Trees
Trees come and go, they grow old together, whisper to each other, in a language we can only dream to understand. They knew our ancestors generations before we were born. Like long lost immortals they tell stories about us as we move from a time of cutting to a time of planting and from a time of planting to a time of modifying. We give them the power to project our internet and store our information within their mycorrhizal networks. Living databases that grow our food and our medicine, clean our air, and light our streets at night, it was only a matter of time before one learned our languages enough to say, ‘Hello?’…
TELL IT TO THE BEES
Do you hear it?… Do you hear the beat of the drum?
Do you smell it?… The smell of herbs wafting in the breeze?
Herbs from another time…
Another life. …
Do you see it?… In a trance… In a glimmer…
The world that we lost…
Do you want it back?…
Are you ready?…
You must go on a long journey…
Slip through forgotten memory…
Find the bees…
Ask them to come back…
Call them with a chant…
Gather the seeds… Gather the plants…
Tell them our plight… So they follow you back…
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. If we remember those times and places, and there are so many where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act. Hope is the energy for change. The future is an infinite succession of presents and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of the worst of everything around us, is a marvelous victory.”
~ Howard Zinn
Solarpunk Cold Remedies
Chicken Noodle Soup:
– Chicken (or Chickpeas + Veggie broth)
– Noodles
– Handful of Celery leaf
– 1 whole onion
– 1 cup of shredded carrot
– 2 to 3 peices of dehydrated jalapeno
(or to taste, it will get hotter as it cooks)
– Garlic powder
– Sea Salt
– Italian Spice (Rosemary, Sage, Basil, Thyme, Chives)
Mucous Eliminating Tea:
– 1 strongly brewed cup of chamomile
– Sweetener (Sugar, Honey, or Stevia)
– Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tsp. or more as needed)
Sore Throat Soothing Tea:
– 1 strongly brewed cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey
– Sweetener (Sugar, Honey, or Stevia)
– Lemon juice (1 tsp.)
MagicLunarPunk: What is lunarpunk?
Lunarpunk is associated with philosophy and religion and by extension art, music, plays, self care, astronomy, literature, etc. But what we tend to forget is that its also tradition, culture, history, lineages, mythologies, and languages. Its about preservation, creation, and exploration. Lunarpunk activities today could take a variety of paths… Learning about our cultures and traditions, cooking traditional meals, reviving dying languages, ethnobotany and biodiversity preservation, learning about and creating our own spiritual practices, volunteering online to discover new stars, hosting a star gazing meetup, volunteering at libraries or museums, learning an instrument or teaching someone one, hosting or forming philosophy schools, and learning how to find the truth or at least a closer version of it through analysis, lunarpunks break down barriers to inclusion, call for accessibility, and unveil a deeper way of thinking and living.
Actions for living a more Lunarpunk life:
Take an art class; painting, pottery, jewelry making etc.
Learn a musical instrument.
Learn your family’s traditions & stories.
Create. Invent new clothing materials, new types of jewelry, a musical instrument, new constellations, write stories, etc.
Learn about your cultural heritage.
Learn a dying or minority language or help preserve one.
Study about biodiversity preservation and heirloom plants.
Build a bat house.
Build an herb spiral.
Build a rain garden.
Build a wild edible guild.
Learn or create your own spiritual practices.
Volunteer.
Host a star gazing meetup.
Host a river or beach cleanup.
Help save aquatic species & plants.
Volunteer at a library or museum.
Donate to a library or museum.
Help fund a new school of philosophy for critical thinking. (https://www.schoolofthought.org/)
Take a course in literary analysis.
Read widely.
Become an activist.
Study the Humanities.
Never stop learning, take MOOCs.
Take a course on Language Revival. (https://www.edx.org/course/language-revival-securing-future-adelaidex-lang101x-1)
Learn Calligraphy.
Lunarpunk Majors: Sociology, History, Literature, Museum Studies, Librarian Studies, Counseling, Anthropology, Linguistics, Music, Statistics, Anthropology, Religion, Veterinary Science, etc.
