This is What's Next

NOW we understand the elephant species more - we now know that they are capable of painting a picture. We now understand everything there is to know about elephants!

or

We now understand that we know NOTHING about ourselves and the living beings we have treated like shit for the last thousand years. Our hearts our now being opened to a truer capacity of our experience...

Week 13 - Biology Lives On

1. What significance would you attribute to chimps "making tools"?
2. Giant toads and colossal squids - whatever next?

1.
Chimpanzees are near to us developmentally so it is of no surprise that they have fashioned 'tools' to kill other animals for food. What is more surprising is our continued human arrogance and ignorance of the inherent intelligence spread throughout all of the natural world - in living and non-living systems.

HA!

2.
Why are we so concerned with anomalies and why do we think we better understand something by pointing to the extremely aberrant aspects of a system? Or are we more fascinated by the discovery that there are things we haven't discovered yet? haven't conquered with our intellect yet... haven't identified and labeled with our 'perfect logic' and 'advanced sciences'.

Throughout this class, I have grown increasingly aware of my own opinions of the scientific assumptions and arrogance displayed by the human beings. What is next? How about we try to appreciate and understand the immense intelligence of the living universe rather than point at a giant squid and say, "Hey! I have never seen one this big - KILL IT so we can show everyone else and increase our understanding of the oceanic depths!"

I am just critical of the seeming lack of humble and respectful investigation into the mystery all around us. It is as though part of us is a bunch of blokes just blundering through reality, usually tripping over new perspectives and understandings and acting surprised, like we had no idea there was something we hadn't figured out.

I look forward to the persevering integrity of the clear and respectful observer that seeks to understand out of an admiration and love for all things; this is what science truly aspires to be...

Week 12 - Vaccination & Public Health

1. Should parents take a more active role in designing their children's immunization schedule?
2. Would I support making vaccination programs 'compulsory'?

1.
I currently find myself sitting in the midst of a mild storm of crap-flinging with regards to vaccination. Among this chaotic conversation, there are certain patterns that I have parsed out that seem to indicate some sort of sense:

• combining vaccination technologies with toxic compounds (e.g. mercury, formaldehyde) is no longer practiced and reduces the concern for vaccination toxicity in general
  
• giving vaccines to infants and babies is highly suspect and irresponsible on the part of the health-care profession
• more legitimate and clear testing needs to be done on these substances/experimental 'medicines' before we inject them into underdeveloped and vulnerable human beings
• 
  

So in answer to the question: Yes. Parents need to invest as much energy and discerning thought into the investigation of the histories and safety of the vaccinations before making a choice and developing a personalized vaccination schedule. I do not think it responsible or careful or wise to simply write all vaccinations off, ever simply because one doesn't want to invest time into research and would rather not even consider the choice they are making.

Vaccinations are a community issue because viral illness affects the welfare of our larger social organism, but I believe that more than an experimental chemical warfare against viruses is necessary in combating illness/disease/unwanted death. This brings me to the very broad but very relevant topic of the need for us to shift our entire paradigmatic understanding of our bodies, health, wellness, lifestyle and our relationship with the natural harmonic patterns that surround us and directly affect our well-being.

The Vaccination Liberation website gives a lovely reminder of the broader equation of health;

L O V E
+ R E S T
+ EXERCISE
+ SANITATION
+ NUTRITION
+ HYGIENE
+ NO-VACCINES*
= HEALTH

This equation illustrates the fact that vaccinations are useless in the context of a healthy community; a community that is in harmony with itself and the reality is resides in. The only thing I would add to this equation is some sort of spiritual attuning practice, otherwise, the details lie within the basic concepts and the larger idea is that this issue is more about redefining ourselves and our well-being than whether or not we want to be using experimental chemicals on our children and ourselves.

Other good sites on this issue:

• Immunization Action Coalition
• PATH - Bringing immunization to the poor of the world
• National Network for Immunization Information
• Vaccination News

2.
Compulsory Vaccination Programs - Hello No.

Why not? Because they are experimental chemical warfare on viruses and we generally do not have enough of an understanding of both the viruses and the chemicals' effect on our sensitive systems to enforce the taking of these substances.

I would rather that they be used in emergency situations to prevent the further spread of out-breaks but in order to ensure true health, I feel that we should focus on educating ourselves about true nutrition, wellness, stress-reduction & lifestyle re-structuring towards the goal of greater personal empowerment and well-being.

I feel that there is a deeply-rooted mental disease and delusion about disease and death in our society/culture and we must first confront this and work on this if we are to ever truly experience wellness. Perhaps the reason we are susceptible to diseases is because we are complete out of alignment with the natural cycles of energy in our own bodies, our homes, our communities, our planets and our galaxy. We have cut ourselves off from the living flow of life-energy that moves through all things and in order to be healthy, we must reconnect to this flow - this includes:

• eating as locally grown, organic, whole-foods as possible
• eating seasonally and in accord with our own constitutions/body-needs
• re-aligning with our own bodies' intelligence and spiritual aspects through meditations, energy-healing/work, and signing/chanting/dancing
• re-committing ourselves to our families - our personal families, our local community families and global communities - not just human beings but all forms of living consciousness
• practicing gratitude daily
• remembering our heart and gut intelligences and harmonizing them with our mind intelligence
• confronting our fear of death and disease - realizing that these are natural manifestations and processes of life-energy that are necessary for harmonious flow, we will re-orient ourselves to these concepts/experiences and realize that there are more efficient and fulfilling ways to minimize their occurrence in the flow of our individual and collective experience

If we can do these things on a larger scale and within ourselves, then we will realize that developing a chemical poison to attack pathogenic/harmful energies - virus/bacteria/etc is actually a waste of energy and ultimately locks us in a loop of conflict, fear, and pain.

I would fight any attempt to enforce compulsory poisoning, especially regarding vaccinations. Let people decide what is best for them and I am sure it will work itself out - despite the many many mistakes we have and continue to make, everything seems to continue to unfold without any effort.... maybe we should effort less?

