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The Grand Providentia Projection – Where We Now Stand… United.

Grand Providentia United

Journal Entry #1

When I retitled the American Dream Catcher bronze as Providentia, I arrived at the choice intuitively. I made an intuitive choice based on the limited knowledge I had at the time. I was looking for a title that was synonymous with English definitions of providence. Having lived in the village of Hope, in the state of Rhode Island for many years during my young life, I’ve always taken comfort in the fact that the state capital was named Providence, therefore I’m sure, at least subliminally, that I favored providence for nostalgic reasons. But the conscious choice was ultimately made because of the high ideals that the word conjures in my heart and mind. In truth, I almost used Providence as is, due to a particular definition that I found as soon as I started searching – “timely preparation for future eventualities.” ~ Oxford Languages. I then searched for the Latin origins of the word providence and found what I thought to be an eloquent alternative in Providentia. Three quarters of a decade later, spellcheck is still underlining the word in red, whenever, and wherever, I am writing about the work of art digitally. Since the application of a new patina and the retitling of the piece in 2015, I’ve learned more about the name I had chosen so long ago. Providentia Augusta was the Roman Goddess of forethought, foresight, and a maker of provisions for the eventualities She alone foresaw. The spirit of the Grand Providentia Projection is all about looking ahead collectively, and adjusting some of our lifestyle choices now, to make wise and ample provision for a promising future.

Adding the adjective “Grand” to Providentia in all discussions about the enlarged version of the sculpture may seem obvious, or even juvenile to some, but I considered other qualifiers for a good while and kept coming back to grand. From conception, the 42″ bronze sculpture was intended as a working model for a much larger piece. A monumental bronze, envisioned at 16′ tall, it would include all of the natural elemental forces of our environment – earth, air, fire and water – with the added elemental force of collective human consciousness. Spectacular was another word that I remember considering as a replacement for grand in the title, but I thought it sounded forced. I stayed with grand.

In recent months, I’ve turned away from the idea of the Grand Providentia being described, even in passing, as an art project. It has become so much more than that. To call it a “projection” instead, was also an intuitive decision – just like the name Providentia, except this time it was arrived at during a series of transcendental meditations wherein I envisioned the Grand Providentia projected onto the face of the Earth by the collective conscious intentions of a multitude of like-minded human beings. Consciousness acting as a celestial slide-projector. Just as it is believed in many contemporary spiritual traditions, we would collectively attract light energy from on high, beckoning Universal consciousness down to us, while we were simultaneously performing the groundwork of physical manifestation. The projections would be materialized objectively, of course, with the hard work and creative persistence of many courageous individuals, but they would also be manifested metaphysically through the power of positive intentions. The Grand Providentia Projection is currently experiencing a growth spurt unlike any other it’s had since the inception of the American Dream Catcher project in 2008. The materialization of this dream is imminent.

“Providentia”

I’ll keep the focus of this overview set on the physical end-product of the Grand Providentia Projections in order to afford you all a better description of how these Grand Providentia will be presented to the whole of humanity. It is likely that the first one will need to be produced in the United States on the mainland. Funding will need to be in place before the site is chosen, but already I’m sensing that it would be well received in Colorado. The Projections will be more than just sculptures placed on pedestals. Part of the broader vision is that they would be encircled by meditative gardens with water features and plantings of native vegetation. Local stone would be used for any structures or paved walkways within the footprint of the Projection. I would also want to incorporate a modest learning center where people would find more information about the scope of the projections once they are being manifested globally.

The sculptures themselves will need to include stainless steel support armatures for strength, and the reflective orb in the lower portion of the piece will also probably be produced in stainless steel (high polished and custom cast at 30″ in diameter). While the main structure is likely to be cast in bronze, it is just as likely that much of it will be fashioned with other materials such as stone or glass. I am not attached to the design of Providentia, or even its basic shape, those considerations are open to change by the creative crew that will be assembled to produce the artwork for each location. I’m sure there will be ten or twelve professional artists and architects involved in the planning and producing of each projection. Beyond that, there will be a support crew – technicians, administrators, patrons and any other ancillary help as needed. I firmly believe that once the intentions are set and the resources are in place, each projection will be raised up and promoted by the positive energy being attracted to the enthusiasm of the group. We’ll be relying heavily on positive vibrations. Not only the vibrations of active participants, but also the high vibrations of people from all over the world who are interested and invested in our success. Yes, I’m sure there will also be those who are trying to impede our progress, in fact I am fully expecting formidable resistance, but let’s not get into that here. You can trust that I’ve already been practicing counter-resistance techniques for more than a decade in my own life, so I don’t expect there will be much negative impact on our efforts in the long run. The Grand Providentia Projection will be made manifest. The time is now, the place is here, on the surface of our one and only planet – Earth.

I’ll return within the coming days to make an account of how I will proceed from here. All is well. In fact, it is exactly what it is meant to be, so how could it be anything other than well. Thank you for reading here! I truly appreciate your time and attention.

Film Journey in the Now

Curve Talk About Art

Grand Providentia United

If straight talk is what you’re looking for, you may, or may not, find it here. Art takes many forms. In some cases, it is formless, as it is with conceptual art when the concept is as yet unrealized. Ideas are immaterial things, and concepts are sometimes abstract, along with algebraic formulas. But an abstract acrylic on canvas can have solid appeal. Touch it with your fingertips and let your vision follow its pathways until your senses are absorbed in the two-dimensional realm of optical illusion. Eye candy is delicious, but too much of it, and you run the risk of rounding an eye tooth. Straight lines can stabilize your composition with economy. Straight lines can also derail an art critic’s ability to look straight at your art. Contemporary architecture often bends the strict rules of structural integrity in an effort to add in a curved or crooked line, an arch or a floating stairway. A stairway that theoretically leads us to a horizontal heaven, and it gets us there vertically, on a diagonal. In my own practice of art, I’ve heard the square folks lamenting in my ear about the inability to even draw a straight line. My reply, usually non-verbal, is ‘Why would you want to?’.

“Midlife Crisis” Drawn in pastel during my midlife crisis.

Bear with me, I promise to get to the pointillism. Then again, who wants to talk about a million polychrome dots giving the impression of three-dimensionality anyway. Nobody does. Everybody does want to talk about Leonardo DaVinci though. He was an exemplary master of all dimensions, proportions and abstract scientific concepts. Leonardo and Michelangelo often behaved like oil and water when in close proximity, but being the art giants they were, they were rarely in close proximity. There wasn’t enough space in all of Europe for that.

“Inside Outside”

Then there is sculpture. As big as David or as small as Venus of Willendorf, the contours comparable. Just this morning, I loaded a ridiculously heavy bronze sculpture on a truck and offloaded it in the studio that is now my temporary home. I’m very tired, so I’ll write about sculpture the next time I am inspired to talk curves about art.

“Salvador Seahorse” Bronze bench by sculptor Mike Elwell. Me, stranded in Saint Petersburg, Florida, for the moment.
Adventure and Discovery, Film Journey

Do You Call It Blazing or Bushwacking? – It All Depends How You Prefer to Create New Pathways

Grand Providentia United

When a tree falls in the forest, sometimes it will block a well-trodden path. When the next person comes along, hoping to tread further through the forest, they’ll be faced with the choice of backtracking or bushwacking. If they don’t have the proper tools for bushwacking (e.g., a machete or a hatchet), and they still opt for making their way around the fallen tree, they may find themselves hopelessly hung up in a thicket. Or even worse, in my opinion, they may blunder face first through a heavily occupied spider web. But what if there is no path, and no one had passed this way before you to know whether a tree did or did not fall?

“Penetrable”

Since the moment I began to plan the “Cross-Country Road Trip to Gather Film Content”, my intuition has been reaffirming those evolving plans every step of the way. Regularly occurring synchronicities have been playfully inviting me to make the next move, without fear, and with trust in God and the Universe. All along I’ve stayed calm. All along I’ve remained focused on the higher purpose motivating me to take this journey. Even since the accident, the one that permanently disabled the only gas-powered transportation I own, I’ve still only had one or two moments of self-doubt, and they took place in waking moments past midnight, when these weaknesses can, and often do, get a foothold. I am presently confident that I should carry on. Continue making plans for the road trip.

From one person’s perspective, it may appear that I am hung up in a circumstantial thicket with spider webs covering my entire body, from another, the accident might be perceived as beneficial, an ironic blessing of sorts. More and more, I’m perceiving the accident as an occurrence of the latter type, and less and less I see it as the former.

“Beneficial Fire”

On my drive out of Savannah last Monday, I took a detour to the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. When I first saw these flames, I was alarmed. How could anyone leave this fire unattended in the middle of all this pristine wilderness? What about all the beautiful plants trees and animals that would surely be burned alive? I almost had the urge to start stomping the closest flames and yelling for help. Then I came to my senses, remembering the process referred to as the prescribed burn. The forestry service now knows the benefits of allowing fire to burn through the underbrush and leaf litter to lessen the potential of a wildfire which could cause catastrophic damage to old growth forests and the wildlife living there. They know the proper time of year to allow this to happen, and in this case, they also know that the refuge is almost completely surrounded by swamp lands and brackish water. Instead of calling in the bucket brigade, I photographed the unattended, but presumably prescribed fire, and continued to make my way through the forest.

“Charred Floor”

Further along the trail I snapped this shot. It was evident that the fire had burned hot through this area, probably because there was a buildup of underbrush here, so the flames had fuel enough to clear all the lower-level vegetation from the forest floor.

As I am writing this journal entry, I’m recognizing all of the apparent parallels to be made between the story of prescribed burns, and the way I’m beginning to think about the car accident that landed, and stranded, me in Saint Petersburg, Florida for the past week. If the accident hadn’t happened, neither would all the wonderful interactions I’m having here, nor the quality time spent with Victoria and Chris (my adult children). Gratitude grows, day by day, moment by moment, when I stay focused on all of the positive circumstances and potential opportunities for growth that have sprouted up since the car crash on the first of March.

“Young Blades”

Personal growth has its own seasons and cycles. It is sometimes hard to see it in ourselves because we are distracted by past failures and badgered by our own self-deprecating habitual behaviors. When accidents happen, plans change, but there is no point in focusing on an event that is now in the past. Instead, we can strive to remain flexible, being kind to ourselves and others, all through the process of perpetual change.

Thank you for reading here! Your presence is greatly appreciated.

A True Story, as Yet Unfolding..., Film Journey

Eventful Embarkation

Grand Providentia United

In the fog, all things are uncertain and precarious. Forms lose their edginess, while people gain it. In our efforts to extract meaningful images from a white-on-white canvas, we strain our eyes and whiten our knuckles if we’re sitting behind a wheel, and if we’re on foot, our imaginations can misconstrue a hellscape as safe passage and a clear pathway as brambles. I was feeling alert, alive and present on the morning of March 1, at 6:00 AM, as I drove warily through the dense fog blanketing Okeechobee County well before the sun could burn its way through. The interior of Florida is notorious for dangerous highways that slice across the state from the west coast to the east at regular intervals up and down the American mega-peninsula. I had nearly completed the turn-off from one of those highways when disaster struck. A nano-second of horn blare, screeching tires and the crashing sounds of metal and glass reconstructing each other, and then I was spinning. I became a moving part on the inside of a much larger moving part (the Honda Accord). A three-quarter turn and then a complete stop. Car still running, lights still slashing at the fog, I unbuckled and disembarked. The dazed walk I took to the other side of the vehicle gave me all the visual information I needed to conclude that my road trip was over, at least for today. After hurling a couple of profanities at the passive whiteness, I came to my senses and walked away from the crippled hulk. My next thought was for the occupant(s) of the other vehicle. With prayers and fears overflowing, I approached the driver’s door. And that was when extreme gratitude made its reappearance on the scene. One occupant, and although she wasn’t speaking, I could see that she wasn’t critically injured or unconscious. Cars are disposable, people are not.

According to fond memories, I enjoyed driving this Accord.

Two days earlier, on Monday afternoon, I left Savannah for the second time during the month of February. I had decided days before to consider the first trip a trial run; a learning experience for the real “Cross Country Expedition to Gather Film Content”. I’d also decided to scale back the distance covered. Instead of driving from Mile Marker 0 on Key West to the farthest reaches of Alaska, I opted for the farthest northwest point in the contiguous USA, which is Cape Flattery, WA. By the time I finished sorting through and selectively packing everything I could think of for the trip and recording the following video, it was already past 2:00 PM. I drove away from storage locker 88 and headed south.

The official start of the “Grand Providentia Projection” is now! Join us for “A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…”

I left the storage locker and Savannah late in the day. I couldn’t imagine hurrying toward Sanford, Florida and the American Bronze Foundry because that was 5 hours away and would be closed by the time I arrived. I decided to head south and take an easterly detour to the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a coastal preserve and it is where I had previously filmed a few scenes for “Return to Hope”. I was not disappointed by my intuitive side trip. It was wonderful afternoon weatherwise, and the refuge was nearly deserted. I ate dinner by the water as the sun set and then I set forth. Spirit untethered.

“Speak to Us” Live Oak, living in the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Remember – all photos are available as gifts for a $20 donation to the cause. I will email a high-quality image, which you can then print to your specs.
“Infrastructure Undone” The Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge was established by the U.S. Fish and Game Commission on an abandoned military airfield in McIntosh County, GA. Apparently, when we’re all done with the fighting, we sometimes go fishing.
“Thistle” One of the most beautiful weeds I’ve ever seen… or heard.

By the time I hit the onramp for I-95 South it was getting dark. I drove for a couple of hours before turning in to a rest stop for a dinner out-of-the-trunk and a pre-bedtime brush and splash out-of-the-sink. As uncomfortable as the passenger seat was for sleeping, I was feeling extraordinarily blessed by the freedom to make my own choices and set my own pace. In the morning, I drove off as the sun was revealed by a horizon in perpetual motion. Next stop, American Bronze Foundry in Sanford, Florida. But along the way, off of historic Route1, I followed signs to a town named Lincolnville. That is where I captured the last good photo of my home away from no-home, the cranberry Honda I choose to call Accord.

“Cutting the Accord” Take note of the signage.
“American Bronze Foundry” My foundry of choice since leaving Bronzart (Sarasota) in 2008.

After a short meeting with Charlie (Charles Wambold III) to drop off the model and discuss a bare-bones version of my hopes and dreams concerning the “Grand Providentia Projection”, I drove off in the direction of Key West. Timing is everything when you are preparing to drive through Miami, so I fully expected to stop and sleep again before getting to the keys. Another sidetrack to Mullet Lake Park in Seminole County and then I would dine, and squirm through the night in the cramped bucket seat of Accord.

