Monday, December 22, 2008

jerry brown

jerry brown must be reading my blog. his article in the los angeles times on saturday outlined my thoughts on proposition 8. he may have fleshed out the thesis a bit but nevertheless it was mine. mine mine mine. the idea that a popular vote can remove constitutional rights is unconstitutional. a basic tenet of the constitution is that the rights of minorities must be upheld. if there are two green people, you cannot by popular vote restrict their constituional rights because there are only two green people to vote for themselves. and the ignorant, self-righteous christians are legion. way unfair. but jerry will look after it all. im so glad hes come out of hibernation. now if he would only get back together with linda ronstadt. and join obama in the white house!

for no on prop 8 t-shirts, stickers, pins: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Friday, December 12, 2008

its the end of the world

its the end of the world as we know it...

people are afraid. the economy is bad: stocks, houses, cars... retail ~ all in the toilet.

clients are telling me its the worst year of their lives.

i, on the other hand, wrote two wonderful books this year. i finished my wonderful handmade book. i have finished a couple poetry films, working on another. i now have my poetry on bottles of wine. and my graffiti is on a line of t-shirts which everyone loves.

i am teaching two meditation classes a week instead of one.

i have wonderful clients who adore me, wonderful friends who love me. my daughter is more and more of a delight in my life. and my family isnt misbehaving (much).

i employ more people than i did last year. and im happier with my employees than i was last year.

yes these are difficult times. like death, this is something that happens. i think we all have to ask ourselves: did we really enjoy the good times? or did we waste them and much of the fear now is really regret? i count my blessings in the good times and the bad. and i am really blessed.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

blog on blogging

arianna huffington was on tavis smiley tonight. she was on charlie rose last week. she is promoting her new book about blogging. she looked beautiful, spoke intelligently, and was very sweet. and the script was almost identical on each show.

i met arianna huffington at a day spa in the valley many years ago. she was a regular client, i had an office there. we only said hello and im sure she has no recollection of the event but i have followed her press ever since. and im sure it is that meeting that stimulated her blossoming in the world. she has come a long way since then.

annie leibovitz was also on tavis. she also has a new book. i never met her but i think she would be great to have a glass of wine with. she was unpolished and real. i wish her segment could have been longer -- to let the artist reveal the art... but im sure she will be on charlie rose soon... if he can ever get done with politics and the economy.

i bet charlie rose would be great to have a glass of wine with too... but he would do all the talking and im not so good at listening. oh well. im sure the wine would be good.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

talk talk madonna talk

i was up late chatting with madonna. sometimes i get tired holding the phone so i lie down and rest the receiver next to me on the bed. shes really an interesting person when you calm her down. besides the political and spiritual stuff, she really has ideas about art and poetry and community and we enjoy talking to each other. for all her wonderfulness however, i dont think i would trade lives... it seems so attractive to be a star, a mega star, but poor thing has no quiet privacy without a lot of work to get it. i told her she could crash on my couch if she needed to get away ~ downey is a little slice of nowhere! but with these terrible fires, its not good for her throat... but shes not here right now anyway.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

new book on peace and protest




my new book, (PEACE) WORDS, is just released. it is autobiographical about being a protest artist and a peace monger. it confesses numerous international illegal actions and many beautiful, quiet convictions. order your copy now from my website. http://royanthonyshabla.com

i was arrested in the equal rights rally in long beach on friday. someone contacted me who was also arrested but he wasnt very good at communicating. if you were arrested or if you have pictures of me being arrested, please contact me. i was giving away pins at the rally: ONE FOR ALL and i was wearing a t-shirt with that design. i was happy to see so many wonderful people overcome inertia and stand up for equal and human rights. let the revolution shine.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

best laid

well millie and dc and i didnt take public transportation into la for various reasons. but maybe we should have... the freeway traffic was slow and when we got off the freeway, the traffic on sunset was worse because of preparations for a the no on 8 rally... we ended up going round about and making it to the theater just in time for the movie.

the world we want: the movie was good. not great. i had two problems with it: the editing was too fast and there were several missed opportunities in the narrative. but it was uplifting and touch the emotions of everyone. the director was very sweet.

we didnt go the reception after the movie but chose to go to the roosevelt hotel for a drink (since we couldnt make it for one before). but the roosevelt had an event and we left there and went to a little dive called snow white. (snow whites star was not in front of the bar as one would think but across the street and up a block toward the roosevelt.) it was decorated with paintings from the disney film. and they had beers the size of your forearm.

it was a favorite place of millies friend rene who was a cool guy and we all had fun listening to the 60s-70s music. van morrison (who was performing at the hollywood bowl two blocks away while we drinking), david bowie, simon and garfunkel... and more beer than four people needed.

when we came out of the bar, the prop 8 protest had somehow followed me (according to dc) and the intersection was blocked by police in riot gear. they werent ready to arrest people and the police were only there to keep traffic ~ especially foot traffic ~ away from the protestors. i wasnt intimidated and went to talk to a couple of the police but the girls were apprehensive and dragged me away. i didnt understand how they were really afraid and i should have paid more attention to their feelings. we couldnt get through to the car parkinglot without going around another way. it wasnt bad and we were soon on the way home.

i had neglected to bring stickers etc and nothing much went as planned but we had a nice night.

for no on prop 8 t-shirts, stickers, pins: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Saturday, November 8, 2008

the next day

if i can walk, tonight dc and millie and i will take the green line to the blue line to something or other and end up for a drink at the roosevelt hotel before the afi film screening of "the world we want" sponsored by legal aid (whom mille works for ~ it is her promotional event). i will recount my stories of being arrested for peaceful civil disobedience (failure to disperse) in long beach last night. and we will do graffiti. and distribute protest poetry. what an evening planned... if i can walk.

please note: there is an astrological configuration ~ saturn opposing uranus ~ that pertains to revolution and has not occured since the mid-1960s. maybe this will be the beginning of the great flowering that happened in the 60s...

but marching in protest all over town. then being arrested... and released from the police station on the opposite side of town from your car... and no one will pick you up hitch-hiking in the middle of the night with no shoe laces in your shoes (no matter how good your hair looks)... to make a long story short: revolution YES. tired, aching feet/body NO!

excerpt from my new book on peace revolution

PEACE

There is the thought that peace is idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical ~that it is the stuff of dreams, not meant for this world. But that is not true. Peace may well be the most pragmatic choice available to any society and the most valuable solution to the problems of this world.

That which is contrary to the natural harmony of things takes a toll on its participants far greater than its short-term rewards. War is the greatest counter-harmony endeavor imaginable. And its immediate rewards are lost in the mire of its product.

Conflict in personal matters corrupts both the physical and emotional selves; conflict in social matters corrupts the healthy and fortuitous progress of groups. The energy involved in each is better exerted toward raising the quality of life and the quality of spirit. But somehow, the directness of that idea is lost in the realm of egos.

While aggression may be a remnant of our animal nature, conflict is not the way of longevity. Harmony will outlive dissonance. And the arrogance that is the foundation of conflict will be the undoing of the aggressor. That which is great will fall.

Peace is the only logical choice for a person, a family, a society, a country, a planet. Peace is the only legacy worth endowing, the only life worth living. In every moment, there is the choice between love and fear, harmony and disharmony; wiser is the path of peace ~peace is the path of the wise.

