The March of the Elephant Art Show and Community Fundraiser

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vonDehn Visuals Introduces: The March of the Elephant

vonDehnVisuals is essentially who I am.  It is a name that has been used to represent all of My creative work, what I consider My real contribution to humanity:  My Word and My art; My Blog, My Book and My paintings. I feel these are My greatest gifts, worth infinitely more than the thousands of hours I have spent at meaningless jobs to sustain My existence.  That’s what ‘The March of the Elephant’ is all about.

vonDehnVisuals represents an idea.  An idea that real success is not a measure of what We can take, but what We can give.  The March of the Elephant is a series of seven paintings, each depicting an ‘enlightened’ musician; a collection of artists (I believe) share a common intention to heal the world.

Instead of pitching the series of paintings to agents and galleries which are only concerned with how much money the artist’s creations can earn for them, My goal is to make My work as affordable as possible so that I can continue to do what I love. In lieu of agent and gallery fees, I will contribute 37% of everything I make to a grass roots charity within the community.

I believe this idea has unlimited potential to create positive change in the world.  Updates on this new creative venture will be posted in “The March of the Elephant”, a new category to document this venture as it evolves…  Stay tuned. 

The Day that Inspired the March of the Elephant

Earlier this week, late Monday night, I had a very powerful meditation session.  For about a month and a half now, I’ve devoted Myself entirely to a very special creative project.  Everything in the Universe was telling Me it is time…  I met a Goddess who believed I could change the world, started an art project to accomplish the task, and got fired from My job shortly afterward – no coincidences.  Now I have seven paintings ready to promote.  “Everything in it’s right place” – Radiohead.  (‘Atoms for Peace’ will be the next album and they are on tour this year!  It is going to be an exciting year!)

However, it has been a month and a half now that I’ve been without work and although the series is complete, there is still work to be done and I still have to eat (well, not entirely sure about that, either – but I like to).  I had been out of cash for about a week, but it wasn’t until Monday that I had become the illusive stereotype, the ‘starving artist’.  For Me, this is not so much of a concern.  I am ambitious, I can make money in a day cleaning yards, sweeping sidewalks, cutting grass, whatever.  If I want money, I can make it.  But I am a spiritualist and believe I can manifest whatever it is the people in My life need most for their optimal spiritual growth.  On Monday night, My meditation was for My neighbour.  Because of My own dedication to spirit, I let the Universe know I had no personal interest in money, but that I would need to fill My cupboards so that I could feed Myself and My neighbour.  I wasn’t asking for anything, I was letting the Universe know I don’t care for money and don’t want to use it, but I’m going to fill My cupboards and fridge – one way or another!  I smiled, thanked the Universe for understanding and went to sleep.

The next morning, My neighbour and I woke at the same time – highly unusual for him to be up so early.  I tell him that today I am going to find a way to fill Our cupboards with food so We can start Our workout routine and eat right.  He is also out of work on disability and tells Me he can go to the food bank and asks Me to go with him.  So I do.  I don’t possess anything that counts for legal identification.  This of course makes Me completely ineligible for social benefits.  But as My neighbour is handing over all of his identification he tells the lady I have no food either, and I tell her I have no identification.  He tells her I’m an artist, she smiles at Me and says, “I believe We were born to create.”, and started filling out a card for Me.

My neighbour had to go back home to get more identification papers just to prove he wasn’t making too much money!  But for whatever reason, this lady was happy to fill out My card.  I have never in My life received social benefits, I believe I can provide for Myself…  And somehow I was awed by this gesture of kindness, humbled beyond words.  And then I took the card to another lady who filled a cart for Me and I was awed again.

It wasn’t really until I got home that the magnitude of what had just happened really hit Me.  I began unpacking the food and realized just how much of it there was!  And not just food, but GOOD food!!  REALLY, REALLY, GOOD FOOD!  Almost everything was organic, healthy, five loaves of bread!  By the time I was done, I couldn’t even fit any more in My cupboards or fridge and almost every food I had imagined filling My shelves with had been in one of those boxes…  Even Nutella, My favourite! 

