Comments on Bioregional Animism: Racism, Paganism, bioregionalism and identity

You are the place where you live. I don't live...

2011-10-19T13:14:15.919-07:00

You are the place where you live. I don't live every where do you. Perhaps in a certain intangible way yes, but my daily awareness is very much focused on my current locality. If you are mobile and migratory, then you belong to many bioregions for brief times, which is a very different relationship dynamic with that which you are..
Your questions have been answered quite a bit on the blog and on the tribes forum.

So what is migratory living then, like birds? I me...

2011-10-19T11:04:08.978-07:00

So what is migratory living then, like birds? I mean if I were to travel from here to there, from glen to vale, ,, etc, how come all places are not meaningful for me? I am saying they would be. That the whole planet should be felt like that, not HAVING to just see a particular place like that. you CAN do, but embracing other alternatives of living

I also want to say how good it is to know that the...

2010-08-22T01:25:29.386-07:00

I also want to say how good it is to know that there is an awareness of this in the music scene. That WINTR can communicate this, and articulate what they have is a very good sign. artists are leaders... hesitant as they maybe to acknowledge that. But the piper and drummer always led the charge.

Part three... I am already seeing so much disconn...

2010-08-22T01:20:18.273-07:00

Part three...

I am already seeing so much disconnect, so much over indulgence in the darkness that people forget that the raven carries the sun in its beak here, that its the light that casts shadows, that the dark green of the trees is that dark so it can absorb as much light as possible. There is a lack of clarity and I see it because there are few role models for them to follow. We are creating something new, a new relationship with the life place. But we are fools if we think that there is a "I" to do so, the land shapes us. It always has every face and nose is shaped by the land and sky, not ideas, not politics or philosophy or art. it is shaped by relationship, with being land and sky. The art we make, the culture we make must be like the skokomish river,it must flow through us, it must shape our river sides and curves forever changing but always the river. It is a mutalistic co-creation, if it is not we might as well channel these rivers of our mutual life force in concrete as they do in LA. the river must run wild and shape us and the work we do here with out our Egos getting in the way. I see some doing this, and its amazing. But few people are even drawn to that work now...this has to change or we are going to make the same mistakes of Vikernes, and we cant afford that right now.

I am really greatful that you brought this up and connected here.

Part 2... We have to lay down the culture, the ma...

2010-08-22T01:20:03.684-07:00

Part 2...

We have to lay down the culture, the manufactured ideas and be truly co-creative. Its a matter of humility honestly. To allow the land and sky above us to move us literally move our bodies and minds, and to find identity in that and not these ideas that come from our attempt to own what we are, the ego that comes in the act of creation instead of co-creation. I always have scene and ALWAYS will see that the crusty folk ARE the strongest connection to spirit here in cascadia., why I do not know. Perhaps it is the climate, the will it takes to feel at peace here, the perserverance, maybe just the damn mood. But there is a connection that the norse, or northern peoples had with place that cascadians have hear, a mutuality. My fear is that the politics and lack of co-creation with land that Varg speaks of will engage people who are finding themselves in the land and the music that is speaking to them through cascadian black metal.

Part one... Thanks man. I live in Oly... I know a...

2010-08-22T01:19:27.594-07:00

Part one... Thanks man. I live in Oly... I know a ...

