This kid's got more talent than an octopus playing harp:
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Salvia brings hope to the future
The lack of science on this particular type of sage is unfortunate, and the fact that our politicians are working to criminalize this drug is exponentially unfortunate since the healing potential is so large. Why governments stifle science I do not fully understand. In the meantime, it's legal in Canada and the UK as well as most states of America, and definitely worth investigating. Recently I came across this old letter to US congress and found it both interesting and informative. Check it out, and follow the sources for more info :)
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A Prominent Salvia Divinorum Researcher Speaks Out: Letter to Congress
RE: Bill H.R. 5607
Dear Honorable Member of Congress:
This letter summarizes the important medicinal properties of Salvia divinorum and its primary active constituent salvinorin A. It also puts forth several objections to bill H.R. 5607, which inappropriately seeks to place this medicinal herb in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
As a pharmacognosist who has devoted the last ten years to the scientific study of this herb, I believe that I am particularly qualified to speak on this issue. I was the first person to investigate the human pharmacology of salvinorin A and to clearly identify this compound as the psychoactive principle of Salvia divinorum (Siebert, 1994). Most recently, I coauthored a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), in which my research group reported our findings regarding the neurological mechanism of salvinorin A’s action. These findings are of particular significance because they provide solid evidence for the medicinal value of this compound. I am currently working in collaboration with several other scientists on various avenues of scientific investigation into the pharmacology of salvinorin A and closely related compounds. My collaborators include Dr. Bryan Roth (Project Director of the National Institute for Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program) and Dr. Michael J. Iadarola (Chief of the Neuronal Gene Expression Unit at the Pain and Neurosensory Mechanisms Branch of the National Institute for Health). In addition to my scientific endeavors, I am presently completing work on a comprehensive book about Salvia divinorum.
RE: Bill H.R. 5607
Dear Honorable Member of Congress:
This letter summarizes the important medicinal properties of Salvia divinorum and its primary active constituent salvinorin A. It also puts forth several objections to bill H.R. 5607, which inappropriately seeks to place this medicinal herb in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
As a pharmacognosist who has devoted the last ten years to the scientific study of this herb, I believe that I am particularly qualified to speak on this issue. I was the first person to investigate the human pharmacology of salvinorin A and to clearly identify this compound as the psychoactive principle of Salvia divinorum (Siebert, 1994). Most recently, I coauthored a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), in which my research group reported our findings regarding the neurological mechanism of salvinorin A’s action. These findings are of particular significance because they provide solid evidence for the medicinal value of this compound. I am currently working in collaboration with several other scientists on various avenues of scientific investigation into the pharmacology of salvinorin A and closely related compounds. My collaborators include Dr. Bryan Roth (Project Director of the National Institute for Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program) and Dr. Michael J. Iadarola (Chief of the Neuronal Gene Expression Unit at the Pain and Neurosensory Mechanisms Branch of the National Institute for Health). In addition to my scientific endeavors, I am presently completing work on a comprehensive book about Salvia divinorum.
Medical properties
There are approximately one thousand species of Salvia worldwide. Salvia divinorum is just one of the many species that are recognized for their useful medicinal properties. The common name for all salvias is sage. Most people are familiar with the common culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, which in addition to its usefulness as a flavoring agent, is also used for its medicinal properties. The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning “to heal” or “to save.” The words salvation and savior also come from this same root.
Salvia divinorum is endemic to the Mazatec Sierra of central Mexico, where it has a long history of medicinal use. It is used both for its psychoactive properties and as an effective treatment for arthritis, headache, and eliminatory complaints. The validity of each of these different applications is well supported by my research group’s recent pharmacological findings.
To summarize our recent findings: Salvinorin A is a uniquely potent and highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, and as such, it has tremendous potential for the development of a wide variety of valuable medications. The most promising of these include safe non-addictive analgesics, antidepressants, short-acting anesthetics that do not depress respiration, and drugs to treat disorders characterized by alterations in perception, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and bipolar disorder (Roth et al., 2002).
Kappa-opioid receptor agonists are of particular interest to pharmacologists because they provide effective pain medications that are not habit forming and do not produce dependence. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that kappa-opioid receptor agonists are actually “aversive”—the opposite of addictive. This is an important advantage over most powerful analgesics currently prescribed. My colleagues and I will soon be publishing a paper that reports the results of animal studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of salvinorin A as an analgesic (Chavkin et al., in press). In my book I describe many case reports in which people testify to the effectiveness of this herb for managing pain. The traditional Mazatec use of Salvia divinorum to treat headaches and arthritis also attests to its efficacy as an analgesic.
