GALACTIC PYRAMID & A COSMIC CHICKEN COOP

Seasons greetings! I hope this finds you well and warm.

On Saturday December 22nd, 2012 - I will be leading participants to building a pyramid on an urban farm in Panorama City. Through Kickstarter, I'm attempting to fund this project. If you're not familiar, Kickstarter is a crowd sourced funding platform. I created a project profile with goal dollar amount, and if enough people believe in the project, it will get funded - if it doesn't reach the goal, no one is charged. Win Win! That means 15 people with 100 dollars, or 150 with 10 dollars! There are even bonus prizes with each level of donation.

The power of many can accomplish much. Embrace your inner philanthropist today! 

Here is the link to my project - I am looking to raise $1550 in 3 weeks. Please share, like, and help bring a community together.

The intention to build the pyramidal shape will act as a cosmic antenna for the galactic alignment that is to occur near the Winter Soulstice. Together, like a community barn raising, we will erect this pyramid and bring conscious intention towards the next shift in our own lives, and act as conduits of energy for the path of humanity on a macro scale.

But that's not all! After we build the pyramid, it will be converted into a chicken coop and house a brood of hens. There will be cosmic eggs for a new CSA program in Panorama City, CA.

Come one come all - Saturday December 22nd, 2012. For more information, check out the Kickstarter campaign. Share, like, and believe!

If you like what you see, please support the project with monetary applause and participate in the event if you are in the Los Angeles area.

Thank you for your consideration, and all the best towards your own passions and goals.

I am you, you are me.

The Egg

By: Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”

“My kids… my wife,” you said.

“What about them?”

“Will they be all right?”

“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”

“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”

“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”

“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”

“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”

You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”

“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.

“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”

“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”

“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”

“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”

“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.

“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”

“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”

“So what’s the point of it all?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”

“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”

“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”

“Just me? What about everyone else?”

“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”

You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”

“All you. Different incarnations of you.”

“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

“I’m every human being who ever lived?”

“Or who will ever live, yes.”

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

You thought for a long time.

“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”

“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”

“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”

“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”

“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way.

CDC Preparedness - this shit is real.

The CDC's (Center for Disease Control) new campaign centers around being prepared for the undead horde, because "if you're ready for the Zombie Apocalypse, then you're ready for any emergency." There is something incredibly eerie about this considering the news as of late.

They even illustrated a Zombie Novella that you can download with prepping checklist.

Readers follow Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as a strange new disease begins spreading, turning ordinary people into zombies. Stick around to the end for a surprising twist that will drive home the importance of being prepared for any emergency. Included in the novel is a Preparedness Checklist so that readers can get their family, workplace, or school ready before disaster strikes.

No matter, I've been prepping for some time now. Are you ready?

Everything is a Remix

I graduated with a BA in Graphic Design. I studied how form, color, shape, variation, and repetition was used to convey messages in magazine spreads, on posters, as CD artwork, and how companies use visual imagery for recognition - brand development.

And for a time, all was well. Advertising was, honestly, great. I created keyart for major motion pictures, and sometimes single-handedly designed assets for global corporations. Big stuff. It was everything my undergraduate mind believed being a designer would be like when I "made it."

Maybe it was the bicycle and a new social circle that embraced active living, honest, cheap/free FUN and great times with genuine humans. It could have been the copious psychedelics that opened me to question the status quo. Perhaps I tasted one too many paint chip. Whatever it was, I began to see things differently. I left LA, started traveling, and never looked back. Since then, I've had some amazing experiences, none I would ever trade or put a price tag on. All the while living off savings, and a nice research grant from Uncle Sam (aka Funemployment). But I legitimately put that money towards what I consider my graduate degree. And in that time, I've come to have experiences that I'm now focusing on even further.

Design has shifted my understanding of life. I am a designer, taking elements, decisions, colors, shapes, people, music, places, and more or less, designing my life - living now, and forecasting my brand for tomorrow. As far as an occupation goes, to reduce myself to a single graphical user interface (a pixel pusher) as my sole form of income would be denying the purity of my human desire to be a diverse individual. A renaissance man. So I've broadened what it means to be a designer, and I think that's called evolution. As I grow, I understand stagnation is not progressive - remixing, sampling, and editing it the wave of the future and not just with the specifics of the job itself, but LIFE ITSELF. Failure, success, trial, tribulation, all that great stuff.

But I digress... we are commonly taught to specialize in one thing. Be a Doctor, be a lawyer, be a mechanic, a opera singer, or an accountant, and for a while I guilted myself into believing that my Jack-of-all-trades personality was my downfall. But I stand before you an enlightened man.

