View allAll Photos Tagged Rheumatoid
Some of the common names for the plant, such as cure-all or fever plant, allude to these holistic properties. These days, it's most commonly seen as an herbal supplement or oil and used for skin disorders, as well as pain issues related to diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis
A beautiful and fregnent bush. I love the shape of the flowers :-). Number 316 in the "One of a kind" flower images project.
Star Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides, is a nutrient-dense herb beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis, sore throats, various boils and abscesses.
Renoir kaufte das Grundstück mit den 1000-jährigen Olivenbäumen, als er hörte, dass sie einem anderen Vorhaben zum Opfer fallen würden, und weil er sich in die Domaine verliebt hatte.
Das Musée Renoir (Renoir Museum) in Cagnes-sur-Mer und Le Jardin du musée Renoir – Domaine des Collettes ist dem Maler des Impressionismus Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) gewidmet. Es liegt inmitten eines wunderschönen Anwesens mit Oliven- und Zitrusbäumen und bietet einen herrlichen Blick bis zum Cap d’Antibes.
Nachdem Auguste Renoir 1903 Cagnes-sur-Mer entdeckt hatte, kaufte er am 28. Juni 1907 das drei Hektar große Anwesen „Domaine des Collettes“. Das Klima kam ihm entgegen, das Licht und die Landschaft überwältigten ihn und gaben ihm die Möglichkeit, die schillernden Farben der Olivenbäume, der Blumen und der Früchte seines Anwesens, auf die Leinwand zu bringen.
Renoir hätte gerne in dem alten rustikalen Bauernhaus gewohnt (heute Sitz der Association des Amis du Musée Renoir), aber da Madame Renoir sich ein geräumigeres Haus wünschte, ließ er 1908 von dem Architekten Jules Febvre aus Nizza ein Haus im neo-provenzalischen Stil mit zwei Künstlerateliers bauen. Im Herbst 1908 zog er dort ein und lebte mit seiner Frau Aline und den drei Kindern Pierre, Jean und Claude bis zu seinem Tod am 3. Dezember 1919 im Alter von 78 Jahren.
In Cagnes-sur-Mer kam Renoir auch zum ersten Mal mit der Bildhauerei in Berührung. Da Renoir aufgrund einer Krankheit (rheumatoide Arthritis) seine Hände nicht mehr frei gebrauchen konnte, wandte er sich an einen jungen Maillol-Schüler, Richard Guino, der Renoirs bildhauerische Ideen aufnahm und bei deren Umsetzung half.
Das Renoir-Museum beherbergt 14 seiner Gemälde, 40 Skulpturen, zeitgenössische Möbel, Renoirs Atelier und persönliche Gegenstände. Im dazugehörigen Garten, dem Jardin de la Domaine des Collettes, steht die Bronzeskulptur Vénus Victrix (1916). Sie wurde 2022 restauriert.
Vielleicht werde ich das Eine oder Andere noch zeigen ...
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against arthritis
against rheumatism
apothecaries
arthritis sufferers
blacksmiths
druggists
equestrians
fishermen
furriers
horsemen
knights
laborers
lost souls
oyster fishers
pharmacists
pilgrims
rheumatoid sufferers
riders
soldiers
Spanish conquistadors
tanners
veterinarians
woodcarvers
Chile
Guatemala
Mexico
Nicaragua
Spain
some places of the Philippines and Mexico
Bangued, Philippines, diocese of
Seattle, Washington, archdiocese of
Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Montreal, Canada
Santiago de Guayaquil, Ecuador
Hettstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Antigua, Guatemala
in Italy
Alpignano
Altopascio
Banchette
Beinasco
Brentino Belluno
Brandizzo
Caltagirone
Cassine
Cicala
Comitini
Gavi
Pistoia
Reggello
Rivarolo Canavese
Sahuayo, Mexico
Urra, Portugal
Loiza, Puerto Rico
Compostela, Spain
Galicia, Spain
Acoma Pueblo
Jemez Indian Pueblo
Tesuque Indian Pueblo
For me it's just not Autumn without a lovely afternoon with the Wood Ducks at Mud Lake. Last Sunday was that day!
Personal health update:
Some of you may recall that about 18 months ago I very reluctantly stopped doing wildlife photography because spending time outside at places like Mud Lake triggered bad allergies which then repeatedly triggered my rheumatoid arthritis which had become quite severe and debilitating.
Since then I got a new rheumatologist who put me on a new medication and stressed that I had to carefully avoid all triggers including pets, pollen and other common allergens and physical over-exertion. I have been a good patient all these months and the great news is that I am now able to get back to doing a bit of outdoor wildlife photography as long as I don't overdo it. Thanks for your concern and support.
Flash back: here's a photo of me and my new camera 18 months ago after selling off all my wildlife photography gear: www.flickr.com/photos/rudypohl/33606293333/in/dateposted/
www.youtube.com/@Rudy.Pohl.Ottawa
Personal Update:
Greetings from Ottawa and I hope everyone is doing well out there in photoland. Because I haven't posted any images here for several weeks now some folks have sent me emails asking if I'm OK and are concerned that I've been sidelined by my rheumatoid arthritis once again.
I'm happy to report that I'm totally fine and my health is great. In fact I'm feeling better and stronger than I have in years. I've also been getting out in the field doing wildlife photography quite regularly and enjoying myself to the max.
The reason I have not been posting here is that I just felt I needed to step back and take a break for a while from publicly sharing my images and commenting on other people's images. I'm "going dark" for a while as the CIA would say. Thanks so much for your concern and stay well.
Rudy
I'm showing my classical literature upbringing :-)
Update if interested:
I've seen some specialists (have another to see this week) and it's good news/bad news. Good new: the problems and pain don't require surgery ... but, bad news, they stem from my rheumatoid arthritis so not a lot can be done. Hoping for better living through chemistry and physical therapy :-)
But since there's no anti-tarnishing guarantees in life for anyone, we all do the best we can with what we're given. If there was a guarantee, I'd have returned this a long time ago.
Thanks for visits, views, and past comments. I appreciate you all and hope to be able to get back to commenting, especially with my special Flickr Friends (that's you if you stopped by :-)
and we'll, sing it back to you. we could sing our own, but what would it, be without you?
the following is my entry for a competition at the morris museum we're doing in lit. it's inspired by a painting.
“Do you think this tie suitable?” the old man asked, his cerulean eyes fixed in gentle understanding, slightly oversized ears hearing something in the following silence. After just a moment he gave a quaint smile to the object below him, nodding his head and chuckling emptily, “yes, I did think you would. The maroon matches so nicely with you.” He ended his sentence as though it were a question, turning away from the polka dotted maroon loveseat and entering the dingy building behind him with some sort of sad agreement.
Speaking as though not just to himself, the old man continued, “I rather like cloudy days. Everything feels so clear without the sun,” he laughed, “speaking of those, Roger has said he would come visit the store this morning. That’s the cause for the tie.”
Clearing his throat nervously as if second-guessing the tie, the man began his daily routine, which was today accelerated in order to make a nice impression upon this visitor. He hobbled around the store swiftly as his rheumatoid arthritis would allow, smiling halfheartedly with an honestly worried look about his face. His anxiety was visibly rising with the sun, and he made nearly continual glances out of the murky shop window towards the loveseat, as if just to make sure it was still there. He moved the delicate, dusky objects within the shop as if to reorganize his mind, as well.
After a few hours of feeble attempts at work and understated chaos, an attractive, middle-aged man arrived at the door with a black briefcase. He had a serious look about his face, with a consciously furrowed brow and a slight frown of anticipation, yet he approached the old man in the shop with a sudden smile. The old man returned the gesture and gave the visitor a weak pat on the shoulder.
“Nice to see you, Roger, nice to see you. How are things at the firm?”
“Fair, I’d say, after this case we had last week – repetitive theft and larceny, crook got away clean. I suppose it was mostly my newest hire, man from Darlington. Quite a turnout, quite a turnout, indeed,” replied Roger.
There was a blaring silence as the old man returned from his mysterious distraction.
“Lovely to hear that, lovely,” he muttered in a blank monotone, looking significantly more anxious. He made a sideways glance out of the window and muttered some sort of plea under his breath in pining as the attorney sat down in a creaky chair.
The furrowed brow of the sitting man returned as he looked around the dirty shop.
“Listen,” he said, opening his black briefcase, “that isn’t what I came to talk about. I know it’s been difficult. None of us are immune to that.”
The old man stared out the window as his breathing accelerated. He interrupted the defined lines of his face with a heavy blink and stayed perfectly still, rooted to the spot. The attorney sighed in frustration and fumbled through his briefcase until he found a glossy booklet. He stared at it for a fleeting moment and sighed again deeply.
“Dad,” the man continued, “I know what this shop is to you. It’s been in the family for years – but just look around. Look what you’re living in. This is getting dreadfully out of hand.”
Roger stopped, aggravated by his father’s seeming indifference and lack of cooperation. He locked the shiny buckles of his briefcase and stood up as the chair creaked in protest beneath him. His brow furrowed impossibly further, and he cleared his throat with determination.
“Look. I know you don’t want to do this, but bottom line, you can’t handle living here anymore. I’ve found a nice place at the edge of town. It’s called Brookhaven. They’ll be coming soon. I know it’s going to be difficult for you to leave, but ever since Mum died…”
The old man burst from his silence in a hysterical high-pitched wail and cradled his head in his hands. He began hobbling towards the open door, towards the polka-dotted maroon loveseat, where it was two summers ago and everything was as it should still be.
Before his knees could allow the old man to reach the door, the attorney took his arms behind his back and held him still. His son was shorter but much stronger than he, and the old man continued to scream and struggle in the attorney’s grip. After what seemed like an eternity the old man was partially released as Roger voiced,
“Now, you’re going to stay still. They’ll be here any minute now, and I’ll go with you to help get your things situated. Don’t try to run off.”
Nearly as he finished his sentence an old tan station wagon pulled up on the curb. A plump woman in scrubs with even plumper hair and plum lips opened the passenger door and walked around the front of the car towards the old man and his son. She nodded briefly at Roger and then turned to the old man with an overly sweet smile and degrading stare. He was still visibly upset, but obviously put off by the woman’s bigotry.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she articulated towards the old man, “we’ve got all of your things nice and ready to go.”
After few more indistinguishable words she pseudosmiled again and took the old man’s arm vigorously and guided him into the car. His face expressed insane defiance, but his body had somehow surrendered to this inconsiderate torture. He climbed into the backseat of the station wagon and stared out of its window, one which was familiarly filthy, like the one in the front of his store. He began to bang on the window, wailing and crying again like an infant, staring at the polka-dotted maroon loveseat.
No, they had not gotten all of his things./b>
Taken to go with the poem below. The poem is about my mothers letters of encouragement... not just written to me, despite being confined to bed for many years with chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis she wrote to many people the most beautiful letters. The letter in the picture is actually one of hers and the vintage photo is her on a beach in Norfolk with my older brother when he was about three years old. This is the first picture I've taken specifically to go with a poem.
i wish my hand could write as yours
words falling from your indigo pen
easing over the page like morning rain on thirsty grass
receiving hearts blossomed like flowers at the turn of spring
as the balm of you unfolded from dainty envelopes
sealed with confident queenly stamps
scattering tiny pieces of your enchanted soul
how i miss those condolences
little papers of parcelled love
still i grieve for everything you were
knowing that kind of peace
only transpired from your quiet mind
one who never laid hands on a perfume bottle
but was filled with the fragrance of flourishing meadows
the only mortal i ever knew
who was certain to stitch a broken heart together
with a line of inky blue
Original post -> suzyhazelwood.tumblr.com/post/170808236495/i-wish-my-hand...