Week 11 - The Gates of Life

1. Global Food Crisis? What would I do?
2. Carbon Offsets? Effective or No?
3. Laughter as the best medicine?

1.
Were I given complete control over all resources and means to correct the disharmonies that are causing hunger in the world this is one thing I might do:
I would take almost all of the monies and resources and people and energy in general that is being directed toward murder/defense/terror/etc. and redirect it towards projects that would restore ecosystems and local food production around the world, especially urban centers in our own country where there are children starving for REAL FOOD and connection with the natural cycles of life. Providing people with the means to produce their own food by buying up land, providing the tools, seeds, education and any other needed support would restore people's sense of power, control, peace, nourishment and satisfaction. This is what happened in Cuba... as seen in the photo;


Just redirect the energy... use conscious, creative joyous energy to channel it rather than fear, hatred, and destructive misunderstanding.


2.
"Carbon Offsets" - "

Carbon offsetting as part of a "carbon neutral" lifestyle has gained some appeal and momentum mainly among consumers in western countries who have become aware and concerned about the potentially negative environmental effects of energy-intensive lifestyles and economies. The Kyoto Protocol has sanctioned offsets as a way for governments and private companies to earn carbon credits which can be traded on a marketplace. The protocol established the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which validates and measures projects to ensure they produce authentic benefits and are genuinely "additional" activities that would not otherwise have been undertaken. Organisations that have difficulty meeting their emissions quota are able to offset by buying CDM-approved Certified Emissions Reductions. The CDM encourages projects that involve, for example, sustainable power generation, changes in land use, and forestry, although not all trading countries allow their companies to buy all types of credit. (Wikipedia)

I honestly see this fabrication as a denial of the immediacy of the situation and an allowance of capitalistic consumerism to continue as usual. Reduce emissions do create a false relationship between a planted tree and the emissions generated by your coal plant or factory's chemical plumes....

I am refraining from intense vulgarities... but this whole idea is ridiculous. Somebody needs to buy some carbon offsets for the steam and natural gas rising from this pile of shit. Carbon offsets are bull.


3.
And so... we laugh, otherwise we would be holding in all the ridiculous distortions of energy we have learned to manifest. LAUGH or become a crippled being... laugh and be healed... be made whole and free and relaxed... let the energy flow through you.

I love laughter and I love the mystery of laughter... David Byrne of the Talking Heads once said, "The Universe has infinite jokes." This, to me, is yet another sign of the Universe's infinitely healing quality; there is an abundance of good and friendly qualities available to those who wish to enjoy them...

Laughter is the physical, psychic, and spiritual enjoyment of/release of any and all energies. If this isn't healing, then I don't know what else could be.

So laugh:

Orchid Time-Lapse

Orchid Time-Lapse HD from danLinfield on Vimeo.

Week 10 - Diversity of Life

1. How would you prioritize the reintroduction of the American Bison into its natural home?
2. How would you assess the "New pill promises to reduce breast cancer risk"?

1.
For me, this says it all (or most of it, anyway) :

"We recognize the bison is a symbol of our strength and unity, and that as we bring our herds back to health, we will also bring out people back to health." - Fred DuBray, Cheyenne River Sioux

For me, any return to a deeper respect and intimate relationship with of our animal ancestors would be tremendously healing, helpful, and empowering for the human beings. With this in mind, I believe that the returning of the Bison to their land and abundance is extremely important and relevant to our times and our needs.


2.
I am all for the improvement of health, freedom, body-wellness and healthy body-image. I am all for feeling good.

I am also highly suspect of ANYTHING that stops the monthly release of blood and energy that the female human body expresses. I realize that the effects of preventing the period may not be immediately or directly noticed but I would like this to stopping the release of urine or sweat, or any other substance naturally coming out of the body.

I would say that this is the MOST risky aspect of this proposed pharmaceutical chemical cocktail. Also, considering that we are finding contraceptive chemicals from the Pill and other pharmaceutical birth-control substances in our drinking water, I find it ironic to think that we would be flushing a new birth-control and anti-cancer chemical down the toilet while suffering from cancer potentially caused by, or connected with the drinking of toxic water. This new chemical - mifeopristone - is completely unknown to the human body or the natural world. How much are we going to test it? or how much has it been tested and the appropriate number of people educated about it that we can now release it publicly?? This article only offers "protective effect" and signs that the chemical, when put in contact with cancerous cells, appears to have "limited their growth". So, is this insurance enough that this pill I am going to ask you to take is safe? Are you convinced? I bet the lab rats who were given this drug aren't!

I love this woman's quotation, it reveals some amazing logic; Anna Glasier says, "The idea that not having a period is unnatural is not true. Years ago, women would be pregnant, or breastfeeding and died much earlier; we had far fewer periods."

WHAT? so what I am reading is: it isn't not natural to stop having a period indefinitely because of taking a foriegn chemical substance BECAUSE women of yore had fewer periods??

wait.

women had less periods in the past? really? because why?
because they were pregnant, breastfeeding or dying... riiiiiiiggggghhhhhhht...

Who are these people and what pill(s) are they on?

There are herbs that do the same thing aren't there? Contraception isn't some new modern wiz-technology... it's been around since before we can remember.


Here is an appropriate quotation:

"In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite." - Paul Dirac

A Documentary - Living At the End of An Empire

Week 9 - Ecosystems & Deep Ecology

1. the "Eight-point Deep Ecology Platform" - How do I think about it?
2. Explain why ecosystems are both "strong and fragile".
3. How would you assess the "end goals" of Social Ecology?

1.
I agree with the proposed ideas but upon discussing them with my friend, we both found number 5. to be particularly narrow in it's view of the possibilities of the situation. We both felt that these points are assuming a moral stance that is basically unnecessary - "Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs" - How can we say who has or does not have a right to be or do something? Perhaps it isn't about whether or not we have a right but more about how our interconnectedness and mutual engagement with our world and ourselves reflects our view of ourselves in the world. How we are in the world becomes how are world is for us.

