http://www.ncreview.com/ 3013-1242 http://www.ncreview.com/art/the-place It isn’t easy to capture the subtle inner dimensions of longing for “home” that we each have (even if that longing is subconscious). And I suspect that few of us have ever fully articulated or formed a clear vision of what our ideal outer world would look like shaped from within that deep inner longing. Author Gary Douglas has, and this is his personal vision wrapped up in a fictional story of how that world would be. Yes, it’s a fantasy, but Douglas touches core aspects of human longing: a timeless, rural, peaceful, no-stress, no-aging life, an abundance of food and money (gold), sensory attunement with nature, telepathic communication and healing, a little bit of magic, and for him, the perfect, wise, beautiful woman/soulmate connection, complete with supra-sensual-sexual intimacy. He has also managed to give readers a sense of what all of this feels like—no easy feat. Consequently, the story touched me enough to keep me reading to the end, giving me sufficient morsels of satisfaction to keep my own unbidden place of inner longing somewhat appeased and simultaneously hopeful. Unfortunately, the plot itself is middling and the writing mediocre, however Douglas gets high marks for bringing the essence of a world filled with such ease and beauty into manifestation, by way of this book. And as I said, in spite of the book’s unremarkable aspects, I felt compelled to keep reading. The tagline for Access Consciousness, of which Douglas is the founder, says, “All of Life comes to me with Ease & Joy & Glory.” This perfectly summarizes the élan vital of “The Place” that Douglas dreams and writes about. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of our being, we already know this place—it’s called home. ]]> Tue, 29 Jan 2013 03:39:07 -0800 2816-1216 http://www.ncreview.com/art/dreams-awake An interesting drama about a family adrift, each member isolated within his or her own capsule of concerns. Their car synchronistically breaks down in Mt. Shasta and the tormenting mystery of the mother's recurring dream draws her to the mountain. The story line revolves around her remembering the details of her childhood trauma of losing her parents and releasing its hold on her subconscious mind. She wanders up the mountain alone, and her family mount a search with the aid of the local policeman. Aided by a talented cast, this is writer-director Jerry Alden Deal's feature directorial debut. I look forward to seeing his next production. ]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:14:54 -0800 2625-1205 http://www.ncreview.com/art/net-of-being I was fortunate to see an installation of Sacred Mirrors in Oakland, Ca, many years ago. To see Grey's art up close and in its full-sized glory is transformative and inspiring, but to have this collection of 200 images of his artwork at your fingertips is the next best thing. A truly amazing artist. ]]> Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:54:21 -0800 2625-1204 http://www.ncreview.com/art/net-of-being “...possibly the most significant artist alive. Alex’s work, like all great transcendental art, is not merely symbolic or imaginary: it is a direct invitation to recognize and realize a deeper dimension of our very own being.” (Ken Wilber, author of Integral Life Practice and Sex, Ecology, Spirituality and A Brief History of Everything ) “Inspired by Allyson Grey, every single image that flows into vivid being from Alex’s magical hand awakens, energizes, enlightens, and overjoys! The Net of Being is an ageless, yet now, glimpse of the ‘Jewel Net of Indra,’ the divine Buddhist image for the mutual interpenetration of all beings and things, from the subatomic to the trans-galactic. It takes your breath away, in the best way possible!” (Robert Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Columbia University, Co-Founder, Tibet House US, author of Inner Revolution ) “Alex Grey’s artworks bring together the tangible outer worlds investigated by scientists—full of molecules, bodies and stars–and the intangible visionary inner worlds—full of light, shadow and spiritual beings—known mainly to mystics.” (Albert Hofmann, inventor of LSD and author of LSD: My Problem Child ) ]]> Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:45:33 -0800 2289-1145 http://www.ncreview.com/art/listening-against-the-stone-selected-essays When I finished the last page of this book of essays, I wished that I could sit in a bakery eating toast and sipping tea, and ask the author about the couple she had shared a four-way sexual and intimate relationship with—“What happened to those people?” And, I wanted to ask, “So, are both of your parents still alive? How did they react when you were a hippie, running off to live in the hot springs?” And as we finished the tea and looked deeply into each other’s eyes, I’d ask her, “Why did you end up spending your life alone without a partner, a husband, or kids? Were there choices you wish you hadn’t made? Or, is it ‘all good’ now? Are you content with the life you live?” Brenda Miller winds her way through her life, opening little boxes of memories and moments, taking them out and sharing them with the reader, then putting them in a drawer, and opening another delicate, fragile box. But the boxes are separate, unequal, and too fragile to embrace at times. Some of the essays really linger with the reader hours after reading them, such as: “Next Year in Jerusalem”--an essay about the mixed feelings and emotions this San Fernando Valley, suburban, cheeseburger-eating Jew feels as she comes to Jerusalem for the first time after initially visiting and loving Jordan. All of her feelings about her heritage and a religion she has never embraced come to the forefront as she lays her head against the Wailing Wall. In one essay near the end of the book, “Opalescent,” Ms. Miller glues together talks of stained glass panels, Marc Chagall’s art and how it changed after his life was shattered by the death of his beloved wife, and of two old friends of the author who are creating a patio and deck by pouring concrete into molds, then shattering the fresh, perfect concrete with sledgehammers and fitting it back together to create something new. This essay seems representative of how this book reads—a mosaic of the author’s life—little snippets of insight, people she has loved, animals that have tethered her heart, and small vignettes of her life that speak of grief and hope, disappointment and wonder, and loss and contentment. Like the broken and reconfigured patio, these essays are bound together revealing a