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Close-up candid street photography from Glasgow, Scotland. This woman looks to have rheumatoid arthritis in her hands and was walking with, what looked to me, a great deal of pain. Her determination to simply be out and about should inspire us all to battle on through our own difficulties. Thank you all for your kind comments, favourites and for supporting my street photography.
"The Real Housewives of New York City" throw a charity fundraising event for your favorite online arthritis community!
For more info and pictures, visit: CreakyJoints.org
ALSO, check out our new series of educational arthritis videos the event helped fund:
I've not been around much or getting out much as rheumatoid arthritis has come to live in all my joints. Now have a little help from a Rheumatologist so am moving better and get out more and type. Glad to be back been missing you all.
For me it's just not Autumn without a lovely afternoon with the Wood Ducks at Mud Lake. Today was that day!
Personal health update:
Some of you may recall that about 18 months ago I very reluctantly stopped doing wildlife photography because spending time outside at places like Mud Lake triggered bad allergies which then repeatedly triggered my rheumatoid arthritis which had become quite severe and debilitating.
Since then I got a new rheumatologist who put me on a new medication and stressed that I had to carefully avoid all triggers including pets, pollen and other common allergens and physical over-exertion. I have been a good patient all these months and the great news is that I am now able to get back to doing a bit of outdoor wildlife photography as long as I don't overdo it. Thanks for your concern and support.
Flash back: here's a photo of me and my new camera 18 months ago after selling off all my wildlife photography gear: www.flickr.com/photos/rudypohl/33606293333/in/dateposted/
Jackdaws pluck loose hair from the Red Deer Stag and also loose velvet from growing antlers on the stags for nest material. Jackdaws escaped from the shutter sound, so I missed this double relationship photo.
There is variation between deer species and their antler growth which reflects their life history.
The age of a red stag can be estimated by the number of tines (points) on his antlers. A red stag starts growing antlers around 10 months old, and for each year the antlers elongate and thicken.
What is deer antler velvet used for?
Image result for red deer velvet antler
Traditionally, deer antler velvet has been used to strengthen bones, improve immunity, and treat ailments including toothaches and tissue damage
Does red deer antler velvet work?
It has anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in some of the 'building blocks' of cartilage. It has no major side-effects, but based on the results of two RCTs, there's no evidence to suggest that antler velvet is effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis.
We are so lucky to have access to stunning animals not only in the wild, also in some great parks across the country.
It is possible to say that the historical Bradgate is one of these natural parks.
Exactly 6 years later, I swapped my Nikon 200 - 500mm f/5.6 lens with a lightweight 500mm f/5.6 PF (Phase Fresnel)
The obvious advantage of the 500 PF is weight savings as well as smaller size for better handling.Time will tell with the photo quality whether it is worth the wait or not.
Due to my background as a black and white analog photojournalist, I keep abreast of technology changes. Every new model or technical change needs time.
While writing these lines, my first digital camera experience 20 years ago is from the days of Nikon D100, today Advantages of mirrorless cameras 45.7- megapixels shoot with the full-frame the new flagship camera Nikon Z9.
This is an incredible technological advance. I have been using Nikon D850 for about 1.5 years. It is a professional level, 45.7 megapixel, full-frame workhorse.
How long will the Nikon D850 hold this position as a DSLR, it already has a question mark. Nikon rumors are swirling at the moment to give us an idea of where the brand will go next?
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held - Monopod and SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Release Clamp - Nikon 500mm f5.6E PF ED VR AF-S Lens, fitted Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot and Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod.
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Shot with a Macro Extension Tube 10mm + 16mm
A good remedy in my daily fight against Rheumatoid arthritis
I saw this Rockrose on my way and rock my feelings :)
Cistus incanus or Pink Rockrose is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds . It is a well-known as used herbal medicinal remedyin in Greece that has remained popular through thousands of years.
It is used for treating gastro-intestinal problems owing to its ability to sooth the mucous lining and eliminating harmful pathogens . It is also known to boost the immune system and supporting anti-oxidant processes of the body.
Cistus incanus is known for its antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Traditionally it has been used for treating skin problems, gastric problems, fever, rheumatoid arthritis, and even stomach ulcers. It is a good remedy for acne and skin abrasions.
Cistrose is also used as an effective mouth-wash for mouth and throat hygiene.
As a tonic, the Cistus incanus was found beneficial for the health of the heart and the gut. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and hence, it cools and subsides pain of skin rashes and abrasions, burns, cuts and wounds.
Have a cheerful week ahead my friends!
Click on image to enlarge.
...
A PERSONAL UPDATE regarding wildlife photography
WHY I GAVE UP WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
As some of you know, this coming March will be 3 years since I decided to give up wildlife photography and sell my equipment. The reason was because my Rheumatoid Arthritis condition, which I had for 14 years by this time and is largely triggered by allergies, had gotten so bad that I could no longer function normally or go outside without wearing a breathing apparatus. Even with this special mask I still get allergies depending on the environment and length of exposure. It is these allergies that trigger the Rheumatoid Arthritis attacks which can make me quite ill and debilitated and can last for months. You can find my post from 3 years ago about It here: www.flickr.com/photos/rudypohl/32771388844/in/dateposted/ .
If you want a good laugh have a peek at the mask I had to wear and still have to wear today only not quite so much: www.flickr.com/photos/rudypohl/33606293333/in/dateposted/ .
WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS
As I mentioned in the above posts, I couldn't bear the thought of giving up photography completely so I bought a little entry level Nikon D5500 and a 50mm lens and away I went to find subjects that I could photograph with that gear and requiring minimal exposure to the outdoors.
At the start of this period my old rheumatoid doctor retired and I found another one who is very good. He put me on some medication which was like a wonder drug for me. This together with religiously avoiding all my triggers put me on the road to a steady recovery, although my condition is still right here only inches away from flaring up again if I'm not careful. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed a wonderful 3 years of near total freedom from pain after 14 years of pretty bad flare-ups. During these past 3 years I have gotten into astro-photography, floral photography and have been able to dabble a little in wildlife photography with my D5500 camera and a lens borrowed from a good friend. All is well as long as I keep my outings fairly short, not too frequent, and I avoid like the plague all my triggers which include pollens, molds, dust, pets, physical over- excursion, stress, too much sugar, and a few others that I can't remember right now.
WHY I RETURNED TO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Last week when I came back from a quick photo-walk at Mud Lake, Marny, my wife of 48 years said to me, "Looks like you've been to your 'happy place'?" And then the reality hit both of us at the same time: this really and truly is my happy place. I am the happiest when I am outdoors in the woods or by a pond with the birds and the animals. This is the one place and the one situation when I am truly content and worry-free and it's been this way since I was a young boy of seven or eight.
So we both decided that for a belated Christmas gift and for my upcoming 70th birthday in a few months I should go out and buy myself the kind of wildlife photography gear that I've always wanted, but never had allowed myself to get. And I knew exactly what I wanted - Nikon's top of the line professional crop-sensor action camera, the D500, and the highly acclaimed Nikon 200-500mm lens. By our simple, frugal, minimalist standards Marny and I totally blew up the bank, not to mention that this gear itself weighs an ton! You have to be superman to carry this stuff for any length of time. But Marny said to me quite matter of factly that if Penny Barcley and Karen Hooper can lug this stuff around so can you! Well that settled it and off I went to the camera store and haven't looked back since.
Anyways Flickr friends, that's the story about why I'm back into wildlife photography. I figure that I can either sit here like a cautious 70-year old bump on a log and never take any risks, or I can yell "Geronimo" and jump into my 70s with both feet and GO FOR IT!
I chose to do the latter.
And as far as the camera and lens are concerned I have to honestly say that I feel like I died and went to Heaven! They are so fantastic to use that I can hardly believe it.
So, as Paul Harvey the American radio commentator used to say years ago, "And now you know the rest of the story."
The pineapple (Ananas Comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.
ETYMOLOGY: The first reference in English to the pineapple fruit was the 1568 translation from the French of André Thevet's The New Found World, or Antarctike where he refers to a Hoyriri, a fruit cultivated and eaten by the Tupinambá people, living near modern Rio de Janeiro, and now believed to be a pineapple.
Later in the same English translation, he describes the same fruit as a "Nana made in the manner of a Pine apple", where he used another Tupi word nanas, meaning 'excellent fruit'.
OLD WORLD INTRODUCTION: While the pineapple fascinated Europeans as a fruit of colonialism, it was not successfully cultivated in Europe until Pieter de la Court (1664–1739) developed greenhouse horticulture near Leiden.
Pineapple plants were distributed from the Netherlands to English gardeners in 1719 and French ones in 1730.
MEDICINAL: Among the medicinal properties of the fruit, the most notable is that of bromelain, which helps metabolize food.
It is also a diuretic, slightly antiseptic, detoxifying, antacid and vermifuge.
Its use has been studied as an aid in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, and obesity control.
PRODUCTION: Today, pineapple is the second largest tropical fruit crop in terms of volume, surpassed only by banana (Musa paradisiaca).
The main producers are Costa Rica, Brazil, the Philippines, Indonesia and India, which account for 50% of production. Other important producers are Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand and China. The most important cultivar is the so-called 'smooth Cayenne', originally from French Guiana. (Source: Wikipedia)
ANANAS COMOSUS (PIÑA), 2025
La piña (Ananas comosus) es una planta tropical con un fruto comestible; es la planta económicamente más importante de la familia Bromeliaceae.
ETIMOLOGÍA: La primera referencia en inglés a la piña fue la traducción de 1568 del francés de The New Found World, or Antarctike de André Thevet, donde se refiere a un Hoyriri, una fruta cultivada y consumida por el pueblo tupinambá, que vivía cerca de la actual Río de Janeiro, y que ahora se cree que es una piña.
Más adelante, en la misma traducción al inglés, describe la misma fruta como una "Nana hecha a la manera de una piña", donde utilizó otra palabra tupí, nanas, que significa 'fruta excelente'.
INTRODUCCIÓN AL VIEJO MUNDO: Si bien la piña fascinó a los europeos como fruto del colonialismo, no se cultivó con éxito en Europa hasta que Pieter de la Court (1664-1739) desarrolló la horticultura de invernadero cerca de Leiden.
Las plantas de piña fueron distribuidas desde los Países Bajos a los jardineros ingleses en 1719 y a los franceses en 1730.
MEDICINAL: Entre las propiedades medicinales del fruto, la más notable es la de la bromelina, que ayuda a metabolizar los alimentos.
Es también diurético, ligeramente antiséptico, desintoxicante, antiácido y vermífugo.
Se ha estudiado su uso como auxiliar en el tratamiento de la artritis reumatoide, la ciática, y el control de la obesidad.
PRODUCCION: Hoy la piña es el segundo cultivo frutal tropical en volumen, sólo superado por el plátano (Musa paradisiaca).
Los principales productores son Costa Rica, Brasil, Filipinas, Indonesia, India, que concentran el 50 % de la producción. Otros productores de relieve son Kenia, México, Nigeria, Tailandia y China. El cultivar más importante es el llamado 'smooth Cayenne', originario de la Guayana Francesa. (Fuente: Wikipedia)
There have been more than a few times when I've gotten "closer to the edge," but that's been a 9-to-5 work thing as opposed to literally being close to the edge as in this shot.