Also troubling is the idea that human life is required to be reduced in order for non-human life to flourish. Couldn't we alter our way of being in the world to allow for us all to enjoy abundance and health? Yes, we need to alter our lifestyles on a massive scale but I question the idea that this change also includes a reduction in our numbers.

These ideas have come out of a very Christian, god-the-great-judge view of reality that almost wants to reverse upon itself and completely punish humanity for its path. This is based on guilt and shame and quickly becomes anger, frustration, and self-righteousness. I think that these ideas have since evolved into a more egalitarian, impartial, and open view of our situation. If not, then I would hope to see people critiquing these ideas.


2.
Eco-systems are both strong and fragile:
Strong:

• dynamic living meta-systems of micro-systems that can handle fluctuation and variation
• embedded in the natural world, which is self-sustaining and highly proficient in processing materials and various forms of energy

Fragile:

• dynamic and interconnected living system in which the damaging of one element can harm the well-being of the entire system
• passive and 'help-less' systems of living and non-living beings that cannot protect themselves from massive environmental changes brought on by human activity

3.
The end goals of social ecology (in my own conception/interpretation) :

• to realign the human being within its cosmological and environmental context such that it co-exists to generate harmonious relationship; to heal
  
• to navigate the human species and the living and non-living world through the extreme disruption and change caused by human presence within the Earth-Gaia system; to steward
• to re-educate and increase awareness of the human impact on surrounding living and non-living systems; to inform
  

This is my assessment and reinterpretation of the 'endgoals of deep ecology'.

Bioenergetics - Presentation of a New Paradigm

Please enjoy a PDF version my presentation. I gratefully share the information I have gathered in the hopes of opening further and more willing discussion of the potential development of human understanding of itself and nature/reality.

Bioenergetics - the Foundation and Structure of the Human Energy Field







Notes on our class-discussion:

• On the question of whether we should use science and technologies to confirm and 'prove' our intuitive, direct, and sensitive sensual experience -
• sometimes the sensitive individual requires the intellectual observations and collection of correspondences to make 'sense' of their insights and experience
• the same is true of the reverse - an intellectual needs the sensitive's direct experience to remain in touch with the living and changing reality/world/cosmos
• Can we become reliant on the science and technological tools so much so that we lose touch with our sensitivities?
• There always seem to be an endless variation in the subjective experiences and observations;
• i.e. the different ideas about the number of chakras, their exact location and the correspondences of color, sound, emotional qualities, organ-relationship

Week 8 Assignment - Cell Biology & HIV-AIDS

1. How do you feel about Western approaches to HIV/AIDS?
2. Can TCM strengthen our Immune systems?
3. What do you think of 'the deal that saved the whales'?

1.
Well, I am not really sure how to approach such a controversial and seemingly misunderstood illness. I am inclined to think that western medical and scientific approaches are trying to attack the virus (which, supposedly has never been isolated in a lab), and/or mechanically-chemically shut off the function of the infection/virus.

Whatever works. If something is working, then great. If something is not working or works just as well as a person changing their lifestyle, the relationship to themselves and their world, and the overall strength of their bodies, then why use it? Alternatives to chemical medicine appear to be cheaper than and just as effective in limiting the extent of the virus.

2.
I asked some questions on someone else's blog:

• Can the phagocytic rate really indicate an accurate measure of immune function? does a certain number of phagocytes equal a certain level of health?
• How is this determined? Through continued observation and correlation called 'science'? Haven't peoples all over the world been making careful observations for hundreds of thousands of years? What is wrong with their observations? They seem to have success with maintaining healthy immune systems...
  
• Is 'immune function' limited to the parts of the body we call the lymphatic and blood systems? what is the immune system and how do we measure it?

I think it is interesting that in TCM we ask the patient how they feel and look to the overt signs of health or illness in order to measure 'immune function' or 'health' or 'illness' rather than rely on tests of the blood and urine and other body fluids. Does allopathic medicine really understand what healthy levels of minerals and compounds in the blood are? Is there a direct relationship between the blood and a overall health of the body? Can blood tell us the health of the immune system? the liver? the heart? the kidneys? etc. or can they only tell us how far off the standard we are?

I think that TCM, in it's root form, as an intuitive and direct-observational medicine/art is capable of assisting people in experiencing their ideal state of wellness.

I am becoming less certain of what 'health' is and less interested in specific details that allopathic medicine focuses so much on. I want to feel good and I want others to feel good too. I don't need to know what levels of phagocyte are in the blood to know how I feel.

Keep the qi flowing and eat well and eat happily... that is all that is required for me to continue.

Think about this: illness is not the cause of death; simply because you have illness at the time of death does not mean that the illness caused the death. Birth causes death more than illness does...

3.
Save everything from capitalistic globalized greed. Save ourselves... save the whales, the fish, the sand, the waters, the trees.... all of it. I love seeing that people are realizing their true relationship to one another and the space and place we live in, on and from. Greed only begets more greed, anger, resentment, isolation, and illness. Who wants any of that?

The Cosmic Serpent - Interview with Jeremy Narby on the Inborn Intelligence of Nature

Jeremy Narby wrote the Cosmic Serpent - a story of his awakening to the understanding and respect for the inborn intelligence of the natural world through experiences in the Amazon with ayahuasca-drinking shamans.

Enjoy his very interesting observations and discoveries in this article online.

Gene that Blocks HIV Found

In recent news: researchers discover a gene that blocks HIV infection in a cell culture.

The spread of the HIV is blocked, thus rendering it ineffective and seemingly harmless. Will it work in human bodies? We shall see...

and in other news...

the sky is spinning -

The Human Energy Field - Precursory Conversations

I post this video to offer a taste of the information I will be presenting on March 3 - to prepare your digestion of information and to open the discussion and parameters of this very large and dynamic topic - 'the Human Energy Structure' or 'BioEnergetics'. I do not agree with everything this fellow says but the content he shares is very intriguing and of a more philosophical quality that is easier to entertain or 'taste'.



