It's hard to believe that more than two months has flown by since last I blogged! Time is flying... and so am I at an incredible speed. The months of June and early July were spent teaching the Autumnal term, performing about town, making hoops for the new Hoop Empire Winter range, Hoop Lovers Tokyo Summer range and preparing for our Hoop Disco Dreaming in the Desert.
The Hoop Disco Desert Dreaming was an incredible experience. A week of creating life on a blank canvas offered the space to go full BLING amidst the flying sparks of the Fire Breathing Falcon's birth onto the planet and the rising of the Hoop Disco mothership. With a fellowship of 9 we drove for 3 days until we reached the Oodnadatta Track near Lake Eyre and threw ourselves into the dunes of South Australia with some pretty serious hoopage. Dust storms and all, we discovered the bliss that is this red land and the possibilities that can be realised by tapping into your dreams. Those skies! A special thanks to all celestial beings who guided and protected us on our first flight of fancy into the extreme wilderness of the Australian outback. Also, thanks to each and every one of our team for contributing uniquely and amazingly with your individual and magical talents. Kudos to Robin Cook for birthing EarthDream and Mutonia Sculpture Park way back when with his mission of elevating consciousness along side his massive sculptures made of recycled materials. A BIG thank you to the Arabunna People and Rainbow Serpents for welcoming us onto their land. And of course, a huge cosmic HIGH 5 to our photographer, Nick and videographer, Gordon. Photos can be found on Flickr and video to come.
On a personal level, I found the desert to be an amazing space for identifying the internal clutter and void. When you place yourself in a zone of emptiness it becomes easier to see what fills the gaps of one's own silence. Each morning I woke to a pastel pink dome signaling the rising sun. I have to admit I did wake freezing cold (despite being wrapped in 40 or more rabbits! two sleeping bags, a doona, blanket and at times the contents of my bling trunk). But there was a sense of urgency that I simply had to be up to greet the sun. Each day was a gift to be embraced. As it peaked over the horizon and then rose to its fullness, it was like the Sun spoke - messages of creative instruction, power, intensity, reassurance, guidance, healing and absolute bliss in the knowing that this is what it is to reach out and realise, to actualise, the highest potential. WOW.
I took so few photos out there, although posed for lots! and am still gathering collections from both Nick and Gemma. I was reminded yet again how much I miss my camera. At times it feels like a limb is missing but the renunciation of such a device is useful too as a lens can be quite distracting when trying to absorb the bigger picture. I found moments of slipping between both sides of the photographic coin through styling and directing the fabulous GemStar, who excelled with each and every Desert Bling shoot. Without complaint she bared the chilling sunsets and shone like the star she is. By the final night that girl had her makeup so down she was truly breathtaking.
Robin spoke at length to me about the Power of 9 with reference to our group. Just now, in writing this, I am taken on a cyber tangent... I can feel some serious hyperlinkia about to begin! If your mind doesn't expand to Esoterica then skip this paragraph as the Spiral Highway might suck you in and steal your logic. WoW ok check out Wikepedia - its one for Dungeons and Dragons Wizard freaks out there. How good is the internet! Blows my mind every time. The Symbolism and Spiritual Significance of the Number 9 is a intense read and packed with a mass of historical information on the number. Of note - a piece on the Sacred Hoop:
"As for the circle, let us hear Black Elk, the celebrated native sage, direct heir of the tradition of the North American plains: I noticed that my people's sacred hoop was one of the many hoops in the form of a circle, wide as the light of day and the shining of the stars. And in the center was a mighty Flowering Tree, which covered all of the children of father and mother. And I observed that it was holy. . . .The power of the universe acts ever by way of circles, and all things tend ever to be round. In ancient days, when we were a happy, strong people, we received our power from the hoop of the nation, which was holy, and while the circle remained complete, the people flourished. . . . The Flowering Tree was the living center of the circle, and it was nourished by the life of the cycle of the four directions. . . . Whatever is done by the power of the universe, it is done in the form of a circle."
Back to the mainframe - rewind to the clifftop for our final meeting before hitting the road - Falcon talks of the tetrahedron design of the Falconator... the sturdiest shape for any structure to be built. Then after Nick and I discuss the logistics of carrying more than a tonne behind our bus which exceeded our towing limit, we returned to the shape of the first Hoop Disco logo, added some extra platforms in cascade and came up with a shape not too dissimilar to the Sri Chakra as identified by JW, which of course was already well embedded in HD mapping unbeknownst to us all. Ultimately we kept returning to the spiral...
To be continued...
