Rituals of Being

 


Rituals of Being is a project with Christian Jensen and Matt Reece 



Zin Uru / Ritual of Being- Intro

I want to introduce you to the way of the Norse Gothi;

It’s something that pre dates the Viking age, and although they are masters of ceremonies

It’s not necessarily religious in the way you would think of it today.

This is in a way about ancient psychology, about re coding and structuring your mind

Into a better , more complete version of You. To structure society into a better version of itself.

A Gothi – one who is immune to sorcery

Appearing as the Wild Men all through Europe 

In outfits that took the shape of trickster Gods

Creator of words, weaver of spirits and the One

That could put names to symbols.

By absorbing these words you will participate in a ritual to put names to masks of Self

Not One, but Five Names that describes who you are , who you can be sometimes,

Who you could become

 

 

To Participate, do the following:

·       Draw a circle, and from four equidistant directions draw a line

·       You will now give a name to the 4 Urges of Self - Choose four animals within a specie of animals e.g. 4 birds , 4 fish, 4 mammals etc that represents different aspects of you – one sits on your head, one in each hand and one sits between your legs.

·       The fifth animal goes in the centre, the one closes to your heart or your core of Self



 In the Four Direction of Me I place a symbol of each of the Urges of who I am

The Urges that drives us ; I have Named Mine ; you will have to make your own names for Yours

My names are : Dove, Eagle, Peacock and Owl.

And my last name is for a mask I only show to my Inner circle , to the ones I trust the most

This urge I have named Magpie.

STEP 1 – Create an anchor of the Self - Connect the 5 Urges of Self into a Being of Mind

To Participate, do the following:

·       Take each of the names you have now given to the Urges. You may translate them to whatever language you like, then draw the letters of the symbol together as one. Repeat the drawing of the one symbol until it transforms into something pleasing to your eye.

 



·       Simple is better. The idea is that you can easily visualise and draw this in your mind.

·       Replace the names of the 5 Urges with your symbols

 

 

MOUNTAIN MIND QUESTION VOICE

 

Now close your eyes                     Listen to your breath

Imagine my voice as a current of energy

Feel it flow from my mouth to your fingertips, through your body,

feel it travel all the way down to your toes

Now tune out from all the clutter in your mind

Only listen to my voice                 Silence the headlines

And media you’ve absorbed

Put aside your frustrations with global and local politics

Bat away the latest slogan or lyrics that play, sometimes on loop

& repeat after me

I am Simple, simply Human, I am

Listen to the voice in your mind  

I am Simple, Simple I am

From over the Mountain of Perception

I am simple Hum, simply human,

let go of Questions

There is no simple answer to IT , what even is IT

it is It , is what IT is

Empty your mind to hear the voice

From inside the Mountain of Self

 

Mountain – Question : just mind the voice

Question – Mountain: just voice the mind

Mountain – Mind:  just voice the question

Question – Voice: just mind the Mountain

Mountain – Question: just mind the voice

Question the Voice         Mountain the Mind

Mountain                          Question                           Mind                   Voice

Mountain Mind                              Question Voice

Sometimes when you put on these masks, you end up in flocks of people all wearing the same masks. These are stories of the times I flew in such flocks;

I - A group of Doves is called a Dole of Doves

A Dole of Doves invited me to a symposium of suburban dinner parties in west Auckland

 

Dole of Doves Always Striving for Perfection

 

We arrived at a perfect little house on a perfect little hillside by an estry;

perfect fence, perfect spouse, perfect face; just perfect , or so she said

 

A perfect house is never good enough, A Dove is Never  

 

We all know, perfect is never Perfect, perfect is never enough

With interior design, fashion and makeup copied from youtube tutorials

 

Dole of Doves Always Striving for Perfection

 

Never Perfect

Little Dove

 

 Dole of Doves always striving for perfection  

 

Never feels Perfect

Little  Home

 

A perfect little house is never clean enough

A perfect little life is never good enough

 

Never feels at Home 

Little Dove

 

