View allAll Photos Tagged esoteric
1 Album Esoteric - Ezoteryka www.flickr.com/photos/arjuna/sets/72057594082135474/
Krishna. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Hindu deity. For other meanings, see Krishna (disambiguation).
Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, kṛṣṇa in IAST ), according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In the Bhagavad Gita (e.g., 10.15 and 15.19), he is seen as the Supreme Person and the highest God. Thus, according to traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, he is the origin of all other incarnations.
Krishna and the stories associated with him appear across the spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. Though they sometimes differ in details reflecting the concerns of a particular tradition, some core features are shared by all. These include a divine incarnation, a pastoral childhood and youth, and life as a heroic warrior and teacher. The immense popularity of Krishna in India also meant that various non-Hindu religions that originated in India had their own versions of him.
The esoteric woke cult of the West: Biological sex isn’t real, gender identity is real. The sorcery of grifters: gender is a social construction; race is a social construction. The future: genderless transhumanism. The future: raceless transhumanism. 666: fight oppression, become transhuman. Sustainability (save the planet): take the Mark, take the smartchip. I now identify as transhuman! BTW The trans movement has a lot of money/interests backing it (it didn’t just come about organically)...shocker!
“California Kindergarteners Will Read About Transgender Kids For ‘Transgender Day Of Visibility’”
Esoteric cult: we must get rid of what is real in order to implement what is fake.
Virtual reality: we must get rid of what is real (reality) in order to implement what is fake.
Artificial intelligence: we must get rid of what is real (human intelligence) in order to implement what is fake (artificial).
Transhumanism: we must get rid of what is real (what is human) in order to implement what is fake (synthetic).
The spirit of antichrist is on the move through governments, politicians, billionaires, CEOs, celebrities, banks, investment firms, law firms, medical institutions, universities, schools, unions, media outlets, tech giants, non-governmental organizations, and corporations. They are pushing for a boundriless society—an antichrist society. Aleister Crowley: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” As we watch the organs of the Beast system pumping, we can see where it will lead when fully grown. Follow the esoteric science and medicine, take the 666 smartchip jab and become transhuman. It’s a techno-cult. We will all be gods, and we will do as we want—I did it my way! Arrogance: we are gods (you are not a deity; your esoteric enlightenment is a lie). Pride: we will twist the truth and turn it upside down, creating the world in our own image (social justice: “the goal of socialism is communism”). These psychopathic narcissists want to turn the world upside down with their antichrist revolution. Just as communism always ends up with a Stalin or Mao, this neo-techno-communism (antichristism) will end up with the real Antichrist. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
BTW Remember that arrogance and pride are both sins, thus proving the Bible right: men are all sinners. But I guess you communists can riot, burn and loot, as long as it’s for the greater communist good. What a twisted (sinful) form of righteousness: do what is evil for the greater good; evil equals good. Can anyone say: satanic!?! Shocker: satan wants to tear down society, so do his minions—they all want to be at the top of the pyramid. It’s a pyramid scheme folks—it’s all about power (being god)! The bottom feeders/parasites (the enlightened ones) want to flip the pyramid of power upside down, rebuild society, and enlighten us with communism (in their quest of attaining their utopian cult vision of transcending into a perfect being who has gained their perfect paradise). They want to regain their lost garden of eden, their lost godhood! Do you see how these radicals work? They flip the pyramid on race; they flip the pyramid on gender; they flip the pyramid on sex; they flip the pyramid on words (they are always playing word games). Does it seem like the world is becoming more and more upside down? It’s because they are flipping society upside down. This is happening on a worldwide scale, just look at what happened during covid! Then again, just follow and obey the World Health Origination (the United Nations) and their esoteric science. Do you even know what sovereignty (independent/self-government) means? How about freedom? Do you really know what that means? If so, stop bowing down to this esoteric cult! Their motto: Build Back Better (as above, so below). You’ve got it: the supposed enlightened ones are bring their enlightenment (hell/dystopia) to earth!
In the paradise of the Garden of Eden, a crack dealer said: I’m Lucifer, the counterfeit light bearer. You walk in God’s enlightenment, but I can give you greater enlightenment. Will you take a bite of the fruit?
