Ursi's Eso Garden

Sacred Weeds was a four part television series of 50 minute documentaries investigating the cultural impact of psychoactive plants on a broad array of early civilisations.
This is part two: Salvia Divinorum

Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner’s Sage, aka María Pastora, Sage of the Seers, or simply by the genus name, Salvia, is a powerful psychoactive herb.

It has a long continuing tradition of use as an entheogen by indigenous Mazatec shamans, who use it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions. It was first recorded in print by Jean Basset Johnson in 1939 as he was studying Mazatec shamanism. He later documented its usage and reported its effects through personal testimonials. It was not until the 1990s that the psychoactive mechanism was identified by a team led by Daniel Siebert.

Each episode began and ended with Dr Andrew Sherratt inscribing his diary with his reflections on the series' scientific and cultural investigations. In each episode the series investigated one psychoactive plant and its cultural significance. Three specialists of various scientific disciplines were invited to monitor two volunteers who had taken each plant. After the four episodes, Sherratt assigned considerably more significance to the psychoactive properties of plants in ancient civilization and the prehistoric period than expert knowledge hitherto.

The scientists in this part:

• Dr Françoise Barbira-Freedman, medical anthropologist and lecturer at the University of Cambridge
  
• Dr Tim Kendall, psychiatrist and director of the Centre for Psychotherapeutic Studies
  
• Dr Jon Robbins, pharmacologist at King's College London
  
  and the volunteers: Daniel Siebert and Sean Thomas

Sacred Weeds - Salvia Divinorum by Channel 4, 1998
Runtime: 68 minutes




You may also like:
Daniel Siebert's website:
The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center

Salvia divinorum Scotland: Salvia Menu

Related Entry:
Sacred Weeds - Henbane

Feng shui, magnet therapy, polarity therapy, qigong, reiki, therapeutic touch - what do they have in common? They are all "subtle energy practices," just one section in this wide-ranging encyclopedia.

Others include skeletal manipulation methods, mind/body medicine, sensory therapies, massage (from infant massage to myofascial trigger point therapy), movement therapy, somatic practices, and body-oriented psychotherapies. Editor Allison defines a body-mind discipline as "an organized program of activity that seeks to awaken and activate the links between body, mind, and spirit." This very well arranged text is divided into 16 sections, each of which begins with an introductory essay discussing the disciplines included in that section. Each discipline is described by a certified practitioner in terms of history, basic principles, and potential benefits and risks. Short resource/reading lists follow each discipline description.

Allison, a dancer and educator, has done an excellent job of pulling together information on some 125 therapies. Whether you want to know about brain gym or just plain old yoga, this encyclopedia is a great starting point.

Written by over 125 experts in their respective fields, the lavishly-illustrated encyclopedia includes boxed insets highlighting important facts about each discipline, annotated resource lists, and sources for further reading.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Body-Mind Disciplines by Nancy Allison, editor.
Rosen Publishing Group, 1999 | 448 pages | PDF | 10.3 MB



Traditional shamanic practices in Comalapa, Guatemala.

This Ebook is a powerful learning tool for anyone who wants to understand Palmistry, with over 50 illustrations of what to look for in the palm.

Includes rules for rapid observation - how to observe at a quick glance the main characteristics of a person, and how to study hands for business people - helps to make a decision as to placing employees in a position that would be best for you. So, Cheiro presents information of how by a mere glance at a hand, a quick grasp of the leading characteristics of that person is revealed. Hands cannot change as the result of a mere effort to please as with the face. The character hands express are the real nature of the individual, the true character that has been formed by heredity or that has grown up with the person by long years of habit.

Palmistry for All by Cheiro.
Original published 1916 | PDF | 111 pages | 2.7MB

A wonderfull book by Cheiro the renowned Palm reader.

The lines of the hand:



Click the picture for a larger view

Also available at Project Gutenberg.

Jeff Hoke, curator of the Museum of Lost Wonder and author of the book bearing the same title (also senior exhibition designer at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium), had a mission: To illuminate life's mysteries.

He writes that the eclectic museums and curiosity cabinets of the 1600s inspired him, and that he wants to return us to a time before "science became a belief system unto itself," a time when artist-alchemist-scientists were able to search for inner truth via mystical experiences and experiments without being ridiculed.