Great minds dream alike.

to see my books: http://royanthonyshabla.com

NO H8

something like proposition 8 should have never been on a ballot. the constitution of the united states upholds the equal rights of all, even minorities. while a majority of votes were not cast against proposition 8, the rights of the minority should still be upheld. this will go to the supreme court. ballot measures should be for taxes on gas or water not civil rights. equal rights for all people should never be in question.

the christian church needs to be removed from the american political system. there should be sanctions or something. they are setting us back hundreds of years. we are supposed to have a separation between church and hate.

i went to the rally for equal rights last night in long beach. it was wonderful to see the thousands of people (the los angeles times reported 2000 but it was well over 3000) marching and chanting ~ the disease of inertia lifting from the american population. gay, straight, hot, cool, short, fat, families... all were represented. a lot of young people. i thought i saw paris hilton ~ not marching, but in a car waving and taking pictures. i didnt think she could even spell "8"!

the protesters blocked traffic for miles. marching from one end of long beach to the other, several impromptu rallies developed when police in riot gear blocked the way and organizers were soft. the people took over. peaceful civil disobedience went on a couple hours longer than organizers and police wanted. and arrests were made. i was the first person arrested. (the la times reported only three arrests were made; cnn reported nine. i was one of twenty.)

before being arrested, i put up more graffiti than any other night. i also handed out ONE FOR ALL buttons which received an overwhelmingly wonderful response. and except for my tired body, it wasnt a bad night.

for no on prop 8 graffiti and attire: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

new niggers

gay people are the new niggers, the less-than-human, according to the recent election. a black man is elected to the highest office in the land but gay people are not afforded the same civil liberties or constitutional rights as any other american citizen, any human being. every gay person should wear a t-shirt that says "nigger" to jump start the civil rights movement.

note: tonight, thousands of protesters blocked the streets in los angeles (west hollywood) and san francisco (the castro) protesting the passage of proposition 8. i am happy to see this civil disobedience. it gives me hope that the disease of inertia plaguing this country may be receding. i hope the protesters dont burn the arrogant, self-righteous, christian (especially mormon) churches in their path. that would be a tragedy. but you cannot expect humanity from the less-than-human.

while i dont advocate violence, in such circumstances, i understand it. remember the great movie, ragtime?

protest slavery: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

boiler maker

i went to the premier of the new movie, boiler maker, last night. it was a good film. solid performances by all. good writing, i would have liked it a little tighter, extending the lines in some cases... and i would have liked the photography to be a little tighter -- like movies in the 70s. two bank robbers end up holding an a a meeting hostage. accurate portrayal of a a people and meetings (in my guest experiences). john savage, joey diaz as part of a great ensemble. all good actors and good portrayals. delightful variety of characters. kurt caceres is the character of redemption. he has the difficult part of convincing you of his redemption and is quite believable. i always think it is the quiet portrayals that are the most difficult and he did it well.

sitting in the audience with character actors all around you is like being in your own home with family you havent met. you recognize them but you dont quite know who they are. and im terrible with stars. linda gray was a client for weeks before i said to her you kinda look familiar... my grandmother had to tell me who debbi morgan was when she saw her leaving my house...

elizabeth and i passed on the reception to go over to el carmen for a drink and a chat. we had a lovely evening.

Friday, October 10, 2008

more freewaves

well freewaves wasnt all that... but we had a nice time. dc and i met early to go to lace, the gallery sponsoring freewaves, and it was ludicrous. the two girls at the desk didnt know anything about freewaves and looked at us funny when we asked, they handed us a brochure but had never read it. we knew more about it than they did. and they didnt have the etiquette to be helpful. they were fun and cute but that only goes so far. three feet away from them was a table set up with the guy from freewaves and they had never spoken to him. we asked him about the multi-media unit you use to walk the streets and see art and info about sites along hollywood boulevard. he didnt have it. it wasnt ready. it wouldnt be until the next day (when i had to work and couldnt drive all the way out to hollywood to use it). tonight (last night) was the opening and it would be available after that (today). i said that the brochure (which he hadnt read either) said that these units were available all afternoon today (yesterday). he said he didnt finish the work until that afternoon. i said didnt your mother tell you not to wait until the last minute...

so dc and i went to eat something at california pizza kitchen.

then we went to the roosevelt hotel for the first freewaves event. around the david hockney pool, there were cocktails and monitors showing short films. a semi-beautiful crowd and semi-interesting films and semi-crappy red wine made for a semi-spectacular event. a lot of the films had the menu setting stuck on the screen, disturbing the art. the projection of films on the pool and the large balloons floating in the pool only worked part of the time. and one lesbian filmmaker was particularly obnoxious.

i ran into christie brinkley and we visited a few minutes. the whole billy joel debacle wasnt mentioned (my foot in my mouth yet again) and she kiss-kissed me before leaving.

preston digitator and carina farina met us and we went to the knitting factory for the next event.

german technology and german precision, the freewaves at the knitting factory was very german. hard, cold, loud, and discompassionate. it wasnt without merit, but was better in small doses. some of the work was lovely but we left after the second set otherwise we would have committed suicide. charlie did show and we danced a little together, preston and carina had already gone.

all-in-all, not the best la evening, not the best art scene. but it was better than the stock market.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

freewaves

this afternoon dc and i will meet preston digitator and charlie sheen at freewaves, the video art festival on hollywood boulevard. we havent hung out as a group before so i dont know who will like whom... everyone seems to like hanging out with me separately but the personalities are so different i dont know how it will mix. o well i cant worry about it. drinks at the roosevelt hotel, music at the knitting factory, video art everywhere and anywhere. i will have fun.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

christianity and art and theater

the best thing about christianity is the artwork. the worst thing about christianity is the christians. and the plays. christianity is good for drama but not theater. well, except for comedies. i think god made christians because he needed a good laugh. the artwork is just a lucky happenstance.

you may suggest that christianity is good theater within its own rituals but that is merely pageantry. as far as theater, christians have been performing the same play over and over again for centuries and it hasnt gotten any more interesting. maybe they should try sondheim.

Monday, October 6, 2008

current

Autumnal Equinox, Mercury Retrograde, Halloween: Greetings!

In meditation class, we have been working on gratitude. With the economic problems in this country, the fear and hysteria in the news may make it more difficult to remember how really blessed you are. I have had a challenging year and yet more wonderful things have manifested for me than in a long time. In the arena of this newsletter, my feng shui book is published with a wonderful response. My new book on peace should be out by Christmas. My handmade book (poetry and film) is now ready for release. My new line of t-shirts is selling well and everyone loves them. I have been receiving spontaneous testimonials regarding my healing and feng shui work. My psychic predictions have been manifesting one after the other. The spiritual remedies continue to sell well and my client base is relatively unaffected by the downturn in the economy. I may need to pinch myself or touch wood, but things are good.

And the bad things are negligible. Especially since I’m not living in Iraq or Darfur or (insert your favorite war-torn region here). Count your blessings on both sides of the coin.

Autumn is the time for appreciation and gratitude. Next month will hold the harvest festivals and Thanksgiving. The end of this month will hold the celebration honoring the shadow self (Halloween) followed by the celebrations honoring the spirit world and the ancestor lineage (All Saints and All Souls Days). Take time during this harvest season to appreciate the depth and richness of your life.

