PSYCHEDELIA
the psychedelia issue
Art by Ella Mazur
July 2020
VISIO
volume 1. | issue. 3
the PSYCHEDELIA issue
volume. 1
COVER ART BY JAMES FLUX
"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves' . . . 'Here's Tom with the weather." - Bill Hicks
Editor in Chief/Literary Editor Adriana Green Contributors Leigha Stiles, Tyree Storey, Kedar Tinaikar, Susana Mulas Lasta, Katherine Heigh, Kat Day, Thomas Hannah, Massimilliano Esposito, Gwynne Burns, Robert W. Monk, James Flux, Sarah Reese, Jiby Varghese, Nhylar Takhtanii, Jasmin Panuu, Adriana Green, Imasha Perera, Ella Mazur, Kassandra Szmidt, Maira Butts, Natalie Beisner, Leanne Vanderham, Elizabeth Adan, Brecht Lanfossi Contact/Links visioliterary@gmail.com www.facebook.com/visiomag www.visiomag.squarespace.com IG: @VisioMag Next Issue The next available issue will be surronding the theme of conspiracies and the paranormal. The "Conspiracy" issue will be published September 16th 2020. Colophon VISIO MAG is an online literary/arts e-zine established with the goal of assisting contributors with publication development and to provide a safe space for literature and art
Fireflies a poem by Nhylar Tahktanii a walk on the countryside road a cool summer breeze a dusky lavender sky my dangling ass moving along with the marijuana smoke, as it joins the glowing balls of energy as if an orchestra just emerged, a representation of my stoned mind when I feel the THC shutting off, the default mode network of my brain enabling new signals to pass through the orchestra begins, for some reason it's always a jazz troupe a dinner party esque situation attendants, all the grey matter tenants what an incredible reality we find as the ego takes a break to think that fireflies exist in this same moment as me is the kinda shit that makes it worthwhile thank you
In This Issue.... We will be exploring the world of psychedelics. A contentious issue for some, and yet the only viable paradigm of thought for others. Psychedelics has always played a role in history as the veil between what we're made to understand and what we're really suppose to see. There are common denominators of thought, similar planes we all join to experience past what is currently being accepted as truth when we ingest psychedelics. The power that psychedelics holds stands a direct threat to what is accepted. A progression so threatening, it laid trapped in a Dark Age untouched by it's own doing. With understanding, science, education and media attention, that Dark Age is lifting, if it hasn't already been lifted. Inside these pages you'll find artwork and literature inspired by psychedelic experiences shared and felt by our contributors. We will explore visionary art, unique perspectives on psychedelic experiences through short stories, and opinion pieces, as well as taking the time to interview a psychonaut who will help shine a light on stigma, visionary art and what is means to have a psychedelic experience. Thanks for taking the time to explore this issue, and have a good trip!
Unlocking doors of perception Seeing through the filtered third-eye veil Bringing all dreams and nightmares into razor focus Tripping the ultra-real, the ultra-psych, and the light fantastik Working out the problems of the multi-verse one by one in glorious detail While laughing non-stop at a plant dancing in the breeze Coming down with a judder and a shudder Watching old movies in bed
Acid Daze a poem by Robert W. Monk
www.website.com
Hanging dreams upon my teeth. a poem by Tyree Storey I hang dreams upon my teeth. A kind that spill vivid-colour memories. Sweet sun, drenched; they move as one. Until the ache of their weight gnaws at the very roots that keep them anchored to my being. Hiding such summer in my mouth may deface the low sun sky, yet I grimace as each tooth is dragged out. They tumble down my chest and twist into technicolour. A melody for the dawn. I mourn for dreams at daybreak, as though it weren’t another. If only to feel the warmth as they slip away.
Enclosed - Jiby Varghese
Your Only Limit Is Your Mind - Jiby Varghese
Five Poems by Gwynne Burns
Trippy Cat - Jiby Varghese
//06. there was gerbert and a shambles named bluebert smell of cookies triggers a memory of childhood reading emotional attachment to stuffies was once recognizing an absence of something given up long "It was a really hard experience though it didn't seem that-." longing for conversation to evoke the checked the front porch multiple times waiting on by the end of the day the sadness definitely sometimes you just need to hear you’re wrong and my olfactory sense has heightened ever since waiting on an emotional support for sleeping at a welcome blessing needed at the most wondering if it's a hallucination because it wasn't the injections are supposed to keep it wasn't that hard to fill up the list of sewn together from an old sweatshirt and filled with replaced innocence with cigarettes and poetry //24. name is different than my legal what name will i be buried under "I constantly find new music on my own." What’s your name on the streets? the importance of naming a thing the damnation of naming a /21. it's a possibility i've smoked plastic to bring it upstairs and plug in the glorification of the mundane moment enmeshed in it's a possibility i am a verse inducing hypnogogia while sitting on the floor it's a possibility i’ve smoked statistics and it's a possibility i am a chorus after waiting absentmindedly for the phone to wooden skewer to unclog the resin from the verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus verse another waking being dreaming crosslegged inducing psychosis while sitting on the floor it's a possibility i've smoked an adjective it's a possibility i'm a noun jokes about flatulence and shitting the it's a possibility i'm another waking being dreaming there are too many possibilities that are weighing on my there's math on my mind and a way of //0. the act of psychedelia is to some a factors of mental illness and trauma and need for healing and recreational play as the mind goes its merry "Why is that person just standing there!?" referred to by a friend and a relationship that or could it be an exploration of self the injections are supposed to keep the they claim to have in the dark met mama as she's studies are discussing the possibilities of exploration of the individual inner connections with the mind deep the semblance to symptoms and the way the brain //1. found out later its weird the memories thoughts the some peoples experience say its not a psychedelic best to recover from psychosis? two grams’ apparently is a lot the memory was brought up by a conversation the other way the thoughts stir end product sulphur at the end produced by substance and beats way the thoughts stir one night once long when the memory was brought up by the conversation the other "you've seen a lot of death" its like the end product of a collection of memories from the remembered mental crisis triage lockdown thoughts stir the kid was a hundred feet away and someone was performing CPR so i thought they'd but has it been mixed with way the silver wakes the
SUSANA MULAS LASTRA
The invisible nature and the woman are entwined in my work. Dealing with nature, with our planet is one of the major current concerns. It is often about ‘big’ nature, but there is more: microscopic nature, that for life on earth is more essential than we think. As an ecologist, I look in a specific way to nature. I approach my medium, paper, as a microscope through which I am able to zoom in on very small organisms. These interactions create colourful magnified worlds where detailed shapes connect with one another and with their environment, similar to an ecosystem. The idea of planet Earth as a mother-woman, vulnerable and at the same time full of strength, has been my source of inspiration for my recent drawings. I try to find similarities between the female organs and microscopic organisms, what I find exciting and playful. In this way I create new organisms in which what we see is not what it seems to be.
Untitled 2020 25cm x 35cm Pastel, conte, and Siberian chalk on paper
Kathleen Day
Kathleen Day an internationally published contemporary artist, author and the mother of a brilliant special needs child prodigy with a cognitive disability who is also an artist @i.am.aiden.g (whom she educate, amongst other children occasionally), based out of San Antonio, Texas. Her body of work stretches back through her teen years in the 90's and you can find her art in magazines and galleries from Australia to Germany to Malta to Italy and other various countries, the US included. She am also the founder and creative director of The Courrier, a nonprofit international mail art project and virtual gallery.
Untitled 2020 21cm x 14cm Pastel, charcoal, and Siberian chalk on paper
For Orlean, I walk the viewer through three stages of constructing or deconstructing my subject in a classic 60s sharp black and white mod style.
Orlean ink, acrylic, watercolor and magazine collage 4x22” wallpaper artist K. Day @artist.kday circa 2020 San Antonio, Texas
Blanc Noir Series
Studies in Blaque Series: Avant-garde circa 2010 - 2020 copyright photographer K. Day A look at a decade.
Studies in Blaque Series: le Art circa 2010 - 2020 copyright photographer K. Day A look at a decade.
Kaleidoscope photographer K. Day taken through an actual kaleidoscope made by hand by my 5 year old son using my Canon Rebel XT
spiritual healing is a gateway to your higher self it exists to reunite and realign your soul with your ego with simple acts of breathing, meditating and light stretching it's crazy how we get so lost in the hustle and bustle of life it's crazy to think that we become so far from ourselves that we forget the true reason of our existence- la raison d'etre as the french say spiritual healing exists to remind us of the powers that exist within it validates cheesy concepts like the secret that anything is possible, if we ask with love and true intention a manifestation of our passion or dreams how surreal and wild it is to think that the answers lie within us enclosed in a higher consciousness that we can only access after trials and tribulations that lead us towards a spiritual path or a quick acid trip to euphoria the choice is ours
Spiritual Healing a poem by Nhylar Tahktanii
with the lights on- read old journal entries. explore old photos in your gallery. look thru your jacket and pants' pockets. watch planet earth on netflix. with the lights off- listen to childish gambinos new album for an adventurous trip. watch madame gandhi drum on ig live for a spiritual trip. spark a joint with classical music for an enlightening trip.