(please note that this is video 3 of a three part series)

The Myth of AIDS

Relevant to our discussion of the HIV and AIDS:

Week 7 Inquiries - Cell Biology & Cancer Growth

1. How sophisticated is our understanding of cancers?
2. How does TCM approach cancer differently?
3. Are our genes still being shaped by natural selection?

1.
Our understanding of cancer and cell-growth aabnormalities appears to be EXTENSIVE. Just look at wikipedia's page on cancer. which is just a page in a grouping of pathologies that include tumors, neoplasia (synonymous with tumor), and oncology. We have a highly specific understanding of the the various forms of cell abnormality and all sorts of treatments yet I would bet that the fear of cancer is extremely high on people's list. What does not seem to be extensively or clearly understood is the cause(s) of cancer in the human body - the reason(s) why the human body would manifest such self-destructive tissue. Modern scientific medicine also fails to be able to treat cancer without destroying the immune and nervous systems of the afflicted persons. There is a gap between understanding the nature of the cancer cells themselves and the best way to heal the body that is manifesting such dis-ease.


2.
In my searching online for a comprehensive view of Cancer within the Traditional Chinese Medical View, I discovered on description that seems appropriate and accurate:

"The traditional Chinese treatment of cancer is based on the principle of Fu Zheng Gu Ben. "Fu Zheng" means strengthening what is correct. "Gu Ben" means regeneration and repair.

We also believe that every disease, including cancer, must have at least two causes. One cause may place stress upon the cells, another may cause a weakness in the body's defense. Other causes, such as the emotional environment and congenital susceptibility can also play a part.

Treating cancer with Chinese herbs requires diagnosing the probable causes of the cancer, then choosing the correct course of treatment. Diagnosis is made according to the four examinations. The aim of treatment is to harmonize the patient as well as it is to attack cancerous cells."

Within the Chinese Medical Field, there also appears to be a widespread acknowledgment that herbs can treat cancer effectively and safely, that is, without destroying the patient. Here are some links and articles that reflect this:

• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/14997.php
• http://www.drshen.com/chineseherbsforcancer.htm
• http://www.alternativemedicinechannel.com/cancer/tcm.shtml

These sources offer the history of TCM as a sort of resumé, making it appear more worthy of serious consideration as an effective treatment method for cancers. Many herbs and various treatments have been shown to be effective and yet there are still articles like the alternativemedicinechannel.com site that denies the efficacy of TCM in the treatment of cancer. Why would they do such a thing? This is what they say with regards to TCM and Cancer:

"TCM plays an auxiliary role in cancer treatment. It treats side effects of conventional therapies, helps control pain, and helps keep the immune system strong."

At best, it is an auxiliary treatment. This seems to be rooted in a deep distrust of alternative medicines, even those founded on thousands of years of research, practice, and proven efficacy. Yet they do have a point - TCM does not cut out or poison the cancer cells and the body around it with the same intensity and aggression that Allopathic Medicine (western-modern) does. This is true and it is one of the virtues of TCM - it is a natural-based system of medicine that works with the pace of the body. The cancer cells didn't pop up overnight (or did they) and perhaps they should be removed, when it is safe to do so, in a less intense speed and with less damage done to the human we seem so concerned about.

TCM will prove itself without effort. It already has and will without concern.


3.
Every time a new human being is born, their genes are selectively chosen to manifest in a certain way. So yes, our genetic material is still evolving. Why would it stop? We are not in some special time or place that would cause genetic material to stop in it's seemingly endless process of replication and transformation. Our diets can turn DNA on and off and our diets have changed DRAMATICALLY in the last 100 years. We are beginning to see all sorts of new disorders and diseases that are SELECTING genetic material in the sense that some people are being born with psychological susceptibility or sensitivity that changes the way they interact with the world. This is natural selection is it not?

Week Six Inquiries - The Nature of Life

1. How do you distinguish between living and nonliving systems?
2. What do you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps?
3. "Chinese Medicine Gaining Respectability in West"?

1.
Living and non-living systems; with more recent discoveries and understandings of the nature of reality through biology, quantum physics, cognitive science, and mathematics, it has become increasingly clear to me that there is really no such thing as a non-living system. This belief/scientific hypothesis also matches my personal experience of reality. Basically, to describe a system as 'non-living' is to describe its relative non-activity or lack of energetic potential, while a 'living system' is one that contains some movement and action of energetic potential;

"An autopoietic machine is a machine organized (defined as a unity) as a network of processes of production (transformation and destruction) of components which: (i) through their interactions and transformations continuously regenerate and realize the network of processes (relations) that produced them; and (ii) constitute it (the machine) as a concrete unity in space in which they (the components) exist by specifying the topological domain of its realization as such a network." (Maturana, Varela, 1980, p. 78)

Due to the fact that everything is made up of energy, everything is active and carries the potential to organize and/or affect or be taken up into another network of energetic process(es). Consciousness, due to its being a form of energy and an every-present aspect of reality, whenever injected into the equation generates the necessary components needed to have a 'living system'.

Everything is alive in the sense that it is all capable of interaction and of carrying information into and through a process of transformation from one state to another.

2.
What is significant in the human observation of the use of language and tools by other primates (and animals in general) is the awakening of connection, empathy, and modesty on the part of human beings. Western religion and philosophical tradition has developed and progressed through our culture in such a way as to allow us an unabashed arrogance such that we allowed ourselves to separate from the Natural world and the Universe (and our full selves). I believe we are returning to an experience of deep union with ourselves and the natural world/universe. Articles and observations of the human 'realization' of communication and intelligence among other animals, plants, elements and energies is simply the observation of this return.

