mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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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?
Charlton Heston meets Dame Edith
March 23, 2013
The relatively dead Charlton Heston is resurrected to play Ben Hur and Moses this time of the year. His public image at his death with his cold fingers wrapped around his gun have somehow surpassed that of the young buff actor who played these religious roles. He came to stand for the NRA, and the NRA has come to stand for a whole lot. Some old angry dude lent his celebrity to the NRA like Clint Eastwood did for the Republican party. Somehow an untarnished reputation as a pure actor seems more valuable to me than these actor endorsements of political positions. Their mothers told them that if they die in a political public outrage their face will freeze like that ( in the public memory). If Charlton is believable in Planet of the Apes, then he is not believable as a political voice of the people. We never should have allowed Ronnie and Nancy to ride out of Hollywood and into the White House, blurring the lines between politics and showbiz. At least Dame Edna shows the proper amount of respect.
Spring Blooming in the Desert
March 23, 2013
— 2 Comments
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- hedgehog in bloom
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- cactus mix
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- more hedgehog
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- blooming hedgehog
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- begonias
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- aloe
When spring arrives in the desert it comes on quickly and leaves. We have to get it while we can. The color of the blooms on cactus are extravagant and vivid. The bees are busy and the livin’ is easy, for a very short time….then we sizzle.
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..
Elizabeth Bessiles, 14th Great-Grandmother
March 21, 2013
— 6 Comments
Elizabeth Bessiles
She was the only child and heiress of William Bessiles, whose family had been settled at Besils Leigh, Berks as Leland says in his quaint language, ‘syns the time of Edward the first’. The Bessells cam out of Provence in France and were ‘men of activitye in feates of arms as it appearith in monuments at Legh; how he faught in listes with a straunge knyghte that challengyd hym, at the whitche deade the kynge and quene at that time of England were present’. (source – http://www.tudorplace.com.ar)
She married Sir Richard Fettiplace.
Elizabeth Bessiles (1465 – 1511)
is my 14th great grandmother
Anne Fettiplace (1496 – 1567)
daughter of Elizabeth Bessiles
Mary Purefoy (1533 – 1579)
daughter of Anne Fettiplace
Susanna Thorne (1559 – 1586)
daughter of Mary Purefoy
Gov Thomas Dudley (1576 – 1653)
son of Susanna Thorne
Anne Dudley (1612 – 1672)
daughter of Gov Thomas Dudley
John Bradstreet (1652 – 1718)
son of Anne Dudley
Mercy Bradstreet (1689 – 1725)
daughter of John Bradstreet
Caleb Hazen (1720 – 1777)
son of Mercy Bradstreet
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Caleb Hazen
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse
Berkshire flag
Botanical Break
March 21, 2013
— 2 Comments
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- orchid in the butterfly house
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- butterfly
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- queen owl butterfly
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- orchid
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- orchid
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- butterfly magic
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- orchid
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- orchid
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- butterfly on orchid
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- butterly
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- orchid
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- butterfly
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- aloe
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- aloe blooms
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- sahuaro
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- garden ship
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- penstamen
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- Poppy
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- poppy with bee
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- aloe
A trip to the botanical garden refreshes the spirit and gives a natural buzz to the day. I love to visit the butterfly house to see what they are doing. Today the orchids made me very happy.
Equinox Hilaria
March 20, 2013
— 6 Comments
Cybele drives the lion chariot
At the Equinox everyone on earth has about the same amout of darkness and light. The sun is close to the equator as it shines for about 12 hours on all parts of the earth for a day. This seasonal shift is of significance to most native cultures. It signals either a lengthening or a shortening of daylight in the months ahead. It creates the conditions for spring planting or fall harvest, depending on the hemisphere in which you live. For a single day, however, we all have the same amount of light and dark in our experience. The literal meaning of the word equinox is equal night. Many calendars begin around the vernal equinox. Romans began the new year on the Ides of March, Astrology uses 21 March as the first of the year, as the Sun moves into Aires. A new year celebration makes sense at this time, as do celebrations to honor rebirth.
The Roman goddess Cybele was associated with rebirth in one of the first Spring break resurrection parties ever held. Romans were all about blood, so they used real bull blood…no chalice of red wine for them. Hilaria was a celebration of resurrection and eternal life held in Rome on the vernal equinox to honor Cybele. She ruled dangerous animals, fertility, and rebirth. She protects civilization. The fact that she is resurrecting her son, Attis, who is also her lover is not a big deal in Roman terms. These things happen in pantheons all the time. After all was ceremonially brought safely back to life Hilaria commenced in a frenzy of joy and mirth. We do not have any evidence of chocolate bunnies, but they were festive in their own Roman way, with orgies, and chariots drawn by lions, castration, and other stuff they liked. Violets are the flower of the day, since the blood of Attis when he died the first time became the violet we pick in the spring. Do not hesitate to decorate your eggs with violets if you want to get down Roman style this year. Unlike our own Virgin Mary, this mother drives a lion chariot, while holding a pineapple, and is on the violent side, so, caveat emptor.
Roman goddess Cybele
Cybele with her lions
Synchronicity and Synchronization
March 19, 2013
— 1 Comment
To move in synchronicity with others requires concentration and practice. The more a performing group practices the more it develops coordination and precision. From flying trapeze to marching band groups, timing and focus make all the difference. This Chinese troupe is hearing impaired, which makes the synchronization very impressive.
Synchronicity is not practiced, and may appear to be unrelated. The coordination of meaning is personal, but it depends on the oneness of the universe. The individual must notice and connect the dots to appreciate synchronicity. One must look from a new frame of reference to see the connections that fall into place every day.
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