The ability of salvinorin A to block perception of pain also suggests that it may prove quite useful as a short-acting general anesthetic. The fact that it does not depress respiration is particularly interesting, because it indicates that salvinorin A could be much safer than most general anesthetics currently in use.
Recently Dr. Karl Hanes published a case report in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, in which he describes a patient that obtained relief from chronic depression by using Salvia divinorum (Hanes, 2001). In my book I describe several additional accounts of people who have recovered from serious depression with the help of this herb. It is especially interesting that these people were able to obtain persistent relief from their depression after only a few treatments. Quite unlike the continuous medication regime required with conventional antidepressants such as Prozac—which in most cases only offer symptomatic relief from depression—Salvia divinorum often produces long-lasting clinical improvement.
Because salvinorin A alters various perceptual modalities by acting on kappa-opioid receptors, it is clear that these receptors play a prominent role in the modulation of human perception. This suggests the possibility that novel psychotherapeutic compounds derived from salvinorin A could be useful for treating diseases manifested by perceptual distortions (e.g. schizophrenia, dementia, and bipolar disorders). This is a promising area of research that is important to pursue further.
Salvia divinorum has several properties that make it useful in psychotherapy: it produces a state of profound self-reflection, it improves one’s ability to retrieve childhood memories, and it provides access to areas of the psyche that are ordinarily difficult to reach. I have spoken with several psychotherapists who have used this herb in their practice. They are impressed with its effectiveness as a psychotherapeutic tool. This type of application is not new—the Mazatecs have long used Salvia divinorum to treat psychological complaints.
Salvinorin A is also an important neurochemical probe for studying the dynorphin/kappa-opioid-receptor system. As such, it is useful for research into the neurological mechanisms of perception and awareness.Salvinorin A is remarkable in that it belongs to an entirely different chemical class than any previously identified opioid receptor ligand (it is a diterpenoid). This fact is of great interest to pharmacologists because it opensup a vast new area for future drug development.
There are approximately one thousand species of Salvia worldwide. Salvia divinorum is just one of the many species that are recognized for their useful medicinal properties. The common name for all salvias is sage. Most people are familiar with the common culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, which in addition to its usefulness as a flavoring agent, is also used for its medicinal properties. The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning “to heal” or “to save.” The words salvation and savior also come from this same root.
Salvia divinorum is endemic to the Mazatec Sierra of central Mexico, where it has a long history of medicinal use. It is used both for its psychoactive properties and as an effective treatment for arthritis, headache, and eliminatory complaints. The validity of each of these different applications is well supported by my research group’s recent pharmacological findings.
To summarize our recent findings: Salvinorin A is a uniquely potent and highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, and as such, it has tremendous potential for the development of a wide variety of valuable medications. The most promising of these include safe non-addictive analgesics, antidepressants, short-acting anesthetics that do not depress respiration, and drugs to treat disorders characterized by alterations in perception, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and bipolar disorder (Roth et al., 2002).
Kappa-opioid receptor agonists are of particular interest to pharmacologists because they provide effective pain medications that are not habit forming and do not produce dependence. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that kappa-opioid receptor agonists are actually “aversive”—the opposite of addictive. This is an important advantage over most powerful analgesics currently prescribed. My colleagues and I will soon be publishing a paper that reports the results of animal studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of salvinorin A as an analgesic (Chavkin et al., in press). In my book I describe many case reports in which people testify to the effectiveness of this herb for managing pain. The traditional Mazatec use of Salvia divinorum to treat headaches and arthritis also attests to its efficacy as an analgesic.
The ability of salvinorin A to block perception of pain also suggests that it may prove quite useful as a short-acting general anesthetic. The fact that it does not depress respiration is particularly interesting, because it indicates that salvinorin A could be much safer than most general anesthetics currently in use.
Recently Dr. Karl Hanes published a case report in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, in which he describes a patient that obtained relief from chronic depression by using Salvia divinorum (Hanes, 2001). In my book I describe several additional accounts of people who have recovered from serious depression with the help of this herb. It is especially interesting that these people were able to obtain persistent relief from their depression after only a few treatments. Quite unlike the continuous medication regime required with conventional antidepressants such as Prozac—which in most cases only offer symptomatic relief from depression—Salvia divinorum often produces long-lasting clinical improvement.