I have a fear of heights. Of course, this generally doesn't stop me, as you can see in this photo; when I am focused on photography, my fear dissipates. However, this mild acrophobia gives me a healthy awareness of my abilities and limitations, since I have rheumatoid arthritis and also am not the most sure-footed of creatures. In this instance, I stopped at Scouts Lookout and did NOT finish that last .5 mile to Angels Landing. I knew my physical limitations (mental ones, too) and knew I could not go any further with all the stuff I was lugging with me. And I was (and am) totally fine with that. I still remember my legs shaking just a little bit, from both the uphill climb as well as the fact that the rocks tilt a little bit in the Scouts Lookout area and it's a lonnnnnng way down. Heck, I was thrilled I'd made it that far, having come from sea level elevation 2 days prior.
Moral of the story: you may not always be able to reach the very end, for whatever reason, but that doesn't mean you can't come away with some cool experiences / photography along the way there and back.
Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.
I haven't been taking many photos lately. Eye surgery and rheumatoid arthritis is tough on the body.
From a small tree in the garden which I think is also known as White Berried Rowan.
Apologies for my absence. Unfortunately my Rheumatoid Arthritis has flared up a bit and is particularly affecting my hands, so I'm trying to rest them a bit! Very frustrating as I have so many jobs I want to be getting on with, especially in the garden!!
As always, many thanks for all the lovely comments and faves on my images.
It's been several weeks since I used my 8x10 camera. Partly due to my worsening rheumatoid arthritis, but mostly due to a lack of inspiration.
Today I decided I was going to shoot something no matter what. Looking around, I saw our Hydrangea bush and thought why not. Certainly not the most interesting photo you're going to see on social media, but I'm posting it anyway.
Technical details for those that care about such things are as follows:
Camera: VDS 8x10 with 5x7 reducing back
Lens: Schneider K 240/420 f/5.6 shot wide open
Film: Arista Ultra EDU (Fomapan) 400 at around 800 (I forgot to adjust my exposure for bellows extension)
Development: Tray developed in Rodinal 1+25 for 8 minutes
Explored November 11th, 2001. #34!!! Highest position yet:O
Thanks!!!
Heres my post to Flickr 11|11|11 group.
I had to be apart of this. I'm honored that i get to live through this. Not gonna be another one of these anytime soon;D haha.
Anyways. I'm just laying here enjoying music as i edit some senior photos. Its been a really busy day. I went up to Hershey Medical Center today to see my doctor.
I have a auto-immune disease. And no one really understands. I don't know anyone else with a condition similar to me. I live in a small town where everyones basically healthy, and no one really knows what to think of me. I'm.. well... a sickly person.
But today my doctor told me about a Christmas party for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis from the Rheumatoid Arthrisis Foundation (I'm guessing).
Anyways, its for people with all ages who not only have RA but who have auto-immune diseases get together. It'd be so nice to have people who experience similar problems to talk to. I need that so badly. Thankfully I do not have RA, but my doctor said it would be great for me to go. So hopefully I can get my ass up to state college for that party. I'm in need of a little fun. ahahaha. xD
Anyways, like i said HAPPY 11/11/11 guys!!
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used for the treatment of fevers, migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach aches, toothaches, insect bites, infertility, and problems with menstruation and labour during childbirth.
No, this was not *the* High Dune. That dune is around 700 feet high. But, this was a tall dune as you can tell from the scenery below. I never made it up to the tallest dune. I was beginning to feel tired after reaching the height you see here, so I figured I'd better start back down while I still had the energy. I was tuckered out by the time I finally returned to my motel room that evening. But it was a good, full first day in the park.
When you look at an aerial photo of this national park, you might think the dunefield is not very large. It's around 30 square miles (about the distance from the town of Alamosa, where I lodged, to the park). But when you stand at the base of the dunes, they look pretty darned large and verrrrry tall. From the ground, people scaling the dunes look like teeny dark specks.
Climbing up the dunes is not as arduous as it was climbing up Cinder Cone in Lassen Volcanic National Park (California). And the sand is velvety soft. I have rheumatoid arthritis, so you don't see many low-ground images from me because it's just too hard on my knees. But kneeling in the sand here, in the park, was easy because of that cushy softness.
In this composition, you are looking toward the southwest, across the broad San Luis Valley. The mountains to your left are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and they are quite the sight: tall, toothy, and rugged. You're also looking at a part of the landscape through which the Old Spanish Trail traversed. This trail (or series of interconnecting trails to create a larger route from Santa Fe, NM to Los Angeles, CA) parallels Hwy 160 into the park, then skirts around the dunefield and hugs the arcing base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
The line of white near center-left is where Medano Creek flows. It's about a mile's hike over several inches of snow from the base of the dunes across the currently-dry creek area to return to the parking lot.
Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.
Une île pour moi tout seul au bord d'un lagon avec cette mer rouge et d'un bleu !...
La station est réputée pour son atmosphère non polluée, c'est dunes de sable et ses minéraux, utiles pour le traitement de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde et du psoriasis.
An island for me alone on the edge of a lagoon with this red and blue sea ! ...
The resort is renowned for its unpolluted atmosphere, it is sand dunes and its minerals, useful for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
Have you noticed the beauty of embroidery on the reverse side? I photographed it and then played
Story
My mother, who was crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, was an inveterate needlewoman who created the most intricate and beautiful embroidery, from the simple crossstitch to blackwork and hardanger. The museum invited her to mount an exhibition. And so all her best work was transported to the venue and displayed to its best advantage. I took my mother to the opening, which was beautifully organized, speeches were made, the press took a photograph of her and her work and then finally she was free to see how her work had been displayed.
Didn't take her long to notice that one of her award winning pieces which had been exhibited in a closed display cabinet, had been hung back to front. "Vat is dis?" she asked enraged. "Can't you see dat dis is de back?" And of course no-one but she could because her work was so painstakingly done and so beautiful one couldn't tell the right side from the reverse.
Leaves one with a question.
and what is a weed?
My first image with my new Nikon D5500 camera and Nikon 50mm/f1.8 lens. I'm excited about the creative possibilities of this equipment and I love the bokeh.
After doing some research, I bought this particular camera because it's the second-lightest and second-smallest DSLR that Nikon has ever made, as light as the leading mirrorless cameras. And yet, it still has that awesome 24-megapixel sensor that Nikon crop-sensor cameras are famous for and which I loved in my D7100 and D7200. Plus, it has a swivel touch screen which I've always wanted; great for low-angle shots for an old fellow like me with a bad back and knees. The lens is a real feather-weight too, so my back and hips are happy already! As well, I kept my excellent, versatile and light-weight Nikon 16-85mm lens.
I have now completed selling off my heavy (for me) wildlife photography gear and will be turning my attention to doing landscapes and some creative close-up photography of flowers and other interesting subjects. I will be spending much less time outdoors because of my allergies, which trigger my rheumatoid arthritis, especially from Spring through Fall, which is why I had to give up wildlife photography in the first place. Instead I will be spending more time in my studio in front of my computer in Photoshop, which I really enjoy. I want to try to get more creative in my post processing and take some artistic liberties to produce images that are a little out of the box and out of the ordinary. After a 7-week lay off it's good to be back at it.
David Horace Buxton established a company in 1894
in Abbot, Maine to make his Buxton's Rheumatic Cure.
He sold his medicine to drug and general stores using
a specially constructed wagon now on display at the
Shelburne Museum.
-- Maine Memory. Net
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You won't find the recipe online it is a secret formula.
Not sure if you drink it or rub It on. It is described as a
cureall so you probably drank it.
Even today there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis
only products to make you feel better. This may have
had that effect.
-- Steve (below)
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Amazing that the wagon has survived. This stuff may have contained some narcotics as well as alcohol. A lot of those vintage "miracle cures" did.
-- Curt (below)
Even though this plant contains poisonous chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), some people use the leaf, root, and root-like stem (rhizome) to make medicine.
Despite safety concerns, comfrey is used by mouth for stomach ulcers, heavy menstrual periods, diarrhea, bloody urine, cough, bronchitis, cancer, and chest pain (angina). It is also used as a gargle for gum disease and sore throat.
Comfrey is applied to the skin for ulcers, wounds, muscle soreness, bruises, rheumatoid arthritis, varicose veins, gout, and fractures.
Comfrey attracts bees and butterflies so is a nice addition to any garden, although it does ten to spread aggressively.
Gananoque, ON Canada
I couldn't put one of my dad on without putting one of my mum on could I. My lovely mum suffers with chronic rheumatoid arthritis, which is painfully debilitating for her a lot of the time. She's always smiling and tries her best not to let on and just get on with it when she can, which is inspiring. I actually added a tow rope just incase she needed it, but she did great. Go Ma Phillips.
A 70 year old lady has been complaining of stiffness of her fingers for years. Despite the obvious nodularity of the joints (so called Heberden and Bouchard nodes), they remain supple, not particularly tender and definitely not inflamed as with rheumatoid arthritis. There is also squaring of the hands and palmer erythema (redness). She has osteoarthritis. One in 2 people at age 70 acquire O/A in their lifetime. Despite active research, it's not preventable and sadly there is no cure. Treatment at this time is with anti-inflammatory drugs or Tylenol. Fish oil, glucosamine and/or Vitamin D may play a role. Despite the pain and deformity, remaining active is essential.
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Explore @ 97, July 8, 2014.
only about 3-4 mm in size. looks like a little blue dot at eye level.
Afghani herbalist, Mahomet Allum, used the plant to treat patients with heart trouble, in Adelaide, Australia, in the mid-20th century. It is also used for snakebite treatment, hemorrhaging, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and as an expectorant.
"Navara rice is one of the many types of rice found in India. Its origin is in Kerala, where it is regarded as endemic. In 2007–09, geographical indication status was granted.
Navara is used in the Ayurvedic system of treatment. The rice is of two kinds, the white glumed and black glumed. The 12th century Ayurvedic text, Ashtangahridayam, describes the white Navara as medicinally superior but the black glumed variety seems to be preferred by physicians today.
The rice has a wide range of benefits. Boiled Navara is a good weaning food for infants, particularly those with low weight. Broth made by adding Navara rice to meat is recommended to pregnant women as it increases the weight of the foetus. Cooked with milk and herbs, it can treat internal wounds. Navara rice bran oil is used for a wide range of aches and painful conditions like the cervical spondylosis, low back ache, paralysis, rheumatoid arthritis. Ayurvedic doctors effectively use Navara rice paste to treat psoriasis. The paste is also an excellent remedy for skin lesions. Also considered a safe food for diabetics. "
Natural Flora - Natural Medicine
Today, marijuana is being reevaluated on a cultural and legal level after being considered an illegal substance for decades.
Recent research reports a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use. As such, many states have legalized marijuana for either medical and recreational purposes, or both.
Still, some researchers and lawmakers want to see more scientific evidence supporting specific benefits of marijuana. Aside from more research, there are concerns that marijuana’s potential risks could outweigh its benefits in some cases.
Curious about whether the benefits behind this substance are all they’re talked up to be? We break down some of the most researched benefits as well as a few considerations.
What are the benefits vs. risks of marijuana?
Just as synthetic drugs can help some conditions and not others, marijuana isn’t a one-size-fits-all line of treatment. It’s thought that marijuana’s benefits come from some of its compounds called cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD).
CBD is one of the most widely studied cannabinoids in marijuana. CBD is also found in another related plant called hemp.
One major difference between CBD and marijuana is that the former only contains a trace amount of the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This compound is best known for its hallucinogenic effects on the brain.