PHOTO BY ADRIANA GREEN
Trips You Can Take In Your Room a poem by Nhylar Tahktanii
Having experienced an episode of psychosis, my mind was altered to such a severe state that I lost all consciousness and sense of being. I’ve been told of my actions and revelation I had, which were very outlandish. By using contrasting colours and repetitive patterns the paintings evoke a sense of alter consciousness. I believe they can relate to a lot of individuals and their lived experiences. The colours used also create a contrast that can represent shifts in various moods, or chaos felt throughout any given moment. Having the geometric designs and patterns give the paintings a sense of organization or a path to follow. My artwork can be considered as “psychedelic art” by depicting the inner psyche. These are just a few abstract paintings that are a part of my “Organized Chaos” collection. Through my body of work an altered state of mind is prevalent with many inclinations of psychedelia.
LEIGHA STILES
Z-O Acrylic and silver leaf on stretched canvas 12” x 12” 2019
Tri-oval Acrylic and silver leaf on canvas panel 10” x 8” 28” circumference 2019
Tri-lateral Acrylic and silver leaf on canvas panel 8” x 8” circular 2019
JAMES FLUX
His artwork explores vibration, nature, the human experience and transcendental realities, with a sharp focus on our inner spaces and how they manifest and shape our everyday reality.
James Flux is a multidisciplinary artist and mystic with a focus on painting, illustration, installation and event coordination.
Oh The Things We'll See 2017 12 x 16 Acrylic on Canvas
The Blue Mandala 2014 3ft x 4ft Acrylic on Canvas
Home Is Where The Heart Is 2017 16 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas
An Interview with James Flux a conversation on visionary arts, stigma, and the future of psychedelics in modern institutions.
What does it mean to be a psychonaut? It's my understanding that the word psychonaut is used to describe someone who is engaged in the exploration of consciousness or one's own psyche. Typically, an individual can use meditation, deep breathing, dance, chanting, but the word in our culture is more linked to individuals who use psychedelics to explore consciousness. Do you consider yourself to be one? Although I haven't sought out the term, it would appear by it's very definition to describe a life long pursuit I've been engaged in. What was your first experience using psychedelics like? The first time I ever ingested a psychedelic was when I was around 16/17 with a friend of mine, I forget how much we took but I know it was a hero's dose, so somewhere around 5-7 grams of Mushrooms. What is a Hero's dose? A hero's dose is a concept proposed by Terence Mckenna in reference to magic mushrooms, where he claims the proper way to trip is to ingest a minimum of 5 grams alone in the dark Where were you? In my bedroom, at my parents house. How did you acquire the drugs? My buddy at the time knew someone What was seen, felt, or heard? To be perfectly honest I don't have many stand out memories from many of my trips in my late teens and early 20's. I experimented with Acid and Mushrooms a lot, and it was treated more like a recreational thing. I remember laughing a lot, and everything kind of breathing, like everything had a pulse. I had a lot of deep profound thoughts. I remember laughing to the point of tears every time, and watching a lot of really trippy movies. But in my early days of use, I never hallucinated or had any deep visions. Do you have any stand-out psychedelic experiences? Quite a few actually. I've had my consciousness sent off to other planes on DMT (diemethlytriptamine), I've experiences myself as a multi-perspective 4D entity folding in on itself while at the time being conscious of all layers of the fold.. I've experienced my awareness on the other side of the room, looking up at myself on the couch, I've had some truly wild experiences. But I think the most memorable experience for me that I've told people, is about the second time I did Ayahuasca with a shaman and I became one with nirvana. I don't remember how I go there, but I remember becoming one with this infinitely expanding web of light. Each point was expanding out to infinity and I was every point, there was no separation. Much like trillions of water drops that create a body of water. There was no separation and yet there was. And it told me, without words. That this was where you go when you die, and it was where I had come from many many times before. It said that some would call it god, or nirvana, or consciousness. But that I was to call it source. Because it was the source of all of creation. I've never felt more at peace. Everyone knows the feeling of euphoria, the love feeling. Now imagine a firework expanding, exploding infinitley in every direction. Now imagine you are that firework, and as you expand, euphoria grows and grows out infinitely. Now imagine you could experience every cell in your body independently at the same time. Now imagine every cell was exploding with euphoria. That is the closest explanation I've been able to reach to explain what I experienced. I feel euphoric just talking about it. If that isn't crazy enough, I told this story to a women last year and she looked at me with wide eyes and said "omg you're been there, I've never heard anyone explain it so clear" It turns out she had had a near death experience in her youth where she was clinically dead for a few seconds, and what I explained brought a flash back to where she had gone when she died. What are some of the biggest misconceptions/stigmas surrounding psychedelics that you have come across throughout your journey? The idea that because psychedelics are illegal they are bad for you. Or that they are dangerous. It's been my experience that the alcohol culture is a lot more dangerous. Or the idea that they are party drugs. I think I viewed them that way when I was younger, but as I got older I started to see how much wisdom you could acquire from your experiences, and how they could be used for insight and healing. Who/what do you believe plays a role in any negative adaptations? Society and cultural pressures coupled with legality. I believe if tomorrow the government made psychedelic use legal we'd have almost an overnight shift like we've seen with marijuana. The same people who I know who used to look down on pot smokers, now have absolutely zero judgment. The law dictates opinion for a large percentage of our society. What is visionary art? Visionary art is a genre of art that hopes to capture the unseen. The art movement 'Surrealism,' dealt with dreams, the subconscious and absurdity. Visionary art takes it a step further, tapping into the places a Shaman goes to in a trance, or a monk during meditation, or the places large doses of psychedelics can take you. What does it mean to be a visionary artist? A Visionary artist is someone who aims to take the experience viewed in altered states of consciousness, and illustrate them so others can have a glimpse into the experience. Have you created “visionary art” yourself and how was that process? A lot of my artwork touches on experiences I've had during meditation and psychedelic experiences I've had. Most however come in an almost trance like state, where I simply show up to the canvas and freestyle out an art piece. Because of my background in psychedelic use and studying the mystical cultures of the world, a lot of symbolism I've mentally acquired comes out of my subconscious and onto the page. My vortex paintings are an abstract version of the energy I've experienced in altered states. I actually had the good fortune of having several talks with Laurence Caruana, the man who coined the phrase "Visionary Art". He told me that every Visionary Artist at one point in their lives has had one similar experience. Some find it through meditation, others yoga, others psychedelic experiences. But it is the knowledge that we are all one, and love is the unifying energy that connects all things. He told me that my vortex paintings expressed that truth. Psychedelics act as tools to operate the mind and brain. To allow one to know thyself. Have there been any lessons that have come to you through a psychedelic experience, that felt as if it was meant specifically for you, as a lesson for change? My experience with psychedelics in the last eight years of my life have been exclusively for therapeutic reasons. Usually large dose experiences, always alone in my home. For the trip sometimes I'll have a direct question I'm looking for insight on, others I'm open to where the trip goes. But I treat my experiences now as almost therapy sessions with my higher self. Psychedelics have a remarkable ability to allow you to look at your problems, behaviour, habits, blocks etc., from an expanded perspective. Almost as if you're there with a close friend who can see you more clear than you can see yourself. I have a book devoted to my trips that outlines epiphanies and realizations I came to during different experiences. For the last two years I've been engaged in talk therapy and when I revisited my trip journal last year, I found that the psychedelics had shown me things I was still unpacking in therapy. That can be the problem sometimes, during the trip you see things more clear, but it's more difficult to implement the teachings in your day to day life. Most schools do not teach young people to think for themselves. Good teachers will encourage the students to teach for oneself. Do you consider psychedelics to be akin to teachers? Short answer, yes. They can seem like teachers, or guru's or sages. They act almost in the same way that contemplation or deep thought can provoke new ways of viewing the world. But further, they allow you to see from an expanded state that your normal waking mind may not be able to see as clearly. Other times, they can give you experiences or information that are clearly not coming from you. Is there any room in our future for psychedelics being implemented in institutions such as universities, mental health hospitals, medical services, etc., for educational/compassion purposes? Last year I went to a lecture at York university outlining a study on micro-dosing and the year before that I went to a talk with medical doctors and therapists discussing the benefits of mushrooms on depression, anxiety, pdsd. To me it's very clear that we're already moving in the direction of seeing psychedelics as the medicine they truly are. “If you want to change culture, you have