The Alpha & Omega Society

Recent thoughts;

Recent discussions about the state of mind which envelops the artist have spurred some thought on the subject. Initially, there was a great deal of passion about establishing the A&O Soc.. The primary intention in this regard has been, and remains, the establishment of a living environment that is designed to support the unique needs of the artistic mentality.

A big part of that, in the long view, is the establishment of The Creative Archive and in that regard, use of the web and in particular the digital environment that it depends on, will certainly be a part of that foundation and seems to be the best starting point. In lieu of actual facilities, the archiving of the artist's work in the digital domain is a viable alternative, to establishing a record of the artist's work. Of course, the work of recording the material is a huge task, but the process of doing that would certainly be a service of IMS and The A&O Soc.

The primary objective at this point in time is to publish the designs for The Alpha & Omega Society. These designs include the outlines for the modus operandi (as it pertains to numerous levels of participation) sketches for the facilities (which extend from a core "Inner Sanctuary" outward in layers to the outermost degree of commercialization), the management notes (which include the politics involved in the governing of the community).

All of this is extremely complicated, and will require, not only a Board of Directors, but a Social Governing Body which would oversee the assorted rules and regulations which must be implemented in an environment such as this. It is not so much a remaking of the existing society and the current Modus Operandi, but rather a realigning of the purposes and a focus on the needs of the Artist, above the needs of other members of the society as a whole.

The purpose of such a realignment lies primarily in the fact that the classic "starving artist" is a result of an increasing disassociation from a social environment, which historically has existed, but is becoming increasingly extenal and desensitized to the asthetic environment (or mentality) which the artist is compelled to dwell within.

It is most certianly true that social environments have been created to support the artist, some of which operate quite successfully.

The Alpha & Omega Society is intended to be akin to those Artist Communities, however, the basis for the A&O Soc. are the teachings of The Church of the New Jerusalem and a primary aspect of the community must be the spiritual component and associations of the people involved.

The A&O Soc. is not intended to be based on a generic non-denominational, non-commital spirituality. It is clear that artists, like everyone else are on a path to discover their own spirituality and so that path must be honored and supported. But the clearly stated and specific basis for the A&O Soc. are the teachings of The New Church.

This is not intended to, and does not, exclude persons who are unclear about their path in terms of spirituality, but there is one very clear and definitve critera for participation in the activities of the A&O Soc.. That is a very distinct and undeniable "leading by the Lord" to be associated and involved in the activities of the A&O Soc..

There is not intended to be the exclusion of any religous or spiritually uplifting teachings from The A&O Soc. . Rather all such teachings that have been presented in the world should be included for the purpose of discovering the truth that lies within them. But as so stated, the Teachings of the New Church are to be the foundation for any growth that occurs within the community. This being the case, it should be understood that the point of the community is to foster unity in the understanding and pursuit of Truth, Goodness and to discover the method by which this understanding can be put into application.

A larger purpose of the environment that is conceptualized, is to rediscover the aspects of societies from times past and from locations around the world, that bring forth the best that man has been, is and can become. In this rediscovery, discovery, and conceptualization the foundations of the A&O Soc. are formed. It is the application of these elements into a social environment, that serves the aesthetic enhancement of the artistic experience, but still allows for the artist to live in the lifestyle that best suits his or her mentality... this is for this reason that the Alpha & Omega Society being formed.

A very large part of the community, as needs be in this material world, are the economics of such an environment. In the larger concept of the A&O Soc. the economic behavior of the community is rather socialistic in nature. I know that in America this is a bad word because America is allegedly based on capitalism. But it is the corporate raiders and the greed mongers who have literally destroyed our social environment because of the freedom and propigation of rampant capitalism. In the current environment people are taught and encouraged to grab all they can, while they can at the expense of the "weaker" people in the society or those who are not so agressive. In my opinion this has been quite distructive to our society and it has in a very large sense shifted our values in a very non-productive direction. I say this with a very different understanding of what is and is not productive.

