I just received this wonderful release: D-GENERATION #1. It’s a full color book with texts and photos about the great ”sonic sourcerer” Genesis P-Orridge. I have a text in there, remembering our experiences together in recording studios from 1989 and onwards to 2018. It was fun to write, and coincided very much with work on my autobiography Meetings with Remarkable Magicians (due out in October – pre-order HERE!)
There are texts by Lawrence Burton, Dave Farmer, Alice Genese, Chris Low, Stephen Mallinder, Jack Sergeant, Chandra Shukla, Nick Soulsby, Jordi Valls and the great editor himself: Kevin Thorne.
The book also comes with a CD with music by The Apostles, Chandra Shukla, Nanavesh, Ov Stars, Rapoon, Retirement Community, Tone Generator, Val Denham, we be echo, and … Cotton Ferox!
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this release? It comes HIGHLY recommended… Get your own copy HERE!
I decided to contribute a Cotton Ferox track not with Gen actually, but rather a poppier track recorded with great singer Elisabeth Punzi back in 2010 (I think). It’s called ”The Sun of Man” and I think it appealed to me in this Gen-inspired context of eternally present Thelema and Individuation. We are not ”sons of men” nor Mansons (!), but rather individual suns in our own solar systems. Realizing that is nothing less than full-on sourcery!
https://cottonferox.bandcamp.com/track/the-sun-of-man-featuring-elisabeth-punzi
It also inspired me to write a little text, which I present here for the first time. It is a story about a ”composite” magician character who had been asked by some friends to give them advice about their own lives. They wanted him to teach them how they could live more meaningfully, looking for technical clues and strict rules. He said he would be happy to help them if only they were willing to listen carefully and follow along with what he told them. The he laughed – at their expectations. He explained that there was no one right way to do things; instead, each person had his or her own path, unique in its own way, but still fundamentally similar because we all share certain values and beliefs. This meant that everyone needed to find out exactly what worked best for themselves – and then stick with those strategies until they became habits. This is what he told them…
Sonic Sourcerers Resound/Rebound
I want to talk about the power of conscious immersion. I want to talk about how it is necessary to choose carefully when immersing yourself in culture. I want to talk about indulgence and quality, which are important keys to living a good life, but especially so when consuming culture. What is really meaningful to you? How can you make sure that you’re not wasting your time? What do you need to be aware of as you engage with the world? What does it mean for something to be “meaningful”? And what is “indulgence” anyway?
I have learned much from my years working within the field of magic. In fact, I have become quite proficient at creating illusions. But even though I now know how to conjure up anything imaginable, sometimes I feel like I’m missing something. Even though I understand why people fall prey to scams and frauds, I still don’t fully appreciate just how deep-rooted such deceptions are in society today. So when someone comes along offering me a chance to learn something new, well, let me tell you, I jump at the opportunity!
You see, every day brings us closer to death. Every breath brings us closer to dying. If you look closely enough, you might notice that even breathing itself is a kind of illusion. As long as you hold your breath, everything seems fine. But once you exhale, suddenly nothing makes sense anymore. You need to immediately inhale new… life force.
Now imagine being able to breathe forever. Imagine having complete control over your body. Imagine feeling safe knowing that no matter what happens next, you won’t ever lose consciousness again. Now think back to how often you’ve heard stories about people going through terrible experiences and coming out stronger than ever before. Why shouldn’t we strive to achieve these kinds of outcomes ourselves? Isn’t it worth trying?
Well, yes, absolutely. It sounds wonderful. But what exactly does ‘trying’ mean? Where should I start? And where will I end up? Is there any guarantee that whatever method I adopt will actually produce results? Will I be able to enjoy myself while doing so? Or will it simply leave me feeling drained and empty inside? Here begin the pitfalls of the Occult shenanigans of symbol-worship rather than genuine individual cultural indulgence.
You’ll never know unless you try. All I can promise is that it won’t hurt too badly. But yes, there are always risks involved whenever you attempt to change things around. Sometimes the results aren’t always what you expected. Sometimes you’ll fail miserably. Sometimes you’ll succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Regardless of whether you win or lose, however, remember this: No matter how bad things seem, no matter how hopeless things appear, no matter how difficult things turn out to be, always keep moving forward. Always seek out ways to improve yourself. Never stop learning. Keep pushing yourself past your comfort zone. Never settle for less than greatness.
We must agree that we are talking about something very special. We’re dealing with something called ‘culture.’ Culture isn’t just a collection of facts and figures. It doesn’t exist purely for academic purposes either. Instead, it exists to serve humanity. To enrich our lives. To provide guidance and inspiration. In order to do that, we need to be inspired ourselves. How? Well, by simply indulging in culture that resonates with us. If it resonates, turn it up. If it doesn’t resonate, just turn it off.
And finally ask yourself this: are you able to listen to the silence any longer than it takes to realize how much you have to share yourself?