“Mullet Lake Park”

I didn’t see any mullets, in the water or on people’s heads, but I did enjoy a nice lunch by the water, while being entertained by an airboat pilot showing off his fancy fan skills.

I’ve never been skilled at predicting the future, even when the future is as close as the following morning, but if I had that skillset, I’m sure I would have lingered longer at the rest stop waiting for the fog to lift before resuming the drive south. In a single moment, all things can change. I love change, though, because it enhances our flexibility and expands our ability to accept the way things are in the now.

Return tomorrow for a report on where I’m at and where I’m planning to go from here. Thank you for reading this Grand Providentia United journal entry! Please feel free to stay awhile, scroll down, scroll back up, and read until you yawn. Good night, good people!

A True Story, as Yet Unfolding..., Film Journey

Higher Purpose

Grand Providentia United

There is Infinite Intelligence at play within the systems of nature here on Earth. The same Infinite Intelligence that imagined the whole of the Universe into being. We commonly refer to this Infinite Intelligence as God, the Source, or the Creator. When we were imagined by God and given our earthly forms, the Omnipotent Creator must have been pleased beyond all our understanding, with the results. These bodies our spirits animate are incredibly complex, to the point that the greatest minds in human history have only begun to unfold the mystery of why life exists. Why us? Why here on the planet Earth? Why now? Our human bodies are forms extracted from the stuff of stars, planets and galaxies, and in their complexity, they mimic the infinite and forever-expanding Universe. These words are merely words. My intentions are merely hopes and dreams given life by the Spirit of God’s Creation. Yet, my higher purpose is something that I cannot deny no matter what becomes of my physical body. The God of my understanding created me with this higher purpose, this spiritual quest, embedded in the soft flesh of my soul, at birth. And when it is time for me to return home to the Heart of Source, I will go willingly, leaving only the memories and energies I’ve left behind through the work of my higher purpose. Some will surely remember me as a misguided person, or someone who was too sensitive, or maybe even as a man who had gone mad. Others will smile and remember me for the love I shared. But all these potential memories will never be manifested if I don’t follow my higher purpose. And all of the foregoing should explain just how important this creative journey is for me. Everything that I do, every decision I make will flow naturally from my higher purpose in life. From this moment forward, that is simply the way it IS for me.

“The Path”

I’m out on the road again, heading toward Key West and Mile Marker 0. I’m asking for your support, morally and spiritually, but also financially. There are certain things that I’ll require for this trip, and I’ll be making those specific things known over the coming days and weeks. For now, I’m merely asking you to give only what you can afford with a glad and generous heart. Every dollar will help! You can donate through this blog (on the Donate*Contact page), or you can visit my GoFundMe campaign page at – https://www.gofundme.com/f/crosscountry-expedition-to-gather-film-content

I know that it is difficult for many people to let go of money, especially when the economy is so volatile, but I promise you that the path that I intend to take to achieve my higher purpose, will bring healing to our human family and restoration to our earthly environment.

Thank you for visiting the “Grand Providentia United” blog! I’ll be journaling here more often now that I’m living on the road. Please, stop in for regular updates.

Adventure and Discovery, Film Journey

Road Trip for a Most Worthy Cause

Grand Providentia United

The banner photograph above is titled “Un-Natural Ice in the Swamp”, it is one of a dozen photos that are available for purchase. Most of them were taken on the ‘Trial Run Road Trip’ that I just returned from.

Now, I am in Savannah, making preparations to set forth on a very special cross-country road trip. The purpose of the trip is not adventure, though I’m certain it will be adventurous. The purpose is not leisure either, but I will definitely be sure to make time to relax, breath and meditate along the way. The true purpose of this trip is of the utmost importance, and I am therefore compelled to do everything I can to see it through to its end, back here on the east coast. From the moment I conceived of this journey, I’ve been focused on the dual purposes that the trip will fulfill. First, there is the matter of life experience to be gained on the road. In my 59 years on the planet, I’ve never traveled further west than New Orleans, LA. It hasn’t necessarily been an objective on my bucket list, but I am certain the experience will prepare me for many world travels that I expect will be necessary in the coming years, to fulfill the dream of the “Grand Providentia Projection”. The second purpose behind the trip is to gather content in the form of film footage, photographs, journal entries and creative writing expressions, which will then become valuable content for documentary and fictional films that I intend to produce.

“Apex Reptilia” Image captured in the Big Cypress National Preserve in southern Florida.

I’ve created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for this leap of faith that I’m about to take. Of course, you can always support me financially by donating on the Donate*Contact page, here on the Grand Providentia United blog, but I would very much appreciate your visit to the “Cross-Country Expedition to Gather Film Content” fund raising page @ https://gofund.me/fd4283d0

One more thing that I wanted to mention. I will be sharing the bulk of my creative writing and journal entries during the trip, on this blog. Film content will likely be shared on my YouTube channel. I’ll post the link for YouTube in my next entry here. I’ll be active on the Scott Joseph Moore FB page as well (please send me a friend request, I’ll surely need all the friends and moral support I can get!) Thank you for reading this blog! I truly appreciate the time you’ve been spending here!

Adventure and Discovery, Film Journey

Celebrating Success and Setting Forth in Faith

Grand Providentia United

I have some fantastic news to share with you all! I have been accepted to the Film and Television, MFA Program at the Savannah College of Art & Design! The college has also offered me a sizable scholarship award which might increase further due to my GPA at the Ringling College of Art and Design where I earned a BFA majoring in Computer Animation, and also because “Return to Hope” received high scores from the Admissions Committee. I am feeling such an enormous amount of gratitude and self-achievement in this moment! I feel love for myself, and for all of you! Thank you for your continuing guidance and support.

“Key West King”
I started a new initiative yesterday. Moving forward, I am making all of my original photography available for purchase. Prices start at $20 for a high-quality digital photograph which I can send to the email address of your choosing. You could then have the photo printed as many times as you’d like in the format of your choosing. I can also ship prints on a number of different media, but I would need to quote you a price based on the size and format you desire. This initiative will fund the road trip of adventure and discovery that I’m about to embark on.
“Point of Embarkment”

“Good News, Along the High Roads of Hope”

On Saturday, February 11, 2023, I left Savannah heading for Key West. I had set intentions to begin an epic road trip, beginning at Mile Marker 0 on Key West, and ending at the farthest reaches of Alaska (as far as my Honda Accord would take me, at least). On Tuesday, while camping in my car, deep in the Everglades, I received an email from the college informing me of my acceptance to the program. Within minutes of receiving this news I realized that I would need to chalk up this first short adventure as a trial run. I would need to return to Savannah to better prepare for the journey ahead. Plans for the trip are now solidifying into something quite a bit different, and more profoundly important, than I had originally intended. I have shortened the travel itinerary to include only the contiguous USA, saving the Alaska portion of the adventure for another now in the future. In the present Now, I need to organize resources, seek out financial and moral support, and plan the logistics of what is bound to be a complicated sojourn.

Thank you, dear readers, for being patient with me over these past few months! I know that I’ve been neglecting my duties as author here on the Grand Providentia United blog site. Truthfully, I am relieved to have completed “Return to Hope” in time to be considered for scholarship funds at the college, but I must admit that there were moments when I thought that I would need to turn it in as an incomplete work. And when all the conceptualizing, writing, filming, directing, image and sound editing, and producing was done, what our team created was really something special, perhaps even unique to the world. If you haven’t seen the film yet, please take nine minutes and 4 seconds to watch it and share your honest appraisals here or on the YouTube channel. If you’re drawn to the energy expressed, please subscribe to the channel and this blog. Allow me to entertain you, as I travel across the country, seeking connection with the planet we live on, and communing with our shared human family!

I will return to write again tomorrow (this time I mean it!), with details about the trip and how you can support this special Cause for Hope!

My First Short Film Released

The World Premiere of “Return to Hope”!!!

Grand Providentia United

It was just about a year ago when I decided to take a leap of faith in my creative career by pursuing a graduate degree in film. Before taking this leap, I’d already taken a number of leaps of faith in my personal and professional life. This one felt different, not so scary. I’ve since come to realize that this leap is different than all the other leaps, in that the leaping-off point was duly situated at a more spiritually and emotionally mature elevation. In an earlier leap, in 1996, my wife (then) and I packed up all of our material possessions, loaded the little ones into their car seats and moved our family from Rhode Island to Florida. We made the move so that I could pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer animation. At that time, the computer-generated imagery (CGI) industry was changing the face of live-action film with blockbusters like Jurassic Park (1993) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). In the computer animated film industry, Toy Story had just been released (1995) and every computer geek and movie making wannabe was signing up at a college or tech-school with high hopes of claiming a seat in one of the major animation studios. Dreaming of jobs at Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks, they were all looking for the best route into the industry. I was, and apparently still am, a movie making wannabe, but back then I had absolutely zero experience with computers, and it had been a long time since I graduated high school in 1981. Fifteen years long, in fact. So, why did I decide to learn computer animation, having had no previous experience with computers? This is how I rationalized the decision – I would attend Ringling, learn computer animation, move the family (again) to California, get a high paying job producing CGI, and then make a lateral move into the model and props/animatronic studio where I really wanted to be. I had been creating hand built ceramic sculpture for more than a decade by 1996 and I could clearly see myself excelling in a movie-monster/sci-fi model shop. When I applied to, and was accepted by, the Ringling School of Art & Design (now Ringling College of Art and Design), I considered it destiny calling out to me personally, and so Pamela and I talked it over, and then we leaped…

Christopher and Victoria, during one of our many visits to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando (1998?). Both of my children were involved with the production of “Return to Hope”. Chris created the original soundtrack and Tori utilized her superior enunciating skills as one of the tree vocalists. Remember, they are adults now, so it’s not like I’m using this photo to exploit the obvious “cuteness factor” they both possess!

It has been more than 22 years since I graduated from RCAD, and I’m now preparing to land on both feet in the graduate program at SCAD.

Without further ado, I present to you, my loyal blog readers and any other wonderful human beings who’ve found themselves reading here, this is my first short film “Return to Hope”! Please subscribe to the YouTube channel and also here on the “Grand Providentia United” blog, to receive updates on the latest happenings on the event horizon. And, one other request, please leave a comment on this post (either positive or negative) once you’ve watched the film. It’s only nine minutes long, so there’s really no excuse not to watch it at least ten times! JK!!!

Click on the link and enjoy!
Film Journey in the Now

Update on “Return to Hope” (Film) and the “Case of the Missing Blog Author”

Grand Providentia United

Once again, I’ve neglected my commitment to those of you who are regular readers here. In a previous journal entry, I wrote about my intentions to document the making of the “Return to Hope” film in real-time on this blogsite. A few days after setting that intention, I realized that it was non-sustainable with regard to my energies, at least for now. The motivations I had for setting the intentions were sincere, in that I wanted to practice the process I intend to use for future filmmaking upon graduation from Savannah College of Art and Design. To be more specific, the process I intend to use for the “Grand Providentia Projection – A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…”, is directly related to what I was attempting to do here with “Return to Hope”. This post-graduation, master work, will be produced and promoted as a real-time documentary series that follows the progress of creating and installing, major collaborative art projects around the globe. These “Projections” will act as focal points for raising awareness of the conscious connection that exists between all sentient beings on our planet, and furthermore, how that conscious connection might be used to set positive collective intentions to restore and preserve our environment and heal divisions and discord within the human race. As this rolling documentary is being produced, there will also be a fictional version of the same story being filmed simultaneously. Eventually, the two stories will be merged and integrated into one production – a surreal documentary, with elements of both fact and fiction. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve been studying, and living by, many of the philosophical explorations that are the basis for metaphysics and the metaphysics of science, so I am convinced that this film format, the surreal documentary, will be the most powerful way to present the “Grand Providentia Projection – A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…” I must admit that it’s true, this endeavor is an enormous undertaking, but having worked on it for many years now, I know that its potential for realization is eventual, and quite possibly, inevitable.

You might be wondering why I decided that it was non-sustainable for me to document the making of “Return to Hope” here on the blog, as I produce it? The straightforward answer to that question is that I do not have the level of energy required to complete all the necessary tasks with even a modicum of success, therefore I’ve opted to prioritize my efforts, in an effort to accomplish some tasks with greater success. Since the moment that I decided to pursue a graduate degree in film, I’ve bought and learned how to use a digital film camera, conceived of “Return to Hope” and strategized its visual presentation to an audience (the admissions board at SCAD), filmed on location in Hope, RI, Bethlehem, PA and Savannah, GA, and I am currently editing the film in DaVinci Resolve, an editing software that was included with the Blackmagic Design camera that I bought back in April of this year. It sure has been a learning experience for me, but I can tell you with absolute honesty that I am loving the journey so far!

Photo shot on location at the Steel Stacks, Bethlehem, PA. The Steel Stacks is one of the locations where I filmed clips for “Return to Hope” Worthy of note: This pulley wheel is approximately 12′ in diameter and there were about 20-30 of them lined up in a humongous building!

There is another reason that I decided not to continue with the documentation on this blog. I wanted to introduce the final results, all polished and pretty, of “Return to Hope” to you all, once it is completely finished. So far, I’m super pleased with how it’s coming together! If nothing else, it is sure to be visually compelling. And fear not, you won’t have to wait long for the premier of this film, because I need to have it ready for delivery by 2/2/2023. I’ll be publishing it on YouTube as soon as it is delivered to the college. Stay tuned, dear readers, soon you’ll have more to look at than just still images! I promise.

Danger! There’s always someone trying to keep you from going someplace!
Awakening

Let it Flow, let it Flow, let it Flow…

Grand Providentia United

While cooking eggs this morning, I was blindsided by a sudden and glaring self-awareness. A passing thought brought with it an unavoidable wake-up call. It was a thought that screamed ‘You are living your life like a fugitive! Stop this immediately!’. My shaking hand nearly dropped the spatula fully loaded with hash browns. I wanted to protest, but I knew I was toast. In truth, I knew that I was beyond toast. I was a burned piece of stale bread in the trash. There was no defense to offer. The case had closed as soon as it was opened. In a vision that can’t be unseen, its clarity eternally sharp, I stared with horror at the current state of my existence. I’ve been absolutely living like a fugitive, and this behavior absolutely needs to stop!