2010-08-22T01:17:58.119-07:00

Part one...
Thanks man.
I live in Oly... I know a lot of the people in this community. Ive been part of the spiritual community hear for a very long time, and from what I am seeing there is a disconnect that is still occuring between relating to land as our mutual source in the scene here. Some are trying to make that connection really strongly. I ADMIRE THAT! But there is still a socialized disconnect thats part of the art aspect of the subculture. Perhaps I see it because Ive worked with many indigenous cultures, perhaps its just being so close to it for so many years and being a healer for people in this culture. But I see it so close to people here. I see people really starting to connect to the land, and to these gray skys and seeing themselves in the devils club and fern as the skokomish did before Europeans came here. I see the land reaching up through some of the people and I see it moving them. What i really was hoping in this article was to try to shed some of the social concepts backing the sub culture revoling around the art form of the black metal here in cascadia, and encourage these people to look past the sub cult social perspectives being traded around in the scenes, encouraging some seriously authentic spiritual growth in how people relate to self and land. I grew up in this crusty scene, my freinds grew up with WINTR and all those cats running around oly... We have to lay down the culture, the manufactured ideas and be truly co-creative. Its a matter of humility honestly. To allow the land and sky above us to move us literally move our bodies and minds, and to find identity in that and not these ideas that come from our attempt to own what we are, the ego that comes in the act of creation instead of co-creation. I always have scene and ALWAYS will see that the crusty folk ARE the strongest connection to spirit here in cascadia., why I do not know. Perhaps it is the climate, the will it takes to feel at peace here, the perserverance, maybe just the damn mood. But there is a connection that the norse, or northern peoples had with place that cascadians have hear, a mutuality. My fear is that the politics and lack of co-creation with land that Varg speaks of will engage people who are finding themselves in the land and the music that is speaking to them through cascadian black metal.

My personal response... Thanks man. I live in Oly...

2010-08-22T01:17:04.166-07:00

My personal response...

Thanks man.
I live in Oly... I know a lot of the people in this community. Ive been part of the spiritual community hear for a very long time, and from what I am seeing there is a disconnect that is still occuring between relating to land as our mutual source in the scene here. Some are trying to make that connection really strongly. I ADMIRE THAT! But there is still a socialized disconnect thats part of the art aspect of the subculture. Perhaps I see it because Ive worked with many indigenous cultures, perhaps its just being so close to it for so many years and being a healer for people in this culture. But I see it so close to people here. I see people really starting to connect to the land, and to these gray skys and seeing themselves in the devils club and fern as the skokomish did before Europeans came here. I see the land reaching up through some of the people and I see it moving them. What i really was hoping in this article was to try to shed some of the social concepts backing the sub culture revoling around the art form of the black metal here in cascadia, and encourage these people to look past the sub cult social perspectives being traded around in the scenes, encouraging some seriously authentic spiritual growth in how people relate to self and land. I grew up in this crusty scene, my freinds grew up with WINTR and all those cats running around oly... We have to lay down the culture, the manufactured ideas and be truly co-creative. Its a matter of humility honestly. To allow the land and sky above us to move us literally move our bodies and minds, and to find identity in that and not these ideas that come from our attempt to own what we are, the ego that comes in the act of creation instead of co-creation. I always have scene and ALWAYS will see that the crusty folk ARE the strongest connection to spirit here in cascadia., why I do not know. Perhaps it is the climate, the will it takes to feel at peace here, the perserverance, maybe just the damn mood. But there is a connection that the norse, or northern peoples had with place that cascadians have hear, a mutuality. My fear is that the politics and lack of co-creation with land that Varg speaks of will engage people who are finding themselves in the land and the music that is speaking to them through cascadian black metal. I am already seeing so much disconnect, so much over indulgence in the darkness that people forget that the raven carries the sun in its beak here, that its the light that casts shadows, that the dark green of the trees is that dark so it can absorb as much light as possible. There is a lack of clarity and I see it because there are few role models for them to follow. We are creating something new, a new relationship with the life place. But we are fools if we think that there is a "I" to do so, the land shapes us. It always has every face and nose is shaped by the land and sky, not ideas, not politics or philosophy or art. it is shaped by relationship, with being land and sky. The art we make, the culture we make must be like the skokomish river,it must flow through us, it must shape our river sides and curves forever changing but always the river. It is a mutalistic co-creation, if it is not we might as well channel these rivers of our mutual life force in concrete as they do in LA. the river must run wild and shape us and the work we do here with out our Egos getting in the way. I see some doing this, and its amazing. But few people are even drawn to that work now...this has to change or we are going to make the same mistakes of Vikernes, and we cant afford that right now.

I am really grateful that you brought this up and connected here.

Part5 The second thing is that WITTR was proteste...

