Moving

I've been in the middle of moving for the past couple years. It's been a real pain in the ass to have half of my shit in some place I actually have to transport myself to. The act of picking all of my belongings up, in order to put them into another bag, has become routine. The idea of a building being a home is completely foreign. A constant "anything" is a comfort that is romanticized. The days of sitting in a car for hours at a time has become my volunteerism. Waking up knowing where you are is a privilege. The drive in my life is usually two or four wheel. I am roaming looking for a place that feels right. The search for something that brings comfort. The journey to the unknown. Why take the trip? There's an old saying that says, "you never know what you have, until it's gone". If there is such a thing as a comfort zone, what draws us to stay inside? What draws us out? Why worry? Are we born with this absence of acceptance? Maybe as children growing, we grow accustomed to our guardians supposed love. Maybe it comes from more of a social aspect of wanting to be around people. Either way, this feeling does exist. This feeling of want of belonging is alive and well with many people. Though it seems to be found in adolescents more than any other age group, would an older age group feel empty without a sense of god? Is the purpose of someones life dictated by this want of belonging? Perhaps this does have more to do with people in general, as opposed to a simple stage of life. Though I may be young, and simply just not understand what adult hood is about, merely thinking of these questions directs me towards thoughts that can not be ignored. Perhaps there is really nothing to this little rant. I wish there were, but I suppose these are simply more mere thoughts from my head being passed onto you.

Interview with Christopher Sonzogni

Desolation Ration: So how long have you been working with photography?

Christopher Sonzogni: I began teaching myself about two years ago. I've always had an interest in the visual arts, and I've always entertained the idea of immortalizing moments in life. As F.W. Murnau said, "We are scientists engaged in the creation of memory... but our memory will neither blur nor fade".

DR: What are some of your major influences?

CS: All different things. Obsessions mainly - the occult, horror films, quasi-controversial subjects, different moments in history, books I read...

 women I find captivating.  I tend to lean towards the dark side, or the "uncomfortable" if you will. I have always since a kid had a fixation with stuff the majority would prefer not to see or know about. But I've found that it is the most taboo of things in life that deserve my attention more than anything else, as there is usually much truth and wisdom in these shadowy corners of reality that frighten most. I like to try and capture the essence of these things in my work.


DR: Why do you feel as though these things call out to you?


CS: I find these things to be interesting, and full of mystery and wonder. I think if someone is too faint-hearted to face what they consider to be dark or "evil", that person more than likely fears and hates something within themselves. Knowledge is knowledge to me, and if I can pass on that knowledge through an image, then more power to me."


DR: Is there anything specifically that has been an influence, in the artwork that you are currently working on?

 CS: Well, one of my recent series was inspired by an obsession I have with Gnostic concepts, or more specifically what's called the Abraxan Mysteries. Which I first came to understand through a text called "Septem Sermones ad Mortuos" by C.G. Jung. What Abraxas is, is a deity that embodies opposites: darkness/light, good/evil, right/wrong, reality/illusion, and so it goes. In essence a god that represents perfect balance. The central idea behind the Abraxas symbol is, to know and comprehend it is to be in harmony with nature as it truly is. I named the work "The Sisters of Abraxas" with the two models in the work represented as sort of agents, whose message is order. The Sisters of Abraxas for me is little more than just mere erotica. I utilized erotic imagery because, like any honest person, I find it quite titillating. But it's the underlying message behind the series that really counts for me. Of course, realistically, I do not expect everyone to understand the symbolic value of this work necessarily... at least not on a conscious level.  Some, if not most, are indeed only going to notice the fetishistic eroticism of the series, which is fine. But the series does actually have a deeper meaning.


DR: What about the symbolism and fetishism that was used in this series. I notice a lot of BDSM play and use of Nazi imagery. Can you tell me about that? 

Well, recognizing BDSM as a sort of "Abraxan act" you could say, I decided to have the situational bondage there to symbolize the balance that exists between a master and slave relationship, and how when combined produce natural order. Hence the role of the master and the role of the slave transcend one another. Insomuch as neither can exist without the other. Now, in concerning the symbols that were used. Already I've had a few people assume that the series is mere Nazi Fetishism, which is understandable on some level. However, the role they play in the series is actually not quite that simple. These symbols actually have a dual purpose. On one level, these symbols all, in some way, bear relevance to Abraxas. On another level, they were also used for their authoritarian significance in history, to represent the very natural polarity of masters and slaves, which is indeed what the world is truly made of..