Because salvinorin A alters various perceptual modalities by acting on kappa-opioid receptors, it is clear that these receptors play a prominent role in the modulation of human perception. This suggests the possibility that novel psychotherapeutic compounds derived from salvinorin A could be useful for treating diseases manifested by perceptual distortions (e.g. schizophrenia, dementia, and bipolar disorders). This is a promising area of research that is important to pursue further.
Salvia divinorum has several properties that make it useful in psychotherapy: it produces a state of profound self-reflection, it improves one’s ability to retrieve childhood memories, and it provides access to areas of the psyche that are ordinarily difficult to reach. I have spoken with several psychotherapists who have used this herb in their practice. They are impressed with its effectiveness as a psychotherapeutic tool. This type of application is not new—the Mazatecs have long used Salvia divinorum to treat psychological complaints.
Salvinorin A is also an important neurochemical probe for studying the dynorphin/kappa-opioid-receptor system. As such, it is useful for research into the neurological mechanisms of perception and awareness.Salvinorin A is remarkable in that it belongs to an entirely different chemical class than any previously identified opioid receptor ligand (it is a diterpenoid). This fact is of great interest to pharmacologists because it opensup a vast new area for future drug development.
No significant abuse potential
There are many popular misconceptions about Salvia divinorum. Presumably, bill H.R. 5607 is based on some these. Many of these misconceptions have their origin in a few sensationalistic articles that have appeared in the popular press, and others derive from the absurd advertising claims of unethical herb vendors who deliberately exaggerate the effects of Salvia divinorum in an effort to increase sales.
The fact is that the effects of Salvia divinorum are not appealing to recreational drug users. The majority of people who try it find that they do not enjoy its effects and do not continue using it. People who use it medicinally take it infrequently. It is not euphoric or stimulating. It is not a social drug. Since it increases self-awareness, it is useless as an escapist drug. It is most useful as a medicinal herb.
Salvia divinorum is not addictive or habit forming. Its mechanism of action indicates that it may actually be anti-addictive. Many people have reported that Salvia divinorum actually helped them to overcome substance abuse problems.
There are many popular misconceptions about Salvia divinorum. Presumably, bill H.R. 5607 is based on some these. Many of these misconceptions have their origin in a few sensationalistic articles that have appeared in the popular press, and others derive from the absurd advertising claims of unethical herb vendors who deliberately exaggerate the effects of Salvia divinorum in an effort to increase sales.
The fact is that the effects of Salvia divinorum are not appealing to recreational drug users. The majority of people who try it find that they do not enjoy its effects and do not continue using it. People who use it medicinally take it infrequently. It is not euphoric or stimulating. It is not a social drug. Since it increases self-awareness, it is useless as an escapist drug. It is most useful as a medicinal herb.
Salvia divinorum is not addictive or habit forming. Its mechanism of action indicates that it may actually be anti-addictive. Many people have reported that Salvia divinorum actually helped them to overcome substance abuse problems.
Safety
Salvia divinorum is non-toxic. Toxicological studies have been performed by Dr. Leander Valdés at the University of Michigan, Jeremy Stewart at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Frank Jaksch of Chromadex Inc., and Wayne Briner of the University of Kansas. Neither Salvia divinorum nor salvinorin A showed toxicity in any of these studies. There is a vast body of empirical evidence that indicates Salvia divinorum is a remarkably safe herb. Indeed, the Mazatecs, who have probably used S. divinorum for hundreds of years, do not attribute any toxic properties to this plant.
Salvia divinorum is non-toxic. Toxicological studies have been performed by Dr. Leander Valdés at the University of Michigan, Jeremy Stewart at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Frank Jaksch of Chromadex Inc., and Wayne Briner of the University of Kansas. Neither Salvia divinorum nor salvinorin A showed toxicity in any of these studies. There is a vast body of empirical evidence that indicates Salvia divinorum is a remarkably safe herb. Indeed, the Mazatecs, who have probably used S. divinorum for hundreds of years, do not attribute any toxic properties to this plant.
Conclusions
Salvia divinorum is a relatively obscure medicinal herb with no significant abuse potential. It does not present a risk to public health or safety. Criminalizing it would only serve to create a problem where one did not previouslyexist. The regulation of herbal medicines such as this is a matter that should be handled by the FDA, not the Controlled Substances Act.