The planet Mercury goes retrograde (reverses its progress in the sky) twice a year and sends terror into the hearts of many. We are in the midst of it now. Mercury pertains to business, travel, communication, technology, and masculine issues and its retrograde motion is said to negatively affect these areas. It is important to be grounded and balanced at this time. Double check appointments and be cautious when driving. Don’t beat on your computer if it is hesitant. Speak slowly and consciously to insure accurate communication. Understand clearly the obligations of any contract you sign. But every astrological phenomenon has both positive and negative aspects and this is no different. Old business clients can return or a business deal that was shelved can revive. You may schedule a wonderful trip home or return to a special place with fond memories. You may get more in touch with yourself through meditation or contemplation and liberate some blockage you have carried. An important man in your life may rectify a situation or make amends. There is much to be grateful for in every aspect of Mercury retrograde.

Be sure to count your blessings every day. Mine far exceed what is written here and include the people in my life. Thank you to everyone.

Spiritual Remedies

In appreciation of the great efficacy of the blessthebody.com Spiritual Remedies and their amazing effect on my life, I am honoring every order of five different remedies with the blessing of a randomly chosen sixth remedy until The Day of the Dead (All Souls Day). Bless yourself with the appropriate blessthebody.com Spiritual Remedies and receive one for free. Shipping is included at this time.

The two remedies most important during this economic crisis and Mercury retrograde are blessthebody.com First Aid and Chakra Tonic. Use them liberally to relieve the stress of difficult times from your energy field and psyche.

Spiritually, blessthebody.com Green Light has been overwhelmingly important for all my clients at this time. How does it fit into the circumstances of your life?

Insert text for First Aid
Insert text for Chakra Tonic
Insert text for Green Light

Peace Shirts

My line of t-shirts (and numerous other clothing items and novelties) has gotten a wonderful response. If you need to be clothed, why not wear something that really makes a statement! Show your support of peace, love, and understanding in the world by wearing GREAT MINDS DREAM ALIKE, HOPE, ONE FOR ALL, or any of the other designs. Click on the shop image at the top of each shop to link to the next design. They are a good quality, make unique gifts, and ship quickly.

Books

Many of my books have gotten newly designed covers and slight corrections. Most have not been publicized here. If you do not have my book of spiritual poems, eating God, or my new feng shui book, Feng Shui Every Day, give yourself the delight and healing of these works. They also make great gifts. And while you peruse the catalog of my books, give attention to Child Harold at the Zoo and Soundtracks for Film. They each received a good response in their respective fields. Talk of film and theatrical events based on these has been broached.

My handmade book, body of water (poetry and film) is now available. Go to RoyAnthonyShabla.com for details and to order one of the limited edition.

Feng Shui

While those who take the annual feng shui workshop were fine with their treatments and cures last month, this month requires some adjustments for everyone.

There is an abundance of mental stress and relationship conflict this month. There are also challenges with money matters. To counteract these negativities, place for the month the following remedies: in the Southwest sector, add a jar of coins; in the East, add a rhinoceros or fu dog; in the Northeast, add three candles ~ burn for one to three hours per day; in the North, place a five-elements treatment (an example of each element ~ wood, fire, earth, metal, water). Because the planet Mercury is retrograde, it is important to take special care with these areas of your life even with the feng shui cures in place. As added protection, use blessthebody.com Chakra Tonic around your home.

Politics

I no longer hold an evening of channeling on the day of All Saints. It was, for the most part, unappreciated and unheeded ~ much more of a vaudeville to people than valuable advice. The last channeling evening was four years ago, before the last United States presidential election, and the information warned against the karma of voting from a place of fear. And look what we got. The karma of this passing presidency will last for many years to come.

My suggestion is to never, never, never do anything out of fear. Never give fear your power. Never be controlled by that mind.

If you are voting, vote from a place of love, a place of compassion, a place of peace. Yes, I realize I am talking about politicians and it may be difficult to find those qualities in a candidate. But open your heart to the possibility of this, once again, becoming a great country and the world, a shiny, new world (NOT a new world order!)… Vote for the highest ideals, the brightest light. Nobody who attains office ~ most especially the president of the United States ~ manages to do all the things he promises to do; vote for the person who’s promises are more enlightened. Lack of light is what got us into the mess we are now in.

blesstheworld.com and RoyAnthonyShabla.com wish you grace and peace and joy throughout this season and the coming holiday season. May your choices in life be an obvious blessing.

http://blesstheworld.com

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

what a week!

i was on the bonnie hunt show last week. we had a wonderful time. she wanted to see and hear about my t shirts. we didnt have time to talk about poetry or spiritual things... just peace and ts! terry garr was on ~ i love her. it was sad to see her condition but she was still lovely. and that gay dog whisperer was on. puppies licking peoples mouths. shouldnt there be a warning about that? they lick their own asses and eat poop!

then i went to san jose. to a play (the foreigner at the rep), to a movie (burn after reading, brad pitt steals the show), to an opera gala (selections, and martha was honored onstage), and to a couple parties. what an autumnal equinox! it was marthas birthday and we had a wonderful time together.

just a note: i have not been kicked out of the new spiritual forum. yet. and am still participating.

preston-digitater has figured out what no-one could ~ how to get some of my short films translated to final cut pro. amazing! the best of the best couldnt do it. so we are working on compiling the films into one package... except that he didnt show up today. so it will continue next week.

the t shirts look good and have gotten a lot of praise. if you have not gone to the website and scrolled through all the t shirts and other fun products, get there now! they are wonderful and powerful and cool.

im working on a book about the t shirt/graffiti designs. hopefully it will get put together soon.

and i have started doing graffiti again.

there is no rest for the wicked.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

t shirts

obama stole my slogan. i have been using HOPE for a few years now ~ it has been posted as a huge banner on the side of my house and in other places around town. i always get comments when i wear the t shirt. my mother still has posters up. GREAT MINDS DREAM ALIKE has been up even more but he didnt steal that one. dont think he could pull it off! i wish he could ~ im keeping my heart open to him. there have been free posters to download from my website for years now too so they could be all over the world. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY TO SAVE THE WORLD? im asking you!

i just finished uploading new t shirt designs. they are great. some really beautiful HOPE designs as well as GREAT MINDS and some new styles of PEACE. there are also hoodies, tank tops, clocks, greeting cards, mugs, and posters... tried to keep the prices low ~ magnets and stickers are wholesale priced. all original art.

go to my website and bring a little HOPE into your life. http://royanthonyshabla.com

Thursday, August 21, 2008

what a world what a world

my students tell me i predicted the last big earthquake we had in california. they also tell me i predicted the large number of hollywood deaths this year ~ the next academy awards show will have a long long list of beloved dead. i dont remember but i say these things in class and then they come true.

i do remember saying that there would be death at the olympics caused by metal. and on the first day, three people were stabbed, one died, and the attacker killed himself. i also said i didnt think that that would be the only tragedy...

my meditation classes have been powerful, people receiving healings right and left. and in the middle. attendance however remains steady but low.

new people come and go, return and disappear... but the core group remains strong and faithful.

when outsiders hear of predicitions coming true, they ask for a predicition for themselves personally. they want to hear that a knight with bad boy looks will sweep them off their feet and treat them like a princess. they want to hear that they will win the lottery or be discovered sipping soda and become a famous movie star. the reality however is that most people live their lives asleep and nothing outside of boring will ever happen to them. you have to feel sorry for psychics who are expected at the drop of a coin to expound rhapsodic about someones uneventful life.