2010-08-22T01:16:23.259-07:00

Part5

The second thing is that WITTR was protested in Germany as a neo-Nazi band. We had shows cancelled, crusty punks were angry, it was quite a big deal, and it came as an absolutely insane shock to me, because I think we’re the only band who works within this genre who are explicitly, not exactly a left-wing band, because I don’t think we have any political agenda at all, but you know, in interviews, I must have said 50 times that I hate the idea of racism, I hate the idea of a fascist, totalitarian, militaristic state, I hate the right wing. I just do not like the right wing. I have absolutely nothing to do with it philosophically or spiritually, and that goes for the American right wing, and what I perceive to be the right wing in Europe, and the right wing throughout history. I don’t have much interest in the left wing either, but it was just insane to be branded as a fascist band."

source: http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090209095537452

again, thanks for your blog. your writing is wonderful.

-Paolo

HH: That seems kind of contradictory to me. AW: ...

2010-08-22T01:16:06.653-07:00

HH: That seems kind of contradictory to me.

AW: Yes, it does, because in Europe, the history is still so fresh, and it’s still such an issue, that it’s on everyone’s minds all the time, the echoes of World War II and the spectre of some sort of new fascist right-wing movement. But because we’re Americans, six or seven thousand miles away, and we live in this very kind of almost hermetically sealed community, we’re able to look beyond the obvious and surface political viewpoints of Varg Vikernes or whoever. What we’re more interested is this underlying sort of spirit, which I don’t think the actual musician has much to do with. I think that those [Norwegian] black metal bands were just fucked-up kids on speed. They were the same kind of people who, given different circumstances, would have been into GG Allin, if they’d lived in New York in the 80s. The thing that we’re interested in is some sort of ephemeral spirit that I think they were unknowing or unwitting conduits for. I think that all really great bands, especially bands with members who are 17 or 18 years old, they’re following the orders of the universe. And because in America, we’re so far removed from World War II, culturally and historically, we’re able to see that much more easily than Europeans are. So that’s the first thing I’ll say.

Part Four... HH: That seems kind of contradictor...

2010-08-22T01:15:44.890-07:00

Part Four...

HH: That seems kind of contradictory to me.

AW: Yes, it does, because in Europe, the history is still so fresh, and it’s still such an issue, that it’s on everyone’s minds all the time, the echoes of World War II and the spectre of some sort of new fascist right-wing movement. But because we’re Americans, six or seven thousand miles away, and we live in this very kind of almost hermetically sealed community, we’re able to look beyond the obvious and surface political viewpoints of Varg Vikernes or whoever. What we’re more interested is this underlying sort of spirit, which I don’t think the actual musician has much to do with. I think that those [Norwegian] black metal bands were just fucked-up kids on speed. They were the same kind of people who, given different circumstances, would have been into GG Allin, if they’d lived in New York in the 80s. The thing that we’re interested in is some sort of ephemeral spirit that I think they were unknowing or unwitting conduits for. I think that all really great bands, especially bands with members who are 17 or 18 years old, they’re following the orders of the universe. And because in America, we’re so far removed from World War II, culturally and historically, we’re able to see that much more easily than Europeans are. So that’s the first thing I’ll say.

The second thing is that WITTR was protested in Germany as a neo-Nazi band. We had shows cancelled, crusty punks were angry, it was quite a big deal, and it came as an absolutely insane shock to me, because I think we’re the only band who works within this genre who are explicitly, not exactly a left-wing band, because I don’t think we have any political agenda at all, but you know, in interviews, I must have said 50 times that I hate the idea of racism, I hate the idea of a fascist, totalitarian, militaristic state, I hate the right wing. I just do not like the right wing. I have absolutely nothing to do with it philosophically or spiritually, and that goes for the American right wing, and what I perceive to be the right wing in Europe, and the right wing throughout history. I don’t have much interest in the left wing either, but it was just insane to be branded as a fascist band."

source: http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090209095537452

again, thanks for your blog. your writing is wonderful.

-Paolo

Part three... AW: Definitely not. No way. In Eur...