2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness (the antichrist) is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
Musically speaking
musically speaking, of course.
to speak the language of music
is to speak a language that few know,
but most appreciate.
just speak.
whether with your own vocal box,
or a box of strings shaped so much like a silhouette.
it's the same lullaby to the ones you love,
and to those who want to know love.
musically speaking, of course…
musically speaking of course.
of course, of course, it's the music
quality of sound, but
what separates an audible sound
from an audible noise?
is it the same as what separates a grown man
from that of boys?
a mother enjoys her son with or without maturity.
ask the mother what separates men from boys,
and she will say of her children, “they're all the same”;
I love them all the same.
but for music, it's not it's not all the same;
it's not all the same.
the beauty of sound is very different from
the audible noise of a cacophony of aura.
the beauty of sound,
whether from an instrument of voice
or instrument of tin or wood…
Music…
the beauty of sound…
is only appreciated when it has the maturity
of texture and depth and feeling.
of course, of course, it's the music.
musically speaking of course.
bran10 11-29-2017
esoteric
DSC06424 (2d)
“Eschew the ordinary, disdain the commonplace. If you have a single-minded need for something, let it be the unusual, the esoteric, the bizarre, the unexpected.”
- Chuck Jones
'It's important to collect unusual characters. It keeps you sharp."
- Billy Gibbons
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This esoteric symbol has its origins linked to the Chimi Lhakhang monastery and Drukpa Kunley (The Divine Madman). The very explicit paintings and carvings may be embarrassing to some visitors but they can be seen throughout the country especially in villages. The erect penis is meant to drive away the evil eye and malicious gossip and is not related in any way to pornography as many Westerners would view it.
Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529) was trained in Tibet at the Ralung Monastery and travelled extensively in Bhutan. He was in many ways crazy and was very fond of women and wine. During his life he adopted many blasphemous and unorthodox ways to teach Buddhism, this is just one of them.
The Chime Lhakhang monastery holds the original wooden phallus that Kunley brought with him from Tibet. The phallus wood carving is decorated with a silver handle and is used to bless those people, especially woman, wanting children. Tradition dictates that they are struck on the head with the 10 inch (25 cm) wooden phallus or erect penis.
Lismore, NSW 2014
Leica S
70mm f2.5 lens
Offical web site:
EYE Photo Magazine - Vienna, Austria:
eye-photomagazine.weebly.com/eye-photo-magazine/eye-photo...
Artist Interview - Mumbai, India:
www.cvisuali.org/photographer-interviews-110.html
Short documentary - Lismore, Australia:
Artparasites - Berlin, Germany:
www.artparasites.com/r-j-poole/
Contemporary Art Curator - Barcelona, Spain:
www.contemporaryartcurator.com/r-j-poole/
Striking Web Site:
strkng.com/photographer-r+j+poole+%E2%80%94+the+anima+ser...
Documentary trailer:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoirzoKMSHA
Artist biography:
Mystical esoteric meditation retreat in a valley a few meters away from the two colors lake. Mandalasari meditation center is hidden behind the woods and hydrangea bush planted on elevated ground. The place is quiet, silent, chilling cold and only get brief sunlight.
A large mysterious stone is believed as holy object and worshipped by the true believer, right behind the main building.
Picture taken from Mandalasari meditation center, Telaga Warna, Dieng Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia.
Eyes: {S0NG} Lilith Eyes Gacha (mystery rare) - @Halloween SPOOKtacular. - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/104/215/53
main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Meringue/61/83/1064
Necklace: MONA - Blessed Choker - main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tulsa%20Time/97/217/1502
Tea Set & Held Cup: Oubliette- Witches Tea Set - main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Desolate/117/57/23
Outfit: IlCoColI - Laurel Set (top, pants & heels) - main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elmira/68/126/26
Plants, & Other Decor: [QE Home] Cauldron Plant Set , [QE Home] Winifred Candles, [QE Home] Fall Punkin Set -v3- @Previous Release On Sale 50% Off @ The Haunting Labyrinth - Find The [QE] Booth In The Center Cemetery Location - October 1st thru October 31st - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Boba%20Tea/23/129/26
& [QE Home] Esoteric Tome Set (books) - @New & Exclusive to The Special Halloween Round of Astrophe - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Astrophe/128/128/30
& [QE Home] Tassled Rug -Haunted- main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elmira/68/126/26
Furniture and Wall Art: Aine - Elvira Sofa & Pouf & Aine - Elvira Chimney Set - main store - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spirit%20Hills/128/228/22
Anima Series 5
Sitting No. 50
Worongary, Qld 2014
Model: Julia McIvor
This is another big public thank you to the one and only Julia, who has collaborated with me since the age of seven. Julia's work speaks for itself, as I hope my attempts to capture her spirit do also.
