A poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, typically with one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with showy flowers found growing singularly or in large groups.Those that are grown in gardens include large plants used in a mixed herbaceous border and small plants that are grown in rock or alpine gardens.

Papaver rhoeas is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has a variety of common names, including the Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy, one of the many species and genera named poppy. The four petals are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. It is a variable annual plant, forming a long-lived soil seed bank that can germinate when the soil is disturbed. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring, but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. Like many other species of its genus, it exudes a white latex when the tissues are broken.

 

Papavero è il nome comune di un genere (Papaver) di piante erbacee della famiglia delle Papaveraceae. Al genere appartengono 125 specie circa.Il papavero è considerato una pianta infestante. Papavero è il nome comune della specie Papaver rhoeas, comunissimo nei campi all'inizio dell'estate.

Il Papaver rhoeas, o comunemente papavero o rosolaccio, è una pianta erbacea annuale appartenente al genere Papaver. La specie, largamente diffusa in Italia, cresce normalmente in campi e sui bordi di strade e ferrovie ed è considerata una pianta infestante. Petali e semi possiedono leggere proprietà sedative.

È alta fino a 80 - 90 cm. Il fiore è rosso dai petali delicati e caduchi. Spesso macchiato di nero alla base in corrispondenza degli stami di colore nero. Il fusto è eretto, coperto di peli rigidi. Tagliato emette un liquido bianco. Foglie pennato partite sparse lungo il fusto. Il frutto è una capsula che contiene numerosi semi piccoli, reniformi e reticolati. Fuoriescono da un foro sotto lo stimma.I boccioli sono verdi a forma di oliva e penduli. Fiorisce in primavera da aprile fino a metà luglio.

 

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A poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, typically with one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with showy flowers found growing singularly or in large groups.Those that are grown in gardens include large plants used in a mixed herbaceous border and small plants that are grown in rock or alpine gardens.

Papaver rhoeas is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has a variety of common names, including the Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy, one of the many species and genera named poppy. The four petals are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. It is a variable annual plant, forming a long-lived soil seed bank that can germinate when the soil is disturbed. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring, but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. Like many other species of its genus, it exudes a white latex when the tissues are broken.

 

Papavero è il nome comune di un genere (Papaver) di piante erbacee della famiglia delle Papaveraceae. Al genere appartengono 125 specie circa.Il papavero è considerato una pianta infestante. Papavero è il nome comune della specie Papaver rhoeas, comunissimo nei campi all'inizio dell'estate.

Il Papaver rhoeas, o comunemente papavero o rosolaccio, è una pianta erbacea annuale appartenente al genere Papaver. La specie, largamente diffusa in Italia, cresce normalmente in campi e sui bordi di strade e ferrovie ed è considerata una pianta infestante. Petali e semi possiedono leggere proprietà sedative.

È alta fino a 80 - 90 cm. Il fiore è rosso dai petali delicati e caduchi. Spesso macchiato di nero alla base in corrispondenza degli stami di colore nero. Il fusto è eretto, coperto di peli rigidi. Tagliato emette un liquido bianco. Foglie pennato partite sparse lungo il fusto. Il frutto è una capsula che contiene numerosi semi piccoli, reniformi e reticolati. Fuoriescono da un foro sotto lo stimma.I boccioli sono verdi a forma di oliva e penduli. Fiorisce in primavera da aprile fino a metà luglio.

 

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We were offered a delicious cool drink while visiting our neighbour at Cochin (Kerala)

Later our host told us that it was made from Passion Fruit which she grows in her kitchen Garden. She showed us a ripe variety which I held against the fresh ones in her garden. For drinks. I think this is very cost effective and heathy.

The info I got from the net is : The yellow form has a more vigorous vine and generally larger fruit than the purple, but the pulp of the purple is less acid, richer in aroma and flavor, and has a higher proportion of juice-35-38%. The purple form has black seeds, the yellow, brown seeds.

Medicinal Uses: There is currently a revival of interest in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in Europe, in the use of the glycoside, passiflorine, especially from P. incarnata L., as a sedative or tranquilizer. Italian chemists have extracted passiflorine from the air-dried leaves of P. edulis.

 

In Madeira, the juice of passionfruits is given as a digestive stimulant and treatment for gastric cancer.

Medicinal Uses

Adaptogen; Anti-inflammatory; Cardiac; Depurative; Diuretic; Febrifuge; Hypertensive; Nervine; Sedative; Skin; Tonic.

It is a useful tonic and cleansing herb for skin problems and digestive disorders. In India it is chiefly valued as a revitalizing herb that strengthens nervous function and memory. The whole plant is alterative, cardio-depressant, hypertensive, weakly sedative and tonic. It is a rejuvenating diuretic herb that clears toxins, reduces inflammations and fevers, improves healing and immunity, improves the memory and has a balancing effect on the nervous system. It has been suggested that regular use of the herb can rejuvenate the nervous system and it therefore deserves attention as a possible cure for a wide range of nervous disorders including multiple sclerosis. Recent research has shown that gotu kola reduces scarring, improves circulatory problems in the lower limbs and speeds the healing process. It is used internally in the treatment of wounds, chronic skin conditions (including leprosy), venereal diseases, malaria, varicose veins, ulcers, nervous disorders and senility. Caution should be observed since excess doses cause headaches and transient unconsciousness. Externally, the herb is applied to wounds, hemorrhoids and rheumatic joints. The plant can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried. It is best used fresh.

Cosmetic. Extracts of the plant are added to cosmetic masks and creams to increase collagen and firm the skin.

Like to see more?

Go to my profile.

 

I found this remarkable native Indian Warrior (Pedicularis densiflora) plant in the Scrophulariaceae plant family in the woods yesterday. This early-flowering perennial has leafy red bracts with a few real flowers in between. (San Marcos Pass, 14 February 2012)

 

This plant is a root-parasite of several different chaparral shrubs, probably Big-berry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) in this place. It must have a fungal connection with its host plant. It comes up mushroom-like, ready to flower.

 

The flower heads of these Indian Warrior plants are sold on the Internet "legal high" market. The effects are described on one web site as "tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, powerful aphrodesiacs, and sedatives". They sell for quite a bit.

 

I'd rather enjoy the flowers. This "wildcrafting" of native plants - especially these interesting root-parasites that can't be cultivated - bothers me!

Quality prints and greeting cards can be purchased at >> kaye-menner.artistwebsites.com/featured/onions-on-white-b...

 

Onions are a very good source of vitamin C, B6, biotin, chromium, calcium and dietary fibre. In addition, they contain good amounts of folic acid and vitamin B1 and K.

A 100 gram serving provides 44 calories, mostly as complex carbohydrate, with 1.4 grams of fibre.

Like garlic, onions also have the enzyme alliinase, which is released when an onion is cut or crushed and it causes your eyes to water.

They also contain flavonoids, which are pigments that give vegetables their colour. These compounds act as antioxidants, have a direct antitumor effect and have immune-enhancing properties.

Onions contain a large amount of sulfur and are especially good for the liver. As a sulfur food, they mix best with proteins, as they stimulate the action of the amino acids to the brain and nervous system.

The onion is the richest dietary source of quercitin, a potent antioxidant flavonoid (also in shallots, yellow and red onions only but not in white onions), which is found on and near the skin and is particularly linked to the health benefits of onions.

Quercitin has been shown to thin the blood, lower cholesterol, raise good-type HDL cholesterol, ward off blood clots, fight asthma, chronic bronchitis, hay fever, diabetes, atherosclerosis and infections and is specifically linked to inhibiting human stomach cancer.

It's also an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral, thought to have diverse anti-cancer powers. Quercitin is also a sedative. So far, there is no better food source of quercitin than onion skins.

[Info Courtesy of: www.foods-healing-power.com/health-benefits-of-onions.htm...]

 

On Monday, September 17, 2012; Dr. Eanes removed the lens from my left eye and implanted a ReSTOR lens. Like many other patients, my brain remembered the circumstances from last Monday, and I woke up while he was doing the surgery. I felt no pain, but I could see the lights above and hear everyone talking in the OR. Unlike the first surgery, I was awake enough to move from the table to lounge chair for recovery. Like the other day, I drank some apple juice, got dressed, walked to the RR across the hall, and saw Dr. Eanes. We drove to his office, picked up a tray of food, and ate breakfast at Denny's before Jim drove me back home.

 

Dr. Eanes says that I experienced what he calls "Second Eye Syndrome." He would like for a medical student to study this phenomenon. The patient stays asleep with the anesthesia during the surgery of the first eye. Using the same medicines, the brain seems to remember the circumstances and "wakes up" during the surgery on the second eye. There is no pain, but I could see through a blue covering on my face; see the lights on the ceiling, hear whirring noises of equipment, and hear the nurses conversing with Dr. Eanes. The doctor seemed to realize that I was awake because he spoke directly to me, "I'm going to move your head down." It was not a horrible situation....just strange. I can still hear the music that was playing in the OR before they started my IV with the sedative, a piano playing "The Old Rugged Cross." I almost sang along, but I didn't want to distract the nurses. :D

 

Jim was my human tripod. And....remember that Dr. Eanes was Jim's Chemistry student years ago!