when i tell them something or other, especially when it involves what to do to release the karma of their lives, they glaze over and drift away. they never take the suggestions. ever. and they dont return. maybe an email once in awhile... but nothing happening and nothing done to make something happen.

so if you want me to predict your future, first send the money. you better pay double because it will be good. i will tell you that brad pitt or johnny depp or taye diggs will be replacing your regular ups man and deliver you a fine package. it will be a box of money and you and whichever he it is will roll around in it naked. then some poor, demented, almost-homeless chinese person will appear at the door and stab you both and himself.

and the olympics will continue without pause. the show must go on.

http://blesstheworld.com

Thursday, July 31, 2008

technical difficulties

my website was down yesterday and this morning. like last week it was due to a server and a host problem and not an error on the part of my website or current webmistress. but to the average client or web surfer it seems like my website doesnt work correctly and isnt professional~ something that is not good for business nor my blood pressure. we are now served and hosted by the team who serves/hosts nbc. while their ratings havent been great hopefully the nbc website remains online... and thus mine also.

even more frustrating has been the effort to upload my movie to youtube and the book publisher. the files are so large that even special software needs hours to move the files ~that is if it doesnt freeze the computer. which it did.

so i have spent the entire day at this computer with nothing to show but a soft ass and a mushy brain. what have you done today to make me miserable?

http://royanthonyshabla.com

Monday, July 21, 2008

poets ~ not free-for-all

i tried to avoid blasting the book of poetry that won the john ciardi prize for 2006 (it was just released) but recent events have been a call to action. the book is unreadable, uninspired, and unaccomplished. and the judges and authors who endorsed it must have been blackmailed. if you do not believe me and want to read it for yourself, do not buy the book; get it from a library or borrow it from someone else unfortunate enough to already have it; not another tree should be sacrificed for that illiterature; toilet paper is a better use of wood.

i (briefly) belonged to an internet poetry forum. i had set up a username/profile but hadnt submitted a poem or commented on others poems. i really had no intention of submitting a poem, i do fine with myself and bob as readers, but i thought the exposure to current poetry might be a good thing, stimulating (i dont read poetry because i think it makes you write like what you have read... i was backsliding on my valuable philosophy when i signed up for the forum).

without any interaction in the forum, i began receiving hate mail. "leave now" and "your stuff is shit" is the basic gist of the messages. how could anyone know my stuff is shit? no-one reads it! and even if my work were less than the great people who write for the forum or win prizes, the concept of the forum is to improve your writing skills through interaction. was there an assignment to practice writing hate mail i didnt get?

i asked a moderator how it was i was receiving this mail, i wasnt even a presence in the forum... as a result, the moderator blocked me from entering/participating in the forum and my emails to the webmaster questioning this have gone answered.

and then the small dim bulb i call a brain fired: maybe someone from the john ciardi prize, one of the judges or endorsers, or even the poetess herself... WAS PART OF THE FORUM. maybe my presence was a spotlight on the inadequacy of the book. maybe my very talent, goodlooks, and inestimable charm were more than any of them could handle!!!

or maybe they just didnt like me. for some quirky internet reason.

but my poetry is still better. nah nah nah!

to see my books: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

impeach bush

jimmy carter will have the last laugh. he has been the butt of jokes since before his presidency but history is showing his superiority in vision and leadership over the reagan-bushes and even clinton. if we had listened to carter, we wouldnt be in the mess we are in now.

it is always easy to make fun of those interested in the environment and ecology, in peace and peaceful dealings in the world, in social fairness, but these ideas have longevity and sustainablility (something not many people were interested in a few years ago but is a hot topic now).

our country is run by oilmen and we are in an oil crisis. and the oilmen have taken us to iraq for an oil war. alan greenspan was clear about that. we should have made an effort to avoid all of this.

clinton was impeached for getting a blow job in the oil office -- oval office -- georgie porgie bushy 2 has done much worse. he has used the oil office to ruin this country.

elect jimmy carter and ted turner and barack obama for co-presidents -- that would do some good for the race problems! and maybe save the country from the oilers.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

poetry

i would not like a bad review of my work and i wouldnt print a bad review of someone elses work without reason... even good reviews of my work have left me feeling poorly because the reviewer missed the mark or was weak in his analysis...

but i have to say something.

and it isnt sour grapes!

i entered the competetion for the 2006 john ciardi prize for poetry with my book eating God. i didnt expect to win. and i didnt! the literary community will not seriously consider poetry about god unless you are a long-dead sufi like rumi or hafiz. contemporary poetry about god is relegated to the greeting card category.

my poetry about god, however, is about some down-and-dirty sex. im not sure how that gets missed... but we arent the most literate country...

anyway, as a consolation prize to entering the competetion ~ and also to make the winning poet think people actually buy and read poetry ~ all the losers receive a copy of the winning book. mine arrived in the mail yesterday.

richard wilbur loved it.

maxine kumin loved it.

x j kennedy loved it.

and the judge who selected it, mark jarman, loved it (of course).

i hated it.

i hated everything about it.

i wont go into detail regarding why i hated it ~ i would hate to read something so pointedly negative about my work ~ but i just didnt find the breath others found. (the reviews were so wonderful they were printed twice ~ once before the title page and again on the back cover ~ just in case a reader isnt quite sure how wonderful the book is... i read the reviews twice and had a difficult time even with them, the list of titles and references... the words seeminly without heart... not heard because there was nothing to hear).

my work, of course, is all heart!

my dear friend steve sanford died (someone who definitely deserves a blog entry ~ when i can get through it) and at his funeral, my poetry was read. i should have had a table set up selling books, the response was so wonderful. it was no john ciardi prize with copies going to the losers, it was better. it was alive. and it was heard. and it was a winner! nah nah nah!

my poetry: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Thursday, July 3, 2008

newsletter

RoyAnthonyShabla.com
blesstheworld.com

July 2008

Greetings.

The summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets. And I hope you hold those wonderful feelings throughout the rest of the year.

The feng shui astrology is very difficult this month so I am going to offer several treatments. Please take the time to institute these treatments immediately and keep them through the first week in August.

My new feng shui book, Feng Shui Every Day, has been selling well and remains $9 for another week. I have sold out of my own two shipments and will order again soon. Order yours online now. This book is a clear, understandable dissertation on the permanent feng shui treatments you can do for yourself at your home. It does not replace having a master come to analyze your house but it does reveal many secrets masters keep hidden. This is a good month for real estate and Feng Shui Every Day should be your constant companion if you are purchasing or remodeling a home.

My long-overdue handmade book, body of water, is nearing completion. The letterpress booklet is ready and the short film is ready. The portfolio insert is ready and the individual items need only to be signed and numbered. The portfolio itself is still in process but if you want to reserve a copy of this limited edition at the pre-sale price, order it now from RoyAnthonyShabla.com.

For summer fun and travel, the most important remedies to keep with you are blessthebody.com Radiation Cleanse, Chakra Tonic, and First Aid. Don’t let circumstances spoil a wonderful summer.

Insert text for remedies.

