bitethehand.org

From Aren

Posted on June 11th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Philosophy.

Energy

To our community-

Wow.  We have come full circle: one complete cycle of our Pharmakon, and this, our 13th issue is our portal issue into the next.  Thirteen.  The number of spheres, twelve fitting perfectly around one, or twelve disciples around the master (there is also a Friday the 13th this month, the day of chaotic luck).

The Pharmakon is a glowing ember.  It’s like the single grain, all that’s left of Fantasia: the breath of your wish makes it grow.  This energy is the creative force.  We find ourselves in its current.  We are already home.  It surrounds us: penetratingly.  From this cosmic dust we arise into form.  From this one, this great cosmic principle we have come.

I am a hunter of light.  I stalk it patiently from the shadows.  I duck behind dumpsters and large wooden boxes and I wait.  Small movements continue around me: the breath of a scarred ally cat listening, the decomposing shoe, stringed from above, a flickering street light.  It’s glimmer can be seen reflected as two luminous search lights, jewels of green and gold: the retinas of a human photographer.  I pounce and cling then grapple in the dark (room).   

Everyone has felt themselves of the battlefield of light and dark.  Some teach the concept of yin and yang, that polarities are the two forces, manifesting simultaneously, engaging in a never-ending dance of perfect equilibrium: at times one seems to rise.  While this appears to be true, others teach that there is only one force, universal.  Light and dark are but expressions of a higher force that guides and directs: every revolution leads us forward.  It’s like the continuing spin of the potter’s wheel; around and around it goes.  The guiding force-hand of the master potter gives to it shape and creation, a vessel for our intent.

     “Size matters not.  Look at me.  Judge me by my size do you?  Hmm?  Hmm.  And well you should not.  For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.  Life creates it, makes it grow.  Its energy surrounds us and binds us.  Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.  You must feel the force around you: here, between you, me the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes.  Even between the land and the ship”  

     - Jedi Master Yoda, on the nature of the Force

-Aren

2 comments.

Money As Training Wheels (Vol. 5)

Posted on March 13th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Philosophy.

Our friend and Pharamkeus, Aren Rye, has been writing his “Money as Training Wheels” series in The Pharmakon ever since September of ‘07. He has been working over some very interesting themes. We are now putting the whole series on our web page for viewing. Enjoy!

I was at Earthdance, and there was this martial arts master who explained the world as an organism. He related it to the human body and the use of acupuncture (meridians). He said that the world has its own natural meridians too, and that when they are blocked, such as by bridges over rivers, or by dams, then chi will not flow properly, will be blocked and imbalances will occur. He said that hurricane Katrina happened because of the block chi flow of the Mississippi. This makes sense to me.

I think that money, or people’s relationship to it, plays a similar function in blocking the chi-flow of human interaction, If someone wants to use resource that “belong” to someone else, for the service to all, he or she must first come up with some sort of money or trade to go to the individual who “owns” the resource. This is why sharing is caring and the notion of ownership is limiting. If a person wishes to use resources, the freedom is at first typically withheld: he or she is first expected to, “play the game.” These hurdles sometimes act as “blocks” in the free flowing chi of the world.

Moneyless systems of interrelational support work in small native communities because everyone sees that their actions benefit others and that other people benefit them. Let’s start here.

What I’m talking about is not so much about imposing a system-less system, but rather to utilize an undercurrent, a force of giving that exists whether or not we are in a monetary system. If this monetary system ever collapses, then we will be fine because we will have built up inertia in this giving-based system, where our incentive is not monetary gain, which is short-sighted and incomplete, but rather for the greatest good of all. The force of capitalistic desire is the force of consumption, while the force of giving is the force of creation.

-Aren

1 comment.

Money As Training Wheels (Vol 4)

Posted on February 26th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Philosophy, The Pharmakon.

Our friend and Pharamkeus, Aren Rye, has been writing his “Money as Training Wheels” series in The Pharmakon ever since September of ‘07. He has been working over some very interesting themes. We are now putting the whole series on our web page for viewing. Enjoy!

Money As Training Wheels Vol. 4: Money, Honey

Our survival does not depend on money. They’re just little green pieces of paper: their value is in our minds. It is an agreement. Not everyone makes this agreement consciously. Many of us were born into a system of monetary exchange. Those with the most money, who feel empowered by it, make an effort to place more and more world inside their system of power. There is, always has, and always will be another way. It is in direct contact. This is not the same as the Law of Suspended Consequences which is predominating monetarily. We must be aware of, and connected to the cause and effect of our actions. There is an underlining universal principle to which one’s attunement brings forth such a high level of the perception of interconnectivity, that people will delight much more in the giving, the creation, while taking only what they need, after asking and giving thanks.

