Ancient New Area

There is a new area here at Dark Moon. In the Southeast of the island you can do Tai Chi at dawn. Well, it is always dawn at Dark Moon, so that should be real easy for you to time! You know, not that very long ago, (maybe two upgrades in V.1 ago?) I could set Dark Moon so that the red sun was setting while the red moon was rising. Now that was a very nice time of day. Now that Windlight exists, with the environmental editor, anyone may be seeing Dark Moon in any light. Well, I made it for regional default that I personally set, and graphics set to mid. So, for the best effects on Dark Moon, that’s the way to go.

However, the Windlight settings would be great to play with, if indeed I could choose one to set my sim too. If you’ve been reading the Project Snowjob (oh! Pardon me, SnowSTORM) you would have seen that a couple of residents have suggested that as an improvement to viewer 2. Most people hate V.2 it turns out. Goddess knows I do. I need new learning curve like a hole in the head! Not to mention that the interface eats up half the screen.

Hey wait! This was going to be an entry about the new area on Dark Moon! So this new temple structure is to hang out at. Well, just look to the pics on the right. Know you can meditate, dance, do Tai Chi, or sleep on a lily pad among the birds there. There’s even a sleeping mat for the homeless in one room. Maybe I will get around to doing some more research and embedding it in objects via notecards and web links. You do know you can click on many things at Dark Moon, don’t you? Hey, you might even find some psychology papers lying around!

Papers in the books in central structure

Who Lives on Dark Moon?

Dark Moon has been a wonderful home for Luco and me.

Through the three years we have been together (and let me tell you, that is a LONG time in SL, as many of you know), we have enjoyed the various manifestations of Dark Moon.

We have greeted and met many explorers coming to our sim. We like to welcome all polite creatures here.

A Fae I met the other day!

Mostly Luco and I TALK! We talk and talk and talk! We talk riding on the swan boats, we talk sitting in the temples and forest, we talk dancing.

Another lovely chat

One thing I have found about SL relationships is they are (and Luco is the one who said this actually) like a meeting of souls. Without the analogical cues and information, what is transpiring is pure heart & mind. In our particular case, we are reminded of olden times (particularly before voice was introduced) when lovers penned letters to each other. One is reminded of Cyrano de Bergerac writing to Roxanne. These days few people realize the hauntingly seductive power that a love letter can have. A love letter is a demonstration of personal attachment. Many people are too self-conscious to express their true feelings in writing in RL, because writing is permanent. But what I found while researching online counseling, is that the dis-inhibition of text on the Internet seems to ameliorate this self-consciousness. Of course part of this has to do with anonymity. As a relationship gets deeper, that anonymity may evaporate! But after 3 years, Luco and I are VERY attached still.

One thing I have done here in SL is to write a weekly column about relationships for, well first, The Looking Glass, and now The Virtual Times. So I have kept up with what people are experiencing in cyber relationships. There are many variations it turns out. So I did some real research!
Of course many people have very intense sexual relationships in cyberspace as well. I found interesting journal articles on this concept too. In the Journal of Sex Research, Ross stated:

"The internet has brought a new dimension to intimacy, both by

permitting intimate contact electronically over a distance and by, through

that same contact, permitting intimate discussion shorn of most of the

social cues present in face-to-face interactions. This electronic dimension

appears to have led to a transfiguration of intimacy" (2005, p. 344).

AND

"The internet can provide an opportunity for the participant to create his or her

own, interactively, and to imbue it with intimacy, and make it an extension of a

romantic or sexual fantasy. Thus, the text can become a vehicle for intimacy "not

so much because the loved one is idealized--although this is part of the story—but

because it presumes a psychic communication, a meeting of souls which is
reparative in character" (Giddens in Ross, 2005, p. 347-348).

I truly believe that the potential for healing relational or intimacy problems can worked with in our virtual world.

Just relaxing together : )

In the Beginning . . .

When I first visited Second Life, it was because my sister, Elle Bellah, was working on her Master’s degree here by building a tutorial garden. I set my home to a temple at the back of it! Often I felt like I should be wearing a toga and giving tarot readings. Turns out after a while I did do that! Playing “The Gypsy of Aglarond” did not last long, but I did learn that tarot cards work on two levels in SL! First, I found I could ‘read’ the role-play story, but then the person behind the avatar’s real life would leak through as well! Oh, and much later, I got a toga!


Later I was to meet Luco Roffo! Together we made our home Dark Moon, where we still reside three years later.

Partnered for Three Years!

Luco Roffo

 Dark Moon is now in its fifth incarnation.First, Dark Moon had a Mediterranean theme. Then it was winter. But soon, spring came again, and Dark Moon became a haven for the Fae folk, and mermaids and men, all magical gardens and reefs. Next, Dark Moon moved to become part of the non-profit AngelGate art sim. I called it AngelGate’s Mythical Outback. That version of Dark Moon was laced with mysterious caves; one of the caves even drew unicorns back from times of yore. But more than that, Dark Moon shared the landscape of Angelgate. A huge reef ran through the sim and mountains towered above the land sporting precarious paths for horseback riding, or just hiking along.

 Remember AngelGate?  Yes, I was the original estate manager for that lovely art sim. Unfortunately the website is gone, but I would like to reprint my farewell blog from that site here. Unlike Dark Moon, AngelGate was a full sim, so I kept a Memorial Shrine for those who had lost loved ones. The Shrine was always full of candles placed by avatars missing real life and Second Life friends to be remembered.