See the whole set here: www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter/7996136318/

Vinca rosea (Nayantara, Periwinkle). These are much branched, evergreen, woody perennials a well known ayurvedic medicine. Its alkaloids are hypotensive, sedative and have tranquilising properties and are anti cancerous. It helps in relieving muscle pain, depression of central nervous system and wasps stings.

Grain is both well known and appreciated a natural remedy.

From corn silk is used.

Corn is widespread in the plains, up to that hill.

For natural treatments are harvested when the plant is in milk, when the stigmata (silk) are green.

They can harvest and the plant is mature but removes parts from which blackened, dried.

Corn-natural treatment

Corn is a strong diuretic and bland, slightly sedative haemostatic properties, stimulating the secretion of liver cell.

It is recommended in diseases of the urinary system (kidney stones, cystitis, nephritic colic, albuminuria), cardiorenal edema and renal induficienta, rheumatism and gout, cholecystitis and biliary dyskinesia, digestive disorders, menstrual disorders.

It is administered as infuzie- (1 teaspoon per cup) 2 cups per day, diuretic purposes; the dose may be doubled. ... read more ..

 

And the next meat that she burned was his. Perhaps what they both need more than a sedative is to read a cookbook.

www.workdrugs.com

 

Work Drugs is a Philadelphia based smooth-fi / sedative wave group. Work Drugs makes music specifically, boating, sexting, dancing, and living.

 

Photo taken in Stockholm, SE. Spring 2011

Could Graviola Soursop Fruit Be A Good Treatment for Cancer Difficulty?

 

As man struggles in labs to create a thing that may properly treat cancer without killing patients, successful and beneficial treatments wait in nature to be discovered. But while Big Pharma professionals toil and have nothing showing for it but medications that are as damaging while they are helpful, some analysts are hunting for those natural remedies that could support the key to something as deadly as cancer. Enter the exotic tropical fruit: Brazilian Soursop.

 

A truly warm fruit, soursop (also referred to as graviola, guanabana, and guyabano) is really a huge and unassuming healer. Research within the last few decades have indicated it has remarkable anticancer properties. Yet many people have yet to know in regards to the health benefits of guyabano.

 

The initial promising review of soursop occurred in 1996 when researchers found a compound extracted from the fruit was deadly to cancer cells but authorized healthy cells to call home. They discovered not merely did the element precisely annihilate cancer cells, nonetheless it did so at a rate 10,000 higher than the normal and harmful anti-cancer drug andriamycin. Andriamycin, incidentally, is nicknamed the “red devil” due to its color and it’s potentially lethal side effects.

 

In 1999, another study found soursop compounds to be effective at reducing prostate and breast cancer cell activity. In 2002, scientists realized it may equally inhibit liver cancer activity. Finally, in 2011, a report published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, established its anti-breast cancer activities.

 

Researchers to the latest study found that simply eating soursop may have incredible anti-cancer benefits in animals using an an over-expressed gene that usually contributes to breast cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is really a cancer-causing gene frequently over-expressed in breast cancer patients.

 

Exceptional anticancer great things about soursop in the U.S. means eating imported fruits bought at specialty markets (check your neighborhood Caribbean or Asian market). It does not grow in the U.S. outside of the extremely warm aspects of southern Florida, where it still doesn’t always survive.

 

While we don’t constantly advocate purchasing generate that has flown from throughout the world, the healing properties with this fruit could be worth the trouble. As well as having anticancer benefits, the fruit can be a diuretic and a fix for liver problems. The leaves are reportedly lethal to head lice as well as bedbugs, and have a sedative influence when consumed internally as in a infusion|when taken internally as in a infusion have a sedat PlatinumSoursopGraviola.Org/soursop-Benefits/

these need to be together, but a triptych doesn't work well in flickr thumbnails. today was beach and picnic and a burning sun and dizzying blue sky. the loveliest sedative.

A coconut shell filled with a local drink made from kava root ('awa / Piper methysticum) at Kanaka Kava, an 'awa bar in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (Big Island) - the drink has sedative, mood-altering qualities and a numbing sensation similar to eating Sichuan peppercorn.

 

[ cphotoj.com ]

This is one of my favorite old photos of Logan (although I do have a version in which I have Photoshopped-out the prong collar!), taking a break during a visit to the Naperville Riverwalk, while at the Chicago Specialty in 2002.

 

This afternoon we made the difficult decision to let Logan go.

 

We had three great months together after getting the cancer diagnosis and amputating his right front leg. But over the last couple of weeks we have watched him become noticeably weaker day by day. We did not want to get to the point where he could not walk, or eat, or still feel happiness. This morning he did not make it outside until 11 am, when it was time to greet our mailman, who gave him a biscuit.

 

Later Logan enjoyed a snack of a half-loaf of Italian bread and a piece of steer pizzle. We thought about taking him to a favorite spot for a last visit, then realized that the vet’s office had always been one of his favorite places to go.

 

At the vet, Logan got to eat an entire can of freeze-dried liver. We savored lots of gentle Logan kisses, and there was time for a last ear rub and a massage. He continued to eat the liver treats until the sedative kicked in and he finally fell asleep.

 

While we wipe away our tears, we tell ourselves that at least he died happy, surrounded by people who thought he was a good dog, and doing something he liked. If there can be such a thing as a good death, we tried to provide it for him. But there will be a big empty spot in our bed tonight.

 

Holmback's Boston Bound CD RL2

"Logan" 11/01/98 - 08/10/05

Diprivan, more commonly known by its chemical name of propofol, is a sedative medication some of which may be derived from peanuts. "Sedation in the Intensive Care Unit, should be administered only by persons skilled in the management of critically ill patients and trained in cardiovascular resuscitation and airway management."

Drugs

 

Part of the ABC project

 

I'm not going to do this ABC in order so really sorry. Seeing as I'm not uploading ABCs everyday it might be ages til I get some photos up if I'm waiting to shoot a letter, and throughout that time I'd probably have photos for other letters already done. If I jump ahead I'll try not to jump too many though.

 

In 2008, 15.4 percent of 12th-graders reported using a prescription drug nonmedically within the past year. This category includes amphetamines, sedatives/barbiturates, tranquilizers, and opiates other than heroin. Vicodin continues to be abused at unacceptably high levels. Many of the drugs used by 12th-graders are prescription drugs or, in the case of cough medicine, are available over the counter.

 

In 2006 nonmedical use of prescription drugs among young adults aged 18 to 25 increased from 5.4 percent in 2002 to 6.4 percent in 2006. The increase is being driven largely by the use of pain relievers such as OxyContin and Vicodin.

 

Hate Me. This song's more about addiction or alcohol addiction than drug specific, but it encapsulates the mood really. This is all quite personal to me really. I knew someone like this and was really involved with them for about a year. I stood by them as they struggled and now they're so much better, but we're so far apart. I'd rather they'd overcome their problems though than for us to still be close. Sometimes I miss him though, and remember him on his good days.

Lotus corniculatus

Famiglia:Fabaceae

Nome comune:ginestrino

Distribuzione: Originariamente ampiamente diffuso dall’Europa all’Asia, attualmente cosmopolita in tutto il mondo.

Pianta officinale efficace come calmante e contro l’insonnia.

Attualmente è utilizzato come specie da pascolo e per la produzione del fieno.

Il suo nome specifico deriva dal fatto che il suo baccello ha la forma di un corno.

Lo sai che:

Le sue proprietà medicamentose vennero scoperte grazie ad un errore compiuto dal medico francese Henri Leclerc, che prescrisse a una sua paziente una terapia con il Meliloto, (Melilotus officinalis) come calmante, il medicamento ebbe successo, ma in realtà utilizzò il Lotus corniculatus. Accortosi dell’errore commesso, pubblicò la sua esperienza

Flora della Sardegna

 

Lotus corniculatus

 

Family: Fabaceae

 

Common name: trefoil

 

Distribution: Originally widespread from Europe to Asia, currently cosmopolitan worldwide.

 

Medicinal plant effective as a sedative and for insomnia.

 

It is currently used as grazing species and for the production of hay.

 

Its specific name derives from the fact that its pod has the shape of a horn.

 

Do you know that:

Its medicinal properties were discovered thanks to a mistake made by the French physician Henri Leclerc, who commanded one of his patients a therapy with Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis) as calming, the drug was successful, but actually used the Lotus corniculatus. Realizing the mistake, he published his experience

Bibliography: The flora of Sardinia

 

Lotus corniculatus

 

Familia: Fabaceae

 

Nombre común: trébol

 

Distribución: Originalmente generalizado de Europa a Asia, en la actualidad en todo el mundo cosmopolita.

 

Planta medicinal eficaz como sedante y para el insomnio.

