The Heart's Perception: Activism Art Gallery--let's do this!

We have the vision, and we refuse to lose it!!!

Humanity has an incredibly long tradition of using various art forms to express our deepest held values and principles. In ancient times, there were cave paintings and body paintings, and artistic embellishments of dwellings, clothing and even animals. Long ago, in modern times, museums and similar places were the only acceptable venues for such art, making it inaccessible for most people. In the past fifty years, there has been an incredible explosion of street art, folk art, protest art, and other interesting expressions of activism, such as performance art. 

Now, anyone can see conscious artistic expression and contemplate it, whether it's a driver seeing a sign flown by a highway blogger, or a pedestrian contemplating a graffiti tag along the railroad tracks, 

or an office worker on break, 

gazing at a mural deep downtown. 

Do YOU make art? 

If you have, or if you do, or even if you just want to, 

we encourage you to scan it and send it to us, so we can display it here on this blogzine, 

to be appreciated by artists and activists everywhere.

Arts and Activism are powerful forms of expression.

They have the potential to awaken and electrify people!!!

Why not take some art supplies in hand today and get your Heart's Perceptions

onto a canvas or a piece of paper, or into a sculpture?

Take a digital photo of it, send it to us, 

and help us wake up the world.

You could also document what you see in the world around you,

by carrying a digital camera or video camera

and capturing it on film, 

to be shared, 

to amplify awareness and encourage sociocultural changes

with issues such as homelessness, street art, rallies and protests, environmental degradation, corruption, 

whatever is affecting your world, for good or for evil.

We are the eyes of the world...

Let's document what we see, 

and watch the world be more colorful and interesting,

more thought provoking and meaningful.

Grassroots Activism: Free Schools!

New World Riser Sarah MacIntyre tells us about 

the activism going on in her part of the world: free school!

"Here in Saint John, NB we are doing something called the Saint John Free School. The idea is that we are all teachers and students with something to share and something to learn. People can come to our day long events and do a workshop on something that interests them and anyone who wants to know how to do those things can come learn from them. We also provide free food and childcare and it doesn't cost anything to attend! We want to bring community together while taking the paradigm out of education"

http://www.sjfreeschool.ca/

A Free School is a decentralized network in which skills, information, and knowledge are shared without the hierarchy of or the institutional environment of formal schooling. Free school students may be adults, children, or both.

The open structure of free school is intended to encourage self-reliance, critical consciousness, and personal development. These free schools are, at heart, non-institutional, non-authoritarian, and counter-cultural.

Generally, they are formed at a grassroots level by a group of individuals acting collectively and autonomously to create educational opportunities and promote skill-sharing within their communities. Free schools often operate outside the market economy, in favor of a gift economy. Nevertheless, the meaning of the "free" of free schools is not restricted to monetary cost, and can refer to an emphasis on free speech and student-centered education.

While the philosophy and intention of free school projects vary, they share a desire to offer free ongoing education without hierarchy and outside of institutional control.

Free Skool Santa Cruz in California is perhaps typical of the current batch of free schools that are explicitly rooted in an anarchist tradition of collectivism, self-reliance, and mutual support, and feature informal, non-authoritarian learning outside of the monetary economy.

From the Free Skool Santa Cruz website: "More than just an opportunity to learn, we see Free Skool as a direct challenge to dominant institutions and hierarchical relationships. Part of creating a new world is resistance to the old one, to the relentless commodification of everything, including learning and the way we relate to each other."

Free Skool Santa Cruz

Free Skool Asheville

These are on-going, informal learning networks, that focus on skill-sharing among adults as well as children. The boundaries between students, teachers, and organizers are consciously blurred, with some free skools claiming, "we are all teachers, and we are all students." Free skool "classes" are often autonomous workshops held in informal settings in homes, cafes, and community centers. Free skools typically offer a monthly or quarterly-produced free skool calendar.

Find a Free School in your area and get involved today! Just Google Free School + your state, and then go for it. I think you'll be glad you did, because the skills acquire and the people you meet and the things you do will be unforgettable.

Some of the information for this article was obtained from Wikipedia, the peoples' open source of info.

