March 9, 2010 by Onalistus Reveler
Seedless
As I sit here, having just finished my winter grapefruit, savoring the tingly succulence of my newly awakened tongue, I think of all the times I’ve eaten fruit when my experience was hindered by the presence of overzealous seeds.
Call them “pits,” call them “pips,” either way you label them, these little necessities of life have remained a thorn in my otherwise comfortable critique of genetically modified foods and the idea of “civilization” as a whole. I am aware of the role they play, and yet still sometimes loath their presence. I get frustrated with interrupted bites, but am aware of the lesser, worse option: edible laboratories. And yet, still, seeds are an example of the tiny points at which my allegiance to comfort rests on the idea that the world around me should be redesigned to fit my own desires.
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Posted in Features, The Kitchen | Tagged anti-civilization, being peace, buddhism, derrick jensen, food, fruit, gmo, john zerzan, krishnacore, rewilding, thich nhat hanh, zen | 2 Comments »
March 8, 2010 by Onalistus Reveler
A ridiculously touching and made-immediate piece about a woman, her hens, and the economies of life…
My egg economy fell out on Monday. All of my quail and all but one of my chickens were killed by a predator with dexterous digits—one that can turn a latch and pry chicken wire away from an armature. (Probably a raccoon, not as rare as you might think in urban Chicago.) Their headless, half-eaten bodies were strewn about the garden. Prolly, aka P-N-P, aka Probably Not Peaches, my one remaining hen, is in a liminal state of health. She is hovering. I am sitting in my bathroom with her. She is breathing deeply, sitting on a bed of straw in a small cage with a dish of her favorite foods nearby: scrambled eggs with crushed egg shell, raisins and chickweed. This food has remained untouched.
You can read the rest over at arthur magazine.
Posted in News | Tagged birds, ecology, economy, pets, prey | Leave a Comment »
March 7, 2010 by Myra Eddy
Springfield’s hobo poet Vachel Lindsay worshiped in the church of the open sky and lived the gospel of beauty. As I remember my outdoor self who greatly enjoys her time in the divine church of the open sky, I usually find myself (weather permitting) with my hands deep in the dirt on the Sabbath. Often was I extended an invitation to join dressed up passersby on the way to their houses of worship. I cannot imagine a church inside four walls to ever be as inviting as communing directly with what I consider the divine, the higher power, life itself. I can’t really describe my religious beliefs, because I don’t believe in absolutes. I don’t hold much in the way of opinion for others to believe or disbelieve. But I do have feelings for what my perception of the divine invokes within me. My hands soak up the earth while my third eye soaks up sunshine. I nurture as I am being nurtured. In what possible way could I more directly commune with the divine than what I experience in the church of the open sky?
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Posted in All That is Sacred | Tagged alcoholism, beart heart, francis bacon, fundamentalism, love, vachel lindsay, wabi-sabi | 1 Comment »
"Team Cobblers" at the Fixers' Collective
Stuff, stuff, stuff. At least once a month I pick an area of my little apartment and start trying to pick out stuff to pitch. Inevitably, the project ends quickly. Though it’s true that there’s always a bit more stuff around than we need, it’s also true that I’m relatively pared down to “things that have use.”
The funny is, there’s this whole contingent of stuff that can be described as, “things that should have use if they worked.” A great example of this is my immersion blender. When it was working, I used it almost daily for all sorts of kitchen tasks. Unfortunately, these tasks included things that the blender wasn’t actually meant for and so, of course, it broke. Now, it lives in my kitchen drawer. I want to buy a new one, but the truth is… this blender is my second one this year, and I spent some money on this one hoping that “higher quality” would mean that I could abuse it longer. My sense of ethics says no, I do not deserve another one. Buying another blender just makes me part of the system. Buy, break, repeat.
LO! Another option lies ahead! FIX IT. What an idea. If something is broken… fix it. So, thank god for the Fixers Collective in Brooklyn. I haven’t yet been there, but from what I can tell, all I have to do it fill out a form about the thing I need fixed and head on over. AhhhhhMAZING. And, from looking at their web site, if they can’t fix it, they’ll re-purpose it. What’s even cooler is it looks like you get to hang out and help while they tinker with your stuff. How fun is that? I’m going to check it out, and if you’re in Brooklyn, so should you.