Or So she said                                so she said

Never perfect in her mind

Never

cries the Dove ,

always striving for perfection

but Never felt at Home as a Dove

 

II - A Dole of Doves in Change

 

A Dole of Doves invited us for some change,

inside their masks,

at a symposium

 

overlooking the Whau River,

where we would draft a script for change

 

invited us for some change

Making a keynote presentation on how to break free and Host some transformation

 

A dole of Doves invites us around for some Change,

 within their masks,

around a shabby chic interior

 

invited us for some change

To deep dive into the experience of being a lone Dove, free,

No longer a doleful dove; now a daemon of between

with a new symbol

 

behind the mask, struggle ascending

behind, the struggle is wild

 

 a drawn on Halo above the etching of a goats head

 that was hidden

under a rug in a Mediterranean style house in Titirangi

 

behind the mask, struggle to break

behind, stronger than she knew

the struggle is wild

 

a dole of doves invited us around for some Change

some change         some change

 

to a feather in a mask

some change to break free

from the idea of picture perfect

of a Dove

 

who

 

can become

 

a

 

Daemon of Between

 


 

III A Dove had a Mask

 

]This Dove had a little Soul

She had a little Goal

Had a little Dream

A silent little Scream

A silent seam

A patchwork daemon

Ready for a change

 

 

 

 


 

A group of Peacocks is called a Muster of Peacocks

A muster of peacocks come to a function in Blockhouse Bay

With class in one hand and a jar of silver tongues in the other

They carry a personalised pedestal with them at all times

To stand on when posing or conducting, which they often do

Every move is choreographed, they present themselves often photoshopped

Every moment is an opportunity, every time a chance to gain more likes

At the end of the night they sometimes fray around the edges, one drink too many

Can let their nature slip out, drop the Class on the floor and become fragile

 

A muster of peacocks is best when they are fragile, they moved on to an afterparty in Avondale

& I could see their red threads sticking out, red threads they had wrapped themselves in

Red threads they ordered online to bind themselves in

When they wear a broken mask, in a broken place

it reveals that depth inside a paua shell

the idea of broken is all about Perception

A muster of Peacocks all went to get new coves for their Masks

To hide the cracks that we saw

At an industry event in in Rosebank

 

The peacock got a new mask

A new surface; A new apex

They had a new look, A perfect veneer again

He looks like the apex herbivore

Taking a brand new still image for media

A quiet cry, A worn silver tongue , A jar of voices

He had a big dream, He had a big goal, He had a big soul

A silent big Scream, A silent seam

A patchwork daemon

Ready for a change

 


 

A group of Owls is called a Parliament of Owls

A Parliament of Owls gather in the Night at an art exhibition at former Carrington Hospital

in pods of Hooting Owls, drinking wine, eating crackers and cheese

Spinning their heads around to greet people while bodies are still facing the art  

Their face in the glow of vintage lightbulbs, eyes that see through the darkness of a mood

In the Dark they Chorus, behind round projecting eyes

Of Owls

 

A Parliament of Owls spent all day designing mazes for people on lawn in Mount Albert

They were huddled up in a shed turned into a creative workshop of costumes and masks

He carries with him a bag black sand, the stuff that is a void yet measures all Time

So that he can sprinkle it into your eyes and drinks or bake it into your food

The incognito maestro of ceremonies

At day he is stuck in a maze of his own design, but at night he is

The Owl

 

The Owl made his own mask

Who had a grand design

Had a grand Dream

A silent grand Scream

A silent seam

A patchwork daemon

Ready for a change

 

 


 

A group of Eagles is called a Convocation of Eagles.