Feng Shui Astrology

This month is very challenging for illness and death, violence, lawsuits, and loss of money or robbery. The following treatments should be installed as soon as possible and be kept through the first week in August. This is not meant to instill fear or even worry but instead to give you the tools to be proactive.

In the Southeast, place four jars of water with six coins in each jar.

In the South, place seven bottles of water each with six coins.

In the Southwest, place a fountain (as long as its not a bedroom) or six bottles of water each with six coins.

In the West, place a five-elements treatment. This is an example of each of the five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, water.

In the center, place three red candles. Light them three hours a day.

Once you place the treatments, bless yourself and your home. And forget about the forecast. This is a summer to enjoy.

For more information on these treatments, refer to my book, Feng Shui Every Day.

May the current Summer of Love, the Summer of Light, fill your soul with joy.

for complete newsletter and archive of all newsletters: http://blesstheworld.com

Friday, June 20, 2008

Feng Shui Secrets

Feng Shui Every Day

is a simple, clear, practical book outlining the secrets of feng shui that masters will not reveal. In an easily understandable format, Feng Shui Every Day presents the information necessary to empower you with the ability to manifest wealth, romance, vitality, and harmonious relationships in your life. Read this book before purchasing or remodeling a home or designing a garden. It makes an excellent gift for realtors and real estate speculators, architects and contractors, decorators, or anyone who wishes to improve his life and release his spirit. You will not view architecture in the same way again.

Feng Shui Every Day takes the science of feng shui out of the Orient and the art of feng shui out of the Oriental style. This book is written for the Western home and the modern sensibility. Room by room, Feng Shui Every Day delineates secret information regarding the features of the structure and furnishings of a house that enhance or deplete love, money, health, creativity, and camaraderie. No previous experience or knowledge is required. With a short read, you can quickly begin changing your life.

Discounted for one month only, $9 from RoyAnthonyShabla.com


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roy Anthony Shabla

is a guru and healer who teaches ongoing meditation classes in the Los Angeles area. He is the founder of blesstheworld.com and designer of the blessthebody.com Spiritual Remedies. His private practice includes clients from all walks of life across the country.

As a feng shui master, Roy Anthony Shabla is regularly consulted in dire circumstances. His annual feng shui workshops and consultations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and other cities are greatly anticipated and respected. His personal combination of psychic reading, spiritual healing, and feng shui has changed the lives of thousands of people.

One aspect of his feng shui work is garden design. Roy Anthony Shabla has consulted on numerous private and public gardens in both the United States and Mexico. He specializes in peaceful and romantic garden oases emphasizing the placement of outdoor art.

His new book, Feng Shui Every Day, is quickly becoming a classic. It is available from RoyAnthonyShabla.com for the discounted price of $9 for this month only.

http://royanthonyshabla.com

Sunday, June 15, 2008

fathers day

am just back from san jose. steve is doing poorly. very poorly. i will go back in two weeks ~ either to help martha or to bury steve. what a difficult time.

wifeys dear friend died of a brain tumor in san jose last night. what kind of coincidence is that? poor thing, wifey is beside herself.

cant get ahold of billy ~ hes in cedar rapids (iowa) where the flooding is twelve feet high... he has a house full of art... and his family is there.

i finished the feng shui book. its decent. i will upload some slight corrections sometime soon. i will have a class on feng shui on saturday but the time/place/event confirmation came too late to do a newsletter... and nobody is signed up for it yet... so it might be a sparse summer solstice...

the body of water film had more problems than ever. and since i was gone last week i wont see any changes until wednesday night. this has been going on long enough. elizabeth has been making slow but steady progress on the body of water book and will be finished with the inserts soon. but she will go to indiana or illinois or some godawful "i" place for a month and i will get even less work out of her!!! something needs to be completed soon.

i am beginning to translate poetry into chinese. i will try to meet this week with a translator to check my work. really, its amazing what lengths will i go to to not write my cookbook.

but i had a wonderful fathers day with my daughter. we had breakfast with my mother and mary then went to look for rabbits, fairies, and ducks. every crowd has a silver lining.

Monday, June 2, 2008

blog slog

well i havent had a chance to blog in awhile...

the body of water film should be done on wednesday ~ im so happy... the handmade book still needs a little more assembly...

the application to premiere the body of water film in australia is going fine...

am working on house of my heart... still in the writing phase...

writing a small feng shui book ~ should be very useful to people ~ hoping to get it done quickly...it can be updated easily in the future...

havent been able to get to gallery and museum shows ~ just too busy...

and elizabeth hasnt been able to work for me ~ her other clients have had greater needs...

and big jeanne, well i havent gotten a decent days work from her in i-dont-know-how-long!!! but she is coming later today to help with some spiritual remedies before she goes for surgery tomorrow... its always about her isnt it?!!!

i have seen a little of phil donahue talking about his new documentary on the iraq war... he should run with ted turner for the presidency! now that would get me interested in politics. poor obama has had to sell his soul to officially be a good man. now i feel bad for him. politics is the devil, like walmart, ebay, and tomatoes.

millie and i had a long-awaited date to go to amoeba records to look for music. i have been craving piano and erik satie, john cage, and thelonius monk will feed me for awhile. millie got sufi and soul music and we were pleased with our evening.

i havent had time to be much more interesting... either here or there! some day you will get a proper blog!

for spiritual remedies and my other work: http://blesstheworld.com

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

its good to be home

ive been up in san jose for the long weekend visiting with steve and martha. a quick trip to chuck and stacys for the coconuts birthday party at fairyland in oakland then back to san jose. everyone doing well. a little drama with logan and joanne but they will find their way through it all. we played cards and i didnt lose! and i met their (l and j) daughter amber who may do some work for me animating some of my work. she is at school in laguna.

i didnt get to work on the new feng shui book i hope to have out for a workshop at the summer solstice... but i can work on it tonight.

the application for the urban screens exhibit of my film body of water is fine and in the works. final touches are being put on the film and should be finished soon.

meditation class tomorrow (wed) night in culver city.

i heard from bob ~ he read two of my pieces at the sunday salon and an encore was demanded. ive been asked to come myself to teach and read and whatever. bob is in salem now sulking in the rain and the weeds instead of building an ark.

and im back to it all...

to see my work: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

update

my short film and handmade book body of water are nearing completion. it is details and signing that are left...

as a command performance, bob will read a couple of my new poems for the film house of my heart at jeannies salon in mendicino this weekend...

tina at busters is proposing to stage my short play dear this summer... possibly with short films outside...

and i may be showing button paintings at an event next month at busters ~ we shall see what gets completed...

on the other hand, i still have not called armando to order the canvas for the jazz poem paintings...

and the karma cookbook is stewing in my head more than on the paper...

a new photo of me looking like emily dickinson or virgina wolfe is just posted to the website...

enjoy!

