Avatarism Presents: The Definition of Avatarism, Part 2

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Avatarism Presents: The Definition of Avatarism, Part 2

What can Avatarism do for society?

Look deep within yourself at the dreams and hopes that you have failed to put into action as of now. Who would you be if you reversed that pattern and began to embody those dreams with the kind of zeal usually reserved for zealots? How would the remainder of your life be played if you lost your fear? What is keeping you from starting now? If we were all confident and free to enact our dreams in an unashamed way, how fast could we cause change in society?

Wars, protests, and fights change the culture very little and very slowly. But when individuals begin to change the culture from the inside……..a groundswell happens. Because that kind of energy is infectious and viral, the culture moves fast and furious. The revolution is within, this is a revolution of spirit.  So while the patriarchal model of change may be  fight, fight, fight. The Avataristic model is Embody, Up-Level, Uphold. 

EMBODY the highest vision you can create for yourself. Use the Avatar Character Sheet or any other means of design to collect physical, emotional, magical, and wisdom based skill sets. 

UP-LEVEL  your current character away from the mundane and degenerate programs that no longer serve you and that you did not wholly choose.Use focus, study, ritual, emulation of archetypes and role models to impress your nervous system and turn on your deep memory circuits so that you can get the data in for good. 

UPHOLD yourself to your self created  model while communicating  to your tribe, your friends and groups of influence what those changes are. In this way, the people around you can uphold you and remind you of who you are creating yourself to be and not who you have been in the past. 

We don’t need to exert our power upon the world as much as we need to become powerfully inspired and confident individuals. Only from that standpoint can we hope to change the world for good.

You can’t fake a phenomenon.
— -“Burning Dan” Gordon Levitt 1974-2010

Thanks for reading the Avatarism Blog! I sincerely hope we meet soon, down the dusty road, living our dreams in the glorious future. 

Onward and upwards, forever endeavor,

iRev. Alexander Polinsky Founder of Avatarism

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: The Definition of Avatarism, Part 1

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Avatarism Presents: The Definition of Avatarism, Part 1

Avatarism had its start at the Burning Man festival,  but its roots are deep in the ancient sanskrit idea of “Avatara.” Loosely translated it means gods inhabiting human bodies and walking the earth, but that is a narrow explanation. Avatarism is how a group of people, all over the world, seem to have developed or learned God-like or superhero-like confidence, the ability to accomplish their dreams and goals with ease, and the ability to live out their highly personal vision that they themselves have envisioned. Encouraging and supporting the individual honing of the will through focused play and persistence, and the upholding of others on the journey is at the heart of this movement. Avatarism encourages people to begin to design in great detail, new and carefully chosen skill sets, characteristics, goals, and aspects of themselves. As the game is played, the player crafts a new and richly  embodied personality and finds themselves permanently up-leveled. Seeking and embodying gurus, teachers, archetypes from history and fantasy may be involved; the warrior, the poet, the god Pan, Rainbow Bright, Batman, Buddha, Jesus, James Dean, Kermit The Frog, Kali, Tara, Tesla, Dr. Who, Conan the Barbarian, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Leonardo DiCaprio and Leonardo the Ninja Turtle to name a few. 

The process of skill collection, archetype embodiment and the other ideas that comprise Avatarism don’t have to be taken seriously, but they are important. Avatarism is a dance towards personal excellence more than it is a march towards perfectionism. Avatarism is an open source game/philosophy for people attracted to radically changing themselves away from the current life/brain programs they may be running. We are, all of us, collections of moments and memories wet wired to a heart mind and body. You are not some stoic and frozen being unable to change!  It is your birthright to be changeable and modifiable. 

Avatarism is a great philosophical model for rebellious souls, hardcore gamers, fantasy players, festival goers, hopeless romantics, seekers of truth, lovers of beauty and anyone attracted to the idea that life is a game, meant to be played. The game of conscious character creation is easy to start and hard to stop, Simple to begin and hard to master. Think about how tough it is to change a habit or learn a complicated new skill. Usually people undertake to change themselves for a health reason or to learn a new skill to make more money. While playing the game may correct bad habits, and allow you the confidence to make more money Avatarism is not a means to an end. This game is a life-long pursuit in the direction of the betterment of self,  for the good of self and the rest of mankind. This game has no end. The ongoing goal is to consciously create a personally fermented culture of awesome, and never stop. 

Forever, endeavor!
— -“Burning Dan” Gordon Levitt

Avatarism is the game that we have been playing since the beginning of our history and it is not just a Burning Man or a festival thing. Because we feel free to enact these alternate character traits at these events, there is a powerful and indelible change that happens in individuals when they do. If you decide that you want to play the game, you will experience this too. The change that happens to us when we go to an event and embody our avatar(s)or even just put on a costume and feel the change in ourselves is something the greeks understood long ago. Cosmetics, costumes, cos-play all have their root in the word, Cosmos. The ancients knew that embodiment lead to a kind of cosmic or higher consciousness. 

