A Blade In Time

Mediocrity.
How complacent have we become with this?
To settle
To just do enough.
Just enough to get by.
How many justifications do we conjure up
To justify our complacency?
And how.much fulfillment do we experience when we just do a mediocre job?

Is this really ENOUGH?
What happened to EXCELLENCE?

When we do artistic work, it is more than just a performance.
It is an OFFERING..
An offering of RESPECT to the author
An offering of SHARING the human experience with the audience
An offering of DEVOTION to the craft.
It is an offering of ONESELF to the path of being an artist.
To being both a channel for the work and the Divine to come through,
and to be a CONSCIOUS co -creator of the work.
When an artist approaches his or her work in this way
He or she transcends the self
And both the art and the artist
Shine at their utmost peak
And all are uplifted in the process.
It is a devotional
It is an offering of reverence.
And by this is greatness achieved.

Mediocrity Final scene from the movie Amadeus.

One of my favorite productions to fight choreograph.

7pm tonight at Laemmle theatres.
Tonight only
!
Kenneth Bragnaghs theatre company televised production of Romeo & Juliet. His theater company is unparalleled.

Romeo & Juliet - Laemmle.com

I am very proud to announce the theatrical release of this film for Black History Month- which I Co- Executive produced with my dear friend and colleague, Executive producer Frank Barwah.
" Son of the South" is the true story based on the life of Bob Zellner.
Born and raised in a long family line of Klansmen in Alabama- Bob walked away from tradition and became a cornerstone leader in the Civil Rights Movement.
Because of his courageous devotion to the cause, everyone from his previous life who was close to him turned on him- family, friends, girlfriend. He endured many attacks and was beaten nearly to death on multiple occasions. But he always continued to stand and fight for what he knew in his core to be right.
He and his work yielded many breakthroughs in the Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, and both he and his work continue on to this day.

Based on his book
"The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement".

Directed by Barry Alexander Brown ..
Executive Producer Spike Lee . Executive producer Frank Barwah.
Co executive producer- Dr Kenwa Newell
Check the schedule for theatres and showtimes in your state and town!
Thank you!

.

164 YEARS AGO TODAY
A very special anniversary and
A little additional info on the topic of slavery
And the work to end it-

The house I grew up in for the earlier part of my life was just outside of Baldwin, Kansas in a railroad boomtown called Prairie City.

Built in 1856- it was a general store in Prairie City,, Kansas.
Kansas was the next territory to be voted into the Union as a state at that time. It was the most progressive place- no slavery. Gave full citizen rights to both people of African American descent and also to Native Americans. Also to European refugees from civil wars there.

We had the 1st newspaper ever printed in a native American language on our property. We also had a general store and a post office on our property as well.

Kansas wanted to come into the Union as a free State. But there was tremendous pressure from the nearby state of Missouri ( which was heavily Confederate and was already a slave state) to try to make Kansas a slave state as well. And many of the Missouri residents at that time played dirty to try to make it that. Fake voting ( sneaking across state lines to pretend they were Kansas residents and then voted " slave/ confederate"). Threatening free staters with violence. Property damage. And eventually guerilla warfare murders. Killing families with swords. Decapitating women, children - white , black and native American- who refused to be intimidated into voting Confederate for Kansas' upcoming statehood.

Abolitionist John Brown came to Kansas soon thereafter. He recognized that the state and federal governments were doing nothing to help dissuade the attacks on Kansas citizens ( black , caucasian , native American) or protect the citizens of any race in Kansas. So he took matters into his own hands.

On June 20th 1856- he and his sons Owen and Oliver organized a militia of local merchants and citizens. They met in our cellar/basement .
They planned an ambush for the following morning, on a large group of " Border Ruffians"- Thugs from slave state Missouri who had been paid to come to Kansas and wreak havoc- to terrorize and get people to turn on each other ( sound familiar?). So Kansas would destroy itself and not be able to enter the Union as free.
John Brown and his citizen militia left at dawn the morn of June 21st. They rode 5 miles northeast to Black Jack Oak Grove where the Ruffians were Camped. They were armed with a crateload of rifles known as " Beechers Bibles"( I'll share that story with you on another day).
They caught the ruffians by surprise. The battle commenced- many injuries but no murders. John Brown and his group took their guns, ammo, supplies and horses. Escorted them back to the Missouri border and said " DON'T COME BACK".

This is known as " The Battle of Black Jack". And was the 1st official battle fought to end slavery and black oppression, 5 years before the official beginning of the Civil War.

Our house was also used as part of the underground railroad. My bedroom upstairs had a hidden storage compartment in the wall.

Every year on the 3rd weekend in October ( which is also on my birthday) there is a huge Festival called " The Maple Leaf Festival" in Baldwin City Kansas. It celebrates the turning of the leaves to firey colors on all the beautiful maple teees. But it above all celebrates this pivotal time and all the signifocant events in history that took place there. Tour buses go to many historic sites from that time and always would stop at our house and the guide would tell the story of how our home was a centerpiece in the anti- slavery movement and civil liberties for all peoples. A personal history I have always been immesely proud of.

