Genius Loci
And The 'Medium' of Exchange.
Wherever I travel in this world, the land speaks to me; that’s how it seems at least — perhaps it’s the same for all landscape painters? This idea, I know, will sound fanciful and far-fetched, but I’ve spent most of my life, from 1988 on, ‘captured’ (captivated, if nothing else) by something in the land. An ‘informing spirit’ (some might say) compels me to paint the places I visit; and my paintings take on a life of their own once they leave my easel (sometimes before they leave my easel) as the ‘spirit of the place’ (that Genius Loci) ‘animates’ them. . . I’m not quite sure how else to put it! This is why I’m a realist landscape painter and a ‘Regionalist’ — and not an abstract painter, or a Globalist.
A view from in front of 4 Belgravia. Onchan Head, Isle of Man (supposed Head Quarters of Brookfield IoM) — looking out across the Irish Sea. See my previous post ‘Captured’ for more on this. Some of my own pictures from this place (including ‘the gnome’ — No4’s Genius Loci ) I shared with my personal mailing list recently.
There is a wonderful line in Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary that, in my mind, says it all (whatever your thoughts on the man and his philosophy) — pg 410:
‘. . . [A]rt is more like a living being than a thing. That our encounter with that being matters and means something depends on the fact that any living being is in itself whole and coherent, and forms part of a larger context in which we too are involved and engaged.’
On the subject of ‘engaging’ with art (and the ‘larger context’ of life), I must put together a dedicated Substack to document all of the odd (suspiciously ordained?) places my works have traveled in this world, and then re-emerged, ‘in the corridors of power’ — as Matt Ehret put it recently. But this is very definitely a story for another day.
Our ‘children’ go out into the world and they have lives of their own, over which we have little (if any) control. . . I hope you’ll enjoy the story of two such children, in my book excerpt below.
I promised in my previous post to share more from this story (that I began writing in 2011). Time Enough: An Amoral Tale was published in 2013, and my main book signing was Dec 23rd, in the Isle of Man, (intentionally) on the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Federal Reserve Act. Below, for your interest, is roughly half of ‘Genius Loci’ (Chapter 10) about the gnome who stands guard in front of Brookfield’s Isle of Man tax avoidance ‘Head Quarters’ — among other things.
First though, very quickly, so that you don’t think this book is ‘New Age’ Woo Woo, let me include a short passage from Chapter 16, ‘The Medium of Exchange.’ I make rather a lot of statements and monetary prediction in this work, and it is interesting to revisit these, thirteen years later:
I’m no fan of Margaret Thatcher, though I am sympathetic, as she could not possibly have known what Neoliberalism was, at this time (She and Ronald Reagan, both, were duped or threatened into promoting these Globalist ideas). In my previous post, I mentioned Yanis Varoufakis, and a recent video of his caught my attention:
Europe Has Crossed the Point of No Return—Economic Collapse Is Now Inevitable
As I add the link here I see that his YouTube account has been shut down; apparently you can’t say such things if you are someone as influential as he is. Specifically — if we can find this video again — at 1.13 mins (according to my own Dec 27the time stamp notes): “There can be no monetary union without fiscal union.” Here, Varoufakis too concludes that Europe’s monetary system is ‘fatally flawed’ — and will collapse.
While searching for the above mentioned video, I discovered it may well have been a deep fake: https://unherd.com/watch-listen/the-deepfake-era-has-begun/ (Dec 30th) Here, Yanis states: "It was two minutes into the video that I realize it wasn't me. Two minutes is an eternity, and when you have someone saying something you never said, but could have said. . ." (Please take time to watch the UnHerd conversation). Having recently read his book, Technofeudalism, and listened to many of his lectures, the above is something Varoufakis would, and does, say (in so many other words). So I've decided to let this stand, and perhaps we can talk about the impact of these deep fakes some time soon. The following, I assure you, is very 'real.' For your interest: In Europe, the central bank (ECB) controls interest rates (monetary policy) while independent nations still retain control of taxes and spending (fiscal policy); and herein lies that ‘fatal flaw’ (built in since 1999). Because no one has control of both ‘levers’ (as it were), this especially dubious ‘fiat’ currency cannot be managed much longer.
Don’t worry though, the authoritarian ECB is working toward ‘total control’ — ‘Absolute Control’ as the one time General Manager of the BIS, Agustín Carstens, famously put it. When European economies fail, because of a failing Euro, a digital currency ‘control grid’ (instead of real money) will be implemented.