to change yourself. If you want to change religion, you have to change the media.” – Timothy Leary Do you believe the spirituality derived from psychedelics is an indirect attack or direct competition for religious institutions? I believe (and there is evidence to support these claims) that all religions are predicated on mystical experiences. Psychedelics in many ways are simply the quick way to where years of meditation will bring you, or a near death experience. I think psychedelics could be embraced by religious institutes if our culture didn't demonize their usage and they could come to these experiences with an open mind. There's actually a church that is based in Toronto called "Ceu de Toronto" that is rooted in Christianity but legally uses the psychedelic Ayahuasca in ceremony. There is definitely room for the acceptance of psychedelic use in religion. Is there room for both planes of thought? Of course, everyone is having a different life experience with different requirements for their happiness and evolution. As long as institutions are based on love, community, growth and well being, I am in full support of its existence. Have you ever tried microdosing? I haven't, but I know a few people who have had great experiences. With what psychedelics would you/have you experienced it with? I think a microdose of mushrooms or acid daily for 2-3 weeks could be very interesting. I would be interested to see it's effect on my mood, vitality and negative thought patterns. Do you see a future where micro-dosing becomes commonplace with having a drink? It depends on your understanding of what micro-dosing is. If you're talking about a low level dose of a psychedelic use for recreational use, then I think we're already there. I don't think it's remarkably uncommon to go to a party and find people from time to time having a small dose of a psychedelic use while partying. However my understanding/interest in micro-dosing is more the avenue of the medical community and silicon valley, who are both looking at it as a way to enhance cognitive functioning. Think about micro-dosing more as a short term trial of antidepressant. Individuals are taking small doses, so small you can't feel the effects of a trip on a daily basis, and seeing it's effects on mood, memory recall, alertness and these cognitive avenues. I believe as government restrictions begin to be lifted, and clinical trials can be explored, that micro-dosing has a chance at being a game changer in traditional therapy. What are your thoughts on spiritual bypassing? Spiritual bypassing is a "tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks". I think there is a tendency for people to have a spiritual experience, and as a result believe they have all the answers. It feels commonplace in most things that when someone finds something tha'ts working for them, they act like they've found the answer for everyone else. It's also common for individuals to hold on tightly to their image of self. It's a human trap. Do you believe psychedelics are a one quick-fix solution, or do they rather unravel layers of oneself over time? I believe everyone is different. I dream of a world where psychedelics are administered alongside a therapist/shaman type role that would help you unpack your trips for maximum growth. For some people, there is one large thing from their past that they can't see that is holding them back. For these people one psychedelic experience can act almost as a miracle drug. For others, each experience may help you unpack different parts with deeper clarity, but it's a long journey. I had many experiences when I was younger that gave me absolute clarity to why I was the way I was, however I didn't have the knowledge or insight on how to integrate these revelations. A therapist with an open mind would have been a game changer. Who are some prominent psychonauts that have inspired you along your journey using psychedelics? Terence Mckenna comes to mind immediately, his many lectures that can be found online played a heavy and important role on introducing psychedelics to the masses. The movie "Waking Life" also played a large role on my development. I've watched it over ten times on psychedelics and always come out with something new. Do you recommend any interviews, lectures or books for anyone reading this interview? Anything by Alan watts and Ram Dass, as well as the movie "Waking Life". It explores the idea that life may be a dream, and goes on a series of interviews exploring dreams and consciousness. A must for anyone in this realm of thought.
Luminous Expansion 2018 16 x 20 Acrylic on Canvas
Metamorphosis 2019 4ft x 4ft Mixed media on canvas
Verbal Glitch a personal essay by Gwynne Burns
//the abstractification of I was nine year olds and I'm on the top bunk. I want to be tucked in. My mother comes in and I'm crying endlessly. She asks me "What's wrong?" I am unable to tell her the simple truth. i try spelling out 't-u-c-k' with my my fingers. My mother doesn't understand. My father comes in and I'm crying endlessly. Frustrated, he asks me "What's wrong?" I am unable to tell him the simple truth. I try spelling out 't-u-c-k' with my fingers. My father doesn't understand. I still don't understand why I couldn't tell my parents verbally. //two christmas past The winter holidays are hard on me. My housemates were worried about me because I haven't said more than four words for most of December. I'm in my bed and a memory is playing over and over again. I wrote a song about the blood spilling from a lip onto a floor. I saw and heard a glitch in reality - like a tear in the fabric in the universe. The only time I end up having a conversation I am weeping. //mediocre generica I was in my early twenties at my friends. A friend of a friend is over and I like him. He's into electronic music and had a car. When he talked it was so expressive - the pitch - the inflection. There was a dance party in a tim hortons parking lot. "He wants to suck your dick!" My former best friend was angrily talking to me. It was about how my voice had changed to be likened to the friend I liked. I was scared and hurt. Maybe I should have said to my best friend that I didn't intend to talk like the friend. Maybe I did like him and would suck his dick back. I never had the conversation I really should have had. //they don't get psychosis It was over six years ago. A lot of stuff happened. My former best friend tells me not to alter my voice. His girlfriend tells me I don't have to try to sound intelligent and condescending all the time. My best friend tells me to stop rhyming all my words. The officer asks me if I've been out of the country. The young man says I was on shrooms the other night and it was hilarious. I tell him I wasn't and I am schizoaffective. I was told once that I should stay away from people who are on acid. I'm still inhibited with my speech since so many of my best friend's scoldings. //closing I am in my fifth year of transition and in my sixth recovering from my last major psychosis. I still have trouble and struggle. I still need to heal. Why I couldn't utter a word properly is possibly a range of things. Experiences and individual circumstances that spiralled out in a fractal pattern. Maybe I never learned to communicate without fear and express boundaries without terror. Maybe sometimes I'm expressing symptoms of what is referred to as schizophrenia. I want to tell my parents that the singular they has been in use for more than half a millenium. I want to say I learned it when I used it so dad wouldn't be sexist about a friend I mentioned. I want to tell the truth but it hurts too much. I want to tell my parents that their shelter was ill informed and naive at best. I want to tell my parents I was broken because of their failure. I want to say I don't know if they're to blame. I want to ask my mother about so many things. I want to say I'm sorry and I feel bad. I want to tell my housemates that sometimes I want to run away to Russia - and they'll know what that means. I want to tell them I can be stressed out by any thing - but they'll already know that. I tell my housemates I love them. I want to tell my housemates that I'm a dysfunctional muppet and I try hard to give back to them but sometimes its like when I can't I want to tell my former best friend and friends of the past that I was a fuck up and ran away to Russia because every thing was fucked up - and i had a get a gotta way away from all the bullshit. Funny thing about happenings and reactions and mental illness is some things go hand in hand like cigarettes and alcohol and the ghost hand of the combination.
Power - Kedar Tinaikar
Glitch - Kedar Tinaikar
"THE EXPERIENCE" acrylic on canvas. (on next page) It was painted on stage for a friend's band that is quite psychedelic (indie) rock based. Their music moved my soul the way a good trip often does, eliciting dreamy yet jarring concepts. The painting was not finished on stage though, it took many hours to finish. I finished/worked on it while I was having a mini trip on LSD (detail-oriented work is a little challenging for me on psychedelics), but colour play is so fun to do because the colours become alive, and one can get lost in the process itself. It really encompasses vibe I was going for, magical, activating, and alive with contrast.
KASSANDRA SZMIDT
"OUT OF BODY" (on next page) It was originally drawn in my first year of art college and then edited to make it a digital piece. It's a little hazy, a little messy, but the concept is clear. Just like an out of body experience, it can be weird to see yourself floating above yourself. It is a feeling of both vulnerability and is quite unnerving. It serves as a reminder about the reality that we are all so tethered too. A simple psychedelic trip can open your mind up to the possibilities of existence, to the possibilities of our limited perception.
"OUT OF BODY"
Ebb & Flow a poem by Kassaandra Szmidt
Watching the riptides, as I rip my mind. My perception is skewed amidst the vibrant colours, I feel renewed. The third eye now opened wide It can see that movement resides in all things and thoughts, inanimate or not. Just like the sea, it moves oh so freely it ebbs and flows like the waves it echoes in the salty caves. The energy is there it's clear that really, it's everywhere. Only being seen in a rare moment Once the cloak is removed you can either hide or own it. Once you move past the eyes and the rippled blue skies, The reality that you knew simply dissolving as the truth breaks through.