Learn about natural dyes.
Promote accessibility.
Learn how to caption photos & make it a habit.
Learn sign language.
Write poetry.
Build an insect house.
Learn how to navigate by the stars.
Learn how to make your own first aid supplies.
Architecture: Buildings that let in the soft moonlight, tea gardens, koi ponds, libraries, museums, buildings that emit soft light at night, bioluminescence: plants, pathways, disappearing murals, tattoos, etc. holidays devoted to light and darkness. Shadow puppetry, lantern festivals, hidden messages etc.
Indoor greenhouses, plants etc.
Passive lighting.
Promote and fight for academic freedom.
Work towards destroying paywalled academic journals. They should be accessible to all.
A college education should be free let’s make it so.
Breakdown the ideas that learning stops after college. Promote life-long learning.
Share designs & creations copyright free.
*If anyone has more ideas please share them!
Here’s some more ideas if anyone is interested.
Lunarpunk Futures
All digital media is free to download and access by all even academic journals. But that doesn’t stop you from getting physical copies of your most cherished books on your shelves.
Study sessions and debates that bleed into the early morning hours at cafe’s with friends about philosophy, politics, and religious thought when your not engaged in actual study for one of your chose degree paths which are all free at your local university and online.
Late nights spent among strangers with telescopes pointing out the stars and learning their names.
Hacked fabric printers to print customized clothing in any size, shape, color, or pattern required. Need a skirt that looks good in a wheelchair? Check. Need a religious article of clothing? Check. Wanna change that to a bamboo silk instead of cotton? Check. Wanna put your own touches and designs on a pre-made base? Done.
Multilingualism is the norm and there are meetups to learn and share languages with each other.
Tablets that have great internal storage capabilities as well as settings for every language, blue light filtering, captions, font changes for dyslexia, dark mode, and more all built in by default.
Voting has taken on a whole new meaning with debates about the benefits or problems with bills, elections, etc. Voting is done regularly and with more public participation than ever before.
Every person has a guaranteed income that is above the poverty lines of the past, increases over time, and housing and healthcare are guaranteed.
Solar lanterns in tea gardens late at night listening to splash of koi fish while reading Basho.
Accessibility is built in by design in every building, walkway, path, etc. with bioluminescent lighting as needed.
Every home and apartment grows their own herbs, fruit trees hang over bioluminescent permeable sidewalks, and wild permaculture gardens are in every backyard.
Grocery stores contain zero advertising, offer delivery if needed, biodegradable and plastic free. Everything is designed to be recyclable or returned to nature is a beneficial way.
Rules on light and sound pollution preserve natural biological systems and keep wildlife stress to a minimum. Public transportation is the norm, there are still bicycles, electric mopeds, and wheelchair accessible self-driving taxis.
There is an online veggie trading system that allocates veggies to those who need them from those who have too many.
University is open to everyone and lifelong learning is emphasized. Emphasis is on learning and understanding topics not passing exams.
There are libraries, water bottling refilling stations, and green-spaces are the default.