The museum is arranged with 7 halls (representing the seven stages of alchemical process) in which the questions of the universe unfold. It begins with The Calcinatio Hall where the featured exhibit is The Beginning of Everything and leads us into halls like The Sublimatio Hall, with the exhibit How To Have Visions. In The Separatio Hall the exhibit Where Are You Going challenges us in our own journey. Through each hall we are led into an exhibit that questions our own understanding of life and urges us into new ways of thinking.




There is more information about the book on his website. Once there, you can also take an interactive tour of the Museum of Lost Wonder. Just click on the 'Tour' tab.

Step inside and discover your lost wonder!
The Museum Of Lost Wonder by Jeff Hoke.


Meet Jeff Hoke and The Museum Of Lost Wonder here:

Be bright! Today is a new day!




Knowing how to begin a new day is important to make life more fun.
Here are 10 tips that have worked for me over the years:

1. Greet the day.

2. Smile, and say "Good morning" to everyone you see.

3. Feel good about yourself and your qualities.

4. Say optimistic things about the day. By looking at yourself in the mirror and saying at least 10 good things about yourself, it will definitely improve your day.

5. Focus on your objectives for the day, and get them done as soon as possible.

6. Trust in your inner strength to solve any problem that day.

7. Remember this: "If life doesn't smile at you, tickle life 'till it laughs!"

8. Sing (or hum) any song with a positive message.

9. Eat breakfast. This is a healthy way to start the day and will help you throughout the day.

10. Exercise. It releases chemicals in the brain that make you feel better.


Tips:
a) Remember no day is the same.
b) When your passing someone not so happy, smile at them and say "hi!" it can really cheer others up to make their day brighter.

Try it out. It works!

... Blogging here will be light and irregular for the next few weeks or so.

Unless I get some great stuff along the way, of course.

I'll be in-and-out of town with projects and trips - so stay coooool!

How did they build this magnificent temple with such incredible precision in a mere eight or nine years? How did they manage to achieve apparent perfection in a building that contains almost no straight lines or right angles? And, most baffling of all, how did they accomplish all this apparently without using the tools that a modern architect would find essential—a building plan or a blueprint?

Watch as NOVA takes on these mysteries with the help of some of the foremost experts on ancient Greek architecture, including the chief architect of the Acropolis Restoration Project, Manolis Korres, and scholars Barbara Barletta of the University of Florida, Mark Wilson Jones of the University of Bath, and Lothar Haselberger of the University of Pennsylvania.


Secrets Of The Parthenon by NOVA, 2008
Runtime: 53 minutes



You may also like to read the Transcript.


See also at the NOVA Secrets Of The Parthenon:

• Take a trip back to the fifth century B.C. with art historian Jeffrey Hurwit.
  
• See how architects, historians, and skilled masons are painstakingly reassembling the Parthenon.
  
• Detailed line drawings reveal the tools and techniques of ancient Greek craftsmen.
  
• Trace the building's various incarnations as a temple, church, mosque, and even an army barracks.

Taking an original photographic approach to look in detail at certain topics, these fascinating book provides deeper understanding and richer enjoyment of the worlds of myths and legends. Looks into myths and legends of cultures from ancient Greece to Aboriginal Australia Clear, informative text helps readers understand and appreciate the world of mythology Features gloriously reproduced artworks and artifacts

Myths and Legends Explained by Neil Philip, Ph.D.
DK ADULT, Revised edition 2007 | 128 pages | PDF | 21.3 MB


Calling the Gods (from the Voodoo gods of Haiti):



The designs known as vevers are used to call the gods and are drawn on the earth in flour. At the centre of the circle in a Voodoo ritual would be the poteau-mitan, the center-post by which the gods make their entrance to the ceremony.
The ship symbol stands for Agwé, the god of the sea and formal consort of Erzulie. Agwé himself is generous, faithful, and strong.

Jokes and puns poke fun at the characteristics and behavior of ghosts.