Cannabis plants may contain up to 40 percent CBD. CBD is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects on the central nervous system. This can translate to multiple benefits in the body.
Still, there remains concern over the effects of THC in traditional marijuana. This is due to the fact that it can have stimulating or depressant effects in some people, which may lead to other side effects.
Thus, when considering marijuana for any medical condition, your doctor will likely assess whether the anti-inflammatory benefits outweigh any psychological risks.
What are the benefits of marijuana?
Currently, there are two synthetic versions of marijuanaTrusted Source. Doctors prescribe them for the treatment of severe epilepsy and chemotherapy side effects.
The following list of marijuana benefits are some of the most commonly discussed in scientific research, as well as anecdotally.
Pain management
The cannabinoids in marijuana may reduce pain by altering pain perception pathways in the brain. This may be helpful to treat conditions that cause chronic pain, such as:
arthritis
fibromyalgia
endometriosis
migraine
It may also minimize cancer treatment side effects, like loss of appetite.
In some instances, medical marijuana is reported to help replace the long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, which can have negative side effects.
Reduced inflammation
CBD in marijuana is thought to help reduce inflammation. In theory, this may benefit inflammatory conditions, such as:
Crohn’s disease
irritable bowel syndrome
rheumatoid arthritis
Decreasing inflammation in the body can also improve overall health.
Neurological and mental disorders
Due to its effects on the limbic system, doctors sometimes prescribe marijuana to treat the following neurological and mental health conditions:
anxiety
epilepsy
multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Tourette syndrome
Sleep management
The relaxing effects of marijuana may help improve sleep disorders, such as insomnia. And improved sleep may also occur when pain is reduced from marijuana usage.
What are the risks of marijuana?
Marijuana is said to have opioid-like effects on the central nervous system. However, it poses much fewer risks than synthetic opioids. It’s also not considered as addictive as other substances.
Those are two reasons why many advocates are pushing for marijuana legalization, so patients can have safer options for pain management. In fact, some people use marijuana as a way to treat opioid addiction.
Still, the potential risks of marijuana need to be considered in equal measure. Below are some of the side effects you should discuss with your doctor:
Hallucinogenic effects. Marijuana may cause mild hallucinations, poor motor skills, or altered perceptions of reality. For these reasons, certain activities may be unsafe after using marijuana, such as operating heavy machinery. Do not drive after using marijuana. Not only is it unsafe, but it is illegal in every state to drive after using marijuana – even in states in which marijuana use is legal.
Depressant-like effects. Marijuana may cause depressant effects, similar to those seen with alcohol use. You may feel calm and relaxed but also have issues with coordination and concentration. Some people may also feel depressive symptoms as a side effect.
Stimulating effects. Marijuana may boost mood, but it may also cause hyperactivity, rapid breathing, and increases in both blood pressure and heart rate. These effects aren’t as common in marijuana compared to depressant effects.
Other side effects. These may include bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, and increased appetite.
It’s important to know that the side effects of marijuana can vary between people. You may not know your exact experiences until after you’ve used it.
The legal issues
As of January 2020, 11 states as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana, and 33 states have legalized it for medical use. However, marijuana itself is still considered illegal under federal law.
So, what does this mean if you’re interested in using marijuana for medical purposes?
First, talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of marijuana for your condition.
Next, look up the laws in your state. Even if marijuana is legal in your state, you could be prosecuted for using it if you travel to a different state where it’s not legal. Plan accordingly to avoid any legal issues.
It’s also important to distinguish the difference between marijuana and CBD.
Hemp-derived CBD products (with less than 0.3 percent THC) are legal on the federal level but are still illegal under some state laws.
Marijuana-derived CBD products are illegal on the federal level but are legal under some state laws.
Check your state’s laws and those of anywhere you travel. Keep in mind that nonprescription CBD products aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration and may be inaccurately labeled.
The takeaway
Marijuana is perhaps one of the most contentious topics today, both from a legal and health perspective.
More research on the benefits of marijuana for your health is needed for both sides of the debate to come to an agreement on its use in medical and recreational settings.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in the potential benefits of marijuana for your own health, it’s important to reach out to a doctor first. They can help guide you through the benefits versus any potential risks, as well as the legalities behind obtaining a medical marijuana card, depending on where you live.
Never try any drug or substance to treat a medical condition on your own. This includes plant-based sources like marijuana.
www.healthline.com/health/medical-marijuana/benefits-of-m...
Ribbon with a Heart.
-
I intended this piece to show solidarity with all of the "wear a ribbon to show support of the cure" causes, and I hope it will be taken as supporting the research necessary to cure all of these diseases.
I added a light pink blue, violet, and many-other colored heart to show support for all the "ribbon" causes.
The ribbon I display here is the blue and violet ribbon of Rheumatoid Arthritis, a hereditary disease that has taken its toll on my family. I have been in remission for many years, but have just come out of remission, and my physical abilities are rapidly decaying. I am seeing a specialist shortly, and maybe he will once again postpone the inevitable progression of this disease.
I can only hope. Until then I don't know how much art (or administration) I will be able to do; even my old friend the computer hurts me. I have so many unfinished projects, I may just start batch uploading them all.
One thing is sure - I have a VERY special image to celebrate the 3 month anniversary of Visual Mashups, and it WILL be there!
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As for this piece, it's a Special Blend - a full Compression and Diffusion - of many layers of mashups. For the heart, I blended a few of my early heart fractals, a heart from the founder of my new group Paint Creations, and flickr heart licensed under Creative Commons - derivations OK! Add to those the heart that the Great Heart of Art is based on, and then add in my own "Favoring the Heart," which is a mosaic containing 36 carefully chosen flickr favorites to make the shape of a heart.
For the ribbon, I found four standard versions of it using Google search, added a little variation to them, but also brought them together in size and angle, and blended and brightened them.
Then I montaged versions of the heart (the first version is a cut-up mosaic making up the back layer of blue) (the second version is the visible pink heart angled to the right). I then took the blue and violet ribbon, montaged it on top of the hearts, and then blended the results.
It looks particularly good in the larger sizes, the colors really burst out.
I hope you all enjoy this piece, and I hope I get to stay here working beside you for a long time.
Thanks for everything, everyone.
i like the way our building curves, so you can kind of see in the windows on the other side of the floor. or at least see the reflections.
Sunday Landscape this week features the River Piddle at West Mills, near Wareham. Apart from being rather idyllic, it was interesting to chat to a lady who came here on a very regular basis to go into the clean, cold water. Yes, there are spots that are deep enough even after a dry spell! She found that immersion helped her Rheumatoid Arthritis. She also had a younger friend who, when pregnant, came here as it seemed to help with Morning Sickness.
a7riv + Minolta AF Zoom 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 (1994)
Glyphosate exposure increases inflammatory cytokine proteins in the blood, especially TNFα. The overexpression of the TNFα protein has associations with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases.
From: beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2022/08/glyphosate-wee....
Can osteoarthritis be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis?
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can be mistaken for each other because both are characterized by swelling and inflammation. However, rheumatoid arthritis is different because in this condition, the body's immune system attacks the joints. This can happen suddenly and cause severe inflammation.
Does arthritis go away? No, but it can be managed. There is no cure for arthritis. However, treatment advances can help to minimize pain, improve range of motion, and prevent further damage.
Today is World Arthritis Day 2011!
This year's theme is Move to Improve, by keeping active you can improve the way you feel
Many of you know I have Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fybromyalgia. About 7 years ago literally overnight my joints one by one started 'flaring' up and it took a while to get a diagnosis as I was 'too young' according to a few people! But these auto immune diseases can affect anyone at any age.
I was quite ill for a while and couldn't do very much, I have been on a lot of nasty medications over the years and am now finally! on the Anti TNF waiting list, so next year I will be injecting myself with yet more drugs but I am hoping they will help slow down the progression of the disease.
The 'But you don't look sick' website comes to mind, as people can't 'see' pain so don't think there is anything 'wrong' with you, yes i'll go to the gym but ask me to carry a shopping bag, open a bottle or cut up my dinner! and i'll struggle.
Most of you also know I lead a (very!) active life, I try and not let this auto immune disease 'win', and this past year these trainers have been going to the gym a few times a week, zumba, spin, yoga, body balance amongst others. I find it tough going but I push myself to keep active and it does help me feel better in my mindset of dealing with the constant daily pain throughout my body. Best of all I have lost nearly 2 stone over the last year!
So yes there are dark days where the pain and fatigue leave you feeling pretty much useless but trying even a little gentle exercise - yoga, walking, swimming etc will help. And there are days were I do too much, then pay for it the following few days! like Edinburgh HPAD meet last weekend lol
This is for Carey, Steph and everyone else who has to deal with this in their lives xxx
Please favourite this and help me raise awareness - thank you x
whatisarthritis.co.uk/seronegative-rheumatoid-arthritis.html
Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives.
While we have already discussed the planetary archetypes, it is worth reminding ourselves at this point exactly how the alchemists looked on the relationship between the planet and its metal. They believed that the metals had the same “virtue” as the corresponding planet, that a single spirit infuses both the planet and the metal. In other words, the planet was a celestial manifestation and the metal a terrestrial manifestation of the same universal force. Therefore, the metals are the purest expression of the planetary energies in the mineral kingdom, which is the basis for material reality on earth. The next stage of evolution on our planet is the plant kingdom, and the alchemists assigned a metal and its corresponding planet to describe the characteristics of every known herb, flower, and plant. Similarly, on the next level in the evolution of matter in the animal kingdom, all creatures carry their own metallic or planetary signatures, which are expressed in their behavior. In human beings, the alchemists referred to the sum total of the cosmic signatures of the metals as a person’s “temperament.” Originally, that word referred to the metallurgical process of “tempering” or mixing different metals to produce certain characteristics in an alloy. Although the alchemists considered lead the lowest of the base metals, they treated it with a great deal of respect, as they did its corresponding planet Saturn. Lead was said to carry all the energy of its own transformation, and it was that hidden energy that the alchemists sought to free. To the alchemists, the ancient metal was a powerful “sleeping giant” with a dark and secret nature that encompassed both the beginning and end of the Great Work.