Productivity is the pursuit of aesthetics & beauty in form and interaction thru art, to seek peace, harmony, truth, goodness, wisdom and love. It is not the creation and aqusition of goods with which one can increase the numbers in ones bank account and therefore permit one to create rampant greed, selfishness, social depravity, isolation and conflict. This is my opinion and it is the basis by which I move forward to conceptualize The Alpha & Omega Society.

I am certian that I will not live to see this manifested, therefore it is my mission to publish the material I have gathered and to profer my thoughts on the subject as best I can before I depart for the great (un)known.

Archive; (note that items will be removed as they become moot)
There have been numerous projects whose seeds are beginning to sprout, which will be nurtured in the environment of Image of the Mind Studios. The organizational structure of the A&O Soc. is being defined and Mission Statement is becoming clearer as discussions are taking place with potential board members.

Numerous requests have come in regarding management of large sums of money for charitable causes and an endowment program is being designed to accommodate this as a service offered by The A&O Soc.. Such a program will also provide operating funds to the foundation and it's programs. Unfortunately I fear that many of these offers are not legiamate.

The management structure of The A&O Soc. is essentially layered to segment essential functions from project functions, which will operate independently from each other. There will be tiers within each segment which will likewise be independently responsible for fulfillment and micro-management of their own resources. The net effect of this is to simplify management and establish more stability in the organization. Of course with this approach, the personnel structure will be defined by smaller teams with more autonomy and of course, the Project Directors & Department Heads will be answerable to the Board of Directors, not so much for their fulfillment, but more so for their adherence to a set of standards, which will maintain the level of integrity that is necessary for the health of the organization as a whole.

Web Page Design

I had the opportunity to examine the web pages on newer, HD computer equipment & monitors. I was not terribly impressed with the overall look of the designs, especially those hosted on AOL. I've also noticed that the links to AOL are erratic, sometimes they work and other times they don't. I'm not real sure how to change that right now, but in keeping with my objectives, I will be striving to rebuild the designs off-line using my own software. The AOL pages are built using EasyDesign which is provided by AOL and it has it's limitations. Those limitations account for the available backgrounds, which on HD appear crass & unrefined. In addition, I made an attempt to use different background colors to distinguish different subjects, but now I'm not so sure that works too well. So... I apologize for the uncomfortable viewing experience, but I can't do anything about it right now. If you are using an HD screen and the resolution is set very high then the web pages will not look too good and they may be difficult to read. They look fine on an older lower resolution screen. Expect a complete revamping of the design at some point. All of these issues account for an increasing need to develop and maintain a server to host the IMS materials. In the mean while, I will be using this site for ongoing conversations. AG

Priorities

You will most certainly observe- that the IMS web pages cover a wide array of projects that are in various stages of development. Some have been critical of this and have chosen to respond in a negative fashion. Those persons obviously don't understand the nature of what is being done at IMS. It's good to see the weeds in the garden so you can pull them out. The fact of the matter is that, as the Artistic Director, it is my job to develop ideas and to determine which ones may fit into a long term plan. I've chosen to use the Internet as the arena for developing this work, not for any personal aggrandizement, but for the simplicity by which other persons may participate in the process, both to assist in the goals of IMS and to share in the enthusiasm, as they may find a forum for the expression of their creativity.

The reality is that I'm lucky if I have another twenty (maybe thirty) years of useful service left in me. Twenty years is not a long time. So with that reality facing me, I've determined that the best thing I can do, is to convert as much viable information about these larger projects onto the the web pages, if for no other reason than to archive them in the event of my demise.

At this point, there are tangible and somewhat mundane tasks which need to be performed to completion, which directly effect the ability to move into active production. These tasks build upon one another, to the point where one can turn around and see absolute results, yet in the process they seem like nothing more than an (ofttimes) unnecessary distraction. I've developed the ability to see the chain of events, anticipate the process and the energy required to achieve a goal, and to expect a certain level of complexity along with the inevitable unknown. (The contingency fund is gaining increasing volume to meet the inevitable, because this unknown factor must be recognized as significant.) Time, space, material & capital resources, emotional factors all come into play in this great unknown and the magnitude of these factors adds another dimension to the mix. With an understanding and respect for this unknown, the known factors become clearer and more easily managed. Priorities can only be based on known factors, but they must be flexible enough to remain intact in the face of the unknown. Their position on the scale of importance is only what changes. The change in position of importance occurs, because of multiple factors and the way in which they are compounded upon one another. Management of the unknown and the ability to move forward in the face of fear are the key to real progress.

