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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Snatam Kaur

Snatam Kaur родилась в 1972 году в США, штат Колорадо. Ее отец был менеджером легендарной группы «Грейтфул Дед». Когда Снатам было два года, ее родители стали проявлять интерес к культуре и религии Индии. Когда девочке исполнилось шесть лет, мама и папа взяли ее с собой в путешествие по этой удивительной стране. Уже в школе Снатам проявляла интерес к музыке. Будущая звезда играла в оркестре на скрипке. По окончанию школы Снатам поступила в Миллс Колледж в Окленде, штат Калифорния, где получила степень бакалавра по биохимии. Затем она некоторое время жила в Индии, изучая культуру страны и различные духовные практики. Вернувшись, она обосновалась в Юджине, штат Орегон. И некоторое время проработала химиком. Однако, призвание взяло верх. И уже в 2000 году она выпустила свой первый альбом «Небеса и выше». Последний альбом певицы в тюрбане свет увидел в 2009 году.
Музыка Снатам наполнена восточными мотивами с оттенком индийской культуры, мантрами из кундалини-йоги, харибжаджан-сингх-йоги, а также ее собственными текстами. Знатоки и ценители утверждают, что ее голос – мощнейшее сочетание сладости, чистоты и силы. Уникальная интерпретация музыки рождается из ее души. Снатам Каур может петь как в стиле традиционного гурбани киртана, так и американской фолк-музыки, джаза, рока и других музыкальных направлений.
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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Muslimgauze

В 1982 году Брин Джонс занялся музыкой и его проект назывался E.g Oblique Graph. Но когда началось вторжение Израиля в Ливан, Брин направил свою творческую деятельность в сторону защиты прав мусульман с названием нового проекта Muslimgauze.

30 декабря 1998 года Брин Джонс был доставлен с неизвестной болезнью в больницу Манчестера. Оказалось, что он болен редкой болезнью крови, которая привела к тяжелой форме пневмонии. Лечение оказалось бесполезным, и 14 января 1999 года в 22:50 Брин Джонс скончался.[1]
1998? Как интересно, вроде около 2004-го началось...

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Herbals, Herbalism and Medicine Plants

One hundred key plants are given a full-page spread outlining their habitat and cultivation, related species, key constituents and actions, research, traditional and current uses, parts used, key preparations, and self-help uses. In a separate alphabetical list, an additional 450 plants are covered in less detail. A fine bibliography and index complete the book. As with all DK publications, the encyclopedia is lavishly illustrated with high-quality color captioned photographs and focus boxes. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs (1998) is a similar title directed to a different audience. Although the Rodale book addresses briefly the medicinal uses of the listed herbs, there is a much stronger emphasis on the horticultural and culinary aspects. Deni Bown's Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses (1995) is more comprehensive, covering over 1000 herbs, but has less information regarding their medicinal use.
Medical Herbalism contains comprehensive information concerning the identification and use of medicinal plants by chemical structure and physiological effect, the art and science of making herbal medicine, the limitations and potential of viewing herbs chemically, and the challenge to current research paradigms posed by complex plant medicines. It also includes information on toxicology and contraindications, the issues involved in determining dosage and formulation types for an individual, guides to the different measurement systems and conversion tables, and the pros and cons of both industrial and traditional techniques.
An excellent guide for novices and experts alike, Growing 101 Herbs That Heal combines gardening, cooking, crafts, and natural healthcare into one sturdy manual. The author's care and concern for healthy plants and people are evident on every page, and there's an astonishing amount of detail in every section. Simple plant listings cover multiple pages, outlining everything from drainage preferences to the size and color of blooms. The different garden styles presented range from formal knot gardens to carefree wild gardens, with lots of choices for raised beds and containers. Organic methods for fertilizing and pest control are emphasized--time to get familiar with beneficial nematodes!