 

Actualmente se utiliza como especies de pastoreo y para la producción de heno.

 

Su nombre específico deriva del hecho de que su vaina tiene la forma de un cuerno.

 

Sabes que:

Sus propiedades medicinales fueron descubiertas gracias a un error cometido por el médico francés Henri Leclerc, que mandó a uno de sus pacientes una terapia con trébol dulce (Melilotus officinalis) como calmante, la droga fue un éxito, pero en realidad usó el corniculatus Lotus. Al darse cuenta del error, publicó su experiencia

Bibliografía: La flora de Cerdeña

 

Thalidomide is a sedative-hypnotic and multiple myeloma medication.

 

Thalidomide was sold in a number of countries across the world from 1957 until 1961 when it was withdrawn from the market after being found to be the cause of what has been called "the biggest medical tragedy of modern times". It is not known exactly how many worldwide victims of the drug there have been, although estimates range from 10,000 to 20,000.

 

Shockingly, searching for "Thalomid" discovers this site www.thalomid.com !

This is one of the few shots where Abigail can be seen properly. Her build is quite simple, involving only the two smallest sizes of torso beam, connected by a Phantoka connector. The rest should be quite visible in this photo.

---STORY---

Well, way back in 2012, I first saw the CGI model of the Dragon Bolt, and I fell in love with the concept. Upon seeing the set, I was half let down and half elated at the usefulness of the set. However, I wanted to build something that would do the CGI model justice. So I started to build. And I quickly ran out of parts, having finished only the front legs, the back ones, the rear end and its head. So I got three more copies of the set, as I was running out of blue. Now, eventually I managed to build the body, and the wings. However, I had nowhere near enough parts to finish the design. At this point, it's fall 2014. I take apart the wings and steal some parts from the dragon's back to use in other MOCs, my Golden Mask Contest entry taking up most of them. I get some more sets, most notably two copies of Surge and Rocka Combat Machine. Then, I hear about this contest. And I decide that I will finish this project, once and for all. And I get to work.

---BACKSTORY---

See www.customherofactory.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Bolt_(ThePurpleDragonNinja) for information on my canon's version of the Dragon Bolt. The rider is Abigail Katevnas, who has been assigned by the Hero Factory to research this species, which, despite probably being the most common species in the known galaxy, is quite obscure. As such, a wild Dragon Bolt has been captured and been trained to ignore Abigail to allow her to study it. For safety reasons, Abigail has been outfitted with special grip claws and a line to secure her to the Dragon Bolt in question. In emergencies, her wrist-mounted spikes can be used to administer sedatives.

---OTHER---

I think it's worth mentioning that this is, according to my canon, a newly adult Dragon Bolt. The CGI version or the set is about the size of an adolescent Dragon Bolt. I've also built a hatchling Dragon Bolt, which I will endeavor to post soon.

A poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, typically with one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with showy flowers found growing singularly or in large groups.Those that are grown in gardens include large plants used in a mixed herbaceous border and small plants that are grown in rock or alpine gardens.

Papaver rhoeas is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has a variety of common names, including the Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy, one of the many species and genera named poppy. The four petals are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. It is a variable annual plant, forming a long-lived soil seed bank that can germinate when the soil is disturbed. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring, but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. Like many other species of its genus, it exudes a white latex when the tissues are broken.

 

Papavero è il nome comune di un genere (Papaver) di piante erbacee della famiglia delle Papaveraceae. Al genere appartengono 125 specie circa.Il papavero è considerato una pianta infestante. Papavero è il nome comune della specie Papaver rhoeas, comunissimo nei campi all'inizio dell'estate.

Il Papaver rhoeas, o comunemente papavero o rosolaccio, è una pianta erbacea annuale appartenente al genere Papaver. La specie, largamente diffusa in Italia, cresce normalmente in campi e sui bordi di strade e ferrovie ed è considerata una pianta infestante. Petali e semi possiedono leggere proprietà sedative.

È alta fino a 80 - 90 cm. Il fiore è rosso dai petali delicati e caduchi. Spesso macchiato di nero alla base in corrispondenza degli stami di colore nero. Il fusto è eretto, coperto di peli rigidi. Tagliato emette un liquido bianco. Foglie pennato partite sparse lungo il fusto. Il frutto è una capsula che contiene numerosi semi piccoli, reniformi e reticolati. Fuoriescono da un foro sotto lo stimma.I boccioli sono verdi a forma di oliva e penduli. Fiorisce in primavera da aprile fino a metà luglio.

 

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Dentistry @ www.drmahara.com/

 

Optimum Dental in Downtown Nanaimo is here to bring you the best possible experience in dentistry.

 

Dr. San Mahara is an exceptional dentist committed to giving you the best modern dental care has to offer. His practice is designed to help you and your family members achieve optimal health and improve the appearance of your smiles.

 

Dr. Mahara has specialized dental training in the following areas: Cosmetic Dentistry & Neuromuscular Dentistry; Sports Dentistry featuring PPM; Orthodontics with invisalign;

General and Family Dentistry;

Teeth Whitening.

 

Dr. Mahara’s professional background includes training at the world renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies and the UBC School of Dentistry. He is Invisalign certified and a Member of the International Association of Orthodontics.

 

Dr. Mahara and his staff are committed to make your dentistry experience as comfortable and rewarding as possible.

 

Our Commitment to You

We strive to satisfy your needs and interests and provide the dental procedure that is best for you. We strive to treat to you as a guest and ensure your comfort at all times; We provide a written treatment plan, showing all costs and fees in advance, so that there will be no surprises, with financial options to find a way for you to maintain your dental health; We offer sedation dentistry using either nitrous oxide or oral sedative, and all of our practices revolve around Pain-free dentistry;

Option to seek a second opinion, or review any of our services or recommendations we provide; We believe our practice continues to grow by the referrals from our valued guest like you.

 

Dr. Sanjivan Mahara acheived his Doctor of Dental Medicine, DMD, degree at the University of British Columbia in 2004. He continued extensive training at the world renowned "Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies", in Cosmetics and Neuromuscular Dentistry.

  

Following graduation from UBC, Dr. Mahara and his family choose to reside in Nanaimo. Dr. Mahara enjoys being an integral part of his community, he is an active member of the local Dental Society, and has participated in the Community Dental Day, providing treatment for marginalized individuals ans families. He supports the Vanocuver Island University's dental students by making his office available for their practicum placements and hands on training. Dr. Mahara involves himself in local charity functions, organizations, school events and is passionate about the arts and entertainment in his community.

 

Tooth whitening is a quick and economical way to improve the appearance of your smile. After an in-office procedure of 1 hour, your teeth will look younger and brighter.

 

Alternatively, you can also do this at home. This involves either pre filled disposable trays, which are quick and easy or a custom made whitening system. Touch ups can be done regularly as required with every product.

 

For your whiter brighter smile, you have three options.

 

1. Pre Filled Disposable Trays

2.Take Home Custom Trays

3.In-Office Whitening

  

Office hours:

Monday: 8:30 - 4:30

Tuesday: 7:30- 4:30

Wednesday: 8:30- 4:30

Thursday: 7:30-7:00

Friday: 7:30- 2:30

Phone: 250-754-4322

Email: info@drmahara.com

Website:http://www.drmahara.com

Address: 5 -140 Wallace Street, Nanaimo,BC, V9R 5B1

 

In Christian theology, kenosis (Ancient Greek: κένωσις, romanized: kénōsis, lit. 'the act of emptying') is the "self-emptying" of Jesus. The word ἐκένωσεν (ekénōsen) is used in the Epistle to the Philippians: "[Jesus] made himself nothing" (NIV),[1] or "[he] emptied himself" (NRSV)[2] (Philippians 2:7), using the verb form κενόω (kenóō), meaning "to empty".

 

The exact meaning varies among theologians. The less controversial meaning is that Jesus emptied his own desires, becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will, obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross, and that it encourages Christians to be similarly willing to submit to divine will, even if it comes at great personal cost. The phrase is interpreted by some to explain the human side of Jesus: that Jesus, to truly live as a mortal, had to have voluntarily bound use of his divine powers in some way, emptying himself, and that it says that "though [Jesus] was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited," suggesting that Jesus was not "abusing" his divine status to avoid the implications of a mortal life. This interpretation is contested by others, who consider this to overly downplay the divine power of Jesus, for example.

 

Etymology and definition

The term kenosis comes from the Greek κενόω (kenóō), meaning "to empty out". The Liddell–Scott Greek–English Lexicon gives the following definition simplified for the noun:[3]

 

emptying, depletion, emptiness (of life) (Vettius Valens)

depletion, low diet, as opposed to plerosis, fullness (Hippocrates)

waning (of the moon) (Epicurus)

New Testament usage

The New Testament does not use the noun form kénōsis, but the verb form kenóō occurs five times (Romans 4:14; 1 Corinthians 1:17, 9:15; 2 Corinthians 9:3; Philippians 2:7) and the future form kenōsei once.[a] Of these five times, Philippians 2:7 is generally considered the most significant for the Christian idea of kenosis:

 

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself (ekenōsen heauton), taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name...