Oh, and thanks to our friend and fellow reveler, Kelly Smith, for posting the Fixers’ Collective link on Ye Olde Facebook. You’re our link to awesome, Kelly.
Posted in Making Things | Tagged brooklyn, diy, fix it, fixers collective, repurpose | Leave a Comment »
March 2, 2010 by Myra Eddy
Life without the convenience of a personal combustion engine machine can be challenging, but it can also be a blessing. Wintertime is especially challenging in the snowy and frigid Midwest, but we persevere! Springfield has an adequate (though at times exceedingly frustrating) mass transit system. Bus lines are conveniently located near our home, but it is certainly a trial of patience to get much of anywhere. Much nicer is the inviting warmer months, where biking and walking are practical methods of transporting one’s self to the places one needs to go.
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Posted in Features | Tagged car-free, children, kids, mass-transit, shopping, walking | 1 Comment »
March 1, 2010 by Onalistus Reveler
Pushkar Camel Fair
Pushkar is a bustling trading center chock-full of dreadlocked tourists playing Indian, or as we know him, “Inappropriate Yoga Guy,” and serves as a comfy resting place for those wanting to get away from the insanity that is traveling-through-India life. Due to its strict vegetarianism, one-thousand-plus temples, fifty-two ghats (steps leading into the “lake”), and priests o’ plenty, Pushkar has become known as a “very spiritual” place to visit, which, of course, depends entirely on your idea of spirituality.
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Posted in Features | Tagged brahma temple, brahmins, british, india, mughals, pakistan, partition, pushkar, pushkar lake, wagah | Leave a Comment »
February 28, 2010 by Onalistus Reveler
We Revelers in the New Old Tradition recognize a time of year we call “The Push,” which begins around February 1st and extends all the way to the Spring Equinox on or around March 21st. Admittedly, The Push is not a holiday you will find on any calendar outside of our tradition. You will not find its name on any government list of holidays. Nor will you find The Push mentioned in any text book, “A People’s History of…” or otherwise. No, The Push is unique to this band of merry makers and takes its cues from the times when we could all use a little help getting through what needs gettin’ through.
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Posted in Holidays, New Old Traditions | Tagged altar, cupid, faunus, kava kava, lupercalia, pan, sage, skullcap, spring equinox, st. patrick's day, valentine's day, yule | 4 Comments »
February 26, 2010 by The Queen of Swords
My initial inspiration for taking up sword swallowing was somewhat underwhelming. It started with a phone call from my sister who called to tell me that Michael, her boyfriend of, like, eight years, had proposed to her, and that she was now engaged. For no apparent reason, even to myself, I told her that for her wedding I would learn sword swallowing and perform at the ceremony. She responded negatively, saying that if I did, she would kill me.
Over time, my flippant interest in sword swallowing formed into a dedicated fascination with the talent, its “old world” feel, the parallels with the yoga practice of “mind over matter” and control of the senses, and that the accoutrement of choice is the sword, a symbolically intricate icon.
Not to leave out the fact that it’s totally freaky, which is almost always great. Who doesn’t like a little freaky here and there?
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Posted in New Old Traditions | Tagged bed of nails, coney island. side show, fire eating | 3 Comments »
February 25, 2010 by Onalistus Reveler
It's that simple...
It is with great pleasure that I welcome our latest writer and fellow Reveler in the New Old Tradition, the Queen of Swords. The Queen of Swords is a recent apprentice to the very New Old Tradition of sword swallowing and will be blessing us with writings that follow her blossoming profession.
We Revelers wish her and her innards all the best.
Stay tuned…her first post is on its way!
Posted in News | Tagged New Old Traditions, sword swallowing | Leave a Comment »
February 23, 2010 by Myra Eddy
Nature's chaotic abundance takes root in an abandoned flower pot.
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese term that does not translate well to English, but using a thousand words, perhaps we shall begin to understand. Wabi originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature, but now reflects a meaning more of rustic simplicity, freshness, or quietness. Wabi also refers to the quirks and imperfections that arise during the creation process. Sabi refers to the beauty which comes into being as something ages. According to wikipedia, “if an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi.” Also, wabi-sabi “nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”
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Posted in All That is Sacred | Tagged nature, springfield, wabi-sabi | 3 Comments »
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Onalistus Reveler
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Myra Eddy
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The Queen of Swords