Lead is the heaviest of the seven metals; it is very tied to gravity, form, and manifested reality. It is also a very stubborn metal known for its durability and resistance to change. Lead products dating from 7000 BC are still intact, and lead water pipes installed by the Romans 1,500 years ago are still in use today. Alchemists depicted lead in their drawings as the god Saturn (a crippled old man with a sickle), Father Time, or a skeleton representing death itself. Any of these symbols in their manuscripts meant the alchemist was working with the metal lead in the laboratory or a leaden attitude in his accompanying meditation.Lead is a boundary of heaviness for matter. Metals of greater atomic weight are too heavy and disintegrate over time (by radioactive decay) to turn back into lead. So radioactive decay is really a Saturnic process that introduces a new characteristic in the metals – that of time. All the hyper-energetic metals beyond lead are trapped in time to inexorably return to lead. There is no natural process more unalterably exact than radioactive decay. Atomic clocks, the most precise timekeeping devices we have, are based on this leaden process. Geologists measure the age of radioactive rocks by how much lead they contain, and the age of the earth is estimated by taking lead isotope measurements. In many ways, lead carries the signature of Father Time.Native lead, which is lead metal found in a chemically uncombined state, is actually extremely rare. It is found in the earth's crust in a concentration of only about 13 parts per billion. Lead does not form crystals easily, and thus the pure mineral form is very rare and extremely valuable as rock specimens. Such elemental lead can also be found in very unusual “metamorphosed” limestone and marble formations that are equally rare.Surprisingly, lead is in the same group in the Periodic Table as gold, and when it occurs in nature, it is always found with gold and silver. In fact, the chemical symbol for lead (Pb) is from the Latin word plumbum, which means “liquid silver.” We derive our words “plumbing” and “plumb bob” from the use of lead in those applications. In the smelting of silver, lead plays an important role by forming a layer over the emerging molten silver and protecting it from combining with the air and splattering out. The volatile molten lead covering is gradually burnt away, until only the pure silver metal “peeks out” (in the smelter’s terminology) in a stabilized form. Thus, lead protects and even sacrifices itself for the nobler metals.The planet Saturn and its metal and the planet have the same symbol (L) in alchemy. The Hermetic interpretation is that the symbol is basically the cross of the elements that depicts the division between the Above and Below or spirit and matter. The lunar crescent of the soul is below the cross, representing the manifestation (or entrapment) of soul below in matter. Despite these associations with the noble metals, lead itself never makes it to such heights among the metals. The silvery luster of fresh cut lead quickly fades, as if it were “dying” before your eyes. Furthermore, alchemists considered lead to be “hydrophobic” or against the life nourishing archetype of water. Lead ores lack the slightest water content and tend to form machine-like structures.The most common ore of lead is galena, which also contains the noble metals silver and gold. Galena is lead sulfide, a favorite of rock collectors because of its distinctive cubic shapes, characteristic cleavage, and high density. In fact, the structure of galena is identical to that of natural table salt. The two minerals have exactly the same crystal shapes, symmetry and cleavage, although galena crystals are thousands of times larger. Some galena may contain up to 1% silver and often contains trace amounts of gold. The large volume of galena that is processed for lead produces enough silver as a by product to make galena the leading ore of silver as well Galena definitely has the signature of lead. Its color is silver gray with a bluish tint. The luster ranges from metallic to dull in the weathered faces, and the isometric crystals are opaque to light. The massive crystals of galena almost always take the form of a cube or octahedron, and the cleavage is perfect in four direction always forming cubes. Because of the perfect cleavage, fractures are rarely seen and the dark crystalline structure is nearly perfect.Lead is also found in other sulfuric minerals like calcite and dolomite, as well as lead oxidation minerals such as and anglesite and cerussite, which is found in the oxidation zone of lead deposits usually associated with galena. Some formations show cerussite crusts around a galena core as if the act of oxidation was frozen in time. Cerrussite is lead carbonate and also a favorite of rock hounds. Its very high luster is due mostly to the metallic lead content, and just as leaded crystal glass sparkles more brilliantly because of its lead content, so too does cerussite. Cerussite has one of the highest densities for a transparent mineral. It is over six and a half times as dense as water. Most rocks and minerals average only around three times the density of water. Cerussite is famous for its great sparkle and density, and its amazing twinned (or double) crystals. The mineral forms geometrically intricate structures and star shapes that simply amazing to behold – sometimes the twinned crystals form star shapes with six "rays" extending out from the star.When freed from its ores, lead metal has a bluish-white color and is very soft – capable of being scratched by a fingernail. With its dull metallic luster and high density, lead cannot easily be confused with any other metal. It is also malleable, ductile, and sectile – meaning it can be pounded into other shapes, stretched into a wire, and cut into slices. However, lead is a dark, sluggish, base metal. Of the seven metals, it is the slowest conductor of electricity and heat, the least lustrous or resonant. Its Saturnic signature of heaviness is expressed not only in its being the heaviest metal but also in its tendency to form inert and insoluble compounds. No other metal forms as many. Although it tarnishes upon exposure to air like silver, lead is extremely resistant to corrosion over time and seems to last forever. Lead pipes bearing the insignia of Roman emperors, used as drains from the baths, are still in service. The surface of lead is protected by a thin layer of lead oxide, and it does not react with water. The same process protects lead from the traditional “liquid fire” of the alchemists – sulfuric acid. In fact, lead bottles are still used to store the highly corrosive acid. Lead is so inalterable, that half of all the lead in the world today is simply recovered from scrap and formed directly into bullion for reuse.Lead is truly a destroyer of light. It is added to high-quality glassware (lead crystal) to absorb light reflections and make the glass clearer. Lead salts in glass are not changed by light but change light itself by absorbing it. Incoming light in lead crystal meets with high resistance, but once it is within the glass, light is immediately absorbed or dispersed without any reflected light escaping. Sheets of lead are also impermeable to all forms of light, even high energy X-rays and gamma rays, which makes lead the perfect shield against any form of radiation and is why it is used to transport and store radioactive materials.Lead is an extremely poor conductor of electricity and blocks all kinds of energy transmission. Indeed, one of the signatures of lead is its ability to “dampen” or absorb energy. Unlike other metals, when lead is struck, the vibrations are immediately absorbed and any tone is smothered in dullness. Lead is an effective sound proofing medium and tetraethyl lead is still used in some grades of gasoline as an antiknock compound to “quiet” the combustion of gasoline.Thin lead sheets are used extensively in the walls of high-rise buildings to block the transmission of sound, and thick pads of lead are used in the foundations to absorb the vibrations of street traffic and even minor earthquakes. Lead sheets are widely used in roofing to block solar rays, and lead foil is used to form lightproof enclosures in laboratory work. Ultimately, lead corresponds to the galactic Black Hole that absorbs all forms of radiation and light.Lead reacts with more chemicals than any other metal, however, instead of producing something new and useful, lead “kills” the combining substance by making it inert, insoluble and unable to enter into further chemical reactions. Its salts precipitate out of solutions heavily and copiously. Lead has the same effect in the plant kingdom. It accumulates in the roots and slows down the “breathing” process in plants. Young plants are adversely affected by even the smallest amount of lead in the soil.Lead is poisonous and accumulates over time in the bones of the human body, where it cannot be flushed out. It has also been found in high concentrations in gallstones and kidney stones. The old alchemical graphic for lead – a skeleton – was grotesquely appropriate. The symptoms of lead poisoning (known as “Saturnism”) are lack of energy, depression, blindness, dizziness, severe headaches at the back of the head, brain damage, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities and mental retardation, antisocial behavior and anger, atrophy of muscular tissue and cramping, excess growth of connective tissue resulting in a rigid appearance, rapid aging, coma, and early death. Rats fed only 5 parts per million of lead had a lifespan 25% shorter than normal rats. Children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, and it is believed to be an important factor in stillborn fetuses. Children with more than just 0.3 parts per million of lead in their blood suffer a significant slowing of brain function and corresponding drop in IQ. Lead in paint has caused mental retardation and premature aging in hundreds of children who ingested old flaking paint from the walls of their homes. Lead paint was used extensively until the poisonous effects were documented in the 1960s. Because of its lasting durability, lead paint is still used outdoors in advertising and the yellow lines on highways and curbs. The subtly controlling aspect of those applications is another signature of lead and of “leaden” persons in general.Not surprisingly, lead has found use as an insecticide and was even once considered for use as a military weapon. Lead metal reacts violently with fluorine and chlorine to form the highly poisonous gases, lead fluoride and lead chloride. Lead is also used in all kinds of ammunition – another appropriate application of lead’s esoteric signature as Father Time and the Grim Reaper. There are many research studies linking lead exposure to anger and violence, especially in adolescents. One recent study of all counties in the United States conducted by Colorado State University revealed that the murder rate in counties with the highest lead levels were four times higher than in counties with the lowest levels of lead.More benevolent uses of lead are in storage batteries, covering for underground and transoceanic cables, waste plumbing, shielding around X-ray equipment and nuclear reactors, solder, pewter, fine lead crystal glass, and flint glass with a high refractive index for achromatic lenses.Even the elemental metal carries the seed of its own redemption. The alchemists knew that Fire is lord over lead, for the metal has a low melting point and is easily separated from its ore by roasting in an open flame, and the metal itself melts in a candle flame. Lead expands on heating and contracts on cooling more than any other solid heavy metal. (Silver is the opposite and is considered an antidote to lead.)Perhaps owing to its dual nature, lead carries deeply hidden within its structure the fire of its own transformation. Many lead salts reveal a whole rainbow of brilliant colors, with the solar colors of yellow, orange, and red predominating. This is why lead has been used in paints for so many centuries. Finely divided lead powder is pyrophoric (“fire containing”) and easily catches fire or erupts spontaneously in flames. When made into a fine powder, lead metal must be kept in a vacuum to keep from catching fire. Otherwise, it ignites and burns down to a bright yellow ash, revealing its deeply hidden solar signature. So, the wonder of lead is that hidden deep inside the gray, dead metal is a tiny, eternal spark that is the seed of its own resurrection. In the eyes of alchemists, this makes lead the most important metal despite its unattractive darkness. For dull lead and gleaming gold are really the same things, only at different stages of growth or maturity.The Secret Fire inside lead is really the alchemical basis for transforming lead into gold, and correspondingly, gives mankind hope for its own spiritual transformation. That tiny spark of light in the darkest part of matter makes resurrection part of the structure of the universe. So, deep down inside, the metal lead also yearns to be transformed. It wants to rise in the air and fly, leave matter and form behind, and be free as Fire. Lead unites two contrasting forces: rigid heaviness and revivifying inner fire. Archetypically, the lead process is concerned with death and resurrection. Greek myth says that after death our soul is put on a scale, and the weights of the scale are made from lead, the metal that carries Saturn's signature.Lead is used in magical rituals, spells, and amulets to promote contact with deep unconscious levels (the underworld), deep meditation, controlling negativity, breaking bad habits and addictions, protection, stability, grounding, solidity, perseverance, decisiveness, concentration, conservation, and material constructions (buildings). Pick up a hunk of lead and the first thing you notice is its weight – its connection to gravity. It is that connection to something beyond matter and light, the very form of the universe that is the physical basis for this experiment. During the winter months, preferably on some clear night in late January or early February, go outside and find the planet Saturn in the northern sky. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the golden sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the planet influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant planet. Continue gazing upon Saturn and place a piece of lead metal in your hand. You should be able to feel a strange resonance building. That eerie, cold vibration is not your imagination. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of lead.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with its planetary twin.The strange connection between lead and Saturn has been documented by modern scientists, who have shown that lead compounds react differently depending on Saturn’s position in the sky. For instance, solutions of lead nitrate produce the greatest weight of crystallization (or manifestation) during February, when Saturn rules the sky, and the least during June, when Saturn is barely visible. Lead compounds also exhibit different properties when Saturn aligns with other planets. For example, lead sulfate solution rises 60% higher on strips of filter paper during conjunctions of Saturn with Mars than at other times. It is also known that the ease of making lead solutions (the “solubility coefficient” of lead) varies with the position of Saturn relative to the other planets. NASA is even considering a series of astrochemical experiments to see if the Saturn-lead effects become more pronounced in outer space.Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives. Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives. Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives. Because the lusterless metal is so “dead” and resists interaction with other substances, it is used as containers for acids, like automobile batteries, and is used as a lining in pipes that carry corrosive substances. Similarly, the lead tempered person is like an acid-proof container that stores up caustic feelings and anger. Phrases like “acid tongued” and “vitriolic” have their origins in this alchemical process of storing negative emotional energy.On the psychological level, lead is symbolic of a person’s inertness and unwillingness to change. There is a denial of all higher or spiritual energies, and the alchemists often portrayed the leaden person as lying in an open grave or hopelessly chained to matter in some way. A feeling of being trapped in material reality is symptomatic of a leaden attitude. Leaden people are stubborn, unyielding, and often control other people by making them wait. They must always be right, rarely accept blame or admit to being in error, and have no real regard for the truth of a situation. They may be religious but not spiritual. They tend to be suspicious of genius and inspiration, which they will often attribute to fantasy, They feel threatened by freedom of thought and expression, and sometimes use ridicule or try to “push people’s buttons” to control it. They tend to be very uncreative, judgmental, and smug.On the other hand, leaden people are grounded, earthy, and practical. They are good friends during times of bereavement – a rock of support at funerals and deathbeds. Such people secretly crave stimulation, excitement, and new ideas. They gravitate to people who supply energy and entertainment in their lives. This craving for stimulation often makes them focus on nervous energy instead of higher inspiration. Therefore, Saturn’s children can be very reactive and excitable instead of lethargic, as they try to escape from their prison of matter.As soon as bright, fresh lead metal is exposed to air, it forms a dull-gray oxide layer called the “litharge” that resists any further chemical interaction. In alchemy, air is associated with spiritual energy, and lead reacts to it by instantly forming a barrier or blocking it. Likewise, one of the distinguishing characteristics of someone with a lead temperament is their lack of interest in spiritual ideas. There is also a general lack of interest in life in general, and leaden people often seem lazy, lethargic, or unresponsive.In the individual, lead absorbs the inner light or insight necessary for personal growth and blocks all outside “radiations,” such as attempts at spiritual instruction by others. Because psychological lead absorbs both the deeper vibrations of intuition and higher spiritual energies and aspirations, the person with a lead temperament is uninspired, unimaginative, and lacks that creative spark so necessary for positive change. Before long the lead person starts to feel trapped in his or her dull environment and seeks out excitement, death-defying feats, lively people, and challenging conversation. Their favorite color is often red, and unconsciously, they are seeking the alchemical element of Fire. Fire is one of the Four Elements that represents activity, energy, creative thinking, and transformation. Fire is the tool alchemists use to begin the transmutation of lead into gold as well as transform leaden consciousness into a golden awareness of higher reality. In the laboratory, the changes in the metal and in the alchemist take place simultaneously. Otherwise, there can be no real transformation. The alchemists transmuted the Lead temperament using the Fire operation of Calcination. Physically, lead and Saturn rule the bones, teeth, spleen, and slow chronic processes such as aging. The therapeutic effects are contracting, coagulating, drying, and mineralizing. Saturn-ruled plants enhance the structures of life. They give a sobriety of disposition, en-abling one to see limitations. These plants give steadiness, solidity of pur-pose, subtlety, diplomacy, patience, and an ability to work on the physical plane better.Saturnic or leaden energies are needed for those who have a hard time finishing pro-jects or for those with plenty of ideas but never realize them. Alchemists seeking to produce physical effects found in saturnine elixirs the essential vibratory rate that enabled materialization. Alchemists seeking to produce physical effects found in saturnine elixirs the essential vibratory rate that enabled materialization. Generally speaking, any other elixir mixed with a Saturn elixir will be earthed, which makes them of great value when working on physical plane phenomenon. Their physical therapeutic properties become refrigerant, anti-pyretic, sedative, styptic, and astringent.For instance, if one mixes a saturnine elixir with a mercurial one, the alchemists believed it would release knowledge contained in secret magical manuscripts or in ancient hermetic traditions, because the Saturn-Mercury vibration contains all hidden knowledge of an esoteric nature within it. Alchemical oils were mixed in the same way. For example, to treat leukemia, alchemists would prescribe an equal mixture of lead oil and gold oil. The alchemists made an Oil of Lead that was good for “growth of bones after breaking, strengthening the skeleton, osteoporosis and atrophy of the bones, stimulation of the spleen, drying tissue, reducing secretions and discharges, stopping bleeding, reducing fever, increasing patience, and stopping visions and an overactive imagination.” They also suggested it for hallucinations due to neurological disorders that have delirious after-effects such as encephalitis and post-traumatic stress syndrome. In the “like cures like” philosophy of homeopathy, lead is used to treat sclerosis, the hardening of bones and arteries, which is the hallmark of old age and signature of lead. The homeopathic name of lead is Plumbum metallicum. Native tin is known as stannum, which is the Latin word for tin and also gives the metal its chemical symbol (Sn). The alchemical symbol is K, which shows the lunar principle of soul above the cross of the elements or emerging from the darkness of matter.
Tin is a shiny, silvery-white metal that is malleable, somewhat ductile and sectile, and seems like a perfected form of lead to the casual observer. In fact, the Romans called tin Plumbum album or “white lead.” Tin resists weathering and does not oxidize, and tin utensils buried underground or lost at sea in sunken ships shone like new when rediscovered after hundreds of years. “Tinkers” were gypsy craftsmen who wandered from neighborhood to neighborhood in Europe repairing tin kettles and utensils or melting them down and recasting them. Native or elemental tin is extremely rare in nature and is found with gold and copper deposits. The metal was considered “semi-noble” in ancient times and was used for jewelry in Babylonia and Egypt. The Romans used it to make mirrors, and it was used as coinage in Europe at one time.
Tin has a highly crystalline structure, and due to the breaking of these crystals, a "cry" is heard when a tin bar is bent. Unlike lead, tin has pleasing acoustic effects and is used in the making of bells. The crystals in common grey tin have a cubic structure, but when heated or frozen it changes into white tin, which has a tetragonal structure. After further heating or freezing, white tin disintegrates into a powdery substance. This powder has the ability to “infect” other tin surfaces it comes in contact with by forming blisters that spread until all the metal “sickens” and disintegrates. This transformation is encouraged by impurities such as zinc and aluminum and can be prevented by adding small amounts of antimony or bismuth to the metal. The sickness of tin was called the “tin plague” and was the scourge of tin roofs during Europe’s frigid winters. The mysterious effect was first was first noticed as “growths” on organ pipes in European cathedrals, where it was thought to be the work of the devil to disfigure god’s work.Tin metal has only a few practical uses and most tin is used in alloys. Bronze is an alloy of 5% tin and 95% copper, and the development of bronze by humans marked a new age of advancement known as the Bronze Age. Most solder is a combination of tin and lead; pewter is also an alloy of tin and lead. Other tin alloys are used to make tin cans and tin roofs, and tin has significant use as a corrosion fighter in the protection of other metals. Tin resists distilled, sea and soft tap water, but is attacked by strong acids, alkalis, and acid salts. When heated in air, tin forms tin oxide, which is used to plate steel and make tin cans. Other uses are in type metal, fusible metal, Babbitt metal, and die casting alloys. Tin chloride is used as a reducing agent and mordant in calico printing. Tin salts sprayed onto glass are used to produce electrically conductive coatings, which are used for panel lighting and for frost-free windshields. Window glass is made by floating molten glass on molten tin to produce a flat surface. A crystalline tin-niobium alloy is superconductive at very low temperatures, and shoebox-sized electromagnets made of the wire produce magnetic fields comparable to conventional electromagnets weighing hundreds of tons.The distribution of tin on earth follows an ecliptic at an angle of 23.5 º to the equator that is an exact track of the orbit of Jupiter slicing through the planet. Even stranger, these jovian forces seem to form tin veins that zigzag through the rocks in a lightening bolt pattern. This is no haphazard effect, but an astonishing confirmation of Jupiter freeing the metals from their Saturnic prison on earth. Goethe was just one great alchemical philosopher who believed this. “A remarkable influence proceeds from the metal tin,” he wrote. “This has a differentiating influence, and opens a door through which a way is provided for different metals to be formed from primeval rocks.”Tin ore minerals include oxide minerals like cassiterite and a few sulfides such as franckerite. By far the most tin comes from cassiterite or tin oxide. Reduction of this ore in burning coal results in tin metal and was probably how tin was made by the ancients. Cassiterite is a black or reddish brown mineral that has ornately faceted specimens with a greasy, high luster. It is generally opaque, but its luster and multiple crystal faces cause a sparkling surface. Cassiterite has been an important ore of tin for thousands of years and is still the greatest source of tin today. Most aggregate specimens of cassiterite show crystal twins, with the typical twin bent at a near-60-degree angle to form a distinctive "Elbow Twin." Other crystalline forms include eight-sided prisms and four-sided pyramids. Cassiterite is sometimes found in nature associated with topaz and fluorite gemstones.Tin has a surprising affinity for silica and shares its crystalline structure. In the jovian ring on our planet where native tin is found, the metal lies in silica veins of quartz and granite. In the body, high concentrations of tin and silica are found in the boundary layer of the skin, and tin reacts with silica acid in many of the “shaping” processes of growth. In the Middle Ages, sick people were served food on a tin plate and drinks in a tin vessel to help them regenerate and recover their strength. Today, we know that tin acts as a bactericide and pesticide.Native tin is known as stannum, which is the Latin word for tin and also gives the metal its chemical symbol (Sn). The alchemical symbol is K, which shows the lunar principle of soul above the cross of the elements or emerging from the darkness of matter.
Tin is a shiny, silvery-white metal that is malleable, somewhat ductile and sectile, and seems like a perfected form of lead to the casual observer. In fact, the Romans called tin Plumbum album or “white lead.” Tin resists weathering and does not oxidize, and tin utensils buried underground or lost at sea in sunken ships shone like new when rediscovered after hundreds of years. “Tinkers” were gypsy craftsmen who wandered from neighborhood to neighborhood in Europe repairing tin kettles and utensils or melting them down and recasting them. Native or elemental tin is extremely rare in nature and is found with gold and copper deposits. The metal was considered “semi-noble” in ancient times and was used for jewelry in Babylonia and Egypt. The Romans used it to make mirrors, and it was used as coinage in Europe at one time.