 

— Philippians 2:5-9 (NRSV)[5]

Christology

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Kenotic Christology

Philippians 2 is sometimes used to explain the human side of Jesus's existence. In early Christianity, some groups propounded beliefs of a fully human Jesus who was especially honored and raised up by God (adoptionism), while other groups argued for a fully divine Jesus that was more like a spiritual apparition (docetism). The Chalcedonian doctrine that prevailed was that Jesus had a dual nature, and was both fully human and fully God. Kenotic Christology essentially states that in order to truly live a human experience, Jesus, despite being a preexisting divine being, voluntarily humbled himself. He could still perform miracles, heal the sick, and dispense reliable moral doctrine, but was not using divine might to resolve all of his problems as a mortal, and struggled through all the usual human problems. Thus, Jesus needed to sleep and eat; was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness; could become frustrated at fig trees not being in season; stated that no one knows the day or hour of the end of the world;[6] and so on.[7]

 

Gottfried Thomasius is the first theologian to discuss and expound upon kenotic Christology by name. Other theologians associated with kenotic Christology include P. T. Forsyth, H. R. Mackintosh, Charles Gore, Fisher Humphreys, Donald G. Dawe, and Roger E. Olson.[7]

 

Eastern Orthodoxy

Orthodox theology emphasises following the example of Christ. Kenosis is only possible through humility and presupposes that one seeks union with God. The Poustinia tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church is one major expression of this search.

 

Kenosis is not only a Christological issue in Orthodox theology, but also relates to Pneumatology, matters of the Holy Spirit. Kenosis, relative to the human nature, denotes the continual epiklesis and self-denial of one's own human will and desire. With regard to Christ, there is a kenosis of the Son of God, a condescension and self-sacrifice for the redemption and salvation of all humanity. Humanity can also participate in God's saving work through theosis; becoming holy by grace.[8]

 

In Eastern Orthodoxy, kenosis does not concern becoming like God in essence or being, which is pantheism; instead, it concerns becoming united to God by grace, through his "Energies". Orthodox theology distinguishes between divine Essence and Energies. Kenosis therefore is a paradox and a mystery since "emptying oneself" in fact fills the person with divine grace and results in union with God. Kenosis in Orthodox theology is the transcending or detaching of oneself from the world or the passions, it is a component of dispassionation. Much of the earliest debates between the Arian and Orthodox Christians were over kenosis. The need for clarification about the human and divine nature of the Christ (see the hypostatic union) were fought over the meaning and example that Christ set, as an example of kenosis or ekkenosis.[9]

 

Catholicism

Pope Pius XII, in his 1951 Sempiternus Rex Christus, condemned a particular interpretation of Philippians in regards to the kenosis:

 

There is another enemy of the faith of Chalcedon, widely diffused outside the fold of the Catholic religion. This is an opinion for which a rashly and falsely understood sentence of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians (ii, 7), supplies a basis and a shape. This is called the kenotic doctrine, and according to it, they imagine that the divinity was taken away from the Word in Christ. It is a wicked invention, equally to be condemned with the Docetism opposed to it. It reduces the whole mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption to empty the bloodless imaginations. 'With the entire and perfect nature of man'—thus grandly St. Leo the Great—'He Who was true God was born, complete in his own nature, complete in ours' (Ep. xxviii, 3. PL. Liv, 763. Cf. Serm. xxiii, 2. PL. lvi, 201).[10]

 

In John of the Cross's thinking, kenosis is the concept of the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to God and the divine will. It is used both as an explanation of the Incarnation, and an indication of the nature of God's activity and will. Mystical theologian John of the Cross' work "Dark Night of the Soul" is a particularly lucid explanation of God's process of transforming the believer into the icon or "likeness of Christ".[11][12]

 

Unitarianism

Since some forms of Unitarianism do not accept the personal pre-existence of Christ, their interpretations of Philippians 2:7, and the concept of kenosis—Christ "emptying" himself—take as a starting point that his "emptying" occurred in life, and not before birth. However, as Thomas Belsham put it, there are varying views on when in life this emptying occurred.[13] Belsham took this to be at the crucifixion, whereas Joseph Priestley[14] took this to be in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ did not resist arrest. The Christadelphian Tom Barling considered that the "emptying" of Christ was a continual process which started in the earliest references to Christ's character, Luke 2:40,52, and continued through the temptations of Christ and his ministry.[15]

 

Gnosticism

The equivalent to kenosis in Gnostic literature is Christ's withdrawal of his own luminosity into himself, so as to cease dazzling his own disciples. In the Pistis Sophia, at the request of his disciples, "Jesus drew to himself the glory of his light".[16]

 

Kenotic ethic

The kenotic ethic is an interpretation of Philippians 2:7 that takes the passage, where Jesus is described as having "emptied himself", as not primarily as Paul putting forth a theory about God in this passage, but as using God's humility exhibited in the incarnation as a call for Christians to be similarly subservient to others

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosis

 

Ego death is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity".[1] The term is used in various intertwined contexts, with related meanings. The 19th-century philosopher and psychologist William James uses the synonymous term "self-surrender", and Jungian psychology uses the synonymous term psychic death, referring to a fundamental transformation of the psyche.[2] In death and rebirth mythology, ego death is a phase of self-surrender and transition,[3][4][5][6] as described later by Joseph Campbell in his research on the mythology of the Hero's Journey.[3] It is a recurrent theme in world mythology and is also used as a metaphor in some strands of contemporary western thinking.[6]

 

In descriptions of drugs, the term is used synonymously with ego-loss[7][8][1][9] to refer to (temporary) loss of one's sense of self due to the use of drugs.[10][11][1] The term was used as such by Timothy Leary et al.[1] to describe the death of the ego[12] in the first phase of an LSD trip, in which a "complete transcendence" of the self[note 1] occurs.

 

The concept is also used in contemporary New Age spirituality and in the modern understanding of Eastern religions to describe a permanent loss of "attachment to a separate sense of self"[web 1] and self-centeredness.[13] This conception is an influential part of Eckhart Tolle's teachings, where Ego is presented as an accumulation of thoughts and emotions, continuously identified with, which creates the idea and feeling of being a separate entity from one's self, and only by disidentifying one's consciousness from it can one truly be free from suffering.[14]

 

Definitions

Ego death and the related term "ego loss" have been defined in the context of mysticism by the religious studies scholar Daniel Merkur as "an imageless experience in which there is no sense of personal identity. It is the experience that remains possible in a state of extremely deep trance when the ego-functions of reality-testing, sense-perception, memory, reason, fantasy and self-representation are repressed [...] Muslim Sufis call it fana ('annihilation'),[note 2] and medieval Jewish kabbalists termed it 'the kiss of death'".[15]

 

Carter Phipps equates enlightenment and ego death, which he defines as "the renunciation, rejection and, ultimately, the death of the need to hold on to a separate, self-centered existence".[16][note 3]

 

In Jungian psychology, Ventegodt and Merrick define ego death as "a fundamental transformation of the psyche". Such a shift in personality has been labeled an "ego death" in Buddhism, or a psychic death by Jung.[18]

 

In comparative mythology, ego death is the second phase of Joseph Campbell's description of the Hero's Journey,[4][5][6][3] which includes a phase of separation, transition, and incorporation.[6] The second phase is a phase of self-surrender and ego-death, after which the hero returns to enrich the world with their discoveries.[4][5][6][3]

 

In psychedelic culture, Leary, Metzner, and Alpert (1964) define ego death, or ego loss as they call it, as part of the (symbolic) experience of death in which the old ego must die before one can be spiritually reborn.[19] They define ego loss as "... complete transcendence − beyond words, beyond spacetime, beyond self. There are no visions, no sense of self, no thoughts. There are only pure awareness and ecstatic freedom".[19][20]

 

Several psychologists working on psychedelics have defined ego-death. Alnaes (1964) defines ego death as "[L]oss of ego-feeling".[10] Stanislav Grof (1988) defines it as "a sense of total annihilation [...] This experience of "ego death" seems to entail an instant merciless destruction of all previous reference points in the life of the individual [...] [E]go death means an irreversible end to one's philosophical identification with what Alan Watts called "skin-encapsulated ego".[21] The psychologist John Harrison (2010) defines "[T]emporary ego death [as the] loss of the separate self[,] or, in the affirmative, [...] a deep and profound merging with the transcendent other.[11] Johnson, Richards and Griffiths (2008), paraphrasing Leary et al. and Grof define ego death as "temporarily experienc[ing] a complete loss of subjective self-identity.[1]

 