As a project progresses, the level of complexity increases. Certain goals require fulfillment of previous objectives. The goals within a project are defined with a wide brush. Individual aspects of those goals are gradually expanded as resources & knowledge allows for that to occur. Within a project, indeed within an organization as well, the priorities find their own level. The director of a project will set objective goals and move to achieve those goals, but it must be understood that the unknown factor is so significant, that in many ways, it controls the outcome of the effort. This is particularly true in the development stages of a production. The secret to endurance on any project is to be flexible enough to be able to respond to that unknown by having developed enough options so that one can shift energy to a known aspect of the project and continue to move forward. This, while contending with the unknown that has become a factor needing attention. The position of a project's advancement can be directly linked to how one deals with the unknown as it occurs and adds to the complexity of a project. This complexity effects timing and thus scheduling. When a project move from develoment into pre-production many unknown factors have become known and when the project moves into production, still more unknown factors have become known...

And so, the priorities can be set down as objectives, with the hope and expectation that those goals will be met, but in the larger scheme of things, the fulfillment of those objectives is heavily contingent upon, not only the resources available, but also the sequence of events which can only be anticipated to a certain degree of accuracy. The largest factor in the fulfillment of a goal is commitment. One very important tool in securing the ability to meet goals that have been set is redundancy. Redundancy is a useful tool, in fact, a necessary tool when scheduling and commitment collide. Redundancy with supplies is less important than redundancy with personnel, because the human factor is the largest source of the unknown.

Developing the network of personnel management tools to account for this is another subject, best broached at another time. 9/20 AG

Conveyance, an essay

We live in a world that can easily draw us into illusive priorities. Our perspectives are often determined, if not dictated , by the environment we find ourselves in. But is that environment true or false? Do we ever even consider the possibility that the world around us may be an illusion or do we just accept what we see, hear and feel as being the basis for the reality of the world around us? We are told in the Word that the senses are false and cannot be trusted, but what does that really mean?

Well, I've determined that there is a prevailing set of illusions that are being perpetrated upon society as a whole. Not that this insidious act is being orchestrated by any one person, group, or organization, but rather a collection of illusions that insinuates themselves like rust on bare metal with roots that extend outward. We live in a world bound by the laws of entropy and the effects of entropy carry themselves throughout and within the entire created natural world. I see it as a fail-safe or a self destruct mechanisim designed to prevent the decay of the remainder of creation, the Spiritual & Celestial Worlds. The extent of entropy is unknow to me, but I believe it's effects are most significantly manifested in the material world.

None-the-less, this insinuated illusion is amplified in our increasingly complex society, because as more people fall victim of the illusion, it becomes something that is perpetrated upon the bulk of the society. As much as I'd like to define the perpetrators of this illusion, and in fact the illusion and it's assorted attributes, now is not the time to do that, for it would create unnecessary and counter-productive agitation. I rather choose to point out the illusion and state that it's perpetrators cannot hide from the light of Truth. The largest part of the illusion, as it is manifest in human action, is that: adherents to it's principles believe they have the power to control the outcome of events or to dictate the process of reaching an objective outcome.

That being said, I leave this essay on the expectation that: meditating on this concept will bring about an understanding of future concepts, designs, and goals which I have determined to post here for the pupose of contributing to the societies of mankind without joining the ranks of the perpetrators of the illusion.

Being as falable as everyone else on this planet, I can only hope that the desire to break thru the illusion and the effort to do that is sufficient to keep from being perverted by it's stranglehold on the societies of man. I guess this is a large part of the effort and purpose of The Alpha & Omega Society, to form a social structure that disallows the destructive forces which are implanted buy succumbing to and worshipping this illusion. An illusion that belongs to the proprium.

