or taped to a restroom stall. SAVE your totem animal for last. Research the spiritual and mystical legends associated with your animal. For instance one of my totems is the crow which is said to know both Divine Law and Human Law, but always weighs situations by Divine Law. While walking through Philadelphia with my crow drawing I looked for such signs. For instance it is perfectly legal by Human Law for rich people to purchase diamonds many suffered to mine, and then to walk past homeless people begging for spare change for supper. Clearly the Science of Love has no legitimate testimony for Human Law. Take notes throughout the entire process of the animal card creations and public deposits. And involve any correspondence with strangers in your poem.

DAY TWO: Begin your day with a walk around your neighborhood. Notice the animals that surround us. Try to keep a list of them and what they say to you as they cross your path. This can include squirrels, dogs, cats, rats, mice, etc…bugs are animals too, in my opinion. Look for them. Listen to them. Talk to them. Take notes. Use at least 1/3 of these "conversations" in the poem.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

#46 your MINA LOY PORTAL

Green is the color of the heart chakra, even in this world where the brain continuously insists the heart is not clever enough to know the way. Today we will not be practical. Today we will listen to the sounds of war our bodies resist. In her time, poet Mina Loy listened very closely for the directions, and told us in her poems. Prepare yourself with rose quartz, the gemstone most associated with the heart. You can purchase a small, inexpensive piece at almost any jewelry store in your town. Just a small piece, as it takes less to stir our openings than might be expected. When you bring it home keep it in a solution of salt water overnight to clean it, then flush the water the next morning. Now carry the stone for a week, taking notes while reading the poems of Mina Loy. For nearly a century her poems have been waiting to be used as keys for the map. Find a passage you want to turn into a portal. For me it was from her "Songs to Joannes":

        I don't care
        Where the legs of the legs of the furniture are walking to
        Or what is hidden in the shadows they stride
        Or what would look at me
        If the shutters were not shut

        Red a warm colour on the battlefield
        Heavy on my knees as a counterpane
        Count counter
        I counted           the fringe of the towel
        Till two tassels clinging together
        Let the square room fall away

Type it, using the largest font size to fit a page, then print it out on green paper. Green is the color of the heart chakra. Draw a large circle into the poem big enough for your eyes and nose to come through. Cut the circle out. Walk around looking through your portal, green, the color green of the heart chakra, bringing the heart UP to the head, keeping the color of the heart UP to the head, keeping the head to the color of the heart. Walk around. Look at your home, walk outside and smell around, look around through your MINA LOY PORTAL, your own portal, it belongs to you. Occasionally stop and read the poem while taking your pulse. Feel your pulse while reading, reading right up to the missing words around your portal. Notes, notes, take notes. The poem you create from this exercise will be the key to your next poem, and to the next day, and for you, and because it is your life.
(CAConrad and the "your MINA LOY PORTAL"
photo by the amazing Dorothea Lasky)