“What are you lookin’ at, Eggs!”

Let the banners be raised, and all in favor of stopping unhealthy behavior, say EYE! And how do I know that this fugitive mentality is unhealthy? Because it limits the totality of the man that I refer to as me. It curtails my inborn ability to present to the world the best of who I am and what I have to offer. If I choose to remain hidden, it is unlikely that I will be found, even by my own sense of purpose. And why, you might ask, have I been living like a fugitive? You may as well pose this question to the eggs I was cooking, because I can’t see reason, although I have been looking. You recommend I seek counsel, to evaluate my self-appraisal. Well, I say, it’s as plain as day that I’ve been hiding away, and the only solution is to adopt a resolution to put aside my pride and walk outside.

“This Terra is Not So Firma”

Now walking. Now learning. Now growing. With a farm-fresh perspective, hard won through the many misguided adventures of an explorer without eyesight, I’ve arrived at the understanding that I’ve done nothing wrong. At least not wrong enough to continue living this life like a fugitive.

Thank you, readers, for returning again and again to read this True Story as it unfolds…

Life is Wonderful!

Big Trust

Grand Providentia United

I’m in a familiar place. I’m navigating the transition between an earlier, less evolved, version of myself and what I am to become. My feet have left the ground again. I am mid-leap and quite uncertain of how the future ground plane will have unfolded when I land. If I’m honest with myself, it becomes clear that none of us ever really knows how it will unfold anyway. There are so many mysteries to be solved in our lives, and so many more that were probably never meant to be solved. An understanding of this universal truth has taught me to trust in what will be, because any other strategy feels like a struggle. This is the third major leap of faith I’ve taken in this lifetime, and the lessons I’ve learned while going through the previous two transitions will surely see me through this one. And so, I must trust. In my experience, all trust, including the trust I have that all will be well today and in future days, must be earned by taking action. The actions we take today will ensure that the trust we have for a happy tomorrow has been well-placed. Mid-leap is primetime to take action because the leaper needs to prepare for an optimal landing. After all, what good would a leap of faith do, if it ended in a crash landing?

“Fantella Holds Terra Firma” Freshly painted, it is the first item up for bids, in the Mini Online Auction.

The action that I took this past Sunday, introducing a new series of online art auction videos, is just one of many more to come, as I am busy attending college and preparing for a career in filmmaking. I wanted to invite the readers of this blog to the Moore Art Expressions Facebook page to watch the video and decide whether you’d like to bid on the artwork there. Here’s the link – https://www.facebook.com/grandprovidentiaunited if you’d like to learn more. The bidding process ends today (11/30) at 5:00 PM EST. Sorry for the short notice, but if you’d like to enter a bid, it will have to be today!

As always, thank you for visiting the Grand Providentia United blogsite! I hope that you will subscribe and return often!

Mindful Creativity

I’m Out Here!

Grand Providentia United

If you should find yourself outside of the norm, beyond the walls of societal systems and civilized institutions, you and I may cross paths. Together we might start a new norm. Our differences amount to strengths when they’re combined, and we’re not afraid to combine them. Out here we’re alchemists, we’re Sages, we’re healers. Some of us are redeemers disguised as disruptors, so you can bet we’re always being whatever we need to be to bring others to life. Judgements fall flat so we use them as doormats. Life is sometimes messy on the fringe, and we need a place to wipe the dirt from our souls. Desire for companionship outweighs the need for approval, so flattery falls even flatter than judgement out here. Let’s get together and contemplate the nature of existence while we’re climbing opposite sides of the same tree. There’s room enough for our whole tribe in this mighty oak. And as we transcend, above canopy and cloud, we’ll join hands and wonder about the earthlings toiling below us. Not that there’s anything wrong with toiling, mind you.

“Flight Lessons” from the Positive Infomercial Series (2011)

The Grand Providentia Projection is eventual. Change is perpetual. Reinvention is imminent. Expect the miraculous!

Thanks for stopping in to read this journal entry. Your mindful presence is always appreciated!

Patrons and Supporters

Fundraiser for “Return to Hope”

Grand Providentia United

Urgent Call for Support! – Post #3

For any new readers and those who are unfamiliar with the focus of my creative energies in the now, I’ll round up this particular call for financial support by making the case as to why you might consider supporting this film and the “Grand Providentia United” cause.

Over the past fifteen to twenty years, I’ve been following, and sometimes pioneering, a path that is as esoteric as it is unpopular. A path seemingly traveled by just a few diehard dreamers who believe that humanity has everything it requires right now to heal the damage that’s been done to the Earth and to secure a positive and healthy future for all of its current and future inhabitants. Fellow travelers on this path possess an optimistic outlook concerning the future of humanity, while also remaining positive about the progress we’ve made thus far. In recent months, I’ve noticed a worldwide uptick of interest in the practices of mindful living and present conscious awareness, and although the interest seems to be geared toward helping single individuals improve their lives, rather than including the collective, I am certain that this is a move in the healing direction. This trend toward mindfulness certainly encourages me to continue pursuing the work of my higher purpose, but it is by no means the compelling force which has been guiding me on this intellectual and spiritual journey for most of my earthly existence. The universal term I’ll use here to describe that ‘compelling force’ is “the God within”. The God within has taught me to offer unconditional love to others while also offering and accepting unconditional love for myself. The God within has guided me on a path of deep gratitude. While I am experiencing life’s harshest tribulations, the God within reminds me that there are others who are suffering far more than I ever will, and that by continuing on in a spirit of love and gratitude, I will indeed be lifting others out of their suffering. The God within has taught me that all positive spiritual and intellectual change starts local, within the heart and mind of one human being, and then it moves outward, through the hearts and minds of those who are attracted by the essence of that particular call to change. All of my motivations, intentions and actions are now falling into line with the work of this higher purpose – to send out a call for positive spiritual and intellectual change. The change will promote the idea that human beings have more in common with each other than they have differences. The change will demonstrate that we are all connected at the level of soul through conscious awareness, and because of that conscious connection we are capable of creating happiness and healing hearts effortlessly, if we collectively choose to do so. We human beings are always capable of being so much more than we allow ourselves to be!

This is the framework for a 13′ sculpture my friend Scott Russo (pictured) and I pieced together and installed within a 48-hour time frame for an event we organized at S.M.art Castings & Sculpture Services (2010?). We slept on the worktables the night before the event, just so we could wake up and get it finished in time for the show!
Billed as a large-scale model for a “conscious energy receiver” the piece included sound and light elements to add more impact to our presentation. But the real power contained in the artwork, was added by our combined conscious intentions to get it done on time. NOTE: For fans of metaphysical phenomena, look for orbs in both of these images. I took the photos and I had never before even heard of orbs, let alone captured them in a photograph!

The creation featured above was part of the “American Dream Catcher” initiative, during the years before that project evolved into the current “Grand Providentia Projection”. The intentional determination that both of these creative expressions should share the same philosophical ideology has given the work a life of its own. I know that I’m where I’m meant to be, doing what I’m meant to be doing. This project will evolve into something unique in the world. Something extraordinary! Something that will aid in the healing of our planet and our human family. I know that I cannot accomplish this alone, but I also know that I will rally the personal strength, the financial support and the resources, to make this worthy dream become a reality!

Please consider subscribing to this blog and making a small donation to the cause if you are able. Thank you for reading here, your presence is appreciated!

Patrons and Supporters

Fundraiser for “Return to Hope”

Grand Providentia United

Urgent Call for Support! – Post #2

In this, the second of three posts dedicated to this call for support, I’ll introduce you to the Personal Dream Realization Device, also known as the American Dream Catcher medallion. I designed, sculpted, molded and cast the first run of PDRDs back in 2010. The medallions were designed and created to be an integral part of the American Dream Catcher Initiative. The focus of this initiative was the “American Dream Catcher” bronze sculpture, which has since evolved into “Providentia – A Harmonic Dream Conservatory” (See image below). This 42″, 100-pound bronze sculpture was intended from the start, to be a small-scale model for multiple monumental size pieces. Each of these large-scale bronzes would be collaboratively produced at 16′ tall and installed around the globe, as focal points to receive and transmit the positive conscious intentions of the collective human race. During concept development discussions at S.M.art Castings & Sculpture Services, we often referred to these sculpture installations as being like acupunctural therapy on the planet Earth. What I refer to today, as the “Grand Providentia Projection” has its roots in the fertile spiritual and intellectual soil of the American Dream Catcher Initiative. For those readers who’d like a more comprehensive history of the American Dream Catcher and how it evolved into Providentia, I can point you toward my Facebook page. During the 365 days of 2021, I wrote a post each and every day; I called it Perspective Collective 365. It was the first time I have ever completely followed through on a New Year’s resolution in this lifetime. If you’re willing to take the time to scroll down through the posts, all the way back to 5/26/21, you’ll see the first post of “The Evolution of Providentia”. The story spans 79 posts, from May through August 10, and then nine more posts during the first nine days of November. Even if you don’t care to read the posts, I’d be greatly honored if you’d send me a friend request! https://www.facebook.com/scottjoseph.moore

The American Dream Catcher (Left) is now “Providentia”

Now, moving on to the Personal Dream Realization Device, aka – the American Dream Catcher medallion.

The American Dream Catcher – Personal Dream Realization Device

Here’s how they work: If you happen to have any intentions, goals or dreams that are worth pursuing, then a PDRD can be a valuable tool to have in your pocket or on your desktop! Whenever you are making a decision that might be critical to the manifestation of those intentions, goals and dreams, simply focus on the medallion and let your intuition guide you in the right direction. At the center of the PDRD is a stylized representation of a human figure with arms upraised. The golden orb is representative of our consciousness and our ability to manifest our dreams. The black and white orbs on either shoulder are there to remind you that your decisions, and the actions you take based on those decisions, are the deciding factors in bringing you closer to, or further from, your goals and dreams. If you happen to be a positive person and you’re seeking what you consider to be positive goals, then gauge each decision based on how much closer it will bring you toward the white orb. If you are a negative person and you’re seeking to dominate others or destroy the world, then you should gauge those decisions on how much closer they’ll bring you to absolute blackness (the other orb). The orbs on either shoulder do not necessarily represent right or wrong, or good or bad, but they can represent those values if you decide that they should. Personally, I’ve chosen to designate the white orb as being pure positivity, and each decision that I make which moves me in that direction, will bring the best results for all those who may be affected by that decision. A Personal Dream Realization Device can be a powerful meditative tool, acting as a focal point in the manifestation of all your deepest dreams and desires.

Get your PDRD today! For details see the last journal entry (below) here on the Grand Providentia United blogsite.

In my next post, I’ll present the case on why I think you should claim one of these medallions, and furthermore, why you should share your hard-earned money with this cause. Right now, I just want to thank you for reading this post and for sharing some of your attention here!

Patrons and Supporters

Fundraiser for “Return to Hope”

Grand Providentia United

An Urgent Call for Support

I awoke this morning, with a spirit on fire. I awoke with a mindful commitment to my higher purpose. I awoke with a physical body that is well prepared for the journey that lies ahead. I awoke this morning with an all-encompassing conviction that I am following the unwavering guidance of the God of my understanding. I know this morning, that I am precisely where I’m meant to be, doing what I’m meant to be doing, and feeling how I’m meant to be feeling. I’m ALL in!

I have fully embraced the understanding that I cannot follow my higher purpose without support from other similarly spirited, and likeminded, people. So, here I am, asking for your financial support. As an aspiring independent filmmaker, I am already aware that I will need to be looking to investors and financial supporters to raise the money needed to produce each and every film project that I choose to pursue. Right now, I am fully committed, in mind, body and spirit, to producing “Return to Hope”, a film that will also launch my independent film career when I graduate in the spring of 2025. For those of you who aren’t regular readers of the “Grand Providentia United” blog site, I recently announced that I’ve set intentions to film the pilot episode of the “Grand Providentia Projection” documentary in Hope, Rhode Island, the mill town where I grew up. For those who would ask how much I’ve personally committed (financially) to this purpose, I can honestly say that I’ve invested well over $20,000-, so far. Between buying the camera equipment that I needed, trips to Hope from PA, moving to Savannah from Allentown, and making two other residential moves since arriving here, I can testify that I am fully invested in this cause.

This camera and the equipment with it, are entry level (recommended for film students). I’ll describe each piece of equipment pictured here in a future post.

This journal entry is the first of what will be an ongoing fundraising campaign. The specific and immediate need for the “Return to Hope” project is that I am hoping to raise funds to take a road trip to Hope, in late November or early December, to shoot some positive interviews with Hope residents which will be included in the film. Return to Hope must be completed by February 2nd of 2023, in order to submit my application to Savannah College of Art and Design on time. My current day-job at the warehouse (see previous post on this blogsite) is not adequate to the financial requirements of making this trip. Please read on, to see how you can help in this cause!

Classic American Dream Catcher Medallions – Personal Dream Realization Devices (numbered one through five). One of these could be yours! I will also describe in detail, the concept and meaning behind these powerful objects of art, in a post, later this week.

Here is what I’m asking of anyone who has read this far – Whatever you can afford to donate today, I would be extremely appreciative of, even five dollars would help greatly! And if you’d like, I’ll send you a personal thank you for your donation (you would simply need to give me a way to contact you). For the first five donations over $50.00, you can select one of the five unique pieces of artwork pictured above. But be sure to message me here, on Facebook, or on LinkedIn with the number of the PDRD that resonates with you. I’ll put it aside as spoken for. I painted and signed them personally over the past weekend, and I will ship them, free of charge, to any location in the continental USA. If you are located internationally, then I would need to find out the cost to get one to you. After these five are spoken for, I have only ten others that I will paint and offer up during the coming weeks. Before I can cast any new medallions (quite possibly never) I will need to remold the piece. I intend to design a newly updated medallion, specific to the Grand Providentia Projection as it has evolved up til now, during the near future of now. After all, it is always now!

Seriously and sincerely though, as I know times are financially tough for a lot of folks around the world, I would ask that those who are unable to donate at this time, please consider subscribing to this blog. I fully appreciate, and I’m ready to embrace, any support you are able to offer!

At home in Savannah, GA.