The Zhouyi - Yijing puts it this way:

FU::RETURN:: Supreme Blessing : the coming and going (cyclic return) : Friends come : nothing inauspicious : Following One's Dao : favorable for going forward -
Fu-Return is the guaranteed return of Spring after Winter and the light of sunrise (yang) after the darkness (yin) of night. Recognizing and following these circular patterns we experience the ease of a smooth and harmonious life. Short term plans succeed in the context of broad view. Things are turning for the better. Routine work comes to fruition. It is favorable to have a clear goal before setting out.

Good for remarriage, retirement, routine travel, vacations, and reunions.
Bad being innovative, ambitious and pressing ahead.

Comment: According to Fu, human happiness is easily found close to home (family & friends) in the simple, small, ordinary tasks of life. The great wisdom of life is found in the plain & routine details of everyday life. If we observe the natural cycle of things, like the seasons of the year, we can be calm and clear. With clarity and equanimity we can see that things naturally go up and down, back and forth - change by themselves. All journeys are circles within circles.

Business: Long-term investments, new businesses, review of business plans

Changing Line two: Return Contented. Auspicious. - Good fortune arises from a careful and timely return. As you advance you adjust your strategy, keeping the goal of return in mind. With this broad, but cautious view, you make satisfactory progress.

Changing Line six: Reversal. Disastrous. Battles lost. Princes dethroned. No recovery for ten years. - Return, in this case, is a complete reversal. From time to time, even great and established structures are naturally upended. Stability is destroyed. In this case, everything is lost. There is humiliation and confusion because you hang on too long to a situation (or relationship) that has ended (dead). Recovery will take a very long time.
(as taken from Liu Ming's translation)

3.
And we flow from the image of Return to discuss the same pattern on the subject of the influence and expansion of Chinese (and all 'Alternative'/Traditional/Eastern Medicines) through the Western cultural-infrastructures...

Just think how amazing it is that we are studying this knowledge and cultivating this wisdom in the United States after such a short time of it's introduction - less than 100 years. Just stop and think about how amazing it is to be studying a deeply rooted knowledge of the human body and its energy systems in a culture that is still unsure of its capacity to provide health-care for itself, to even care for itself.

There is no doubt in my mind that respect is and will continue to grow for the so-called 'alternative' healing traditions and their deep wisdom. my confidence comes from simply observing the truth of the medicine and the way in which it views, interacts with, and transforms the human body-mind.

Articles like the one's we see in the newspapers are little radar blips of the deep mycelial-movements of this knowledge. Just as the wisdom of the interconnections arose from the Taoist insights of 2000 years ago, it rises again; in the image of the mushroom - the mycelial matrix of fungal cells expands quietly underneath the top-soil, below the general awareness and then when the conditions are ripe, the mushrooms explode, quite literally, out from seemingly nowhere and reveal the power and intelligence of this amazing system of individual fungal cells.

Chinese medicine and other healing modalities act in this way. Just watch...

Week Five Discussion

1. Can diversification save species?
2. Do you vote for the chicken or the egg?
3. "I always eat my broccoli."

1. Of course diversification is a more sustainable and extinction-preventative way of being than singular and unilaterally focussed strategies like mono-cropping. I don't know what else to say really. Just look at fungi - while this isn't a directly correlating example, it illustrates an multidimensional approach that protects against failure. Fungi spread themselves throughout the ecosystems, hybridizing and joining forces with other organisms; if a section of their mycelial matrix is attacked, they have a billion super-fine cells all interlaced over massive areas to prevent total and complete vulnerability by putting all their eggs in one basket. Diversification in ANY context seems like a way to expand outward and create a multi-armed prevention of any possibility of situations that arise to contend with the normalcy and coherency of the 'thing being protected or maintained'. If we were to diversify our diets, diversify our crops and diversify our stocks, we would find ourselves less concerned about the coming and going of one of our many 'eggs' in our lovely baskets. Maybe we could then focus our creative energies towards productive and generative activities like developing new strains and species through breeding rather than investing so much energy in freaking out about losing the one and only kind of egg we have.

2. Maybe the problem with the chicken or the egg question lies in the question???
Has anyone considered asking what this question really aims to answer? Brian seemed to bring this up in class and I would like to explore it further -

What came first? The fully formed chicken or the seed of this form, the egg?
Spoken in a different way: What came first? the idea or the dream of the idea?

Which came first? Yin or Yang?
Which came first? Emptiness or Infinite Form?

The answer is found only in a enormous laugh!

3. As for eating greens, especially broccoli, I find this article and the discussion it prompts to be yet another laughable distraction from common-sense - ie. why do we need to dissect the broccoli to discover that it can prevent illness? We know it is healthy for us? Why do we need reasons further than the simple deliciousness, beautiful emerald flowerettes, and unending flavor possibilities of this and any other foods?

This study reminds me of science projects in which the student goes about testing something they already know the answer to - like, "Does the Sun rise every day?" and undoubtedly, they discover that it does... only to realize (or not) that they wasted their time NOT investigating deep and meaningful questions about reality and instead chose to be safe and answer a question they already knew they could prove.

4. Fritjof Capra - Is this guy on it or what?

Our new understandings of the fundamental unity of Nature and the new paradigm of consciousness as the basis for matter and all reality is changing "the way we relate to each other and to our living natural environment, the way we deal with our health, the way we perceive our business organizations, our educational systems, and many other social and political institutions. In particular, the new vision of life will help us build and nurture sustainable communities - the great challenge of our time - because it will help us understand how nature's communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms - the ecosystems - have organized themselves so as so maximize their ecological sustainability. We have much to learn from this wisdom of nature, and to do so we need to become ecologically literate."