Tin has a highly crystalline structure, and due to the breaking of these crystals, a "cry" is heard when a tin bar is bent. Unlike lead, tin has pleasing acoustic effects and is used in the making of bells. The crystals in common grey tin have a cubic structure, but when heated or frozen it changes into white tin, which has a tetragonal structure. After further heating or freezing, white tin disintegrates into a powdery substance. This powder has the ability to “infect” other tin surfaces it comes in contact with by forming blisters that spread until all the metal “sickens” and disintegrates. This transformation is encouraged by impurities such as zinc and aluminum and can be prevented by adding small amounts of antimony or bismuth to the metal. The sickness of tin was called the “tin plague” and was the scourge of tin roofs during Europe’s frigid winters. The mysterious effect was first was first noticed as “growths” on organ pipes in European cathedrals, where it was thought to be the work of the devil to disfigure god’s work.Tin metal has only a few practical uses and most tin is used in alloys. Bronze is an alloy of 5% tin and 95% copper, and the development of bronze by humans marked a new age of advancement known as the Bronze Age. Most solder is a combination of tin and lead; pewter is also an alloy of tin and lead. Other tin alloys are used to make tin cans and tin roofs, and tin has significant use as a corrosion fighter in the protection of other metals. Tin resists distilled, sea and soft tap water, but is attacked by strong acids, alkalis, and acid salts. When heated in air, tin forms tin oxide, which is used to plate steel and make tin cans. Other uses are in type metal, fusible metal, Babbitt metal, and die casting alloys. Tin chloride is used as a reducing agent and mordant in calico printing. Tin salts sprayed onto glass are used to produce electrically conductive coatings, which are used for panel lighting and for frost-free windshields. Window glass is made by floating molten glass on molten tin to produce a flat surface. A crystalline tin-niobium alloy is superconductive at very low temperatures, and shoebox-sized electromagnets made of the wire produce magnetic fields comparable to conventional electromagnets weighing hundreds of tons.The distribution of tin on earth follows an ecliptic at an angle of 23.5 º to the equator that is an exact track of the orbit of Jupiter slicing through the planet. Even stranger, these jovian forces seem to form tin veins that zigzag through the rocks in a lightening bolt pattern. This is no haphazard effect, but an astonishing confirmation of Jupiter freeing the metals from their Saturnic prison on earth. Goethe was just one great alchemical philosopher who believed this. “A remarkable influence proceeds from the metal tin,” he wrote. “This has a differentiating influence, and opens a door through which a way is provided for different metals to be formed from primeval rocks.”Tin ore minerals include oxide minerals like cassiterite and a few sulfides such as franckerite. By far the most tin comes from cassiterite or tin oxide. Reduction of this ore in burning coal results in tin metal and was probably how tin was made by the ancients. Cassiterite is a black or reddish brown mineral that has ornately faceted specimens with a greasy, high luster. It is generally opaque, but its luster and multiple crystal faces cause a sparkling surface. Cassiterite has been an important ore of tin for thousands of years and is still the greatest source of tin today. Most aggregate specimens of cassiterite show crystal twins, with the typical twin bent at a near-60-degree angle to form a distinctive "Elbow Twin." Other crystalline forms include eight-sided prisms and four-sided pyramids. Cassiterite is sometimes found in nature associated with topaz and fluorite gemstones.Tin has a surprising affinity for silica and shares its crystalline structure. In the jovian ring on our planet where native tin is found, the metal lies in silica veins of quartz and granite. In the body, high concentrations of tin and silica are found in the boundary layer of the skin, and tin reacts with silica acid in many of the “shaping” processes of growth. In the Middle Ages, sick people were served food on a tin plate and drinks in a tin vessel to help them regenerate and recover their strength. Today, we know that tin acts as a bactericide and pesticide.
Flowers last longer in tin vases, and food has been preserved in the tin cans (actually a thin layer of tin on iron) for over a century. Beer (ruled by the jovial Jupiter) is said to taste best from a tin mug. Jupiter rules growth, the metabolic system, the liver, and the enrichment of the blood from food. Jupiter therapeutic effects are anti-spasmodic and hepatic. Jupiter-ruled plants preserve the body and promote healthy growth and are the natural healing herbs of the planetary system. They af-fect the mind in such a way as to promote an understanding of ritual form from the highest point of view, and religious leaders, doctors, lawyers, etc. will find great benefit from jovian herb remedies. They also attune one to the wealth vibration and open up channels for growth and expansion, materi-ally as well as spiritually.Jupiter controls the circulation of blood in the human body. If mixed with a solar herbal eider, it will give the alchemist access to the highest plane. Jupiter-Mercury combinations produce insight into the philosophical principles of any system and their part in the cosmic scheme and provide an intuitive understanding of the great spiritual masters. This particular herbal mixture also produces a lightheartedness and gaiety, which can be very useful to those with a predisposition to depression or gloominess. The physical properties of such a mixture are anabolic and antispasmodic.The alchemists made an Oil of Tin that was used to treat the liver (jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis), certain types of eczema, liquid ovarian cysts, inflammatory effusions, pleurisies, acne, water retention, and certain types of obesity. This oil was said to be excellent for someone "loosing shape." The oil was also used as a sweat inducer, wormer, antispasmodic, cathartic, and laxative.The polar (opposite) metal to tin is mercury, and Oil of Tin was said to be an excellent antidote for mercury poisoning, and likewise mercury was said to balance the bad effects of tin. Tin and mercury oil combined are said to provide deep insight and cure lightheadedness and certain phases of manic-depressive syndrome.The homeopathic form of tin is called Stannum, a remedy which is said to strengthen and regenerate muscle and brain tissue. It is also a remedy for the joints and connective tissue of ligaments and cartilage. Stannum is allegedly beneficial in liver disease and is used for congestion, hardening, encephalitis, and other illnesses where the fluid balance is upset.During the early Spring, preferably sometime in March, go outside and find the red planet Mars in the night sky. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the tiny red sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the planet influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant planet. Continue gazing upon Mars and place a piece of iron in your hand or a small cast iron pot or other object but not something of made of steel or chromed. You should be able to feel a resonance building. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of iron.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with its planetary twin. See how your feelings compare to how the alchemists felt about this powerful metal.When mixed with solar herbs, iron herbs increase energy and activate the energetic potentials of other herbs. Martian elixirs release the action poten-tial of the soul of something. When mixed with other herbs, martian herbs acti-vate the potentialities of the other herbs to a great degree making them more forceful in applica-tion and generally more active. Mars herbs are wonderful tonics when mixed with Sun herbs. The combination gives great physical energy, tones the muscles, and increases sexual potency. They also provoke self-reliance, spontaneity, and indepen-dence of attitude. If the alchemist is involved in magical evocation, a mixture of a mars, moon, and mercurial elixirs will help produce the physical plane vehicle of manifestation.Copper is a reddish-brown metal with a bright metallic luster. It is in the same group in the Periodic Table as gold, and like gold, it is remarkably ductile. It is also very malleable and sectile (it can be pounded into other shapes and cut into slices) and is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Molten copper is a sea green color, and copper tarnishes with a green color and burns with a blue-green flame with flashes of red, and the alchemists sometimes described Venus, the metal’s archetypal planetary source, as dressed in a blue cloak over a red gown.Pick up a piece of copper and the first thing you notice is its surprising feeling of warmth and moisture. It is that connection to something archetypal and nourishing that makes up the signature of this metal. It is easy to connect with copper, just as its planet (Venus) is easy to see in the sky. It is so brilliant it is often mistaken for a bright star or even a UFO. The best time to see it is in the early evening or morning when it is close to the horizon. In fact, Venus has been called both the “Morning Star” and the “Evening Star” and is associated with magical energies. It is the “first star I see tonight” upon you make you wish that will come true with the sympathetic venusian energies. On some clear night or morning, go outside and find the planet Venus. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the brilliant white sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the planet influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant planet. Continue gazing upon the planet and grab a piece of copper, a fistful of pennies, or even a copper cooking utensil. You should be able to feel a warm resonance building. That deep and soothing vibration is not your imagination. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of copper.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with its planetary twin.The venusian signature gives refinement of senses and the ability to appreciate beauty. Artists, actors, and others in the public eye will find these elixirs a great aid to performing their work. Venus herbs also enhance the taste perceptions, promote affection, give an amiable disposition, and make one more psychically sensitive to astral influences. For those who feel a lack of charm, or some of the softer human qualities, a venusian elixir will stimulate the right vibration in your aura. Venusian elixirs also promote harmony and balance within our being and in our dealings with others. Venusian elixirs are said to give access to that realm of the astral that is intimately connected with the working and forces of the most intimate magic of nature. They are a great aid to alchemists who wish to make herbal alchemy their life work, as they open up the human consciousness to the secrets of the plant kingdom. Naturalists will find these elixirs most illuminating, as they will give conscious con-tact with the various “deities” of long past nature religions.Mercury is truly unique. It is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature and the heaviest natural liquid on the planet. According to alchemical theory, all the metals began in the liquid state on deep in the earth, but only mercury was able to retain it original innocence and life force and resist taking on a final form, and for that reason, the ancients called it Mercurius vivens (the “living mercury”). This silvery liquid metal (also known as “Quicksilver”) was known to ancient Chinese and Hindus before 2000 BC and has been found in sacred tubes in Egyptian tombs dated from 1500 BC. It was first used to form alloys with other metals around 500 BC. The Greeks applied germ-killing ability of mercury in healing ointments (to the benefit of those afflicted with wounds and skin infections), and in the Middle Ages, Paracelsus used it successfully to treat syphilis. However, the ancient Romans applied mercury compounds for long-term use in cosmetics, and many beautiful women eventually died of its cumulative poisonous effects. Today, many popular brands of eye makeup still contain low levels of mercury.In the East, metallic mercury was the main ingredient in most Tantric medicinal preparations. In his travels through India, Marco Polo observed that many people drank a concoction of mercury and sulfur twice monthly from early childhood with no observable ill effects. They believed the drink gave them longevity. Tantric alchemists in India still take metallic mercury in place of food as an elixir of life, although they caution that the body must be perfectly attuned and strengthened to tolerate the intense cosmic infusion of life force. In Indian alchemy, mercury is called rasa, which refers to the subtle essence that is the origin of all forms of matter. The cosmic chaos from which the universe sprang is called the Rasasara or “Sea of Mercury.” The craft of alchemy is referred to as Rasayana or “Knowledge of Mercury.” Go outside on the night of the full moon and gaze up at the silver orb. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the surface of the moon. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let our closest planetary body influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection. Now, pick up piece of silver jewelry or dinnerware, and hold it in your left hand until it gets warm. You should be able to feel a liquid-like sensation of cool metallic energy. This is what alchemists refer to as the “call of silver.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with the moon itself. Try to remember how this feels in your body. Has the taste in your mouth changed? Has your eyesight altered? How does your skin feel.The alchemists prepared an Oil of Silver they used to treat disorders of the brain and cerebellum, reduce stress, balance emotions, improve memory, treat nervous disorders and epilepsy, improve both melancholia and mania. It was also used as a physical purgative and mental purifier. It was said to affect the subconscious mind, see into the past clearly, remove fears and blockages, allow one to unwind, produce “homey” feelings, give a feeling of grace and sensitivity, and enhanced imagination.Using elaborate mixing and heating techniques, Egyptian alchemists tried making gold by changing the proportions of the Four Elements in the base metals or by attempting to speed up natural growth of lesser metals into gold. Around 100 AD, Egyptian alchemist Maria Prophetissa used mercury and sulfur to try to make gold. Around 300 AD, the alchemist Zosimos, whose recipes often came to him in dreams, was working to transmute copper. “The soul of copper,” he wrote must be purified until it receives the sheen of gold and turns into the royal metal of the Sun." A technique known as "diplosis" (“doubling”) of gold became popular. One such recipe called for heating a mixture of two parts gold with one part each of silver and copper. After appropriate alchemical charging that brought the seed of gold alive, twice as much of a gold as originally added was produced. Egyptian alchemists believed that the gold acted as a seed in metals, especially copper and silver. According to their view, the seed of gold grew, eating the copper and silver as food, until the whole mixture was transformed into pure gold.Gold is a stubbornly pure metal when it comes to reacting or even associating with “lesser” elements. That signature explains a lot of the chemical characteristics of gold. Unlike nearly every other metal, there are no plants that contain even trace amounts of metallic gold. There are very few gold ores, because the noblest metal never alloys with the baser metals, but does alloy with the noble metal silver and makes an amalgam with mercury.Gold is extremely ductile, malleable, and sectile, and so soft it can be cut with a knife, which makes gold impractical to use for tools. It is also very heavy. A gold bar is twice as heavy as an equal-sized bar of lead. Furthermore, gold embodies an inner equilibrium of forces that make it pretty much indestructible. Gold never tarnishes like copper or silver or rust like iron and, whether found buried in the ground, at the bottom of the ocean, in an ancient tomb, or in the ring on your finger, it always looks the same. It cannot be damaged by heat and was considered completely inalterable until around 1100 AD, when alchemists concocted a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids known as Agua Regia (“Royal Water”) that could dissolve gold. The immortal metal is endlessly recycled, and all the gold known today is very nearly equal to all the gold that has ever been mined. One ounce of gold can be stretched into a single wire 35 miles long, or it can be beaten to just a few atoms thick. It is the most flexible, enduring, and beautiful of all metals.