Next October 1st 2019 we intend to travel together to Indiana USA to open an exhibition of art at the I Fell Gallery in Bloomington. For those of you in the US who have followed my work, I wish to give a warm invitation to come and meet us and make yourselves known.
More details of the exhibition will be posted closer to the time, otherwise visit the I Fell Gallery site at:
" the walk on Corso Umberto of Taormina, at the exit of the Mocambo bar, in the background IX april square"
“la passeggiata sul Corso Umberto di Taormina, all'uscita del bar Mocambo, sullo sfondo la piazza IX aprile”
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clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
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www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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The photographer Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden: and some "secret stories” of Taormina ...
At the age of about 11-12, I made a very particular discovery, I found a fair number of ancient photographs (they had been well hidden by my grandmother) inside an ancient chest of drawers in our house in Taormina, for me it was a huge surprise, the a taste for the forbidden appeared in me for the first time, they were black and white photographs, they portrayed naked boys, or only partially dressed in drapes or sheets, they were posed to imitate certain statues (or drawings) of the Greco-Roman period; I was very intrigued by them, every now and then I went to look at them, without ever feeling discomfort, I did not consider them vulgar photographs. Some of the photos were the size of a postcard, others of various sizes increasingly larger, up to a format similar to A3; on the back there were stamps, there were also, inside small red cardboard boxes, glass plates, not large, looking at them against the light, they let us glimpse images of naked boys, or only partially dressed: they were photographic negatives made on glass plates. What was that particular photographic material hidden by my grandmother in the dresser of our house? Let's take a step back in time let's teleport to April 2, 1787 when the German poet, narrator, playwright Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) lands in Palermo, following his Grand Tour in Italy (the word "tourism" derives from it) he will say of Sicily that it is a place of splendor, beauty and harmony, but at the same time a place of poverty, suffering, misery and social injustice; Goethe wrote the book "Journey to Italy", revealing himself to be one of Italy's most passionate admirers, stating that "Sicily is the key to everything" (the incredible resemblance of thought with the great Sicilian writer and journalist Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989) who published in 1979 the book entitled “Sicily as a metaphor”). At the time of Goethe (and for a long time to come) the knowledge of Sicily was made up of stereotyped ideas, it was considered a land of mysteries, a den of brigands, which aroused fear in travelers, tourism did not exist, very few knew a foreign language, journeys with carriages were slow, nothing strange therefore that Taormina was an unknown village at the time. Garibaldi, in the year 1860, frees Sicily from the domination of the Bourbons. In February 1863, Count Ottone (Otto) Geleng (1843-1939) arrives in Taormina from Germany, he is a landscape painter, he begins an intense pictorial activity, thus succeeding in making Taormina and its landscapes known in the various cultural circles of Germany and France. Count Otto thus invites the then painter (who later became a photographer) Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931) to come to Taormina to treat his "subtle ache", pulmonary tuberculosis, which would have benefited from the mild climate of Sicily. Von Gloeden, twenty-two, arrived in Taormina in 1878, became passionate about photography by taking lessons from the local engineer and photographer Giuseppe Bruno (1836-1904), perhaps also a teacher of Giovanni Crupi (1859-1925), landscape photographer friend of von Gloeden, Crupi himself could also have contributed to the training as a photographer of the young von Gloeden. Like Otto Geleng's paintings, the photographs of the young Wilhelm also began to entice the then bourgeoisie across the border to come to Sicily: in the last 20 years of the 1800s the foundations were being laid for tourism in Sicily. The photographs taken by von Gloeden had as their subject young Sicilian adolescents dressed in the old-fashioned way with drapes, or completely naked, at most adorned with wreaths of flowers or laurel leaves placed on their heads, the young models assumed well-studied poses under the directed by the photographer baron, designed to create scenes that wanted to reconstruct the atmosphere of the mythical Arcadia (bucolic landscape of ancient Greece). In his poetics we can find the interest in disguise and