There is also an excellent Musical titled " The Ballad of Black Jack" about these places and events in history. Written by Don Mueller- I was in this production along with my dear Grandmother Mary Mowrer. It needs to go to Broadway (and I still have the script :-) )

A little something that might have slipped through the cracks of your history books.
Blessings, awakening and healing for ALL BEINGS-
Kenwa Li

Louis Pasteur is known as " the father of immunology".
The entire allopathic Western medical perspective is predominantly based upon his work.
His " germ theory" , that a singular microbial germ ( bacteria/ fungus/ virus) is the cause of each individuated disease, was latched onto by pharmaceutical companies and promoted as scientific fact.
This perspective- that the germ is all powerful and that the host (person who becomes ill) has marginal influence on whether or not that singular germ invades them and causes them to become ill - still predominates Western medicine today.
Literally TODAY

In addition to pharmaceutical companies promoting this germ theory ( even in the 19th century, big pharma and its big money held big sway)- Pasteur and his theory were also backed both politically and financially by Napoleon III.
( Hmmmm what a coinkidink. Another anti christ figure tied to vaccines.
Feeling ill? Just dial the hotline at
1 800 666-LPBG.)
Antoine Beauchamp, a contemporary scientist and medical researcher, was a colleague of Pasteur's.
Beauchamp recognized through his reasearch work that it is actually the current condition of the HOST ( person who either retains health or becomes ill) that is the dominant determinant of either illness or wellness. The integrity of the host/ individual is what sets up suitable terrain for the potential pathogen to invade the body and generate illness. Or the integrity of the terrain causes the pathogen to be deflected and resisted by rhe body. If the host is in solid health, the pathogen has no crack through which to seep and set up camp. It is only in an already unhealthy system that any potentially invading organism can gain traction and begin to amplify deterioration of what is already dis- eased.
( Unless it is injected directly into the bloodstream).
On his deathbed, Louis Pasteur recanted his germ theory and admitted that Beauchamp was RIGHT.
" The germ is NOTHING.
The terrain is EVERYTHING.".

If ever there was a time to right a wrong of history
It is NOW.
It is this misguidance that has led us to the current mess we are in.
This entire allopathic perspective and approach is built upon a false foundation.
Even the author of this foundation admitted that his findings were wrong.
Why are we still desperately clinging to them as truths?

Smap out of the fear.
Take accountability for your own health.
Keep your terrain strong, clean and vitalized.
Once again-
The TRUTH shall set you free.
Blessings, health and healing-
Kenwa

The road to hell is not paved with 'good intentions-.

It is paved by WILLFULL IGNORANCE..

It is paved by devotion to delusion.

It is paved by disassociating yourself from your inner guidance system of knowing
And handing over the governship of your life to an externally ordained worldly authority figure.

It is paved by allowing yourself to be coerced into acquiescence- to relinquish the most fundamental of your rights.

It is paved by cowardice-by not standing up and speaking up for what you know in your core to be good and right and true.

It is paved by being willfully misled by false data, contrived statistics and manipulated puppets, placed into strategized authoritarian positions.

It is paved by unquestioning allegiance to a system, simply because it tells you that you should obey.

It is paved by an unwillingness to think for yourself, to do your own investigatory research beyond the sanctioned authoritarian sources.

And it is paved by just hoping that " if I do everyrhing that 'they' tell me to, then tthings will get better".

The thing is-
This time,
It won't just pave the way for your own personal hell.
It will be for the entire world.

Delusion will imprison you.
The truth will set you free.
Which one are you going to choose?
DISCERNMENT is your key.

The time is NOW.
CHOOSE.

Heing and awakening
- Kenwa
- Kenwa

Ah, youth.
To be a kid again.
To play, to imagine, to dream.
To allow the realm of bills, job, paperwork, plumbing problems and political brouhaha to dissolve and fall away. And then to step into a world of magic, enchantment and adventure.

A world where seven storytellers take you and your fellow travelers on a maiden voyage. A journey into a land where we smile and laugh. We sway to the sounds of the songs being sung. We cheer the story's characters on through their challenges. We celebrate their victories, and we encourage them to transcend their defeats.

Our eyes, our hearts and our spirits open. As we go along this night together, there are moments where a hush falls across the whole room. You can feel the energy of the place change and focus. Like a portal opening -and suddenly the entire collective is in " the zone". And you sense, you know, that everyone around you is feeling the same thing you are feeling. They are touched and moved by the same experiences that are touching and moving you. And it becomes your organic truth- that the yield of the collaborative actions made actually IS greater than the sum of the parts .

There is alchemy.
There is ascension.
Something shifts-
And we return to INNOCENCE.

Something that no videogame, no big screen TV, no A.I. can give. It is a gift that is pure, and that is priceless.

Then the realization happens, that what we'd heard of or read in those New Agey airy fairy sounding lectures and books is actually true.

True artists are far more than entertainers.
They are Shamen.
They are healers.

And as you walk out into the lobby post show, you see and feel that everyone around you is uplifted and happy. They are more open than when they came in. And they take that energy of their enchanted journey back out into the "real world" with them.
Pretty F' ING cool.
That is the experience of going to " The Old Man and the Old Moon." So take a little trip this week to the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Then take a much bigger trip within.
And never underestimate the power of authentic art.
Here for 1 more week!
Thank you-
Kenwa
PS- some creative " swordfighting " too ;-)
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LOS ANGELES! It's a pleasure to finally meet you.

We're performing "The Old Man and The Old Moon" at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts from March 2nd-17th. And celebrating our new music from upcoming shows/albums with a concert at Moroccan Lounge on March 18th. It's truly a pleasure to spend time with our LA friends. We've missed you. And now you can finally see that play you've been hearing so much about...

Get THEATRE tickets:
http://bit.ly/OldManLA
(use code "OMOM15" for a discount)

Get CONCERT tickets:
http://bit.ly/PigPenMoroccanLounge

With Love,
PigPen