If this project, or my higher purpose, speaks to you spiritually, mindfully or physically and you’d like to support either or both financially, then the easiest way is through the Donate * Contact page on this site. You’ll be asked to open a WordPress account (free) and then you’ll be able donate through a secure payment process, and you’ll also be able to ‘Like’ the posts that you like, comment on the ones that you have something to say about and subscribe to the Grand Providentia United blogsite. If you want to donate, but not through WordPress, then you can contact me here, through FB messenger, on LinkedIn, or send an email to smartcastings@live.com and I’ll offer other options for you to consider. Thank you so much for reading this call for support! I’m grateful for the time you’ve been present here!

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #7 Concept Development

Confrontation (middle section of film)

The middle section of “Return to Hope” (confrontation) will be executed stylistically as a surreal visual and audio reenactment of the industrial revolution from beginning to end, all within a micro-timeframe of three minutes. Will it be a sped-up historical account of the industrial revolution in general? No. Will it be a shortened historical account of the industrial revolution as it pertains to the Hope Mill? No. What it will be, is an interpretive historic account of the creative processes I’ve used to produce it. So, it will be light on history, but heavy on eye and ear candy. In terms of connecting the subject matter of the mill to the history of the industrial revolution, I will add this bit of historical trivia I found when I was searching for a start date of the industrial revolution in the USA – “The beginning of industrialization in the United States is usually pegged to the opening of a textile mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1793 by the recent English immigrant Samuel Slater.” The previous statement is copied directly from history.com. The historic Slater Mill is a place that I have enjoyed visiting many times in my early life. The Hope Mill was also a textile mill, and the first wooden manufacturing buildings were erected in 1806, only thirteen years after Samuel Slater opened his mill. This small bit of information raises the historic value of the Hope Mill property significantly, I would say. This fact will also be largely significant during the preproduction stage of the documentary I intend to produce as soon as I graduate college in the spring of 2025. Breaking News Alert! – I’ve already set intentions to film a pilot episode of the “Grand Providentia Projection” in Hope, RI, as soon as I receive my diploma. I’m hoping that we (the Alt Unity) can also produce and install a monumental bronze sculpture somewhere near, or on, the mill property. This monument would be dedicated to the historic significance of the Hope Mill as it pertains to Rhode Island history and the history of the United States of America. It will also pay tribute to the men, women and (children?) of Hope who worked at the mill and made Hope into a prosperous and bustling mill town during the 19th century. I’ll write another bunch of journal entries on those plans once I’m finished with the production of “Return to Hope”. I am duly intent on staying focused!

“Once Proud, Now Brooding” From the Hope Mill Collection, June 2022

As most confrontations do, the middle section will start out fairly subdued in terms of imagery and soundtrack. The momentum of the imagery and the tempo of the audio will increase steadily throughout the three minutes allotted, until it climaxes, crescendos, and cuts to black and silence. The sequence of visuals will take the form of a rhythmic montage of industrial imagery. I have an elaborate piece of bronze sculpture that I cast back in 2007 that I’m currently in the process of putting a new patina on. The piece is titled “Trip Downtown/Industrial Revolution”. I created the original terracotta sculpture while attending classes at the Community College of Rhode Island and I added some elements and then produced a mold and cast a bronze from the mold when I was working at Bronzart Foundry in Sarasota, FL. When I was creating the original clay sculpture, all the way back in 1989, it was my intention to honor the Hope Mill and the village of Hope as well. It seems fitting to me now, that this artwork should appear in the film. I will not yet reveal all of the individual shots, or what I intend to do with the soundtrack for this section of the film, but I will say this, the confrontation will be chock full of dramatic sound and visual action. The greater the build-up of tension in this section, the more settling the resolution (end) of the film will be.

“Trip Downtown/Industrial Revolution” Dimensions of bronze – 30″H x 15″W x 12″D

Thank you for taking the time to read the “Grand Providentia United” blog! I really appreciate your prescence here. In the next “Return to Hope” entry, I’ll finish up with any remaining details about the central portion of the film and then I’ll move on to my plans for the ending, thus concluding the overall layout discussion. It won’t be long before I have some film to show!

College Aid Fund

For the Serious Art Collector

Grand Providentia United

Investment Opportunity – Support a Living Artist & Aspiring Filmmaker

“Fortuna” * $3,500-

“Fortuna” (pictured above) is a one-of-a-kind, bronze sculpture. The piece features a 5″ x 1.5″ pentagon shaped, beige marble base. The overall measurements are 27.5″ H x 10″ W x 7.5″ D, and it weighs about 30 lbs. This sculpture is unique in all of the world. Unless someone else attempts to make a copy of the work, it will remain completely unique. The mold deteriorated and was destroyed about five years ago. The first bronze that I cast from the mold was titled “Suckerfish Ball” (pictured below). The fish figure on the first casting was poured with a metal commonly referred to as white bronze, giving “Suckerfish Ball” its distinctive metallic look. “Fortuna”, on the other hand, is cast in Everdur Silicon Bronze – an industry standard alloy that is about 96% copper. I applied a warm-toned, polychromatic patina to the finished bronze, because I wanted to give the piece a more realistic (koi fish) color palette. The metallic tones on the band around the ball and the decorative dollar signs are where I decided to use a transparent patina to let the bronze show through.

“Suckerfish Ball” now resides in the collection of Phil and Lyn Rogers in Tennessee. “Fortuna”, at the top of the page, is currently looking for her forever home!

I chose to change the title and the patina of the second casting to give “Fortuna” a more positive presence. The original concept for the sculpture was asking the question “What are people suckers for?” Money, play and stardom were the three answers that I focused on when I sculpted the ball portion of the piece. When I transformed the second casting into “Fortuna”, I intended to show how money, play and stardom are not negative in and of themselves, they can also be representative of good fortune.

In the current moment, I am offering up “Fortuna” to raise money for tuition to attend college and expenses related to the initiation of the “Grand Providentia Projection – A True Story as Yet Unfolding…”. The price to buy this bronze sculpture is $3,500.00. The cost includes shipping to any address in the continental USA, and sales tax, which I will be sure to pay if it is sold. This is actually a very reasonable price for this sculpture. If you look around at comparable bronze artwork, by living artists, I’m confident that you will see what I mean when I say reasonable. You can also visit my Saatchi Art website at, https://www.saatchiart.com/scottjosephmoore to see how I’ve priced my artwork there. Keep in mind that Saatchi Art takes a 35% commission from the sale price, and I would also need to prepare the work for shipping (build a crate).

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #6 Concept Development

Introduction (conclusion)

Before I move on to a discussion of the format for the confrontation portion of this film, I’d like to linger a little longer on the Setup (introduction). It is crucial to the intellectual and emotional impact of this film, that I manage to successfully capture a believable representation of how trees might be perceiving our human behaviors. Human beings have an incredible potential for the formulation of ideologies and philosophies that are beneficial to every life form on the planet. Conversely, humans also have the unsettling propensity to conceive of ways to destroy or dismantle every beneficial creation they’ve ever conjured. I can entirely imagine the trees standing by silently, bearing witness to these two opposing human traits, shaking their crowns in frustration and disbelief, while their human counterparts are building up and tearing down entire empires, sometimes within a few short centuries. It has become obvious to me that the trees are in it for the long run. They would continue to grow and multiply for the good of mankind, if we would simply allow them the space and liberty to do so. The trees and all the other forms of vegetation on the Earth, are acting as one enormous filtering system for our air and water. Shouldn’t we at least express our gratitude to the plant life on our planet by not clear-cutting forests or eradicating entire ecosystems?

“Preservation” Photo captured at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, PA (2021)

I was recently gifted a book titled “What We Owe the Future” by William MacAskill. The author is a 35-year-old philosopher who is currently an associate professor at the University of Oxford. The book cover’s bio on MacAskill asserts “At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest associate professor of philosophy in the world.” I would venture to say that it’s monumentally fitting for this young man to have achieved so much intellectual success so early in his life, as it appears to me that the younger generations are growing tired of outdated ideas and worn-out excuses. Young people are increasingly becoming the champions for an evolution of thought and action that may be able to turn this world around; set it on a course that is more sustainable and less self-destructive. Presently, I’m only fifty-five pages into the reading, and with all honesty, I can profess that I have never read a book that was more relevant and resonant to the current state of my mind and spirit than this one is. I’ve read books recently that have quoted certain scholar’s opinions that philosophy was “dead”. That modern philosophers were just parroting the works of the “greats” like Socrates and Aristotle. They went on to opine that there were no new philosophical ideas being generated, and that we had taken the entire pursuit of philosophy to its natural conclusion. In my admittedly uneducated opinion, I would say that William MacAskill has proven these particular skeptics wrong.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who believes we can change the course of this world for the good of all.

In the next online journal entry, I’ll start to describe the content of the middle section of “Return to Hope” and explain how the introduction sets up the confrontation taking place in the second section, which will then be resolved in the third and final section of the film. I also have a couple of artworks to offer up to financial supporters of the Grand Providentia Projection. I’ll be posting those within the next few days. Thank you for spending some of your time reading here. I truly appreciate you all!

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #5 Concept Development

Introduction (continued)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s entry, the first section of “Return to Hope” will be structured in a very similar manner to most contemporary films. This part of the film will be considered the setup (or introduction) to what comes after it. It will act to setup the confrontation (middle section) and together with the middle section, the introduction will pave the way for, and justify, the resolution (end). All three sections will be of equal importance, and I intend to give them each enough unique visual and audio content to allow them to stand alone on their own merits, but I will also employ enough ideological connectivity within the three sections to bolster the film’s comprehensiveness as a cohesive and holistic production. I will venture to say that “Return to Hope” is to be a micro-movie trilogy, where all three movies may be viewed within a nine-minute time frame. As I’ve already stated, I will be pushing boundaries.

“Portal?” This tree is located directly across the street from Hope Mill. The house may have been the mill owner’s home. As a boy, I always wondered how the arch was formed. Back then I wondered about so many things. It was the wonder years, for sure!

In the last journal entry, I revealed that the opening narration for the film would be iterated by trees. The following is a rough version of what the trees will be communicating to us through “Return to Hope”.

Narration for Intro to “Return to Hope”

(Voiceover will be digitally altered to simulate multiple trees speaking to us)

Humanity’s strategy for the demarcation of time is intrinsically flawed, and therefore illusory.

Humans are inclined to seek the beginnings and the endings of every event in their short lives.

Our own perceptions of time and space are nonlinear, more cyclical and wavelike in nature.

We perceive an infinite multitude of singularities expanding and contracting presently.

It is always the present moment for us. There is no past or future event that concerns us.

All is unfolding precisely as it is meant to, and we trees have no desire to control potential outcomes.

We are one with all that is, all that has been, and all that will be, as it rises and falls, ad infinitum.

These lines will be delivered slowly and deliberately to the rhythm of film clips that are materializing and dissolving at a peaceful and calming rate. The imagery will alternate between film clips of magnificent trees and the now deteriorating Hope Mill. One of the elements that will draw the two subject matters together will be the vegetation that is already starting to reclaim the mill and its outbuildings. Besides the narration, I intend to include a soundtrack that is suggestive of lapping waves (slow and steady), or the inhaling and exhaling sounds of deep meditative breathing. In foresight, I am predicting that the most difficult aspect of this approach to the introduction will be in its execution. What I mean by that, is that I’ll want to sustain the slow-paced tempo for as long as possible (hopefully three minutes) without losing the attention of my audience. If I can accomplish this, I feel that the audience will come away with a better understanding of how trees might be perceiving the world around them, and how their perceptions might persuade humans to be more cautious in their actions moving forward.

“River of Roots” Photo taken at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida

In the next journal entry, I’ll wrap up my current thought process on the first section of the film and move into an explanation of the confrontation (middle section) of “Return to Hope”. Thank you for reading the Grand Providentia United online journal. I very much appreciate your presence here!

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #4 Concept Development

Just like story books, films normally have a layout consisting of a beginning (Setup), middle (Confrontation) and end (Resolution). The portfolio film “Return to Hope” will follow this format, except that it will bend the conventional formatting rules. And hopefully, it will bend the rules just enough to turn some heads and open some minds. This being the first film I’ve ever produced, and due to the fact that my admission to the college is dependent on its various qualities, intuition is telling me that I must push some boundaries in order to create something special and unique; something the admissions board will appreciate and respect. In this journal entry, I’ll be disclosing the basic format of this film and the way the concept will drive the contents of each of the three sections.

One of the first places that “Return to Hope” will break from the norm will be in the way that the beginning, middle and end relate to one another. I intend to enhance the distinctive qualities of each section until they are almost detached, in terms of visual and audio, while also maintaining a unified cohesiveness, binding the three sections together through the use of an underlying theme and the expression of a strong moral message. In most contemporary films, the middle is lengthy and filled with happenings, while the beginning and end are usually shorter, and yet more impactful, as they are the place where the writers are hoping to setup a conflict for the audience at the start, and then resolve that conflict in the end. For “Return to Hope” the three sections will be very similar in length, perhaps being exactly three minutes each. Many readers will recall that this film must be no longer than ten minutes, per order of the great and honorable Admissions Board. So, that will be nine minutes for the film, and I’ll leave the last sixty seconds available for credits and outtakes.

“Railroads Once Crossed It” First river, Hope, June 2022

The setup (introduction) for “Return to Hope” will be narrated from the viewpoint of the trees. Yes, I realize how bizarre that may sound to some of you, but I’ve been communicating with many trees as of late, and they never fail to deliver a viewpoint that is far outside of the understandings of our collective human intellect. The trees are very aware of our dysfunctional behaviors and yet they have an undying belief in our capacity to heal the damage we have inflicted on the ecosystem of their home planet. Trees are serene and enduring. Most of the stresses trees will encounter are perpetrated by mankind, and still, they continue to filter our air and water without complaint or even mild opposition to our actions. They know that the human tendency toward destructive behavior is non-sustainable and irrational, and they know that ultimately it could lead to a disastrous collapse of the biosphere we all rely on for life itself. But always, the trees wait patiently for us to see the error of our ways. These are just a few of the many important reasons that I intend to give them a voice in this film.

“Hear Me, Know Me” Anonymous tree friend

In the next journal entry, I’ll continue to focus on the first section of the film. I’ll likely dedicate one or two entries for each of the three sections. Although they will only be three minutes each, in length, they will be complex enough in terms of visual and conceptual content that I expect they will require adequate explanation on my part. It is a win-win situation for the ego and the observer though, because all of the writing I do here is intended to be an integral part of the creative process for the final product. Now I ask you, how fun is this?!!!