What does a little ghost call his mother and father? His trans-parents! What rides do little spirits like best at the amusement park? The roller ghoster! Who writes all the books about haunted houses? Ghostwriters, who else? What did the ghost bride throw to her bridesmaids? Her boo-quet! Who represents ghosts in Congress? The Spooker of the House! What spirit serves food on a plane? An airline ghostess! What shows do ghosts like best? Phantom-mimes!

101 Ghost Jokes by Lisa Eisenberg & Katy Hall; illustrated by Don Orehek.
Scholastic, 1988 | 24 Pages | PDF | 1.3 MB

God, does this bring back memories !

This album (original 2LP pressing) is mainly the work of Rick Holmes who wrote the text about the different zodiac signs, each sign being represented in a different track with Rick Holmes narrating over a background of funky spaced out jazz, produced by Cannonball and David Axelrod, the music is by Nat Adderley's sextet. The album was released in 1972 on Capitol Records, digital released May 2008.

It's a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs.

Really adventurous! Enjoy!

Rick Holmes, Narrator
Cannonball Adderley, Alto & Soprano sax
Nat Adderley, Cornet
Ernie Watts, Tenor sax, Flute, Tambourine
Mike Deasy, Guitar
George Duke, Fender electric piano
Walter Booker, String bass & Guitar
Roy Mac Curdy, Drums

Soul Zodiac: Introduction (03:01)
Soul Zodiac: Aries (04:54)
Soul Zodiac: Taurus Part 1 (06:41)
Soul Zodiac: Taurus Part 2 (07:01)
Soul Zodiac: Gemini (03:41)
Soul Zodiac: Cancer (02:44)
Soul Zodiac: Leo (02:57)
Soul Zodiac: Virgo (04:15)
Soul Zodiac: Libra (03:20)
Soul Zodiac: Scorpio (04:26)
Soul Zodiac: Sagittarius (05:17)
Soul Zodiac: Capricorn (06:10)
Soul Zodiac: Aquarius (07:54)
Soul Zodiac: Pisces (03:56)

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In the US it's known as bigfoot, in Canada as sasquatch, in Brazil as mapinguary, in Australia as a yowie, in Indonesia as sajarang gigi and, most famously of all, in Nepal as a yeti.

The little known Indian version of this legendary ape-like creature is called mande barung - or forest man - and is reputed to live in the remote West Garo hills of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya.

Reports of a yeti or forest man have existed in the north-east Indian state of Meghalaya for centuries. Many people in the Garo hills believe that this is a fossilised footprint of a giant early yeti.

I [Alastair Lawson] was invited by passionate yeti believer Dipu Marak to travel throughout the area to hear for myself what he says is compelling evidence of the existence of a black and grey ape-like animal which stands about 3m (nearly 10ft) tall.

There have been repeated reports of sightings over many years by different witnesses in the West, South and East Garo hills.

Mr Marak estimates the creature weighs about 300kg (660lb) and is herbivorous, surviving on fruit, roots and tree bark.

Intense heat

The Garo hills comprise more than 8,000sq.km of some of the thickest jungle in India.

And as I soon discovered, there is no shortage of people who say they have seen the creature at first hand.



'Yeti witness' James Marak

Take woodcutter Nelbison Sangma, for example, who works on the fringes of the Nokrek national park in the Garo hills.

In November 2003, he says that he saw a yeti three days in a row.

He took me from his village to the spot where he says he made the sighting, a five-hour walk in intense tropical heat from his house.

"I saw the creature quite clearly on the other side of the river. It was breaking branches off trees and eating the sap. Its strength was amazing.

"Obviously I wanted to photograph it, but I knew that if I left the area, it would take at least 10 hours or more to get a camera as I do not own one. By that time the creature would have disappeared."

Mr Sangma says that he told the state forestry department of his sighting, but they did not believe him.

He took me to the spot where he says the yeti destroyed a tree - an exhausting uphill walk through thick jungle infested with blood-sucking leeches.

Mr Sangma showed me where the creature broke the tree's branches and clearly visible scratch marks on its bark.



Are these hairs from Mande Barung?

A 10-hour drive away from Nokrek is the other national park of the Garo hills, Balpakram, which lies amid thick jungle on the border with Bangladesh.

It is an extremely remote area, where the hum of insects clicking in the undergrowth sounds like a series of disconnected power cables.