DR: So how would you say, you are communicating this type of symbolism in your art? 

CS: Well first of all, these symbols all have occult significance. Symbols in general bear much energy and meaning, and have the potential to have very strong effects on the human psyche. In having this understanding I decided to use the symbolism to possibly resonate certain emotional reactions in the viewer. This and there was also the intention of using them as a statement against the propaganda machine that has managed to mentally enslave the majority of  the Western world to egalitarian thought; and basically knock it out of touch with natural law. As I stated before, the Sisters of Abraxas are intended to represent order in a period of complete and utter chaos. Albeit in a very subliminal way. 

DR: How would you explain your creative process?


CS: It depends really. Sometimes I approach a project with a set of ideas. Other times ideas evolve as I begin shooting. There have been times where I've become overly excited about a creative revelation I'll have in the middle of a shoot - these moments can been very chaotic actually. But I always manage to make it through and get my vision across. I just make sure to limit my consumption of coffee to one cup on those days (laughs).


DR: Where are some exhibitions displaying your art, and when are some of the times that people should go out to see your work? 


CS: I currently have two exhibits going on in the city of Philadelphia, both of which are of an erotic nature. The Sisters of Abraxas are being shown at a fetish fashion store called Passional Boutique, and another series is being shown, along with the work of ten other artists, at a small gallery called The Aphrodite Gallery. 
At this point, my plan is to just keep exhibiting my work throughout the Philadelphia area, and perhaps gain a following of like-minded fans along the way. I am also looking into possibly booking a show in Iowa at a gallery called "Finders Creepers". There are quite a few projects in the works currently.

Aphrodite Gallery at PASSIONAL-Philadelphia's Showcase for Erotic Fine Arts!

www.aphroditegallery.us

Labels

Lately, I have been dealing with this issue of labeling. My personal reasons for this are more due to relationships, but if you look at anything, you could call everything a type of relationship. A relationship between man and machine, a relationship between parent and child, a relationship between government and citizen, but why do people label these relationships? Is it for their own comfort? Is it for society's? Is it for the relationship itself? I am an advocate for making the best of life, and some labels are not completely awful to use for peace of mind. For my dating relationships, I  find that when I can label the relationship, it is easier for me to know how to treat the relationship itself. If I have a girlfriend or boyfriend, I will use my past relationships as a stepping stone on knowing how to treat the person as such. Of course, this is based on my own interpretation of how a couple should be, that gives me this launching pad. But, this does not limit what the relationship can become. Every person is different, and should be treated as such. So, what label do I put on for my spiritual beliefs. It may not be surprising to use the same type of logic in my relationships and translate that into my spiritual beliefs. But this still doesn't answer the original question, why label? A more clear question would be, why do I label? Yes, I am comforted by the fact that I know what something is, being that I gain confidence through knowledge. But, knowledge of what something is and knowing what to do with the knowledge, are two different things. So, wouldn't I be able to know what to do without knowing what I am doing? Possibly, it would make sense to simply live and learn, as we all do with so many other situations. But, this goes to a deeper level of philosophy that can translate into, work verses school. As a person in this world economy, is it better to go to school, learn about a subject, go out and put effort into the work based on knowledge of the work? Or, is it better to go out and learn from working in the field? The answer, is one each individual should think of for themselves. Either way, we should do what is best for each of us, or at least what makes most sense. So labeling me as a bisexual when it comes to my sexual orientation, doesn't really give me any more power than that of the knowledge of what I am. Putting this label on me also seems to put some type of limit on who I am as a person. Still, people may feel empowered by being able to call someone by some label that is agreed upon by society, but the real power comes when I decide what to do with that information of who I am. This is because labels do not come before they are needed. So, when it comes to my spirituality, I do not have a label for myself for the present, just a label for my past. I know what I have been, just as all who have religiously read this blog. But, what am I now? I can only be spiritually defined, by what my spiritual beliefs are. So, I am not going to give you, the reader, a label to call me. Don't call me anything, instead get to know what I believe. At that point, perhaps you will have a better label for me than I.