Graphic design. Edible garden design. Landscape design. Product design. Meal design. Home design. Navigation Design. Social situation design (like walking out of the room in a awkward moment). LIFE DESIGN. Who's to say one needs to be paid to be considered something? I am a human. Is there a shiny placard that grants me that? Dharmic design - that is, the cosmic path of which I walk, I design.

This is one of what I hope will be the first of many landscape projects that I'm currently working on. I will be working on five Action Items. 1. A pathway 2. Raised tiered garden bed (succulents) 3. solution for yard cover 4. Privacy/Shade solution 5. Plants & Irrigation

Google SketchUp - basic, but a great starter to get ideas rollin.

Holler at me if you're looking for a Designer of sorts.

Lately

Returning to LA after two years of traveling with uncertain living situation has been challenging. While participating in a myriad of internships and learning experiences, I was focused on being the moment and really soaking it in. The realization of that lifestyle not being sustainable is a harsh encounter, and dare I say it, reality is a bitch sometimes. Nevertheless, I embrace a challenge.

It was daunting to return to the urban jungle, concrete walls, ten lane highways and a general populace that doesn't have the time of day for a friendly, "hello." At first, all I wanted to do was return to the safe canopy amongst the trees with fellow fun guys. Ultimately, I decided it was time to focus one one path, and stick to it. Over the last two years, my meanderings have taken me from my heritage in New Orleans, to an organic farm on Maui, a permaculture life in central Oregon amongst the trees, off-grid recycled homes in New Mexico, and an urban farm in Philadelphia. I have learned so much, and gained experiences beyond what most people can even comprehend, but all in all, I was searching for something.

Searching for the life I wanted. What I've come to realize was that, its not out there. It's not a physical place I had to get to, or a destination I needed to arrive at. As cliche as it may sound, it was the discovery of my inner spirit. My equanimous warrior self. My connection to humanity, the earth, and people I want to surround myself with - a community. It has all strengthened my spirit and enriched my life. Not to mention bolstered my resume in a direction of earthen harmony.

So I started looking for resources in LA. Lo and behold I found out there is a vast wealth of individuals and organizations connected to the organic movement. I started working on an urban farm in Silver Lake, reading permaculture threads and whatever I could get my hands on. Doing my research. It wasn't quite enough though. It was too informal for my needs. So I enrolled in UCLA's Extension program for a Horticulture Certification - 9 classes of straight up knowledge and back to the collegiate system of classes, research papers, mid terms and finals. Concurrently, I'm getting certified as a Citizen Arborist at TreePeople (it's FREE!). And what I've found in all my adventures is that opening one door leads to many doors - once you get in the hallway, its a treasure trove of what's behind each door... the inspiration is there if I'm willing to accept it and open my eyes to the possibilities. But you must struggle, you must be brave, and go beyond your level of comfort. Ad Astra Per Aspera...


Meanwhile, like a magician's ribbon trick that is never ending, I've been working on publishing Volume 2 of Pregnant Minds - and it is looking quite tasty if I do say so myself. My partner, Andrew and I started this project as an outlet for design experiment. We have no one to answer to. No ads, no censors, just content. Over 30 artists from nine countries have responded to the call of creative collaboration. We had intended on a March release, but seeing as how that has long since passed, we've opted for a more realistic approach, which is less stress - better product. We're hoping to go to print in the next couple weeks and launch a Kickstarter campaign. Here are a couple sample spreads.

 

I'm here for a while, Los Angeles. I'm gunna make you my bitch, but cuddle you so good afterward.

Through adversity, to the stars.

Blackout Night Experience

There was no power because we weren't conscious enough. It's late summer, Taos, New Mexico, and I've just started a month long internship with Earthship Biotecture. An architecture and research company that constructs homes out of recycled materials and… trash, essentially. There were eight new interns this month and most of us had come from a life where energy availability was never a concern. It flowed freely through two pronged holes, originating from a magical place into our toaster-ovens, central A/C, refrigerators, wifi devices, home theatre multi-strip units, and KitchenAide blenders. And now these eight new September interns would be living with six full time residents. 14 people using electricity, taking showers, and living communally in one building, the HIVE. All off the grid and powered by solar. So, from time to time, the electricity would go out at night. Our consumption "needs" were more than what was available. Our computers and cell phones were left plugged in at full charge, lights on with no one in a room, stereos on standby, a lonely kitchen oven, the unset blinking digital clock passively reminding us of the draining energy it consumes so that it can blink. When you live off the grid, consciousness is the monthly utility bill.