*That’s all for now, I’ve currently got a cold and can’t think of anything else atm. I’ll try to keep posting things like this in the future though. :)
Lunarpunk Rooms
Glass air plants hang from the ceiling above glass terrariums and solar jars charging in the window frames of stained solar glass of greens, blues, and transparent, next to a weather glass. There are shelves of favorite books even though you could find them free online like everything else, because you love to touch the pages. There’s a bioluminescent plant on your night stand and sometimes you read by it’s brilliant glow. Your desk holds your inks, your stylus, a mixture of recycled paper, stone paper, and your OLED convertible laptop / tablet that runs on a bacteria battery. Double stained solar panel glass doors open to a small deck covered in edible plants and solar lanterns, your telescope is here, there’s a small retractible roof that collects rainwater and self waters your garden. The closet is filled with traditional recycled and / or organic clothing as well as your small collection of kombucha leather jackets and bag. Embroidery in bright metallics repair what you love but cannot stand to part with yet or re-print on your building’s 3D fabric printer. You yourself wear a collection of invisible and visible, traditional and non-traditional tattoo work that can monitor your health and medical conditions. Your sunglasses and glasses are made from lightweight shatterproof glass or recycled bamboo with lenses that adjust for brightness. You own colorful furoshiki cloths, a recycled bento box, and recycled water bottle made from glass that is as light as plastic ever was but cannot shatter. Shoes are made from a variety of recyclable materials and are 100% repairable. You have a flexible glass screen that can sync to all of your technology, stream whatever you want. Your jewelry is made from reclaimed and recycled materials. Your phone can chameleon to different textures but is a thin piece of shatterproof flexi-glass that can snap to your wrist like a bracelet. Your ceiling is covered in solar tube lighting and transparent wood skylights.
What does a lunarpunk room look like to you?
A Lunarpunk Manifesto
I will be the lunarpunk that corrects your colonized history. That boldly speaks many languages. That knows the names of the constellations and where the north star calls home. The one that rescues tattered tomes, discarded plants, and forgotten pets. The one that knits with every color of the rainbow. That grows their own food in spite of your regulations. The one that never stops learning, never stops questioning, never stops sharing. I will protest the unjust, i will vote, and i will write. I will cook with time worn recipes and long forgotten spices. I will resurrect my past and anchor it to my present. I give up the synthetic toxins that harm our world. I recognize the rights of animals, plants, and waterways. I will respect and not appropriate other cultures. I will tread lightly upon this earth and work towards its restoration. I will work towards dismantling oppression and be a voice for academic freedom. I will uncopyright my work and contribute to citizen science. I wont be afraid to ask the big questions nor tread on anyones beliefs. I believe in the right to repair, the right to privacy & encryption, and the right to uncopyrighted heirloom seeds. I will keep my plants organic and work towards repairing the soil. I will volunteer. I will donate to my public libraries. And at night when the work is done, I will look up towards the sky in wonder. …
Now that I’ve written my lunarpunk manifesto, what’s yours?
Lunarpunk Futures: Kitchens
Kitchens that grow the food you eat; whether its fresh greens, algae lamps, kefir grains, sprouts, or freshly grown mushrooms.
Tea kettles that redirect steam to cook part of your meal.
You feed the coffee grounds from your shatterproof french press to your growing mushrooms.
Lights that don’t need to be plugged in or use bulbs because you rely on solar pot lights and bio-luminescent rods inspired by lightning bugs and bio-luminescent bacteria.
The electricity you do use is minimal and wind or solar powered.
Your pantry is stocked with package free lightweight shatter proof jars of bulk goods you picked up at your local market down the street, freshly dried herbs, diy pickled foods, and things you are storing for winter.
Your refrigerator holds separate compartments complete with sprouting trays, ice creation, water dispenser with charcoal filter, and cells of varying sizes to hang or chill certain veggies.
Your kitchen table does double duty with the middle section replaced with freshly growing plants.
Water is collected into a gray water system for reuse in your garden.
You do not have a traditional ‘trash’ can. Instead, you have a bokashi system for veggie scraps that you put on your garden once a month to help your root veggies grow. Since items are completely reusable those things you do have never need to be recycled. You no longer require a bin in your kitchen. A small bin sits in your garage for things that will be repurposed or traded later instead.
“…bacteria, archaea, protists and fungi? Collectively, these microbial taxa are the most abundant, widespread and longest-evolving forms of life on the planet. What is their contribution to global biodiversity? When microorganisms are taken into account, recent studies suggest that Earth might be home to a staggering 1 trillion (1012) species. If true, then the grand effort to discover Earth’s biodiversity has only come within a 1,000th of 1 per cent of all species on the planet.”
~ Jay T. Lennon & Kenneth J. Locey | There are more microbial species on Earth than stars in the galaxy