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Role-Playing

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Avatarism Presents: Role-Playing

“Avatarism is defined as the degree to which a player projects themselves into a game, rather than playing their prescribed character.”
— Role-Playing University Wiki

If you can embody your own highest vision you have for yourself

If you will up level your physical, emotional, communicational and ethical skill set

And if you decide to uphold others on the path to conscious character creation

What then is then possible?

Avatarism is the game we are already playing

play for what you want.

Get into the action, hero.

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: The Re-Emergence of Personal Mythos

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Avatarism Presents: The Re-Emergence of Personal Mythos

This is an amazing article by Wesley Thoricatha that was posted on ignite.me. It outlines the connections between Avatarism, transformational festivals and our ability to change ourselves through consciousness. 

Enjoy!

“Coyote,” by Bryan Tedrick, an interactive Burning Man art installation. Image courtesy of Bryantedrick.com

“Coyote,” by Bryan Tedrick, an interactive Burning Man art installation. 
Image courtesy of Bryantedrick.com

“We can become the stars of our own lives, instead of the downtrodden victims of life. Change the script, change the movie. Write your life. Speak the words. Hear your voice as the will of the living god manifest in action. I am here to create beauty, I am here to give healing, I am here to collect the mysteries of life, I am here to manifest, realize, and love, I am here to give myself back into the spring.”
— – Alexander Polinsky, founder of Avatarism

Where do your dreams and visions come from? How about your daily behaviors, or the story of your life?  If you are like most people, these come from a variety of sources, some of them beloved and intimate, others banal, practical, and seemingly beyond our control. But what if your daily actions, your regular behaviors, your life story, and the very way you see yourself all came from a unified, sacred narrative that weaves through every aspect of your life? This is the gem that awaits those who take the reigns of their own story and cultivate a radically creative life through personal mythology.

Intuitive Art

One of the most direct ways we express ourselves as humans in through art, yet the art world, like many areas of our culture, suffers largely from commercialization and myopic trendiness. But beyond the walls of institutionalized art and patiently outlasting the latest trends persists a mode of expression that has been present since the brush of our oldest ancestors first touched a cave wall. Intuitive art, which encompasses outsider art, visionary art, and art brut, celebrates artists whose process is largely untamed by formal art training or the status quo. It is art motivated by a unique personal vision and the passionate compulsion to manifest it in reality, often in seclusion and without any thought of how it might be received by critics. It utilizes symbols and materials that map out the artist’s inner landscape, resulting in a transformational journey captured on canvas where the artist is both the subject and object of their art. Intuitive art carries the energetic imprint of personal metamorphosis as inner visions are honored and given form, not for fame or money, but for the process of expression itself. This realm of art is not closed to an elite or educated few; it is open to all, and it’s a powerful way to start expressing the story of your inner world.

When people adorn themselves with intricate costumes that takes months of preparation and work, are we seeing them out of their element, or in a rare authentic moment? 

Burning Man

Arguably the greatest intuitive art gallery in the world is the one that appears every year in the Black Rock desert at the Burning Man festival, as tens of thousands of (mostly self-taught) people create everything from art installations to mutant vehicles to fantastical costumes. Be the person you always wanted to be, dress the way you’ve always wanted to dress, assume the identity of any character you’ve ever wanted to become. This is the invitation that burn events offer, and while much of it is whimsical, any authentic, boundary-expanding leap of self-expression carries with it a profound impression that leaves participants with experiences that stick with them their whole lives. The reason the popular greeting “Welcome home!” is so often heard is that people are returning home to their original selves, with the permission and encouragement to create their reality and be exactly who they’ve always wanted to be. This is personal mythology at its essence, and in action on a huge scale.

Avatarism

So you begin to make intuitive art in your spare time, and you attend burn events, but these actions remain in the margins of your life – a special retreat, rather than the norm. How do you integrate personal mythos into your daily life? One exciting answer to that question is a new movement called Avatarism. Alexander Polinsky, with a big dose of inspiration from his experiences at Burning Man, coined the term Avatarism as a way to live one’s life with inspired levels of continuous conscious creation.

In essence, Avatarism is the practice of seeing yourself as an avatar, a character in the game of Life, and it invites you to take creative control of your own self-definitions and intentionally develop the traits, connections, and skills that you most want for yourself – just as if you were playing a video game or a pen-and-paper role-playing game. It is a methodology for self-actualization and self improvement, and offers a practical means to formulate and keep track of your goals through the use of a character sheet which lists both your current abilities and your future vision for yourself. As goals are met, they are added to the sheet and new directions are mapped out. As top-level athletes, business executives, self-help gurus, and cavemen painting game on cave walls knew, positive visualization can have an enormous influence in our lives and help us attain goals we set for ourselves. In this way, Avatarism is taking powerful ancient wisdom and translating it into the language of the video game generation, not just for manifesting specific changes, but to write the story of our entire lives in a way that comes from our most epic visions.

Personal Mythology

Mythology is not simply some quaint or antiquated form of fantastic storytelling; it is the tapestry of cultural, spiritual, and personal belief that together makes up the way we understand and interact with the world. Creating art from the soul, radically expressing yourself at transformational festivals, and bringing the magic of personal mythos into your life through avatarism are all exciting ways to embrace personal mythology and become the person we’ve always wanted to be… and have always secretly been.

