6 Upheaval U
"We need creativity in order to break free from the temporary structures that have been set up by a particular sequence of experience." Edward de Bono
KEY WORDS
Eruption
Freedom
Release
Revolution
Redefine
Transformation
VIDEO
MEANING
The Jinn who is trapped in a bottle has powers and limits. Any of us can be enslaved by unchecked assumptions, or held-back by old ways of doing things or being. Sometimes change will involve challenging very fundamental assumptions about the world around us. Once we break those, there may be no going back, but we will be free. There is never a perfect time for change, and we can't always choose the timing. Accept change as constant.
When something is taken from us, something else is given to us. When all that we have is taken from us, we have nothing left to lose. Connection with others in times of upheaval is like pouring oil on troubled waters. Building bridges and going through changes together has a calming effect on difficult times. Reach out to form a network. Share the highs and lows with others. The more perspectives we connect with, the stronger we become.
OBJECTS
Bee (Air) In order to fly, you must break free of the things weighing you down.
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Key (Earth) You have the key to unlock your own powers, and travel between present, past, and future.
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Bat (Dark) Bats perceive things that others cannot see. Redefine. Release the old, welcome the new.
Spider (Dark) Spiders recycle broken webs to weave anew. Use old negatives to build new positives.
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Lightning (Fire) Be resilient to sudden changes. Focus on the big picture.
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Cup (Water) Somewhere amongst the chaos is your grail - bringing youth, happiness, and life.
THE MAGIC SEAL
THE ART
This was one of the most difficult cards to draw, even if the idea was easy: I wanted to show the moment when the Genie (Jinn) breaks free from jail, from the lamp, loosing powers but obtaining freedom!
As soon as I started drawing it, I realized that all the lamps and bottles I sketched were looking somehow wrong... Thus I spend time on historical research and I finally stumbled upon something perfect I had bought long ago: a Moroccan perfume bottle. It is a small glass vessel, very delicate, with a long elegant neck and elaborate geometric decorations in silver filigree.
AUGMENTED REALITY
The video is an explosion of joy! The Jinn is free, fireworks and sparkles of magic are everywhere. It is a celebration: the Genie is no more, transformed into a human being - now with no super powers, but finally free to live life!
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THE MUSE
When we were picturing how the Genie would stylishly explode into the card, we knew we wanted an artist whose work explodes assumptions with warmth, humour, charm, style and pizazz, so we immediately contacted the original "Rhinestone King" Mark Anthony!
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Mark Anthony is a multi-talented award-winning Drag King and Boylesque performer. Drag Kings create work that explores and challenges assumptions about gender roles in society, inviting us to challenge our own understanding of what masculinity and femininity really mean, and to examine the different ways society sees all of us. In some way we are all defined different labels and we all find ourselves categorised, and it's sometimes helpful to rewrite the rules! Boylesque (from the words Boy and Burlesque) is a performance art that is a dialogue between ideas of gender and the art of performance satire (which often involves an element of striptease - the revealing of something hidden). What better metaphor for this Genie exploding out of the bottle than a Boylesque star emerging onto the stage!
Click here for: More information about Mark Anthony
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THE MUSIC
Nature is full of powerful sights and sounds of upheaval. Dramatic changes happen all around us every day. Listen closely and you can hear a recording of Mount Yasur volcano erupting, spewing molten rock. This blends with upbeat rock and electric guitars. Rock music evolved from blues and jazz and folk music from around the world and supercharged it to unleash a new sound that changed the landscape of music forever. Animals can sense a volcanic eruption or a tsunami long before it happens. The future is already all around us if we know where to look. Change is coming, get ready!
LINKS TO GO DEEPER
Heraclitus created all of his wonderful philosophy around the concept of change. Click here to read more.
Check out the documentary "marks" - following a drag king’s journey to find their gender identity. "marks" on Indiegogo