consciousness Archives - Rory McCracken

Dialogues with the Masters

by rory on October 6, 2010

We’re delighted to announce the launch of Dialogues with the Masters, a project we’ve been secretly working on for over a month now. The site features Janet Attwood, co-author of New York Times Bestseller The Passion Test and her journeys throughout India learning from the great masters of our time.

Janet interviewed over 100 masters and compiled their wisdom into a DVD and CD set, as well as the newly created Daily Dose of Enlightenment program, in which subscribers can receive a video every day for a year.

This site was a milestone in my web design career, both in the extent of my abilities and the exposure this site will be receiving. It will also be the last “Design” I post on this website. Very soon my Design services will be moved elsewhere, and The Astrarium will be transforming into a true online magazine, featuring…YOU?

Apologies for the delays along this process and with the October Forecast. Hang in there!

Vanessa's Vision

by rory on June 12, 2009

Our red carpet premiere for our Documentary 1&2 videos was quite a success! Now it’s time to release both the director’s and extended cut of Vanessa’s Vision online!

Extended Cut

Vanessa is tired and stressed, and not even close to ready for graduation. Her friend Milena comes to her aid and suggests she take a walk on the trails to clear her mind. What started as a short walk on the trails turned into something quite surreal, and ends up changing Vanessa’s life forever.

Part 1

Part 2 Director’s Cut

When my teacher viewed my nearly finished film, he suggested I cut out the other characters, the classroom scene, and all the voiceovers to make a different version of the film. It really tells an entirely different story and leaves it up for interpretation.

Cosmic Journey Book

by rory on April 30, 2009

My third book I’ve created, this one was handmade for a memoir class. The book has several layers of transparency and a poem throughout. It’s about the many ways to transcend reality in many cultures around the world. This was more of a fun project.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Cosmic Dawn

The light of one thousand red suns pierces the Void in an explosion of creative energy.
All of creation becomes manifest as we begin our long journey back to the Source.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Sunrise Drums

Rhythms travel across the sky, waking the sun and inviting all creatures to join in the dance.
Duality and separation are lost as we shake to this cosmic beat.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Whirling Dervish

The dervish moves to an unseen rhythm, delivering God’s mercy to the people.
Whirling in graceful circles, we become drunk with the divine.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Forest Maenads

The maenads dance in ecstasy, their bodies surging with the power of the Gods.
Reconnected to the divine, there is nothing we cannot do in this world.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Evening Meditation

In meditation, all sense of self, old thoughts, and limiting beliefs fall away.
We are surrounded by the Universe, surrounded by an infinite silence.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Mayan Sacrifice

The cosmic calendar races ever forward, leaving death and rebirth in its wake.
Realizing that our time is past, we prepare to be reborn once again.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Cosmic Dusk

Brahma closes His eyes as His cosmic day comes gently to a close.
Complete and infinite, we rest in the transcendent void for a thousand ages.

Vasudhaiva

by rory on January 14, 2009

This simple abstract video was an introductory project for one of my Video Production classes. We had to explore the theme “The World Is My Family” which in Sanskrit is Vasudhaiva Kuthumbhakam. I filmed myself meditating and overlayed those frames from the wide universe down to our small college campus.

Mythic Journeys

by rory on May 14, 2008

Mythic Journeys was a multi-media three class project I undertook in the Spring of 2008. I wrote a four part “dreamscape” adventure story over the course of my Advanced Nature Writing class, made it into a game (a self portrait as my own personal myth, hence Kurtis Trent and not Lara), then made a book out of it with the story and screenshots for my Constructed Realities class.

I made the game incredibly easy so that teachers and students could play it, so even though the four-level game is totally finished, it needs a lot of work to become difficult and expansive enough to challenge the die-hard TR fans. This series will hopefully be finished in Winter 08, expect a trailer in the fall. =)

In this game I have worked really hard on not only the aesthetics but also the gameplay. Some puzzles were taken from older games, while others I planned out before creating the levels. Again though, at the moment it is all too easy and linear.

Lara will be going on this journey in the fall, not Kurtis.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Shamanic Journey One

by rory on September 10, 2007

This is the first video I put together for Video Production with Jay Bordage. I went to a local trail system and did some filming in the woods, and also of the nearby river and waterfall. It’s a beautiful area that I miss quite a bit. Good old Holden, MA.

This video and its sequel are meant to be a relaxing journey, sort of a shamanic journey. In shamanic style, I enter and exit my films the same way. You’ll see what I mean.

Fantastic music by Anugama from their Shamanic Journey CD. Check it out!

Astral Plane Quiptych

by rory on March 8, 2007

This was another project for Digital Imaging, the idea was to take something inside and make it outside, or vice versa. I went wild and interdimensional on this, and proposed a mountainside physically, with a building (Akashic Records style) and meditating light beings astrally – so on the Astral Plane you might be inside, but on the Physical you’d be outside. I expanded on this project in the above multi-dimensional series for my final project.

Self-Portrait Series

by rory on February 12, 2007

In my Digital Imaging class back in 2007, our first assignment was to create a self portrait series. I created five images of myself practicing various meditation techniques. Unfortunately I don’t have all the digital copies at the moment, so I will post the other 4 later.

Copyright Michael McCracken