So, what is your story?

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Sowelu Part 2

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Avatarism Presents: Sowelu Part 2

strength in knowing
reminds us
that as we strive for more
we are

already
what we seek
Each one of us
Perfect, whole and complete. 
We start here as a necessity
with what was given to us at birth
Everyone of us
Seekers in the dust and the wind
Making our daily, hourly, minute to minute push
towards self-realization
Blazing the path ourselves
Shaping ourselves after the highest vision we can conceive
Carving off the degenerate programs
that we did not wholly choose
and consciously creating our character
From the best data streams
and daydreams
possible
wherever we may find them
Collecting skills and up-leveling our mastery
Using words both in speaking and in thinking
to cast a spell
from the brilliant core of our individual uniqueness
that ricochets off the tarnished edges
of a past
best forgotten
And honing our flow

Rarifying our metal
till it gleams golden

and more beautiful
than we had ever imagined……..
breathe…
then go deep
breathe….

now deeper

Breathe…

and deeper still

and even deeper……..

to the edge of your innermost dark place

and see the reflection

in the mirror of your deepest self

and just smile

in deepest knowing

that you are sharing this adventure with your biggest fan, your loudest supporter, your most dedicated observer, your favorite co-pilot, your kismet constant companion…….YOU

Breathe……

and before you come out

promise that beautiful shamanic, poetic, wistful, powerful, true you

that you won’t forget how perfect everything looks from the inside

How the concealed and encapsulated awesome creature

that begs to be revealed

is really really really real and 

and when you finally emerge from the cave
from your rest and healing
from your innermost wanting
and skillful collecting
you’ll have new superpowers
new words
new shape
and new form with which to play
and so…
you rise…
singing!!!!!!!!

I am!
The source of my own enlightenment

I am!
The one who lights up the world

I am! 
The same primal stuff
that the fluffy clouds
and ancients stars
are made of

I am!
The igniter of my own inner furnace
possessing the heat and the bellows
to recast the old form
anew

I am!
The bringer of fire
to the ones who are in darkness
for when they can see
they will uphold me

I am!
The master magician, the god(dess)
The healer, the trickster, the poet
conjuring the great work of my life
Just to see how it illuminates the world

I am!
A flame wielding
warrior artist
playing an ancient game
without end
without giving in
to fear
seeking, 
speaking
and flowing
MY TRUTH

Forever
Endevour

I’m in! 

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Sowelu

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Avatarism Presents: Sowelu

The Viking Oracle Rune, Sowelu 

The vikings used the ancient rune symbols to divine their path to glory and as an oracle to help them change their destiny in times of hardship and confusion.  Creatively charged lives are often fraught with emotional hardship and confusion about what to do next. We are, each of us looking for a sign that we are on the right track and heading for the light. Sowelu is the rune which says “I AM THAT”, “I am all that is, was and will be,” and “I am ready for more."

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Self-Transmogrification, Part 2

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Avatarism Presents: Self-Transmogrification, Part 2

Become your own version of a living god and……..

Pull the cord.

I dare you.

Get off the bus

and into the universe of possibilities.

Bring out your tired, your lost, your hungry ghosts yearning to be free and purify them in the alchemical fires of conscious character creation.

If we all felt like living gods in human bodies, we could really change things, shake the tree, make the earth better.

But we have to start somewhere

Pull the cord

Who do you want to be?

I say give up who you think you have been, and self-transcend 

self-transform

Transmogrify 

and train your mind to be changeable

It’s your birthright

It’s your duty

No need for any hopeful affirmations of wishy washy wu wu

just DO

and let self-transformation lead you to a whole new 

elevation.

Nothing is permanent

Not me, not you, not our vision of god or civilization

so

Pull the cord

get off the bus

surprise yourself

and take a new kind of ride.

See you on the road,

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Self-Transmogrification, Part 1

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Avatarism Presents: Self-Transmogrification, Part 1

trans·mog·ri·fy

verb

1. transform, esp. in a surprising or magical manner.

It is a well known fact of life that success does not necessarily bring happiness. Many of us good people find that even as we make money, build families, and acheive important milestones in life, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with what we have done and who we’ve become. 

After starring in a hit Television show and being featured in all the teen magazines as a young man, many of my peers thought I had it all. The car, the house, the girl, the career. That was a stark contrast to how I felt inside. I was a walking, talking bundle of confusion.  All of that success at such a young age gave me bravado, a kind of confidence, sure, but no wisdom. I found myself in a spiral of consumerism and depression. I really thought that my success could buy my happiness some way somehow and so I threw money at my sadness, and prescription drugs at my mind. None of this seemed to help until i pulled the cord, got off the bus, and began a process of fierce self-examination and self-transmogrification.

