The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, subject of the documentary For the Next 7 Generations.
Unless you’re really given to delusions of apocalypse, read up on the Maya calendar, and you’re more likely to view December 21, 2012—or as we like to call it around these chronological parts: Friday—not as the predicted end of the world, but simply the end of a 1,872,000-day calendrical cycle.
So if a measly 365-day cycle is enough to inspire us to New Year’s resolutions, what sorts of change might we make if we take seriously the beginning of a new age?
That’s just what Shift Long Beach wants you to consider, and they’re putting on an event to prove it: Change of Ages, “an evening of fresh ideas, moving speakers, innovative art and exceptional music to celebrate the possibilities of exciting new ways of being.”
Among the consciousness-raising delectations on offer Thursday will be a variety of art installations touching upon themes of environmental change, technology shifts and community collaboration; music by Martin Espino that will engage the audience in an interactive performance with the sounds of ancient Mexico; and live world beats by DJ Omid Walizadeh, including samplings of rare Iranian vinyl that has been banned since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
There evening will also feature a screening of the documentary film For the Next 7 Generations, which chronicles the formation and activities of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, which came together from around the globe out of a concern for our planet. Shot on location in North America, the Amazon rainforest, the mountains of Mexico, and at a private meeting with the Dalai Lama in India. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Noe Ramirez of Protectors of Earth Mother, an organization that for several years has put on educational events on indigenous culture for youth in greater Los Angeles.
DJ Omid Walizadeh
Shift Long Beach’s Tony Damico thinks Long Beach—and rest of society—could benefit from using the beginning of a new Mayan age, as well as wisdom from indigenous cultures, as motivation to change the status quo—a change that in some quarters is already happening.
“I believe that the consciousness shift that we are taking part in is fundamentally about moving beyond notions of separation and towards ideas of interdependence and collective will,” Damico says. “In the past year, Long Beach has dealt with some harrowing occurrences of violence and separation, both between and within communities. […] The old ways of thinking are often territorial, based in fear and scarcity, and a sense of fundamental separation. Whether we’re looking at gang warfare, violence in schools, passing a Downtown Plan that largely ignored the efforts of residents to get community benefits like affordable housing […], I’d argue that the logic leading to these problems is based in separation, scarcity, and fear. What we are seeing in response [to these happenings] are communities connecting, organizing, and shifting consciousness in our city to emphasize that we are fundamentally connected on every level of thought and action, recognizing that everyone can contribute on some level toward positive social and ecological change, from low income residents to the arts community, from nonprofits to city council.”
“Change of Ages” takes place 6PM to 10PM on Thursday, December 20, at the Bungalow Art Center (727/737 Pine Ave., LB 90813). Admission: FREE, which is quite a bargain for the facilitation of a shift in consciousness, yeah?
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