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#NaPoWriMo Fear of Knowledge
April 26, 2017
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nature
Gnosiophobia is rampant in society, at epidemic level
People avoid facts with conviction that confounds all logic
Belief is centered in a guru or master, omniscient bossy devil
Who defines the meaning of richeousness, of thoughts good or tragic
Obedience takes a heavy toll on believers both private and civil
Since discernment is no longer valued the truth has become obsolete
Don’t take this time for granted, don’t surrender to ignorance in defeat
nurture
Today’s poem for National Poetry Writing Month was inspired by a post on I didn’t have my glasses on. The science march and politics of late have brought facts and education to my mind. Gnosiophobia does describe the cause of much chaos, in my opinion. It is time we return to the basics….facts and science. Tune in to poetry in April at the #NaPoWriMo site. Find new poets to read and enjoy.
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- #GloPoWriMo
New Moon, New Birth Chart
August 1, 2016
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Buhl Planetarium
I have been interested in astronomy as well as astrology since I was very young. We went to the Buhl Planetarium when I was a child, and I loved every minute of my time there. I was lucky that my family frequently went, as well as school classes and Brownie troops. I became a regular. I have a vivid memory of the giant pendulum and the big Tesla coil. I had my own Tesla coil at home (aka cattle prod) which I used to replicate some of the shows we saw at the planetarium. It thrilled me to shoot sparks from my fingertips and make my friends’ hair stand on end.
I had my first astrology chart written when I was about 25, but I don’t know what happened to it. I have learned more on the subject of astrology as I turned my attention to medical history and folk medicine. Until recently (and still now in many places) a good physician would take note of the heavens and use their powers to enhance healing. Old pharmacies in Europe still have the astrological signs as decorative and symbolic art used in the design of the interior and sometimes exterior of the buildings. They often have a water fountain shaped like a healing snake as well, for taking one’s medicine. I have read about both Chinese and western astrology, but have not learned much on the subject of vedic astrology, an Indian version said to be very interesting. I don’t live my whole life by it, but I observe the changes in the sky and notice what seems to be happening. Tomorrow we will have a most auspicious new moon in Leo with the sun in Leo, and my birth sign planet, Uranus, in retrograde. What in the world will this mean?
As I am digging out more and more stuff to discard I found an original document (my baby book) that shows my time of birth as 10:01 am, rather than the 11 am I had always used. I quickly called the astrologer who did my most recent chart, Dr Loretta Sandley, and had a quick consultation. I still have Aires rising but all the houses have shifted. I am no expert. I relay on the diagrams to better understand my chart. Now all my internal geometry has changed!!!! I ordered a new birth chart with my revised birth time and will very soon receive my new diagrams. She gives very detailed information, and I look forward to comparing it all to the one I have been using for so many years. Dr. Loretta gave me some very good hints in our conversation, which I have contemplated since, but I will need the visual before I can start to digest the difference.
Do you follow astrology, gentle reader? Have you found it to be a useful tool? I am all worked up about the new beginning in a new moon when I will see the new me!!! I guess this is a shift in my self-image. Aires is all about image anyhow, so this should prove to be very revealing.
Tesla coil
#ObserveEverything, Citizen Science
September 29, 2014
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shrimp plant
fairy duster
desert rose
Science Friday is a show on PBS radio that I enjoy. This week I heard a story that has fascinated me. They are sponsoring a nationwide program to encourage people to enter into science experiments. The scientific methods are shared with anyone who cares to discover literally anything. Citizen science is a booming area of interest. Anyone can participate and if the results are shared on line with the hashtag #observeeverything there is a chance of encouragement and coaching from other scientists. The idea is to observe anything with a question in mind. Random observation can be the place to start. If you start today to closely watch what happens around you something may catch your fancy that can be the basis of your experiment. It should truly interest you and make you curious. There may be something you have been wondering about for a while, or you may stumble upon a phenomena you can’t explain or interpret. After you narrow down a question or theory to prove you need to take detailed notes and maybe some photos or videos to support your experiment.
I did a lot of science at home with my father when I was a child. I was struck by the way my dad was relatively careless with chemicals. He brought chemicals home from his job at Gulf Oil research. I like the dry ice the best. He liked to blow things up and make bombs. That was okay, but there were some fairly dangerous accidents as a result of my dad’s science lab in the garage, the backyard, and the front sidewalk. One time we spilled an explosive mix designed to be dropped in small quantities on the sidewalk to pop when it was touched. My father set of the toxic explosive spill with a broom and it flared up and looked like it might set the front porch on fire for a few minutes. I preferred to put dry ice in the bathtub and blow bubbles that would rest on the top of the CO2. I was also allowed to play with a large bottle of mercury..that’s right, mercury. My friends and I rolled it around in our hands…OY! I had access to a Teslacoil that we used to make our hair stand on end and to zap each other. I guess my childhood was a kind of mad experiment.
