Visiting George
Visiting George A., also known as Stormy, in the hospital. Listless, wasting away, he lies in the bed all day. Does nothing. Looks out the window. He's glad of the visit, of gifts, of company but only briefly, after his cigarette he's done. The nurses say physically he's fine, but - no. No one is fine lying in bed 24 hours a day.
These are his latest scrolls.
"Cave home fur nurses..."
He's stopped calling himself Stormy, it's now "George", as if his life on was his stage and having left the stage he's free (or forced) to use his real name. But these are small, amusing, and producing 3 in 3 days where he used to produce dozens a day - while out and active, well, every sign is bad. The extended care home for him, I'm not betting he'll make it. He's not even trying.
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Baron Samedi
Found his name in the book of Tarot I'm reading and I was a little intrigued.
Of course, you remember him from "Live and Let Die" - probably the most remarkable thing about the film, but he's an interesting part of Haitian folklore/religion/culture.
He's death come calling in a top hat, tails, and sunglasses. He favors rum and cigars. I mean, how can he not be intriguing? And how is he not a spokeperson for Haitian Rum or Cigars?
Wiki on Baron Samedi:
"Baron Samedi is usually depicted with a top hat, black tail coat, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in the Haitian style. He is frequently depicted as a skeleton (but sometimes as a black man that merely has his face painted as a skull), and speaks in a nasal voice. The former President-for-Life of Haiti, François Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, modeled his cult of personality on Baron Samedi; he was often seen speaking in a deep nasal tone and wearing dark glasses.[2]
He is noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a particular fondness for tobacco and rum. Additionally, he is the loa of resurrection, and in the latter capacity he is often called upon for healing by those near or approaching death, as it is only the Baron that can accept an individual into the realm of the dead.[3][4]
Baron Samedi spends most of his time in the invisible realm of vodou spirits. He is notorious for his outrageous behavior, swearing continuously and making filthy jokes to the other spirits. He is married to another powerful spirit known as Maman Brigitte, but often chases after mortal women. He loves smoking and drinking and is rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth or a glass of rum in his bony fingers. Baron Samedi can usually be found at the crossroads between the worlds of death and the living. When someone dies, he digs their grave and greets their soul after they have been buried, leading them to the underworld."
To read more on the old Baron: Wikipedia on Baron Samedi
TO read more on the LWA, or LOA: Wikipedia on LWA (more Haitian Vodou spirits)
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Imaginary Lives - Marcel Schwob
How have I not discovered him sooner?
This is great, reminiscent of Calvino or Borges, somehow perfectly suited to my current tastes and mood. I will have to discover more books by him.
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Psychomagic - Alejandro Jodorowsky
Nope. Nope, nope, nope.
I found this while searching my forgotten "Watch Later" list on YouTube, downloaded it.
I like Alejandro Jodorowski. His films are brilliant. And I'm reading his book "The Way of Tarot" and so far his interpretation is excellent.
So I was looking forward to this.
But no.
Half an hour in, when the Australian Serial killer in Paris began smashing pumpkins with his parents/sibling effigies on top, I gave up. I mean, there's nothing new here. He's reenacting scenes from his movies in the guise of "pop-psychology", or an alternative to psycho-analysis, but this has been done. Rebirthing, etc, etc, there are a hundred alternative therapies that are the same as his, offering clients/patients the opportunities to live out alternative scenarios to their upbringing, their childhood, their relationships, to help them realize who they are. And so this - despite his enthusiasm and bullshit - is nothing new. And watching these people - like yourself, like me, but with more trauma, more shit - "regain" their lives - it's just painful, voyeurism, obscene even, I wish them well, all the best, but - given the short intervals between follow-ups, I'm hesitant to class them as "successful" or even "therapeutic". Maybe. We hope so. But - all these nouveau treatments can be found under a hundred other umbrellas, and so I'm giving this a miss.
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