transvestism, the young fisherman is made ambiguous by making him wear a wig, made resembling a young Sicilian girl; the images are not produced for the sole and mere trade, they are works that will be published in various famous magazines (such as "The National Geographic Magazine" or "the photographic progress", A. Stieglitz publishes his nudes on “Camera Notes"), also participating in international photographic exhibitions. The young models are filmed among ancient ruins, in rocky environments, outdoors, eliciting a spiritual feeling full of nostalgia, which follows pictorial models of German romanticism. In the photographic book "Verga photographer" (created on the discovery of 327 glass plates and 121 celluloid frames), in Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) great Sicilian narrator, it is possible to observe his photographs interwoven with "realism", while in the photographs of von Gloeden the symbolism andthe spiritualism predominate, however Wilhelm will also produce documentary-type photographs, photographing the terrible earthquake (and tsunami) of Messina (and Reggio Calabria) of 1908. Von Gloeden seems fully integrated into the Taormina society , nevertheless suffers heavy homophobic attacks from the local press and from important characters from Taormina, including Otto Geleng himself, who will be sued by the baron, which will then be withdrawn upon payment of 896 lire, and a restorative declaration published in the "Gazzetta di Messina" . Von Gloeden worked in his house-studio in front of the Hotel San Domenico Palace, with him lived his sister Sofia Raabe (1847-1930), daughter of his mother's first husband, who helped him manage the house-studio, and in the to receive the illustrious guests who visited him (such as Oscar Wilde, FA Krupp, Richard Strauss, the German emperor Wilhelm II, Eleonora Duse). Von Gloeden died on February 16, 1931 at the age of 74, he was buried in the non-Catholic cemetery of Taormina, his heir was his all-around assistant Pancrazio Buciunì known as "il moro" (1879-1963) ("u 'moru", family nickname), which continues the activity, selling the prints: he undergoes two searches in full fascist regime with partial seizure and destruction of the photographic material that belonged to von Gloeden (fascism persecuted homosexuals, the repression of homosexuality was entrusted to the fascist police, which confined many homosexuals to the islands of the Mediterranean, Lipari was one of these, see the beautiful film by Ettore Scola "a special day"), Buciunì undergoes two trials for detention of obscene material, and, despite an adverse appraisal by the appointed expert prof. Stefano Bottari, holder of the chair of history of medieval and modern art at the University of Messina, who declares much of the seized material obscene, the Court of Messina, demonstrating tolerance and open-mindedness, acquits Buciunì. At this point in the story we return to my grandmother's dresser and reveal the little mystery: the hidden photographs belonged to my great-grandfather Don Gaetano D'Agata (1883-1949), von Gloeden's assistant photographer, also on the baron's teaching, he made nude photographs, as well as landscape or portrait photographs; Don Gaetano was a globetrotter, in our family album he is portrayed in various parts of the world, always in the company of beautiful women: but I will never know if those "forbidden photos" were taken by my great-grandfather Gaetano or by Von Gloeden himself, because my grandmother, having understood that I was going to peek at them in secret, made them disappear permanently, and I never heard anymore of that photographic material. For my part, it is only right to mention other figures who contributed to making Taormina the current destination for international tourism. Lady Florence Trevelyan (1852-1907), was Queen Victoria's lady-in-waiting, she was then sent into exile in various parts of the world by Queen herself, she arrived in Taormina and stayed there forever, she was a woman of exceptional gifts, endowed with great sensitivity and humanity, animal rights activist, philanthropist, passionate about esotericism, she was married to the then mayor and doctor of Taormina dr. Salvatore Cacciola, she were one of the first women admitted to world Freemasonry (her husband Cacciola also belonged to Freemasonry): I have already talked about it previously in one of my photographic stories. On the occasion of the XXI festival of the two worlds in Spoleto, in 1978, the essayist and literary critic Roland Barthes (1915-1980) curated an exhibition entitled "Wilhelm von Gloeden", with interventions by artists such as Andy Warhol, M. Pistoletto and J. Beuys. Finally, Raffaella Perna, Researcher in History of Contemporary Art at the University of Catania, underlines in her book on "Wilhelm von Gloeden, disguises, portraits, tableaux vivants", of how LaChapelle, Witkin, Mapplethorpe are the contemporary artists who they are indicated as heirs of von Gloeden's poetics.