There is no reasonable justification for making Salvia divinorum a controlledsubstance. Placing it in schedule I would deprive people of a safe and useful medicinal herb, and it would seriously hamper promising medical research. Because of its complex stereochemistry, salvinorin A is virtually impossible to produce synthetically. It is important that its source plant, Salvia divinorum,remain available so that researchers can continue to study this important compound.
Evidently, this bill is based on inaccurate information about Salvia divinorum. Schedule I is intended for substances that have a high potential for abuse, a lack of accepted safety, and no currently accepted medical use. Salvia divinorum does not meet any of these criteria.
Sincerely,
Daniel J. Siebert
Salvia divinorum is a relatively obscure medicinal herb with no significant abuse potential. It does not present a risk to public health or safety. Criminalizing it would only serve to create a problem where one did not previouslyexist. The regulation of herbal medicines such as this is a matter that should be handled by the FDA, not the Controlled Substances Act.
There is no reasonable justification for making Salvia divinorum a controlledsubstance. Placing it in schedule I would deprive people of a safe and useful medicinal herb, and it would seriously hamper promising medical research. Because of its complex stereochemistry, salvinorin A is virtually impossible to produce synthetically. It is important that its source plant, Salvia divinorum,remain available so that researchers can continue to study this important compound.
Evidently, this bill is based on inaccurate information about Salvia divinorum. Schedule I is intended for substances that have a high potential for abuse, a lack of accepted safety, and no currently accepted medical use. Salvia divinorum does not meet any of these criteria.
Sincerely,
Daniel J. Siebert
References:
Siebert, Daniel J. Divine Sage. Work in progress.
Chavkin, Charles, Sumit Sud, Wenzhen Jin, Jeremy Stuart, Daniel J. Siebert, Sean Renock, Karen Baner,Nicole M. White, John Pintar and Bryan L. Roth.. Paper in progress.
Roth, Bryan L., Karen Baner, Richard Westkaemper, Daniel Siebert, Kenner C. Rice, SeAnna Steinberg, Paul Ernsberger, and Richard Rothman. 2002. Salvinorin A: A Potent, Naturally Occurring, Non-Nitrogenous κ-Opioid Selective Agonist. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Vol. 99, Issue 18, 11934-11939.
Hanes, K. R. 2001. Antidepressant Effects of the Herb Salvia divinorum: A Case Report. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 21(6):634-635.
Gruber, John W., Daniel J. Siebert, Ara H. Der Marderosian, and Rick S. Hock. 1999. High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Quantification of Salvinorin A from Tissues of Salvia divinorum Epling & Játiva-M. Phytochemical Analysis. 10(1):22-25.
Siebert, Daniel J. 1994. Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A: new pharmacologic findings. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 43: 53-56.
Siebert, Daniel J. Divine Sage. Work in progress.
Chavkin, Charles, Sumit Sud, Wenzhen Jin, Jeremy Stuart, Daniel J. Siebert, Sean Renock, Karen Baner,Nicole M. White, John Pintar and Bryan L. Roth.. Paper in progress.
Roth, Bryan L., Karen Baner, Richard Westkaemper, Daniel Siebert, Kenner C. Rice, SeAnna Steinberg, Paul Ernsberger, and Richard Rothman. 2002. Salvinorin A: A Potent, Naturally Occurring, Non-Nitrogenous κ-Opioid Selective Agonist. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Vol. 99, Issue 18, 11934-11939.
Hanes, K. R. 2001. Antidepressant Effects of the Herb Salvia divinorum: A Case Report. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 21(6):634-635.
Gruber, John W., Daniel J. Siebert, Ara H. Der Marderosian, and Rick S. Hock. 1999. High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Quantification of Salvinorin A from Tissues of Salvia divinorum Epling & Játiva-M. Phytochemical Analysis. 10(1):22-25.
Siebert, Daniel J. 1994. Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A: new pharmacologic findings. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 43: 53-56.
Monday, December 5, 2011
I do not know where this quote is from.
"Love when you are ready, not when you are alone."
If feel it's a profound sentiment, and am curious who the originator is... if you know, hit me in the comments section or on twitter... "when you are ready".
Meatless Mondays
Affect climate change positively, oppose animal cruelty, elongate your lifespan, and reduce poverty by eating less meat.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Enbridge lies to you.
Enbridge is acting in typical 'big oil' fashion. Invent a debate, then skew it. This is classic deception, and in perfect correlation with Stephen Harper and the 'economy trumps everything' philosophy. Will people die over this debate? Possibly. Protests will be large, both side have irreverent resolve, and both sides will not give in as they share the commonality of believing their cause is dire. Conservative supporters see oil as fuel for a strong economy and a means to healing society's calamities, First Nations supporters see oil as fuel for destruction of the natural world and a means to creating deeper calamity.