Let me take you down because we're going to feel and hear colour full of bright sound. Let me take you down while also lifting you up towards the secrets and truth, towards the here and the now let me fill your cup. Let me take you down let's turn life's saturation on high on a warm sunny day the detail of the world, bright while trees dance and sway above and beyond and all that is here Let me take you down, to a place I hold dear.
Strawberry Feels Forever a poem by Kassandra Szmidt
La Nuit de la Ressurection 2019 120 x 80 Acrylic on Cardboard
To me, being an artist comes from a deep-rooted necessity. It’s a natural way to transform your emotions, fears and desires into a concrete object like a painting. It’s the representation of an idea, using a language made up of images – much of it channeled directly from my subconscious, with little in the way of filters. I’ve been making art since I was a child and it’s always been my favorite way to spend my time, to be alone and to be able to visit my inner world. Since arriving in Paris, I’ve started a new series of art works representing pre-adolescent boys – an age when the games and innocence of childhood give way to adult thoughts and concerns. That phase when boys turn into men, between the ages of 10 and 14, is a stage when sexuality is still not fully expressed and when gender is still fairly fluid. My characters are androgynous precisely because I want to represent that sexual duality.
MASSIMILANO ESPOSITO
MASSIMILLANO ESPOSITO
Le Cene de L'Alouette 2017 120 x 80 Acrylic on Cardboard
An Excavation a short story by Katherine Heigh
Maximilian was born in Milan, Italy, on December 17, 1969. He started painting as a child and despite his art school training, he has maintained an instinctive approach to his work, letting his subconscious dictate his subject matter. The recurring figure of a pre-adolescent child, neither male nor female, lends a coherence to this free-form universe. Since moving to Paris, France, in 2012, his work has focused on that unripe phase of human existence when gender is still undefined and sexuality has yet to be expressed. The melancholy and reflective characters he portrays are experiencing the often difficult and painful transition from childhood games and innocence to the first upsets of adolescence and adulthood.
The lighting was too dull and the mirror was too far away. Pushing toothpaste, deodorant, and other sundry toiletries to the side of the counter, the girl hoisted her thighs across the sink, positioning her face a few centimetres from the cloudy mirror. Satisfied with this vantage point, she returned to pressing the small, upraised spot on her chin between the nails of her middle fingers. Navy blue nail polish, once a solid sheen, now clung to her busy fingernails in ragged shreds. She had begun chipping away at each nail with another nail while visiting her boyfriend earlier that evening. She was lucky to have a boyfriend like him because he was a feminist. He never let her forget how feminist he was. Feminism was his favourite topic of discussion, which was helpful because the girl didn’t feel that she herself knew much about it. Though he was only in the second year of his undergrad, he had taken a few Gender Studies courses, most of which, he proudly told her, he had “completely dominated.” She had laughed when he said that, thinking he surely must be making a joke of the “toxic masculinity” he so often derided amongst other men, but his self-satisfied smile had faded at the sound of her laughter. The girl was puzzled, so it was fortunate that her boyfriend took this faux pas as a teachable moment. He explained to her about internalized misogyny, suggesting that it must be the cause of her outburst. She didn’t quite understand how that could be, but she knew she had a lot to learn. She had never been to university. A hard, pale brown, seed-like bit erupted from the spot she had been squeezing. She rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger, focusing on how small and firm it was before flicking it away and returning to her reflection. Her face was a blotchy mess. She had hoped her complexion would improve in the absence of makeup. Since her boyfriend had told her that she was too pretty for makeup she had forgone her usual cosmetic ritual, but her skin looked as oily and imperfect as ever. Hiding her blemishes beneath a layer of foundation had helped her to ignore them and avoid picking at them so often, but now they were all she noticed when she saw herself. Since giving up makeup, her posture had become as slouched as it had been when she had first entered adolescence, and for the same reason: she secretly hoped her hair, draped forward, would hide the imperfections of her face. But it wasn’t only the skin on her face that was misbehaving lately. Sitting at the bus stop with her boyfriend that evening, her hand had brushed a strange eruption on her right knee. She’d quashed the urge to examine it by scraping at her nail polish. A young woman in a flattering sundress sauntered past the couple on her way to her car. Her boyfriend’s eyes followed the woman as he remarked, “Isn’t that great for her? Doesn’t she look great? I love fat-positivity.” “Her?” The girl chewed the last bit of navy blue polish off of her thumbnail. “You think she’s fat? She’s no bigger than I am.” “You know, I think it’s good that you’re willing to go there right now,” her boyfriend’s hand patted her thigh. “I have sensed you have a lot of internalized fat-phobia you need to address.” “But I’m not fat,” she slouched deeper. “Don’t you think it’s time you stopped thinking of ‘fat’ as a bad word?” her boyfriend pressed, his jaw set sternly. The girl pinched the spot on her knee as she drew her shoulders over her breasts. She spoke softly and uncertainly, “I don’t think that it’s bad word. I just don’t think that I’m fat. Do you really think I’m fat?” Her boyfriend’s hand tightened on her thigh, a little more roughly than she would have preferred, and his voice softened, telling her, “I can see this is a triggering topic for you. I’m sorry. We can talk about it when you’re ready.” Then he smiled and kissed her hair. That conversation was looming over her shoulder as she sat on her bathroom countertop examining each of her cavernous pores when she realized she was pinching the spot on her knee again. Now that she was home and by herself, she decided to hop down from the sink and indulge her curiosity about the bump on her knee in the comfort of her bedroom. Grabbing her best pair of tweezers, she flicked off the bathroom light before slipping into her bedroom. The light in her bedroom was brighter than in the bathroom, but the only wall mirror was in the bathroom, so she had to do her facial picking and squeezing next to the toilet. Being able to relax against a pillow while she inspected the bump on her knee both visually and tactilely was a welcome change. Hard as pebble beneath her skin, the thing captivated her. Her nails left deep creases along the edges of the tiny bump, pressing all its mass into the centre until a sharp, stinging sensation shot through the girl’s body and a miniscule white dot shot out of the bump. Pus, typically followed by blood, was the standard substance for the girl to find beneath her skin, so she gently swept the tip of her index finger across the dot of whiteness. But this bit of whiteness did not react to her finger as a bit of pus would. It was not swept away, nor did it cling to her fingertip. It hardly moved, evidently still rooted within the bump. Squeezing more methodically now with her ragged fingernails, the girl pinched the white spot in her best pair of tweezers and slowly pulled. Several times she lost her hold on the thing. She had no idea how long she was absorbed in the task of the white bit’s extraction from the bump. At last, the thing emerged, followed by a satisfying gush of blood. The girl studied her newly excavated treasure, thin, off-white, nearly four centimetres long. It was a worm-like thing, but stiff and inanimate. Running her finger up and down the length of it, she thought it looked like an especially small rolled cigarette, or a tiny pinner joint. The blood dripping from her knee did not cross her mind. She was astonished and disgusted and confused and proud that such a thing had come from beneath her skin. More little rolls emerged from her body over the following days. Deeper and deeper she dug them out, birthing them always in blood spatter and methodical concentration. Somehow, it was only after she had amassed a handful of a collection that she thought to try to dissect one of the objects. Naturally, the dissection was conducted with fingernails and tweezers, and quickly became more properly an unfurling. Her heart echoed in her ears as she picked open the first tiny scroll, pressing it flat against the top of her dresser with delicate firmness. Markings, minute and faint, appeared on the unfurled off-whiteness, markings in the rusty brown of dried blood. Squinting at the wrinkle-edged object, the girl pinched either side of the small scroll between each thumb and forefinger duo, holding it up to her bedside lamp like an arterial red lily petal in sunshine. Words were scrawled across the creamy, creased surface like spider veins. With trembling fingers, she set the flattened roll carelessly back on top of the dresser while plucking another scroll from the row. A flame flicked to life, browning and sizzling the tip of the firm fleshy tube filled with bloody script written with characters both familiar and foreign. With the scroll pressed between her dry cracked lips, she inhaled the bitter realisation that she and her body no longer spoke the same language. Dark and earthy smoke flooded into her mouth and was welcomingly absorbed by her lungs, the bloody words she’d never have burnt into her chest. A shrill buzzing vibrated the girl`s ears, brain, and heart. As she exhaled, the sound shook her so deeply that it took her a moment to discover that it was emanating from the array of small scrolls atop the dresser. Her jagged nails dug into the moistness of her palms. Sharp yet aching, the sound produced such discomfort that she knew immediately that the remaining scrolls must soon be similarly smoked. With