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #3 Unexpected Production Delay

Here and now, I am returning my focus to the making of “Return to Hope” (the portfolio film that I’m producing as part of the application process to the MFA program at the Savannah College of Art and Design). To any readers who have been patiently waiting for my attention to return to this blog, I feel obliged to offer you an apology and an explanation. Please accept my apology for having left you hanging for so long. I confess that it has been twenty-three days since my last journal entry. Please know that my deepest intentions are now motivating me to write regularly here from this day onward, at least until the project is complete. The reason for my absence was as simple and ordinary, as it was difficult and unexpected. Some of you may recall that my roommate unexpectedly informed me that she would be moving out and breaking her lease on the apartment where I was renting a room from her (see my post on September 26th for the details on that bombshell). She went on to declare that she would be moving out within two weeks. This left me in the precarious position of having to find a new room to rent from someone else, or entering into a lease contract with her, her boyfriend and his friend. I could not even imagine signing onto a one-year lease with the three of them, because we choose to live completely contradictory lifestyles. Without going into details, let me summarize our differences this way: while I am practicing making healthy lifestyle choices, they are living habitually unhealthy lifestyles. So, the explanation for my absence is that I needed to turn my attention to finding a new place to live, moving out of that unhealthy living situation, and moving into a more positive, and healthy, living arrangement. Well, I have found my new home, perhaps even until graduation from SCAD in the spring of 2025. I moved in over this past weekend and I’m excited to report that it’s the perfect place for me to thrive and create! Positive and progressive, healing and rejuvenating are terms I would wholeheartedly use to describe the atmosphere of the home I am now renting a room in. My new roommates are much more compatible and a lot less negative than my last roommate and I even have use of an outdoor space (backyard) that I didn’t have in my previous living arrangement. Now, I can get back to purpose. Reclaim the reigns. Move forward with the manifestation of destiny. Return to the “Return to Hope” project and continue the journey toward making the “Grand Providentia Projection” a reality.

A place to live and dream!

More to come, soon! Hopefully, tomorrow…

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #2 Concept Development

The first steps toward concept development have been taken, but the process of refining the concept and zeroing in on the message I’m attempting to convey will continue throughout the production of the film. It’s possible that it may even require some tweaking during the post-production phase of the project. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, post-production is at least two months away!

So, the seeds of awareness were planted more than fifty years ago, at the edge of the Hope Mill spillway while I watched the unnaturally vibrant colored water flow by. The whole experience was my first exposure to the deceptive qualities of industrial ill intent. The mill owner, or maybe it was the manufacturing tenant who was renting the space, had made the decision to put profits over public welfare and may have also knowingly endangered the health of the environment we depend on to live. I wish I could report that this was a onetime experience, and that I never witnessed another business doing the same thing, but, in all honesty, I cannot make those claims. I lived in Hope until I was fifteen and explored the wooded banks and waterways of the Pawtuxet River as far downstream as the Phenix Sportsmen’s Club in West Warwick, and all along its route there were businesses and mills polluting its waters. The EPA was established by President Nixon in 1970. Much of the pollution I’ve been describing here was curtailed after the federal regulations were set in place. Unfortunately, some of the damage that was done during the heyday of the industrial revolution has yet to be, and may never be, repaired.

“Somewhere Along the Banks of the Pawtuxet” – June 2022

The production of this film will involve a delicate balancing act between exposing the intentionally destructive choices human beings have made (some having caused irreparable harm), and our ability to redeem ourselves and our environment by making wise decisions and sending forth positive healing intentions. Personally, I refuse to give up on hope. And yes, I am referring to the Village of Hope where I grew up, and to the aspirations I now embrace. Aspirations to restore humanity’s hope for a happier, healthier future for us all.

“Homeless Cat, Under the Arkwright Bridge” – Arkwright, RI, June 2022 (the bridge was built in 1888)

I’ll delve deeper into the process of concept development for “Return to Hope” tomorrow. And, in case you’re wondering, I’m hoping that by the end of October, I’ll be able to start previewing the first film clips from the project. Thanks for stopping by to read the Grand Providentia United blog! As usual, all comments and critiques are welcomed and appreciated. Please subscribe if you would like to receive notifications when I make a new journal entry!

Film Journey in the Now

Return to Hope

Grand Providentia United

Production of a Portfolio Film – Post #1 Concept Development

The first time I laid eyes on what my childhood friends and I would eventually refer to as the “First River” in Hope, Rhode Island, I thought that surely it must be a magical river. Magic was the only explanation my six-year-old imagination could come up with as to how the river’s water could have been transformed into a wonderfully milky, bright orange flow.

The first river was actually more akin to a spillway than a river, being flanked by hand-stacked stone walls and gravel embankments from the point that it emerged out of the arched granite gateway at the rear of Hope Mill, all the way down to its reintroduction point with the Pawtuxet River. The mill had been using the Pawtuxet’s water to generate electricity for nearly a century before I first visited its spillway, a historical fact that was entirely irrelevant to my uneducated mind at six years of age. And on that first sighting, every gallon of water in between those walls, for the full half-mile stretch of the first river’s length, was a swirling Creamsicle orange. During the following weeks, I returned to the river often and I was thrilled and delighted to see that it would change colors regularly. Baby blue was my favorite because it appeared to be creamy enough to drink, but even at that age, I sensed it would be an unwise decision to do so. For weeks, I visited the magic river, and I kept it as a secret from my parents. When I finally told my dad about it, I was perplexed by his stern reaction. As we walked down to the rivers’ edge together, my father’s demeanor seemed to grow stormier with every step. When he saw it, he became downright angry. He said, “Son this is not right! The mill is polluting the river with their wastewater and that’s against the law!”

“First River” Hope, RI – June 2022

I’m not sure about this, but I think my dad may have reported the environmental crime to the local authorities. The mill, however, continued to pollute the river for at least another three to four years, because I can clearly remember watching the fish and turtles dying slowly through the passing seasons, presumably a result of the toxic dyes being poured daily into their habitat. That childhood experience has remained fresh in my mind for fifty-three years’ worth of water passing under a multitude of bridges in my lifetime. Memories of the experience have also evolved into the underlying premise of the portfolio film I am now producing, titled “Return to Hope”. The film is to be a crucial element of the submission package for my application to the graduate program at Savannah College of Art and Design. Although I have never created a film before, this one will need to be emotionally provocative and intellectually impactful, considering that I’m hoping to impress the college admissions board. The sole mandatory guideline given by the admissions department is that the film must be no longer than ten minutes. Well, as you might imagine, this requirement brought my confidence level up a notch or two. As a novice filmmaker, producing a ten-minute film seems manageable. As to how impactful it will be, well, that is entirely a matter of intention.

“Spillway Outlet” Hope Mill, Hope, RI – June 2022

The month of October is my personal favorite. Not only because it is the month I was born in, but because it represents the beginning of the transition between summer and autumn. I love the cool crisp mornings of fall; the coming harvest and the promise of snowfall; anticipating nights spent by the fireplace staring into the glowing embers and remembering the best of autumns long past.

This morning, October 1, 2022, I set the intention to turn my focus primarily to the work on this film. Journal entries on the Grand Providentia United blog site will also be largely dedicated to this intention. I will be documenting the process from beginning to end, right here on this site. Happy October everyone!

As soon as I published this post, a notification popped up to congratulate me on my 100th post on Grand Providentia United. In light of the transcendental level of intentions I’ve been setting this morning, I see most clearly that there is a high density of synchronicity in the air today!

Here and Now

There is an Abundance of Self-Worth Available for Us to Offer Ourselves, But First We Must Feel Worthy Enough to Accept the Offer (Conclusion)

Grand Providentia United

Fresh Perspectives Harvested

I rely on my intuition to guide me in matters of introspection and personal reflection. When my body, mind and spirit are in agreement concerning any new learning experience I’ve gone through, my intuition informs me that it is time to reflect holistically on that particular experience. Subsequently, I’ll often journal those reflections while remaining focused on any changes of perspective, and any new behaviors or actions I’ve initiated as a result of those changes in perspective. Some experiences take more time than others to process internally. The experience of working my body to the point of heat exhaustion for minimal reward, has been one of those experiences. My intuition will often need to remind me that it takes as long as it takes to work my way through an issue or experience. Through personal growth, I’ve learned not to rush the internal processes, nor try to force my body, mind or spirit to give up the proverbial goods before all three have achieved a harmonious balance. The common misstep of rushing to conclusions usually leaves me dissatisfied and displeased with my own performance in moving beyond the experience, and eventually, I imagine it could deprive me of food for the soul to the point of spiritual starvation. When any one of us sends out our intentions and then follows through with the actions required to bring them to fruition, we are not only influencing the direction of our own life trajectory, but we are also bringing change to the lives of those within our sphere of conscious influence. Intuition has informed me that it is currently time to finalize the internal processes and bring to an end the self-discussion of my experience with heat exhaustion in the here and now.

Work Before Play (1984)

In the first journal entry on this subject, I implied that the reasoning behind the acceptance of this menial labor job was complicated, and in fact, maybe it did appear to be complicated then. Now that I’ve processed the experience, I know that my reasoning was quite simple and easy to describe, but I was merely evading the self-worth issues involved, by attempting to dismiss them as complications. The problem with that strategy is that it affords very little potential for positive growth. With my intentions now set on laying this whole thing to rest, I’ll start with the simple reasons that I applied for this job.

I physically moved from Allentown to Savannah less than two months ago, but I had been searching for, and applying to, a number of jobs in this area since early June. For whatever reasons, the companies I’ve applied to were not responding to my applications. My ego kept trying to sell me on the idea that I was too old to be of use as an employee and that these companies were passing me by in search of younger bodies. While it is true that age discrimination exists, I prefer to live happily in the self-delusion that it does not apply to me. I like to imagine that I know my physical capabilities well enough that employers will be compelled to perceive my strengths simply by reading the confidence expressed in the cover letter I’ve attached to the resume. I know, laugh out loud, right? The other, more likely scenario, and this one has actually been brought up during recent interviews, is that I am overqualified for the positions I’m applying to. I’m inclined to believe that this is the issue that I’ve been up against, and if it has been, I had not previously been able to achieve clarity on what strategy to take in order to circumvent it. During the past fifteen years I’ve worked in an extremely specialized industry, namely the fine art sculpture casting industry. I’ve reached a high level of expertise in sculpting, molding, casting and finishing fine art sculpture. During the planning stages of making the move from PA to GA, I conducted a number of searches for sculpture production facilities in or near Savannah. Those searches were unsuccessful. So, while many of the skillsets involved in sculpture production are directly transferable to a wide range of design and manufacturing positions, they are so specific to the industry, that they are also a mystery to the majority of employers who are considering my employment. One way that I’ve attempted to resolve this issue is to pursue job positions that I perceive to be related to the skillsets and level of expertise that I’ve acquired, while also requiring that I upgrade my skills to include the specific range of expertise for the new position. To many, this may seem like a reasonable solution to my dilemma, but it falls short when I include the purpose of my moving to Savannah in the first place. I came here with the specific intention to attend a graduate program at the Savannah College of Art and Design starting in the fall of next year. It would be entirely deceitful for me to approach an employer under the premise that I am interested in learning the specific skills of their trade, with intentions to become a valuable employee, when I know from the start that I would not be there long enough for their training investment to pay off. There was a time in my life when I was willfully dishonest, but thankfully those days are far behind me. My moral compass is now set on a course toward progressive growth and healthy choices. I will continue to experience setbacks, I’m sure, but each time I recover from a setback I’ll expect to attain a clearer vision of the pathway ahead.

Myrtle Beach 2011

When I made the decision to apply to this warehouse job through a staffing agency, I did so with a few simple principles in mind. First, I concluded that a temp agency was the way to go because I was only committing short term. That, after all, is the nature of a temporary work assignment. Second, I wanted a position that was primarily dependent on my physical body with very little thought involved. I reasoned that I could use the bulk of my intellectual energies towards journaling every day, continuing my creative pursuits in growing the Alt Unity, and in making manifest the Grand Providentia Projection. And the last consideration, one that was primarily subconscious, but also of equal importance, was that I wanted to remain completely available and able to cut ties quickly in the event that one of the preferred employers that I had applied to earlier were to call on me to commit. Here is where synchronicity stepped in to validate my reasoning. Last Thursday, during my second week at the warehouse, I was contacted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, regarding an application I had submitted back in June. Following an initial phone interview with a staff recruiter from the college, I am feeling quite confident that this position would be ideal for forward movement on all fronts. I’ve not heard back from the college yet, but I know through experience that if it is meant to be, it will be. When I hung up the phone at the end of the interview, I immediately began to prepare for the possibility that SCAD would offer me the position. My first thoughts were concerned with my current residential location with regards to its proximity to the college. The SCAD campus is spread throughout the beautiful Historic District of Savannah, housed in a number of significant historic buildings in that area. It was my first choice to find a room to rent in the district, but I was unable to find a suitable room that was affordable within my budget. Right now, I’m located about twenty minutes away from the Savannah Historic District, so I am hopeful that an offer from the college might open the door to opportunity, making it possible for me to live in that vicinity. Between the time I finished the interview on Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, I was putting out intentions based on my desire to live in the Historic District. And on Saturday morning the Universe cooperated again! My current roommate approached me with the offer to move out and follow her to another apartment complex that was about ten miles further away from the site of the college. She told me that she was dissatisfied with the apartment we were living in, and she wanted to move back to the complex where she had previously resided. Two aspects of her offer were problematic for me, and I knew by the time she finished her pitch that I would not be able to accept. Being aware and present in the moment that she was asking me, was key to my seeing the two issues so clearly. I could not imagine relocating further away from the place that I had intended to move toward, and I also couldn’t go along with her intentions to go back to a place where she had previously been. So now, I’ve begun the search for a new home closer to my heart’s desire!

For those of you who took the time, and had the patience, to read through this trilogy of entries based on my experiences during the past two weeks, I am sincerely grateful for your presence! Hopefully, now that I’m recovered from the self-inflicted illness, I’ll be able to get back to a steadier routine of writing on this site. Thank you for reading here!

Here and Now

There is an Abundance of Self-Worth Available for Us to Offer Ourselves, But First We Must Feel Worthy Enough to Accept the Offer

Grand Providentia United

Practicing the Art of Self-Worth (Part One)

If you are one who has never wrestled with low self-esteem, and if you’ve never felt unworthy or even felt a little less worthy than others, the topic of discussion in the following blog entry may seem trivial, and quite possibly, utterly meaningless. As such, it may be frustrating to read this in its tediousness. If it annoys you or you simply cannot relate to it, then it must mean that it isn’t time for you to read it, or at least not in this moment it isn’t. You are always free to surf away to another site, as I’m sure you are aware. The freedom of expression that I enjoy as being the sole author on this site is, in my own estimation, earned by being honest with myself and you all. So, this journal entry is where I intend to earn some of that freedom.

