Books You Should Read: Pronoia Is The Antidote For Paranoia
[ 17 March 2010, 11:05 ]
Books you should read: Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.
Why?
Other than the fact that this is one of very few books I have bought twice (my other copy is in New Zealand & I needed to get my fingers all over it again!), this is the opener.
The Experiment
OBJECTIVE: To explore the secrets of becoming a wildly disciplined, fiercely tender, ironically sincere, scrupulously curious, aggressively sensitive, blasphemously reverent, lyrically logical, lustfully compassionate Master of Rowdy Bliss.
DEFINITION: Pronoia is the antidote for paranoia. It’s the understanding that the universe is fundamentally friendly. It’s a mode of training your senses & intellect so you’re able to perceive the fact that life always gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.
HYPOTHESES: Evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure is your birthright. Receptivity is a superpower.
PROCEDURE: Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement & illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes to assist you in turning into the gorgeous masterpiece you were born to be. Join the conspiracy to shower all of creation with blessings.
GUIDING QUESTION: “The secret of life,” said sculptor Henry Moore to poet Donald Hall, “is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for your whole life. & the most important thing is — it must be something you cannot possibly do.” What is that task for you?
UNDIGNIFIED MEDITATIONS TO KEEP YOU HONEST: Brag about what you can’t do & don’t have. Confess profound secrets to people who aren’t particularly interested. Pray for the success of your enemies while you’re making love. Change your name every day for a thousand days.
MYTHIC ROLE MODELS: Prometheus & Pronoia. In Greek mythology, Pronoia was the consort of Prometheus, the divine rebel who pilfered a glowing coal from his fellow gods so that he could slip the gift of fire to humans.
TOP-SECRET ALLIES: Sacred janitors, benevolent pranksters, apathy debunkers, lyrical logicians, ethical outlaws, aspiring masters of curiosity, homeless millionaires, humble megalomaniacs, hedonistic midwives, lunatic saints, sly optimists, mystical scientists, dissident bodhisattvas, macho feminists, & socialist libertarians who possess inside information about the big bang.
DAILY PRACTICE: Push hard to get better, become smarter, grow your devotion to the truth, fuel your commitment to beauty, refine your emotional intelligence, hone your dreams, negotiate with your shadow, cure your ignorance, shed your pettiness, heighten your drive to look for the best in people, & soften your heart — even as you always accept yourself for exactly who you are with all of your so-called imperfections.
POSSIBLE REWARDS: You will be able to claim the rewards promised you at the beginning of time — not just any old beauty, wisdom, goodness, love, freedom, & justice, but rather: exhilarating beauty that incites you to be true to yourself; crazy wisdom that immunizes you against the temptation to believe your ideals are ultimate truths; outrageous goodness that inspires you to experiment with irrepressible empathy; generous freedom that keeps you alert for opportunities to share your wealth; insurrectionary love that endlessly transforms you; & a lust for justice that’s leavened with a knack for comedy, keeping you honest as you work humbly to liberate everyone in the world from ignorance & suffering.
USAGE NOTE: We employ the adjectival form “pronoiac” rather than “pronoid”. That way, it rhymes with “aphrodisiac” & resonates with “paradisiacal” instead of being conditioned by “paranoid”.
DISCLAIMER: Material in this book may be too intense & controversial for some readers. It contains graphic scenes of peace, love, joy, passion, reverence, splendor, & understanding. You will not find any references to harsh, buzzing fluorescent lights in a cheap hotel room where a heroin dealer plots to get revenge against the authorities at his old high school by releasing sarin gas into the teachers’ lounge.
There are no reports of Nazi skinheads obsessed with re-creating the 14th-century Tartars’ war strategy of catapulting plague-ridden corpses into an enemy’s citadel. Completely absent from these pages are any stories about a psychotic CEO of a Fortune 500 company who has intentionally disfigured his face to elude the CIA, which wants to arrest him for the treasonous sale of his company’s nanotech weapons technology to the Chinese.
You should therefore proceed with caution if you are a jaded hipster who is suspicious of feeling healthy & happy. Ask yourself: “Am I ready to stop equating cynicism with insight? Do I dare take the risk that exposing myself to uplifting entertainment might dull my intelligence?” If you doubt your ability to handle relaxing breakthroughs, you should close the book now.
This book needs to be on your bookshelf, beside your bed, on your coffee table & slid under couch cushions for safe-keeping. Other than Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia, you can read (much) more of Rob Brezny’s work at Free Will Astrology.
(I am thinking of doing more regular book recommendations & reviews — let me know if you’re into it!)
Love letters & feather headdresses,
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Happy Phagwah from New York!
[ 15 March 2010, 09:55 ]
Last Sunday, Chloe, Krysti & I made our way out to Ozone Park in Queens to celebrate Holi (होली)!
What is Holi? It’s a spring festival celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists & Sikhs. While it’s primarily celebrated in India, Nepal & Sri Lanka, it also goes on in places where there are large communities of Hindus, Buddhists or Sikhs.