Friday, May 9, 2008

poets and writers

a dear dear old lady, vera hickman, took me while i was still in high school to the soroptimist house on campus at long beach state for the monthly literary club meeting. (as an aside, it is the old ladies of the world who keep societies balanced. they are the militant supporters of the arts, of social projects, of fairness and peace. it takes their efforts to balance the general inertia and apathy of communities at large, at least in the united states. sadly, vera died many years ago after i had been out of touch for quite some time. the world is certainly missing her.) the literary club at that time consisted of the more conventional poets and writers on campus and they would meet and read and discuss their work. after several months i was going alone to the meetings and making friends. at one point, someone suggested we put together a literary magazine. the general question was raised: does anyone know how to do this? i said i did. and so separate meetings for what would become "riprap" followed and i found myself at the csulb campus even more often. one night after a production meeting, a guy told me that some poets were meeting at a bar across the street from campus and asked if i wanted to go. the forty-niner. im sure he had no idea i wasnt a student in college but high school, that i was underage to go to a bar, that i lived with my parents in downey... i followed him into another world!

these poets were not sophisticated. two tables of mostly scruffy men sitting haphazardly askew and talking about anything but literature... this was a dark, smoky, delightful shock after leaving the riprap meeting where what was published had to be suitable for church. this was a beer club! and the beer was definitely an interesting aspect of it all. i knew what tap beer was ~ no high school is that isolated ~ but i guess i had never appreciated the fact of large pitchers of beer that seemed to appear on the table, spill on the table, disappear into the men... and someone put a mug in front of me and filled it. (a couple years later, when the bar began using smaller pitchers, the poets left for a different bar in protest!) i noticed that one guy, fred voss, didnt drink the beer from the pitchers like everyone else but instead went to the bar to get bottles of beer, one at a time, for himself. i asked him why and he leaned forward and said softly that that beer didnt taste good. i leaned forward and said, "none of it tastes good." young as i was, i knew you didnt drink for the taste. i guessed if you were, you would be drinking girlie drinks.

i was mostly a fly on the wall that night. since i wasnt a student, i didnt know anyone except the guy who invited me, i especially didnt know the teachers... but i quickly saw how this hive of bohemians swarmed around a particular queen... and that was gerry locklin.

gerald locklin was the center and the reason for the long beach movement in creative writing and the father of the long beach style of poetry. he remains its finest example.

i became friendly with and published gerry in several projects, both academic and private, and when i was kicked off the campus literary magazine a couple years later, he said, "now you can do what you want." (i began editing and publishing with vera and isabelle ziegler, a grand dame of letters, while i was still in high school ~ a proposition which both got me started with and removed from the literary group at the soroptimist house and riprap magazine). gerry only showed up at my apartment door at 2 or 3 in the morning a couple times, a bottle of cream sherry and a tale ~ both of which are now forgotten ~ and i never had a bad time with him.

but most stories from that time are forgotten...

i moved to europe for a couple years and lost touch with everyone. that was 25 years ago. now i just saw gerry and the circle of writers at gerrys retirement party in long beach and it was like being underwater, in a dream... i searched the memory banks for references to these people, grasping for a buoy in a sea of amnesia... i drank with these people, i published these people, i left these people behind.

but gerry himself and his work remain strong. he is still unpretentious, generous of spirit, and talented. he no longer drinks (for health reasons) but his personality was never predicated on alcohol. everyone else from that period was a shock ~ some lines had changed... waistlines, hairlines, laughlines... and some hadnt... the writing which was read as a tribute to gerry had the familiar voice of the past... (as a gift, i gave gerry a copy of child harold at the zoo ~ the closest my work comes to the long beach style.)

millie, my dear friend from that period who has evolved along similar paths to mine and remains close, invited me to go to that west coast writers tribute and retirement party for gerry. she looked fabulous and i cleaned up well. maybe we looked better (inside and out) than we did 25 years ago. there was a new group of young writers there, some the sons of our original group... ahh the deliciousness of youth, the vitality, the eager soul disguised as aloof , pretty in bum jeans ~ millie and i had a delightful time visiting with dave alvin and others of the old garde and enjoying the scent of the next... and left the evening reveling in the quirky justice of time and the undeniable cycle of karma.

best wishes gerry!

to see my books: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

wright or wrong

did hilary clinton start the reverend wright controversy? she should be ashamed. or was it john mc cain? he has plenty to be ashamed of... bill moyers hosted jeremiah wright on his pbs talk show a couple days ago and showed clips from the "offensive" sermons. the sermons were not offensive ~ i have said much worse... they were inflammatory, they were righteous, but they were not hateful, unamerican, or lunacy. the man himself presented as very intelligent and compassionate. he was a good preacher. he was literate (besides the bible) and charitable. he may come from a place of anger (a result of the american history of slavery and racism) but it was not blind anger nor illogical.

one sound bite the media has embraced is wrights comments on aids as a government engineered disease to decrease the undesirable and surplus population. an indictment of our media is that no one has mentioned the fact that this idea did not originate with wright. theories such as this have been around since the 1980s and have some plausibility. the media never researched the history of the theory to understand where wrights ideas come from. he is not a lunatic, he just has an unconventional point of view. like einstein or (insert your favorite revolutionary here).

charlie rose hosted a panel on his pbs show last night to try to understand reverend wrights impact on america and the presidential election. it was inadequately stated that right or wrong reverend wrights words are not barack obamas thoughts and it is a shameful example of dirty politics to try to tie them together. and a shameful example of the stupidity of the american public to believe it. no one blames hitlers mother for the holocost.

barack obama who started the campaign as a light and hope has turned into a politician. his disowning of reverend wright was a brillant and necessary political move that should clear up this problem and alleviate the damage. it was however not a brilliant nor necessary spiritual move. while reverend wright could have behaved with a little more dignity and charity when this situation came to a head (and i think in retrospect he will wish he had taken the higher road), the great flaw, the great disappointment, the great tragedy is that obama put politics before loyalty and friendship. a good man abandoned a good man for the "higher good".

the making of the candidate (think robert redford) that is barack obama has also caused him to back pedal on issues like the war. he had been opposed to the war. now, pope benedict and ted turner are the only ones who do not waffle on this. and im not voting for the pope.

now you see why im not political ~ the whole process is full of politicians!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

earth day

happy earth day! happy birthday hadley (my little monster)! elizabeth has gotten off the sofa and is cleaning the kitchen cupboards. im sure shell be back to napping soon. im writing bad checks to pay bills (its kinda fun!)... and we are going to do more cleaning in the garage and make spiritual remedies and maybe a little work on the art projects. then i will visit dorothy for a bit before going off to have dinner with my daughter. that is how my earth day is planned. maybe sitting in the garden for a few minutes. and leaving some food for the fairies. i already recycled and feng shui-ed this morning... its a beautiful day in these times of war.

http://blesstheworld.com

Monday, April 21, 2008

papas got a brand new bag

pope benedict came to america, specifically the united states of america, this past week and i have to give him a lot of credit for showing up here and addressing the current issues. im not a fan of religion and have little time for medieval irrationality, but the last pope stopped coming to the usa because of the protests. he was afraid. and that was long before the sex with young boys issue blew up in the churchs face. the last pope went repeatedly to mexico where his popularity was a slam dunk. but protests in america (the usa) over keeping the church in the dark ages ~especially by the catholic nuns~ were too awkward for him. and the sex with young boys issue was always swept under the altar cloth. unlike his predecessor, pope benedict showed up in the united states and addressed the churchs responsibility for the sex with young boys issue. he was brave. he was forthright and clear. and i think he helped a lot of people in their healing processes. if only he would wear a fashionable hat and dress, something from this century, something fitted... maybe then he could be sold to the american (lapsed) catholics like obama is to the american youth. clothes make the man. and the bag makes the outfit.