P.S. Von Gloeden's photographs were made by photographing both the large panels with gigantographic reproductions of von Gloeden's works, which are located at the entrance of the Mocambo bar in Taormina, and in the shop-bazaar of the photographer from Taormina, my late friend, Nino Malmbrì (owner of the baron's original photographic material). The photographs of Gaetano D’Agata, were taken from my family album: in a photo a little damaged, but exceptional for its historical and emotional value, my great-grandfather, the photographer Gaetano D'Agata, here very young, holds his daughter "Ninitta" (a of the four children, had by three wives), she is my paternal grandmother; in another photo, the photographer Gaetano D'Agata poses next to her a few years later, with my grandmother already a young girl; always made by great-grandfather D'Agata there is both a portrait photo, a close-up, of my very young grandmother "Ninitta", and there is a photo of her posing as a peasant girl, with a painted backdrop behind her, as if used in studio photos; finally I put two photos taken by my great-grandfather Gaetano "en plein air" of bathers, "the location" is the beach of Mazzarò (Taormina). The photographs of the tombstones of the characters mentioned in the story were taken in the Catholic and non-Catholic cemetery of Taormina; the monumental funerary complex of Count Otto Geleng at the top presents the bust of his son Ermanno, the presence of symbolisms such as the hourglass, the rooster, the book (the Holy Bible) and the god mercury, makes me believe that Count Otto was part of the Masonic lodge of Taormina, at the time the mayor of Taormina was also part of it, dr. Cacciola and his wife Lady Florence Trevelyan: in his palace, Dr. Cacciola, built a temple, which became the first Masonic lodge in Taormina: the "Renaissance" (1904).
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Il barone fotografo Wilhelm von Gloeden: ed alcune “storie segrete” di Taormina …
Io, all’età di circa 11-12 anni, feci una scoperta molto particolare, trovai un discreto numero di antiche fotografie (erano state ben nascoste da mia nonna) dentro un antico comò in casa nostra a Taormina, per me fu una enorme sorpresa, il gusto del proibito si affacciò in me per la prima volta, erano fotografie in bianco e nero, ritraevano ragazzi nudi, o solo in parte vestiti con drappi o lenzuoli, messi in posa imitavano certe statue (o disegni) del periodo greco-romano; io ne ero rimasto molto incuriosito, ogni tanto le andavo a riguardare, senza mai provare disagio, non le consideravo fotografie volgari. Alcune foto erano della grandezza di una cartolina, altre di varie dimensioni sempre più grandi, fino ad arrivare ad un formato assimilabile all’A3; sul retro c’erano impressi dei timbri, c’erano anche, dentro dei piccoli scatoli in cartoncino di colore rosso, delle lastrine in vetro, non grandi, guardandole in controluce, lasciavano intravedere immagini di ragazzi nudi, o poco vestiti: erano i negativi fotografici realizzati su vetro. Cosa ci faceva quel materiale fotografico, così particolare, nascosto da mia nonna nel comò di casa nostra? Facciamo un salto indietro nel tempo teletrasportiamoci al 2 aprile 1787 quando a Palermo sbarca il poeta, narratore, drammaturgo tedesco Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), in seguito al suo Grand Tour in Italia (turismo deriva da esso) dirà della Sicilia che essa è luogo di splendore, bellezza ed armonia, ma al tempo stesso luogo di povertà, sofferenza, miseria ed ingiustizia sociale; Goethe scrive il libro “Viaggio in Italia”, rivelandosi uno dei più appassionati ammiratori dell’Italia, affermando che “la Sicilia è la chiave di tutto” (incredibile la rassomiglianza di pensiero col grande scrittore e giornalista siciliano Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989) che pubblica nel 1979 il libro dal titolo “la Sicilia come metafora”). Ai tempi di Goethe (e per molto tempo ancora) la conoscenza della Sicilia era fatta di idee stereotipate, era considerata terra di misteri, covo di briganti, il che incuteva timore nei viaggiatori, il turismo non esisteva, pochissimi conoscevano una lingua straniera, i viaggi con carrozze ertano lenti, nulla di strano quindi che Taormina fosse all’epoca un villaggio sconosciuto. Garibaldi, nell’anno 1860, libera la Sicilia dalla dominazione dei Borboni. Nel febbraio del 1863, dalla Germania giunge a Taormina il conte Ottone (Otto) Geleng (1843-1939), egli è un pittore paesaggista, inizia una intensa attività pittorica, riuscendo in tal modo a far conoscere Taormina ed i suoi paesaggi nei vari circoli culturali della