There were two separate occurrences that arose during the past week and each of them pointed directly to my continuing struggles with self-worth. I’ll only be discussing one of the two situations in detail on this blog, because the other one involves personal family matters, and therefore, private relationships. The peculiar thing is, that the family issue that happened later in the week, pointed to how far I’ve come on the journey toward healthy self-esteem and the other one, at the beginning of the week, showed me how far I have yet to go. Due, in part, to my history of painful experiences in dealing with self-worth issues, I’ve apparently adopted the automatic expectation that the events should have transpired the other way around. In other words, first would come the uplifting circumstance, and after that would come a lesson in humility to knock me down a couple of notches. Put me in my rightful place, so to speak. I’m beginning to understand that humility and self-esteem are not mutually exclusive, though. A person can have a high and healthy self-esteem, while also being humble in spirit, thus feeling no better and no worse than anyone else.

I chose this photo and the one at the top of the page because I felt as though they were representative of times when I was feeling good about myself and thinking that I had overcome all the problems concerned with low self-esteem. Read on, if you want to know my true feelings about these particular photographs. Podcast note: See www dot grand providentia united dot blog for photographs.

Let’s back up to early last week. I started a new job last Monday as a second shift employee in a local warehouse. I arrived on time at 3:30 PM, because I’ve been conditioned to believe that promptness demonstrates overall integrity and an upstanding work ethic. Being prompt is also a courtesy that I asked for from the people that I employed at Moore Art Expressions. More often than not, I didn’t have to say anything about being on time though, because we had so much fun being there and being creative, that most employees preferred to come in early and leave late. At least, that’s the way I remember it. And yes, I am allowing myself that short digression. Now, back to last Monday. I was having some serious misgivings about accepting the warehouse job during the hours and days before I walked into the building, but I chalked that up to dreading the actual labor and fearing that I was too old to handle such a strenuous job. I am about to be fifty-nine years young, after all. In the past several months, I’ve remained focused on eating well and stretching and exercising daily, and as a result I’ve been feeling better physically than I have in the last decade. As I am writing this down tonight, I can see where my dread and fear were not only well founded, but more precisely they were intuitively realistic. The job description online didn’t attempt to gloss over any of the gory details of the work, so I knew reasonably well what to expect. I would be unloading boxes by hand from overseas containers, some in excess of 50-75 lbs., and loading them on to a conveyor belt in a non-climate-controlled environment. Many of you may be wondering whether I’ve lost my mind. Wondering why I would accept a menial labor job like this, especially considering the expertise I’ve attained in the molding and sculpture casting industry. As it often seems to be, the answer to that question is complicated, so I’ll come back around to it after describing what happened next.

Photo: Chris, Morderchai and Fred worked tirelessly in scorching Florida heat with me to cast 100 of these life-sized dog sculptures. It was a difficult learning curve to master the process, but we each became extremely skillful at performing our individual tasks as part of a unified team. In retrospect, I must conclude that each of us personally enjoyed certain aspects of working on the project and we each considered other aspects of it, well, not so enjoyable.

Monday, my first night working at the warehouse, went fairly well, all things considered. The air inside the shipping containers was much hotter and more humid than I expected. The hot sun of the Savannah daytime hours had really settled in on the interior of the steel box, and the seawater that had seeped its way inside and saturated many of the cardboard boxes had no place to evaporate to, so as soon as I started moving, I started sweating. I kept moving. I was trying to pace myself, but I was also trying to prove myself. The conveyor belt was demanding to be fed and I kept feeding it. I unloaded 1,400 boxes to empty the first 40-foot container in about three hours. There were many times during the first load that I needed to cool my body and hydrate, so I walked outside the box and just inside the warehouse to take 30 second breathers. It was still very hot inside the warehouse, but rather than 110 degrees Fahrenheit it was more like 90. I finished off the shift on Monday moving from one container to the next, sometimes with help from coworkers when the boxes were oversized or heavy, and sometimes moving them on my own, until at last, the midnight hour arrived. I drove home for some highly anticipated sleep.

Photo: Another contract that I truly appreciated for seven enjoyable years during the Moore Art Expressions days, involved the restoration and upkeep of patinas on 24 monumental bronze sculptures for Raymond James Financial in Saint Petersburg, FL. The bronze sculpture photographed here is titled “Invocation” by the sculptor Buck McCain.

I returned on Tuesday afternoon, a little bit tired but still determined to prove my physical abilities to the team. As I got busy moving boxes, I had to keep reminding myself of the lessons I’ve learned over the course of thirty years in the blue-collar workforce. Lessons learned about keeping a reasonable pace no matter how fast others appear to be moving; about not comparing myself to others around me, they have their strengths and shortcomings just as I do; about not needing to prove myself to anyone other than myself; and most important of all, about taking breaks as often as you need to when you’re performing strenuous work in extreme temperatures. All of these thoughts were running through my mind, but my body seemed to have a different strategy it was running with regardless of my mind’s considerations. My body continued to lift and release boxes onto the conveyor belt. As many of you may have already surmised, I was soon overcome by heat exhaustion. My head was spinning, and I nearly passed out a number of times before they rang the bell for lunch break. I ate a little bit of food, but it tasted like poison, so I stopped eating and lay down on the picnic table bench for the remainder of the break. When my thirty minutes were up, I went right back to unloading the container where I had left off. Looking back on this it seems like complete foolishness. I was already having all of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and the potential of dying from heatstroke was growing more likely by the moment. I would like to report that I informed the warehouse managers of my condition and then I went home for the rest of the evening, but I did not. I would also like to tell you that I didn’t understand what was happening to me; that I did not know about heat exhaustion or the type of symptoms one might experience when they’re suffering from it. I would be lying to you all, if I made those false claims. Having worked in southwest Florida in extreme heat conditions for over a decade, I am fully aware of the symptoms and potential health risks that come along with heat exhaustion. Even having all this first-hand knowledge, I continued working hard until midnight and went home to get some rest.

I suppose this is a good place to end the narrative for today. Tomorrow, I’ll finish the story and explain why this incident and the other one involving my family were not only interrelated, but they seemed to be fully entwined, and together they rang out a resounding wakeup call to my body, mind and spirit.

My current feelings about the top two images – The top one was taken during the peak of our successful times at Moore Art Expressions. I had nine team members working with me to help raise us to that level, so I always felt a bit uneasy about being the public spokesperson when the media asked for an interview. As for the second photo – I swear to you, it was the photographer’s idea! I would have never agreed to it if he didn’t suggest that I might become endowed with superpowers following the shoot! In all seriousness though, I look back on those times with sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the good times we experienced together in the MAE studio!

Searching for Unity

Unity at Birth

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #18

Whenever I make an honest appraisal of my earliest memories from childhood, one theme that always emerges is a powerful desire to belong. That single desire has remained at the forefront of my earthly persona until this present moment. I have always felt a compelling desire to belong to something that is more than just me. And it isn’t only a desire for connection with other people, although that makes up the bulk of it, it is also a desire for a failproof connection with the Source of Life itself. As you might expect, I had an instinctual need for human connection when I was a baby, and I’ll assume that is a natural and common need for most human children, but I hadn’t even begun to understand my desire for meaningful connections with others. And beyond that, I had no understanding, or even a clue, about having a desire for connection with Source. I’ll assume that is also a commonality we humans share. The focus of this discussion, and I’m hoping it will become a Bonafide discussion, one where readers add commentary, is our desire for connection (unity) with each other. Why do we create communities?

From the moment we’re born we make contact with other human beings. Our physical interaction with others begins at the moment we emerge from the womb. Even if it is only our mother who is present at our birth, we are inevitably touched by human hands. For some of us, those hands are warm and nurturing, while others are greeted by uncaring hands, and in the worst-case scenario, they are the hands of cruelty. Whatever the circumstances of our birth, we are physically reliant on help from others if we are to survive past infancy. It seems as though our instinctual drive to belong to a group of others is an evolutionary feature of being human. It’s part of our genetic makeup that recognizes our physical vulnerabilities and addresses them by giving us the inborn instinct to belong. The desire to belong comes from an entirely different place; It comes from a place of individual preferences. It is the sum-total biases of every interaction we’ve had with others until this present moment. If we’ve learned that we can’t trust other people, then it is likely that we won’t have a desire to connect with them. If we’ve come to the conclusion that human beings are compassionate and willing to lend us a helping hand, then we are more likely to desire their company. Whatever interactions we’ve had with others, and however those various interactions may have colored our preferences in terms of wanting to belong or not, we can still learn to rely on our intuition when it comes to allowing or disallowing other people’s access to our personal lives. In effect, we can choose our own tribe.

Thank you for stopping in to read! I’ll continue to explore the theme of unity for the rest of this week. Please feel free to comment with your thoughts on this subject, or any other, for that matter!

Just for the Joyfulness

Welcome to Exploratory Sunday!

Grand Providentia United

We stand on the banks of a stream of consciousness. Except that this is no ordinary stream, it is the resulting flow from the current of every stream of consciousness that has ever found its way into the one river of universal potentiality. Where we are now standing, has been the starting point of every great physical, metaphysical, and spiritual exploration ever embarked upon. We have the choice to stay here on these solid shores of security, these granite shores of little risk, or we can choose to trust in the flow. Allowing its beckoning strength to immerse us in its soulful power. For sure, there will be dark depths and shallows of light along the course of this magnificent flow. There will be risks taken and rewards earned. And knowing all of this, we will make the choice to explore or to stay here in our stasis and watch the others letting go. The entrance is by way of a shimmering trail, a pathway of light, hovering just above the surface of our shared consciousness. For some, the pathway appears to be a rickety wooden dock, for others it is as solid as a golden brick road. I am now walking just above the surface of the river, following the vaporous scales of a rainbow serpent’s body. I have committed to joining the flow. Dive in with me. As you can see, the only threats here are the ones that we ourselves are releasing.

Now, we’re releasing the rainbow serpent’s head, as it dips down and withdraws, we become one with the fluidity, two with the solidity, and three with the ambiguity. We are at once a musical note with twice the reverberation of a bull moose bellow, but we’re also a ringtone described by a cello. We wonder about stars, on Hollywood Boulevard, while we are dreaming with Costner about wolves dressed in baseball uniforms. Not old school uniforms, they’re not worn in uniformity at all, more in tune with motley crew outfits, donned by the cast of the Deadliest Catch. We all catch a chill, and we release it as well. These days there is a shortage of every fish it seems. Even white wine served at room temperature has a short fuse. Bullets and bombs should be stored in root cellars, let the roots stay connected to the tree trunks who need them. Gold crowns encrusted with white flour by star studded bakers, are eaten by preachers, leading their flocks of daily bread takers. We’ve now entered an eddy, a roundabout in the road, our way forward is spiral, ham-hocks and tick-tocks gone viral. To avoid motion sickness, we’ll watch the horizon, where every big event appears smaller, with the exclusions of waterfalls and sun rises. Back to the main flow, orientation a given, we now understand, why our lives are worth living. It’s not for the fame, the cash flow, the glory. It’s not for the pain we attach to our story. We live to experience what it’s like to be human. To experience the love and forgiveness we offer to ourselves and each other. To share with one another the joy and the wonder of this incredible journey we call Life.

Exploratory Sundays are likely to continue indefinitely. Hopefully, they will always be enjoyable, and ideally, they will encourage a smile!

Film Journey & The Alt Unity

What Have I Done?

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #17

This is not a question that I’ve posed with any personal angst attached to it. As in, ‘OMG, what have I done?’. No, this is basically a self-inquiring question that I need to externalize the answers to through the act of writing them down. It is a question that I’ll begin to answer today and finish answering, well, maybe never. It may help some readers of this blog to understand what I’ve done mentally, physically and spiritually in the recent past to keep things moving forward. I’ll describe some of the actions I’ve taken, decisions I’ve made, and dreams I’ve conjured to continue moving toward the realization of the grand dream that I’ve been working to manifest for the past fifteen years. To catch some of you up, the grand dream is to bring conscious awareness of, and attract membership to, the Alt Unity. As the Alt Unity grows, through its creative collaborations and collective conscious intentions, the Grand Providentia Projection will be made manifest. And while the Alt Unity is in the process of manifesting the GPP, we will concurrently produce a rolling factual documentary that is focused on our efforts. Simultaneously, we will also be creating a fictional account (past, present and future) that will tell an imaginative, surrealistic story based on our real-world efforts. As each of the storylines unfold, the factual and the fictional will be brought together and united as one, thus creating the ultimate production of “A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…” So, in answer to the question – What have I done? I will tell you what I’ve done, and what I’ve been doing, during the recent months of practicing presence in the moment of now.

Jim Thorpe, PA – Tybee Island, GA

I decided back in January of this year, to pursue a graduate degree (MFA), majoring in film, at the Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia. Having received my undergraduate degree (BFA), majoring in computer animation, from the Ringling College of Art & Design in Florida, I thought that this would be a magnificent way to culminate my career in the field of visual arts. After all, much of what I’d learned at Ringling College is directly applicable to the design and production of film projects. Early in the process of applying to SCAD, I realized that I was missing one critical tool that I would need to buy, if I could even hope to be accepted into the program. You see, one of the requirements for the application is a portfolio film reel (maximum ten minutes long). So, I knew I needed to get my hands on a high-quality camera to shoot the portfolio reel. I have to confess that I almost allowed fear to defeat me before I ever got started. I had a very minimal understanding of film cameras at the time, so I was intimidated by them, but then I thought back to when I entered the computer animation program at Ringling, and I remembered having absolutely no experience with computers. Whether it’s a camera, a computer, a calculator or a clock, you can’t expect to understand how to use it until you get some experience by using it. It took me a couple of months to gather the money to get it, but get it, I did. For any camera enthusiasts out there, it’s the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema 4K. The model is considered a good option for beginner filmmakers and students of film, but it is not a professional level camera. Of course, buying the camera was just the beginning. I needed to purchase all sorts of other accessories, like lenses, tripods, lavalier microphones, camera bags and digital storage devices. During the six months following my decision to return to school, I was intently focused on making the logistical arrangements to move from Allentown, PA to Savannah GA, but I was also starting production on the portfolio film that I needed for SCAD. Before moving south, I made a trip north to Hope, Rhode Island, to shoot my very first film clips for the portfolio film which I intend to title “Return to Hope” when it is completed. The film will feature the Hope Mill in its current deteriorated state, but the overall theme of the film will be decidedly positive. I’ll give a more detailed description of “Return to Hope” in one of my future blog entries. I’ll end this entry with a logistical announcement: On August 1st, I arrived here in Savannah, and on the second attempt I found a roommate situation in a shared apartment that works for both me and my roomie. I’m quite comfortable here in Georgia and I especially love the historic district of Savannah (that’s where the college is located).