each drag, the screeching quieted, leaving the girl`s mind clear with relief yet hazy with grimy smoke. She was certain now. With the serenity of meditation, the girl painted her face. Thick, solidly black kohl lined her bloodshot eyes from her temples to the sides of her nose. Next, she took a cotton swab and filled the holes she had dug into her face not with flesh-coloured foundation, but with the deepest merlot shade of lipstick, accentuating their excavation. The remaining pigment she dabbed into the cracks in her lips before piling her hair in a nest on the tallest point of her skull. She did not flinch as her fist shattered the mirror before her and the various shards bloodied her knuckles. Where the tiny scrolls had lain, there were now hunks of her reflection. These she gathered as gently as a girl gathering a bouquet, sweeping them carefully into her cosmetics purse. She was ready to go out with her boyfriend. She was ready to peel back what was hiding deep inside him. She found him asleep. Despite how late it was, and despite her bizarre appearance, his roommates did not hesitate to allow her entry to their residence. She was his girlfriend; they knew her, they thought. Her boyfriend’s laptop screen glowed bluish white, obscenely bright as a surgical theatre in the dark bedroom. Quiet, cat-like, she crawled onto the bed next to her sleeping boyfriend. Hovering over him, she sniffed. He seemed to be sweating whiskey. This would be easier than she had expected. His cheek was pressed against his pillow, his lips leaking drool. She pressed her knees against his exposed shoulders, forcing his body deeper into the mattress, and forcing out a groan from between his squished lips. At that sound, she clutched a dagger-like shard of glass in her hand, but relaxed her grip when she was satisfied that he was still unconscious. Using her cellphone as flashlight, she closely examined the flesh of his upturned cheek. There was a bump. With fingernails still stained with blood and makeup, she squeezed the bump. A thick string of white pus erupted followed by a gush of blood and a gasping, struggling spasm of movement beneath her knees. Panic burbling in her stomach, she again grasped the mirror shard, and, without a thought, pressed the sharpest point into the centre of the blood and pus, dragging the glass across her boyfriend’s cheek, her knees locked to his shoulders. The man beneath her moaned, but she paid no notice. She was transfixed by a pulsating green vein barely visible within the line she had cut in his face. Squeezing her thighs tighter around his upper body as her knees dug ever deeper into his back, she pulled the cut deeper till she could pinch the dark green vein. As she pinched, she pulled. The vein was not a vein, but a vine. When the girl let go of it, it twitched and spread of its own accord, coiling out of her boyfriend’s flesh like a garden hose suddenly flooded with water. At the top of the vine was a jug-shaped bulb, beckoning with plump, lip-like edges. The girl thrust her mirror shard before her, hoping to threaten the hideous plant, but the head shakily lowered toward her on its pulsating stem. The girl could see the bulb now, see that its edges were lips for a mouth that held dozens of unfurled scrolls, scrolls with words she could read. Flies, black and buzzing, dotted the inside of the of jug-like bloom as well, some struggling to move, others resigned to their fate. Or perhaps they had already died of starvation. Beneath her boyfriend’s skin, she now understood, was a carnivorous plant. It patiently waited, open and transparent, to be filled with smaller, more lively creatures, which would then be held fast by its adhesive insides as the plant gradually closed around them, being slowly crushed and consumed in a grotesque un-birth. The man in the bed scratched at his cheek, his eyes half-lidded. The girl on the bed jammed her mirror shard dagger into the mouth of the plant hard as she could. “What the hell are you doing here?” the man asked, his voice gravelly. “I was just leaving.”
The Magic Of The Universe
ELLA MAZUR
Freelance Artist, Illustrator, and Graphic Designer at ECMazur Art based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Moonlight Bather
When I was growing up, I was dissociated. I had no relation to my external space, I was blocked into the internal. I was obsessed with outer space and music, with abstract things that bore no relation to reality. When I found Kid Cudi, I felt like I’d found the only person who ever understood me. The trippy vibes on his Man on the Moon album were synchronistic and left a deep imprint on my psyche. It was the first time someone’s lyrics, music videos, production, and cover art came together to express how my soul existed. How it felt to be an alien among humans. To feel invisible but conspicuous. Out of this world but so down to earth. Travi$ Scott was the same. When I saw the trailer, ‘Stargazing’ to his new album ‘Astroworld’, I thought of the Upside Down in Stranger Things. ‘Psychedelics got me goin’ crazy’, he says pretty much straight away so we know he’s reporting from a dimension above this one. When Ab-Soul released ‘Pineal Gland’, people thought he was talking about activation of the third eye with the use of hallucinogens, but he was talking about REM sleep and lucid dreams. Cudi is more about marijuana and hallucinogens though, ‘I tried to piece the puzzle of the Universe, split an eighth of shrooms just so I could see the Universe’. But DMT is stored within our bodies and can be released in multiple ways. There’s a natural predisposition to the psychedelic experience when we sleep, and I feel it’s this that is activated when we are dissociated or escape in flight from the real world too. Part of us behaves unconsciously. Living from that spaces of unconsciousness we are in the deep waters of uncontrolled and uncontrollable psychic matter. We say we are ‘spaced out’ because somehow our feet aren’t on the ground anymore. Life gets trippy really quick. Yes, trauma is probably the cause of it. But there are lots of opinion pieces about the tragedy of things that shouldn’t have happened. (And they really shouldn’t have). In my life, certain things did. I was more terrified by my reaction and loss of normality along with them. But 20 years after my first feeling of being asleep while awake as a child, I can see the special beauty in the way my perception changed to save me. I started to see through things, I started to feel things were not real. The feeling stayed, and stays with me to this day in part, but no longer in a disorienting way. Now it feels, like being grounded in a sense of the unreality of both chaos and order, the only True thing. In other words, life does feel fleeting and ethereal, and it moves me to grab on to it harder. I want to catch the wave and ride it. Raging into the dying of the light. Cudi rapped about mental illness, marijuana, and therapy (‘my shrink don’t think that helps at all – whatever'). His music shared a profound sense of isolation, alienation, and constriction. Life is tightened in depression, it warps your sense of the world around you, like those funhouse mirrors. No psychedelics needed. When you are in the dark you start to see shapes where there aren’t any. You see things move that are static, your mind plays tricks on you. He says ‘I wear my shades at night so I can see the abyss, I see something in nothingness’. Not to mention the refrain to MANIAC; ‘paint the black hole blacker, I love the dark, maybe I can make it darker, gimme a marker’. In alienation, you misjudge things, random bits of life start becoming extremely important. I remember crying my eyes out when I accidentally cut a spider’s leg off while opening a door. I remember looking at a blade of grass and feeling like a giant. My senses sharpened and the fight between my internal and external space stopped. My ego wasn’t fighting to contain it anymore. There is a religious element to this too. There is an overlap between spiritual, religious, and ecstatic experiences, mental health breakthroughs, and psychedelics. Both fields constellate unconscious elements in symbols and imagery that feel extremely real to us. It was why Jung said he believed in UFOs. He believed in them to the extent that what we see in the world around us is a reflection of our inner landscape. Some of the Sufis say this too, that we are living in a dream, and that the dream is the imagination of God, and we are figments of His imagination. Life is the play of His imagination in perpetuity until an End. I experienced religion primarily through a psychedelic lens, initially. First, I had a consciousness that this was all a dream, and the striving for union with the Oneness came after. Kid Cudi talks about God a lot. ‘Your Glory is blinding’, he says in Releaser. I related. The thinning of perception led to a bedazzlement that culminated in a shutdown. But, the movement of Soul continued through it. The point of all this is to say that psychedelic experiences aren’t limited to the realm of clubs, LSD trips, and ayahuasca on tours in the Americas. We can experience them when we feel that the veil of reality lifts slightly, seemingly disparate ideas connect, dreams happen. Symbols of the unconscious appear externally, synchronicities take place and your grip on reality loosens a little.
Stargazing - How Kid Cudi Took Me to Another Dimension/Sky Might Fall personal essay by Maira Butt
IMASHA PERERA
My work is related to my lived experience as an immigrant and as a woman of colour. My latest artwork relates to my experience of love. It is an ode to love of all forms starting with self love. The image of a forest represents growth in an individual. The idea is that confronting inner turmoil is like planting seeds which lead to personal growth, just as seedlings grow into a forest. My second piece is about the beauty of lgbtq+ love. It is about recognizing that this kind of love is forced to be hidden. We as a society must dismantle the barriers so that the beauty of this love can be shown just as in my artwork. I usually work with various mediums such as pastel, charcoal, watercolour, and acrylics. However, I have recently dived into digital painting which is evident in my most recent work.