With so many people on the earth and so much information available to us, there seems to be widespread confusion as to where we should point our spiritual/philosophical compasses. So we freeze, hold on to old ideals or the ones given to us by so called popular experts who are spewing the same old data that the establishment approves. As I see it, this leads to mass homogenization of ideas, creates a culture of mundane personalities, and fosters a stagnate, bobble-headed, self hating population. 

So I say this to you…….

In the event of stagnation and self hatred 

Pull the cord

If bad dreams and regrets are on the bus with you as you ride through life

pull the cord

When you get tired of your twisting, turning and confusing view of the wicked world

Pull the cord

when you get bored and unhappy with your life, unsatisfied with your character, sick of your mission (or lack thereof), and when you finally wipe the screen clean of all the illusion that something or someone is to blame….

You find that the answer is not anywhere out there

The cord is within

I like to think about archetypes as role models, new skill sets as vehicles, and fantasy characters as transforming influencers because they have worked that way for us as long as we have been here. 

Character traits of masters, skill sets of Jedis, the personality of the winner. Have you tried them on?

Not cosmetic or superfluous, these self defined parameters or character altering mutagens run as deep as you let them. If you let them. So, get it in!

Jesus was trying to say he was god, we are all god, or sons and daughters of god. If you let this idea into your heart/mind and let it take root there in a non egomaniacal way, what changes will occur?

If you take the teachings of Buddha and use them to alter your consciousness for good, what new skills will you learn and who will you become?

If you want to be Batman, or Indiana Jones, or Luke Skywalker, or Rainbow Bright, or even some custom hybrid of Kermit the frog and Jim Morrison…..What will these characters bring to your life once they have been embodied?

Speaking as one who has been transformed from this kind of embodiment I can say that it is both easy and difficult. Easy to start and difficult to describe. Easy to embody and hard to forget once tried. Easy to begin and difficult to master.  If you undertake to up level your character, you may never be the same again. 

I began slowly, collecting people and experiences. I would meet a great person or come up against a great idea and I would let myself get excited. Suspending my disbelief that there was any separation between me and this great new thing helped me to remember that wisdom is alive.

Because of my background in acting It may be easier for me than others, but as an acting teacher I have seen novices take to this skill with lightning speed. Avatarism is the game of embodiment and we have been playing this game forever so don’t worry to much about it, and don’t push it. Let it happen. Want it, and reach for it, but be kind to yourself in the beginning. Remember that it’s important, not serious and all new things can seem odd or fake, till they don’t.

All of us humans copied our parents and our friends when our personalities were forming. We lived through movies, TV shows, comics, and books. We played games and had intense fantasy lives in the forests and on the playgrounds. Remember the feeling of elastic mindedness when you were young? It’s still there, even if it’s been dormant for years. There is no age limit on brain plasticity as science has shown us. Myelin is the stuff in your brain that can build new pathways for your entire lifetime so “no excuses please." 

We all share the same current of excitement when we experience something new that lights us on fire, and rekindles our thirst for life. Avatarism is simple, fun to try and furthermore this game is ageless and without borders. 

As you transform yourself piece by piece, you walk through the fire of self doubt and in the process, burn away old notions of who and what you were. 

The allegory of the phoenix is a story that has survived the ages because of the basic human need to transform. This urge is omnipresent in all of us. We all can be this bird of fire, and raise ourselves up.

From the ashes and the old character rises the new and renewed person. 

The alchemical myth of turning base metal into gold is an ancient story that has enraptured many great minds. Foolish men have wasted countless hours and innumerable years trying to accomplish this feat, and have gone mad trying to do so. The task is never meant to be accomplished for real for it is actually a spiritual code, not a chemical process. 

The base metal is you.

The alchemical secret is the transformation of your base and unexamined self into spiritual gold. Through rigorous and conscious self examination you may create yourself in any way you wish. With the focus of an alchemist you may transform any and all of your base character traits away from the flawed and degenerate programs that you may not have wholly chosen, to a more crafted version of yourself. A more workable and refined character, rarified, and made more valuable to all.

Pull the cord

This human body/spaceship is upgradable. Our minds are programable.  Who doesn’t want to exchange the ingrained, unworkable, and tired aspects of their character for more free, harmonious and pleasurable ones. 

Rather than getting mired in some stringent religious order, losing all originality in a cult, or destroying your sense of self with new age blather, speedy weekend warrior workshops or invasive therapies why not design your character from your own ideas of the perfect person. Why not collect the best that your surroundings have to offer. 

Whatever you choose to transform yourself with, let it be excellent. Let your choices be about your own best and highest vision you have for yourself. Let it take you towards the goal of ultimate victory for yourself first, and then for all life on Earth. 

You are your own highest priority. Without you in working order, we benefit little. 

I have an idea that if we all were acting and embodying our highest visions for ourselves, we would have a chance at fixing the problems of the world.  An army of realized avatars and superheroes bent on saving the world, now theres a idea.  People in fear usually make fearful choices, short sighted choices, choices that are designed to flee from fear…..not fix the system.

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Find Your Gurus

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Avatarism Presents: Find Your Gurus

Anyone who really wants to learn without school has to find other people to learn with and from. That’s the open secret of learning outside of school. It’s a social act. Learning is something we do together. Independent learners are interdependent learners.