One other announcement: I started a podcast as a companion site to this blog. I’ve only posted two short episodes so far, but I’ve really enjoyed the process of producing them. There will be many more episodes to come. Including video podcasts, as well.

The podcast episodes are available on the Anchor and Spotify platforms. Just click the play button below. I will also add a link to the Donate * Contact page on this site.

A True Story, as Yet Unfolding..., Film Journey

Winding the Way to Grand Providentia

Grand Providentia United

Scene 1

Harmony is crouched, fingers clenched tightly to the cold metallic rim of the observation port. She is completely transfixed by what she’s seeing. She snatches a passing thought, ‘What is happening right now is not as simple as seeing, this is more akin to witnessing.’ And what she’s witnessing, is so far outside the realm of her previous experience, that she can only relate to it as being too far out there, way beyond the border of any run of the mill spiritual revelation. Harmony’s eyes are most certainly sending signals to her brain, but her brain seems to be rejecting those signals, one after the other, and without exception. She feels as though her mind is stuttering. Her brain is refusing to generate a coherent description of the visual information as it is being received. Her mind feels overwhelmed, overtaxed, overheated. Harmony fires out a desperate prayer that she won’t pass out. And then… She does.

Total blackness, and then, two pinpoints of light. They’re polychromatic and they appear to be at arm’s length. Or they could be miles away, like automobile headlights on a dark horizon. The lights don’t seem to be getting closer though, instead they are spreading outward, and fast. The pinpoints become dots and the dots become disks, the disks expand until they collide, integrate, and wash over her field of vision. And all at once, as if she had never lost consciousness, Harmony finds herself crouched, in the same position she had been, her white-knuckled hands, aching, her wide-open eyes still mesmerized by the dazzling light show before her. The waves of spectral color seem to be infiltrating, melding with, and extricating themselves from the molecular matter of the ceramic-clad surface on the inside of the energy containment tank. Almost as if the entire inner lining of the tank is one enormous cuttlefish. Harmony has looked through the viewport on this tank thousands of times over the past five years, always hoping to see some sign of success; some indication of stored energy. She suddenly realizes that she might have given up hope for success long ago, just as many of her friends, and most of her family, had given up on her. What she was now witnessing, was so much more than redemption, so much more than success. It was utterly miraculous!

Author’s note: As an integral part of the “True Story, as Yet Unfolding…”, the previous scene should be considered fictional creative writing. It is but one element of the continuous documentary we will be producing through the Alt Unity. While we should consider it fiction for now, I have an uncanny feeling that it may migrate to the factual side once the Grand Providentia Projection is underway.

Film Journey & The Alt Unity

Getting Down to Some Nitty Nuts and Gritty Bolts

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #16

Transformative entertainment would be one way to describe where I’m headed with all of this. The blog, the growing involvement with film, the intentions to follow through on that growth by earning a graduate degree in film directing, the Grand Providentia Projection, and recently, the introduction of the Alt Unity are all flowing in the direction of a transformative entertainment experience. An immersive real-world experience, rooted firmly in our collective conscious intentions. I use the word transformative because I expect that the effects of what is to be manifested will be transformational for those involved directly with the production, but also for anyone who is attracted by the entertainment value of it. I expect also that it will be transformational for our planet, and all the lifeforms that inhabit it. In an expansive way, it might also transform our conscious connection with the Universe.

“Mechanical Attraction” – Providentia – detail

Here’s the idea in a nitty gritty nutshell: As an independent filmmaker, with the help of the Alt Unity, I intend to produce a continuous, reality-style, running documentary, which will be focused on the realization of the Grand Providentia Projection. Simultaneously, we’ll be producing a fictional version of the same story using all of the traditional movie making techniques (and hopefully introducing a few innovative techniques of our own). Here’s the twist – As the factual and the fictional productions are becoming a reality, we will introduce collisions, integrations, cross-migrations, and a number of other blending techniques to arrive at a place where no one person is ever really certain about which elements are fictional and which are factual. And all of this will take place under the umbrella of an organization that has been consciously conceived with the intention to aid in the healing of humanity, preserve the environment we depend on, and bring conscious awareness to the forefront of our decision making for the future.

During the coming three years, while I am achieving a film degree, it is my intention to grow the Alt Unity. Its growth will be measured in terms of human connections based on a common cause, and the support and resources gathered to bring this vision to reality. It is likely that it will be primarily internet based in the beginning, but I expect that it won’t be long before the hands-on work begins. It’s sure to be collectively transformational!

The Alt Unity

An Organization Founded in Fact & Fiction

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #15

In yesterday’s journal entry, I touched on some of the early intentions and expectations I’ve been formulating pertaining to the fictional aspects of the Alt Unity (AU). Today, I’ll be venturing into the factual side of this new form of societal interaction. The AU will become a real-world entity, of that I am certain, so I would venture to say that it’s never too early to start visualizing what the objective manifestation of this ‘neo-unity’ might ‘look’ like. I also intuit that now is a great time to extend this open invitation again. So here it is – If anyone reading this blog feels as though they would like to get involved with the Alt Unity or the Grand Providentia Projection, please feel free to contact me here on this site, or through any of the platforms that I’ve provided links for on the Donate * Contact page. In the here and now, I am still the sole member of the AU, so if any of this resonates with you and you’d like to hear a more detailed explanation of the intentions I’m sending out, then I encourage you to contact me and ask any questions you may have. Whether you lean toward the fictional or the factual aspects of the Alt Unity, I have complete confidence in your decision to join, or not to join!

Thomas Edison’s inventive workspace – Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers, Florida

Is it reasonable to suggest that many of the facts that are fully accepted now, were not accepted at all in moments past? I’ll assume this is true. Whether these facts were arrived at through inductive reasoning or deductive reasoning, they came to be accepted by the conscious collective, and that acceptance rendered them factual. In the case of the Alt Unity, there will need to be a foundation of factual functionality in order to stabilize the fictional realm of the organization. Participants who lean more in the direction of proven formulas, systematic administration, scientific observation and experiences based on the five human senses will likely gravitate toward the objective aspects of our Alt Unity. As with any unified group of people, there will be a need for structure, leadership, administrators and record keepers. Some will be organizing the moment-to-moment interactions between participants in the AU, while others will be seeking out and securing resources to keep the organization moving forward. Ideally, both the factual and the fictional participants of the Alt Unity will be working in unison to get us where our conscious collective is intending to take us. At this moment, the participants that I’m referring to are not factual (or real) at all. They exist only as thought constructs in my vivid imagination. This observation does not negate the fact that there will be participation in the AU, in fact, in certain ways it guarantees it. After all, does not the Universe always cooperate with our intentional output? Doesn’t it always provide? I would answer a resounding “Yes!” to both of these questions. I choose to live in a world of abundance, so that is where you’ll usually find me.

I hope you enjoyed the reading! As always, you are invited to comment in favor of, or against, any of the content I’ve expressed here. And if you’re absolutely in favor of it, then please subscribe to this website. I promise that it will only get more adventurous, and more real, as each new moment arises and subsides!

Here and Now

On Setting the Intention to Exercise Your Free Will

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #13

If we’ve already perceived that our personal will power is truly free, and in the light of that perception we’ve made a conscious decision to accept its guidance in the directing of our daily affairs, then why does it seem like such a drain of energy when we practice the use of this so-called free will? In my limited understanding of the concept of free will, I intuit that the majority of the resistance we encounter while exercising it, is arising from within ourselves. We’ve been conditioned in one way or another, to believe that being willful is somehow wrong. Many of us have been institutionalized by authoritarian systems of government who, in an effort to gain power over our freedom of will, have taught us that any expression of personal willfulness is indicative of a character defect which they’ve categorized as “nonconformity”, and they’ve placed this defect beneath the broader category of “undesirable selfish behaviors”. Quite a few of the world’s organized religions teach that our free will should be, at the very least, sublimated to the will of God, and at best, completely forsaken for fear of following your will into eternal damnation. For those who’ve adopted these theological doctrines to motivate the curtailing of their own free will, I would ask – Why would an omnipotent God create human beings with the capacity to express personal willfulness, if there was never any intention to let them practice it, freely? Surely, a benevolent Creator would have had your greatest earthly potential in mind. The God of my understanding apparently takes great pleasure in my individual expression of free will. Otherwise, why would I feel such incredible joy when I practice the art of personal willful expression? My will must be free!

“Serpent Sublime” Copperhead photo taken in Blue Ridge, GA.

The Snake, the Frog and the Freedom of Will

Whenever I’m experiencing an emotional hardship or spiritual tribulation, I feel the urge to take a walk outside. I’ve learned that a long walk alone in the woods is usually more healing to my soul than any other activity that I could choose to engage in. Nature, it seems, can absorb and transmute my human suffering, then reflect it back to me in the form of a natural panacea for whatever is currently troubling me. And so, when I am in pain, I immediately feel the need to take a walk.

On one such occasion, I was walking along a path at the De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida. On this particularly beautiful, blue-sky, sunny-day, I remember being deeply absorbed in my own troubled thoughts. My marriage of twenty-plus years appeared to be coming apart at the seams, and the pain of it was, I had no idea how to sew it back together. But walking wasn’t working, and thinking was working less than walking, so I was becoming more miserable by the step. That was when I heard it… A small but clearly distressed voice, saying “Help Meeeee!” I stopped walking so abruptly that my thoughts seemed to wrench free from my head and continue up the path, unconcerned that they were leaving my body behind. I looked self-consciously around me, completely startled and thinking someone might be playing a prank on me. Surely, I was just being punked. I half expected to see a child of the corn come running out from beneath the mangroves, giggling and carrying on, cheerfully singing “I got you! I got you! I got you!”. Instead, I saw no movement at all, but I did hear the voice again “Help Meeeee!” It sounded like the voice of a terrified tiny gnome, yelling as loud as possible in an effort to get my full attention. When I finally managed to gather my wits, I was able to zero in on the source of the voice after two or three more pleading calls for help. There, on the top of a wooden sign attesting to the exploratory genius of Hernando de Soto, was a garter snake with a leopard frog sticking out of its mouth. On closer inspection, I could see that the snake had already consumed one of the frog’s rear legs and the other one was bending backwards as the snake slowly swallowed its prey. As I watched, entranced by the unfolding drama, the frog let out another pathetic plea. “Help Meeeee!” Even when I was looking straight at it and fully aware that it was a frog and not a person, I still heard a distinctly human voice. That voice was begging for my help.

“Frog Friend in the S.M.art Studio” 2011

I quickly made the decision to enforce my own will on the situation. I bet many of you are thinking “Who in the hell thinks like that?” I mean the very idea of enforcing one’s will on a frog and a snake engaged in a struggle that has been played out over and over, without human interference, for many a millennium. Nonetheless, I really wanted to save that poor frog. After apologizing to Mr. Snake for what I was about to do, I grabbed hold of his ample head just behind the lower jaw and pulled the snake’s writhing body from the wooden signpost. Recognizing its vulnerability, the snake released the frog’s leg to free up its needle-sharp fangs with hopes that it could then sink them into my fleshy fingers. As soon as the frog had its leg free, it hit the ground jumping. Big happy leaps, seemingly. And I seemed to sense an amphibious gratitude left behind along the arched trail of its departure. As for the snake, well let’s just say that it wasn’t impressed by my heroic actions. I set it down cautiously, once the frog had a good head start, and the snake gave me a cold and disdainful look as it slithered away into the tangled mangrove forest.

I’m sure that certain environmentalists would likely chastise me for this behavior, claiming that I had altered the outcome of an important environmental event – namely the predator eats prey event. And certain well-to-do socialites would say that my actions were repulsive and that I should wash my hands thoroughly after handling those disgusting creatures. But, in my final analysis of this true story, I prefer to take a more philosophical approach to describe the nature of my actions. I chose to enforce my free will in a situation that shouldn’t have concerned me at all. I did it with the intention of changing the future circumstances of both the frog and the snake. I have no idea what the outcome of my intentions were, regarding the life of the frog or the snake, or the world for that matter, because you know what they say about the butterfly effect, but I do know that it was me intentionally practicing my free will. And ultimately, I know, that exercising our free will is a very good thing, to practice!

Film Journey, Our Will in the Here & Now

Free Will, for All!

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #12

Most of us are taught early in life about our inborn freedom of will. For many young people, the instructions on this subject seem to be blaring at them from every angle. So much so, that they feel overwhelmed by the flow of information, advised restrictions, and proper guidelines concerning the use of something they were initially taught, was free and available to everyone. Concerned parents, organized religions, educational institutions, political systems and even our closest friends want to offer us advice on the use of free will. Some sources will warn us that we do have freedom of will, but there is a potential for grave consequences if we should choose to lay claim to, and assert it, under any circumstances at all. Quite often, these teachings in particular are motivated by the desire to gain access to, and achieve power over, our freedom to express our personal will. Some people, in their deep desire for ultimate control, have chosen to exploit the free will of others to advance the expression of their own. In all fairness though, the people who are exploited this way are in truth, a willing party to that exploitation, in that they have handed over some (or all) of their will, erroneously believing that it is the best choice for them. Perhaps they believe that their will is weak, therefore they need to attach it to a stronger will in order to make it worthy. Others, in their fear, perceive a potential vulnerability that the expression of their free will may beget them. After all, if you are expressing your personal will (making it known), you are also opening yourself up to potential criticism, or at worst, physical attack by the possessors of opposing wills. And so, at a very early age, many of us begin to fragment our will, doling out portions to individuals, institutions and our own belief systems, until finally, we seem to have no stake in the determination of our own willfulness. We eventually perceive that our will is no longer free, it has been bought and paid for, it has been enslaved by the world at large.

