mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys
Grow Down!!
March 25, 2013
— 1 Comment
post modern desertscape
Tucson Botanical Gardens hosted a demonstration weekend for local designers. The Grow Down is intended to show ways to get big use from small gardens. I attended on Saturday to see how they were doing and watch a demonstration on using shade cloth. I will go back and see the finished designs as well as the winner of the prize. My own prize goes to Realm, the group that was practically finished when the others were still working away on the installation. They show a water harvesting method, bright green fake turf, and vegetables growing in raised beds. This is exactly the kind of water use Tucson needs to cultivate. Go Realm, Grow Down!! You have my vote. The other designs were also very beautiful, but there was nothing to eat.
Realm design entry
water harvesting
bridge over water retention
bench and astroturf
Tomatoes
Citrus in pot
plants in bench
sitting area
Femme Fatale Archetype
March 24, 2013
— 9 Comments
Rita Hayworth embodied the ultimate femme fatale in her movie role of Gilda. She was the pin-up goddess that excited WWII soldiers with her sexy alluring figure. Classic dangerous women come in a few formats. In literature this woman can be everything from a succubus, destroying men in their sleep, to a sexy helpless woman hiring a private eye. She differs from the Vamp in her indirect approach. She uses manipulative behavior to acquire money and men without investing any personal emotion. In some stories, she also kills her victim. When she is rejected, like Scarlett O’Hara is in Gone with the Wind, she may experience an opening of the heart, and a change. Is this woman totally a myth, or do we see her in our lives? Are there public femme fatales?
Dreams and Dreamers
March 22, 2013
— 5 Comments
Your dreams are personal and they arise from the collective unconscious as well as your own. We all share a foundation of unknown mythology that our ancestors built into our beliefs. We share, and sometimes rebel against, cultural practices and teachings. To deeply analyze our own psychological types dream work is necessary. The setting and the characters portrayed in dreams are metaphorical players in our spiritual lives. Deeper understanding of our own unconscious leads to better understanding and appreciation for all of life.
There has been an attempt to hijack the word dream and turn it into a house or a car, or that illusive American Dream. The big consumer consciousness promotes purchases of certain items in order to fulfill a dream. It also spotlights outer image as the key to dreaminess. I think it is important to note that marketing experts use the personality types to design ad campaigns and sales persons use them to craft the appropriate pitch for the prospect. The archetype technique is being used strategically to manipulate you and your dreams. If you submit willingly you will buy a lot of stuff with dubious dream fulfillment. Take the reigns, gentle reader. Design your own dreamscapes and accept no substitutes.
The Prince Archetype
March 21, 2013
— 4 Comments
In literature and mythology the prince is an archetypal figure. In drama or our lives the prince represents one who must take the mysterious and trying journey to become king. His dark shadow companion is the wanderer, who never accepts reposnsibility and continues to avoid the dignity and responsibility of his royal inheritance. They look a bit like William and Harry, honestly. The prince can be charming or dark in his presentation. He may complete his journey and become king, but there is no guarantee.
Carl Jung identified 4 masculine archetypes, and made the assertion that to be whole man must be in touch with all of them. He also explained the bi-polar potential inherent in each character. They are described as shadow and positive qualities. The soul embarks on an epic journey to mature on earth. The heroes and Prince Charmings of our lives have lessons to teach as well as to learn. When you think of this archetype who pops into your thoughts? Americans have some pretty wild versions of the prince from Disney to the artist formerly and once again known as Prince. How do we know when our American prince becomes a king? tricky..
Saving Tucson’s Environment
March 17, 2013
— 3 Comments
This week I had the opportunity to take a workshop with Watershed Management Group. I am concerned about the use and abuse of our water resources in Tucson, so I was curious to learn what this group is teaching. I found the format to be very effective. Our 2 day workshop took place at the Ward 1 City of Tucson office near the Santa Cruz River. A grant has been secured to improve the environment around the office. The water harvesting techniques we learned to retrofit neighborhoods with green infrastructure are needed in all parts of the Tucson valley in order to preserve and repair our water table. The city of Tucson Water, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality sponsor and fund some of these storm water harvesting projects. Others are created by neighborhoods and cities. Lake Havasu City has been an active client, as is the city of Sierra Vista.
