I thought I’d do a little write-up of my visit to the best Festival experience I’ve ever had – The Beloved Festival, known on their website http://www.belovedfestival.com/ as Oregon Open Air Art and Music Festival which is held every year near Alsea, Oregon about 2.5 hours SW of Portland, Oregon, USA.

I thought I’d do this in a way that would be fun for me.  I picked up a lot of business cards, postcards and knickknacks all weekend, so I’ll pull one out at a time from my backpack and talk about it and share it with you.  And then there will be a nifty slide-show of photos taken by friends at the bottom of this posting.  Sound good? OK, let’s go!

1. Art by Adam Scott Miller – http://www.adamscottmiller.com – Adam’s art was featured in a large white tent with a sand floor.  Well-lit, and beautiful, the tent was a place to wander any hour of the day or night and see some very inspiring images.  I’d recommend a visit to Adam’s website for more adventuring in the world of imagery.  Then there was all of the other art at the festival – from the incredible nature installations done by Nature, Dandelion and many others (see photos), to the stage draped with beautiful orange and red fabric by Gregory and the Guildworks team, to live painting happening by the stage all weekend and jewelry by the vendors and face-painting and henna done to all who sought that out.  Pretty pretty pretty!  btw, the wristlet I got is so beautiful, I’ve decided to leave it on for a while – nice touch!

2. Dance in Seattle?  Euphoria: A Dance Odyssey: Every Tues. night, call Franklin for more info 206-406-7283.  Yes, Franklin was there, as were many members of the various ecstatic and contact dance communities which made the dance floor in front of the stage such a great place to be.  I also had a visit with Michael Suzaris and Jenny Pell (presented on permaculture at the festival  http://www.permaculturenow.com ) on their way back to Seattle.  Michael has gotten an interesting events space up and running on the north end of Lake Union called OmCulture which also hosts dance and other events.  http://www.omculture.com/ – PDX Ecstatic Dance?  http://www.pdxecstaticdance.com/Genesa Crystal, installation by Ansula

3. Bright Earth Foods.  Super Foods for Super Humans! Yum.  So, there was a guy set up on the hill by the tasty food vendors with a set up selling Noni shots.  Noni, not sure what it is, but it’s certainly good for you, and you could buy a small glass for $1 or a glass with blue-green algae in it for $2.  Their website is http://www.brightearthfoods.com – I’m looking forward to getting myself some wizard paste soon!  There’s a longer story about that goodness (we call it hippie crack around these parts) from Beloved #1, perhaps for another day.

4. Music to listen to this note by?  I suggest the Beloved music player on their website.  A quite nice selection from Beloved’s past.  Also, the slide-show on their site done by local photographer and all-time hot DJ, Raku Loren, is worth watching   Raku’s also DJ’ing this Sunday at the Village Ballroom sunday dance @ 10:30am – 7th and Dekum, NE in PDX.  B There.

5. Some stickers from Onanya These folks are doing something very right.  I saw them at a previous Beloved festival.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/onanya They say about themselves: “Our work is a collaboration between a Shipibo community of the Peruvian Amazon and us. Our clothing designs become the canvas of their magical patterns. Together we bring you a One of a Kind Piece of wearable art. This work is created while we are together in the village.”  Yep, like that

6. Ongoing Classes and Events: The Sacred Muse, The Evolutionary Priestess, the Inner Alchemy of Evolution http://www.thelivingchalice.com – lovely photo of a hummingbird feeding on this card, though website does not seem to be working. Folks in Fairview, OR

7. More clothes and beautiful people @ Naga Designs, Felt Creations!  I spent a lovely Thursday afternoon wiling away a couple hours in the sky chairs next to Alani Klein’s booth.  She and her friend came down from Courteney, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada to share their beautiful felt creations.  More @ http://www.nagadesigns.com

8. Give Peace a Dance!  Peace Village Saturday Late Nite After-Party – Organik Time Machine, Cornflower & Special Guests – Ashland, August 21st @ Cultureworks  $10.  http://www.peacevillagefestival.org and http://www.culture-works.net

9. http://autumnskyemorrison.com/ – the paintings of Autumn Skye Morrison who was doing live painting near the stage.  This painting was displayed all weekend:

10.  Nemo.  The art of Nemo Boko!  I met Nemo on Wens. night while he and his girlfriend were busy setting up the office side of the art tent.  Nemo’s site is http://www.nemo.org – for psychonauts and curious minds   Go, Nemo, Go!