Spirit, Matriculated.

Religion seems to carry an extremely heavy burden these days. The subtle mind control factor of it all, has seem to turn off so many people who are even fairly logical. Much of this backlash to religion though, in my experience, for the most part seem to come from Atheist who argue against Christianity. Though this opinion may be biased, it is based on the fact that I myself was raised to be Christian. To give a brief biography on my religious upbringing, I have been to multiple churches of extremely different denominations. I have witnessed many, what would seem to be, insane rituals and beliefs; from speaking in tongues, to spiritual heeling's of physical problems, to infiltration of evil spirits, to ghost, to exorcisms, to prophecy visions, to free association prayer, to spiritual connections within the specific group of people I am with at a single moment. I have partaken in many of these religious and spiritual practices. And every single time, I have sincerely believed in  these activities to be a real "God experience". I was a Christian, not of any denomination, but a Christian none the less. My Christian God and answered prayers were my pastor. And though, I did not start to really read the Bible until a few years ago, I had gained most of my knowledge on what the text of the Bible through sermons, and a few select times when I picked up the book and read through some of the verses. In fact, I had read the entire english translation of the Quoran, before I had even started to begin to read the Bible in its entirety. The first full book of the Bible I read was "Revelations".  I do not claim, nor have I ever claimed, to have full knowledge on what the Bible has printed in it, let alone every translation of its text. This forced me to use my own logic to understand different ways the scriptures could be interpreted. Luckily enough, I had talked to many people about religion to know at least some of the ways The Bible is interpreted. At the same time, when I look at the amount of Biblical Scholars who argue on interpretations of the Bible, I begin to realize what I consider to be a very important truth when it comes to any religion. There is never going to be a single, clear, unanimous interpretation on what any religious text says and the way to become and live a spiritual life. Leaving people the individual right to find and have their own spiritual beliefs and connections. This conclusion came to me many years ago, and has since given me the basis of what my religious beliefs are from that time on. The basis of my spiritual belief is a factor I call, "I have absolutely no fucking clue".

Plogging Postings

So obviously, I have been posting what seems to be a lot of school work. In fact, I have been. Currently I'm sitting here in American History class, and I was just browsing my blog here. Don't think I'm not doing any work, I'm more so occasionally writing a word or two here and there. And apart from this, I'm recording the lecture on my laptop so that I can review this class over and over again.

So the point at hand is, this is my last history class before the final exam. Meaning I wont post any more of those boring post about some point in History, and possibly no more English shit either. I guess I could say anyone is welcome to look into what I wrote for those classes, and that I have no reason to take those post down seeing that they really should have no reason to offend in anyway. And even if they do, why is that my problem? I'm simply writing my mind here. You are more than allowed to take it in anyway you wish.

And this brings us to the question at hand. I will soon have massive amounts of time to write about anything I want to post on here. So, what should I blog about? What am I going to blog about? Well I have many ideas, I am planning on blogging about my spiritual beliefs. This is not to reason with or convince anyone of them except myself. So if you are interested in seeing this struggle please let me know. I do plan on editing the short stories I posted earlier, along with writing some more short stories. Later this year, I will also plan on posting more of my schoolwork. I have found that posting my work has helped me in my classes, and I don't see how anyone wouldn't benefit from it.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone who has looked at my blog thus far, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy everything that is posted on here in days to come. Please let your friends know about this blog if you think that they will enjoy the work here as well. I hope to be able to communicate a mind to the world, and it will take more than me and my friends alone. I am sorry to inform people, I am not friends with everyone in the world. I am sorry.

Until I post/blog (plog) again, my name is Blu Lorn.