Find your gurus, your teachers, your co-conspirators with the skills and philosophies you want to embody, and assimilate with zeal. There is no better, faster, stronger way to up level your character. Seek and you shall find, stay the same and suffer stagnation and living death. 

Be livin’ it

iRev, Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: The Anger Issue

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Avatarism Presents: The Anger Issue

Whatever I hate with passion

Whenever I feel vengeful and unholy ardor 

When I have that certain kind of negative emotion

that bubbles 

that spikes

and sparks aggression

There must be something to learn there

My adrenaline

blocks the flow

The insanity of my indignation can be a monster

In the moment

I may attack with abandon

And in the process

Hurt myself Badly

After that

Needing hours, days, sometimes weeks of recovery

to arrive at center again

So…..

I have to ask myself

Is it worth it?

Am I justified in my reaction?

Or

Am I running a degenerate program of victim consciousness?

Am I stressed out?

Did I start a cycle of negativity somewhere else

and bring it here? 

How can I break the cycle?

And create anger intelligence.

I am in process

deep in the process

of transformation

and learning about myself.

I have to learn to put it down

Stop the action

invest in a period of rest

Mind rest and Meditation

A park

A parked car

A church

A bathroom

A chair

anywhere.

Part of the adventure of consciously creating my character

is developing a way to change the cycle of anger

to peacefulness and mindfulness

even if the mind says

not right now….later on

I remember, I am training myself now

To create a victorious cycle

out of the vicious cycle

I used before

The cycle that creates pain and inflicts pain

and leads me off the path of my mission

to improve my workability

to improve my technique 

of being a person

and peace by peace

Saving the world

Yeah,

There is holy anger

and I need it sometimes

to know what is truly unjust and evil in the world

but I watch myself closely

so I don’t poison myself and ruin my capacity to experience

wonder

and cultivate compassion

over and over again

There are difficult people in the world. 

sure.

But I can see

the most difficult person in the world

usually 

is me. 

If I don’t develop a skill for regulating this shadow side

at some point

I end up alone 

with this person I’ve been hiding from

and realize 

That person

is really no one I want to hang out with for the evening

or the rest of my life. 

I am learning to put the anger down

wait for a moment

develop a process

begin to love the process

Be a kamikaze for the process

Diving headlong into it

and exposing the ways in which my anger is automatic

Problematic

and exploding it on the rocks of my consciousness

letting it burn hot under my scrutiny

to deliver me to a place of peace and control.

More and more and more

than before.

Excelsior,

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Learning To Speak With Conviction

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Avatarism Presents: Learning To Speak With Conviction

If you want to change the world

If you want to make what is true in your heart known to others

and if you want that data to be taken seriously and remembered

Here is some advice

Learn how to communicate to other humans 

Clearly, simply and with conviction

There is a trend among us talking monkeys to use a….

Milk toast?

Half assed?

Limp sausage?

way of speaking about…..

what we really think is important? 

Ok?

(you’ll get it after you watch the clip)

It may be fear of rejection, or fear or retribution, but as I see it it serves no one to give the greatest linguistic gift you have to give in a mousy and underwhelming fashion with an upward inflection.

I’m not saying yell and strut at people as you elucidate about your wu wu..

But hey….let’s give some thought to how the pearls get cast kids!

This comedian gets it right, and it’s at once hilarious and true.

As I am a reverend of the church of horny/holy/humorous

this guy is gonna get a key to the rectory for sure.

Watch and learn

Excelsior,

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Pleasure Up, Part II

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Avatarism Presents: Pleasure Up, Part II

Pleasure up 

Rise up

Fill your cup with the best stuff

When times are tough

and the going seems like torture

simplify your mind for a moment

there may be pain and there may be fear

there may even be a dragon

but even dragons and enemies have suffering

we are all in this together

all suffering together

Find pleasure anyway

Up level anyway

Give up the vicious cycle of past and future worry and

Experience the way of the victorious cycle

The self programmable mind is a miracle

Play the game

Embody the sweeter, smarter, more superhero like avatars

Uplevel your skill set, your mindset, and your scope of vision

Uphold the people around you for they are waiting for one such as you

and they always have been. 

You are the most beautiful creature you can concieve and embody

Without question.

Dream into action.

Be Livin’ it

Believe in it

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Pleasure Up, Part I

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Avatarism Presents: Pleasure Up, Part I

The purpose of playing the game of avatarsism can ultimately be;
Power up
Mindfulness up
Character level up
Pleasure up

And…

the knowledge and certainty that YOU create The place from which your pleasure is coming. You are the generator of your own pleasure.Your pleasure originates with you and nowhere else. No book, no preacher, no guru, no god or master can give you your pleasure.

They can be a key to the garden…

But only you can open the door. 
 

Conscious character creation can be very pleasurable. Seeking and embodying skills and mindsets that you don’t currently possess may help you progress beyond your current level of self mastery and lead to a significant increase in personal pleasure when you realize you can do and be more that you were.