9/19 - I realize how off-the-wall this essay may sound to one who is unable or unwilling to consider what I may be talking about and that is part of the illusion I speak of. In large part, this illusion perpetrates a doctrine of limitation and utilizes a regemented insistence on conformity and a system of reward & punishment to implement that. It is understandable in the context of social management, but it extends beyond that and insinuates itself into the deeper levels of interpersonal relationships whereby it perverts the understanding and distorts the will. It is the erroneous understanding that ascribes the power to act to the faulty human mechanisim and the necessity to determine a course of action based on the sensual imput that creates this illusion. It is a compounded scenario, whereby human action is dictated by space & time, at least to the degree where an environment is established which nurtures the illusion and propogates it's false principles. Needless to say, the illusion is a multi-facited crystline form growing within the core of society. Is it somehow an element which must be erraticated? Or is it rather an aspect of externalism which must be revealed, contemplated and viewed from a distance? Thus allowing for a revelation of the true nature of space & time. If space & time are truely understood, how will this effect the presence of the illusion of power & doctrine of limitation. Clearly, the physical, which exists in space & time, experiences entropy and is thereby in the external reality is directly connected to the tangible effects of power. Limitations are felt as a result of the association of the physical and the variations which occurr in abilities as a result. But this is part of the illusion, it attributes external experiences to what should correctly be understood as the internal source of all power and a source of the unlimited. Effectively, the illusion inverts the true order of things to impose carnality into the understanding, thereby distorting the balance in social relationships. Don't let this bizzarre train of thought prevent you from exploring other aspects of this blog. AG

Modus Operandi

The specifications & references posted here shall constitute public notice and publication of the foundational Terms & Conditions of any and all dealings with Image of the Mind Studios, The Alpha & Omega Society and any other organizational or personal projects concieved by Arthur Greisiger

and shall dictate all legally binding activities.

The statements provided herein shall not constitute the whole of the foundational concepts but shall provide an understanding of what those concepts consist of.

In General- The information provided in this section of The Virtual Studio is for general knowledge and covers a number of subjects under each heading. It is provided for the purpose of establishing the foundational understandings required for participation in any IMS project. You will find that there are different aspects of the method of operation discussed under the different headings or projects. You should assume that all these subjects carry over to each other and that there is consistency in the Modus Operandi of both Image of the Mind Studios and The Alpha & Omega Society and any other organizational structures managed by such. If you find inconsistencies, I certianly would appreciate your saying so, but understand that any terms or conditions are binding only within the language of a specific contract and until such a contract is negoitiated and signed, inconsistencies are irrelevant and only a result of refining complicated methodolgy. I appreciate your understanding in this regard. AG

Personnel- In terms of projects, all work initially performed is considered to be Developmental. Work within a specific project transcends Developmental when budget funds are collected from sources other than the General Partners or Collaborators and those funds are no longer considered to be Front Money. Work outside of Creative Projects is predominately commissioned as an Independent Contractor, although with a shift to a Corporate Operating System the Personnel Structure is beginning to change and any changes to that policy will be specified in the Production Contract. An apprenticeship program is being developed through which all personnel must pass prior to being placed into a staff position. Persons wishing to be involved are welcome to contribute to this process only on the understanding that there are no implied or verbal contracts and the only binding contracts are written, witnessed, and duely initiated.

Binding activity- The only final authority on any binding activity is Arthur Greisiger and no other person is authorized to bind Image of the Mind Studios, The Alpha & Omega Society, or The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park to any agreement. All projects defined herein (being defined as eminating from these web pages) are the property of such and none may be contractually bound without such authority.