My fellow students came from as far away as Buffalo, New York. There were several New Mexicans. All were professionals in the fields of landscape design, civil engineering, architecture, permaculture, and real estate management. I attended out of my general interest in water quality and health. I have a specific interest in stopping the rape of the environment in my neighborhood by my own HOA board. There is an insistence on as much water waste and plant destruction as possible, which has left us with a more and more barren urban heat island. The value of our property as well as the quality of life around us has been destroyed, along with wildlife habitat, by simply following worst environmental practices for more than a decade. If no steps are taken to stop the destructive practices we can expect our value to continue to drop and our crime rate to continue to rise. Environment and greenery have a very direct effect on crime rates.
I learned more than enough to convince some of my neighbors to join me in turning the tide of waste and ghetto creation in our hood. I look forward to participating in more projects with Watershed Management Group.
Benefits and techniques
Costs
Healthy snacks
we assess the site
checking all deets
Parking lot project
polenta pizza
beets, greens, salad
greens
I am a huge fan of the entire process, about which I will tell you much more, gentle reader. Let it suffice to say that taking courses in watershed management will get you into the best lunch you have ever tasted. Incredibly tasty local ingredients were catered for us picnic style. A good time was had by all. The learning was fine, but the camaraderie and gourmet enjoyment put this experience over the top in my book.
Embrace and Drive Change
March 14, 2013
Zappquarters
The second core value of Zappos is simple, but not so easy. Change is never as easy as it seems. The investment in any status quo is heavier than it appears to the naked eye. To start something new is much easier than to destroy something old that does not work (think Congress). People feel that change involves admission of some kind of error, and that is why they will not enter the zone. Being right is important to the point that it can alter the mind of the thinker significantly. When driving change that involves others, be sure that you do not threaten their self images. Any indication that there is a better way, also indicates that the present path is the wrong one. Egos invest in this kind of righteous battle. Ego battles virtually always get out of control because the individuals cannot control the egos. It is best to show by example how change can work for the benefit of all participants.
- inventing an official company sport is a metaphor
- defying gravity is a change most people do not consider
- sports are defined too narrowly
- everyone can win
- strength, fitness, and flexibility are just a side effect of the fun
- coaching is more effective combined with movement
- It is HOT in Vegas
- the product can make us all some bucks while helping others
We are joined at the core, Tony…..tweet me, maybe.
Fun and a Little Weird
March 14, 2013
— 3 Comments
Zappos intentionally transformed the workplace of the telephone bank ordering system. Since this service of taking orders from customers and executing them will continue, serious thought was put into making the job more fun. The tour of the Zappos office will convince you that something very different is afoot. They are used to being observed on the job, and seem to enjoy flaunting costuming, toys, banners, and personal expression of every kind. It made me think of a friend of mine who worked in a cubicle for Quantas, doing reservations. The company issued a memo that no personal items could be displayed in the cubicle of any kind. My friend removed her personal decor and displayed instead the memo itself as her new decoration. The hostility she felt for her incredibly insensitive employer had to come through on every call.
Repression never works, and I am living proof. I have instinctive distrust of dogma, certifications and senseless regulations. Giving people the creative freedom to contribute to the group beats a hierarchy with power issues every time. Zappos does create titles, but they can be very non traditional. My tour guide had the title Culture Clown, which sounded to me like a very fine position. Her job was to tour and explain to the public how being fun and weird at work is good for the human race. This seems obvious, so her job is pretty easy, if not always a barrel of monkeys.
The reasons I think Floatli is the perfect official sport for Zappos:
- You look like a robot when you are in the equipment
- It makes you feel silly as soon as you feel it, usually inspires giggles
- It is the exact opposite of what you do the rest of the time in gravity
- It is the opposite of wearing shoes
- When you fall, you fall up (more than a little weird)
- Vegas is HOT, and you all need to get in the water
- It is fun, and much weirder than you can imagine
You do not need to imagine. Say the word and I will fly up and Floatli with you. If it is not fun and weird enough for you I will be very surprised.