11. My eleventh year at Burning Man.  Camp 11:11 3:15 & F.  My newsletter, The Eleven – sign up @ http://albertideation.com

12. 1st & 3rd Thursday night Gong Meditation in Portland with John Reinscreiber!  http://shamanicvibrations.com – “…let the voices of the gongs carry you to a place of timeless peace and solitude”  I have been to this event and John does an excellent job taking everyone deep with his gongs and sound healing.  He also has led sound healing for the Beloved Festival for the past two years, and he’ll be speaking tomorrow @ Our Community University @ my house!  Details @ http://albertideation.com/2010/07/31/ocu2/

Beloved was lovely in so many ways. People showing themselves, opening, learning, growing, being their beautiful, smart and courageous selves.  Kindness ran wild.  Great food, smart people, inspiring music, creativity, children, elders, white, black, and perfect weather in a lovely forest setting.  Thank you to the organizers and the many volunteers that made it possible!  I hope to live my life in a way that is more like what I experienced this past weekend as much as possible.

13. Third Eye Pinecones, Amulets and Adornments, Carl Weiseth, Santa Cruz, CA – http://www.conesandstones.com – these folks had a necklace that you’ll probably see a lot around town.  Very very lovely.  looks like this:

14. http://r3xx.net/ – Transformative Media Inspiring Minds.  Now, I want a tagline like that   These must have been the folks in the art tent who were displaying an interesting selection of books and videos and the like.  Nemo, hello, you must be affiliated with these folks….

• Psychedelic Art
• Visionary Music
• Illuminating Books
• subversive comics
• delicious edibles
• bizarre stickers
• radical clothing
• triply holograms – oh yes, they had some very interesting ones of those….

15. Stevee Postman – http://stevee.com – There was a large painting done by this artist, and I have a feeling there was other work around by him, as well.  Quite an image gallery @ http://stevee.com/gallery-01.html

16. Shivoso.  Pause.  Another Pause.  The best talk on tantra that I’ve ever heard.  Delivered in the purple temple to a very rapt audience.  Great Q&A afterwards.  I’ve already sent an email connecting Shivoso, recently arrived from CA to PDX, to various leaders in tantric arts here in town and hope to learn more from him.  http://intimacyarts.com : from his website: “I want to share with you new ways of being in relationship. There is a huge change coming on in the realm of intimate connections and many people are finding it challenging to navigate through the shifting fields. Many of us are trying alternative ways of being in relationships, such as polyamory, same gender, open, polyfidelity and variations in monogamous relationships, and there is a need to support these different choices. I have found a common ground for all these relationship styles that is rooted in the psychology and energetics of being human.”

17. http://www.altaryourreality.com – ah, Trinity and the folks who brought the two incredible temples, featured prominently in the pics on this slideshow and at the festival. These were where the Lovetribe‘s Cosmic Temple of Love and the Purple Temple were.  Both delicious!  OK, I could probably use some more adjectives.  Lovely.  Plush.  Soft.  Purposeful.  Watch the video here to see how these temples come together.  Thanks, Trinity!

18. Kyer Wiltshire Photography.  Funny how a business card sometimes can just look so normal.  Weddings, events, portrait, commercial, and the biggest picture book about West Coast Festival Culture in existence.  His photos were being shown as a slide show on the side of the big white tent a few nights running, and Kyer could be seen shooting photos all weekend long.  From his website: “Kyer has expanded his creative talents photographing erotic fire dancing, aerial dance, fire dancing with Phoenix Rising, Nocturnal Sunshine, LuminEssence along with many talented performers such as international magician Jeff McBride, Heavy Hips Belly Dance, Mir and Company Aerial Dance, Xeno, Mutaytor, El Circo, Apsara Dance, Mystic Family Circus, Living Tarot, Living Folklore, Yoga Motion and Cirque du Soleil. Kyer published his beautiful outdoor nude yoga photos in the Sacred Form Yoga 2005 and 2006 calendars.”  Yep, like that.