"...the network is a pattern that is common to all life." - Reality is a infinitely potentiated space of multi-dimensional networks that interrelate and interreflect one another. Everything is connected to everything else. As my Aunt likes to say, "It's all connected." Well, it literally is yet simply knowing this as a concept is much different than actually living in a way and being in a way that reflects this understanding. It is going to take some time before we see this way of thinking grossly manifest in the ways of being throughout our conventional and shared reality. That is why patience is such a valuable way of being - it allows a human consciousness to remain still and unified without becoming disturbed by the apparent process of unfolding of each idea and each reality. Flowers take time to become flowers from a seed - this is a mysterious thing - SPACE-TIME-MIND

"In this new view, cognition involves the entire process of life - including perception, emotion, and behavior - and does not necessarily require a brain and a nervous system."

5. Moose World - I love how wonderfully inspired people can be by anything. what is there to learn about moose that can enrich my daily experience of life and its beauty? Well after looking at some photographs I can honestly express my deep respect and honor felt for the moose and their power and amazing presence. Even from photographs I get a sense of their amazing spirit! Wow.

The Immunse System and a New Theory of Cognition

In Fritjof Capra's essay on the Immune System's intelligence, he notes the web-like spreading of the immune system throughout our body:

"Instead of being concentrated and interconnected through anatomical structures like the nervous system, the immune system is dispersed in the lymph fluid, permeating every single tissue. Its components - a class of cells called lymphocytes, popularly known as white blood cells - move around very rapidly and bind chemically to each other. The lymphocytes are an extremely diverse group of cells. Each type is distinguished by specific molecular markers, called "antibodies", sticking out from their surfaces. The human body contains billions of different types of white blood cell, with an enormous ability to bind chemically to any molecular profile in their environment. According to traditional immunology, the lymphocytes identify an intruding agent, the antibodies attach themselves to it and, by doing so, neutralize it.

Recent research has shown that under normal conditions the antibodies circulating in the body bind to many (if not all) types of cell, including themselves. The entire system looks much more like a net- work, more like people talking to each other, than soldiers looking out for an enemy. Gradually, immunologists have been forced to shift their perception from an immune system to an immune network." (Capra)

This reminds me very powerfully of the way in which the fungi spread themselves throughout the ecosystems in which they take root. Stamets describes this complex spread as such, "Covering most all landmasses on the planet are huge masses of fine filaments of living cells from a kingdom barely explored. More than 8 miles of these cells, called mycelia, can permeate a cubic inch of soil. Fungal mats are now known as the largest biological entities on the planet, with some individuals covering more than 20,000 acres." (Stamets) Not only is this simply an amazing interconnected web of living micro-filament, Stamets describes this as the "essential wiring of the Gaian Consciousness".

Something I have noticed in my experience and observations of reality is a pattern of fractalized pattern. "As above, so below," is the basic idea but this concept appears throughout science, mathematics, and everywhere in nature. Try checking out the Fibonacci sequence:

Week Four Inquiries

Questions?

• Is there a drug around for just about everything?
• Can we raise our levels of dopamine ourselves?
• How do you think chimps and humans diverged as species?

a) There surely appears to be an effort by the pharmaceutical companies to manufacture a drug for every unsightly, unwanted, or inconvenient physical and psychological manifestation. Often times the disease isn't really a disease but rather a physical expression of stress - a release of energy (flowing of Qi) such as in the case of 'restless leg syndrome'.
Upon performing a Google search of 'restless leg syndrome', I came across this thread of people discussing various exercises, supplements, dietary changes, and drugs that have helped reduce symptoms or eliminate the restless leg. The search also pulled up hundreds of advertisements for drugs and methods such as "The Cure" and "All Calm". In TCM, there is a clear connection between muscle spasms and Liver Blood deficiency. This could be treated in a variety of ways in TCM without the use of pharmaceutical chemicals. I find the resistance to the simple and holistic approach offered by TCM to be almost completely based in ignorance. There aren't commercials selling acupuncture on television like there are for drugs to cure RLS. If, there were, we might see a flood of people rushing to Eastern and Alternative medical doctors.

b) We can alter our chemistry and we have a much more powerful effect on ourselves than we realize. In one person's explanation of placebo, they emphasize the archetype of the 'doctor' as being a contributing factor:

"The placebo effect illustrates the effectiveness of the physician's role in 'healing' a patient. Past research show that a patient's high opinion of the physician prescribing the treatment as well as the doctor's personality can invoke the placebo effect. Furthermore, research has shown that an amiable doctor with a positive outlook of a drug treatment would induce the placebo effect.

The power of the placebo is more readily explained as a function of the individual because the placebo effect can rely on the amount of faith an individual has for a given treatment. One suggestion is that placebo effects may be due to anxiety reduction. Stress and anxiety adversely affect the body and increase an individual's focus on symptoms. A decrease in the body's stress and anxiety level by a well-known doctor alleviates the patient's worry and pain leading to a 'curing' of the symptoms. It has been shown that placebos may be more effective among highly anxious people because the adverse effects interact with the physiological processing. There is evidence that there might be an alteration in the body's endogenous opioid release. Pain relief in patients provided via placebo, may be caused by a release of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are the body's own morphine-like painkillers. Within the nervous system, there are specific pathways that modulate pain when stimulated by these endorphins. As a patient anticipates symptom relief, the expectation of receiving an active substance, alone, may be activating the pain pathway thereby reducing symptoms. The presence of a substance probably activates the pain-inhibition because unaware of the treatment group, the patient is led to believe that they have received an active substance." (1)

Ultimately I feel that this all boils down to our own capacity to directly affect the quantum reality surrounding and swimming within us through conscious or unconscious intention and emotional energy. Most people have yet to realize that they generate a series of electromagnetic fields around them which have direct effects on the atoms that make us up and move around us. See the film 'What the *&$@# Do We Know?' for a detailed explanation. There are many explanations and scientific studies that support this view. It is only a matter of time before it trickles through the collective mind.




c) How do I think Humans and Chimp diverged? Slowly and over mind-distortingly long periods of time, such that it makes the time that we have been assuming ourselves as the supreme authority over all of Creation a complete blip in the greater dream of it all.