You are perfect, whole, and ready for more.

When you are in the flow of up leveling, mastering some new aspect of yourself, standing on the edge of your known abilities, and looking into the great wide open space of the possible, that is when our reactions and judgements take a back seat and we can feel the real thrill and pleasure of living.

This is why Avatarism is so much fun for people who are attracted to change. 

If you are made of stone and nothing and no one makes a chip in your façade, you run the risk of becoming stagnant, cold, and losing the ability to discern the great things that my lay right beyond your electric fence. 

Without a wider view of the other paths and avatars available to you for embodiment, your scope of vision both spiritually and mentally remains small.

Open your mind. 

Small minds experience small pleasures.

Expansiveness of mind and expansiveness of self understanding can lead to a larger pleasure circuit. 

Pleasure is your birthright.

No matter what your background is, you experience suffering. We all have pain and anxiety.  All of us humans run old brain programs that keep us from seeing ourselves as ultimately changeable. 

How we view suffering and how we maintain pleasure through suffering is important. 

You can integrate your suffering while creating a new brain program that experiences pleasure while the suffering is occurring. 

Avatarism can be the game that we play as we look for those skills and decide that we can embody them, even as we are suffering. 

Creating yourself in the NOW moment not only buffers the suffering but creates a whole new mindset that is based on what your highest vision of yourself may be, and then says EMBODY IT! 

Using the game of Avatarism to ferment your character in this way can alleviate the suffering and up level you into a whole realm of possibilities that are free from holds, considerations, tightness of mind, and a host of anxieties and preprogrammed fears that are not welcome. 

IRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

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Be Not Afraid To Join The Parade

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Be Not Afraid To Join The Parade

We may choose

to forever-endeavor towards a goal

never fully arriving at perfect

and constantly changing

because we know that this is the way of nature

and the way of the universe

Change is constant

and will is the tool to hone its main action. 

Preachers and warriors

presidents and kings

artists politicians teachers

Jedi’s magis and friends

we are all here together

all searching for the best possible way

to play this game

Whomever you choose to embody in whatever order or mixture you choose to create, that is your choice . Avatarism is an open-source philosophy for creating your character, fermenting your culture and developing the courage to be a truly unique, alive and self created individual.

The smiling eyes and peaceful posture of the Buddha gave me a gift and that gift is blossoming and growing within me now. I have always wanted mastery over fear anger and judgment and I have the Thai people and their beautiful version of Buddhism to thank for a step closer in that direction.

I except that my character is permeable

changeable

I understand that my brain is a bio computer

that can be reprogrammed

reformulated

rebooted with new information

as it becomes available to me

We are alive

and mutable

and that, my friends

is beautiful.

All that is stagnant is dead.

So seek out all that is living 

and exciting

and new to you

let it permeate you 

let it change you

Let it all in

if it is good

and it turns you on

and it hurts no one

and it makes you think

and feel

and exclaim

I am alive!

Go get it kids
and rock that shit hard because
we only get one life
and this is it
and damn, 
it’s exciting.

Be not afraid to join the parade.


Onward and upwards,
iRev. Alexander polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

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Avatarism Presents: The Land OF 10,000 Temples

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Avatarism Presents: The Land OF 10,000 Temples

90% of the people living in Thailand are Buddhist. When they call this place the land of 10,000 temples they are not joking. Around practically every corner and down every alley there are beautiful temples which house unbelievably beautiful Iconography of Buddha in his many permutations. Still more temples reside next to those temples that celebrate his many disciples. On my recent trip to Bangkok and Changmai I encountered friendly buddhist monks who spoke to me frankly about the most popular religion of Thailand.

I asked one young monk in orange robes at temple Wat Cheddi Luang if there was a God? He smiled and said simply, “no.” I asked him, “is Buddha a God?” Again he smiled and said, “no.” Looking around at all the Golden Buddha’s, paintings of Buddhas, and shrines to Buddha it was confusing to me as a Westerner to think that buddha was not their God. So I asked another young monk, “Who is the Buddha?” He smiled (I was becoming accustomed to seeing this smile whenever I asked a question) he said “Buddha is the best possible teacher.” So all these temples and monuments were not because of some supposed higher power or untouchable god, all this was for a great teacher….the greatest teacher! 

I began to understand the power of this idea as I went from temple to temple and sat in front of golden Buddhas, hundred foot tall Buddhas, and even thousands of tiny Buddhas laid out in perfect lines sitting in the shadow of one giant Buddha. When you find the best possible teacher you want to be reminded of him or her as much as possible to keep that teaching alive within yourself. As I travelled, I started to notice that every business, every public place, and even taxis and tuk tuks (three wheeled motorcycle taxis) had mini shrines in prominent places. The idea of this “best possible teacher,” started to become real to me.

Just being in the presence of a great figure from history or sitting with a person who has attained some mastery will give you a measure of that greatness to take away and use for yourself. At very least it gives psychic access to that idea and you may choose to enrich yourself with it, or not. To let it become part of you , or not.

