I think it was George Harrison who said that LSD opened a door in his brain that he didn't know existed. Many of us have had the good fortune of experiencing a version of this priceless epiphany.

Once that door has been unlocked, via whichever path, be it psychedelics, fasting or high altitude trekking (...), there is a portal which opens up and often remains accessible long after the initial experience or journey into an alternate state of consciousness. 

This piece is a reminder that the present moment, with all its richness and versatile, tragic beauty, is forever available: "Right Here, Right Now", as articulated by Brighton based musician Fatboy Slim! Freedom is foremost a state of consciousness (which is not to diminish anyone's experience or to minimize their set of circumstances, should they find that this state is not presently accessible to them).

Some of my own invitations/reminders to myself are the following:

Am I able to allow myself to sink entirely into the present moment, letting go of archaic fears and resisting limiting beliefs about tomorrow? Can I live fully from this place for one full round of breath, or even two? Can I meet and humbly receive the gift of presence without seeking to make it something else than it fundamentally is? Can I simply, in the words of my teacher, Baba Ram Dass, Be Here Now?! 

There genuinely is no higher purpose than to show up, fully present, for ourselves and the beings we care about in this world. The portal, which I visualize in my heart rather than in my mind, is always there, waiting for me to drop my armor and to step into a field of love, for a moment, or two, or more. It is my home. Now is where I am building the great palace of this incarnation. 

Wishing all beings, everywhere, happiness and freedom. If you are reading this, you are evidently on a path of your own. May this digital talisman bring you ease and lightness of being as you settle deeply into the beauty and radiance of everything that you are, in every moment. I feel the faint resistance as you read these words. And I feel the knowing, deep under the surface of our human conditioning. This is a message for your soul, rather than your ego. Namaste. 

Portal

"To fade in order to bloom again." 

--Lao Tzu (Vth to IVth century BCE)

Celebrating the solstice is both a recognition of the passage of time and an understanding of the great wisdom of cyclicality. Ritual is especially potent at this time and can be as elaborate or as bare bones as one likes. All else failing, it's an auspicious time to get out of our own way and to celebrate the Earth and all living beings, across all realms, seen and unseen, including the fungi, plant and animal realms.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu - May all beings everywhere be happy and free from suffering.

There is also a second part to this well known Sanskrit mantra, it adds: and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.  

Thank you for reading the metadata in connection with this Tantric Orb. It was made with love and intention in California. Many blessings to you on the occasion of this solstice and all those to come! Note that this is a rare 1/1 Cosmic Digital Talisman, so it will work in all tez wallets, regardless whether you are living in the Northern or Southern hemisphere. 

Solstice

The Buddhist Heart Sutra states, *Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.*

The text has been translated into English from Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan as well as other source languages. 

Shunyata

Rarest of South Sea pearls, super charged digital talisman

Perle d'Amour

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

The colors in this piece evoke the experience of ease which arises when I can settle fully into the present moment, resting my conscious awareness in my cosmic womb. 

Quietude

*Titillating* is a part of multi-artist collaborative project organized by the artist known as altjames.

altjames has been exploring the symbol of the cross across human history and has incorporated it into his visual language. In February 2021 he minted 100 Kisses—or crosses—which sold out rapidly on the Ethereum blockchain. altjames continues his exploration of this ubiquitous symbol and has invited a number of artist friends in the community to riff on his instantly recognizable kiss!

I'm very interested in poetry and text art, be it in the form of print, calligraphy or asemic writing stripped bare of its semantic content. I also have an ongoing love affair with epistemology. This piece touches on a number of these themes in tangential ways. The handwritten words surrounding *Titillating*, which must be read from right to left, are in French: titillant, excitant, alléchant! This is in part simply because most things sound more sexy in French! It also marks a desire to mix things up to reflect our global, multicultural community.

May this piece, which I very much consider to be a digital talisman, bestow upon its collector the gift of feeling sexy and playful!  

Titillating

"𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢"—𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚢

(𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜)

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻

ₐₙₐₗₒg cₒₗₗₐgₑ ₘₐdₑ
wᵢₜₕ ᵥᵢₙₜₐgₑ ₑₚₕₑₘₑᵣₐ,
ₐ dₒgₑ cₒᵢₙ ₛₜᵢcₖₑᵣ,
ₐ ₜₒᵤcₕ ₒf gₗᵢₜcₕ
& ₐ wₕₒₗₑ ₗₒₜ ₒf Lₒᵥₑ 
ₒₙ ₜₕₑ ₒccₐₛᵢₒₙ
ₒf ₄₂₀

♡

𖤛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𖤛

Redacted page from *Delta of Venus*, a book of erotica by French born American diarist, Anaïs Nin, first published in 1969. Nin died in 1977. She is an international feminist icon. 

This sultry opium den escapade becomes smoking hot when edited and stripped bare of anatomical terms and overused tropes. In blackout poetry as elsewhere, less is more and suggestion is everything. 

This is the third of three celebratory giveaway mints created in connection with *Women’s History Month* (March 1, 2023 - March 31, 2023). 

❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁•❁

𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘭𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘤𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴.—Anaïs Nin

                                                                 

Opium Dreams

a collection of visual poetry, with images, words, symbols and a generous dash of subtext—be sure to read between the lines!

text art

A reflection on color, luminosity and the preciousness of the present moment. All my pieces are made with intention, every mint is a digital talisman for its owner.

Citrine

8BIDOU

connection

8scribo

This is about listening, whether it be via divination or by placing one's attention on the ongoing feedback offered by the immediate environment surrounding us. 

What is being reflected back to me, right here, right now?

The Oracle

Hic et Nunc

𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 
𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎'𝚜 
𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 

𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌 
𝚑𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚜 
𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 
𝚒 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜

This is the home of ongoing collaborative projects.