Germania e della Francia. Il conte Otto invita così l’allora pittore (poi divenuto fotografo) barone Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931) a venire a Taormina per curare il suo “mal sottile”, la tubercolosi polmonare, che avrebbe tratto giovamento dal clima mite della Sicilia. Von Gloeden, ventiduenne, nel 1878 giunge a Taormina, si appassiona alla fotografia prendendo lezioni dall’ingegnere e fotografo locale Giuseppe Bruno (1836-1904), forse anche insegnante di Giovanni Crupi (1859-1925), fotografo paesaggista amico di von Gloeden, il quale Crupi stesso potrebbe anche aver contribuito alla formazione come fotografo del giovane von Gloeden. Così come i dipinti di Otto Geleng, anche le fotografie del giovane Wilhelm incominciarono ad invogliare l’allora borghesia d’oltre confine, a venire in Sicilia: negli ultimi 20 anni dell’800 si stavano gettando le basi per il turismo in Sicilia. Le fotografie realizzate da von Gloeden avevano come soggetto giovani adolescenti siciliani vestiti all’antica con drappi, o completamente nudi, tutt’al più adornati da coroncine di fiorellini o foglie d’alloro messi sul capo, i giovani modelli assumevano pose ben studiate sotto la regia del barone fotografo, atte a realizzare scene che volevano ricostruire l’atmosfera della mitica Arcadia (paesaggio bucolico dell’antica Grecia). Nella sua poetica possiamo riscontrare l’interesse per il travestimento ed il travestitismo, il giovane pescatore viene reso ambiguo facendogli indossare una parrucca, reso somigliante ad una giovane ragazza siciliana; le immagini non vengono prodotte per il solo e mero commercio, sono opere che verranno pubblicate su varie riviste famose (come “The National Geographic Magazine” o “Il Progresso fotografico”, A. Stieglitz pubblica i suoi nudi su “Camera Notes”), partecipando anche ad esposizioni fotografiche internazionali. I giovani modelli sono ripresi tra antichi ruderi, in ambienti rupestri, all’aperto, elicitando un sentimento spirituale carico di nostalgia, il che ricalca modelli pittorici del romanticismo tedesco. Nel libro fotografico “Verga fotografo” (realizzato su ritrovamento di 327 lastre in vetro e 121 fotogrammi in celluloide), in Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) grande narratore siciliano, è possibile osservare le sue fotografie intessute di “verismo”, mentre nelle fotografie di von Gloeden predomina il simbolismo e lo spiritualismo, purtuttavia Wilhelm produrrà anch’egli fotografie di tipo documentaristico, andando a fotografare il terribile terremoto (e maremoto) di Messina (e di Reggio Calabria) del 1908. Von Gloeden sembra pienamente integrato nella società taorminese, ciononostante subisce pesanti attacchi omofobi dalla stampa locale e da importanti personaggi taorminesi, incluso lo stesso Otto Geleng, i quali verranno querelati dal barone, querela che verrà poi ritirata dietro pagamento di 896 lire, ed una dichiarazione riparatoria pubblicata sulla “Gazzetta di Messina”. Von Gloeden lavorava nella sua casa-studio di fronte l’Hotel San Domenico Palace, con lui viveva sua sorella Sofia Raabe (1847-1930), figlia del primo marito di sua madre, che lo aiutava a governare la casa-studio, e nel ricevere gli illustri ospiti che lo andavano a trovare ( come Oscar Wilde, F.A. Krupp, Richard Strauss, l’imperatore tedesco Guglielmo II, Eleonora Duse). Von Gloeden muore il 16 febbraio 1931 all’età di 74 anni, viene sepolto nel cimitero acattolico di Taormina, il suo erede è il suo assistente tutto fare Pancrazio Buciunì detto “il moro” (1879-1963) (“u’ moru”, soprannome di famiglia), che ne prosegue l’attività, vendendone le stampe: il quale subisce in pieno regime fascista due perquisizioni con parziale sequestro e distruzione del materiale fotografico che apparteneva a von Gloeden (il fascismo perseguitò gli omosessuali, la repressione dell’omosessualità fu affidata alla polizia fascista, che confinò molti omosessuali nelle isole del mediterraneo, Lipari fu una di queste, vedi il bellissimo film di Ettore Scola “una giornata particolare”), Buciunì subisce due processi per detenzione di materiale osceno, e, nonostante una perizia avversa da parte del nominato perito prof. Stefano Bottari, titolare della cattedra di storia dell’arte medioevale e moderna dell’Università di Messina, che dichiara osceno gran parte del materiale sequestrato, il Tribunale di Messina dimostrando tolleranza ed apertura mentale, assolve il Buciunì. A questo punto del racconto ritorniamo al comò di mia nonna e sveliamo il piccolo mistero: le fotografie nascoste appartenevano al mio bisnonno don Gaetano D’Agata (1883-1949), assistente fotografo di