I have been making bitters lately and have been thinking maybe there is an experiment I could do that relates to different kinds of bitters and their effects on the body. Since it is subtle I don’t know how one might go about such a test, but I am considering that as a possible subject. I think the thing to do is go start that observation and see if something jumps up at me and wants to be studied. Is there a question you are itching to answer? Take a look at the twitter stream or the #observeeverything streams on any social media to follow the latest and see where the citizen science movement will lead us.
Intended Consequences
July 16, 2012
When the separate fluid streams in life..your athletic stream, your family stream, your professional stream, your fashion stream, and infinitely tiny streams of all kinds are all running in different directions, you live in the delta of waste. Running from one separate watershed to the next must mean that all the others are ignored to concentrate on a single stream of activity or thought for a period of time. The downstream result of so many running but untended sources is flooding. How does a flash flood of misdirection make itself known? There are warning signs when one becomes unable to tend all the investments that have been made. There may be dramatic messages from others who either blame you or encourage you to continue to loose focus. There is cultural agreement that society is in general unhealthy and overextended which seems to act as an alibi for lack of consciousness. Stress is blamed, nurtured, managed, and released according to one’s ability to coordinate life’s diverse responsibilities.
If you been and ended your days differently, how could you asses your situation with more calmness and effectiveness? The “thesis” of the day can be set like a 500 word paper, outlined with some organizational points, and some focus is added. The end of the day can feature a brief review to notice if and how the theme of the day has been carried out or not. From Leonardo da Vinci to Ben Franklin the creative among us have devised systems to do this kind of intention setting followed by a scientific measurement of success. We can all benefit from a system that allows us to know ourselves and the different roles we play in our own liberation and happiness.
Venus Transit June 5, 2012
June 6, 2012
Visitors could choose to view the transit through binoculars and telescopes, all of which were set up in different areas all day.
Kitt Peak National Observatory hosted a big party for Venus on 5 June, 2012. The program included all day viewing either in the visitor center through live feed as well as a solar scope in the ceiling relaying direct images, or around the grounds with enthusiastic astronomers who monitored telescopes and binoculars set up with solar filters. We all had special glasses, but the scopes were vastly more interesting. There was even a hydrogen scope that showed the sun in a red color. It was spectacular at every level. We enjoyed perfect weather, with just a bit of a breeze to wiggle the equipment. Everyone was elated and happy to be so pampered as civili a observers, surrounded by astronomy geeks having the time of their lives.
Visitors form around the world came to observe the Venus transit at Kitt Peak. This auspicious occasion was made more wonderful by sharing it with Europeans, Brits, and people from all over the US. There were enthusiasts from all walks of life who had come great distances to be in the right place with the right equipment to see this event properly. The moment was so special to the supreme geeks of astronomy that they overflowed with information and excitement. That happens each time they set up telescopes, but this time it was much more amazing. Sharing the experience made it extra powerful.
Paracelsus, the Luther of Physicians
June 3, 2012
Paracelsus was born in 1493 Einsiedeln, Switzerland. His father was the physician at Einsiedeln Abbey, a Benedictine baroque monastery with a grand history. His father was his first teacher. When he arrived at University of Basel medical school he was familiar with alchemy from working with his father. He left Basel quickly after he was accused of heresy , and became a wandering healer, traveling all over Europe.
Some of the contributions he made to the science of medicine are well known. He is attributed for introducing opium into use as medicine. He is credited with being the first physician to seriously consider dosage as well as the particular part of the medicinal plant being used. His theories included science as well as natural magic, all part of the healing culture of his time. The Doctrine of Signatures is an important concept he used to explain and research how plants interact with humans. He expanded on the work of former herbalists as he taught and worked in different countries. His travels included a visit to China.
His practice included both magic and science. He understood and worked with elementals, which were a common belief in his time. He took this concept farther when he posited that we have both a sidereal and an elementary body, linked while we are alive. He was both controversial and well respected. I learned about him when I traveled to Switzerland for the first time. I adore the tiny mineral water spa town of Bad Ragaz, where he practiced for a time with the local Benedictine monks, who operated a healing center using the mineral water spring. The Quelle Paracelsus is now a modern medical and therapy center of the highest quality. I have been many times over the years and always enjoy walking up the Tamina Gorge to experience the well preserved museum and springs. There is a small chapel up there dedicated to Mary Magdalene that I love for it’s charm.
For his time Paracelsus was radical and disruptive. His ideas about health and alchemy clashed with the medical schools, but accomplished many cures that were unusual for the time. The springs he recommended that I have visited, Bad Ragaz and St.Moritz, have enjoyed long healthy development around the mineral waters for centuries. This dedication to “the cure” creates a magnet for the best therapists and medical professionals to be drawn to live and work in the beauty and the elegance of these special places.
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