Gold shows a distinct affinity for sulfur and forms an ore with a rare element called tellurium. It is one of the few elements gold easily bonds with. In fact, telluride is rarely found without gold. Gold also appears in minerals that are part of a group of tellurium sulfides called the tellurides. However, the amount of gold in these minerals is really miniscule next to the amount of gold found in its native metallic state. Native gold seems to like the company of the purest white quartz and is also found mixed with deposits of pyrite and a few other sulfide minerals. Gold is six times rarer than silver, and it takes about three tons of gold ore to extract an ounce of gold metal.Around the world, nearly every culture associated their supreme god or goddess with gold. For many centuries only the images of gods graced gold coins, until Alexander the Great began the trend of rulers’ images appearing on gold coins around 30 BC. Even the most primitive societies recognize the sacred properties of gold. For example, the Makuna tribes of modern Brazil believe that gold contains “the light of the sun and stars." The chemical symbol for gold (Au) comes from the Latin word aurum meaning "gold.” The alchemical cipher for gold is a rendition of the sun (A), and gold was considered a kind of congealed light. Sol is the King of alchemy, and his royal purple-red color is revealed in gold colloidal solutions, and red is his symbolic color. Sol Philosophorum was the name the alchemists gave to this living spirit of gold, which they saw as the refined essence of heat and fire. Gold was known and considered sacred from earliest times. Gold became popular because it reminded people of the sun with its warm, life-giving properties. Because of its imperishability, the ancient Chinese thought that gold conveyed immortality to its owners. Egyptian inscriptions dating back to 2600 BC describe these same associations with gold. Gold replaced bartering around 3500 BC when the people of Mesopotamia started using it as a kind of money because of it eternal value. By 2800 BC, gold was being fashioned into standardized weights in the form of rings. People started carried black stones called “touchstones” onto which they scraped a piece of gold to leave a streak. Depending on the brightness of the streak, one could estimate how much gold was in the sample. Around 1500 BC, Mesopotamian alchemists discovered a process for purifying gold known as "cuppellation," which involved heating impure gold in a porcelain cup called a “cuppel.” Impurities were absorbed by the porcelain, leaving a button of pure gold behind. Later alchemists used cuppels to test the quality of their transmutations.Using elaborate mixing and heating techniques, Egyptian alchemists tried making gold by changing the proportions of the Four Elements in the base metals or by attempting to speed up natural growth of lesser metals into gold. Around 100 AD, Egyptian alchemist Maria Prophetissa used mercury and sulfur to try to make gold. Around 300 AD, the alchemist Zosimos, whose recipes often came to him in dreams, was working to transmute copper. “The soul of copper,” he wrote must be purified until it receives the sheen of gold and turns into the royal metal of the Sun." A technique known as "diplosis" (“doubling”) of gold became popular. One such recipe called for heating a mixture of two parts gold with one part each of silver and copper. After appropriate alchemical charging that brought the seed of gold alive, twice as much of a gold as originally added was produced. Egyptian alchemists believed that the gold acted as a seed in metals, especially copper and silver. According to their view, the seed of gold grew, eating the copper and silver as food, until the whole mixture was transformed into pure gold.According to the medieval alchemists, Nature sought continually to create the perfection achieved in gold, and they looked at every metal as gold in the making. Alchemists also thought that the objective of every metal was to become gold, and every metal was tested for corrosion and strength and ranked as to how far it was from gold. Many alchemists felt that mercury was the closest metal to gold and that it could be transmuted directly into gold. Their intuition was correct, for mercury can indeed be turned into gold. Gold and mercury are next to each other on the Periodic Table. Mercury is element 80 (has 80 protons) and gold is element 79 (has 79 protons). In the 1960s, physicists were able to knock out a proton in mercury atoms using neutron particle accelerators, and thereby create minute quantities of gold.Gold is at the head of the metals, paired with what in the medieval mind was the strongest planet, the Sun. The alchemists were obsessed with gold’s signature of perfection. Medieval Italian alchemist Bernard Trevisan speculated, "Is not gold merely the Sun’s beams condensed into a solid yellow?" Seventeenth-century alchemist John French asked fervently: “Is there no sperm in gold? Is it not possible to exalt it for multiplication? Is there no universal spirit in the world? Is it not possible to find that collected in One Thing which is dispersed in all things? What is that which makes gold incorruptible? What induced the philosophers to examine gold for the matter of their medicine? Was not all gold once living? Is there none of this living gold, the matter of philosophers, to be had anymore?”Gold is highly valued in the everyday world too. It is used as coinage and is a standard for monetary systems in many countries. It is used to make jewelry and artwork, and also in dentistry, electronics, and plating. Since it is an excellent reflector of infrared energy (such as emerges from the sun), the metal is used to coat space satellites and interstellar probes. Chlorauric acid is used in photography for toning the silver image. It is also used in medicine to treat degenerative diseases such as arthritis and cancer.Chemist Lilly Kolisko performed experiments with gold chloride and showed its chemical behavior coincided with events that altered the strength of the sun, such as the weakening in solar forces during solar eclipses or their increase during the summer solstice. Moreover, she found that both silver and gold salts seemed to be equally influenced by the sun. In the case of silver, it was the forms or patterns that changed, whereas in the gold, it was the colors that changed. Silver shapes moved from jagged spikes to smooth rolling forms but the colors remained hues of grey, while the basic shape of gold patterns remained the same but the colors changed from brilliant yellows through violet to reddish-purple hues. This work presents an amazing confirmation of how the King and Queen, Sol and Luna, work together in creation, with the female principle representing soul and form and the male principle representing spirit and energy. Kolisko’s innovative work with the metals is presented in the Appendix. Her work has been duplicated by dozens of other chemists and has been confirmed many times.The signatures of gold are invoked in rituals, magical spells, and talismans concerning solar deities, the male force, authority, self-confidence, creativity, financial riches, investments, fortune, hope, health, and worldly and magical power. Gold talismans can be very expensive, but you can make one of gold colored cardboard or write the symbols on it with gold paint or plate an object with gold. Gold jewelry is said to improve self-confidence and inner strength. To charge water with the signature of gold, put a gold object in a glass of water and let sit in the sunlight for 6-10 hours.During sunrise or sunset, face the sun and try to feel it archetypal presence. If not too bright, gaze into the rising or setting sun and try to see the metallic solar disk of which the Egyptian alchemists spoke. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the golden sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the presence at the center of our solar system influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant sun. Continue facing the sun as you pick up a piece of gold jewelry or a vial of pure gold flakes (such as sold in some novelty shops) into your right palm. You should be able to feel a electric warmth building. That eerie, warm vibration is not your imagination. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of gold” – the resonation of the metal with its “planet.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence, and for gold, this is the most perfect expression of all materials. If you can connect with this archetype, you will realize that it a very personal as well as divine presence. As Above, so Below. This is perfection on all levels of your mind, body, and soul resonating with the perfection inherent in the Whole Universe.For those with weaker wills or loss of contact with the divine presence, gold represents a psychological cure. The solar essences gives great ambition, courage, self-re-liance, dignity, authority, and the ability to manage oneself and others. The creative principle, no matter how small and insignificant it is within us can be enhanced to a great degree by tapping into the solar archetype. Just as the Sun represents the di-vine creative force in our immediate solar system, gold represents the same thing in our inner temperament. For lasting manifestation, the golden temperament needs to be firmly grounded in the world, and the danger at this phase of transformation is that the individual become too focused on the workings Above and forget his or her connection to the real world. Gold and the blazing Sun correspond to personal ambition, courage, and creative energy and vitality, but without a constant effort to remain pure and alive in the real world, the golden temperament can quickly transmute into the leaden qualities of despair, poor self esteem, lack of confidence, and impurity. Most important for the golden temperament, however, is to realize that once having reached this plateau, one has certain personal and karmic obligations. The golden attitude of this temperament is what brings the rewards of health, wealth, and happiness through synchonistic responses from the universe. Go against these archetypal powers at this level of achievement and even the slightest deviation from the golden path of righteousness and personal integrity can have disastrous and immediate consequences. The alchemists transmuted the Gold temperament using the operation of Coagulation.Chrysotherapy is the name given to healing with gold. The mystical metal has been used for both spiritual and medical purposes as far back as ancient Egypt. Over 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians used gold in dentistry and ingested it for mental, bodily, and spiritual purification. The ancients believed that gold in the body worked by stimulating the life force and raising the level of vibration on all levels. In Alexandria, alchemists developed a powerful elixir known as “liquid gold,” which reportedly had the ability to restore youth and perfect health. In ancient Rome, gold salves were used for the treatment of skin ulcers, and today, gold leaf plays an important role in the treatment of chronic skin ulcers. The great alchemist and founder of modern medicine, Paracelsus, developed many highly successful medicines from metallic minerals including gold. In medieval Europe, gold-coated pills and “gold waters” were extremely popular. Alchemists mixed powdered gold into drinks to "comfort sore limbs," and today, it is widely used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In the 1900s, surgeons implanted a $5.00 gold piece under the skin near an inflamed joint, such as a knee or elbow. In China, peasants still cook their rice with a gold coin in order to help replenish gold in their bodies, and fancy Chinese restaurants put 24-karat gold-leaf in their food preparations.The alchemists believed that gold represented the perfection of matter, and that its presence in the body would enliven, rejuvenate, and cure a multitude of “dis-eases.” Gold is never corrodes or even tarnishes, is completely non-toxic, and exhibits no interactions with other drugs. Gold is the only heavy metal that has a right-hand atomic spin and is therefore easily tolerated by the body.The alchemists believed that gold represented the perfection of matter, and that its presence in the body would enliven, rejuvenate, and cure a multitude of “dis-eases.” Gold is never corrodes or even tarnishes, is completely non-toxic, and exhibits no interactions with other drugs. Gold is the only heavy metal that has a right-hand atomic spin and is therefore easily tolerated by the body.Sun-ruled plants affect the soul in its positive phase of manifestation, which manifests on the personal level as our idea of ourselves as a progressive unified entity. Solar herbs help us realize our evolutionary epoch as an individual among many other individuals, helping to synthesize and synchronize our goals with those of the macrocosm. In this sense they are ego fortifiers, but with a divine purpose.Solar herbs heal inferiority complexes, bolstering people and giving them a sense of purpose beyond the norm. The Sun represents the Christ and Osiris consciousness in man, as well as Hercules in his monumental strength. For those with weaker wills, Sun ruled herbs will provide the springboard for more posi-tive action; they also bestow the quality of generosity to our souls. Solar plants, when alchemically charged, will reveal the divine purpose of our solar system, and will let you be-come aware of the will of God in manifestation. Solar essences give great ambition.
This may look like a cosy little nest somewhere, but this is actually a form of duckweed floating on the surface of the water that is cradling his little body while he takes a nap in the pond.
Duckweed has been used for centuries for health conditions. People eat it, or try and cure swelling (inflammation) of the air ways in the lungs (bronchitis), liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis and gout, and is even eaten as a protein source. We used to call it pond scum, and I've known lots of people that have paid big money to buy this stuff from a place in Oregon. Go figure. But they would choke on a hamburger. Pretty funny stuff.
However, ducks eat it and seem to love it and thrive on the stuff... :^P