 

A convocation of Eagles form as a soaring over a central Auckland apartment

A tapestry of wingspan and eyes in the sky

With a snake around their neck as a tie, all in collared shirts and pressed pants

They swoop down to engage, calculated brief moments

Sleep deprived and over worked, you’d never know unless you knew,

They hold all the tension in a room as a habit

Hold it like tight wires that could be strummed, tuning them

When they strum those rows of tight wires

They can play the tunes that we must dance to, or so they say,

Then they soar up to look above the horizon, beyond our walls and mountains

 

A convocation of eagles sound best when they sing the tune of Bella Ciao

In the voice of a chorus of Anon he becomes the Omega

At night he wears the blinders of a falcon to sleep

At day he puts bells around his neck, his wrists and his ankles

And parades into the day like Micromegas

As the Eagle

 

The Eagle inherited his Mask from age old roots

He had a shining Goal 

Had a shining Dream

A silent shining Scream

A silent seam

A patchwork daemon

Ready for a change


 

A group of Magpies is called a Mischief of Magpies

A mischief of Magpies is a rare sight found in curious locations like Cornwallis Beach

 As they are usually solitary operators, never alone though, but operating on their own

With a drop of daemons blood in their beak and obscure tattoos under their feathers

They pass through the underworld in their sleep, known to associate

With witches, fools and fortune tellers

they look for a place to have a fireside chat, between black and white plumage

of a Magpie

 

A Mischief of Magpies socialize by prancing and dancing around on the black sand of Muriwai

Stealing food and drinks, causing disruption, and cackling maniacally about it

While one magpie is bad luck, one for sorrow

Two brings joy and positivity, three for a funeral, four for a birth

Five is for heaven, six is for Hell, seven for the devil his own self

Eight is for Goddess as your own self

Nine is for Godhead the trickster

And 10 is for a surprise that must not be missed

 

The Magpie took its Mask from the sacred clown 

They had a contrarian Role

Had a spiteful Dream

A silent trickster Scream

A silent seam

A patchwork daemon

Ready for a change


 

 A story about the time that I was

AN OWL IN AN EAGLES NEST

The Zeitgeist is sleeping with the lights on again       

 The Oracle of Humanity is depressed again

And here I am as an Owl in an Eagles nest

 

Now this is all about lack of love, or more like a place devoid of real Love, of searching for some kind of Love and finding hollow substitutes; I’m talking about Philia Love, the love for your partners in the workplace.

Or a lack thereof , you know

The 4 Urges, directions of Self, Real their heads in the workplace as Characters to play

Characters you are expected to embody, to play your role and stick to the script.

Most of you do it, or have at least done it at some point -

Some of you have been A dove, An owl, The peacock, The eagle

I’ve been

 the kind follower to the stubborn leader,

the blind manager to the strong follower,

 the strong manager to the broken leader,

the strong leader to the confused follower

This is the day-to-day battles, the daily grind

Of The Dove, The Owl, The peacock , The eagle

What face will you choose today

However much I wanted, I never chose a different one

& here I stand again : as  an own in an eagles nest

Management would tell us

On your own you are nothing, replaceable by design, together they are everything

On your own you do Nothing, by contractual obligation, together you do Everything

 

The Zeitgeist is sleeping with the lights on again       

 The Oracle of Humanity is depressed again

And here I am as an Owl in an Eagles nest

 

They give you the idea that on their own

They would tear each other apart

This is Aotearoa psycho reborn in the mini metro of Auckland’s corporate boxes

And here I am as an Owl in an Eagles nest

Eagle runs the Dove, charms the Owl, robs the Peacock

Peacock ruffles their feathers

Dove hide behind high heels and pen pads

Owl thinks for Eagle, pushes Dove, rattles peacock

Eagle ties up Dove, drains Owl, breaks Peacock,

After a while stuck in an Eagles Nest

Dove learns to fight for peacock, guide the Owl and lecture the Eagle

Peacock learns to listen to Dove, defend Owl, and shines at Eagle

Owl wears a branded Crest; Owl soaks up the frazzled fray

Owl stays calm in this frantic race as a scribe of madness mending bridges in his wake

Owl is still a killer you see, doves and peacocks his prey

Owl haunts the Eagles dreams, turned into night-terrors with plied open eyes

Owl is a saviour, Owl is a killer, Owl is here to serve you,

calm in a frantic race of a river with targets and deadlines 

Owl is a bard is a daemon that watches, singing tales of madness and evils at open mic nights

The Zeitgeist is sleeping with the lights on again               Oracle of humanity is anxious again

Madness is the crown on an Eagles head

Owl Flew the Eagles Nest, Owl with no branded Crest

What mask will I wear Today? What mask will you wear Tomorrow?