make wood, not war

tomorrow is earth day. and i havent heard from al gore. isnt that always the way? once they steal the recognition for all your hard work, they dont even know you. i bet if i ran into him on the street in front greens he would put his hand up and say no autographs. well im not bitter! much! but it would be nice to get a phone call once in awhile. tomorrow is also hadleys birthday. my darling monster of a daughter. she will be seven. going on thirty. she had a party on saturday ~ a small party ~ she didnt want any kids from school BECAUSE SHE SEES THEM ALL THE TIME. there was the requisite jumper. there was the requisite pinata. there was the requisite crying. everyone had a lovely day with a view of the ocean. yesterday i cleaned a small area of the front part of the garage and sold eleven boxes of great stuff to a junk dealer. and hauled about as much back into the house... i will take progress any way i can get it. at least when it comes to cleaning up my stuff. re-using is the best recycling. today i am paying bills, running errands, getting details out of the way so i can go forward into my week. onward ecological soldiers! make wood, not war! plant a tree, save the world.

for peace shirts: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Monday, April 14, 2008

morrisey

i had lunch with morrisey this weekend. we knew each other from when i lived in london many many years ago. it was a big secret, this lunch, very hush hush. we ordered in from his hotel room. and it was pleasant and comfortable. we talked about our projects and working together. my art, my poetry, my life ~hasnt changed much in the last ___ years. although maybe they have become more refined... the style, the subject, the intent is who i was and who i am. my current writing, my current painting... is all work i was doing (way ahead of my time) when i was younger. my life seems to cycle in spirals through my art.

the same with morrisey. he sounds as good as he did with his early bands and his recent work is immediately recognizable as his own. the new work still incorporates his style of repeating a lyric line with different musical emphasis... i did mention to him that i thought his post punk lack of succintness in his lyrics was dated (i think thats why he wanted the meeting... but i shouldnt have said it so succinctly...) and maybe we could collaborate on something fresh and sharp... it was good to see him but we parted without defining a project.

tina at busters wants to talk to me about producing my short play.

and karen in florida is working on getting some closure to some of my short films.

all in all, a good few days without picking up a paintbrush or pencil!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

ellen

i was supposed to have dinner with ellen on monday night but she blew me off. ellen degeneres. she hardly even danced with me! and no parting gifts. but she did know the words to all the hip hop songs so she was participating in reality. i like that.

the tibetians are staging a rebellion ~ or at least the white people in san francisco are staging a rebellion for the tibetians, stopping the olympic torch, protesting the olympic games held in china. ted turner said he didnt support a protest of the olympic games because it is through sports that much goodwill is done. thus, the goodwill games. and i see his point. at their purest, the olympic games are a beautiful expression of the human experience. but then there is politics and lack of humor to spoil everything! and religion.

i do think there should be a boycott of china. they sell toothpaste with antifreeze in it. they sell dishes with lead in them. they really dont have a sense of humor. but this country of inertia would never place economic sanctions on anything so important to our walmart economy... so we smile and forget.

maybe ellen couldnt make dinner with me because she was trying to get the chinese to laugh a little. if anyone could, it would be her. im sure she was doing something to save the world. otherwise why would she give up the pleasure of my company?

Thursday, April 3, 2008

politicos

friday is the 40th anniversary of the death of martin luther king. blacks, americans, and humans in general lost a great example of what is it to be a man in the world. i hope everyone takes a moment to remember him.

now that my busy season is over i am busier than ever!

last week was a trip to palm springs for art... before and after last minute feng shui consultations.
this week was taxes and art and antiques... before and after last minute feng shui consultations.

next week is the ellen degeneres show... and feng shui! no wonder i never get any writing or art done! but maybe ellen will dance with me. that would make for quite a week!

ted turner was on charlie rose a few nights ago. if he were running for president, thats whom i would support! i, who have no interest for politicans, would support ted turner.

politicians say what they think you want to hear. or they convince you to think you are hearing what they want to say. but it mostly small-minded nonsense.

ted turner says what he wants to say and doesnt care what anyone thinks. and what he wants to say is that war is bad business and ecology is of utmost importance. all without trying to appease anyone. of course i would support him. no nonsense. no religion. no politics! and no fear.

if all politicians could be so clear, i might not have given up on the whole enterprise!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

chain chain chain

this is not my war. but it will be my peace. raise your hands, raise your voices, raise your hearts ~and make it your peace too! (what a great slogan!) i am making new peace posters to hang on the house. what have you done today to save the world? go to the website and download posters to show your support of peace.

i may also make election/peace posters... VOTE SOUL with the O as a peace sign... we shall see what gets done.

the ny times reported on the massive number of deaths in the hibernating bat population of upstate new york. it is a serious ecological problem and researchers dont have a clue as to what is causing it. the problem with the bees is the same ~though scientists say it is unrelated to the bats. i think the scientists are too short-sighted, these are very obviously related ~maybe just not to the same immediate agent. the bees, the bats, the frogs ~these are the barometer of ecological homeostasis. the biological earth is very out of balance. well, the environmental, economic, social, and spiritual earth is out of balance. and what would be the cause of that?

we humans dont seem to have an appreciation of the deep consequences of our actions. karma. environmental, social, economic, spiritual karma! and a dozen other kinds as well.

the green movement is catching on a little too late. it was in the 1970s i got my family to install solar panels on our house. i was a freak! my parents almost didnt agree to it even though the economic rewards were obvious. it was just too much outside of conventional acceptance for the way one was supposed to live. now that convention is changing but the change is superficial and unexamined. many "green" products and/or lifestyles cause as much damage to the world and ourselves as the ignorant original. (how did florescent lights become good for us?)

five years of war in iraq. five years of lies. if people are dying senselessly, why wouldnt animals? why wouldnt plants? our karma is far-reaching. and we are the immediate agent.

when is the last time you protested the destruction of the rainforests? when have you protested the war? any war?

when i was last interviewed on bbsradio.com, i was asked about forecasting the political elections, the candidates for president of the united states. i always say i will not choose a winner because i believe the karma of the people as a whole will prevail. we have had george w bush for eight years because of the american capacity to embrace fear, uphold ignorance, and fully engage in inertia. we willingly and knowingly bought an inferior vacuum at too high a price that turned out to explode in our faces. and here we sit with dirt on our collective face without even the sense to wash.

my politics are thus: peace. ecology. no fear!

my lifestyle is thus (i hope!): examined and enlightened.

i had been invited to show my short films at an event in berkeley in may. i have canceled participating in that event. the restrictions were unreasonable; the return was severely deficient compared to the expenditure... i asked my host why the parameters were so unreasonable. she said the others involved were jealous of my work: my art would outshine theirs. (how flattering, in a sick way!) instead of thinking that we as a whole would put together a wonderful event, the others participating could only focus on how my work would draw attention away from theirs. they could only think about themselves...

isnt that how we humans are in the world?

for peace shirts, banners, stickers, etc: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Friday, March 21, 2008

peace peace peace

everyone who came to my feng shui workshops received a reusable shopping bag printed with the "great minds dream alike" logo with the peace sign. elizabeth, when shes not sleeping on my couch, has people regularly stop her to ask about the shopping bag. she has started selling them from the trunk of her car for $10 each.

it is the five year anniversary of the iraq war. thousands of americans killed, how many iraqis? they have been living without electricity, water, sanitation... but full services were restored by american troops to the areas with oil almost immediately. the lies that allowed the united states to justify this war dont seem to penetrate the consciousness of the american people. war is a funny thing, eh? denial is even funnier. today, did you think about the fact that we are a country at war?