von Gloeden, anch’egli sull’insegnamento del barone, realizzò fotografie di nudo, oltre che di paesaggio o ritratto; don Gaetano era un giramondo, nel nostro album di famiglia lui è ritratto in varie parti del mondo, sempre in compagnia di belle donne: ma io non saprò mai se quelle “foto proibite” erano realizzate dal mio bisnonno Gaetano o da Von Gloeden stesso, perché mia nonna, avendo capito che le andavo a sbirciare di nascosto, le fece sparire definitivamente, e di quel materiale fotografico non ne seppi più nulla. Da parte mia, è doveroso citare altre figure che contribuirono a rendere Taormina l’attuale meta del turismo internazionale. Lady Florence Trevelyan (1852-1907), era dama di corte della regina Vittoria, dalla stessa regina Lady Florence fu poi mandata in esilio in varie parti del mondo, giunse a Taormina e qui vi restò per sempre, era una donna dalle doti eccezionali, dotata di grande sensibilità ed umanità, animalista, filantropa, appassionata di esoterismo, fu sposa dell’allora sindaco e medico di Taormina dott. Salvatore Cacciola, fu una delle prime donne ammesse alla massoneria mondiale (apparteneva alla massoneria anche il marito Cacciola): ne ho già parlato in precedenza in un mio racconto fotografico. Robert Hawthorn Kitson (1873-1947) era un pittore britannico omosessuale, egli lasciò l’Inghilterra a causa dell’emendamento Labouchere, che rendeva illegale qualsiasi atto omosessuale nel Regno Unito (1885), giunse a Taormina e qui si stabilì, costruendo nel 1905 Casa Cusani, una villa con vista sull’Etna, oggi casa museo; nella sua sala da pranzo si trovano gli affreschi “proibiti” realizzati da Frank Brangwyn, essi narrano dell’amore omosessuale tra Kitson ed il suo compagno Carlo Siligato: nel 1908 in seguito al terremoto che distrusse Messina (e Reggio Calabria), essi adottarono un bambino che era rimasto orfano, divenendo di fatto una famiglia omosessuale, all’epoca assolutamente proibita; gli affreschi di Casa Cuseni sono ispirati alle fotografie di von Gloeden, così come nella villa, si trova una “autocromia a colori” del 1910, realizzata da von Gloeden, documento eccezionale che testimonia la volontà del barone di sperimentare nuove tecniche. In occasione del XXI festival dei due mondi di Spoleto, nel 1978, il saggista e critico letterario Roland Barthes (1915-1980) cura una mostra intitolata “Wilhelm von Gloeden”, con interventi di artisti quali Andy Warhol, M. Pistoletto e J. Beuys. Infine, Raffaella Perna, Ricercatrice in Storia dell'arte contemporanea all'Università degli Studi di Catania, sottolinea nel suo libro su “Wilhelm von Gloeden, travestimenti, ritratti, tableaux vivants”, di come LaChapelle, Witkin, Mapplethorpe siano gli artisti contemporanei che vengono indicati come eredi della poetica di von Gloeden.
P.S. le fotografie di Von Gloeden sono state realizzate fotografando sia i grandi pannelli con gigantografiche riproduzioni delle opere di von Gloeden, che si trovano all’ingresso del bar Mocambo di Taormina, sia nel negozio-bazar del fotografo taorminese, compianto mio amico, Nino Malmbrì (possessore di materiale fotografico originale del barone). Le fotografie di Gaetano D’Agata, sono state prese dal mio album di famiglia: in una foto un pò rovinata, ma eccezionale per il suo valore storico e per me affettivo, il mio bisnonno, il fotografo Gaetano D'Agata, qui molto giovane, tiene in braccio sua figlia "Ninitta" (una dei quattro figli, avuti da tre mogli), lei è la mia nonna paterna; in un'altra foto, il fotografo Gaetano D'Agata posa accanto a lei qualche anno dopo, con mia nonna già ragazzina; sempre realizzate dal bisnonno D'Agata c'è sia un foto-ritratto, un primo piano, di mia nonna "Ninitta" molto giovane, e c'è la foto di lei mentre posa come contadinella, con dietro un fondale dipinto, come si usava nelle foto da studio; infine ho messo, due foto realizzate dal mio bisnonno Gaetano "en plein air" a delle bagnanti, "la location" è la spiaggia di Mazzarò (Taormina). Le fotografie delle tombe dei personaggi menzionati nel racconto, sono state fatte nel cimitero cattolico ed acattolico di Taormina; il complesso monumentale funerario del conte Otto Geleng in alto presenta il mezzobusto del figlio Ermanno, la presenza di simbolismi come la clessidra, il gallo, il libro (la Sacra Bibbia) ed il dio mercurio, mi fa ritenere che il conte Otto facesse parte della loggia massonica di Taormina, all’epoca ne faceva parte anche il sindaco di Taormina, dott. Cacciola e sua moglie Lady Florence Trevelyan: nel suo palazzo il dott. Cacciola, realizzò un tempio, che divenne la prima loggia massonica di Taormina : la "Rinascimento"(1904).