Conceptual development

The concept of "ego death" developed along a number of intertwined strands of thought, including especially the following: romantic movements[22] and subcultures;[23] Theosophy;[24] anthropological research on rites de passage[25] and shamanism;[23] William James' self-surrender;[26] Joseph Campbell's comparative mythology;[4][5][6][3] Jungian psychology;[27][3] the psychedelic scene of the 1960s;[28] and transpersonal psychology.[29]

 

Western mysticism

According to Merkur,

 

The conceptualisation of mystical union as the death of the ego, while the soul remains the sole bearer of the self, and its replacement by God's consciousness, has been a standard Roman Catholic trope since St. Teresa of Ávila; the motif traces back through Marguerite Porete, in the 13th century, to the fana,[note 2] "annihilation", of the Islamic Sufis.[30]

 

Jungian psychology

According to Ventegodt and Merrick, the Jungian term "psychic death" is a synonym for "ego death":

 

In order to radically improve global quality of life, it seems necessary to have a fundamental transformation of the psyche. Such a shift in personality has been labeled an "ego death" in Buddhism or a psychic death by Jung, because it implies a shift back to the existential position of the natural self, i.e., living the true purpose of life. The problem of healing and improving the global quality of life seems strongly connected to the unpleasantness of the ego-death experience.[18]

 

Ventegodt and Merrick refer to Jung's publications The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, first published 1933, and Psychology and Alchemy, first published in 1944.[18][note 4]

 

In Jungian psychology, a unification of archetypal opposites has to be reached, during a process of conscious suffering, in which consciousness "dies" and resurrects. Jung called this process "the transcendent function",[note 5] which leads to a "more inclusive and synthetic consciousness".[31]

 

Jung used analogies with alchemy to describe the individuation process, and the transference-processes which occur during therapy.[32]

 

According to Leeming et al., from a religious point of view psychic death is related to St. John of the Cross' Ascent of Mt. Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul.[33]

 

Mythology – The Hero with a Thousand Faces

See also: Dying-and-rising god and Descent to the underworld

 

The Hero's Journey

In 1949, Joseph Campbell published The Hero with a Thousand Faces, a study on the archetype of the Hero's Journey.[3] It describes a common theme found in many cultures worldwide,[3] and is also described in many contemporary theories on personal transformation.[6] In traditional cultures it describes the "wilderness passage",[3] the transition from adolescence into adulthood.[25] It typically includes a phase of separation, transition, and incorporation.[6] The second phase is a phase of self-surrender and ego-death, whereafter the hero returns to enrich the world with his discoveries.[4][5][6][3] Campbell describes the basic theme as follows:

 

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder. Fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won. The hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.[34]

 

This journey is based on the archetype of death and rebirth,[5] in which the "false self" is surrendered and the "true self" emerges.[5] A well known example is Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the hero descends into the underworld.[5]

 

Psychedelics

See also: Shamanism, Neo-shamanism, and Beat Generation

Main articles: The Psychedelic Experience and Bardo

Concepts and ideas from mysticism and bohemianism were inherited by the Beat Generation.[22] When Aldous Huxley helped popularize the use of psychedelics, starting with The Doors of Perception, published in 1954,[35] Huxley also promoted a set of analogies with eastern religions, as described in The Perennial Philosophy. This book helped inspire the 1960s belief in a revolution in western consciousness[35] and included the Tibetan Book of the Dead as a source.[35] Similarly, Alan Watts, in his opening statement on mystical experiences in This Is It, draws parallels with Richard Bucke's 1901 book Cosmic Consciousness, describing the "central core" of the experience as

 

... the conviction, or insight, that the immediate now, whatever its nature, is the goal and fulfillment of all living.[36]

 

This interest in mysticism helped shape the emerging research and popular conversation around psychedelics in the 1960s.[37] In 1964 William S. Burroughs drew a distinction between "sedative" and "conscious-expanding" drugs.[38] In the 1940s and 1950s the use of LSD was restricted to military and psychiatric researchers. One of those researchers was Timothy Leary, a clinical psychologist who first encountered psychedelic drugs while on vacation in 1960,[39] and started to research the effects of psilocybin in 1961.[35] He sought advice from Aldous Huxley, who advised him to propagate psychedelic drugs among society's elites, including artists and intellectuals.[39] On insistence of Allen Ginsberg, Leary, together with his younger colleague Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) also made LSD available to students.[39] In 1962 Leary was fired, and Harvard's psychedelic research program was shut down.[39] In 1962 Leary founded the Castalia Foundation,[39] and in 1963 he and his colleagues founded the journal The Psychedelic Review.[40]

 

Following Huxley's advice, Leary wrote a manual for LSD-usage.[40] The Psychedelic Experience, published in 1964, is a guide for LSD-trips, written by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert, loosely based on Walter Evans-Wentz's translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.[40][35] Aldous Huxley introduced the Tibetan Book of the Dead to Timothy Leary.[35] According to Leary, Metzner and Alpert, the Tibetan Book of the Dead is

 

... a key to the innermost recesses of the human mind, and a guide for initiates, and for those who are seeking the spiritual path of liberation.[41]

 

They construed the effect of LSD as a "stripping away" of ego-defenses, finding parallels between the stages of death [web 2]and rebirth in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the stages of psychological "death" and "rebirth" which Leary had identified during his research.[42] According to Leary, Metzner and Alpert it is....

 

... one of the oldest and most universal practices for the initiate to go through the experience of death before he can be spiritually reborn. Symbolically he must die to his past, and to his old ego, before he can take his place in the new spiritual life into which he has been initiated.[12]

 

Also in 1964 Randolf Alnaes published "Therapeutic applications of the change in consciousness produced by psycholytica (LSD, Psilocybin, etc.)."[43][10] Alnaes notes that patients may become involved in existential problems as a consequence of the LSD experience. Psycholytic drugs may facilitate insight. With a short psychological treatment, patients may benefit from changes brought about by the effects of the experience.[43]

 

One of the LSD-experiences may be the death crisis. Alnaes discerns three stages in this kind of experience:[10]

 

Psychosomatic symptoms lead up to the "loss of ego feeling (ego death)";[10]

A sense of separation of the observing subject from the body. The body is beheld to undergo death or an associated event;

"Rebirth", the return to normal, conscious mentation, "characteristically involving a tremendous sense of relief, which is cathartic in nature and may lead to insight".[10]

Timothy Leary's description of "ego-death"

In The Psychedelic Experience, three stages are discerned:

 

Chikhai Bardo: ego loss, a "complete transcendence" of the self[note 1] and game;[19][note 6]

Chonyid Bardo: The Period of Hallucinations;[44]

Sidpa Bardo: the return to routine game reality and the self.[19]

Each Bardo is described in the first part of The Psychedelic Experience. In the second part, instructions are given which can be read to the "voyager". The instructions for the First Bardo state:

 

O (name of voyager)

The time has come for you to seek new levels of reality.

Your ego and the (name) game are about to cease.

You are about to be set face to face with the Clear Light

You are about to experience it in its reality.

In the ego−free state, wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky,

And the naked spotless intellect is like a transparent vacuum;

At this moment, know yourself and abide in that state.

O (name of voyager),

That which is called ego−death is coming to you.

Remember:

This is now the hour of death and rebirth;

Take advantage of this temporary death to obtain the perfect state −

Enlightenment.

[...][45]

 

Research

Stanislav Grof

Stanislav Grof has researched the effects of psychedelic substances,[46] which can also be induced by nonpharmacological means.[47] Grof has developed a "cartography of the psyche" based on his clinical work with psychedelics,[48] which describe the "basic types of experience that become available to an average person" when using psychedelics or "various powerful non-pharmacological experiential techniques".[48]

 

According to Grof, traditional psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy use a model of the human personality that is limited to biography and the individual consciousness, as described by Freud.[49] This model is inadequate to describe the experiences which result from the use of psychedelics and the use of "powerful techniques", which activate and mobilize "deep unconscious and superconscious levels of the human psyche".[49] These levels include:[29]

 

The sensory barrier and the recollective-biographical barrier

The perinatal matrices:

BPM I: The amniotic universe. Maternal womb; symbiotic unity of the fetus with the maternal organism; lack of boundaries and obstructions;

BPM II: Cosmic engulfment and no exit. Onset of labor; alteration of blissful connection with the mother and its pristine universe;

BPM III: The death-rebirth struggle. Movement through the birth channel and struggle for survival;

BPM IV: The death-rebirth experience. Birth and release.