Balpakram is famous for its vast jungle-filled canyon which spans several miles and is surrounded by spectacular cliffs. Any descent is a treacherous exercise.

If ever there was terrain where a peace-loving yeti could live its life undisturbed by human interference, then this has surely got to be it.

Perhaps the most famous reported sighting was in April 2002, when forestry officer James Marak was among a team of 14 officials carrying out a census of tigers in Balpakram when they saw what they thought was a yeti.

According to the author and environmentalist Llewellyn Marak, such stories cannot be dismissed out hand.

"I saw the footprints for myself last year," he said, and they cannot easily be explained away.

"The prints were different from other animals - and were almost human in appearance - apart from the fact that they were about 18 inches [46cm] long.

"Both my father and grandfather also saw the creature at different times. Each said that it resembled a large gorilla."

Mr Marak argues that the Meghalayan forestry department has not seriously investigated the sightings because they are "uninterested and too lazy".

The western side of the state of the Meghalaya is predominantly made up of Garo tribespeople. They are traditionally a matrilineal community, where property is inherited through the female line.

They are also a community where stories and fables are deeply ingrained culturally, which is why senior politicians and officials are reluctant to discount openly tales of a yeti roaming about.

Meghalaya's Divisional Forestry Officer Shri PR Marak denies suggestions that his officers have not properly investigated alleged yeti sightings - which he argues is an expensive exercise in thick jungle only accessible by foot.

He uses diplomatic language when discussing whether yetis exist in the state.

"I have gone to see the evidence for myself and have even taken a plaster cast of one of the footprints," he says.

"As you know the presence of such a creature is an important part of our culture - passed down to us by our parents and grandparents.

"But we have no concrete evidence it exists, and there may even be a possibility that some of the evidence has been manipulated to create a stir.



Measuring 'yeti' footprints

"Because the area where it is believed to live is thick jungle, it will be very difficult to know the truth."

But Dipu Marak has voluminous correspondence from various eyewitnesses to support his contention that there is something out there.

To critics who say he has no photographs of this mysterious creature, he insists that "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

"We have so many reports of sightings that I sincerely believe there is some sort of huge creature in the Garo hills," he said.

"This is not just a fairy tale, nor is it an effort to woo tourists. It's deeply embedded in our folklore and scientifically it is possible too.

"While I cannot prove conclusively that this creature definitely exists, nobody can say conclusively that it does not exist either."

Such is the impenetrability and extent of jungle in the Garo hills that the legend of mande barung looks likely to live on in the foreseeable future.

"The truth is out there somewhere," says Dipu Marak sincerely.

"But like the Loch Ness monster this creature is obviously not fond of giving too many photo opportunities."

Source: BBC News


You may also like another cool Bigfoot story:

'Bigfoot' was here! by the Borneo Post. (WITH PICS)

They probably resembled those mentioned many times in foreign reports in claims of sightings of the mysterious ‘Bigfoot’. The shocker has been spreading like wildfire in Daro district for the past few days and among those drawn to the phenomenon was local businessman Tan Soon Kuang.

Yesterday, Tan, 42, e-mailed the images of the mysterious creature’s footprints. He said he personally went to the village (which he refused to name out of respect for the wishes of the locals) to check on the truth of the story. “The truth is in the photographs that I have taken with my camera,” he told The Borneo Post in a telephone interview yesterday. According to him, each footprint measures 47 inches from heel to toe and 17 inches sideways “clearly too gigantic for any normal human being”.



Local community leader Pemanca Tan Poh Kuan is among those who visited the site to take a closer look at the mysterious footprints.

Another curious story for today:

Raw video: June 08/08: Recently released footage: Welsh police confirmed that one of their helicopter crews had spotted an "unusual aircraft" flying over Cardiff earlier this month.

An investigation into the sighting had been launched, they said.

The police clarification came after tabloid newspaper The Sun reported a UFO had "attacked" a police helicopter, following it for several miles over the Bristol Channel.




"The pilot banked sharply to avoid being hit, then launched into a high-speed pursuit. But he was forced to give up the chase as the helicopter's fuel ran low -- and the UFO escaped," the tabloid reported.