It may have been an especially cloudy few days and the battery bank was exhausted from constant use so one of the full time residents suggested a black out Tuesday. No power at all for one day so that we could regain topped off levels of power. No internet, no movies, no speakers, no lights. So instead of secluding ourselves to individual rooms with interwebz, we came together like people used to do. We played dice and chess, cooked by candle light, danced to the rhythm of hand drums, and didn't update our Facebook statuses about it. We had dimly lit and passionate conversations, stoking the fires within each of us, and while the lights may have been out, perhaps this environment instilled a deeper connection to each other and our consciousness.

For that one night, we were free. Untethered and literally off the grid. Jimi Hendrix once said, "When the power of love surpasses the love of power, then we will know peace." and while I'm sure he was talking about socio-political and corporate exploitive motives, the sentiment certainly applies here as well. We must learn to be less dependent on consuming power, and more conscious of the vibrational power we receive and give each other, the love that flows through all of us, and binds us. What the French might call, "le force." Consciousness is a gradual and constant journey of practice, much like yoga, or building a home. It wasn't an overnight catharsis of conscious consumption, but a seed that was planted in each of us. I find myself in friend's conventional homes unplugging electrical cords, turning off lights, and actually hearing the high pitched "E" note that every electrical device emits, and it's deafening. Ya, I'm that guy - but whatevs, many hands make light work.

My internship was more than just four weeks of manual labor. I lived and breathed Earthship principles, interacted with builder/owners, and gained a new level of consciousness. Seeds of collaboration were planted and whatever passionate DIY ideas I had prior were throttled a hundred fold into personal empowerment. With so many powerful wizards around, the magic flows like candy on Halloween.

Consciousness in consumption and building materials, I no longer see trash, but an opportunity for something wonderful and creative. This wizard is leveling up.

Adam Junod was an intern with Earthship in September 2011 and built an earthen oven outside the HIVE kitchen. He publishes a quarterly art zine called Pregnant Minds, loves to travel and hydrate. Freelance graphic designer, imagination guide, and great conversationalist (or so he'd like to think), contact him directly for oven workshops, greenhouse builds, and creative direction on your next design project or urban farm.atomfarm@gmail.com

Farewell, for now.

It has been nearly 10 months since my last post. I feel partially guilty for abandoning my post, but that is sedated by the fact that I'm living life heartily in the present moment!

Universes explored, skills acquired, seeds planted, this wizard is leveling up.

I want perfection, so I inevitably write, review, read, and re-review an entry. The same redundancy applies to picture choices. This process takes me days, if not weeks to bang out a single chapter. By the time that's happened, a dozen more blog-worthy experiences take place and the post starts piling up. A single entry of the last 300 days becomes daunting to capture and relay with the kind of detail I prefer. So to catch up, I'll cheat with an email I recently wrote to a family friend... with bits of embellishment  peppered in the sauce of this blog.

____

Hey Nan!

Sorry it's taken me so long to write! I hope your foot has been healing well. Adventurous climbing accident? :)

Oregon was beautiful [from March to July] and the Pacific Northwest captured my heart. The massive forests, mountains, coastline, fresh air, and of course the plethora of microbrews. I made good friends and had one-of-a-kind experiences. It was a place I felt connected to stay longer. I'm getting close! More specifically though, the permaculture education center I lived at, Aprovecho, brought me to new levels of earthen knowledge and personal reflection. I ate mostly vegan, used composting toilets, worked with 2 acres of gardens, lived in the forest, built hot water heaters from scrap and manure–we literally had running hot water from a cistern submerged in a bin of horse shit. So many happenings I want to convey! Revolutionary, if not just a personal revolution. My world is opening wide to possibilities, new ideas and collaboration with like minded individuals. A corner stone of what I'm doing all this for. Building a community. A small artisan eco-village. Atom Farm. 

This is my life. My destiny. And the universe is bringing me there. Nearly two years of traveling, taking workshops, living in nature, and communal living is proof positive this isn't just a phase. I've breached veils of deception, into alternative living outside the antiquated idea of a post college norm and consumer mentality. Life is so beautifully connected outside of the box, which sounds cliche, but it's true. And possible.  I'm here to tell you that.  I'm seeing that modern living is a complete facade based on exploitation, operated by brainwashed slavery. I'm seeing the truth of life, and it points to Love and understanding. A shift in consciousness is coming. Economic or ecological disaster, I don't know. So I've been on this journey of harnessing skills. Seeking knowledge for a life independent from systems of control. First permaculture and gardening, and now sustainable home building. At this point, I feel like I have the necessary skills to start building my piece... and in time, I will. 