We all start from somewhere. Our parents ideals and faults, the movies we watched as kids, our second grade teacher etc. These are the first building blocks to our character. If we never progress past these basic ideas then there may be a kind of self imposed ignorance that sets in and it may be completely invisible to the carrier of such simplistic ideals leading to a spiritual short sightedness or a small mindedness. 

The more we let in, the bigger we get. Robert Anton Wilson and Timothy Leary both has marvelous ideas on this. To widen the reality tunnel, to mock up a better case scenario is the birthright of every human. To embody whatever the hell you want to and to let it become you is the most outrageous trip you can take. Who says you-are-you anyway? Who says you can’t decide to embody a great teacher? Who says you can’t become a superhero or a master of some difficult skill?

Only other monkeys with pin-hole sized reality tunnels, that’s who.

This is the idea of embodiment, and it is one of the central concepts in Avatarism. To know that greatness is yours for the taking. To know that you need only to embody that greatness in the slightest to begin to understand it’s power… and when you understand it… you are more free to become it. 


Embodiment is the magic that I speak of and write about most. It’s a mixture of acting, role playing, and self programming. The fact that you may not really believe you can do it, isn’t a problem. The fact that you may not be a wizard or a fairy or a person of greatness is a feature not a bug allowing you to drop the whole thing and deal in a more simplistic way with the things of life, if need be. 

The important thing is to begin to embody, to consciously create your character, to seek that which is best for you, to up level, and to see others on this road and uphold them. 

I experienced this when I was a child and had the fortune to meet the great Jim Henson. I stood before him and he treated me as an equal. I can say honestly that I was never the same after that experience. For the 7 year old me, the creator of the muppets was the best possible teacher. After sitting in front of so many beautiful statues of the Buddha where he is depicted as calm, serene, peaceful, and in a state of easy pleasure I can say that I have been changed By this experience as well.

Who is your best possible teacher or teachers? Who can you call yogi or trusted friend or refuge? I have had many teachers and I hope I will have many more. To be reverent enough to find your heroes in the world, to seek them out, to worship them, but yet have enough irreverence to know that you may have what they have….that is also at the core of Avatarism.


We are collections of memories, instances and experiences that either glance off us, horrify us, or up level us….(sometimes a bit of all three.)
We may seek to up level or character on the real world platform and so play a better game moment to moment day today year-to-year.

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: We Are Perfect

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Avatarism Presents: We Are Perfect

We are perfect, whole, and ready for more

There is a level above this one

and time is not the enemy

but it ain’t your friend

Don’t wait for the the golden coin to tempt you higher

Jump now 

Write now

Sing it out

Work it out

Break it down

Say yes

Because the break down is gonna find you in the end so 

Why not

Invite it in

Be the re-master of the disaster

and re-fantasisize the old wise you used to 

do and die for

I have tears and hugs and laughs and warm tea for you on the flip-side

I know

This is the craziest shit ever

But here we are

We seekers in the dust and wind

this quest does not have an end

just learn to love again, 

and again

Forever endeavour,

I’m In! 

Loving you! 

iRev. Alexander Polinsky 

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: A Lesson In Swahili

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Avatarism Presents: A Lesson In Swahili

Avatarism presents a lesson in Swahili

“kushangaza mchuzi,” is the direct Swahili translation of………..

AWESOME SAUCE!!!!!!!

So say it twenty times and memorize it, then go to an african restaraunt and order chicken mafe (pronounced maa-fae), taste the delicious peanut and tomato sauce, look your waiter in the eye, leap up off your seat,  and say KUSHANGAZA MCHUZI, while rhythmically pumping your fists in the air every time you chew. 

That is all. 

Be livin’ it

iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Listening Is A Superpower

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Avatarism Presents: Listening Is A Superpower

Dear self,

Here’s some things to remember about listening.

A master practitioner of any craft can seem like a wizard. 

A master creates wonder and awe in the layman with his skill, confidence, flawless execution, and imperceivable effort. 

In my years as frontman for the Flowtemple art parties,  I became very aware of how much listening can be applied in action. The scene was electric, with painters, fire dancers, musicians, clowns and photographers all interacting and participating. In those wonderfully awesome moments where the musicians, music, dancers, and artists were in total communication, the whole room lit up. Newcomers could not believe that everything in the 5 hour set was completely improvised, “It all seemed so perfect and rehearsed.” In that state I was totally involved in the listening and as I became more aware of everyone. I just knew what to sing, words and melodies came. I ended up surprising myself almost every time we played a Flowtemple Party with how much great art we made in that small amount of time.

Listening

allows for 

and welcomes into being

great communication of endless varieties 

Works of immense beauty can be created

seemingly 

effortlessly

And….. It feels powerfully delicious 

You’d think by now 

my listening 

would be a piece of  cake. 

But no

I still have to remind myself 

redundantly

receptively

and in multiples 

of many

Because listening is one of those sometimes forgotten 

superpowers 

When I powerfully listen

I can;

Uphold other people 

Understand complexities

Remember the facts

Marvel in the glory of another’s path

Hear the hidden story

Pick up on wordless, emotional communications

Become aware of subtleties 

Be a less judgmental asshole

Learn self control

Deliver assistance, guidance, and leadership.