Holi is a festival of radiance (Teja) in the universe. During this festival, different waves of radiance traverse the universe, thereby creating various colours that nourish and complement the function of respective elements in the atmosphere. (Wikipedia)
Holi lasts 16 days & is celebrated on the last full moon of winter, usually at the end of February or start of March. It’s a way of marking the beginning of spring. The major part of Holi consists of people throwing coloured powder (Gulal) at one another! Everyone carries brightly coloured powder in pouches & small jars, fill super soakers with purple dye & brandish bottles of baby powder. The bright colours are said to signify life, energy & joy. Traditionally, Āyurvedic medicinal herbs like Neem & Bilva were used to colour the powder, which helped ward off colds & flu!
Primarily, Phagwah is a commemoration of the triumph of good over evil. It is traced back to the tradition of the demon king Hiranyakasyapu who tried to kill his own son, the prince named Prahlad, but Lord Vishnu’s blessings saved the boy each time. Eventually, Hiranyakasyapu’s sister Holika (from whose name the word ‘Holi’ derives) attempted to kill the boy by taking him along into fire. Holika who herself was immune to burning. The fire burned down Holika to ashes and Prahlad came out, safe and sound.
Phagwah is also associated with other religious traditions. For example, it is associated with the opening of god Siva’s third eye and the consequent end of Kamadeva, the god of erotic love. Also related to Phagwah is the story of Dhundhi, the invincible ogress who teased the children in the kingdom of Prithu. She was made to flee the kingdom by the shouts, noise, and pranks of the kingdom’s mischievous kids. In addition, Holi is also associated with the tradition of the eternal love of Krishna and Radha. (The Bustle of Phagwah)
I don’t remember when I first heard about Holi, but I do remember seeing photos of it years ago, & knew it was something I had to do! Experiencing Holi in India is something I definitely have to do before I die, so when I found out that Holi was celebrated in New York, I didn’t have to be told twice! I immediately told Chloe & we made plans to go.
In Queens, New York, a parade — which contains floats & groups of drummers — snakes its way along the street, before ending up at a park where everyone goes crazy slinging coloured powder about! Not content to just stand on the side of the road & watch, we snuck under a barricade to join the revelers!
While traditionally people wear white to Holi, most people were just wearing jeans & hoodies. I wore a full-length white dress from Forever 21, a purple sweater from Gap & a jacket from H&M.
There is no better way to cast off the grey of winter than literally covering yourself in bright colours. It was an incredible experience, almost transcendent — I felt as if I was soaking up beauty & joy & optimism, absorbing it through my skin.
We had such an amazing time. Everyone was so friendly & welcoming & sweet. We got lots of hugs & so many people gave us huge smiles before smearing a stripe of magenta, royal blue, deep purple or lime green across our faces! People were going ballistic throwing baby powder all over one another — it was like a perpetual dust storm in front of us. Families walked around together, their faces stained purple with dye.
I haven’t done something which made me feel so alive in such a long time. Everyone looked so beautiful covered in colour, & I felt beautiful too. When I got back to Manhattan, I walked from the West Village to the East Village, bedaubed with pink, purple, orange, blue, purple & green, beaming at people who didn’t know what to think! I didn’t want to wash it off… My normally white hair still has some pastel staining & I love it.
Have you ever been to a Holi celebration? Would you like to go?
Photos (except for the last one) by (who else?) Chloe Rice.
Extras For Experts:
Angel wrote about her Holi obsession here!
Love letters & feather headdresses,
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[ 12 March 2010, 12:49 ]
So sorry this is a day late!!!
Happy Phagwah!
Last Sunday, Chloe & Krysti & I went to celebrate Holi in Queens. I have lots of pictures & stuff to show you, hold please! [Insert the dulcet tones of Barbara Streisand here.]
Being a gym bunny!
(Hop hop!) Okay, so I now do 30 push-ups every time I go to the gym. (Twice a week.) I find this completely amazing! My trainer is rad & we talk about music, & he is optimistic & cool. I can feel myself getting stronger & my inner resolve strengthening. I love pushing myself beyond what I think I can achieve. Honestly I love love love going to the gym (& I would bet money that I am the only person who goes there wearing false eyelashes). It is kind of making me feel nuts that I have to miss two sessions next week!
Seeing friends who live elsewhere!
Yay! I don’t get to see Stef very much, but he was in town playing a show on Tuesday so we took the opportunity to go shopping, get pizza slices & enjoy the spring weather. Later that night I saw him, Dessa Darling & Astronautilus perform at the Bowery Ballroom (A+++) & they were completely brilliant. Hopefully I will see him again soon. Fingers crossed for Soundset 2010! (Finally!) The kid’s still on tour so for God’s sake, go & see him! Now I’m in Austin staying with my friend Ed (who I met at Burning Man in 2006!) & it’s so good to get caught up on all our news & life changes! Soon I’ll get to see Angel, Amelia, Tina, Violet etc. & I’m so thrilled!