the tibetans are staging a rebellion. the chinese occupation of tibet may be reaching critical mass with the olympics looming in the near future... the dalai lama has extended a very fair hand to the chinese government in an effort for peace. the chinese ignored it. i would not have been as conservative as he. i would have demanded complete liberation. the jeweled prison of a better life under hostile occupation is not attractive to me. and maybe also to the tibetans still living in tibet. people everywhere just want to be free.

for t-shirts, hoodies, buttons, banners, stickers, etc for the peace revolution: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Thursday, March 20, 2008

just notes

happy first day of spring! happy five year anniversary of the iraq war! happy happy happy!

i am back from a great trip to dallas. my clients are kind and generous, the weather was wonderful, and my pottery friends konrad and wes were a delight. we went to the dallas museum of art and saw the turner exhibit. if you have not seen it, go online to find out how you can. i did feng shui on my clients home, garden, and business office ~averting ultimate disaster, of course. we shopped for art and we shopped for clothes. and we had a couple fabulous dinners.

i arrived home to do last minute feng shui consultations in los angeles... and am now back on schedule with my busy season officially over. phew!

jack is complaining i never write in my blog. i think he just wants me to talk about him! jack jack jack... actually, he might be the only person who actually reads this...

website progress is tedious, frustrating, and laborious ~nothing seems to get done... but i did just get the largest order of my spiritual remedies ever! so something is working!

art projects are equally stagnant. i havent been able to work with jessica, my film editor, in over a month. linda clothes is taking a break from sewing the inserts for the body of water handmade books. and all of this was supposed to be done december 1 of last year!

i am going to have to do an unblocking spell. maybe i should do one for the war also...

for information on feng shui and spiritual remedies: http://blesstheworld.com

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

last week, this week, next week, and beyond

two feng shui workshops in la and one in the bay area ~ all were great with full attendance and great groups of people. everyone appreciated the information very much. i will go to dallas next week for private feng shui consultations.

i was asked to show my short films for an event in berkeley in may... national dance week, i will show in the lobby between three dance studios, hopefully premiering a new dance movie called "in the river" featuring touch monkey studio, carolyn stuart and patrick gracewood. details still need to be worked out but im excited about the event.

progress is being made on "body of water"... the paintings are being applied to the covers of the handprinted booklets; the portfolio inserts are being sewed by linda clothes, a hollywood costumer; and im hoping to make final corrections to the film with jessica tomorrow. maybe one day this project will be completed!

tomorrow is bobs birthday. friday is dorothy and marys birthdays. lunches, dinners, and breakfasts will be monopolizing the rest of the week...

visiting my daughter on sunday, the traffic was bad and i took a different street across the length of san pedro and passed the last trees we planted with tree people a few months ago. the one named "hadley" after my daughter was in distress: its stake had been broken by the strong winds and was weighing on the young tree to the point of bending it over. when i got to my daughters house at the ocean, jennifer, hadley and i got some rudimenatry implements to temporarily assist the tree. later i emailed the supervisor of the project regarding the situation.

after tree triage, we went to the korean bell to fly a 99 cent store barbie kite. there were other kite flyers and basketball players and picnicers and lovers and the parking was scarce. i parked illegally. after a few adjustments, barbie took off and attacked a three-dimensional shark kite. its owner was very understanding. the bi-plane kite took its cue and retreated. barbie ruled the skies! it was a lovely day but short-lived: i had appointments and meditation class and had to head home.

the feng shui for the year foretells good fortune in writing and the arts... im happy to accept it all!

for information on feng shui, spiritual remedies, and all my work: http://blesstheworld.com

Thursday, February 14, 2008

whirlwind in a teapot

i have been chastised for not blogging in a month... my life is so facinating everyone wants the vicarious thrill of being in my aura ~even if its only online!

i gave a reading from eating god at busters in culver city last monday night. it was great. my short films were playing in the garden as people arrived. between two and ten minutes each, the films were a good expression of my artwork and people loved them. the actress ingez rameau and i alternated reading poems from my book. she was perfect and i was very lucky to work with her. there was flute music, handmade chocolate, wine, and much conversation ~everyone staying later than expected. my hostess tina was wonderful and i will definitely stage a performance there again.

the pottery show in pasadena was last weekend and it was grueling. the pack-in was a nightmare because of parking problems extrordinaire and i considered not doing the show again. i hadnt slept much for a few days (did you get an email from me at 4am?) and doing even the easiest show would tire someone fresh. but i sold some decent pots and visited with some friends. and signed up for next year.

tomorrow i will go to palm springs for the day. bob and i are going to the modernism show opening in the evening then driving back. before the opening, i will sell some pots to a shop there and look around for deals and wonderful things... but every dealer will have been through the town for the last couple days so im not sure there will be much. nevertheless its always a nice but long day.

the last month has been a busy hectic whirlwind of art, friends and guests, spiritual healing, feng shui, travel... and ocassionally sleep... i separated from the blessings center and in this time of an over-full schedule, i am grateful for the extra quiet and easiness. there was interest in my house but the buyers had some bad advice and i have no interest in being involved in that karma. i will be in the bay area next week to teach the feng shui workshop i am teaching twice this weekend in la. after that, i go to dallas.

i will try to be better about documenting my life for you. wait til i update you on the handmade book!

for info about all my work: http://royanthonyshabla.com

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

what a world, what a world! this week:

i flew home from san jose in that terrible storm and it has been a whirlwind ever since. today, the roof is being taken off my house -- try working under that! construction will go on all this week. and patrick arrives for ten days on saturday (to see his artwork, go to gracewoodstudio.com). and after five years, i am no longer teaching at the blessings center so meditation class will be held at my house. with other projects ongoing, its gonna be quite the scene! after patrick leaves, the ceilings in two rooms will be removed. consider the furniture, art, equipment, and general junk that needs to be moved... and still be able to work.

the letterpress printer is only just now going to start his portion of the body of water project -- two months late!

the film for the body of water project is coming along well. jessica is just a godsend. and i have made an even shorter film myself as a companion... its almost done...

thursday night, elizabeth and i will go to a cocktail party on the queen mary for a new star trek exhibit. it should be fun -- there is already a lot of buzz in the media about it.

friday bob and i will be in del mar for the antiques show then dinner with wifey. it will be nice to get away from everything for the day.

saturday morning is family day at the cemetary. cousins from all over will convene for brunch in whittier then champagne and chocolates graveside at rose hills. it is a nice time, the kids play and we all reminisce. sunday was the four year anniversary of daddy dying... the anniversary for my cousins dad is this week. my brother and grandmother and their grandmother are all buried there so it will be quite a party! im sorry my daughter wont make it -- she has a tea party she cant seem to miss...

saturday night i will go to see patrick and carolyn perform at the brewery -- touch monkey studio on the road!

and we are back to sunday -- always my busy day...

last saturday i was on the radio interviewed by the zany mystic (bbsradio.com) -- we always have a great conversation and my students congratulated me immediately after.

this coming week is art week in la with various shows and openings...

and i still have to find time to work. if you think this is busy, wait til february!

to see all my work or hear the radio interview (blogs tab): http://royanthonyshabla.com