Collaboration

ₐ cₒcₖₜₐᵢₗ ₒf :

cᵣᵢₜᵢcₐₗ ₜₕₑₒᵣy 
₊ ᵥᵢₙₜₐgₑ ₑₚₕₑₘₑᵣₐ
₊ ₘᵢₛcₕᵢₑf

𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗/𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗

𖤛 poetry with scissors, glue & mischief 𖤛

physical collage

 From *Fragments d'un discours amoureux* by Roland Barthes (1977), published by Editions du Seuil

*A Lover's Discourse - Fragments*, English translation by Richard Howard (1978), published by Hill and Wang, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Page 214

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥?

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱


The Uncertainty of Signs

What wants to emerge when a foundational text is stress tested? A revisiting of authors to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. Mostly in English, occasionally in French.

Fragments

Shot with a macro lens as I was in the throes of grief this Spring time. I experienced those rich, inner gardens captured in the sap as vessels carrying a message of rebirth.

Rebirth

all manner of flower porn shot with various lenses, including macro, both outdoors and indoors

Rose at the height of her beauty and potency—possibly past her prime in commercial terms (yes, this is also a metaphor).

Shot with macro lens which allowed for the capture of the very small insect in the frame.

Zenith

boner botanicals

𝚋𝚎𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕 
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 
𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 
𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜

𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚜

is it asemic, or pansemic? would you rather be asexual, or pansexual?

𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚢, 
𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝
& 𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 
𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 
𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚡

𝙼𝙼𝚇𝚇𝙸𝙸𝙸

𖦹 𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚡 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚕𝚊 𖦹

pansemic

𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚖 
𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚙 
𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑

-; ✧˖*°࿐

#aubjkt4aubjkt2 

𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑

taxonomy defying artwork, which does not fit into any of my existing collections

Contemplation on AI's reflective labyrinth, symbolized here through a series of nested mirrors. The pixelated center represents the fragmented and distorted reflections of data-driven AI models. As we consult these models incessantly, I question whether this process leads to heightened awareness or lulls us into an eternal reverie within the realms of a collective dream.

I'm also brushing up against the limits of this particular binary and suspect that this is yet another case of 'neither, nor, and both, in every direction, forever'!

ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ་ཧྲཱིཿ

𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎

eclectic

This Digital Talisman is not for sale (at least on primary, every holder is obviously free to do as they please with the mint: hold, burn, sell or gift it to someone else).

This was created intentionally to thank beautiful Beings in the Tezos community. If you are the recipient of this orb: 

Thank you for your kindness! May you feel seen and greatly appreciated! 

With love—aether

G R A T I T U D E

†åñ†rïc Örß§

Prana is one of those untranslatable Sanskrit words. It's breath. It's the life force or the élan vital or what the Tibetans call lung... For me it's all the colors and all the subtle energies, observed or neglected, spoken or non-existent in one's conceptual frame. Prana doesn't need to be acknowledged. Nor is prana some sort of a belief. Like love, or gravity, it cannot be proven, nor can its experience be denied.

Prana

reflections on the colors and feeling tones of personal practice

In yoga philosophy, santosha is the practice of cultivating inner peace and joy, which is independent from circumstances beyond the Self. Happiness is elusive, whereas contentment is a state of being.

Santosha

visual meditations

This piece is a reflection on self-censorship and an invitation to myself and others to practice self-compassion during all the stages of the exhilarating, intoxicating, lonely, ecstatic, daunting , all consuming and occasionally ego-annihilating creative process.

Transmutation

Open Editions

Our two friends continue 
their metaphysical conversation 
about the NFT subculture and walk 
the narrow line separating sex and depravity.

S L U T

ongoing conversations on the poetics of posturing in digital art

Two friends continue their conversation on Art, sex and metaphysics.

A one million Tezos question arises:

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡,
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮,
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙚𝙘𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩?

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘


Gong track by æther.

𝓡 Δ Ŵ

ɨʍքʊʟֆɛ ʀǟȶɨօ

Minted on the occasion of the Psyche/Nexus group exhibition
organized by "The Collective", Step I, 2023.

.・゜✧﹒☁﹒✧゜・．

Spoken Word + Animated Image of
*The Nightmare* (1781) by Swiss artist Henry Fuseli.

Fuseli's oil painting has captured the imagination of many art critics,
in part because it foreshadows Jungian ideas about the collective unconscious
only articulated in the early 20th century.

Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung have referenced the painting in their work.

*The Nightmare*, in its original version, is in the public domain.
It is housed at The Detroit Institute of Arts.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ ✷ ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───

Inhale ⟡ Exhale ⟡ Remember



Labyrinth of Self

Collective project around the theme of Psyche. Phase I is the publication of one solo work per participant, phase II is the publication of collaborations around this theme.

For the Psyche/Nexus collective exhibition, step I, 2023.

Getting lost and finding yourself, only to get lost again - an endless journey. 3000 x 3400 PNG - 11 November 2023 by TOCA ME / TI

Journey

Psyche/Nexus

An impromptu, heartfelt exchange 
between two poet friends 🎶

Visuals by Ashwini, handwritten words by æther

───〃★

𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧, 
𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙣, 
𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩

D A N C E

꩜ 𝙧𝙝𝙞𝙯𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 ꩜

An audiovisual collaboration between artists p.i.x.e.l.l.a.r.e. and æther, which arose amidst a deeper conversation the two friends were having about blockchain and cryptoanarchy.

Visuals by p.i.x.e.l.l.a.r.e. / Spoken Word + Soundscape by æther.

𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 
𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥: 
𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳, 
𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬. 
𝘪 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴—
𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴, 
𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘣?

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