FOREST
PRIDE
Brecht Lanfossi
To describe my work or make an artist statement, it's best to start by quoting two men: “In the future, humans will be able to simulate entire universes quite easily. And given the vastness of time ahead, the number of these simulations is likely to be huge. So if you ask the question: ‘Do we live in the one reality or in one of the many simulations?’, the answer, statistically speaking, is that we're more likely to be living in a simulation.” – Silas Beane “Our brain simulates reality. So our everyday experiences are a form of dreaming, which is to say, they are mental models, simulations, not the things they appear to be.” – Stephen Laberge One could argue that what Beane says is nothing new. Artists are already simulating universes for their viewers in a seemingly effortless way. Because of the immense range of works and styles in art, the number of simulations is already large. An artist offers viewers the opportunity to live in this variety of simulations for a while. And Laberge states that things are not what they seem to be, which can be traced back to every artist’s work. In their own context, artists let viewers experience this noble fact. While creating my artwork, I always keep the ideas from these quotes in my mind, hoping to share them with any potential viewer.
"CALCINATION"
Brecht Lanfossi (alter ego: nozem) is a Belgian surrealist collagist/digital painter inspired by dream-like and psychotic consciousness free of reason and convention. He is a Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK Ghent) drop out who never gave up the idea of making some “art” one day. A way to interpret Lanfossi's work is to consider each work as a scene in a sort of vague state of mental functioning where symbolism dominates the whole experience itself. On the other hand he believes that it would be complete nonsense trying to answer the conundrum concerning his aesthetic creations. He also doesn't like to use the word “art” for his works because of the grotesque sounding connotation it carries with it. For the artist himself doing what he does is just one of the many existing desperate ways of escaping the global enslaved mind we are all currently living in. He thinks doing that sounds a lot better than the superficial, rat race driven, chaos that has become our norm.
"IRIDESCENT"
She prefers the self-checkout because she doesn’t want to talk to you. Nor does she want you to see what she’s buying. At a traditional checkout, she is forever embarrassed by her purchases—sprawled on the conveyor like so many fat, unruly children screaming for attention. Certainly the cashier and the line behind her are judging these unsightly morsels and—by extension—her. Then, of course—mortifyingly—her disappointing life choices crowd into the hands of the bagger, who further handles (and no doubt judges) them before tucking the shameful items away from the world and into bags, which are finally—mercifully—thrust at her. Self-checkouts, on the other hand, are insular, without mess. She wishes there were self-checkouts for all manner of things in life. Sometimes, on her way to the store, she worries what the employees must think of her coming so often. Is she flattering herself, or do they notice what she hastily buys—always the same items—at least four times a week, and more when it gets really bad? She’s embarrassed by her basket and the fact that she’s probably too fat to be reasonably buying all the things in it. She prefers a basket because it’s more discreet than a cart and also more aerodynamic (in and out ASAP), but she knows that everyone knows that a person who grocery shops with only a basket is a person who’s buying for one and eating alone. All true in her case, except she’s eating for three (or four or five or perhaps a moderately-sized army), and she’s certain everyone knows this as well. She makes a beeline for the middle aisles where they keep the good stuff, the stuff that kills. A girl on a mission, she grabs all her favorites. She knows the exact layout and the location of everything she wants. Item after item, her body gets heavier with the weight of the basket and other things she carries but can’t see. No longer does she feel in control of her body—or even in her body at all (she hasn’t for quite some time). Instead, she is watching somewhere at a far, safe distance, as the body is pushed along by an unseen, ravenous hand that leads her in this same dance of death at least four times a week, and even more often when it gets really bad. She doesn’t want to do it, she wishes she could stop, and yet, she is thrilled by it. Like a good little addict, she can’t wait to get a taste. She fills her basket, imagining all the flavors filling her mouth and then, her stomach, and very soon after—much too soon after—her anus. This is what she does: she will fill herself to bursting and then violently purge herself to empty where she will remain for a few days if she can manage—starving herself—until the vacantness gets to be too much, and that’s when she’ll find the body back in the store, basket in hand, beginning again. This is how she exists: one extreme, then the other, she knows no in between. Tomorrow will be different, she tells herself, but today, this is what the addict ordered: Pepperidge Farm cookies, Cool Ranch Doritos, Ben & Jerry’s (and a couple of their friends), pepperoni pieces, sliced Swiss cheeses, rainbow sprinkles with peanut butter (her favorite combination). And the cherry on top is a box or two of extra-strength (store-brand) laxatives, little blue pills she will pop from their foil, into her mouth, one by one, eating them all, one box and then the other, gone in one sitting, on a toilet in a bathroom stall in a deserted building on campus. There’s a line at the self-checkout. A smiling clerk waves to help her at register two, but no thank you, she’s fine, she’ll wait. And in the stillness of the waiting, the small voice that tells her maybe-just-maybe today she’ll set that heavy basket down and walk out of the store forever (or at least for now). Surely the employees will notice, will think she’s rude for wasting all that food, for not putting it all back where she found it, but wouldn’t it feel good—wouldn’t it feel so good—to just walk out into that San Francisco sunset for an appropriately-paced, normal-sized dinner at some place where other people are? For a moment, she even has herself fooled, thinking she just might do it this time, might actually be strong enough to set down this load of everything she wants and nothing she needs. But then, of course, she remembers that she no longer remembers what it is to eat normally or appropriately-paced, how to stop when you’re comfortably full—what it even feels like to be comfortably full—to not wash everything down with an entire box or two of laxatives. From that faraway place, she watches her body clutch the basket closer to the belly now—good girl, hide that ugly paunch—and then it’s her turn for the self-checkout, which beeps at her loudly (but, thank heavens, doesn’t small talk), and next thing you know, she’s got her plans for the evening—all tucked away in two bulging bags which she will carry—one in each fist—to her dependable campus bathroom with rows of empty stalls, one of which has her name on it. The same place she always goes—four times a week, and more when it gets really bad. Tomorrow, she whispers, as she watches her body rush out into the night, toppling under the weight of her bags and all things. Tomorrow is a new day. She envisions herself skinny, good, in control, and comfortably full, or—better still—completely empty. Tonight, then, will be her last hurrah. The last first hurrah. Or the first of many. Either way. It’s all the same. In one end and out the other. In one ear and out the other. But she keeps on promising tomorrow, bingeing on tomorrows, as she falls back into her body and the wintry night air that bites but will not swallow her.
It Gets creative non-fiction by Natalie Beisner
Existential Depth a poem by Nhylar Tahktanii
JASMIN PANNU
do you ever question your existence do you ever question the very essence of your being do you ever wonder who you are sans your beliefs, values and faith do you ever wonder how much of you is a result of conditioning and how much of you is your true self, do you ever wonder at what point in your life you stopped being curious and started valuing experience do you ever think about who you would be without your likes, dislikes and material possessions upon reflection, you realize you're simply a result of your own perception you spent your life seeking direction and perfection so here's an existential suggestion, a shortcut to ascension, Oh celestial being, you better believe: 'what you seek is seeking you'
Jasmin Pannu is a multi-disciplinary artist with 80+ murals in the Toronto area, three art collections and a practice that includes painting, installation and digital art. Jasmin’s art practice, though diverse in medium and subject matter, is connected by a central philosophy; to challenge, to create, to transform. Jasmin Pannu is also known to use colour psychology while designing her murals and public artworks. Jasmin’s murals have appeared on national and international news outlets such as CBC Arts, Breakfast Television, The Guardian and Huffington Post Arts. Jasmin has also had the prestigious honours of having her art exhibited at a few of the largest North American galleries such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum.
"SEE THE WORLD" 36" diameter acrylic on re-purposed cardboard
'See the World' is about the parallels between the human experience and nature at large. As we've evolved and grown as humans, we seem to have created boundaries and barriers that stop us from seeing how ingrained we really are in the natural order. 'See the World' provokes us to lift that veil of disconnection.
"SPIRIT ANIMAL" 24x36" ink and acrylic on canvas 'Spirit Animal' depicts the oneness of all energy. We embody various states through our lives, from drawing on the strength or courage found in the natural world to choosing to be 'in flow' like water. This energy connects us through our natural environment and all other beings. 'Spirit Animal' is to be deliberate about which energies we call upon.
