Samekhmem perform a live, improvised, soundtrack for the Jodorowsky movie The Holy Mountain

The performing of the drone opened a violet portal and allowed an exchange between the Jodorowsky world and the world of the Receivers of the Eternal Drone.

Thursday 23rd February

ARTicle Space, Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, Margaret Street, Birmingham

4pm Phillip Henderson discusses Vertical Music and The Drone

5-7.30pm Open mic & collective music making

All welcome

Our next priorities have been to make the Temple more comfortable and to spend time there. A supporter donated a sofa and some chairs, and we’ve been bringing in books and musical instruments.

We started making a list of more things to bring, and also noting down some of the discussions we had. Someone very helpfully added a poster after we mentioned we were after more things to put on the walls. If you stand in front of it and focus on the Eternal Drone, you can feel your Third Ear opening.

As the Temple becomes more comfortable, people are starting to use it as part of their daily lives, as a common room or meditation space: relaxing in the cushioned space, studying the Eternal Drone, discussing possible future activities, and playing instruments.

We’ve started to set challenges for existing and potential Receivers, inspired by things that the Drone calls us to do. We hope that other people will be called to set more challenges as well, to test the dedication of The Receivers and help us to grow.

This week, Receivers were drawn by the Eternal Drone to a space on Margaret Street, Birmingham.

Through sacred listening, we are finding a series of instructions for how to use this place, to bring people together and to spread understanding of our principles.

The first protocol tells us to establish the Temple, so we placed sacred materials in the circle for a day to meditate upon them.

When we returned the next day, a spirit totem had appeared, watching over the Temple, and providing an olfactory richness.

We focused on a warm part of the room that it led us to, and that seemed particularly full of the Drone. This seems initially suitable for private relaxation and opening of the Third Ear.

If you find the Receivers Temple of the Sacred Drone, do come in, take some time to open yourself up to the Drone, and let us know how you would like to use the space yourself.

We will be putting up some possibilities that we have already discovered, and of course, as always, let us know how you get on.

Wearing the ceremonial furs, Samekhmem marked themselves with the sacred sun using oat milk and sage ash, lit the seven candles of purification and set the sand timer next to the Ark of Silence. Channeling the eternal drone at this important time, mid way between the solstice and the vernal equinox, calling upon all of the power of the sun to bring forth the potent energy of the spring brings with it great peril. The resonating power of Imbolc provided a hot, rising, drone power to the ceremony that circled up beyond the control of all who were gathered together. The force of the drone caused great consternation but was a necessary adjunct to the approach of Timewave Zero. Samekhmem continue to transform the dark emanations from Timewave Zero into sonic affirmation of The Eternal Drone.

Audiovisual documentation to follow shortly.

02/02/12, 8PM Upstairs, Bull’s Head, Moseley, Birmingham. B13 8HW

Line up:
Samekhmem
Papa November
Arc Vel
The Quite Good DJs
Visuals by Hellocatfood

£3 OTD

Poster by Gareth Courage

Xero, Kline and Coma

21 January – 12 February 2012
Saturday – Sunday 1200 – 1800
258 Hackney Road, London E2 7SJ

The Cult of Quatermass is a sculptural installation of a laboratory control room containing video works, an audio work and machines for producing sounds that can be mixed, live, by the audience. Individual panels in the control room are based on control panels from science fiction movies, such as Soylaris, Star Wars, and Dark Star.

The narrative that runs through the audio and video works revolves around the characters of Professor Quatermass, of the British Sonic Research Unit, a drone band called Samekhmem, a cult of people called ‘Receivers’ and the ‘sacred eternal drone’ that is the obsession of Samekhmem, Receivers and Quatermass alike.

At 2100, during the opening of the show, AAS moved to positions within the audience, with a step ladder, and began an 18 minute audio performance using parts of the installation as sound sources. Some of the equipment was played to destruction and there was a distinctive smell of burning components in the air. These have since been replaced.

Review: Art Blather

Throughout history, Receivers, like you, have often gathered together to parade around drumming and chanting, getting into a trance state so they can hear The Eternal Drone.

The Eternal Drone is the infinitely slow sound of the universe, born in the Big Bang with space and time, which it binds together. The Eternal Drone is the ground from which all other sound arises.

The band Samekhmem create audio rituals that prepare people to be able to receive The Eternal Drone. Their performances often draw Receivers together, but people with a particularly developed ‘Third Ear’ are sometimes able to have a spontaneous gnosis of The Eternal Drone, and only later seek out others like them.

Instructions

1. As part of a group, or by yourself, prepare to receive The Eternal Drone.
2. Draw a circle with a dot at the centre on your forehead.
3. Perform actions that will allow you to enter a meditative or trance-like state.
4. Open your Third Ear and listen.
5. Return to yourself, taking with you whatever you need from the experience.

Please send your video footage of this process, or links to the footage online, in an email to tools.and.principles@gmail.com. This can be from a mobile phone or basic camera, as the intensity and atmosphere of these collective activities are what really counts. Selected footage may be included in future projects