I think that the process took much longer than we can truly understand and that there was a lot of experimentation, dead-ends, and unexpected leaps in genetic expression. It is a miracle that this process exists at all. Why is there even an argument about whether or not evolution is a valid explanation for how we came to be? It is so beyond understanding and beauty that it can still be considered of 'divine will' or whatever people are choosing to defend.

We are animals that have slowly arrived at a state of such high vibration and frequency that we are about to invert on ourselves in self-reflection and ever-new expansion.

Week Three Assignments

1. Genetic similarities between the humans and the chimpanzees; I find this to be ultimately irrelevant to what comes down to the fact that we are so interconnected with the Earth and the rest of life around us that is becomes a waste of energy and an avoidance of intimate and deep connection by searching for statistical and measurable reasons for this inherent connection.

2. The Cell Quiz (see previous posting)

3. Human Genetic Evolution -
I find the article on spontaneous generation to be extremely fascinating:

From the time of the ancient Romans, through the Middle Ages, and until the late nineteenth century, it was generally accepted that some life forms arose spontaneously from non-living matter. Such "spontaneous generation" appeared to occur primarily in decaying matter. For example, a seventeenth century recipe for the spontaneous production of mice required placing sweaty underwear and husks of wheat in an open-mouthed jar, then waiting for about 21 days, during which time it was alleged that the sweat from the underwear would penetrate the husks of wheat, changing them into mice. Although such a concept may seem laughable today, it is consistent with the other widely held cultural and religious beliefs of the time. (1)

How wonderful to see the pre-scientific methods at work!

I also find it fascinating that we have developed ways of thinking and problem solving that allow us a seemingly more accurate view of the world. Interestingly beyond this, we still hold onto certain ideas and views of the world unless we are given a certain kind of evidence of anything different. It is as though we require encouragement and permission to refresh our world-view and fit it into the ever-evolving world. We require authority and proof from outside of ourselves to validate ideas of ourself and our world.
With so much information moving so quickly at this time, we can gain access to a very rapidly evolving world-view by taking in new information, checking it with the old information and then synthesizing an entirely or subtly new world-view.

Another question that comes to mind with regards to evolution is: how are we continuing to evolve? What is the impulse, the drive, the stressor that is pulling us into the future of ourselves?

On the Topic of Food

"Folks like Chris Kilham, aka “The Medicine Hunter” (profiled in the NY Times ) who have studied with many indigenous cultures are setting the tone for a resurgence of wild food, permaculture and the healing power of plants. Americans are crippled with drug dependencies from the fervently prescribed antibiotics for viral infections (virus are not bacteria) to seriously strong antidepressants and anti-psychotic prescriptions for mild episodes of depression and anxiety. The endless pursuit of youth sends men to Viagra and steroids and women to diet pills and Botox. All the while, food is the last consideration for many. Blaming things like higher price of organics, or unpalatable taste of vegetables, the time it takes to prepare a healthy meal compared to the 60 second microwaveable (un)conventional ersatz nutrition, Americans get sicker and wonder why. Our faint relationship with where our food actually comes – and why – has displaced a nation.

Mono cropping, the most prominent American farming method is rife with challenges that largely outweigh the benefits: pressure on the soil razes the land, non-cyclical crop rotation harbors more insects and pest, uses more resources, and produces nutritionally inferior food because the soil is too taxed, losing its mineral content.

Farmers face another devastating challenge – the threat of genetically modified (GM) seeds unintentionally pollinating their crops. We know little about the long-term effects of GM food on the body – or our ecosystems. We do know the effects on the bank accounts of companies like Monsanto. Creation of “terminator” seeds force farmers into a continual dependence on a corporate-run seed bank to do what nature has been doing forever. In her documentary The Future of Food, Debra Koons Garcia details the genetically modified (GM) food “business” and what’s left of the North American farmer. GeneWatch.org estimates that there are over 30 million acres of GM crops in the U.S. alone – almost ten percent of our total crop land (primarily soy, corn, canola and cotton) endangering farmers like Percy Schmeiser (he's Canadian) who are being sued for the inevitable effects of cross-pollination from crops like the Monsanto RoundUp Ready canola, which found its way into Schmeiser’s fields and forced him into a losing legal tangle with Monsanto, having to pay them for seeds he never wanted in the first place."

(this has been quoted from an article on Reality Sandwich)

Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, & Viruses Quiz

Question 1: Viruses are not alive. They require a host cell in order to activate their genetic material.
Question 2: The Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum is mainly involved in the production proteins
Question 3: Golgi Apparatus is NOT involved in transport & signaling... trying again - they are processors of the proteins produced by the RER
Question 4: Correct...
Question 5: Correct...
Question 6: Correct...

Humans are Animals? Uh oh!

Last year, an article in the Guardian focussed on the genetics discovery that humans and chimpanzees are 99.4% genetically identical in the most 'critical DNA sites'.

Interestingly, when we humans first classified chimpanzees in 1775, we classified them under the same genus as ourselves - Homo. It appears as though we decided to arbitrarily separate ourselves from our chimp cousins and created the genus "Pan" in 1816 to place the chimpanzee species under.

Through genetic science-technologies, we have been able to redetermine our closeness to our animal relatives, forcing us to acknowledge our own animal nature and to raise our respect for and the rights of the chimpanzees. We are now considering bringing the chimpanzees back into the Homo genus.

I feel that this is only appropriate, especially if it is genetically accurate. I am of the spirit of the Native American people's belief that we are ALL relatives and should treat all our relations with love, respect, and compassion. This includes plants and trees, the Earth itself, and of course all creatures. Why we would presume to be distinct and separate is really only a phase of our development as beings. I feel that we are growing out of this and 'scientific' discoveries such as these are only reflections of our own return to the Circle of Life. The only question I have remaining is, how much will the Human race have to change before it can live peacefully with itself and the rest of the Planet and Cosmos?

Science Effecting Our Culture?

How does science affect our culture?