Early Colonial Settlement of Pennsylvania from 1660 to 1776

In 1660, Charles II became the king of England. At this time the Dutch were leaders in world trade. Because of this, England did all that it could in its power to gain control of world trade and commerce. Of course, this plan took 100 years to accomplish. This led the royal throne trying to take more of a strong hold on the American Colonies. One notable way of taking this action, was to establish what has been known as the Restoration Colonies. These were also monetary and political debts to eight loyal noblemen. These Colonies included the Carolinas, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Most of the proprietors of these new lands were allowed to rule the new land in any way they pleased. Most laws were set up similar to England's. However, the largest problem that the crown and colonies dealt with, was that of religion. One radical religious group, the Quakers, struggled for equality between the sexes as well as a pacifist view on disputes. Though many Quakers living throughout the colonies, would seem not to bother anyone, they made aggressive statements with passive actions, and led to many of the colonist dealing with problems between the Quakers and other religious groups.

In 1681, Charles II granted ownership of Pennsylvania to William Penn. This was in order to pay back a debt to Penn's father, Admiral Sir William Penn. Though Penn himself was born into a wealthy family, during his years at college, Penn became obsessed with the Quaker religion because of the plainness. Once given the settlement of Pennsylvania, which means Penn's Woods, William Penn set up the providence as a refuge for Quakers in England and the Colonies alike. Though Penn himself did not arrive in the colony until 1682, when he laid out the plans for the city of Philadelphia, Penn had made his cousin William Markham deputy governor of the province and sent him to take control in 1861. This pan of government, was due to the fact that in England, Quakers were persecuted for refusing to serve in military services or pay taxes which supported the Church of England. Even William Penn spent two years in jail due to his beliefs as a Quaker. Quakers wanted to restore Christianity to early simple spirituality, but did not agree with the Calvinistic documents that were considered too pessimistic. The two English leaders for the Quakers were, George Fox and Margaret Fell. These people argued that God has given both men and women an, "inner light" of grace and understanding. With this sex equality came 350 women who became Quaker ministers. This is along with the were 1,500 migrants who settled in Pennsylvania. Obviously Penn's religious beliefs dictated the government structure that was set up for Pennsylvania. Penn set up a state that would be tolerant of all religions, given that they were of Christian relation. Though Penn set up a legally established church, this gave political equality to all property-owning men. This was to allow all property-owning men the power to vote and hold office. Because of this decision, thousands of the Quakers, who were mostly yeomen families from the northwest midland region of England, were jubilant about this and flooded Pennsylvania, and originally settled along the Delaware River near Philadelphia.

William Penn was one of the most preferred rulers of any Colony. The king of England, more as a piece of pleasantry than otherwise, insisted upon naming the land that was being settled "Pennsylvania," in honor of the proprietor. Even later in the nations history, there were accounts of slaves who stated, "I hope that I become the slave of a Quaker." Though slavery was not outlawed, Quakers tended to treat their slaves much better than in owners in any other state. Absolute freedom of conscience was permitted. In all trials by jury of Native Americans, one-half of the jury were composed of Native Americans, and, although Penn allowed the death sentence for treason and murder, nobody was ever killed as execution while Penn was still in power. Penn in a way, gave the rest of the settlers a living example on how to act in manner of political matters, as well as treatment of Native Americans. Penn for the most part treated the Native Americans of the region, The Lenape  (later named Delaware), with a lot more respect than most Colonies at the time. After his arrival in 1682 he called the Native American chiefs together at Shackamaxon, and paid them for the land that he had already received. In addition, he  signed a treaty with the Native Americans, which was not broken for sixty years. It has been said that, this was the only treaty not sworn to, which was kept by English settelers.

Within a year of settlement, Quakers had began to started to use mix crop for economic growth and food produce. It had become one of the leaders in the world of farming and produce. Many of the crops that were harvested consisted of corn, wheat, oats, rye, hemp and tomatoes. On a separate note, tomatoes were not used in pizzas until around this time, when the queen of Italy had taken a liking to the taste. Imagine pizza without tomatoes. In 1683 Penn had met with others in Chester, to finally set out the plans in order to set up the city of Philadelphia. A year later, there was a population of 7,000 residents. In three years, the population grew faster than that of New Yorks in fifty years. Delaware, then called the "Three Lower Counties," was given a separate government in 1703. Delaware created their own deputy governor. But Pennsylvania and Delaware continued substantially under one government until the American Revolution. In 1692, the province was taken from Penn, because of his friendship to James II. And even after it was restored by Penn, in 1699 when he made his second visit he found the people had grown away from him and were against Penn exercising his former supervision. While absent, a steward stole all his property in England. Failing in health and mind, Penn died in 1718. His sons then became proprietors. However, the residents grew more discontented with the payments to the state. To end the disputes, the State abolished the rents during the Revolution, paying the proprietors the sum of $650,000 for the removal of their rights.