Development & Profit Sharing- Until contractually altered, all creative relationships are that of a "collaboration" and considered to be "Development" for the defining, structuring & creation of the raw materials. These materials are used to package the product and all ancillary capillaries pertaining to the raw material. All such package materials are gathered on spec by the principles/collaborators in the project. All materials gathered are governed wholey by Image of the Mind Studios and no participant has any rights that are separate from those of IMS and may not negotiate any terms whatsoever. Expenses are shared and accrued on the basis of a Joint Venture and it is the responsibility of the provider of the resources to document such contubutions and provide copy. Any resources not documented are excluded from inclusion in the investment. Percentages may be different depending upon how much of the project is brought to the table. Contributions that are limited in scope and committment, yet qualify for a percentage share (because they were provided in expectation of further involvement), are compensated for (in terms of percentage) at the conclusion of the production, marked by the first premiere after which, and not until such time, re-coupment of principle may occur. Contributions that were only provided as a portfolio sample do not qualify for a percentage share. Work for hire does not qualify for percentage participation. Withdraw from the project and/or failure to communicate with principles in the project disqualifies percentage participation and ownership of raw materials reverts wholely to Image of the Mind Studios. Failure to provide services or material promised (in a timely fashion) disqualifies percentage participation and severs all ownership rights.

Contracts- are developed and adapted for each project, according the the specific requirements of that project. Although many of the terms are generally consistent, none-the-less variations may occur and thus any binding terms must be present in the specific documentation for the project. At no time does any implied contract exist. Any terms agreed upon in an implied contract must find it's way to paper before the production stage or it is considered moot. All matterials developed prior to production are property of the collaborators and the sole negotiating authority of those materials is Image of the Mind Studios. Image of the Mind Studios retains the sole right to implement production in all ancillary markets or negoiate the sale of all rights exclusively until such rights are changed by written contract. It is the responsibility of the parties involved to fully communicate with each other in a timely manner and to make sure that they, or their agents, participate in any contract negotiations that are taking place, and that any implied terms are integrated into the contracts or such implied terms are automatically negated by notification of the impending signing of the contract. No contract is valid unless all parties are so notified. Any Party unavailable for notification or not responding within 30 days after notification surrenders all rights unless specified otherwise within the contract.

The Creative Archive Project

One of my most pressing issues is the establishment of, not only a long term facility, but the establishment of a Creative Archive. I have made it one of the objectives of The Alpha & Omega Society to maintain & support an archive of creative materials as a service to artists wishing to feel secure that the work of their life will be preserved for posterities sake. The operating proceedures and management of such an archive will be determined by the board of directors when the time comes for implementation. The archive will in all likelihood require a warehouse, but that is something that will be delt with in the future. For now, I'm posting this as an announcement of intention and as a way of informing members of the A&O Soc. of one of the objective we are going to work towards. AG

Archive Facilities- the design that is begining to come forth is much like that of a storage facility. Tempature & climate controlled units connected to a cental gathering place or community room which can serve as a gallery for exhibition of the artists work. The units are for the storage of completed work, manuscripts, portfolios, sketch books, works in progress, casting forms, etc.. No personal property or raw materials may be stored in the climnate controlled lockers.

It is likely that additional units will be attached to the facility, which will essentially be the size of a one or two car garrage. This unit may serve as a working studio. There is a design for the larger studio compound which takes into account studio space. If the compound is implemented before the archive facility, then studio space will not be integrated into the archive. However, if the archive is developed as a satelite of the IMS studio compound (which would be placed in numerous cities) , then studio spaces will need to be integrated into the design. This is obviously a long term vision of the archive concept and implementation of these thoughts will depend upon what kind of response, encouragement, and resources I receive to move forward.

As I write this, I realize that this Archive Project is integral to the larger Studio Compound and the management perameters of the archive are directly related to the Spiritual Retreat/Artists Colony Project. The management of this Archive will take the basic principles seen in retirement centres and charitable foundations and merge them with some of the methods used by an assortment of artist's co-ops. Thus, the artist will be a member of the archive by buying their storage space, much like a condominium. Further, their work will be assigned to The Alpha & Omega Society for protection and management under specific terms. The artist's heirs will be co-owners of the work with The Alpha & Omega Society the terms of which are subject to bi-annual review. AG

Spiritual Retreat

10/17/07- Numerous discussions have taken place with individuals interested in this project. Conversations are of a general nature at this point because The Alpha & Omega Society will be the ultimate authority in this regard, and the Board of Directors has not yet been officially established. As I may have discussed in the section under The A&O Soc., my work is to produce the establishing principles and modus operandi, something which is moving forward rather slowly right now (due in large part to the demands of Image of the Mind Studios). It is my desire for IMS to provide the land for the Spiritual Retreat and once that has been achieved (or is emminent) then to turn it over to The A&O Soc. (or at least a portion thereof). AG