Know what the f*&k to say,

and when to say it, yo!

Be funnier and more compassionate

Appear to have psychic powers

Make great music

Dance like a boss!

Sing like a shamanic rock god

Really understand my friends

Be a responsive lover,

parent,, 

pet owner, 

gardener

I know you want it

We all want it 

So give it already

Listen

Excelsior, ever higher,

iRev. Alexander Niver Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Is The Game Of Finding Yourself

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Avatarism Is The Game Of Finding Yourself

Avatarism is the game of finding yourself.

Who do you want to be, and how can you powerfully create yourself?

There are many characters inside each one of us. Look and see. Dad and mom, friends, movies, books, professors, urges, wins and misfortunes. We are a patchwork quilt of experiences, but many of them, we did not wholly choose. Ask your friends where their views and beliefs came from and you’ll find that most people have consciously collected some ideologies from outside sources and have had others thrust upon them by parents, churches, or groups.

It’s a game - find the best stuff and assimilate it into your character. You are allowed to do this! It’s the best gift we have been given! Being changeable and having the ability to self-program is, hands down, the most effective way to have a happy life. 

What would happen if YOU decided to reprogram yourself?

Could you become smarter, more compassionate, or more successful?

If you could, would you create yourself to be a better leader, lover, manager, or friend?

Can you understand that you and your current state of mind is the only thing stopping you from being the highest vision you have for yourself?

I can’t convince you of this by mere words on a page. You must put away your intellect which says that people cannot change.

Intellects vary wildly, but emotional experience is common. The emotions you feel as you are doing something new, scary, or unfamiliar are wonder, interest, involvement. New neurological pathways are formed as a result of an intense or novel experience, and more lasting memories are created. Your brain is awake and you record the whole experience in deep memory, because your brain has been activated by the excitement, the challenge, and the novelty.

In this “seen it all, done it twice” world, we need a higher level of novelty and a more personal form of motivation to really light us up and get us into a new frame of thinking. The brain can become sluggish if given too much of the same kind of stimulus. In order to impress the nervous system and create new pathways in the brain, we have to engineer awe, fabricate wonder, and mock up interest. We can activate our deep remembering and capacity for brain change by performing transformational Avatarism exercises -

Embodying archetypes and characters

Dramatic ritual 

Tests of courage

Avatar Character Sheets

Avatar experience games

Avatar aphorisms 

Naming ceremony 

We are on the path of creating new and more powerful rituals for ourselves. The part of the brain that creates memories needs stimuli. You cannot sit in your chair, watch TV, eat microwaved foods, and expect to feel as though you’ve lived a full life.

Only through knowing yourself, re-imagining yourself, and honing your own flow, can you see real and lasting changes in your actions and reactions.

 

The vision map/vision board/ or list of future goals is a sure fire way to overload yourself. Most goal and “to-do” lists are flimsy contracts envisioned with a needy spirit. I have attended many workshops and self help seminars where they get you to promise to do and achieve all these things, and as soon as the workshop ends, you get home and the slipping starts. 

If you create an Avatar Character Sheet and really map out your highest vision for yourself in a fearless and fantastic way, you may begin to live through that vision. You will see with new eyes. Your perception of what is possible will be widened and upleveled. If you tell your closest friends and family members about your new character, you automatically begin to hold yourself accountable and encourage them to uphold your character when you forget who you want to be. You may now achieve the goals and dreams on your epic to-do lists from a standpoint of power.

To fully use the power of attraction, you must first magnetize yourself!

Be livin’ it,

iRev. Alexander Niver Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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Avatarism Presents: Make It Real

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Avatarism Presents: Make It Real

There is no sense in calling yourself a ninja if you possess no throwing stars, no black suit, no claw gloves, and have had no ninja training at all. Calling yourself batman-like is worthless unless you can embody some Batman qualities. Learn a kick, a flip, make a cloak and patrol the hood, do something to make it real.

The day I landed the role of a wwII medic I freaked out because I had no idea what that lifestyle was like. I can’t go back in time and see, so I called a wwII vet who was a medic. He said his job was like being a truck mechanic for humans. That was it, I played a truck mechanic who is forced to heal soldiers on the battlefield. That piece of info was the one thing I needed to make it real. After that, I just knew who this guy was. Deeper mastery takes deeper inquiry. The path to making embodied avatars, mastering skill sets, and creating program changes lies in how you choose to make it real. 


Tell us what you want to do. Tell us who you want to be. We will uphold you as your highest vision you have for yourself. Together we will uplevel and find mastery.

Yes, love.
iRev. Alexander Polinsky

Avatarism is an inquiry into the nature of character itself. An open source game/philosophy for conscious character creation

For a Free Avatarism Character Sheet Kit go to: http://www.avatarism.net/#embody

Like Avatarism on Fscebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Avatarism

#Transformational #superheroWorkshop

#Embody #Uplevel #Uphold

#ForeverEndeavor

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