The Death of Aldous Huxley a poem by Thomas Hannah
what if a trip led to, a performance in your head, oscillating between: the omnipresent antagonist- thy ego the tardy protagonist- thy soul, time is an illusion but with each passing minute the peripheries between the two becoming crisper and sharper, ending with the ultimate souvenir: a truth that can set you free, what if I told you-darling, it can be as simple as knowing the stark difference between the two end
Ode To An Acid Trip a poem by Nhylar Tahktanii
Aldous Huxley died at 5:20pm on the 22ndof November 1963 full of his mothers cancer his brothers suicide & 200micrograms of lysergic acid diethylamide blinded by infection & the ever changing apocalypse awoken with a hingeless vase of flowers spat into the inner stratosphere a physconaut orbiting the cranium taken to the chasm of non existent existence from the wild calm of existent non existing to the edge & over through the unknown door always opened with a sore throat & tired eyes seeing & speaking infinity Aldous Huxley's body died at 5:20pm on the 22ndof November 1963 blown away by the sharp kiss of a young syringe
My experience with psychedelics is one riddled with imposter syndrome. My first time was with Salvia, purchased from a convenience store with a friend. I was 18. And, at 18, I didn’t have many life experiences to hold its weight to gold. But I had impulse, and enough cash on me to buy drugs some for a good night, and in my naivety I just thought it was akin to a marijuana high. It was not. And what followed the initial ingestion was a wild ride that has still not left my mind. I go back in times of fleeting apathy, to remember a state where I was completely, and utterly free… if only for a moment. I became a bird, what felt like an eagle, flying… soaring high above the Serengeti. A sudden sense of urgency was felt beneath me. There was a terrifying rumble, and what appeared below was a furious swarm of wild animals, galloping towards… something. I could only see them running, I never looked to see what they were running towards or running from. But they were wild. A characteristic I wished myself to have. And what sprung from the heartbreaking longing to break free from some sort of shell I had made for myself, came a voice. “You are very boring.” What? “You need to lighten up” Whose speaking? “This path is doing you no good! Think for yourself. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Break free.” What is that? And the animals turned to black. And I found myself awake on my bed, feeling sore and bruised, like I was waking up from surgery. But instead I did some of my own digging. A surgical-precise incision into my psyche. I’m sure you thought I would have listened to whatever was speaking to me that day, but lessons found are usually more apt to stick when they have relevant context surrounding it. Coping mechanisms… education not yet sought after… but in time… in time the puzzle comes together. And I’m still waiting for that day.
I Still Go Back To That Place prose by Adriana Green
"TALKING HEAD"
SARAH REESE
These are digital photos I took, and then I used Photoshop and Lightroom until I felt they represented the theme of the issue with intriguing, bright, and unexpected colours. Please note that the only digital enhancement or manipulation of these photos was adjusting the exposure, saturation, vibrance, and colour hues.
"BRAINWAVE" SERIES
ELIZABETH ADAN
"STRAWBERRY MUSHROOMS"
"PLANET GAZING"
"NEW MOONS"
Cavemen & Child a poem by Elizabeth Adan
"MULTIVERSE"
I’m living in between these regular seconds beautiful smoke swirls escaping from me I let them go let the other things go, too I see the universe in everything I see the universe in me caveman god it’s in how we communicate with each other what we need and who we are some of the sounds are sharp don’t give up just snapped into another plane in this holographic reality welcome these new vibes and get to know them all ofthese greater dancers and shepherds work in unison to guide us their message is music every experience is tied to the earliest anchor caveman and child speaking in unison thesearenature gods and I just live here
ASTROLOGY with LEANNE
New Moon in Cancer July 20th at 1:32pm EST This is a rare occasion, it’s a double New Moon! This upcoming New Moon is in the same zodiac sign as the last New Moon on June 21st. The upcoming New Moon is at 1:32pm EST in Cancer and just a few hours later at 4:16pm EST the Moon will move into Leo. The Intentions we set back on New Moon Solar eclipse on June 21stmay take a bit longer to manifest – around 6-8 months. Whereas this upcoming New Moon isn’t an Eclipse, meaning we should be able to see the intentions we set with this moon phase manifest a lot quicker. It’s an excellent time to revisit and reflect on the intentions you set during the last New Moon in Cancer. Can you break them down into smaller, more achievable goals or steps? Say last New Moon you set the intention to find a loving relationship, if it has not yet manifested, break it down into something along the lines of “I will consciously work on removing and cleansing any stagnant or karmic energy that is blocking me from manifesting the relationship I desire”. The Cancer energy brings a very comforting and nourishing energy and allows you to slow down and take the time to integrate and create. The New Moon represents fresh starts, a new beginning, and new intentions. At this phase you want to clear yourself of any thoughts, habits and energies that are holding you down. Remove yourself from all those bad vibes and toxic environments. You want to clear and cleanse all aspects of your self and environment so you can fully create a fresh start for yourself. The New Moon is when you create your intentions. I highly recommend you meditate or journal to clear your mind and find clarity on your intentions. Setting intentions is like making wishes, declaring what it is you genuinely want to bring into your life. It’s a magical time of believing in your dreams and fully feeling and believing that you will achieve them. With the Cancer influence there will be a strong focus on restructuring our foundations and values, as well as emotional healing. Its an amazing time to declutter, whether that be within your home, your devices, or even the people in your life. Redecorate, get rid of old clothes, back up your devices and begin to create a sacred space where you can unwind, recharge and ground yourself. It’s a time to really cleanse and let go of old habits, cycles, patterns and emotions that no longer serve our higher selves. Cancer guides us into the realm of our feelings and deep inner world – asking us to go to the core, to find the root cause and to heal it. I’ve personally been hearing this a lot: we’re constantly just putting on a temporary band aid, and its time we actually heal the wounds. There may be a lot of solar plexus cleansing and healing needed at this time, meaning a lot of us are working on our confidence, our inner strength, our willpower and reclaiming our power. It’s really a time to connect with your emotions, your inner feelings and your intuition. Remember most of the answers you seek come from within. Cancer rules emotions and the subconscious mind so a lot of us may also highly benefit from diving deep into our subconscious mind, going back to our childhood, reviewing the repetitive cycles and finding the core issues, wounds or traumas that are still projecting onto your current situation. A time of clearing karmic cycles, healing inner child wounds, releasing negative patterns, and emotional blockages. To then create new intentions that align with this new way of living you seek to create. Cancer also rules the 4thhouse which is all about family and home life. If you’ve been fighting with a loved one, it’s a great time for forgiveness and developing your empathy for others. An excellent time for letting go of any grudges, jealousy or resentment. As cancer is a water sign, its influence will have us feeling a lot more sensitive and emotional, an opportunity to finally sit down with all the emotions you’ve been bottling up and supressing. The healing potential is extremely high, remember when you heal, you’re transforming and evolving. It’s a difficult process but the outcome is a beautiful feeling of freedom and a fresh start. Giving you the opportunity to reshape and to create all that you desire. With the watery cancer energy, before you set your intentions or the night before the New Moon, I highly recommend taking a sacred shower or bath – add your favourite essential oil, herbs. candles and crystals. This won’t just be a regular-degular shower, it’s a deep emotional and energetic cleanse. While you stand under the shower head or sit in your bath, begin to think of all the emotions you seek to free yourself from, now feel the water not only cleansing your physical body but your emotional and spiritual body as well. Feel and envision the water washing away all your stagnant emotions, all your wounded energies, and all that is no longer serving you. Taking deep, yet slow breaths during this really helps you to deeply feel everything being released and cleansed. Inhale the good, exhale the bad. There is an abundance of shower/bath meditations on Youtube that you could also incorporate into your Sacred cleanse. Crystals to use with the New Moon in Cancer: ·Moonstone – Such an amazing crystal for healing, assists with emotional stability and stress. It also enhances your intuition and inspiration which will be super helpful for setting intentions ·Selenite – A great crystal to really give you that deep cleanse for your fresh start. It helps bring a sense of clarity, calmness, and deep inner peace ·Celestite – its calming blue colour, is really soothing and nourishing to the eye on its own. I always refer to this crystal as the spiritual detox. It really helps to balance and cleanse the third eye, throat and crown chakras. ·Labradorite – The perfect stone while doing any past life/karmic energy clearing. As it’s a crystal of transformation and really helps you to release blockages. It balances and protects the aura as well as helps one to raise their consciousness. The New Moon is a time to set your intentions for this New cycle, ask yourself, what do you desire? There are so many different Intention