19. Oh Krishna, it’s Ali’s turn.  You know, the Floating Lotus, Sacred Massage Temple on Water.  I helped Ali put his water temple together – the design of the lotus is so clever.  Whoever designed it really did a beautiful job, and the end result is magical.  Ali told me that he has only used the floating platform @ Beloved.  Contact him and bring him elsewhere, I’m sure he’d love it.  So will you.  Hi Ali!  Thanks for the watermelon!  http://www.floating-lotus.org

20. Back to food. http://krishnakitchen.org – yum, yum, yum, and more yum.  Fresh coconuts?  Raw organic vegan prasadam.  Thank you for staying open late, folks.

21. Catalyst for Fun Hot Tips: http://www.catalystforfun.com – Amanda Winters, Funtrepreneur, crowd rouser and social worker.  Amanda did a wonderful job throughout the festival rousing us to greater heights.  And, she’s just moved to Portland, how lucky we are!

22.  One Oasis Credito – Redeemable for 1 Shower or 1 Sauna.  Manoj got my other one   Well, this is a longer story than I have time for right now, but suffice it to say that the Oasis is where one goes for a shower and sauna @ Beloved, and other places in the PNW.  Here is how to find them on FB.

23. HealthForce Nutritionals – Vital Healing Botanicals – http://www.healthforce.com – these folks were part of the food vendor crew which also included some great coffee, Kava, middle eastern food, Coconut Bliss, etc.  Yum, and thanks for keeping it delicious and nutritious!

24.  The music – oh my, I’m about done.  The music was fantastic.  All the performers can be found on the Beloved website, as can all the workshop presenters and other Gods and Goddesses.  Musically, Gaudi stood out for me, but I loved much of what was offered.

Thanks to my great Gazebo campmates for creating a great place to come home to, and for everyone who put this festival on.  Until next year,  Om nama shivaya!

Albert

I’ve contacted a variety of folks in the Portland and Oregon region recently to talk about starting a public awareness campaign around the issue of engine idling. Given that more people are wanting to stop their cars (hopefully) to talk on their cellphones or text, idling is probably increasing. At a time when we should be thinking about more ways to save oil, rather than waste it, and also if we wish to have cleaner air, an idling awareness campaign in our region seems useful. Here’s a link to a brochure by the City of Portland which stresses that leaving your car on for longer than 10 seconds wastes more gas than by stopping the car and re-starting it again (and other health and environmental benefits of reducing idling).  http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?a=131195&c=34771

Also, OEC has a great video here for their “It’s not cool to idle at school” campaign.  Their downloadable PDF on the issue is here.

Also, the City of Denver has done a great job on this issue with their Engines off, Denver campaign.

And, NYC is doing their share.  A short film about their law passing here.

If engine idling is an issue that you care about, and you’d like to be a part of a working group in the Portland/Oregon area to work on it, please let me know @ albertkaufman@gmail.com – Thanks!

Our Community University: Thriving in a Changing World

In the spirit of sharing our creative energy and knowledge with one another. I have gathered together with Michele Brooks, David Franklin and Noelani Rodriguez to bring you part one of Our Community University.  We all have interesting and important skills to share and I intend to create a series of gatherings for that purpose.  Since many of us have daytime hours free it makes sense to use that time to learn, compare notes, network, and grow ourselves and get better at what we do.  Here is the first offering.  I hope you will join us.  If you’re not able to come, please pass this invitation along to others who might benefit from 4 hours  of interesting information-sharing, networking and skill-building.  Also, if you’d like to become a presenter in this series, please let me know.  Here’s to our emotional, spiritual, and mental growth and thriving, in a changing world!

Day 1
Thursday, July 22nd, 10am-3pm (1 hour for lunch)
Cost: $10 per class or $35 for all 4. (come for one talk or all four) (checks and cash accepted)
Location: 1823 NE 13th Ave. (close to the 8, 9 bus and Red and Blue Max lines) (just north of the Lloyd Center, parking is easy)
Wi-Fi available
Tea available
Please RSVP to albertkaufman@gmail.com

Class 1: 10am-11am Albert Kaufman: Albertideation:

The Who What Where When How and Why of using Social Networking and Email marketing to promote yourself, your ideas and your business.  Albert teaches businesses and individuals how to use social networking to organize and promote ideas, causes, and improve your bottom line.  With 14 years of high-tech business he is familiar with a variety of software and how they can be networked for greater success.  To see what Albert is up to on a given day, find him @ work thinking @ http://albertideation.com