fragile mosaic of the author’s life. In one of my favorite essays, “Raging Waters” the author urges the children in her care to confront their personal fears each and every day. One of the little girls leads them up a giant water slide in, and Miller and the child roar down the slide together, vanquishing an old, forgotten fear and embracing joy and the sheer magnificence of being young and free again for a moment. Other essays, however, like “Secret Machine,” failed to illuminate or illustrate any moment—for me it was obscure, irritating, and purposeless in its sharing. Overall, reading this book was like being with a friend who shares deeply, yet obliquely, of her life and life choices. But at the end of the book, I wasn’t filled—my hunger had not been completely satisfied—the intimacy seemed a little hollow, a little distant, a little fragmented. Still, I had been touched seeing a life revealed. ]]> Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:58:27 -0700 2651-1138 http://www.ncreview.com/art/the-time-keeper “Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.” Mitch Albom, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Tuesdays With Morrie, tells the fictional story of the man who created the first clock with sticks and stones and water. As punishment for measuring God’s gift of time, the man is imprisoned for eternity in a cave where he is forced to hear the voices of all who suffer from his invention, including a suicidal teenage girl who wants her life to end, and a man dying of cancer, desperate for more years. Father Time has one chance to redeem himself…by returning to earth and helping these two souls discover the precious gift of every passing moment. In true Albom style, his inspirational message is delivered in prose cut to the bone. An entertaining and quick read bursting with heart. ]]> Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:24:12 -0700 2634-1133 http://www.ncreview.com/art/when-do-i-see-god-finding-the-path-to-heaven Steven Drilach’s sudden death propels him into an afterlife that can only be imagined. After a few minutes of disorientation, Steven is welcomed to his new reality by Cham, a nice-enough fellow who appears in order to answer Steven’s inevitable questions and help him gain perspective on all that has happened. “The area is filled with the creativity of your thoughts,” Cham tells him. “What you see here is of your own creation.” What follows is a wild ride of possibilities and personalities that serve as a sort of puzzle for Steven to fit together in order to fully understand what has happened and why. Clearly the author is still alive, so the ideas presented here are speculation, no more or less valid than anyone’s musings and imaginings. Ianniello explains that, rather than a dry collection of his thoughts about the afterlife, he chose to put his ideas into novel form and use the character of Steven Drilach to showcase not only one man’s experience of death and life, but also to contrast physical and spiritual existence. WHEN DO I MEET GOD? provides a scenario that challenges what we believe and encourages readers to ponder the nature of the spiritual connection between life and death in an expansive way, not just throughout the novel but every day afterward. Ianniello’s writing is good, but every novel needs an editor. In this case, an eagle eye could have weeded out the repetition and tightened the dialogue. That said, however, the story of Steven Drilach’s afterlife is compelling and thoughtfully rendered. WHEN DO I MEET GOD? is one of those books that will be talked about; in fact, it would be an excellent choice for any book discussion group that is open to exploring the nature of consciousness and faith. ]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:50:42 -0700 2144-1113 http://www.ncreview.com/art/my-greatest-teacher-a-tales-of-everyday-magic-novel Everyone shines in this debut series from Hay House called Tales of Everyday Magic. Beautifully realized by director Michael Goorjian, each of the four stories illustrates a different aspect of the power of the human spirit to transcend barriers of time, space, fear and loss. In the end it comes down to love, but in Goorjian's sensitive hands, that tired old word is given lustrous new depths and we are caught up in the magic. ]]> Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:34:55 -0700 2538-1102 http://www.ncreview.com/art/where-the-heart-beats-john-cage-zen-buddhism-and-the-inner-life-of-artists Composer John Cage paved the way for avant-garde artists with original works such as 4’33”, a score he wrote that consists of a pianist sitting in complete silence for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. Performed in three movements, this zen-like piece invites audiences to turn their attention toward the silence and wake up to life. Where the Heart Beats is the fascinating journey of how Zen Buddhism saved John Cage’s life following a personal breakdown, and ultimately changed the expression of art in the 50s and 60s. Kay Larson, an art critic and columnist, traces the path of Zen Buddhist writer D.T. Suzuki, his arrival in the U.S. at the birth of the Beatnik era, and his intersection with Cage while teaching at Columbia University. She follows John Cage, a mediocre musician, as he experiments with sound, strikes out on a spiritual quest, and applies his newfound Buddhist beliefs into a form of musical meditation that influences creative artists like Yoko Ono, Jasper Johns, and Merce Cunningham. This book is a well-researched account of a transformational era in art history, blending engaging narrative with Cage’s own voice. ]]> Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:10:17 -0700 2475-1100 http://www.ncreview.com/art/love-letter-to-the-milky-way-a-book-of-poems Love Letter to the Milky Way is an eclectic collection of powerful and eloquent poetry by Drew Dellinger that moves the soul. His poems are deep and profound and may lead readers to read them two or three times in order to absorb the full power behind his words. With references to global injustice, spiritual awakening, Rumi, past lifetimes, and so much more, Drew weaves his words in perfect rhythm to create poems that are nothing less than masterpieces. He is without a doubt a courageous and artistic poet. While I don’t typically read poetry, I have fallen in love with Drew Dellinger’s poetry and I look forward to reading more of his beautiful work. love letter to the milky way is great for anyone interested in inspiring and thought provoking poetry. ]]> Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:25:49 -0700