See, there’s this illusion that the functioning of society is dependent on the use of money (incentives, so forth). But no, it is actually rooted in the human power to intend. Our power is not dependent on money; in fact, the more we learn to work with this power, and cultivate it, the more the material things will come to us as needed. We are all able to do this. This is a fundamental conception of, at the very least, all humans (most likely all of life has its own way). It goes beyond commutative, into the realm of creation. There is an all-pervasive force: a direction. We are now in the process of discovering it, and then, when we can hear it, as resonate as the hum of quartz, we can channel it as the sole motivating force.

A state will be manifested when we replace the incentive of capital gain with the incentive of greatest good for all. When we participate with this intent, the things we need individually, including money, tend to come naturally. And, absolutely, our experience will raise the bar of what we consider possible.

There is a certain mind that gets applied to money: the mind of scarcity, that there is not enough to go around. Well, there is. Yet, it is this mind, which fosters the competition for money and resources which create these imbalances which we see all over the world: some people are not allowed access to their land and so suffer. While at the same time, certain countries have such an excess, that they either waste, or consume in over-abundance. Thus both are cut off from equilibrium.

It is this mind, not the use of money itself, which is the concern (given, it is very common inside monetary systems). If we can raise our intent to the free-flowing service of all, then we can feel free to use money, harm-free. And then, when a critical mass reach this higher vibration we will no longer need money at all.

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love, as deep. The more I give to thee

The more I have, for both are infinite.

-Shakespeare

-Aren

P.S. Honey is an antiseptic.

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Pharmakon #9 is Out!

Posted on February 14th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Free Mind Media, Tim Dixon's Art, Books, The Pharmakon.

Our February issue of The Pharmakon (titled “Warmth”) is out on the streets. We’ll be dropping it off over the next couple days at all of our usual spots:

COLOR issues are for sale at Copperfields in Sebastopol and Petaluma, and at Community Market in Santa Rosa.

FREE BLACK AND WHITE copies are at Community Market, Treehorn Books, Flying Goat Coffee, 1710 Coffee, The JC, Free Mind Media, The Last Record Store, Aquus Cafe, Coffee Catz, Hardcore Espresso, Sonoma State, North Light, and Zone Music.

This issue is full of eye candy and features book recommendations by the staff of Free Mind Media, an invitation to join a DIY soccer league, Chai recipes by our very own Aren Diego, and much more! Buy one if at all possible, or you can always pick a black and white copy up for free! Enjoy!

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Money as Training Wheels (Vol 3)

Posted on February 8th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Philosophy, The Pharmakon.

Our friend and Pharamkeus, Aren Rye, has been writing his “Money as Training Wheels” series in The Pharmakon ever since September of ‘07. He has been working over some very interesting themes. We are now putting the whole series on our web page for viewing. Enjoy!

Money As Training Wheels Vol. 1: Possession is Not Wealth

Wealth is the abundance of experiential surfaces from which to reflect. It is in that which we are connected. One can descend deeply on a start of bamboo: short green stalks, rising up inches and shooting forth emerald leaves, creases running up into tips of brown curlies. The fresh growth is underneath. What difference does it make if, or not, I own it? We are free to cultivate our connection to the entirety of our experience. This does not mean we own anything. Everything comes to us for awhile.

In Native worldview, there are some key dimensions: one is that instead of humans owning the land, dictating its direction and purpose, humankind is realized as but an extension of it, one of many. And if the world exists for our life, then, as well, we exist for the worlds. This simple shift in perspective can cause profound increase in our connection to life.

Another guide is the note of animism: everything is alive. This is true of the traditional conceptions of plants and animals and extends also to entities previously considered inanimate such as to rocks, to air and to the sun. It proposes that all objects are beings, each with their own consciousness and connection to the one universal source. With the scientifically recent discoveries of single-celled creatures as well as the curious movements hidden inside the atom, it seems like a good idea to bet safely. This trend of discovery evinces this worldly belief.

This means that we can commune and communicate with anything, everything. All is responsive to our loving interest. We are all inexorably wealthy. Don’t be fooled into believing that your wealth can be contained by the notion of money. It is bigger. It cannot even be contained by your notion of everything—there is always more. Your wealth is unlimited.

There is a strange frenzy in my head,
of birds flying,
each particle circulating on its own.
Is the one I love everywhere?
-Rumi

-Aren

P.S. It is like lovers. They have found each other: two leaves colliding mid-air, almost inconceivable. They look into each other’s eyes; it’s as if a portal opens up before them, an opening into a moment of creation. They don’t think for an instant that they can reach into that doorway and pull something out to call their own, and to walk away with. Unthinkable. They give themselves up. You have to. There is no life-line. Every moment is new and is defined by the entirety of your perception. This is it. Who is your love? The door is open.

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Money as Training Wheels (Vol. 2)

Posted on January 29th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Philosophy, The Pharmakon.

Our friend and Pharamkeus, Aren Rye, has been writing his “Money as Training Wheels” series in The Pharmakon ever since September of ‘07. He has been working over some very interesting themes. We are now putting the whole series on our web page for viewing. Enjoy!