If you've already got an herbal garden in place and are now wondering what to do with your harvest, look no further. Delicious recipes for breads, soups, and salads are here, along with medicinal tinctures, creams, and bath soaks, which are great for gifts or home use. There are also straightforward tips for starting an herb-based home business from your own creations. The last section is a fascinating materia medica that devotes a separate page to each herb, going into beneficial companion plants, harvesting time, market value, and home pharmacy uses.
The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook, contains accurate, no-nonsense information on many of the medically useful herbal preparations. His background in botany, provides excellent advise on uses and possible dangers. For those herbs he includes there are lists of optimum dosages and warnings of possible contra-indications or dangers involved. Over 180 herbs are described, in a quick to use format.

Even though it covers a small number of the herbs available for use, the ones he includes are important in treating a range of conditions. I found it quite readable even for browsing in an evening, and emminently useful when faced with a sudden onset of a medical problem of the sort most treatable with herbs.
An excellent overview of making herbal tinctures, vinegars, glycerites, water-based preparations, syrups, slaves, baths, poultices, etc. Clearly explains the methods for making everything from simple teas to professional quality, mixed solvent tinctures equal to those in health food stores. Includes "A gardener's herbal formulary" covering over 110 herbs, with over 500 formulas, giving medicinal action, dosage, and use. Interesting stories of his own experiences give the book immediacy and bring the processes "off the page" and into practical focus.
The Herbal Medicine-Makers Handbook blends the herbalist author's natural home remedies with his perspectives on the art of herbal medicine's applications, with recipes for folk extractions including plenty of recommendations for usage. The result is far more in-depth than your usual herbal recipe book, packed with insights on how to extract herbs, make tinctures, and apply them properly.
И в качестве бонуса книжица по всяким диковинным и съедобным растениям, да...
Lee Reich has chosen 23 fruits that offer mouthwatering rewards to anyone willing to veer off the beaten path. As useful as it is inspiring, this new paperback edition emphasizes the practicalities of plant selection, cultivation, propagation, and maintenance. All plants were carefully chosen for their ease of care, ability to withstand cold, and flavor. Tips for using the fruits in the kitchen are also included. After reading this delightful book, all gardeners will want to grow and enjoy these uncommonly delicious fruits.
Вообще темой хербалов заинтересовался после того как кратко проглядел хербалы в книге "Plant Spirit Shamanism", Ross Heaven, Howard Charing. Кое-что интересное там нашлось, да и вообще - книжица хороша.

Guerilla Gardening

The simple definition of guerrilla gardening is “the illicit cultivation of someone else’s land,” although to flesh that out, Reynolds says, “I, and thousands of people like me, step out from home to garden land we do not own. We see opportunities all around us. Vacant lots flourish as urban oases, roadside verges dazzle with flowers and crops are harvested from land that was supposed to be fruitless” (15-16). As described from his own gardens and dozens of others, Reynolds outlines both a survey and manual for guerrilla gardening.
Просто замечательно. Что-то там у них еще про seed bombs было, стоит поглядеть. :)

Propagation : Amazon Books

Drawing on her many years as a horticulture teacher, Miranda Smith explains the natural process and conditions in which plants grow and reproduce, and shows gardeners how to use these systems to propagate any plant that grows in their garden or greenhouse—or even on their windowsill. The book features:
• an A to Z directory of more than 1,000 individual plant species—with appropriate propagation techniques for aquatics, ornamental plants, houseplants, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and wildflowers
• "What Can Go Wrong" advice for each type of plant, explaining potential problems and how to prevent or fix them
• detailed, step-by-step illustrations and annotated photographs
This book treats propagation in a very thorough manner, telling how all types of propagation are carried out, as well as some tips on easier or best practices. The illustrations are very clear and helpful. Additionally, the book tells which types of propagation work best for specific genera of plants.
Acclaimed since its first appearance as the most practical guide to plant tissue culture and widely adopted as a textbook, this standard work is now even better. This expanded edition introduces new developments in biotechnology, such as genetic engineering and cell culture. It provides detailed recipes for propagating plants from more than 30 families. It explains clearly how to set up a propagating laboratory, from a hobbyist's kitchen to an elaborate commercial enterprise.
In clear, inspirational language Ken takes the mystery out of seemingly complex practices such as seed conditioning, bulb division, leaf and stem cutting, grafting, and more. Whether focusing on techniques as easy as creating multiple plants from a single perennial using a common kitchen knife or on more complicated practices such as air layering, Ken's advice will inspire both novice and experienced gardeners to turn their homes and gardens into personal nurseries.