I used to work forty hours a week, I have a very modest lifestyle and yet I could never afford to buy the amount or quality of food that now filled My shelves.  Normally, My ego and pride would have allowed Me to feel nothing but shame for accepting food when I know I can provide for Myself…  But to be humble, to be spirit and to accept the graces the Universe grants Me, left Me feeling disgrace for the world We live in.  It also inspired Me to do something about it.  Now I know what I’m going to do.

Please stay tuned, because soon I will be presenting, “The March of the Elephant”…  An art show that will change the world.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms

On December 10th, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms.  It is My belief that this declaration was written with great intention; it is a shame that the organization responsible for creating the declaration, failed to ensure these aspirations were achieved:

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

The full text of the Declaration can be found here:

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

In an effort to pick up where the founders of this declaration left off, in an effort to strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms, I am taking progressive measures to redefine the charter by allowing the will of the People to act as the General Assembly and the basis of law.  The People will determine how best to define and uphold the inherent rights and freedoms of the human person in an effort to best achieve the full realization of this pledge to develop a common standard of living and worth for all humanity.

Article 1.

• All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

• Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

• Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

• No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

In an effort to promote progressive understanding and respect for the full realization of these rights, We must understand that the financial system creates fear and want, where it has been declared that freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed the highest aspiration of the common People.  The People of the world and it’s representatives are enslaved to world banks, organizations that have no consciousness or regard for human life or the well being of Our economy.  The world banks must be abolished, their beneficiaries held accountable for breach of trust.  They were trusted to manage Our resources economically; they have breached this trust and enslaved the People.  A new economic system must be designed that is focused on the responsible management and even distribution of the world’s resources.  We have more than enough resources to feed the world and We have sufficient technology and other means of achieving it.  The People of the world are no longer ignorant to these facts and they must be addressed.

Article 5.

• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

If the world were to abide by Article 1. there would be no need for Article 5.  However, I am including it because this is taken directly from the existing declaration, rule of law; a minimum standard of respect We are to honour each member of the human family, especially those who peacefully protest to defend these rights and freedoms.  Any person who has authorized or been involved in the cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of the People We have seen taking place in virtually every city of the world, must be held accountable for violation of this law before an international tribunal.  This includes any person responsible for passing laws that condone or support this behaviour and those who carry them out.

Article 6.

• Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

• All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

This Declaration will be the foundation of law.  Because this Declaration seeks to achieve the highest aspiration of the common People in an effort to promote social progress, it’s text will remain the highest rule of law in any courtroom, and must be recognized as such.  People charged with violating any law that interferes with their inherent rights and freedoms as defined in this Declaration, are inherently innocent and must remain free.

Article 8.

• Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

• Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of their rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against them.

Article 11.

• (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
• (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
• (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

• (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from crimes or acts contrary to the purposes and principles of this Declaration.

Article 15.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
• (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

An equal share of the world and it’s resources is the inherent birthright of every human being.  A person may call any country they choose to take up residence, their home.

Article 17.

• (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
• (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

I am hereby manifesting My belief in teaching, suggesting that all members of the human family strive to maintain the minimum standards for human rights and freedoms as set forth in this declaration by making sure that these standards are upheld by way of law in all the world’s courts.

Article 19.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

• (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
• (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
• (3) The will of the People shall be the basis of the authority of government; the government shall serve the will of the People.

Any laws passed by leaders of member states that interfere with any of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration or the will of the People are unconstitutional and deserve no recognition.  These representatives are appointed by the People to uphold these rights and freedoms; passing any laws that violate this Declaration are made in breach of trust and those responsible should be removed from government and held accountable.

Article 22.

• Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

• (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for themselves and their family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of their interests.

Article 24.

• Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond their control.
• (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

• (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
• (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
• (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

• (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
• (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

• Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

The current social and international order fail to meet the aspirations of this Declaration and the rights and freedoms it was designed to protect.  Immediate action should be taken to restore an international social order that will allow for the full realization of this Declaration.

Article 29.

• (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of their personality is possible.
• (2) In the exercise of their rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

Article 30.

• Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

It has been proclaimed in the Preamble that preserving the inherent rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration should be the common standard of achievement for all People’s and all nations, such that every individual, and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance.

Let Us seek to uphold the aspirations of this Declaration and see what happens.  Let the will of the People be the foundation of law.  Peace!

Occupy the World

It was just over three years ago now that I awakened to the Truth about who and what I am.  The experience also dramatically changed My perception of the world around Me.  I considered all the things in the world I felt would need to change in order for the world to become what I dreamed it could be, then I set out to change them.

I believed I understood how to manipulate the physical Universe to serve Our highest intention and began applying My philosophies to My own life with complete devotion.  Perhaps We can’t transform the physical Universe, but the reality of My own physical experience suggests otherwise.

I believe I must be the change I wish to see in the world.  I understood that My job and the taxes that I pay represent policies and ideas that do not represent Me.  So I quit My job and effectively stopped contributing.  I essentially occupied the Vancouver Art Gallery, making it My home for about two and a half months.

My message was as clear as the Occupy Wall Street movements happening around the world, and also just as vague.  I knew what the problem was, I just wasn’t really sure how to go about fixing it.  All I knew for sure, was that money had to go.  I also had a profound understanding that the ‘game’ everyone has been tricked into playing is rigged…  Like gambling, You might be up for a while, and it might feel pretty good…  But the house always wins in the end.  If You want to win anything real, You have to get out of the game – the sooner, the better.  Then You can build Your own house and really start winning.

I don’t think that was one of My better metaphors and more than a little cliche, but what I am trying to say is that although the occupy movement gets a lot of criticism from the media for lacking direction or not having specific enough demands, it represents the 99% of the world’s population that are demanding something more.  We have a lot of ideas about how We might proceed, but the first thing We need to do is recognize the need for change.  Because whatever We do, We will do it together.

But the occupy movement is here to stay.  There are still a lot of people who don’t understand it, but there were also a lot of people who couldn’t understand why I had chosen to give up My job and apartment to live and paint on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery.  People had a very difficult time understanding how such an act could accomplish peace.  I used to tell people that I was living what I believed to be My Truth.  I must be the change I wish to see; what I do, the world will do.

I feel the occupy movement represents a global cry for freedom – real freedom.  It represents far more than just discontent with wall street, the corporate elite, capitalism, social injustice, government…  It is the result of a continuous attack on human rights and freedoms – that which I believe humanity holds most sacred in the heart, whether consciously realized or not.  It is also the symptom of a humanity which seeks to have the will of the People realized where it has continually been suppressed.

This does give Us a unique opportunity.  We have an opportunity to redefine human rights and freedoms, to write Our own charter that represents the highest will of the people, allows for the greatest potential for progressive human development and offers maximum individual freedom with minimal restrictions (laws).  A charter declared by the People, for the People.  I am currently working on such a declaration, which I will post for criticism and discussion.  It is time to occupy the planet!

My Manifesto

I will walk in a world where humanity understands the sacred gift of life; that an equal share of the earth and it’s resources are the inherent birthright of all the human family.

I will walk in a world that measures it’s success by the wealth of it’s most deprived, rather than the consumption and waste of its wealthy.

I will walk in a world that is no longer fooled by the illusion of money.  We will see only that We have the technology, the resources and the means to accomplish anything We choose, and We will get things done.

I will walk in a world where laws are no longer needed, where the ideology of the human family is finally conceptualized globally, a world where humanity acts toward one another in a spirit of love and compassion.

I will walk in a world where women and men are born free to enjoy in all of the social, cultural, technological, recreational, medical, educational and any other benefits necessary for the full creative potential of human development, both individually and collectively.

I will walk in a world where the hungriest child is well fed and fully nourished.

(Perpetual work in progress)

I am: vonDehnVisuals

‘I am.’ -  The most powerful statement a person can make, the beginning of the creative process.  What follows are the ideas We have about who and what We are – ego.  I am vonDehnVisuals.