What does the future hold? Specifics remain undetermined, but so far I'm seeing a more focused approach to the quest of "What am I doing with my life?" After Oregon, I spent three weeks with Uncle Paul on Big Island helping him build a single room dwelling we dubbed "Gilligan Shack." I designed an outdoor shower, and we plumbed a toilet. Just something simple to stay in while the full sized house is being built starting next summer. Then, in the beginning of September, I journeyed to New Mexico for an internship with Earthship, a biotechture company that utilizes recycled materials for building and is off the grid. It snowed here in Taos last night!!! Wild. All of these experiences, I believe, are leading me to the genesis of a small artisan eco-village, though I'm not sure where or when. What I can say with certainty is that I look forward to finding my place. It has been a personal challenge to constantly begin from ground zero with new social dynamics and explain myself, my capabilities, my intentions, and so forth. A resume is necessary everywhere, it seems.

I feel like it will all come together with the right circumstance of people, placement, and timing. The universe smiles, and it's only a matter of time. Meanwhile, I battle my usual self  with thoughts of women and my desires, but have been exercising the practice of self path rather than bending to fit this ideal I have in my head. Its a work in progress, but I'm seeing clarity, and I've reached a level of equanimity I've never experienced. It feels good. That being said, it would be nice to find a partner to build and make awesomeness with.

East-coasted it for 2 weeks, visiting friends in Brooklyn, sitting in on some Occupy events, built a greenhouse in Philly. Stayed at a letterpress studio doing some old school printing, spent some time in Montauk, then back to  Toas to finish an earthen oven, say goodbyes (or see ya laters, as I've been finding out) deal with an almost fatal car issue and a 15 hour drive westward to return, once again, to Los Angeles. The place of my birth, where I live in my father's house. I am the son of a carpenter. I build design, grow life, and cultivate community. 

Speaking of which - I opened the doors to AtomFarm as a small studio workshop capable of facilitating creative and/or sustainable projects. People need things designed, and people want to "go green." Together or as separate projects, it matters not. Check out the Sustainable Research Portfolio or Graphic Design Portfolio. Does your small business or farm need a logo or Wordpress website? Would you like to grow food in a small garden and have someone show you how to manage it? I can do that for you. This is how it all starts. From the ground up. 

So much traveling, it is nice to have some form of permanence. I'm incredibly blessed to be able to house sit. It has allowed me the luxury of a somewhat carefree existence. At least with rent, which seems to be a huge role in the modern system of slavery. RENT! I know what it's like, and I don't ever want that again. So I'm thinking of building an Earthship Survival Pod in Taos. For ~$15K I can own land and have an off grid home capable of providing all the necessities.

 

I've had this email sitting in my drafts box for quite some time. Every time I begin to write, I falter, desiring to be more descriptive, then I get into some more adventure, more traveling, and the whole thing inevitably become more abbreviated. But alas, here she is.

Hope all is well.

love you. Tell MP I said hello.

.:a

_____


So for now, I will reside in Los Angeles, most likely until June. It has been such a warm welcome back. I'm truly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing, inspiring, and lovely people. Makes me realize why I come back. Happy New Year, by the way!! 2012. Wow. I don't want to get off track here, so I'll set that one aside.

I've been working with Wordpress alot. I'm finding a wider audience, and experimenting with the capabilities of their platform, which is pretty robust, so I'm thinking of making the switch, but also thinking of taking a break from personal blogging to focus on larger project. This may be my last post on blogger.com - however -

Creative writing and sustainable quests will continue without pause. My current passion has been producing an experimental creative magazine called Pregnant Minds. Actualizing brain babies into reality. We are in pursuit of content for Volume 2, and have artistic, written and tactile artists representing from nearly 10 countries. In my travels, I've been collecting stories and experience straight from the field to bring you creative and engaging content. It is self published, so no advertising. Anything goes. Are you working on anything weird or experimental that you'd want to put in an international magazine? Don't be shy. Send us an email pregnantminds(at)gmail

I'm available to answer any inquiry regarding travel, WWOOFing, my resources, design, Love, bicycles, or even if you want to just pick my brain about inspiration. Well, I think that about wraps it up. Happy 2012 everyone. Keep on shining. Contact me directly atomfarm(at)gmail !!

“There would be nothing to frighten you if you refused to be afraid.” – Gandhi