2010-08-22T01:15:26.357-07:00

Part three... AW: Definitely not. No way. In Euro...

2010-08-22T01:14:49.790-07:00

Part three...

AW: Definitely not. No way. In Europe, absolutely – we’ve gotten into big trouble. We’ve had shows cancelled, we’ve had protests, which just blows my mind. I have a lot to say about this, so I’ll try to say it all in order. You know, back home, every crusty punk wears a Burzum patch, and there’s just no conflict in that, there’s no thinking twice about it.

HH: That seems kind of contradictory to me.

AW: Yes, it does, because in Europe, the history is still so fresh, and it’s still such an issue, that it’s on everyone’s minds all the time, the echoes of World War II and the spectre of some sort of new fascist right-wing movement. But because we’re Americans, six or seven thousand miles away, and we live in this very kind of almost hermetically sealed community, we’re able to look beyond the obvious and surface political viewpoints of Varg Vikernes or whoever. What we’re more interested is this underlying sort of spirit, which I don’t think the actual musician has much to do with. I think that those [Norwegian] black metal bands were just fucked-up kids on speed. They were the same kind of people who, given different circumstances, would have been into GG Allin, if they’d lived in New York in the 80s. The thing that we’re interested in is some sort of ephemeral spirit that I think they were unknowing or unwitting conduits for. I think that all really great bands, especially bands with members who are 17 or 18 years old, they’re following the orders of the universe. And because in America, we’re so far removed from World War II, culturally and historically, we’re able to see that much more easily than Europeans are. So that’s the first thing I’ll say.

The second thing is that WITTR was protested in Germany as a neo-Nazi band. We had shows cancelled, crusty punks were angry, it was quite a big deal, and it came as an absolutely insane shock to me, because I think we’re the only band who works within this genre who are explicitly, not exactly a left-wing band, because I don’t think we have any political agenda at all, but you know, in interviews, I must have said 50 times that I hate the idea of racism, I hate the idea of a fascist, totalitarian, militaristic state, I hate the right wing. I just do not like the right wing. I have absolutely nothing to do with it philosophically or spiritually, and that goes for the American right wing, and what I perceive to be the right wing in Europe, and the right wing throughout history. I don’t have much interest in the left wing either, but it was just insane to be branded as a fascist band."

source: http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090209095537452

again, thanks for your blog. your writing is wonderful.

-Paolo

Part 2 I think that’s why black metal has become ...

2010-08-22T01:14:26.906-07:00

Part 2

I think that’s why black metal has become such a worldwide phenomenon, because people crave that connection to that kind of transcendent energy, and I think maybe in the 60s or 70s, people might have touched that through whatever they were into back then, through psychedelic rock music, or through living in communes and the back-to-the-land movement, but man, the hippies failed, you know? And I think there’s this desperate call coming from the universe, or coming from the collective unconscious of humanity, if you will, and black metal is a manifestation of that. So that’s the connection we make between black metal and our ecological concerns, and the questions we have about civilization. It feels like a perfectly natural and necessary connection to make.

HH: The thing is, when you start talking about the callings of the ancient primordial spirit, it’s quite a short step from there to some right-wing ideologies, isn’t it? I know that you’re from Olympia, Washington, which, a few years back at least, had a reputation as a stronghold of political correctness and strident left-wing activism. Did you encounter a lot of resistance to the idea of using black metal to promote progressive environmental themes, given that BM is more often associated with reactionary, right-wing attitudes?

Part 2 by Paolo I think that’s why black metal ha...

2010-08-22T01:13:31.056-07:00

Part 2 by Paolo

I think that’s why black metal has become such a worldwide phenomenon, because people crave that connection to that kind of transcendent energy, and I think maybe in the 60s or 70s, people might have touched that through whatever they were into back then, through psychedelic rock music, or through living in communes and the back-to-the-land movement, but man, the hippies failed, you know? And I think there’s this desperate call coming from the universe, or coming from the collective unconscious of humanity, if you will, and black metal is a manifestation of that. So that’s the connection we make between black metal and our ecological concerns, and the questions we have about civilization. It feels like a perfectly natural and necessary connection to make.