But what is vonDehnVisuals?  A name?  An alter-ego?  A blog?  An artist?  A writer?  A guru?  Freedom?

It is all of the above, and infinitely more.  vonDehnVisuals is an idea, an idea with unlimited creative potential.  An idea that a man can re-create himself to become his highest thought through conscious, creative expression.  An idea that by representing Truth, the rest of the world may also have an opportunity to know It.  But it is also a great deal more than that.  vonDehnVisuals is the potential for freedom.

Many of Us associate ourselves (or Our ‘self’) with Our identity, Our name.  That name is usually given by Our parents, but is meaningless until authenticated with a certificate of birth, issued by the county, state, or territory in which the child was born.  A certificate is a deed of ownership, literally deeming the new-born child ‘property’ of their birthplace.  Without this certificate, a human being has no right to even the most basic of human needs…  Legally speaking, they do not even exist yet!  This is how You become a commodity and asset to Your government…  And that is all You are to them.

I was asked to write an article denouncing a billionaire, celebrity, intellectual, corporation, or government official/organization for ‘The Activist’ publication.  I could easily choose to expose atrocities from the world’s wealthiest families, rip into some celebrity, make a fool of an intellect, sell out some corporation, pick on a country’s government for imposing on human freedoms…  But that is not My style…  Okay, maybe it is, but not today!  If We want change, We must be the change We wish to see.

I am not My name, I am vonDehnVisuals.  Legally speaking, I do not even exist, I am just an idea…  A human being an idea.  Why is this important?

Well, if I am going to denounce anything, what better place to start than the law?  Who makes the laws?  Why are laws being passed to interfere with the will of the people?  It does not matter what country We are from, Our governments no longer serve Us…  Unless You are the 1%!  Is that not what democracy is supposed to be all about?..  The government is to serve the will of the people – not the other way around, right?  And if We want to evaluate Our laws to determine if they are just, how should this be done?  What example do We go by?  Where do We start?  How about We start with Truth?

The Truth is, You were born free, You have an inherent birthright to remain free.

You are part of the human family and entitled to all the social benefits humanity has to offer.

vonDehnVisuals started as an alter-ego, kind of like a pen-name an author might use.  I felt that My job and the mundane tasks I perform every day to maintain My existence were irrelevant and did not reflect My highest ideas about how We should live.  So, vonDehnVisuals is a name that was designed to reflect who and what I really am, My highest ideas.  I began signing all My artwork vonDehnVisuals, promoting My artwork through a website by the same name which evolved to become My Blog.  I even started a You-tube channel named vonDehnVision.  Anything I could think of to promote My highest intention.

My mother used to tell Me I am a dreamer, a visionary; that I was born ahead of My time and the world I described lay in the far distant future.  I told her that once a platform existed where people could freely share ideas with everyone around the world,  it would only be a matter of time before the world would know peace.  And here We are.

The protests, occupy movements, anonymous, revolutions, and global civil unrest are undeniable signs that these ideas can no longer be suppressed, they will be realized.  The only question is how?  So far, most of the protests have been met with violence, and this is unacceptable.  We get what We give.  This is an opportunity for governments all over the world to stop passing laws to remove protestors, to work with them.  In countries where governments refuse to do this, this is an opportunity for the police to ignore the laws that are being passed to evict protestors – remember, they are serving Your interests as well!

I believe the civil unrest We see happening all over the world is a reflection of Our collective desire for freedom.  It is necessary for human evolution.  We have continually put Our trust in someone else, allowed them to determine how it is We should live.  It is time for each of Us to reclaim Our freedom and work together to achieve it.  We do not need laws, and unless We believe We are possessions, none of the laws that exist pertain to Us.  We are more than Our names.

Just in Case You Think I'm Fucking With You

I do not believe We need laws, only to act toward one another in a spirit of brother and sisterhood.  Now I sound like a hippie, but remember I’m a visionary…  For those who believe there is a necessity for law to maintain some kind of order, in My next article I will write a letter to Our international heads of government in an effort to bring awareness to one legal document that provides a real foundation for international discussion, greater freedom and potentially even peace.

Nemaste!