The helicopter crew had described the object as "flying saucer-shaped and circled by flashing lights," it added.

That description was rather more dramatic than the official police version, which said: "South Wales Police can confirm its air support unit sighted an unusual aircraft.

"This was reported to the relevant authorities for their investigation," they added in a brief statement, avoiding the use of the term "UFO", or Unidentified Flying Object.

At the time of the incident, the helicopter with three men on board was waiting to land at the St Athan RAF base near Cardiff. The sighting reportedly took place at 00:40 am (23:40 GMT) on June 8.

South Wales Police denied there was a pursuit and indicated that the helicopter crew was never in any danger.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it had heard nothing about the incident.

"But it is certainly not advisable for police helicopters to go chasing what they think are UFOs," he added.



UK Police Helicopter captures 'UFO' on film


See also:
Alien army by the Sun (WITH VIDEO).

A shaken soldier told last night how he saw THIRTEEN UFOs spinning in the skies above his military barracks. Corporal Mark Proctor was among three squaddies who spotted the objects while out on night patrol. He filmed them on his mobile phone and reported the close encounter to Army top brass.

---

Well, and last but not least: "Nasa film UFO falling to earth and hitting the ground", found yesterday at LiveLeak, posted here to sharpen your mind ...



Looks cool, don't u agree?

But no, it's not an UFO. That is the Genesis probe that had its parachutes fail on reentry. This was in Utah a few years ago.
See the report, and video, by MSNBC and/or the article by Space.com.

So, don't believe online videos for everything! Too often troll people, some of those weird stalker types, try to sensationalize stuff, also in that case.

Relax with a little game today and rock the Ashram with Sitar Star!

Created to promote Mike Myers' latest farce "The Love Guru", Sitar Star is a take on Guitar Hero, allowing you to use your number keys for the strings and your space bar to strum them. As the coloured notes drop down the screen, you must strum the right strings at the right time.

Be warned - it's addicting!

Love what you dream, dream what you love!




Every single night we visit our personal dream world. Although most of us don't recall dreams in the morning, we all have dreams every night. A dream world that feels as real as the waking world. Lucid dreaming offers you the possibility to become aware of those dreams while you are experiencing them. Anyone can learn how to have lucid dreams. Be Superman. Have sex with anyone you want, practice for extreme sports or visit a distant planet. Anything is possible. Although ultimately an illusion, the experience is transferrable to the waking state. Be a hero in your lucid dream, feel heroic throughout your waking day. Become lucid and boost up your life.

Lucidipedia - Learn lucid dreaming by Tim Post.

Whether you're a complete controlled-dream neophyte or a veteran of lucid sleep, Lucipedia can help you learn more about controlling your subconscious wanderings. Offers Journals and Forums for Lucid Dreaming and signing up gives you also a journal space to track your memories and successes, as well as free reign to edit collaborative articles on any dream-related topics. Well done!

This excerpt from 'A Pale Blue Dot' was inspired by an image taken, at Sagan's suggestion, by Voyager 1 on February 14, 1990. As the spacecraft left our planetary neighborhood for the fringes of the solar system, engineers turned it around for one last look at its home planet. Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) away, and approximately 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane, when it captured this portrait of our world.

Adapted from the Carl Sagan's book 'Pale Blue Dot: A vision of the human future in Space'.


What thoughts, what wonderful words by Carl Sagan!



"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

"The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds."

"Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."

"The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand."

"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

-- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994


Want more? OK.

Some time before he died in 1996, Carl Sagan recorded a partial audio version of his 1994 book "Pale Blue Dot", often described as the "sequel" to Cosmos. This video is "episode one" of an unauthorized attempt at producing a series of videos based on Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" audio book combined with a soundtrack and appropriate video and still images intended to recall the feel of the classic documentary series "Ascent of Man" and "Cosmos".

It's an unofficial film version of chapter one by Lang Kasranov. In his blog, he said last September: "I wanted to advise everyone that PBD Episode Two is indeed coming."
Well - hopefully soon ...

Let me say, it it is a fantastic documentary worthy of PBS and a moving and fitting tribute to Carl Sagan.

Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan - Episode 1: "Wanderers"
Runtime: 40 minutes




You may also like:
The Carl Sagan Portal