In the end judgment is left to the children, both current and unborn. If history is any indication, the children will place culpability upon us just as we have placed culpability on our great-grandparents for the societal mistakes of their time (eg: residential schools, denying Jewish immigration to Canada during Nazi rule, corporate hegemony, imperialist foreign policy, etc etc), yet it seems we are indifferent. It seems we don't really care what happens after we are dead. Whether we are in the ground or in some ethereal after-life we don't seem to mind if future humans suffer. It doesn't seem to matter to us that generations after us will suffer from the decisions of our dead hands. It's almost like we believe so devoutly in the Gods of economics that we can create human life and then die peacefully so long as the dollar is doing well...
And so we relinquish our personal conviction to Harper and Enbridge with the deluded belief we are not immoral or unethical.
But what is actually happening here? We are empowering ourselves to be deceived by allowing ourselves to be ignorant, and Enbridge knows this and is capitalizing on it. In the same way many oil companies finance studies which yield their desired results and then claim that climate change is still debatable, Enbridge is misrepresenting the opinions of First Nations people as a means to eroding the environmentalits' solidarity.
It's a classic divide and conquer technique that has worked to oil companies' advantage for decades. Check it out:
...and for more info:
We Can Hallucinate Colors at Will
Basically what this study has shown is what many philosophers and psychologists already know: our experience of the world around us is a product of what we choose and/or desire rather than a product of what actually is. The world is a product of us rather than us a product of the world, that is, in our experience. As such, we can believe anything we want about our world and it will become a reality... maybe that's why we have such strange traditions or incoherent religions...
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Certain People Can Hallucinate Colors at Will
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on December 4, 2011
Less suggestible people — people less likely to respond to hypnosis — were also included in the study as a control group.
During the study, participants were told to look at a series of monochrome patterns and try to see the color in them. They completed this task under hypnosis and without hypnosis; both times, suggestible subjects reported that they were able to see colors, while individuals in the non-suggestible group were not able to hallucinate color.
Through an MRI scanner, participants’ reactions to the patterns were also captured; this allowed the researchers to keep track of the differences in brain activity between the suggestible and non-suggestible subjects. In the suggestible subjects only, there were significant changes in brain activity in areas of the brain responsible for visual perception.
“These are very talented people,” said Professor Giuliana Mazzoni, lead researcher on the project. “They can change their perception and experience of the world in ways that the rest of us cannot.”
Changing one’s experience at will can be a very useful ability. Studies have already shown that hypnotic suggestions are effective for blocking pain and increasing the effectiveness of psychotherapy.
It was assumed that hypnosis was a requirement for these effects to occur; however, the new study suggests that this is not the case. Even though hypnosis does seem to intensify the participants’ ability to see color, the ‘suggestible’ subjects were also capable of seeing colors and changing their brain activity without the help of hypnosis.
The MRI scans showed clearly that although it was not necessary for the participants to be under hypnosis in order to perceive colors in the tests, it was evident that hypnosis increased the ability of the subjects to experience these effects.
“Many people are afraid of hypnosis, although it appears to be very effective in helping with certain medical interventions, particularly pain control. The work we have been doing shows that certain people may benefit from suggestion without the need for hypnosis,” said Dr. William McGeown, who was also a contributor in the study.
The study is published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition.
Source: University of Hull
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Atheists Cling to Science...
I just came across this and agree with his points.... and it actually got me thinking about denominations and the fact that in spite of God being "unchanging" his followers are actually very fragmented in their doctrine and faith. It seems suspect for Christians to claim God is "unchanging" while the whole of Christianity is in constant flux.
A Vancouver sunset makes me ponder.
Currently I'm pondering the many verses in the Bible that most christians avoid. Deuteronomy 22 has many interesting passages, most of which are filled with God's complete disrespect of women... On the flip side, God lets men in on the fact that if they decide to rape a virgin... don't get caught.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29
New International Version (NIV)
28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels[a] of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions...
Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions, according to new research
...after all, nobody can be utterly sure of the Truth of their personal beliefs... so to teach a child something is Truth, would be leading the child in a gross misdirection. Interestingly, a healthy dose of scepticism can inspire growth in a person of any persuasion; for it's doubt that fuels the desire for certainty. Of course, epistemologists have shown us that we cannot be sure of much in this universe, and thus exposing a child to the multitude of world-views can only be a benefit, or so it seems...
