FOOL ME NICE: THOUGHTS ON THE GENTLE ART OF MISDIRECTION.

(This was delivered at the first Symposion Arcanus on November 23, 2010 at the Bordello Bar in Los Angeles. It's my notes to a spoken performance, so it's not properly formatted for any sort of formal publication, but I thought I'd share.)

No one appreciates being lied to. But today I’m not focused on lying. I’m discussing misdirection. I mention lying, because misdirection is often tossed into the same karmic dumpster as lying. This is not only wrong, but unfortunate.

Lying depends upon subverting honesty and goodwill through persuasion and manipulation. Misdirection, often considered an obstruction to honesty, can actually bypass preconceptions to allow a deeper connection to truth.

Lying makes us feel tired and jaded, while being fooled can fill us with wonder, even innocence. I think we have a sense of this. Being lied to by a friend or a salesperson pisses us off. However, magicians who make rabbits disappear, or cards come out of our ears, amaze and entertain us.

Think of the first (or last) of the Major Arcana, the Fool, clever and gullible, with all the wisdom and ignorance of a child. We understand on some level that that innocence and wisdom are one and the same.   

Getting ready for UC Davis--Rough Sketch

Hi All,
I have the honor of giving the keynote at UC Davis' Trans Action Week this Nov 17.  I am working on what to say right now. :)

Speeches and keynotes are wonderful and challenging. I write something fresh for every occasion because the world is different, the times are different, and I am different. Words that might have been vital last year need to be replaced with new insights, new developments. I owe the audience my truth and my immediate presence. For now, what has driven me is twofold. First, how does one deal with bullying and a culture where compassion is equated with weakness? Second, how do we truly nurture each other, rather than simply use each other,  in our social and political activities?

So much to think about... And I so thank the people at UC Davis for letting me share. :)
Ryka

PS--plus I probably will do a poem or two if they let me!