Money As Training Wheels Vol. 2: The Courage of Life

Sometimes money is viewed as a universal currency—if you deal with money, you are dealing with an infallible balanced system that represents the “true value” of any given thing. Abiding strictly to this philosophy, a thing without monetary value is valueless.

I don’t need to point out that this is absurd. For example: air. Without it, we cannot breathe. Without breath, we die. Yet what is the (monetary) value of air? No one pays for it. What is my capitalistic incentive to conserve the quality if air? Where is the profit?

We must honor our higher allegiance, which is to life itself.

How does the truth of money become disconnected from the truth of life? It sets up a false incentive.

Let me see… if I just chop down this rainforest, then I can raise cattle here—I’ll make money. But, will I make life? Sometimes I don’t understand how this can happen. Let’s look at two pictures: one, a lush and biologically diverse rainforest; two, an empty lot after eight years of cattle grazing, the soil now unable to grow anything (note: almost all of the nutrients in rainforest soil has been brought up and exists in an active form of life, above ground; so when clear cut, there is not much left). Who could really prefer the latter? How can someone do this? They are trapped in the matrix of money.

But doesn’t a person need money? People pay for their food with money. True. Consider this: we are all responsible. We are all the reason we are trapped in the matrix of money. This is that we are all requiring others to give us money. This is because we are all expecting others to require it from us. Let us free ourselves.

Imagine a whirlpool: people all circulating in a tub. It one person stops by themselves, they will get bumped into by the person behind. Yet, if they all want to stop, then, with a concentrated awareness of each other, and slowly, with mutually exchanged attention, they will. This communication is key.

If we accept money from someone who does something unwholesome to get it, we are essentially saying that we will not give them what they need unless they do this thing—we are hiring them to do it.

The monetary system is not infallible. We can do better. We are arriving at a cusp, and will soon be able to be born forth into a system of sustainable equilibrium. The concept of money hints at interconnection, but enforces separation. The first step is the awareness that it represents but a small part of the greater interconnectivity of life. The next step is to move ones investments into this greater system. The use of money is not necessarily harmful, but must be synthesized with this awareness.

What is the value of simply being alive?

-Aren

P.S. Be courageous.

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Money as Training Wheels (Vol. 1)

Posted on January 21st, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Philosophy, The Pharmakon.

Our friend and Pharamkeus, Aren Rye, has been writing his “Money as Training Wheels” series in The Pharmakon ever since September of ‘07. He has been working over some very interesting themes. We are now putting the whole series on our web page for viewing. Enjoy!

Money As Training Wheels Vol. 1: A Decomposition of Money

There is a system omnipresent that has always existed. This is the system of energy. We are already a part of it. The use of money is merely an extension of this greater order. The reason the monetary way has become so mainstream is because it embodies certain principles of this more subtle and universal currency. One such principle is that people are allowed to give freely from whatever unique situation they are attuned to and have faith that their needs will be met in return. This idealic quality of money mimics the higher spiritual law.

It can be beneficial to have a system of monetary exchange- it sets up a structural framework for us to work inside of. After we serve, we recieve a placeholder, money- a representation of invested service. Now, after we have served (as confirmed by our collection of notes) we are allowed to receive an equal exchange of our service. It creates a modality of giving. It initiates momentum by setting up an incentive. For some people it is easier to have faith that our needs will be met if others have an incentived reason.

However, this incentive can easily become a distraction from what is real. In reality it can be a pleasure to serve. When our attention is not divided between the work we are accomplishing and the money we hope to receive in payment than a pure focus can be manifested. All too often the question asked is “How can I make money?” instead of “What good things can I accomplish?” Although it is possible for the wise to fuse these together naturally, intentions still tend to get misdirected.

The system of money has played a purpose in illustrating the great interconnectedness of us all. It has trained us to see ourselves as a unity, and to work as one. At some point, though, as people continually realize that the true power is in the giving and working together the need to get paid will diminish.

The key is in raising the level of the community to global and the concept of self to include everything else.

Capitalism breeds competition. Competition is veiled cooperation. Let the veil be lifted.

PS: The word “incentived” is made up. It’s okay to make up words.

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Aren’s Pottery!

Posted on January 11th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Free Mind Media, Needs/Haves, Cheap Art.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for your cheap artistic pleasure…

AREN’S POTTERY!!

Yes, our friend Aren has donated a lovely hand made ceramic piece to our Cheap Art Gallery at Free Mind Media (540 Pacific Ave in Santa Rosa).  It only costs $10!  Come on down to our gallery and pick it up today.  Money raised goes to Free Mind Media and the artist.

This is part of the growing Cheap Art Movement that is beginning in Sonoma County.  We want more affordable art that can be available to everyone!

For more information on Bite the Hand’s Cheap Art Gallery, click on “Gallery” on the “pages” sidebar to the left.

For more information on Free Mind Media, click on their webpage on our “blogroll” sidebar to the left.

1 comment.