The transpersonal dimensions of the psyche

Ego death appears in the fourth perinatal matrix.[29] This matrix is related to the stage of delivery, the actual birth of the child.[50] The build up of tension, pain and anxiety is suddenly released.[50] The symbolic counterpart is the death-rebirth experience, in which the individual may have a strong feeling of impending catastrophe, and may be desperately struggling to stop this process.[21] The transition from BPM III to BPM IV may involve a sense of total annihilation:[21]

 

This experience of ego death seems to entail an instant merciless destruction of all previous reference points in the life of the individual.[21]

 

According to Grof what dies in this process is "a basically paranoid attitude toward the world which reflects the negative experience of the subject during childbirth and later".[21] When experienced in its final and most complete form,

 

...ego death means an irreversible end to one's philosophical identification with what Alan Watts called skin-encapsulated ego."[21]

 

Recent research

Recent research also mentions that ego loss is sometimes experienced by those under the influence of psychedelic drugs.[51]

 

The Ego-Dissolution Inventory is a validated self-report questionnaire that allows for the measurement of transient ego-dissolution experiences occasioned by psychedelic drugs.[52]

 

View of spiritual traditions

Following the interest in psychedelics and spirituality, the term "ego death" has been used to describe the eastern notion of "enlightenment" (bodhi) or moksha.

 

Buddhism

Zen practice is said to lead to ego-death.[53] Ego-death is also called "great death", in contrast to the physical "small death".[54] According to Jin Y. Park, the ego death that Buddhism encourages makes an end to the "usually-unconsciousness-and-automated quest" to understand the sense-of-self as a thing, instead of as a process.[55] According to Park, meditation is learning how to die by learning to "forget" the sense of self:[55]

 

Enlightenment occurs when the usually automatized reflexivity of consciousness ceases, which is experienced as a letting-go and falling into the void and being wiped out of existence [...] [W]hen consciousness stops trying to catch its own tail, I become nothing, and discover that I am everything.[56]

 

According to Welwood, "egolessness" is a common experience. Egolessness appears "in the gaps and spaces between thoughts, which usually go unnoticed".[57] Existential anxiety arises when one realizes that the feeling of "I" is nothing more than a perception. According to Welwood, only egoless awareness allows us to face and accept death in all forms.[57]

 

David Loy also mentions the fear of death,[58] and the need to undergo ego-death to realize our true nature.[59][60] According to Loy, our fear of egolessness may even be stronger than our fear of death.[58]

 

"Egolessness" is not the same as anatta (non-self). Where the former is more of a personal experience, Anatta is a doctrine common to all of Buddhism – describing how the constituents of a person (or any other phenomena) contain no permanent entity (one has no "essence of themself"):

 

the Buddha, almost ad nauseam, spoke against wrong identification with the Five Aggregates, or the same, wrong identification with the psychophysical believing it is our self. These aggregates of form, feeling, thought, inclination, and sensory consciousness, he went on to say, were illusory; they belonged to Mara the Evil One; they were impermanent and painful. And for these reasons, the aggregates cannot be our self.[web 3]

 

Taoism

The Taoist internal martial artist Bruce Frantzis reports an experience of fear of ego annihilation, or "ru ding":

 

I was in Hong Kong, beginning to learn the old Yang style of Tai Chi Chaun when ru ding first struck me… It was late at night, at a still and quiet terrace on the Peak, where few people came after midnight…the park was quiet, and the moon and the sky felt as though they were descending downward, putting enormous pressure on every square inch of my skin, as I tried to lift my arms with the expansive energy of tai chi…I felt as if Chi from the moonlight, stars, and sky penetrated my body against my will. My body and mind became immensely still, as though they had dropped into a bottomless abyss, even though I was doing the rhythmic slow motion movements…At the depth of the stillness, an overwhelming, formless fear began to develop in my belly…. Then it happened: an all-consuming, paralyzing fear seemed all at once to invade every cell in my body… I knew if I kept practicing there would be nothing left of me in a few seconds… I stopped practicing… and ran down the hill praying hard that this terror would leave me…. The ego, goes into a mortal fear when the false reality of being separate from the universal life force is threatened by your consciousness having reached an awareness of connection to everything in existence. The ego spews forth all sorts of terrifying psychological and physiological reactions in the body and mind to make meditators petrified of leaving the state of separation.

 

Bernadette Roberts

Bernadette Roberts makes a distinction between "no ego" and "no self".[61][62] According to Roberts, the falling away of the ego is not the same as the falling away of the self.[63] "No ego" comes prior to the unitive state; with the falling away of the unitive state comes "no self".[64] "Ego" is defined by Roberts as

 

... the immature self or consciousness prior to the falling away of its self-center and the revelation of a divine center.[65]

 

Roberts defines "self" as

 

... the totality of consciousness, the entire human dimension of knowing, feeling and experiencing from the consciousness and unconsciousness to the unitive, transcendental or God-consciousness.[65]

 

Ultimately, all experiences on which these definitions are based are wiped out or dissolved.[65] Jeff Shore further explains that "no self" means "the permanent ceasing, the falling away once and for all, of the entire mechanism of reflective self-consciousness".[66]

 

According to Roberts, both the Buddha and Christ embody the falling away of self, and the state of "no self". The falling away is represented by the Buddha prior to his enlightenment, starving himself by ascetic practices, and by the dying Jesus on the cross; the state of "no self" is represented by the enlightened Buddha with his serenity, and by the resurrected Christ.[65]

 

Integration after ego-death experiences

Psychedelics

According to Nick Bromell, ego death is a tempering though frightening experience, which may lead to a reconciliation with the insight that there is no real self.[67]

 

According to Grof, death crises may occur over a series of psychedelic sessions until they cease to lead to panic. A conscious effort not to panic may lead to a "pseudohallucinatory sense of transcending physical death".[10] According to Merkur,

 

Repeated experience of the death crisis and its confrontation with the idea of physical death leads finally to an acceptance of personal mortality, without further illusions. The death crisis is then greeted with equanimity.[10]

 

Vedanta and Zen

Both the Vedanta and the Zen-Buddhist traditions warn that insight into the emptiness of the self, or so-called "enlightenment experiences", are not sufficient; further practice is necessary.

 

Jacobs warns that Advaita Vedanta practice takes years of committed practice to sever the "occlusion"[68] of the so-called "vasanas, samskaras, bodily sheaths and vrittis", and the "granthi[note 7] or knot forming identification between Self and mind".[69]

 

Zen Buddhist training does not end with kenshō, or insight into one's true nature. Practice is to be continued to deepen the insight and to express it in daily life.[70][71][72][73] According to Hakuin, the main aim of "post-satori practice"[74] (gogo no shugyo[75] or kojo, "going beyond"[76]) is to cultivate the "Mind of Enlightenment".[77] According to Yamada Koun, "if you cannot weep with a person who is crying, there is no kensho".[78]

 

Dark Night and depersonalization

See also: Depersonalization

Shinzen Young, an American Buddhist teacher, has pointed at the difficulty integrating the experience of no self. He calls this "the Dark Night", or

 

... "falling into the Pit of the Void." It entails an authentic and irreversible insight into Emptiness and No Self. What makes it problematic is that the person interprets it as a bad trip. Instead of being empowering and fulfilling, the way Buddhist literature claims it will be, it turns into the opposite. In a sense, it's Enlightenment's Evil Twin.[web 4]

 

Willoughby Britton is conducting research on such phenomena which may occur during meditation, in a research program called "The Dark Night of the Soul".[web 5] She has searched texts from various traditions to find descriptions of difficult periods on the spiritual path,[web 6] and conducted interviews to find out more on the difficult sides of meditation.[web 5][note 8]

 

Influence

See also: Influence of Timothy Leary

The propagation of LSD-induced "mystical experiences", and the concept of ego death, had some influence in the 1960s, but Leary's brand of LSD-spirituality never "quite caught on".[79]

 

Reports of psychedelic experiences

Leary's terminology influenced the understanding and description of the effects of psychedelics. Various reports by hippies of their psychedelic experiences describe states of diminished consciousness which were labelled as "ego death", but do not match Leary's descriptions.[80] Panic attacks were occasionally also labeled as "ego death".[81]

 

The Beatles

John Lennon read The Psychedelic Experience, and was strongly affected by it.[82] He wrote "Tomorrow Never Knows" after reading the book, as a guide for his LSD trips.[82] Lennon took about a thousand acid trips, but it only exacerbated his personal difficulties.[83] He eventually stopped using the drug. George Harrison and Paul McCartney also concluded that LSD use didn't result in any worthwhile changes.[84]

 

Radical pluralism

According to Bromell, the experience of ego death confirms a radical pluralism that most people experience in their youth, but prefer to flee from, instead believing in a stable self and a fixed reality.[85] He further states this also led to a different attitude among youngsters in the 1960s, rejecting the lifestyle of their parents as being deceitful and false.[85]

 

Controversy

The relationship between ego death and LSD has been disputed. Hunter S. Thompson, who tried LSD,[86] saw a self-centered base in Leary's work, noting that Leary placed himself at the centre of his texts, using his persona as "an exemplary ego, not a dissolved one".[86] Dan Merkur notes that the use of LSD in combination with Leary's manual often did not lead to ego-death, but to horrifying bad trips.[87]

 

The relationship between LSD use and enlightenment has also been criticized. Sōtō-Zen teacher Brad Warner has repeatedly criticized the idea that psychedelic experiences lead to "enlightenment experiences".[note 9] In response to The Psychedelic Experience he wrote:

 