Om Song's Eco-Farm and Wellness Center on 20 Acres in Floyd, VA

One of our long time New World Risers, Om Song, also known as George Lovinglight, has stepped up and made a move to manifest his visions in reality, not only for himself but also for those who would join him. We love George, and we are totally supportive and overjoyed at his efforts to make this real. Here is a blog article about his project. Please read it, get to know our friend OmSong/George, and think about taking a trip to the beautiful mountains of Floyd, Virginia to check it out. There are other amazing projects going on in the Floyd area, too.

Eco-Farm & Wellness Center

Om Song

The Eco-Farm & Wellness Center

by Om Song

This Vision is one of helping humanity blossom, becoming more loving as well as kindhearted & wise stewards of this amazing planet. The following is a walk through of a vision I’ve had in part since 1995. In these trying days of polarized platforms and ideologies, what we need is a unifying message of, ironically, diversity & inclusion. Just like the many roots nourishing the one tree, so too can humans come from many backgrounds and unify through our basic needs; Love, Food & Shelter. This tree image is meant to grow strong roots, providing solace and healing to the larger family of LIFE & Humanity from whence we all come. This vision, though grand, is made up of simple steps that can help to lead us from a society of consumption & madness to one of sustainability and joy.

The Center is a whole with 5 Major components:

Eco-Farm – “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food”

Wellness Center – Rest and healing are equally as important as action and work.

Community – “Life lived with friends is life well lived”.

Holistic Cottage Industries – “Let us create knick-knacks of beauty that enrich our lives”

Outreach - Offering alternatives and models for others to participate in.

Eco-Farm

It is our collective responsibility to protect and nurture the global family, to support its weaker members and to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live”~ Dalai Lama

We shall continue with the Eco-Farm, as food is the very foundation of life along side clean water & air. This is why it is first in the components. We can move with confidence and strength when we provide healthy, high energy life sustenance to ourselves and our local community. In that light, we plan on a farm that is based on the principles of permaculture & harmony with the earth. There would be animals such as cows, goats & chickens as well as other critters that make up a healthy circle of life. The eco-farm would be staffed initially by ourselves but we plan on expanding through volunteers interested in hands-on learning How we farm is of huge importance and after careful consideration the best discovered so far is the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. The key to this unique system is that it gets the community involved and connected to where their food comes from – their local farm. This highly successful practice works on selling annual shares of one’s produce locally to families, individuals and small businesses. Families are encouraged to bring their hands and hearts to the farm and PARTICIPATE in growing their food. In this relaxed & enjoyable setting alongside others, both the food and community are nourished!

“The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, ‘tender loving care’ has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing.” ~Larry Dossey

Wellness Center

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” – Gandhi

“Health is Wealth”, is a common adage and with that in mind let us share about my personal favorite aspect of this vision; the Wellness Center. These days with the internet, webpages and cell phones it’s easier than ever to share a good thing with people. The property has over 8 rooms and if we reserve at least 2 of them for people to come and relax, rejuvenate and heal then we can charge $150/per person times two and make $300/weekend. Larian and I both being massage therapists can offer a wellness package that is both amazing & affordable. Health spas are usually astronomically expensive and known for sticker shock, but still folks regularly use them because, quite simply, it’s a NEED. People need to relax, tune in and receive care. People would come Friday afternoon/evening for a wonderful homemade meal from our own garden. After a nice meal folks could relax in our sauna next to the pond and reclaim the lost art of stargazing.

Community

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. ~Herman Melville

Being vulnerable with each other will be one of our greatest strengths. Let’s face it – this journey wouldn’t be worth it without some jolly and dear friends to share the ups & downs with. To this effect we’ll be opening up about 4 rooms total to our extended family of friends. Many hands make the load lighter and the tune brighter. We plan on bringing artists, musicians and spiritual activists together to make magic – pure and simple. This life is waaaay more than what meets the eye only. We plan to chart a course to the center of our soul and dive deep into ourselves and each other. The plan is on having many weekly community building activities from yoga to potlucks, to sauna socials to dj dance nights. Cell by cell, bud by bud we shall grow ourselves anew. Utilizing the abundant social resources of Floyd, Virginia we shall be a healthy node in the larger matrix of consciousness exploring and healing itself. There are many many thirsty people yearning for something deeper than this shallow existence of consumerism. Our values are all mixed up in the modern world. What many yearn for is a return to simplicity – we can provide that place.