AngelGate is Gone

Sadly, AngelGate is now gone. This is the end of an era. If you read this blog, you will see what a vibrant community AngelGate had become in the larger community of Second Life. The residents of AngelGate were all creativists that focused on different aspects of the process of transformation. Many artists showed in the galleries that evolved over time from the one build by JackSparrows Back, to the Castle Galleries, recreated and rebuilt by Peeyak Andrew, as well as Peeyak’s AG3 gallery build. The two-year history of AngelGate was inspired by SophiaJane Alcott, but built by the residents, staff and curators. I myself, created Dark Moon: AngelGate’s Mythical Outback that bordered AngelGate sim to the west. But we ex-residents and staff are still about doing our thing. Read on for a history of AngelGate, and where we all are now.

AG Castle Peeyak's Redux

Peeyak's Amphitheatre

Peeyak Andrew completely recreated the original castle, and built the lovely amphitheatre were music events were held, as well as the renowned AG3 sky gallery. The Main Galleries historically have had two curators, first Bau Ur, and then White Lebed. Both hosted spectacular art shows, and led wonderful, informative programs. Between those two, Dr Debruyere (Anna), and Nepherses Amat (me), we put shows together with various themes. Anna helped me put an show about the history of angels together, curated Wizard Gynoids Sacred Geometry, and created a marvelous show about how we see light in art. I also hosted a 3000 prim build by Selavy Oh called Nested Cubes, as well as a show of Sissysuberica Petshop’s original paintings. I had a show of my photographs in the old cafe where I hosted musical events too, before Peeyak created the amphitheatre for these events.

Nested Cubes by Selavy Oh

Sacred Geometry by Wizard Gynoid

Many musicians played there including Seba Sideways, Al Hoffman, Coda Cazalet, and Senjata Witt. We also had themed DJ events such as Celtic Mondays with Lyndzee McMillan, and Flashback Fridays with Gary Kohime. But most of all, There was Katje Broek, DJ extraordinaire who made very special events like her liberal themed inaugural playlist, her Hot Latin & Cool Jazz nights among others. Hephaistos Semyorka presented her Mythworks show at AngelGate too. She now has created a book about that show which moved to Artemisia. The Castle held a show of Bougereau and the photography of Einy Marksman. Sapphoria Shilova hosted this photography show, while I put together the shows on old art. We had a Victorian Christmas Ball in the castle where Elan Mistral played live piano.

Elan Mistral Playing Live at the Castle

Four Elements Statue by BF2 Shephard

Marly Milena, founder of the Octagon for Intentional Growth, created and hosted workshops alone and in conjunction with Hephaistos, with the help of the AngelGate community friends and staff, including Sapphoria Shilova and Abstract Baroque. Some of these were Creative Play, The Composers Project, and the IONS Video Project. Other residents that contributed to the sim were Lucida Skytower, Annie Jergenson, Art Lyle, Scotia Amat and Crea8tive Chemistry. Friends of the sim were important! BF2 Shepherd made lovely sculptures, including the one of a kind commissioned Four Elements that graced the entrance to the labyrinth. This statue can now be found on Dark Moon.
And also Ludo Merit’s technical skills were indispensable!
Nepherses Amat (me) also kept the Memorial Shrine where many left candles for lost loved ones. Information about grief was also available at the shrine. The loss of the memorial shrine is perhaps the most painful aspect of the death of AngelGate to me personally. Many, many people over the years had contacted me to place candles there. Some returned on anniversaries.

The Memorial Shrine with Information about Grief

Dark Moon still exists! Look for it! Luco Roffo and I live there, and have created a wonderful and educational boreal forest!
Peeyak Andrew has gone on to exciting projects in RL. Occasionally he graces the forests of Dark Moon as a wolf!
Hephaistos Semyorka & Lucida Skytower have thrown their lots in with Third Life’s new sim. The work for this collective community begins!
Marly Milena’s Octagon is now located on Prism Lila, Ludo Merit’s creative community sim, and she will continue to offer programs, along with her participation in the new Noetic Explorers group in Kana Koray’s Octagon next door to hers. She will be forming a new Octagon group to replace the Angelgate Intentional Growth roster made up partially of people who are interested mainly in Octagon programs.

Sapphoria Shilova is just returning to SL from a breather.

Anna's Cafe at Orpheum Island Dr.Debruyere (Anna) has her own fabulous sim called Opheum Island.

Ultimately we do not know what happened to SophiaJane Alcott. She has gone off to RL, as did JackSparrows Back long ago. But she did set the tone of Transformation and gather the many talented people who made AngelGate the wonderful place it was. We wish her well. Farewell.

Just for old times sake...

Just for old time's sake, here are a bunch of pictures of my old friends in Second Life . . . some are still very close! These are photos taken at musical events:

Luco & Neph Dancing to Coda!

Al Hoffman Live from Amsterdam

Lindsy McMillan DJ's
(there's SkyRanger Pinion too!)

Katje Broek, Ragnarok Dragonash,
Lindsy & Neph rock out!

Yes, a Wolf can Dance!

Coda Wails on Her Sax!

Nimloth Babii & Neph in white

Hephaistos Semyorka Art Show

Seba Sideways