Class 2: 11am-12pm  Michele Brooks:

The life and times of an economic refugee or how to make money in South Korea.  Michele Brooks: http://abundancecompany.com/michele_brooks.htm

Lunch: 12-1pm (please bring your lunch, or there are many places nearby to pick up something to eat)

Class 3: 1-2pm: David Franklin: Radical Presence: Creating Authentic Community in the Midst of Global Change

In these rapidly changing times, we are being called into deep integrity. We have an opportunity to move beyond the addictions, distractions, and suffering that keeps us in separation, and to learn how to love one another.

Our modern times call for spiritual practices and lifestyles that serve both the self and the collective. It is time to move beyond our individualistic, fear-based ways of living, and come together in community to support one another. In order to do so, it is essential to learn and engage in practices that create relationships that are sustainable, co-creative, and call forth our gifts.

In this experiential presentation, we’ll talk about the shifts that are occurring in our society, and how they are creating an opportunity for us to show up more powerfully and thrive. We’ll also learn and practice ways of being in authentic presence and community with one another. You’ll leave with a sense of new possibilities, hope, and connection.

David Franklin is a spiritual activist devoted to creating a new paradigm for masculinity that includes living the embodied path of spirituality, sexuality, leadership, and presence. As an experienced facilitator and ordained minister, he is masterful at creating and holding safe space for transformative experiences that utilize practical, body-centered modalities and down-to-earth spirituality. For more information, visit http://www.RadicalMen.com

Class 4: 2-3pm  Noelani Rodriguez: The Quickest Way to Double Your Sales

These days, businesspeople are resorting to new strategies to attract customers in the New Economy–many are promoting Classes and other Promotional Events. The quickest way to double your sales is to double the effectiveness of your “Irresistible Offer,” or the way you describe your business. Whether you want to promote a class, a service or a product, you can sell yourself with an irresistible offer that no one can refuse.

As a Google Certified Consultant and $1M selling marketer, I have a proven track record with over 1 million ad clicks in the top 1% of ad profitability. Let’s have some fun as I show you how to double the effectiveness of your “9 second elevator speech,” honing it into an irresistible offer. Let’s play at doubling the effectiveness of your offer to double your sales!

Lani’s website: http://ebooks.thebestever.net/

3pm: schmooze, network, talk, compare notes, over tea, wine and bisquits

Well, that was fun!  I just got back last night from this year’s experiment in family, art, music, craft, thought, science, and transitioning to a different way of thinking and being.  This year I worked in the Wileyware booth, helping Marcia Wiley show off her beautiful glasses, taking pictures, fetching lemonade and carousing with our boothmates – Michelle, Lori, Dave, Nicky, Olivia, Teresa and their friends.  Lots of people stopped by to say hi, give a hug and share smiles and stories.  At night the Fair becomes a special place with little parties in booths, lots of great food, The Ritz (my favorite place at the Fair) and time to wander the pathways through the forest to the background of a variety of music and special lighting. The Fair has become a very special place for me.  One where I get to reconnect with those that I’ve known the longest out here – Todd Pawolski from Klamath Falls, Amira from Brownsville, Michael Townsend from Eugene and people who I see only at Pacific Northwest Festivals like the Summer Solstice Healing Retreat at Breitenbush, Beloved, Burning Man and Northwest Folklife.  The weather cooperated this year – hot days, and warm evenings. Even Monday’s barter fair which is a special tradition was blessed with overcast weather for much of the time, making walking amongst the various vendors easy on the skin as there’s no shade and it can get hot out in that field.  My feet hurt!  So much walking, and talking, and playing the guitar and flirting and fun!  Yeah!  Here are a few pictures from in front of our booth to whet your whistle.  Thanks to the Oregon Country Fair staff and volunteers for making this year’s Fair fantastic!  A tired, sunburnt, and happy Albert

All that said, and more. So, what to do when overloaded with stimuli – there are many reactions that people have. Some clam up, hide. Some pretend that nothing different is going on. Then there are some who are speaking about the change – and many who have been speaking about it for a while – Bill McKibbon comes to mind. But other authors, like James Kunstler, Richard Heinberg – these folks are tracking the change and writing about it.