Pennsylvania had developed into a dynamic and growing colony, enriched by immigration of Germans and English. The Quakers, English, and Welsh settled mostly in Philadelphia and the eastern counties. Through foreign trade they gained commercial and financial power and reached a political dominance, which was held until the American Revolution. Philadelphia had become the largest city in the nation, and was third largest in the world next to London, and Paris. Philadelphia had also become known as a center of culture in the new world. The Germans, which became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch due to their pronunciation of the word Deutsch, (meaning German) largely of the religions of Mennonites, Moravians, Lutherans, and Amish settled in the farming areas of Southeast Pennsylvania as well as around Lancaster. While working the Germans kept their traditions and rituals and to  a considerable extent their language, customs, architecture, and superstitions. Due to this large influx of German immigrants to the colony, there has been a section of the area called Germantown.

By 1776, Pennsylvania had become the third largest English colony in America, Philadelphia had become the second largest city in the America and was second largest next to London. Though there were only three counties initially, by 1773 there were eleven. West Moreland, the last new county created before the Revolution, was the first county located entirely west of the Allegheny Mountains. This expansion led to many fights with the Native Americans. This expansion also led to the first road, now called Route 30, which went from Lancaster to Philadelphia. The prominent resident Benjamin Franklin also made many of his inventions while living in Philadelphia. Some of these inventions were a postal service, a printing press along with the first newspaper, the Franklin Stove and the Glass Harmonica. On the eve of the American Revolution Philadelphia held the largest amounts of breweries, artisans and mechanics formed grassroots leadership, and Philadelphia as a city was a center of resistance to the Stamp Act in 1765. Many of the people opposed moved to support Boston in opposition to the Intolerable Acts in 1774.


Altogether, Pennsylvania was a fairly diverse Colony. With a stronghold for agriculture, political, artistic and trade, Pennsylvania became a very prominent position for the second constitutional congress as well as gave plenty of reason for Pennsylvania's nickname, The Keystone State. Though there were still slaves and disputes between the Native Americans and English settlers, Pennsylvania has come to be known as the most Democratic of all the Colonies.

Globalization Break Down

The United States of America's economics have based in capitolism for over 100 years. US foreign policy has become an outlet for the expansion of capitalism at extreme rates for over the past fifty years. One of the main forces behind this is probably due to World War II. Along with one of the key ideologies that comes from the American idea of Manifest destiny being related to the global village. Much of this type of expansion has been easier to accomplish through the internet.

After the end of World War II, the world was split between Communistic, and Democratic states. This created a very large division between people. One of the most obvious divisions being the Berlin Wall. America had entered in to the United Nations, along with many other countries, in order to keep peace in the world, and to produce trade. The biggest part of creating international trade was to have a free market. One which would not be regulated by restricting business of certain practices that would be considered to be anti-progressive. Though this idea was good in nature, there are always pros and cons to everything. Many countries such as the U.S.S.R. did not agree with this type of trade practice. But the push for a global economy was much stronger than any one nation. The push for this economy was made in hope for many, to have a better standard of life. Much of this meant to the majority of American corporations, that they would be able to utilize any part of the world in order to generate profits.

Once again, though this is good in idealology, globalization is beging to show in practice, a failing effort. The busness created for an American company in Idia, has caused many what would be American jobs to be outsourced, leading the companies to pay less in hourly wages. Many times, such as in the video, an American corporation will have part of their company in another part of the world, but will use immagrants from other parts of the world such as Asains for the work needed. This is in an effort to have the cheapest labor, in many cases creating a psuedo slavery system.

Another aspect is the shift to a twenty four hour day. Business all over are able to conduct business at any hour through the internet. This creates jobs through advertisment campaigns where an internet provider, such as google, can collect personal information from internet users, in order to sell to a third party. This is able to be used in many ways to persuade consumers to products that are specific to the persons interest, and financial status. And in many ways, is able to be used in order to discriminate certain consumers based off any factor the corporation so desires.