Holistic Cottage Industries

Live simply that others might simply live. ~Elizabeth Ann Seton

Humans are wonderfully creative. We can make such beautiful pieces of art. Using environmentally friendly materials such as Hemp we can both provide enriching artwork and receive financial nourishment. Larian is an exceedingly talented artist in making necklaces, wraps and such. This would be just one avenue for our arts. We plan on opening an arts & crafts center where people could come and use the community resources. There would be a kick wheel for pottery, basic recording equipment, silk-screening materials and other wonderful ways to express ourselves positively.

Any social movement needs good communication. As we’ve witnessed in Egypt; twitter, facebook and youtube have shown people the horrors of oppressive regimes. With a basic camcorder and video editing software we can bring our own “TV” to the interested. Audio/visual documentation of successful cooperative projects, such as this, only strengthens the larger “spiralwheel” of revolution/evolution. The youth learn from both history and current events – even more from what they participate in.

Workshops on the land:

Yoga retreats

Earthbag/eco-building

Woman’s retreats

Men’s Retreats

Native Ceremonies e.g. sweat lodges

Mini-Dance camps

Networking Conferences

Permaculture for you

Rest & Relaxation Tips

Outreach

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~William James

There is a bit of a cliché about hippies that burnout, head to the woods and form sleepy communes. My experience is that we have wonderful rest and relaxation on the land, but we will also make it a priority to reach out into the larger community. The message in a nutshell; Cooperation trumps competition & Needs beats Greeds. I feel that with all our artistic strength and talent we can use puppets, props and such for skits, plays and Guerilla Theater to inform and inspire.

Reaching out to other is compassion in action. It may start with a few summer festivals where we can bring handouts and art pieces of what we’re doing on the land. Combine a great interactive website, active youth and we’ll be growing fun & wisdom – a truly revolutionary force.

Summary

Putting it all together

So as one may see there are some grand pictures painted in this vision. Hopefully one also sees that it begins like all things – small. We are a couple of people earnestly seeking a more loving and simple existence. The first year is oriented to growing our own food, keeping our needs simple and listening. The earth is open to conversation if we can empty our proverbial cup and allow a newancient tea to fill her curves.

The ultimate aim of our life is a better world for us all. When one’s heart is true and vision humble then quantum magic happens.

Harden hearts melt,

Tears free the long imprisoned and,

Joy roars forth like a volcano –

Both destroying and creating anew.

Written by: Song & Larian

Song@caringcaravan.org

Larian@caringcaravan.org

Website:

www.caringcaravan.org

www.ic.org

352-359-0966

May all beings be happy and loved!

Harmony and Song said...

awww! thanks soooo much for posting - i am lacking a current copy and it's WONDERful to have it online!!! /hugs!

The Hipstory and Emerging Future of the New World Rising Network

Our Hipstory

Our roots stretch back into the early 1980’s, 
when connecting with the dynamic punk, reggae, 
and hip hop scenes 
in Providence, Rhode Island. 
We organized many events
 including May Day, Peace and Freedom festivals, 
 and demonstrations.

In 1986, we printed the first issue 
of the New World Rising magazine 
as part of our “disrupt the war party” campaign in NYC. 
During the campaign, we developed strong connections 
with the anarchists and squatters in NYC.

In 1987, we connected with the Rainbow Family of Living Light 
at the national gathering in North Carolina. 
In 1988, we connected with the Grateful Dead tour 
and did three tours a year until the death of Jerry Garcia. 
We generally distributed from 10-30,000 copies 
of the magazine per tour. 
New World Rising magazine continued 
into the late 1990’s, 
with 30 issues and about 1 million copies 
being created and distributed.

In 1992, Grateful Fred, the founder of New World Rising, 
bought an abandoned house in the oppressed neighborhood 
of South Providence, Rhode Island. 
Over the years, we rehabbed Sassafras house a
nd developed an inner city cooperative living experiment.

Living together, we had activists, artists, musicians, 
construction workers, mainly young people and also 
many otherwise homeless people struggling to survive. 
We had good times and we had plenty of bad times. 
 We all learned a lot from the experience.