The Zeitgeist is sleeping with the lights on again       

 The Oracle of Humanity is depressed again

And here I am as an Owl who left the Eagles Nest

 


 

 

Zin Uru / Ritual of Self – How to Name the Birds of Self

 

I’ve been told –

everyone fits into one of four roles in life driven by 4 primal Urges

They’re either a Dove, A Peacock an Eagle or an Owl

 

Yet, I find myself identifying as Magpie that tends to hang out with Kereru,  Pukeko, and Kea–

those woodpigeons that tend to defy gravity by hanging out on thin branches

or those blue and red long legged swamp hens hanging out in cul de sacs, 

and those green parrot bastards try to bite you and steal anything shiny from your car.

Love all of those guys

 

I’ve been shown  -  

how we get boxed in by the Four Urges that drive us, that defines us,

Urges that makes you put on masks when you get up in the morning

Sometimes when you put on these masks, you end up in flocks of people

all wearing the same masks.

 

A Dole of Doves invited me to a symposium at suburban dinner party in west Auckland

It was full of perfectly plumed Little Doves, yet when they went out on a limb

Sitting on a branch they turned into a loft of woodpigeons

 

A muster of peacocks came to a function in Blockhouse Bay

With class in one hand and a jar of silver tongues in the other

yet it was a gawky of head bobbing pukekos was seen leaving the place

 

A convocation of Eagles form as a soaring over a central Auckland apartment

With a snake around their neck as a tie, all in collared shirts and pressed pants

But deep in a man cave they turned into a circus of Kea singing Bella ciao (x2) Bella ciao ciao ciao

 

A Parliament of Owls gather in the Night at an art exhibition in former Carrington Psych Hospital

in pods of Hooting Owls, drinking wine, eating crackers and cheese

Later that night behind the building it as a mischief of magpies that could be found

 

The Four masks I thought I knew

gone,

replaced by Kereru, Pukeko, Kea and Magpie

With a drop of daemons blood in their beak and obscure tattoos under their feathers

They pass through the underworld in their sleep,

known to associate With witches, fools and fortune tellers

 

I’ve been told

that these variants of the Norm socialize by prancing and dancing around on black sand

causing disruption, cackling maniacally about it

 

I’ve been shown

 that One outlier alone is seen as bad luck,

but together they can bring on a change that should not be missed

 

 

 

I’ve been told

Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice,

 

I’ve been shown

 the kind follower can be a motivated leader, the blind follower could be a great manager,

 the strong manager can be a broken leader, the strong leader could be a weak follower

 

I’ve been told

Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice,

 

I’ve been shown

 Light, darkness, rainbow, void, earth, stone, fire, ice

Working in harmony beyond the polar ideas of four roles

 

I’ve seen 

Four Urges always caught in conflict, feathers flying & they call this a normal working day

All in a days work

 

I’ve seen 

That Owl is a killer, Owl is a daemon that watches,

As a Magpie he is singing tales of madness and evils at open mic nights

 

I’ve been told

Don’t you forget to put on that mask ;

 What mask will I wear Today? What mask will you wear Tomorrow?

But I left the four Urges on the coat-rack today

and swapped them for some native birds

 

I’ve been shown

How 4 urges turn into 4 new ones for each culture you embrace, 4 more for each sub-culture you become part of

Growing exponentially as you let go of the idea of a reality that only exists on a x,y-axis chart

As part of a statistic of normality

I’ve been told

About a world beyond the four Urges that you are meant to fit into

 

I’ve been shown

A world of change as a Magpie

 that prefers the company of Kereru,  Pukeko, and Kea

I’ve been told

Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice,

 

I’ve been shown

 Light, darkness, rainbow, void, earth, stone, fire, ice

Working in harmony beyond the polar ideas of four roles

 


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