In this country, I feel that science has become an authority-holding machine for technological and political abuse upon the masses of increasingly less educated American people. Simultaneously, science is an art of methodical, careful observation and inquiry that lies within each and everyone of us, guiding us towards greater understanding of ourselves and our realities in the light of accurate and elegant truth.

I see science as a manic young adult, unable to center itself around a consistent set of codes and values. I feel that this may have a lot to do with the socio-economic system that we have created modern day, western science through and into; we have created a profit-driven, compete-or-die environment that encourages science without moral or ethical considerations. For example, in the case of 'pharming' genetically modified plants for the purpose of saving lives and helping poorer countries, while an apparently altruistic and well-intentioned investigation and technological solution, has serious implications with very seriously harmful effects on the future of our food supply and our own genetic material.

In the article Down on the Pharm, in the Guardian earlier this year, the science journal Nature Biotechnology offers it's observations of the trend made by scienctists with regards to genetically modified plants/foods, sayng, "It seems an industry in which the PhD is the intellectual norm is either incapable of learning a simple lesson from the past or cannot bring itself to act appropriately, despite what it has learned previously ... This position is not anti GM - we should be concerned about the presence of a potentially toxic substance in food plants. After all, is this really so different from a conventional [drugs] manufacturer packaging its pills in candy wrappers?"

This is exactly my concern, that the genetic material that was not intended for and was not tested for in human organisms or other living organisms, would inadvertently end up in places where it should not or was not expected to be. I feel that it is a struggled enough to seek out food that is not tainted with petrochemical pollution let alone food that has genetic-pollution! The risk of contamination is way too high and scientists have for too much power to be so arrogant as to equate proteins in genetically engineered food-products to that of proteins produced by own own bodies; Professor Julian Ma, the leading researcher in a genetic engineering project in south London that is attempting to engineer tobacco plants to produce a protein that is useful in making a cheaper version of an antiviral drug, displaying wonderful ignorance or arrogance or both, stating, "The advantages they [Genetically Engineered Plants] offer simply cannot be equaled by any other system. They provide the most promising opportunity open to us to supply low-cost drugs and vaccines to the developing world."

Interestingly, the article states that the same protein Ma is trying to engineer tobacco to generate, is already produced by algae. Algae is an extremely fast-growing, high-protein, high-nutrition, and water-cleaning living-food source that is very easy to grow. Here is a list of the potential uses of algae as taken from Wikipedia:

• fertilizer
• energy source
• pollution control
• nutrition
• bio-fuel - a much more viable source than any other veggie-fuel
  
• other uses, i.e. - green pigment, food stabilizer (carrageen), sewage treatment

I wonder why researchers like Ma, who are apparently so concerned with helping developing nations are not developing ways for them to produce massive amounts of algae for water-sewage treatment and nutritional resource?

I see Ma's assumption of his extremely detailed, specialized, and expensive science as extreme arrogance that is fueling ignorance of the simpler and already nature-based solutions available. Science influences our culture in many ways, often from an ivory tower. It is only when more people from all areas of society begin to engage in the scientific conversations and research that we can ensure a more coherent and integrated conversation, that balances the influence of profit and tenure-driven science.

Human Energy Structure

"With progress in modern science, we are becoming more and more aware that the human organism is not just a physical structure made up of molecules, that we are electrochemical and electromagnetic beings." (Human Energy Systems, Jack Schwarz, 1980)

One of the articles disucssed in class this week concerned itself with the growing awareness of the detrimental and harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation from electronic devices/machines. They call the continously growing quantity of electromagnetic radiation - "electronic smog", saying that it is the cause or at least partial contributor to such illnesses as influenza, asthma, and other respiratory diseases.

In alternative healing practices and in many Eastern medical understandings, the human organism is not simply dense material that can be mechanically manipulated/affected, rather it is a highly sensitive vibrational field of various energies ranging from extremely subtle to materially dense.

One energy worker, Jack Schwarz, who is described as: Jack Schwarz, pioneer in the holistic health field-educator, philosopher, N.D., author, minister, and humanitarian ... He was known as a Western Yogi for his self-regulation abilities (biofeedback and voluntary controls), active meditation techniques, human energy fields abilities (aura and rays), human energy centers abilities (chakras), optimal and alternative health (medicine), teaching of the importance of energy and radiance, spirit, mind, brain, and body studies, healing, and humanistic psychology (Aletheia Foundation), describes the human energy structure more than thirty years ago. Such 'alternative' understandings of the human organism are only now just beginning to make their way into the mainstream understanding.

It is my great desire to assist in the unfolding of this knowledge to the world by studying it, practicing it, and eventually teaching it to those around me.

Taking the concept presented in the article further, with an explanation from Jack Schwarz about quality/aspect of the human organism to be capable of attracting energies to itself through what Schwarz calls the 'paramagnetic fields', I want to ask the questions, are we disrupting our ability to attract nourishment from the Earth and Cosmos by filling our environments with 'electronic smog'?

"In energy fields, when we go beyond the atomic level, we get to the electromagnetic level. Beyond that is the paramagnetic, which is different from the Earth magnetism, where we see that positive attracts negative, that is, that opposites attract. Rather, in paramagnetic fields, like attracts like, so that if we radiate out a certain frequency of energy with a certain amplitude, this will attract energy of the same frequency and amplitude. If we are radiating energy from our bodies, we thereby attract from the environment an equal particle of the same frequency and same amplitude." (Human Energy Systems, Schwarz, 1980)

Gratefully, we have scientists and doctors doing research into these areas and I hope to contribute to this level and area of medicine as best I can.

Bio - Introduction

ALOHA!

I am Michael E. Brown, a creative healer and student of medicine, Truth, and Love.

This blog is and will become the archive of my intellectual meanderings through the study of Biology in a basic integrative science course at Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College of Berkeley.

I am very excited to make use of the blog technology as a format and tool for the sharing of knowledge. I have some experience with web-design, and blogging that you might enjoy perusing.

May you enjoy this unfolding more than I do.