We went into a dilapidated drug and violence
prone neighborhood and planted the Rainbow flag
of peace, love, caring, sharing and networking
 together to make the world a better place.
We helped many of our neighbors fix up their homes
and shared many a spliff with neighborhood youth.
We made many friends from our “hippie house” base. 
But throughout the project,
 financial responsibility by most of the residents was lacking, 
and this led to the end of that experiment in 2004.

Things have been relatively quiet 
for our network since then, 
as the many people and activists who we touched 
have scattered and developed 
their personal lives and missions.
 As we enter 2011, we 're developing a re-activation. 
Some of our current and developing projects include:

*Social media networking, including 
our New World Rising F
acebook communities, through which we develop 
consciousness, communications, and coordination 
for development of projects.

*New World Rising paper magazine: 
 this is in the process of being 
reawakened for annual publication.  
The reawakening of our magazine 
will play a major role in the 
reactivation of our movement. 

*Tours: along with the reawakening 
of the magazine will be our reconnection 
with music tours, to distribute publications, 
 perform community outreach, and 
network to raise awareness, 
and to assist people in finding answers 
they need as they search
for community and home.

*Internet radio and podcasts: 
this is another area with good potential 
for global communications. 
We have had a great station on live 365, 
and we plan to reactivate it this year.

*There are cafe and info centers that we helped provide 
initial financing for, and we are well connected with
 a cooperative cafe and activist center in New Paltz, NY. 
This type of center can be replicated in many other areas.

Locally, in the Hudson Valley of New York, 
we are still rehabbing houses as a way to earn a living 
and finance expansion of our network. 
Hopefully, we will also start another cooperative 
living project this year. 
We are also connecting with the new students 
and antiwar movements and are still connected 
with the local music scenes, and will hopefully 
reactivate the Peace and Freedom Festivals here.  

More ideas for the future of the New World Rising

I think the idea of a crew of traveling activist builders 
who can go in and lay the groundwork 
for fledgling homesteads and communities is a good one.

Also the idea of buying cheap land 
in a variety of places is good.

And helping grassroots communities 
get established and thus developing a network. 
And developing a revolving loan/investment fund.

And having an activist communications crew 
doing the festival circuit with publications 
such as New World Rising magazine.

These are all good ideas, 
and we have the potential to get them all rolling this year.

How You Can Plug In with the New World Rising Network

How You Can Plug In With 
the New World Rising Network

There are many ways for you to plug in 
to the exciting projects 
of the New World Rising network.

*preparation, printing, distribution of the zine

*organize a "tour" to distribute zines
and raise funds for the network

*assistance with updating the NWR websites

*assistance in creation of income streams
for the network projects

*focalizing an internet radio station
especially for NWR

*organizing a freedom/peace festival 
for next year in New England

*collaboration on the foundational documents 
for the NWR

*input of energy in coordinating different aspects 
of the network, such as landowners and 
music festival people 
and financers, so a project is launched

*participation in the forum

*meeting each other in person when possible
and much much more....

If you're interested in being involved
with the New World Rising network,
 then we invite you to find a way 
to plug in and voice yourself with us.

Then share with us about who you are, 

what your dreams, passions and visions are, 

what your involvement in 

grassroots community building has been, 

and whatever else you feel like sharing with us. 

There are plenty of great projects to plug into, 

 and we'd love to have you with us.

The Next Phase of Human Evolution

It’s obvious that the consumer and 

greed-oriented capitalist system 

 which currently dominates the Earth 

is not sustainable. 

It causes massive unnecessary suffering,

 due to hunger, homelessness, disease and social ills. 

It continues to destroy the environment, 

and could lead to ecological collapse, 

due to global warming, ozone depletion, 

species and habitat destruction. 

The struggle for control of oil and other resources 

 has already and will continue to lead to wars.

Even in the relatively privileged US, 

the economic and environmental stresses continue to worsen,

 along with spiritual and social dissatisfaction and alienation. 

But this dysfunction of the dominant capitalist system 

 creates the basis for us as leaders to mobilize the people 

to create alternatives and to move beyond capitalism 

to the next phase of human evolution.

The dream of living in a peaceful world 

has been with humanity for thousands of years.

 We saw a flowering of the dream in the 1960’s.

It is up to us as visionaries and activists 

to help the dream become a reality 

in this new millennium.