16 color variations in Clear and 16 in Gloom. Lelutka, Omega, Mesh Eyes w/HUD, and BOM.
@Engine Room
Talk about esoteric... they sold everything from vintage clothing, estate jewelry, 78 rpm records, antique chandeliers as well as baubles and beads of all sorts. Lining the window looking out to South Broadway were shelves holding identical glass jars, each containing dozens of little toys which you couldn't find anywhere else. It was always fun to take my two kids there. I genuinely miss the place.
(Taken with a true eBay find - a Pentax Auto 110, the world's smallest SLR).
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Castel del Monte (English: Castle of the Mount, Bari dialect: Castídde d'u Monte) is a 13th-century citadel and castle situated in Andria in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It stands on a promontory, where it was constructed during the 1240s by the Emperor Frederick II, who had inherited the lands from his mother Constance of Sicily.
Because of its relatively small size, it was once considered to be no more than a "hunting lodge", but scholars now believe it originally had a curtain wall and did serve as a citadel. Frederick was responsible for the construction of many castles in Apulia, but Castel del Monte's geometric design was unique. The fortress is an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner. The towers were originally some 5 m higher than now, and they should perhaps include a third floor Both floors have eight rooms and an eight-sided courtyard occupies the castle's centre. Each of the main rooms have vaulted ceilings. Three of the corner towers contain staircases. The castle has two entrances, an unobtrusive service entrance and an ornate main entrance. Frederick's main entrance featured elements from classical design, and may have been influenced by Frederick's interest in Greco-Roman architecture.
The octagonal plan is unusual in castle design. Historians have debated the purpose of the building and it has been suggested that it was intended as a hunting lodge. Another theory is that the octagon is an intermediate and esoteric symbol between a square (representing the earth) and a circle (representing the sky). Frederick II may have been inspired to build to this shape by either the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which he had seen during the Sixth Crusade, or by the Palace Chapel of Aachen Cathedral.
This esoteric symbol has its origins linked to the Chimi Lhakhang monastery and Drukpa Kunley (The Divine Madman). The very explicit paintings and carvings may be embarrassing to some visitors but they can be seen throughout the country especially in villages. The erect penis is meant to drive away the evil eye and malicious gossip and is not related in any way to pornography as many Westerners would view it.
Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529) was trained in Tibet at the Ralung Monastery and travelled extensively in Bhutan. He was in many ways crazy and was very fond of women and wine. During his life he adopted many blasphemous and unorthodox ways to teach Buddhism, this is just one of them.
The Chime Lhakhang monastery holds the original wooden phallus that Kunley brought with him from Tibet. The phallus wood carving is decorated with a silver handle and is used to bless those people, especially woman, wanting children. Tradition dictates that they are struck on the head with the 10 inch (25 cm) wooden phallus or erect penis.
Anima Series 5
Sitting No. 149
Lismore NSW 2018
We count by changes and events within us. Not by years.
Charles Dickens
This esoteric symbol has its origins linked to the Chimi Lhakhang monastery and Drukpa Kunley (The Divine Madman). The very explicit paintings and carvings may be embarrassing to some visitors but they can be seen throughout the country especially in villages. The erect penis is meant to drive away the evil eye and malicious gossip and is not related in any way to pornography as many Westerners would view it.
Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529) was trained in Tibet at the Ralung Monastery and travelled extensively in Bhutan. He was in many ways crazy and was very fond of women and wine. During his life he adopted many blasphemous and unorthodox ways to teach Buddhism, this is just one of them.
The Chime Lhakhang monastery holds the original wooden phallus that Kunley brought with him from Tibet. The phallus wood carving is decorated with a silver handle and is used to bless those people, especially woman, wanting children. Tradition dictates that they are struck on the head with the 10 inch (25 cm) wooden phallus or erect penis.