I include this short ‘preamble’ to underscore the fact that nothing happens by accident and that this is another of those ‘invisible environments’ (that people generally do not see). It will be clear to almost everyone here at least, on Substack, that what we’re experiencing today is unfolding according to a plan set in place many years ago. Of course, the folk who ‘pretend’ to be working for us, and purport to have our best interest in mind, also never see (or report on) anything like this — information that might actually be helpful that is.
On this note, let me share a couple of videos — looking ahead again (because it is clear to those with eyes to see and ears the hear, where these people are taking us). From the Canadian Brainwashing Corporation (CBC) and Globalist News:
Rosemary Barton’s 2025 year-end Mark Carney interview
Mark Carney year-end interview with Global’s Dawna Friesen
We can dissect these later, but pay close attention (I would suggest) to the casual mention of carbon pricing and carbon sequestering, because these two things lie at the heart of the Globalist’s new monetary system (and you will be paying for them, one way of another).
As we all know (and must continue to repeat): ‘In the Net Zero future, you are the carbon they are trying to eliminate.’ In the 1920s, these same technocrats proposed the use of energy credits as money; today, central bankers everywhere are preparing a monetary system linked to your personal life-time carbon allowance (that they will assign you) and carbon offset credits — for those of them, wealthy enough to opt out.
Notice, also, the cultural ‘framing’ of these two broadcasts: the National Gallery and the Canadian Museum of History — someone also understands the importance of culture as a tool of governance.
Perhaps a few of you here will remember Mr. Carney’s conversation with the Young British Artist (YBA) Damien Hirst, as the greatest huckster of them all schooled our current Prime Minister in non-fungible tokens (NFTs): “Tell me something about it. I think I know something about currency, but I’m confused, Damien.” Mr. Carney was not confused at all, I would suggest; this was ‘predictive programming’ by the then Governor of the Bank of England — ‘familiarizing and normalizing’ the concept of digital assets, and digital tokens on everything; paving the way to ‘tokenization’ (and control over thereby) all of your assets? There’s so much more to explore, and it really is important that everyone get up to speed on this; or your assets may not be your assets for much longer.
Imagine, for instance, if you’d invested in gold in 1999, when all those European governments sold off their reserves to make it look as if their books balance, before the launch the Euro? You won’t just miss out on a nice ‘investment opportunity’ next time — you’ll have the assets you’ve already managed to accumulate debased, drained away or confiscated.
On a lighter note though, let me take you back to a more carefree time, in my spiritual home (and ‘Home away from Home’ for a time) — the Isle of Man.
Below is the first half of Chapter 10, from Time Enough: An Amoral Tale. Here, in 1999, as the European countries ‘aligned’ for the launch of the Euro, my old friend Andy, who worked for Merrill Lynch at that time, has just moved to his new flat — soon to become the Brookfields IOM Head Quarters. But this chapter, at least, is more of a cultural journey. I hope you will enjoy:
‘Of you who smile at the simple faith of the mountain rustic, we ask – Does no familiar-spirit, no spectre from the past, fling its shadow over your homes, and colour your meditations? It almost seems as if poor Human nature could only open one eye at a time.’ — Elizabeth Cookson
The ‘forest’ (painting) mentioned above (picture below) sold to Shaw Corp shortly thereafter, and hung in the head office until the founders of the company retired. When they moved to the Caribbean, shortly thereafter, they took the painting with them, and I was called back to help pack the piece (It was moving that someone cared so much about a painting that only the artist would be allowed to prepare it for travel). Maybe next time I will share some pictures of the piece in situ. ‘Of fire and Stone’ (immediately below) never sold — for some strange reason — and remains with me to this day.
The image above: ‘Of Fire and Stone’ (Hotspring Island, Haida Gwaii) - acrylic on canvas - 17½” x 36” - 2000
The image above: ‘Forest Labyrinth’ (Ninstints, Haida Gwaii) - acrylic on canvas - 34” x 48” - 1998
As I plug in this last image, once again, Substack tells me my post is too long. Perfect! Is that their AI ‘reading’ the text in these images though, or just a coincidence? Whatever it it, I could not have picked a better place to leave off — with a little bit of a teaser. We meet some interesting ‘people’ on our journey through life. . .
I’d like to share the rest of ‘Genius Loci’ at some point, but there are more pressing issues at the moment. I’ll get to it, eventually; in the meantime, keep your eyes open!
And of course, A Very Happy New Year to you and yours! (2026! Can you believe it?)
:-D avid
I don't believe this was you, David ...