While I was at Starwood, I was getting mightily annoyed by all the people out there who were deluding themselves and others into believing that a cheap dose of acid, 'shrooms, peyote, "molly" or whatever was going to get them to a higher spiritual plane [...] While I was at that campsite I sat and read most of the book The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (aka Baba Ram Dass, later of Be Here Now fame). It's a book about the authors' deeply mistaken reading of the Tibetan Book of the Dead as a guide for the drug taking experience [...] It was one thing to believe in 1964 that a brave new tripped out age was about to dawn. It's quite another to still believe that now, having seen what the last 47 years have shown us about where that path leads. If you want some examples, how about Jimi Hendrix, Sid Vicious, Syd Barrett, John Entwistle, Kurt Cobain... Do I really need to get so cliched with this? Come on now.[web 7]

 

The concept that ego-death or a similar experience might be considered a common basis for religion has been disputed by scholars in religious studies[88] but "has lost none of its popularity".[88] Scholars have also criticized Leary and Alpert's attempt to tie ego-death and psychedelics with Tibetan Buddhism. John Myrdhin Reynolds, has disputed Leary and Jung's use of the Evans-Wentz's translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, arguing that it introduces a number of misunderstandings about Dzogchen.[89] Reynolds argues that Evans-Wentz's was not familiar with Tibetan Buddhism,[89] and that his view of Tibetan Buddhism was "fundamentally neither Tibetan nor Buddhist, but Theosophical and Vedantist".[90] Nonetheless, Reynolds confirms that the nonsubstantiality of the ego is the ultimate goal of the Hinayana system.[91]

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_death

 

There is an unavoidable paradox in a Christianity that calls its leaders to be humble. This was brought home to me a few years back, on a Sunday morning after church. The assistant pastor had preached the sermon, and in the process of making his point (which I don’t recall!) he had included himself among those who needed to respond to the message. This didn’t bother me in the slightest; it is deep in our preaching tradition, and, if sincere, is very effective, to my thinking. But afterwards in the courtyard I heard a shocked reaction. Samir is a Muslim, the husband of one of our members, who sometimes attends church social functions and visits very rarely on Sunday mornings. We had gotten to know him well enough for him to share with us his honest disgust at what he had heard: how could the church foster someone as a leader who was so clearly a loser? As I attempted to respond briefly but meaningfully, my mind was suddenly spinning at the challenge of bridging the gap between a sincere and legitimate question, and the complexity of the full theological answer it deserved.

 

Philippians 2:5-11, a text on the short list of any consideration of Christian humility, is also a locus classicus for incarnational theology, with its dense and poignant narration of the path that Jesus took from glory to abasement and back to glory. Paul’s emphasis is not on the Christology, but on the model it provides to the Philippians of a Christian spirituality: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus “ (Phil. 2:5). Paul wants his readers to consider how Jesus followed his path, even if the Church has tended to give much more attention to the substantive issues of nature, essence, form, attributes, deity, and humanity.

 

Philippians is known as an epistle of joy—a recent reviewer has noted “the countless popular studies on Philippians…, many with the word joy in the title somewhere”1—but the foreground of serious distress, for the church as well as for the imprisoned apostle, is increasingly acknowledged.2 Paul commends the mind of Christ (or attitude, or way of thinking, as it is sometimes translated) because he knows that the Philippian community is struggling: God has been “granted” it to them “to suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29). In this extremis, Paul commends to his flock the essential mind-set that was Christ’s in the pain of his own distress: “he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death” (Phil. 2: 8).

 

Humility and obedience, then, go a long way in giving us the content of the “mind of Christ,” that is, the basic orientation and even motivation that governed all that Jesus said and did (and suffered to be done) during his earthly ministry. The humility is layered and textured: accession to the will of the Father, involving the relinquishing of heavenly prerogatives, the entrance into the existence of the slave rather than a lord, and finally experiencing death itself, and an ignominious death at that. The obedienceis entirely strategic, accomplishing the redemption that is the will of God.3To refuse it would entail an unholy “grasping” or “exploitation” (Phil. 2:6). So this is a humility and an obedience that have the essential character of peace and joy, as the epistle as a whole indicates, and as is clear in the depictions of Christ in the Gospels. In the “mind of Christ,” joy, humility, and obedience define each other.

 

Much theological effort has been expended on Paul’s observation that “Christ Jesus, being in the form of God,… emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” (Phil 2: 6-7). Several “kenotic” theories (from kenosis or “emptying”) have been propounded over the centuries to help explain what was laid aside and what retained in the astonishing act of incarnation. Something of a consensus is emerging on the front of Pauline studies, which understands the passage in the following way: “form of God” and “form of a slave/human likeness” point not to a mere surface appearance, but to authentic existence God and as a human.4 Further, those translations—and there are many—which read that “although he existed in the form of God,… he emptied himself” ought to be corrected to more accurate phrasing: “being in the form of God” or even “because he existed in the form of God,… he emptied himself.” That is, the self-emptying is not to be seen as a divestment of deity; on the contrary, it is an expression of deity. Jesus is able to do it because he is God. The act of incarnation is an elegant expression of what God can do that is otherwise to us incomprehensible: in the being and existence of God, he took as well the being and existence of the creature. Surely he “emptied himself” of something; above we used J. B. Lightfoot’s language, that he divested himself of heavenly prerogatives. Without ceasing to be God, he became human. As N. T. Wright has written, “The pre-existent son regarded equality with God not as excusing him from the task of (redemptive) suffering and death, but actually as uniquely qualifying him for that vocation.”5

 

I suggest that there is a key here to the paradox in which Christians are called to exercise leadership in humility.6 If Paul describes deity as being able elegantly to function as humanity, it is not a stretch to understand Christian leadership as intended to function and to be empowered precisely in humble solidarity with humanity. Many are the prerogatives of the professional ministry, some of which are arguably necessary to the task. But all professional honors and privileges and prerogatives cut against the very grain of the ministry itself unless they become part of the resources by which we exercise Christian leadership in the mind of Christ: to be there for others, to listen to others, to pray for others, to exert and network for others, and to speak the grace of God to others in the diligence of obedience.

 

“If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself…” (Phil. 2:1-6, The Message7).

 

—Theopulos

 

To refuse to do it would entail an unholy “grasping” or “exploitation” (Phil. 2:6).

 

1 D. A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey (6th ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), p. 115.

2 See, for instance, Gregory L. Bloomquist, The Functioning of Suffering in Philippians (JSNT Sup 78. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993).

 

3 Romans 5:12-21 offers a further meditation on the value of Jesus’ obedience: if by disobedience the world was plunged into loss and death, “so by the one man’s obedience” loss and death are overturned decisively.

 

4 The progress of this discussion can be followed in contemporary critical commentaries such as Peter O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians(NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991) pp. 186-270, or, more briefly, Margaret Thrall, “The Epistle to the Philippians,” in Keck, et al., eds, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville: Abingdon, 2000), pp. 500-517.

 

5 Cited in O’Brien, p. 216.

 

6 Robert J. Wood, a Quaker and sometime dean of Yale University Divinity School, addresses the proclivity of many in his communion to “regard the term ‘Quaker leadership’ as an oxymoron;” he has much to say to other groups in his essay, “Christ Has Come to Teach His People Himself: Vulnerability and the Exercise of Power in Quaker Leadership,” in Richard J. Mouw and Eric O. Jacobsen, eds., Traditions in Leadership: How Faith Traditions Shape the Way We Lead (Pasadena: The De Pree Leadership Center, 2006) pp. 208-221. The citation is from p. 209.

 

7 Eugene Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language(Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002), ad loc.

www.fuller.edu/next-faithful-step/resources/kenosis/

A close up of the 'Doll's Eyes' of white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda). Not a good plant if you have children. Both the berries and the entire plant are considered poisonous to humans. According to Wikipedia, the berries contain cardiogenic toxins which can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue, and are the most poisonous part of the plant.

 

www.distanthill.org

Orange and Cedarwood mixed together make such a dynamic duo. I chose Sweet Orange for its soothing and calming nature, and also because it detoxifies the body and boosts the lymphatic system. Orange oil also takes takes care of the collagen formation in the skin. It is known to possess antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, sedative and antiseptic therapeutic properties. It is such a total body essential oil, working it wonders on your skin while lifting your spirits at the same time.

 

Cedarwood is equally as tranquil and soothing. With its rich woody spicy aroma, is a perfect fragrance for both men and women. It also sets the mood for some serous lovemaking. Cedarwood is said to help with arthritis, cystitis, cellulite, bronchitis, dandruff, acne, and eczema.

 

Blending these two just seemed natural. Use it on your face or all over your body for some serious zen time.

 

These bars may seem pricey at first. But I kid you not, if you only use it for your face, and keep it dry between uses, it can easily last you 3-4 months. When used on the body it will last about a month. A lot of my clients cut the bar into 4 pieces. It is well worth the price and the benefits you will receive from it.