“Distorted Self-Image”

The good news is, that all is not lost! In truth, there is no loss at all. We can redeem and reclaim our freedom of will, whenever we decide that the time is right. The only things that stand in our way are the misguided thought patterns we’ve adopted along the path. And, who better to discard misguided thought patterns than the one who adopted them in the first place. We can choose to stop entertaining negative beliefs about the current status of our will. We can decide to break our individual will free from the bondage of fear and systemic conditioning and allow it to return to its rightful position as the initiator and manifester of positive intentions in our lives.

Thank you for setting aside some moments to read here! I’m truly grateful for your supportive attention. I will continue to explore free will as it relates to the setting of positive intentions in tomorrow’s blog entry.

Film Journey & The Alt Unity

To Where, Does the Alt Unity Flow?

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #11

Collective conscious intentions, with the crucial assistance of Source, will guide the flow of the Alt Unity toward where it is meant to be in each successive moment. I am currently feeling the urge to apologize to many of those who have been reading this blog. Some of you may be exhausted by the other-worldly nature of my writing. I can imagine your frustration, especially if you are looking for facts or something solid to hang your metaphorical hat on, and all I continually provide you with are riddles within riddles. It’s ridiculous! Instead of apologizing though, I’ll now turn toward reason, rather than continuing to entertain metaphysical imaginings. Specifically, I’ll spell out the reason that I’ve decided to initiate the Alt Unity at this moment in our shared story of humankind. To accomplish this task, I will need to describe the reach of the intentions already sent forth and the ultimate expectations of the outcomes yet to be manifested by those intentions. And beyond that, I’ll need to give you an explanation of where I am at in the here and now, and where I’m expecting we’ll be in the perceivable future.

The Cosmic Picture

The most practical description I can currently formulate, of what the Alt Unity will become, where it will be located physically, and how it will manifest positive change, is as follows – The Alt Unity will become a worldwide creative projection, intended to heal and preserve the human race, to replenish and protect the Earth’s environment and its inhabitants (on which, our physical survival depends) and to promote broad reaching societal change that will sustain the viability and relevance of our shared efforts toward these primary objectives. It is intended that the Alt Unity will remain unbiased as it relates to race, religious belief, cultural origin, political ideology, or any other defining characteristic that points to our differences. Instead, the Alt Unity is intended to remain focused on only the aspects of humanity that we share. Our commonalities.

The Alt Unity will manifest, in the physical sense, as a series of large-scale collaborative creations, placed intentionally at specific locations around the world. These creations will act as focal points and gathering sites for the reception and transmission of collective conscious intentions. The visual appearance of each of these focal points will be designed through a conscious creative collaboration, each creation having its own unique interpretation with relevance to the specific location on the globe and the cultural heritage of its local inhabitants.

And this creative projection of collective consciousness will be the subject and the object of the “True story, as Yet Unfolding…” The surrealistic documentary that I am intending to create once I am versed in the language of film.

“Rainbow Mills” from the Hope Mill Series

Thank you for the moments of your presence here!

Film Journey in the Here and Now

Alt Unity – A Baseline Exploration

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #10

Alt Unity is a term derived through the process of conscious invention. Whenever I can successfully manage to subdue my own scattered thoughts (ego), for even a moment, and in that moment, I establish a connection with consciousness at its Source, I discover that I/We each have direct access to all the knowledge, wisdom and creativity we require to evolve and thrive in this world. So, here is the definition of Alt Unity, given my current capacity to define it: Alt Unity is an evolutionary progression of community as we’ve previously understood it. Alt Unity is an offshoot of common unity (community), in that it is based on a different commonality, a different connectivity, a different unity between human beings. The unifying commonality that defines Alt Unity is our undeniable conscious connection with one another in the current moment. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, no matter our level of conscious awareness, we are sharing, and influencing, the present moment.

Our Time Shared on the Bridge

In the previous paragraph, I put forth a preliminary definition of the Alt Unity, but I’m quite certain that the definition will always remain fluid, and the flow of the Alt Unity will determine its eventual manifestation in the physical world. To take it one step further, our collective conscious intentions (and Source) will be guiding the evolution of the Alt Unity until it becomes precisely what it is meant to be. It is what it is, and it will be what it will be. For some who choose to join Alt Unity, this will be a difficult concept to embrace. Giving over their control, and self-determination to the collective consciousness for any amount of growth or personal reward, will seem to be impossible. To others, it will feel more natural and liberating than any common unity they’ve ever experienced before. Imagine trusting, without reservation, that the world and your place in it, is evolving into precisely what it is meant to be. Trusting in the nature of what is, what has been, and what will be, is currently a baseline concept of the Alt Unity.

You’ll notice below that I’ve added a virtual tip jar. As a lifelong working artist, I’ve always struggled with the economic systems of this world. Early in life, I was given the message that creativity (art) was effectively worthless because it is a luxury rather than a commodity. That art is only worth something to those who can afford it. In the past decade, I’ve come to realize that those early learnings have not been serving me well. Creativity is what I have to offer. Creativity is what I do best. Your contribution will make it possible for me to create more. To be more.

Film Journey in the Here and Now

The Alt Unity Begins

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #9

I was recently speaking with someone I’ve grown to truly love, even though we haven’t known each other very long. I was surprised and somewhat confused when she said that she was concerned that somehow the love I was feeling for her wasn’t actually love because I tend to look for, and see, the best in everybody, not just her. I was taken aback, unprepared to defend my outlook or even offer her an explanation for the love and admiration I had been expressing to her. Momentarily I gathered my thoughts, and consulted my heart, and then I admitted that she was correct in her assessment of my tendency to see the best in people, but I went on to explain that the tendency wasn’t the driving force behind my love for her. I further explained that the love I’d been offering her, was an expansive expression of the love that I have for myself and many others, and naturally it included her. Still seeing the doubt in her eyes, I went on to describe my understanding of love – how I see love. As you might imagine, I’m visually oriented, so my description was indeed a visualization. Imagine that each of us carries a sphere of love within us. The sphere expands and contracts in direct relation to our capacity to offer others unconditional (pure) love. And yes, our capacity to love others is inextricably tied with our capacity to love ourselves, unconditionally. There is one other feature to this visualization that I’ve come to understand recently. When we give love freely to others, without expectations or conditions attached, the sphere (our capacity to show love) does not diminish. It expands exponentially.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania

Just a few moments ago, this morning actually, I announced the inception of a new type of community. I wrote an invitation on Facebook for others to join me in the creation of this new community – I named it an “Alt Unity”. I’m extending the same invitation here, on the Grand Providentia United website, because that is why I started this site in the first place. I wanted to offer an alternative safe place to be, for those who’ve become disillusioned with current traditional communities.

I’ll lay out some of the dreams and intentions that brought me to the formation of this Alt Unity, and I’ll also describe some of the practical workings as I’ve envisioned them, in tomorrow’s entry. Until then, may your moments be free from fear and overflowing with love.

Film Journey in the Now

A Collaborative, Creative Projection in the Moment of Now

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #8

When I first conceived of ‘The Grand Providentia Project‘ (about fourteen years ago), I didn’t title it as such. Back then, I presented the sculpture and the concept as the ‘American Dream Catcher‘. During those early moments of ideological conception, ego was still in charge of the lion’s share of my creative output. So, in my conceit, I regarded the title as being a masterful play on words; a clever blending of two well-worn phrases – the American dream and the (Native American) dream catcher. I took extra pride in the titling of the project, because in its clever combination of cliches, it simultaneously described the intended function of the artwork from its conception. In the here and now, the intended function has evolved, as has the title of the project. What was once ‘The American Dream Catcher‘ project, has currently evolved into ‘The Grand Providentia Projection‘.

“American Dream Catcher”-Then & Now-“Providentia”

The sculptural object depicted in these two photos is almost entirely physically identical. I made intentional changes to the patination and presentation of the artwork as it evolved into its current physical manifestation – the sculpture, ‘Providentia’. So, why did I change the title to ‘Providentia’? Mostly because profound intuition guided me to retitle the artwork this way. Also, when I researched the meaning of providentia, I discovered a definition that is true to the spirit of the entire project’s purpose. *”Providentia is the divine embodiment of prediction, foresight, and providence.” The title took root in my consciousness before I became aware of the definition, and so I knew intuitively that it was a divinely guided choice to make the change.

Earlier today, as I was meditating on the ‘Providentia’ project, I came to the understanding that what I once considered an art project was currently evolving into a collaborative, creative, projection of consciousness. The Providentia Projection is to be the subject of the surreal documentary “A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…” which I mentioned in the last journal entry.

Thank you for reading today’s entry! I truly appreciate your awareness here, and now.

*I was unable to find the original author of this definition, so I cannot give credit here.

Film Journey in the Now

A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #7

This is my understanding of our individual lives as human beings. As our true-life stories unfold, we are witness to the sum total effect that our past motivations, intentions and actions are having on our real-time journey, in the now. I’ve heard vehement protestations regarding this philosophy countless times. They’re made by well-meaning friends and family who cannot perceive, or refuse to perceive, that this idiom could be true. Many of these people hold firm to the belief that they are victims to the circumstances of, and innocent bystanders to, where they are currently situated in their own physical, mental and spiritual lives. They choose to live their lives as though they are not responsible for their motivations, intentions and actions, hoping they will not be held accountable for the results (successes or failures) they’ve created in their lives when all has been said and done.

Those of us who are consciously aware and living in the present moment are more likely to embrace the belief that we are the writers of own stories, the leaders of our own lives, and the architects of our own physical surroundings. In order to live an authentic existence, we feel compelled to accept accountability for the impact our intentions have on the world around us. We are motivated to send out intentions, knowing that every intention we send out has the potential to bring positive rewards or negative consequences, or both. In our awareness, we are prepared to accept all of the eventual implications our intentions have, not only the ones we are comfortable with.

Unintentional Beautification? – From the Hope Mill Collection

Some readers may be wondering, what does all of this talk about awareness and accountability have to do with my intention to earn a graduate degree in film? Here it is – I intend to create an ongoing, real-time documentary, infused with surrealistic and factual footage, blended in a way that defies the objective nature of our current physical sense perceptions. A true story, as yet unfolding…

In the next blog entry, I’ll be writing about the basic strategies I intend to use, to make manifest this intention. Thanks for reading today’s post, I look forward to meaningful interactions with some of you during our future moments together!

Film Journey in the Now

The Cosmic Picture

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #6

Most of us have heard of “…the big picture perspective.” For more than a century, success coaches and motivational speakers, especially those who are primarily focused on financial success, have recommended that we keep our big picture goals in mind at all times, even while we are attending to the smallest details on our personal paths to success. I am in agreement with this strategy. I have adopted it on a daily basis for more than twenty years now. I’ve discovered that I am most successful at being presently aware when I expand the proverbial “Big Picture” to include every aspect of this life experience on the planet Earth. Beyond that, during occasional moments of extraordinary spiritual clarity, I’ve found that I’m able to expand my perspective much further, to include even the ‘cosmic picture’ of our successes (and failures) as human beings on this tiny blue planet floating within the expanse of space. In momentary awareness we might all have the capacity to perceive the cosmic picture. We are limited only by the lenses and filters we’ve chosen to see through. One day, I hope to experience the full breadth, the cosmic picture of human existence as it truly IS, not as our limited perceptions are currently presenting it to us.

Ruin or Ruby in the Rough? From the Hope Mill Series

If you read my last blog entry, you’ll remember that I promised to lay out the intentions that I sent forth back in January of this year. Well, the first intention I set, was to return to college seeking a master’s degree in film. Savannah College of Art & Design was my first choice because of its exemplary reputation as top college for film degrees, but I was also immediately attracted by the Savannah Historic District as a place to live while I was learning to be a filmmaker. Eight months’ worth of moments later, and I am residing in Savannah, Georgia, outside of the Historic District, but loving it here just the same! In the next blog entry, I’ll tell you why I set the intention to pursue a film degree. It has to do with the ‘cosmic picture’…

Film Journey in the Now

Merging Intentions

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #5

Many moments ago (specifically in January of this year), I sent out a series of specific conscious intentions with the expectation that they would manifest positive and profound changes in my personal life. In setting those specific intentions, I also conjured mindful expectations to affect positive and lasting change in the lives of many others. At the core of these intentions was a deep desire to aid in the healing of our planet, humanity, and all living creatures that inhabit the Earth. In the current moment, where I am continually practicing the art of focusing my awareness, my personal life has indeed changed dramatically since setting these specific intentions. I also see synchronistic positive change in the world I am one with. I see positive changes in the quality of interactions I experience with others, I see similar positive changes in the way I am perceiving the natural world around me, and I also intuit a dramatic increase in my personal ability to love others unconditionally. Yes, love is the ultimate Source energy. Love is always working toward the manifestation of our most heartfelt hopes and dreams. In this moment, I perceive that unconditional love has the capacity to engender our highest positive vibrations!

“In the Silence of Trees, Industry Dies” – From the Hope Mill series.

In the next blog entry, I’ll lay out the specific intentions I set back in January. I’ll propose how those intentions duly manifested the current changes in my personal life and the lives of others. I’ll also discuss how these intentions might manifest positive change for our shared future.

Here and Now

Can, Unity of Presence = Unity of Intention/Purpose?

Grand Providentia United

Gathering Awareness – Entry #4

Absolutely, it can! If we are open to it.

Some of you who have read the previous three entries on this blog might be wondering where I’m going with all of this discussion about present awareness and joining together in the moment. Well, here’s the explanation for the invitation – This current moment, right now, is the one and only commonality that links every human being on this planet, and that commonality expands outward to include every plant, animal, rock, drop of water, grain of sand and molecule of oxygen within the Earth’s biosphere. Furthermore, the moment of now, is a commonality that we share with every mote of stardust at the outward reaches of our perceivable Universe. Of course, I am quite aware that our perceptions of distant galaxies and celestial bodies are not yet experienced by humanity in real-time, but I believe that one day they may be. More on that discussion later! Let’s get back to the invitation. The proposal is as follows – If one human being, one who is consciously aware and present in the moment of now, can put forth an intention to initiate change during future moments, and that human being is rewarded with a positive outcome or suffers the consequences of their ill-intent, then how much more effective would those intentions be if they were sent out by a multitude of human beings who were sharing a moment of common intent? This is the question which will drive a search for meaning and purpose during the remaining moments of my personal journey here. I have an abiding ambition that it will also include as many fellow travelers as are willing to take part in this synchronistic momentary exploration of conscious awareness. All are welcome here. There is no exclusivity in the now!

Granite Remains – From the Hope Mill Collection