HH: The thing is, when you start talking about the callings of the ancient primordial spirit, it’s quite a short step from there to some right-wing ideologies, isn’t it? I know that you’re from Olympia, Washington, which, a few years back at least, had a reputation as a stronghold of political correctness and strident left-wing activism. Did you encounter a lot of resistance to the idea of using black metal to promote progressive environmental themes, given that BM is more often associated with reactionary, right-wing attitudes?

AW: Definitely not. No way. In Europe, absolutely – we’ve gotten into big trouble. We’ve had shows cancelled, we’ve had protests, which just blows my mind. I have a lot to say about this, so I’ll try to say it all in order. You know, back home, every crusty punk wears a Burzum patch, and there’s just no conflict in that, there’s no thinking twice about it.

HH: That seems kind of contradictory to me.

AW: Yes, it does, because in Europe, the history is still so fresh, and it’s still such an issue, that it’s on everyone’s minds all the time, the echoes of World War II and the spectre of some sort of new fascist right-wing movement. But because we’re Americans, six or seven thousand miles away, and we live in this very kind of almost hermetically sealed community, we’re able to look beyond the obvious and surface political viewpoints of Varg Vikernes or whoever. What we’re more interested is this underlying sort of spirit, which I don’t think the actual musician has much to do with. I think that those [Norwegian] black metal bands were just fucked-up kids on speed. They were the same kind of people who, given different circumstances, would have been into GG Allin, if they’d lived in New York in the 80s. The thing that we’re interested in is some sort of ephemeral spirit that I think they were unknowing or unwitting conduits for. I think that all really great bands, especially bands with members who are 17 or 18 years old, they’re following the orders of the universe. And because in America, we’re so far removed from World War II, culturally and historically, we’re able to see that much more easily than Europeans are. So that’s the first thing I’ll say.

The second thing is that WITTR was protested in Germany as a neo-Nazi band. We had shows cancelled, crusty punks were angry, it was quite a big deal, and it came as an absolutely insane shock to me, because I think we’re the only band who works within this genre who are explicitly, not exactly a left-wing band, because I don’t think we have any political agenda at all, but you know, in interviews, I must have said 50 times that I hate the idea of racism, I hate the idea of a fascist, totalitarian, militaristic state, I hate the right wing. I just do not like the right wing. I have absolutely nothing to do with it philosophically or spiritually, and that goes for the American right wing, and what I perceive to be the right wing in Europe, and the right wing throughout history. I don’t have much interest in the left wing either, but it was just insane to be branded as a fascist band."

source: http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090209095537452

again, thanks for your blog. your writing is wonderful.

-Paolo

a response from Paolo Nugent posted by me by reque...

2010-08-22T01:12:49.224-07:00

a response from Paolo Nugent posted by me by request...

"i tried posting this comment to your most recent post on the band Burzum and Varg Vikernes, but the page wouldn't let me submit the comment because of some HTML i used or something.... argh! this internet stuff confuses me! maybe you could post it for me?

and thanks for your writing. you have no idea how extremely inspirational it's been to me!

i wear a Burzum patch on my backpack, but i don't at all identify with Vargs politics. i think Aaron Weaver from the amazing Cascadian black metal band Wolves in the Throne Room puts it nicely in the interview he did with Heathen Harvest:

"Well, I think black metal really is the most important music of our time right now. It really does speak to something so deep and so true and so pressing that you cannot help but be entranced by it. And to me, the reason black metal is important is that it’s an uncompromising call to destroy the modern world. And not just by burning down a church, or by smashing a window or whatever, but to destroy it in a spiritual apocalypse. So it has more to do with destroying the worldview of modernity, destroying the way that it makes you think and the way it makes you perceive the world, and the way that it affects your spiritual being. Black metal expresses in such a clear way to me this ancient, primal, transcendent spirit that I think is lurking just below the surface of all human beings, a kind of spiritual undercurrent to our world and our universe, and I think that modern people are deaf to that.

part I...