Monday, November 28, 2011
"Fancies of satisfaction are saboteurs of pleasure."
"I think that it would be possible to have pictures of good lives that aren't set up to make one fail; a more realistic idea as opposed to an ideal would be one that is genuanly attainable."
"What we are talking about are fictions rather than ideals."
"What we are talking about are ideas that are transformable rather than ideals that you have to comply with."
"Cultural ideals are set up to humiliate us."
Check out this short video from Adam Phillips. I don't know what the hell my soul is, but I think he might be speaking to it.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Who said it??
Here and there, I see this quote everywhere but never see a name attached to it...
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Occuwhat??
Clicking around on youtube's occupy videos I found myself inspired by the optimism and passion of these particular two...
I found it enlightening to hear the brief mentioning of the movement's philosophical/tactical dilemma in that specific demands constrain the discussion to it's current (failing) paradigm, yet abstract goals of a different civilization get written of as 'vague' by the critics.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Sexy Sax Man
Oh man this song hasn't left my head since seeing this video again on Wednesday; one of the best viral videos ever.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
The Green Winged Teal, and a knee-jerk rant about a Psyc Today article.
Self, a concept: that's what I'm feeling about 'self' after reading this extremely succinct and insightful history of psychology's ideas of 'self'... it's just a concept, that's it. Nothing more; philosophers and psychologists can discover ideas and scrutinize our styles and differences in cognition, but when applied to the whole of a person it all falls short. It all falls down. It seems the very idea of even having a self is itself a construct. Maybe even a 'self' construct...
Some of us humans don't even struggle with this concept, people with extreme congenital problems and/or various mental handicaps whose minds never had the chance do grow or develop never even ponder one's self. Yet through history and forward great minds grapple with this friction they've conceptualized as "self"...
So where does it end? We live our whole lives learning, discovering, building, growing, moulding and developing, inventing and battling with our 'self' and then regardless of how much we know our 'self' or how disheartened we are about our 'self' knowledge, it's all just fucking over.
Do we really need this concept? Is there any use for it?? Maybe we can just 'be'?
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The coolest creeper around? The Brown One.
I never here 'em, rarely see 'em, and can forget about capturing a decent image of 'em.That's all changed.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Ayahuasca Tea is Something to be Seriously Considered
Check out this Nature of Things.
Dr. Jacques Mabit over a cauldron of ayahuasca
The Jungle Prescription
Visit the official website to read more about this project and ayahuasca
The Jungle Prescription is the tale of two doctors treating their addicted patients with a mysterious Amazonian medicine rumored to reveal one’s deepest self. Dr. Gabor Maté has a revolutionary idea: to treat addicts with compassion. His work as the resident doctor in Vancouver’s Portland Hotel - a last-chance destination for lifelong drug abusers - has been courageous, but incredibly frustrating. Maté hears of an ancient medicine beyond his imaginings: one that could provide his patients with a solution. Its name is ayahuasca: the vine of the souls. Deep in the Amazon jungle, French doctor Jacques Mabit is using this medicine to treat hardcore addicts. Mabit runs a detox centre in the Amazon (Takiwasi or "The House That Sings"), using the plants and methods of traditional medicine. Ayahuasca is a visionary formula that unlocks emotional memory; causing life-changing catharsis in those who drink it. The reported success rates for curing addicts at Dr. Mabit's detox centre are quadruple the average.
Dr Mate returns to Canada with a plan to work with a group of healers to treat patients struggling with various types of addiction. At these sessions they will serve ayahuasca: the acrid tea that occupies a grey area of Canadian law. But without a detox centre or support structure for his patients, will it work?
Dr. Jacques Mabit over a cauldron of ayahuasca
Since the publication of his award-winning book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Dr. Gabor Mate has been one of Canada’s leading thinkers on addiction and its deeper causes. The experience of making the film has had a profound impact on him: “As a physician all too aware of the limitations and narrowness of Western medicine, I have learned much from working with this plant. The Jungle Prescription took me far physically, but even further in the spiritual realm where our deepest humanity resides. The plant, and the experience with the plant, is no panacea. There are no panaceas. But as an opening to human possibility, even in the face of lifelong trauma and desperation, it offers much. Seeing people open to themselves, even temporarily, has been a teaching and an inspiration.”
Sunday, November 20, 2011
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