setting rituals that you can do, here is one of my favourites: New Moon in Cancer Ritual What you will need: ·A piece of paper ·Pen ·Candle ·Crystals (optional) The Ritual: ·When you feel clear on your intentions, write them down on a piece of paper or if you prefer drawing, you can draw your intentions. ·While doing this you want to carry a deep feeling of excitement and belief that it will happen. ·Fold up the piece of paper and place it under your candle, if you chose to use crystals you may place these crystals around the candle however you like. ·Then light the candle and you may let it burn for 30 minutes or however long feels right. I like to think of the burning time as the brewing time for my intentions. ·It’s extra magical to watch the candle burn for some time while you continue to visualize your intentions coming to fruition. ·When you feel ready, blow out the candle, as you do this feel your intention being sent into the universe. Feel the excitement, your request has been heard! ·Now for the next 15 days up until the Full Moon you should remain patient and trusting that your intention is coming. As well begin to take your ideas and turn them into supporting actions of your intentions. I’m a huge lover of candle magick so I’ve shared two different spells you may perform during the New Moon. Although, I do recommend doing some research on candle magick before performing the spell. I chose the following two spells as they really align with the Cancer energies and the energies we’re going through as a collective. Spell for Emotional Purging & Healing You will need: a Candle (you may use any colour – I suggest Blue or White for this specific ritual). ·You can use a piece of paper if you wish or you can say what you wish aloud. The Spell: ·Call upon Artemis, Aceso or your deity of choice and ask for her guidance and healing energy. ·I highly recommend placing crystals, herbs or flowers around the candles as offerings for the goddess. ·If you chose to use a piece of paper you may write down the following and place it under the candle OR you may say the following aloud: “Artemis/Aceso thank you for your presence. I seek your help at this time. Please help me to release my negative emotions and all that is no longer serving my highest good, as this candle burns, my emotions shall burn with it.” ·You may also ask the Goddess to help cleanse you of this energy and help guide you toward the emotions you want to feel. ·Continue to watch the flame and candle burn, it will help to activate your third eye chakra. As you watch the candle get smaller and smaller, feel the emotions within you getting smaller and smaller. ·Finish the with a prayer if you wish and/or “So Be it and So it is.” Spell for Past life & Karmic cycle clearing You will need: a Candle (you may use any colour – I suggest Purple or Black for this specific ritual). ·You can use a piece of paper if you wish or you can say what you wish aloud. The Spell: ·Call upon Hecate or your deity of choice and ask for her to join you in this process of clearing your past life and karmic energy. ·I highly recommend placing crystals, herbs or flowers around the candles as offerings for the goddess. ·If you chose to use a piece of paper you may write down the following and place it under the candle OR you may say the following aloud: “Hecate, Thank you for your presence. I seek your help at this time, Please help me to release and clear my energetic field from my past life wounds. Help me to break the karmic cycles attached to me. I seek to claim my freedom.” ·Continue to watch the flame and candle burn, it will help to activate your third eye chakra. Visualize all your fears, doubts, past life energy, inner child wounds, karmic cycles being burned and banished with the flame. ·This spell is designed to help you clear and banish any old energies that are no longer serving you and your new cycle. Please note you still need to make a conscious and consistent effort moving forward to fully move away from these old, stagnant energies. ·Finish the with a prayer if you wish and/or “So Be it and So it is.”
@GlowWithLeanne
Horoscopes for the New Moon in Cancer Intuitively channelled guided messages for each zodiac sign. I pulled a tarot card for each zodiac sign as well. Aries You got 3 of Pentacles! You’re feeling super fired up, you’re manifesting things quickly Aries. Remaining patient andgrounded at this time will be highly beneficial for you. Your main focus right now will be creating harmony in your life and deeper connections. Find ways to express your creative energy, and make sure you’re not being so serious all the time, release that inner child! Taurus You got 5 of Swords! You may really be facing some challenges or conflicts at this time. You need to step away from the need to always win and must understand sometimes you need to lose in order to learn. You may be feeling defeated or like a failure but there is a lesson to be learned. Much growth and transformation is coming for you Taurus, be open to it! Gemini You got The High priestess! Gemini I feel you’re really stepping into your power. A strong energy of gathering your power and wisdom. You may really be tapping into higher learning and wisdom, you may be stepping into a leadership/mentor role or you may highly benefit by reaching out to a mentor and exposing yourself to new wisdom and experiences. Cancer You got Strength! You’re developing your inner strength right now, powerfully working through your challenges and obstacles. You really feel at home with this New Moon, you’re empowered and motivated to tackle anything that gets thrown at you. You’re really gaining clarity on your purpose and mission at this time. Leo You got Judgement! Oh Leo, its time to be nicer to yourself and others. Let go of your judgments. Stop being hard on yourself and so negative. You deserve ALL that the universe has to offer. Stop doubting yourself. There is a strong energy of working on self-worth and self-love. Use your superpowers of seeing the beauty and abundance in everything to create more freedom of judgement. Virgo You got the Page of Pentacles! Your money manifesting energy is strong Virgo! This New Moon presents you with the opportunity to really develop your money mindset, shifting from scarcity to abundance. Financial opportunities will soon flow to you, especially once you allow and welcome the energy to flow and release/cleanse any blockages & limiting beliefs. Libra You got The Emperor! Libras, you’re really restructuring and rebuilding your foundations and values at this time. Really releasing and leaving behind all that no longer serves you, congrats Libra! You’re creating a space that encourages efficiency, prosperity and stability. Start making more decisions for the greatest good, with intentions to benefit as many as possible. Scorpio You got The Sun! I feel you’re really embracing your masculine energies right now. You may have been in a darker place these past few weeks but know much joy and happiness is coming, especially after all the healing and soul work you’ve been doing. Allow optimism and joy to flow through you and enjoy the present moment. Sagittarius You got the Knight of Wands! You’re really embracing your fiery energy right now. Feeling very inspired and passionate and ready to take action. You’re very firm on what it is you want. You’re fueled up and ready to go! This is a sign that you should go for it, stop doubting or fearing that it may be a failure. Believe and it shall be yours! Capricorn You got The Empress! You’re really tapping into your feminine essence. Take some time to really ground your energies, get out in nature. These past few weeks you may have been feeling very disconnected from Source/God, it’s time to reconnect – simply start by putting your feet in the grass/dirt and connect with Mother earth. It’s a time to connect back to your core and heart centre. Aquarius You got the 6 of Pentacles! You’re really working on developing a balance of giving and receiving – this most likely relates to your family or loved ones. You may be a little too generous or not generous enough and it’s time to establish healthier boundaries and move away from any people pleasing tendencies! There may be some anxiety or tension right now and you must bring some grounding exercises into your routine, Work on clearing any blockages and allow yourself to be open and ready to receive. Pisces You got the Ace of Pentacles! This New Moon is bringing you a new opportunity for prosperity and abundance. Your manifesting energy is really strong, if you’ve been really wanting a specific job or an increase of financial flow, know it is coming. Continue to show gratitude and work on appreciating the abundance, and soon what you desire will manifest! Sub-headings Sub-headings
CONTRIBUTOR LINKS
The Creator: Leanne Vanderham I’m an Astrologer, Card Reader, Energy worker and Spiritual Mentor. Consciously connected to the cosmos, a little obsessed with collecting crystals and manifesting with the moon phases. @glowwithleanne www.glowwiththecosmos.com
Robert W. Monk Twitter:@RobertWMonk IG:@RobertWMonk77 Tyree Storey IG:@Atari_Poetry Nhylar Tahktanii IG:@ShutUpItDoesntMatter Jiby Varghese IG:@Psydrome Gwynne Burns IG:@Gwynception Susana Mulas Lastra www.susanamulaslastra.nl IG:@SusanaMulasLastra Kathleen Day IG:@Artist.KatDay @TheCourrier thecourrier.weebly.com Leigha Stiles IG:@ArtByStiles stylebystiles.com James Flux IG:@JamesFluxArtist Kedar Tinaikar IG: @KedarTinaikar Kassandra Szmidt IG:@ArtByAlienGirl @Soul_Spew Massimilliano Esposito IG:@MaxArtForever bougiegallery.com/ maximilian maxartparis.wixsite.com/ maximilian Ella Mazur ecmazur.com IG:@ecmazurart FB: @ecmazurart Katherine Heigh IG:@PukeButt Imasha Perera IG:@Oshi_The_Artist Jasmin Pannu jasminpannu.com IG:@JasminPannu Thomas Hannah IG:@BrokeSellOut Sarah Reese IG:@PhotosReese Maira Butt IG:@Writuale TikTok:@Writuale Twitter:@Writuale/@ItsMairaB Natalie Beisner IG:@NatalieJeanBeisner FB:@NatalieJeanBeisner thisisnotalie.com Leanne Vanderham IG:@GlowWithLeanne glowwiththecosmos.com Elizabeth Adan IG:@EdgeOfElizabeth Brecht Lanfossi IG:@Nozem.Art artstaion.com/nozem.art beeld.be/kunstenaars/brecht-lanfossi Adriana Green IG:@definitelyadriana @beginnersmindart.photo @adriana.marie.poetry
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