General Summary

A Spiritual Retreat Environment is something that I am striving to create as a means to encourage and support the creative process. My propensity is to work in the theatrical arena and I view this forum as requiring all of the known arts& crafts as part of that process. With that in mind, I fully understand the strain that can come into the artist's life by struggling with his or her environment. As we grow older, we come to terms with this struggle, but by the time we learn how to cope with it, our creativity has suffered to a significant degree. I am in the process of formulating The Alpha & Omega Society. The purpose of the A&O Soc. is to endow and manage the affairs of the Spiritual Retreat and the Theatrical Development Centre. These are but two of the concepts which encompass the design for a larger community. It is my expectation, that like all of us, I will be passing on to the Spiritual World within the next few decades. As of this writing I am pushing 53, I'm in good health, and have no idea as to what my duration will be. But it could be tomorrow for all I know. So it is appropriate to make hay while the sun is shining. With this in mind, I am moving forward to publish the designs for this larger community. I have my doubts about my own ability to manifest this community in my life time, because I am not the kind of aggressive character that seems to be a trait of the developers I know. Rather, I choose to believe that the concept which I am putting forth is something that will manifest as a result of people of like mind, gradually coming together to implement an environment which offers regeneration to those persons who have a high degree of creative impulse and are dissatisfied with the way in which American society has developed as a whole. I do not want to imply that American Society is an adversary in this regard, rather I want to state specifically that the social environment in the greater part of the American Landscape has developed in a somewhat helter skelter fashion. The cities and the suburbs are a composite of individualism bolstered at it's foundation by the capitalistic compulsion to exploit any opportunity or resource for the sake of profit. In large part this has created an overall disjunction in society and a great deal of energy is expended trying to conjoin the social relationships in the face of that gulf which should never have occurred in the first place.

The larger principle in the Spiritual Retreat/Artists Colony concept is the establishment of a community design which functions on the basis of Harmony of the Whole in preference to the rights of the Individual. This is not to say that the rights of the individual are not significant and of extreme importance, but it is to say that they are not paramount. It is clear that the rights of the individual being proffered as having the highest degree of importance have caused a significant degree of contention within society. It is not that those rights are largely put forth as having that degree of importance, rather it is that individuals have taken on the opinion that their right to proceed without consideration for others is acceptable. This attitude is being protected under the misunderstood idea of freedom and the condition within our society is such that we have progressed too far beyond the edge of properly training our young people to counteract that attitude. The media has taken extreme liberties in the name of freedom of speech and Pandora's box has been opened. It is because of this that I feel it is necessary to create an environment that has been laid out Based on the Principles of Harmony.

In addition to the physical design of the facilities of the community, it is necessary to outline the management of the community as a whole. A great many of the principles on which our country was founded are quite applicable for the management of this microcosm, however there are a number of areas where we have gone astray. The objective of this Spiritual Retreat Environment,. The Alpha & Omega Society is to make adjustments based on the obvious errors in the functioning of the society in which we dwell. It is unfortunate that we cannot make those adjustment in a larger way, but the society has become unmanageable due in large part to it extreme size and diversity.

From my position, the objective methodology is for a society to be modeled after the creation. We are now aware of the molecular structure of matter and it is quite clear that the very foundation of the material world is consistent with that form. It seems quite clear to me that the social relationships, or rather the sphere of society needs to be principled on the same basis. It is on this basis that the experiment of The Alpha & Omega Society needs to be founded.

Theoretically, if this were the case, the expansion that would be required, would be modeled after the core structure. Eventually, the foundational structure would reach a harmonious balance of diversity that would not require expenditure of energy on conflict and would then encourage the creative impulse even in the face of entropy. The naturally occurring changes would be within the scope of predetermined boundaries that allow for a certain degree of latitude and thus support not only the feeling of freedom, but the actuality of it, because the modus operendi is that of the Harmony of the Whole and not the proliferation of the proprium, the source of disharmony. More Later AG