 

Each bar is made of saponified Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, and 40% Shea Butter, along with other skin nourishing oils and herbs. I have also added a heaping helping of coconut cream and aloe gel to this recipe. Creates a most luxurious lather that is not drying or stripping to the skin.

 

Each bar weighs about 4.5-5 oz.

Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum.

These come up in our garden every year. In 2012 they are a bit later than usual.

 

Info from Wikipedia:-

 

Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine. The Latin botanical name means the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to the sedative properties of some of these opiates.

 

The poppy is the only species of Papaveraceae that is an agricultural crop grown on a large scale. Other species, Papaver rhoeas and Papaver argemone, are important agricultural weeds, and may be mistaken for the crop.

 

The plant itself is also valuable for ornamental purposes, and has been known as the "common garden poppy", referencing all the group of poppy plants.

 

Poppy seeds of Papaver somniferum are an important food item and the source of poppyseed oil, a healthy edible oil that has many uses. It is widely grown as an ornamental flower throughout Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.

Young gangsters in Heideveld, Cape Town, RSA // A pill of Mandrax (methaqualone). Initially marketed as a sedative or sleeping tablet by the French pharmaceutical giant Roussell Laboratories, it turned out to be highly addictive and banned in 1977. Sold illegally in South Africa, it is smoked in conjunction with Marijuana and it is the most widely used drug in the Western Cape, sold at about 30 Rands (about 3 UK pounds) per tablet. It is crushed and smoked in pipes or bottlenecks (aka ‘white pipe’). It makes the user feel relaxed, clam and peaceful and everything looks perfect, while turning aggressive when the effect is wearing off. It requires increased usage in order to achieve the same effects and depression feelings are not uncommon with use. According to the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (CTDCC) it is a really difficult habit to break in impoverished communities where young unemployed are left on their own with no government help or other activities apart from crime and gansgterism. Social injustice, weakened family links and a feeling of ‘not-belonging’ are also causes of problems upon the ‘coloured’ communities in South Africa. © Alessandro Masi .

Sakae Naa is sometimes presented as an alternative to kratom, although I found it to be rather weak in comparison. It produced a mild dreamy sedation, which was slightly stronger when smoked (as opposed to being consumed as a tea). I should note that I sense, albeit without firm evidence, that the anxiolytic aura it produced might be enhanced via fresher leaves or if taken in a more authentic setting.

 

Ref: www.DrugUsersBible.com

wychbury.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/saltaire-arts-trail-ten-d...

 

This post is subtitled 'Poppies and PDQ' and is slightly retrospective as I am about 12 hours behind schedule at the moment!

 

So the practical work I was doing yesterday speaks for itself - it's poppies, lots of them! Like their naturally occurring version, these can be an effective sedative and are soothing to make while my mind is crowded with other things.

 

As you can imagine, in these last few days everything gets a little taut and the ongoing saga of the SAT PDQ machine has nearly driven the chairman of Saltaire Inspired to opiates himself! We are hoping so hard to have the card machine for the weekend but it has gone wrong and wrong again. It's something we had in mind right from post-event last May and honestly never thought it would be so difficult an achievement. The banks seem to consider an event like ours high risk and range from apprehensive to downright in incredulous at the thought of taking the gig!

 

As an organisation, implementing a procedure for a payment method we have never used before, with volunteers, multiple venues and mobile phones has presented pitfalls galore and taken a great deal of planning to overcome. This planning has been expertly done by people with infinitely more mental capacity than myself. I actually feel rather dizzy at the sight of the process maps and bewuildered when yet another worst case scenario presents itself. During the meeting last night I actually requested this mug for my tea as I first read it as *Queen of f*****g everything....UP!*. Suffice to say, if the PDQ machine has not arrived in time for the weekend then much more bad language will ensue!

 

Pass the Laudenum would you darling? I'm getting one of my heads!

 

Paula x

  

Etched Glass by [vinegar & brown paper]. Exhibiting at 6 Harold Place and Saltaire Visitor Information Centre - bottles for soothing elixirs of all kinds.

 

www.saltaireartstrail.co.uk/location.php?ID=6_Harold_Place

 

www.vinegarandbrownpaper.co.uk/%5Bvinegar%26brownpaper%5D...

I came across this group of about 10 Amanita Muscaria Mushrooms at work today ....so cool :0

  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Psychoactive use

 

Unlike psilocybin mushrooms, the effects of A. muscaria have generally been considered undesirable for recreational use. The effects of intoxication can be variously described as depressant, sedative-hypnotic, dissociative, and deliriant; paradoxical effects may occur. Perceptual phenomena such as macropsia and micropsia may occur, which may have been the inspiration for the effect of mushroom-consumption in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Additionally, A. muscaria cannot be commercially cultivated, due to its mycorrhizal relationship with the roots of pine trees. However, following the outlawing of psilocybin mushrooms in the United Kingdom in 2006, the sale of the still legal A. muscaria began increasing.

 

Professor Marija Gimbutas, a renowned Lithuanian historian, reported to R. Gordon Wasson on the use of this mushroom in Lithuania. In remote areas of Lithuania Amanita muscaria has been consumed at wedding feasts, in which mushrooms were mixed with vodka. The professor also reported that the Lithuanians used to export A. muscaria to the Lapps in the Far North for use in shamanic rituals. The Lithuanian festivities are the only report that Wasson received of ingestion of fly agaric for religious use in Eastern Europe

From my set entitled “Sweet Woodruff”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607217333095/

In my collection entitled “The Garden”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodruff

Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It grows to 30-50 cm (12-20 ins.) long, often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants. The plant is also known in English as Sweet Woodruff or Wild Baby's Breath. "Master of the woods" is probably a translation of the German name Waldmeister. Names like "Sweetscented bedstraw", "Cudweed" and "Ladies' Bedstraw" should be avoided; the former two properly refer to Galium triflorum, the latter to Galium verum.

 

The leaves are simple, lanceolate, glabrous, 2-5 cm long, and borne in whorls of 6-9. The small (4-7 mm diameter) flowers are produced in cymes, each white with four petals joined together at the base. The seeds are 2-4 mm diameter, produced singly, and each seed is covered in tiny hooked bristles which help disperse the seed by sticking temporarily to clothing and animal fur.

 

This plant prefers partial to full shade in moist, rich soils. In dry summers it needs frequent irrigation. Propagation is by crown division, separation of the rooted stems, or digging up of the barely submerged perimeter stolons.

 

Woodruff, as the scientific name odoratum suggests, is a strongly scented plant, the sweet scent being derived from coumarin. This scent increases on wilting and then persists on drying, and woodruff is used in pot-pourri and as a moth deterrent. It is also used, mainly in Germany, to flavour May wine (called "Maiwein" or "Maibowle" in German), beer (Berliner Weisse), brandy, sausages, jelly, jam, a soft drink (Tarhun), ice cream, and an herbal tea with gentle sedative properties.

 

High doses can cause headaches, due to the toxity of coumarin. Very high doses of coumarin can cause vertigo, somnolence or even central paralysis and apnoea while in a coma. Since 1981, woodruff may no longer be used as an ingredient of industrially produced drinks and foodstuffs in Germany; it has been replaced by artificial aromas and

colorings.

 

Dental implant. Impression (mold) of the abutment in order to have the implant-crown custom-made.

Not as good an attempt at photographing Abigail as the others, but I have it, so I might as well share it.

---STORY---

Well, way back in 2012, I first saw the CGI model of the Dragon Bolt, and I fell in love with the concept. Upon seeing the set, I was half let down and half elated at the usefulness of the set. However, I wanted to build something that would do the CGI model justice. So I started to build. And I quickly ran out of parts, having finished only the front legs, the back ones, the rear end and its head. So I got three more copies of the set, as I was running out of blue. Now, eventually I managed to build the body, and the wings. However, I had nowhere near enough parts to finish the design. At this point, it's fall 2014. I take apart the wings and steal some parts from the dragon's back to use in other MOCs, my Golden Mask Contest entry taking up most of them. I get some more sets, most notably two copies of Surge and Rocka Combat Machine. Then, I hear about this contest. And I decide that I will finish this project, once and for all. And I get to work.

---BACKSTORY---

See www.customherofactory.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Bolt_(ThePurpleDragonNinja) for information on my canon's version of the Dragon Bolt. The rider is Abigail Katevnas, who has been assigned by the Hero Factory to research this species, which, despite probably being the most common species in the known galaxy, is quite obscure. As such, a wild Dragon Bolt has been captured and been trained to ignore Abigail to allow her to study it. For safety reasons, Abigail has been outfitted with special grip claws and a line to secure her to the Dragon Bolt in question. In emergencies, her wrist-mounted spikes can be used to administer sedatives.

---OTHER---

I think it's worth mentioning that this is, according to my canon, a newly adult Dragon Bolt. The CGI version or the set is about the size of an adolescent Dragon Bolt. I've also built a hatchling Dragon Bolt, which I will endeavor to post soon.