Medicine of the Planets
March 14, 2013
— 3 Comments
Astrological Man
planetary rulers of organs
Zodiacal man, 17th century engraving.
Woodcut from Felice Passera, Il nuova tresoro degli’arcana farmacologici galenici, Venice 1688-89.
In the history of medicine the planets and cosmos were the guiding clues that were used to discover treatments and cures. All plants are ruled by planets as are parts of the body. Before YouTube people studied the heavens and did lots of praying. They reached a number of conclusions about cosmology of which most humans today are unaware. Pharmacists, medical doctors and healers used astrology in practice as a matter of course. Everything depended on seasons and the sun. Before we dug coal and oil from the ground civilizations rose and fell because of food supply. Knowing how to make, prepare, gather, and preserve food for the seasons was a matter of life and death. It stands to reason that knowledge of farming and nature was also the only means to improve diet, hygiene and health. Plants are the medicine from which drugs are synthesized now. Plants are the food from which processed foods are prepared today.
Plants were gathered and cultivated to be used as food and medicine. The phases of the moon were and still are important in plant cultivation. More detailed information about the meaning and use of plants was studied by the ancients. In fact, in Basel, Switzerland, arguably the big pharma capital of the world, the botanical garden is smack dab in the middle of the medical school campus. This was the same medical school from which my man Paracelsus was expelled for being a heretic. We like to think we are all that today with our science. I believe we have allowed a much narrower view of life to reign. I think we are made whole and healthy by the cosmos. Smaller, short term thinking is not all that healthy. Taking drugs of unknown origin is the new normal. You might look at these planet guys and think they are silly, but they would not pop pills without any rational reason. We cannot return soon enough to growing, knowing, and using plants as food and medicine. That is what nature intended, gentle readers.
Personal Religion
March 12, 2013
— 1 Comment
My favorite author, teacher, and living spiritual expert is Thomas Moore. He is finishing a new book called A Religion of One’s Own. His concept is not to do away with religion, but to inspire and revive it. The Dalai Lama has recently spoken about a similar concept. Institutional religion is having momentum problems in the developed world. Yoga, in all the many forms, is still enjoying a growth in popularity in America. Although yoga was brought to the world by Hindus, yoga is not a religion in itself. It is a philosophy.
The casual way he talks about warming up for the book by translating the Gospels from ancient Greek lets you know what kind of scholar he is. He has taught in full on Latin, composed music, and become a well respected therapist. His own fluid path was probably never suspected by anyone, least of all him, when he became a monk. When is a monk more than a monk? I think we have two excellent living examples today. Both Thomas Moore and the Dali Lama of Tibet teach kindness, meditation, and natural magic. As experts in religion, as scholars, and as holders of the traditions, these men are shining stars. We are lucky that they have both chosen to write books for us, teach us, and even, bless their hearts, tweet us. They are both telling us we need to connect to spirit and each other for quality of life.
I think that worldwide the ways of communication have changed and the drift toward a meaningless existence has increased. Churches and temples reflect this in both a positive and negative way. If people look at their own religion as a sham, but still pay dues in order to just be a member of something, the future of those institutions is bleak. Keeping up the facade has become an expensive, and sometimes self destructive activity in some religious organizations. Personal practice that is designed to cultivate compassion and mindfulness can nourish the soul of the world. We are in need of this kind of responsibility taken and embraced by individuals and communities. We had religious reform, some have had revival. Let us have personal religious renaissance. The book will not be out for a while, but I am already in favor of the whole idea.
Irish Heritage
March 10, 2013
— 7 Comments
Grandmothers
The lady on the far right, Emiline P Nichols, was born in Pennsylvania in 1837, moved to Ohio, and then to Kansas. Her daughter, Harriet Peterson (to her left) married an Irishman, James Oscar Byrne, of County Meath. James died the year his daughter, Sarah Helena Byrne (big lady in the middle) was born. He is buried in a Catholic graveyard in Kansas. Without the hardship and adventure endured by James O’Byrne I would not have the luck of the Irish, so I am eternally grateful.