Fantastic new projects in the works!
Honestly, couldn’t be more excited. Just you wait!
Honourable mentions: Stephen Colbert performing magic tricks!; arm/leg/dog piles; LE DISH; not sneezing; oversized earrings; pumpkin soup!; ahahahahahaha!; being played cheesy Christmas songs to illustrate a point; Boingo wifi (a lifesaver in airports, especially with the prevalence of delayed flights); the woman who checked me in to my SouthWest flight who talked my ear off about Peter Pan (happens a lot with my surname); Blistex Lip Medex (new favourite lip balm, it actually !!!works!!! & is a vast improvement on anything else I have ever used. Even better, I bought it on a total whim); new towels; drinking tomato juice with ice on the plane (I only ever order water, apple or tomato juice on a plane for some reason, & I love it); xo texts; laughing at Entourage on the plane; excitement over my SXSW schedule (Melissa Auf der Maur, Born Ruffians, Dustin O’Halloran, Motörhead [?!], Hudson Mohawke, Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Flying Lotus, Nicole Atkins featuring Future Clouds and Radar, Kam Moye aka Supastition, Nappy Roots, Ninjasonik, GZA, The Crystal Method, Sage Francis, The Glitch Mob, Classixx (DJs For The Night), Mayer Hawthorne & The County, David Dallas, Metric, Raphael Saadiq, Team Facelift, Jimmy Gnecco, Blue Scholars, Redman, Kristen Schaal, Pharoahe Monch, Theophilus London, Anti-Pop Consortium, The xx, B T, Daedelus, Hole [WHAT], & The Very Best, not to mention the myriad of panels, talks, madness etc.!), my new skull sweater; “I actually prefer R&B to hip-hop” “Oh yeah, who’s your favourite?” “Boyz II Men”; when planes begin their descent; noise-cancelling headphones; brass knuckle zipper pulls; 11 hour sleeps; “I feel like you need to be supervised. I feel like… I’m dating the Ritalin Kid”; voodoo chicken sandwiches & cinnamon apple pie & warm weather…
I read this in Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine last night & had to share it!
Grateful people reported feeling 25 percent more happiness & energy & 20 percent less envy & resentment in several recent studies at the University of California. They also slept 10 percent longer each night & exercised 33 percent more if they wrote down what they felt thankful for. “Gratitude,” Lyubomirsky says, “is an antidote to negative emotions.”
So of course I’d love to hear what’s making you really happy this week!
Additionally, YO! I am in Texas! I’m here for SXSW Interactive, Music & Film until the 20th! I’m not going to be posting every day, but if you want to know what I’m up to, you can always follow me on Twitter! If you’re here too, you should definitely come & see my session Selling Subculture Without Selling Out!
We should resume our regular schedule in a little over a week’s time… Much love!
Love letters & feather headdresses,
Comment [57] Tags: things i love thursday Add Gala on Twitter!Win A $100 Gift Voucher From ModCloth!
[ 9 March 2010, 19:34 ]
Things we all want: Peace, love & new clothes!
Love & peace have to come from you, but I’m more than happy to lend a helping hand when it comes to fancy new duds!
To celebrate spring & all the sartorial possibilities a new season entails, I’ve teamed up with one of my favourite sponsors, ModCloth, to give away a $100 voucher to one extremely lucky nonpareil!
All you need to do is use Polyvore to create a Spring look based around a ModCloth item. Start here! You’ll see a selection of ModCloth items, & you can create a set from there! Be sure to link to your set in the comments below!
You can see a sample outfit above — that’s what I’d like to be wearing pretty much every day as soon as the sun comes out permanently (featuring ModCloth’s Shine After Shine dress, which I already own!)...
The contest runs for a week & will be drawn next Tuesday, the 16th of March! You can enter as many times as you like & it’s open to everybody in the entire world! (Even if you’re going into winter & not spring. I see you down there!)
Impress us with your styling prowess! Best of luck!
Love letters & feather headdresses,
Comment [841] Tags: consumption Add Gala on Twitter!Daily Outfit: 4th March 2010
[ 8 March 2010, 18:07 ]
I love this outfit. I wanted to take photos but was in a rush, so decided to take video while I was getting ready & on my way.
I wore…
Heart diamante earrings from GirlProps
Cut-out jersey dress from Missguided
Black satin trim blazer from Urban Outfitters
Black windowpane stockings by Cynthia Rowley
Worn with over-the-knee black socks with skull bows on the back
Frye motorcycle boots
Alice Hannah sequinned fingerless gloves from ASOS
Heart quilted padlock bowler bag from ASOS
Sunglasses from Forever 21
It cracks me up to wear my hair like this, I feel like a cross between Rihanna & Ivana Trump, even though some people say I look like a conehead! Hahah!
It has been so beautiful the last few days, it’s making me all hopeful for spring… Hurry up, please!
Love letters & feather headdresses,
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