But what I might suggest is for us not to forget ourselves.  Our strengths. What we each bring to the world – and not let the strong winds of change push us around too much, make us lost. That would be unfair. It’s unfair to you because this is your life, and it should be as sweet, powerful and wonderful as you wish it to be. And, it’s not fair to the rest of us and future generations – for a large group of us to sleepwalk through this next period of time – the next chapter in our lives.

So, learn to dance with the change – learn to see the signs of something changing and instead of “holy shit!” your mantra could be “how interesting?” or “hmm, how will I dance with this in my life?”

This is also a good time to remember to take the best care of yourself that you can – physically and emotionally. Take your vitamins, get plenty of sleep, move that body, and make sure to stay connected to people. Your friends. Your Neighbors. Your Family. and new friends. If I’ve learned one thing at Burning Man lo these past 10 years, it’s that friends and close connection is key in life. Also, the ability to make new friends quickly is an art and can be learned. Start by introducing yourself.

Albert Kaufman
3/29/10
Portland, Oregon

http://www.populationconnection.org/site/DocServer/Reporter.pdf?docID=1221

Species evolve as their world
changes. So do organizations.
Founded in 1968 as ZPG, our
mission has evolved from “stop at two”
children to its present form:

Overpopulation threatens the quality of
life for people everywhere. Population
Connection is the national grassroots population
organization that educates young
people and advocates progressive action
to stabilize world population at a level
that can be sustained by Earth’s resources.

As for the still-relevant goal of “zero
population growth,” will the earth be
sustainable if population stabilizes at
nine or ten billion? I think not.
ZPG played that early role urging
Americans to “stop at two” children. It
worked. Currently, our two biggest
challenges are unplanned births and net

migration.
Global population growth is different.
Unless one believes that extraterrestrials
walk among us, no one is migrating
to—or from—Planet Earth. Addressing
the unmet need for contraception of
200 million women worldwide is the
top priority these days.
How can we move toward population
stabilization? One part seems easy, in
theory. Just get 218 members of the
House and 60 members of the Senate
to pass bills addressing various aspects
of the issue with funding and programs.
President Obama signs them into law.
Mission accomplished.
Watching the Senate debate health
care provided a sense of just how excruciating
that process is these days. As
Teddy Roosevelt said, politics is “the art
of the possible.” Alas, it demands compromise
that’s often hard to swallow.
At Population Connection we work
on solutions. We reach three million
students each year. We painstakingly
correlate our curricula with thousands
of state and national standards.
We work with Congress, which is
besieged on all fronts by groups, each
convinced that its own issue—from
farms to schools, from energy to cities
—is most important.We work with prochoice
legislators who carry the banner.
We also work with legislators who
oppose abortion, but support family
planning.
All things considered, 2009 was a
very good year for our cause with the
rescission of the Global Gag Rule,
restoration of UN family planning
funds, and a remarkable 40% increase
in congressionally-appropriated international
family planning funding.
I have a certain fondness for those
early “glory days” of ZPG. Times
change, though. Today, we measure
success in terms of training 11,000
teachers annually on hundreds of campuses
and elsewhere.
We also measure it in terms of getting
legislation through the labyrinthine corridors
of Congress, where awkward
compromise lurks around every corner.
Thanks to your support, we can tell legislators
that people “back home”
expect them to take action. That matters
a great deal.
Population Connection will continue
to evolve as circumstances change and
new opportunities present themselves.
Evolution is essential.

John Seager
john@popconnect.org

–
Albert Kaufman
Portland, Oregon

Population growth affects the quality of life for everyone. Population Connection is the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources.

Click the link below to make a donation:
https://donation.populationconnection.org/form/donate.php

I read the Oregonian article below which talks about Google’s PowerMeter application, and I’d like to know what it would take to bring this service to Portland?

here’s a link to the article: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/qa_with_googles_green_energy_c.html

and here’s a link to the application. http://www.google.org/powermeter/

I assume this will take some action on PGE’s and Google’s part to make it happen.

Albert Kaufman

If you’re in the mood to ask PGE about this, here’s a link to their contact form. https://cs.portlandgeneral.com/Secure/ContactUs/Default.aspx?cookie_test=true

Thanks!

OPB Think Out Loud 12/22/09