Supplementing the text and photographs is a comprehensive appendix charting methods for propagating more than 700 different plants, listed by both common and Latin names, an invaluable resource unmatched by even the most thorough of propagation manuals.
Part One presents easy-to-follow, illustrated flow charts—organized by where on the plant the symptoms appear—that allow readers to accurately diagnose the problem. The format is so simple it doesn't even require knowing the name of the plant; all you need to know is whether the problem is affecting its roots, stem, flowers, or leaves. It does not matter whether the plant is a houseplant, perennial, vegetable, tree, or shrub.

Part Two offers a 100% organic way to fix the problem. From improper growing conditions and environmental factors, to molds, pests, and diseases, every problem has a safe, natural solution.

Part Three shows photographs and drawings of stressed, damaged, and diseased plants that help with accurate comparison.
Не считая "секретов" - остальные книги в целом весьма хороши. Мне не сильно нравятся амазоновские виш-листы, потому буду "как-нибудь так". :)

Chacruna Rooting Guide

The only plant I have grown dropped all its leaves and quickly died. The whole process took about a fortnight. I believe it was due to overwatering and large day/night temperature fluctuations. Que Sera Sera.

Since the above was written, there have been further developments with my dead Psychotria viridis plant. It was left on a cold bedroom windowsill throughout Winter. The soil got a bit mouldy and eventually dried out. The growing tip was brown and dead. I gave up hope, but somehow or another, I never got round to throwing it in the compost bin. At the beginning of Spring, I noticed that the stem was still green. Just for the sake of it really, I decided to water it one more time, with the addition of some Cheshunt compound to stop the mould coming back. Within a week or two, new shoots had appeared on four nodes. It came back from the dead.
Техника рутинга, похоже, в целом применима и к другим растениям... но вот история с гибернацией весьма порадовала.

Friday, June 4, 2010

ILP : Three body workout summary

I. Causal Body
  1. Anchor in Ever-Present Suchness 

    • Nondual Pointing-Out
    • Big Mind meditation
    • I Amness meditation

  2. Core Causal Body Gesture 

    • I breathe out and release to infinity 

  3. Transition from Causal to Subtle Body 

    • I breathe in and feel into my deepest inspiration for practice 
II. Subtle Body
  1. Loosening

    • Roll head, turn it left and right
    • Rotate shoulders
    • Rotate arms
    • Chest opening arm swings
    • Hip circles, hands on hips
    • Forward bend with straight back
    • Quad stretch, standing on one leg
    • Knees, up and down, then circling
    • Rising arm circles 

  2. Energizing

    • Body patting excercise
    • Bounce and shake while vocalizing "ahhh" 

  3. Energy Cultivating Posture 
  4. Core Subtle Body Gesture

    • I breathe into the fullness of life. 
    • I breathe out and return to light. 
    • Completing the circle, I am free and full

  5. Circulating 
  6. Subtle Body to Physical Body Transition
III. Physical Body
  1. Slow Squats 

    • Shoot the energy down the legs and out the arms.

  2. Core Physical Body Gesture 

    • Infinite freedom and fullness appear ans this precious human body.
    • Touching the earth I am connected to all beings. 

  3. ex1 Slow push-ups. 
  4. ex2 Back arch 
  5. ex3 Slow Crunches / Sits-Ups 
  6. ex4 Stretching

    • Elongation stretch 
    • Knees hugged to chest 
    • Rotation stretch (knees to left, head to right, and vice versa)
    • Groin Stretch
    • Forward stretch, straight back and then fully extended
    • Cow/Cat, Downward Dog, walk hands back to standing posture
    • Lunges, left and right
    • Side Stretches, left and right
    • Back bending, hands on low back
    • Short forward stretch
IV. Dedication
  • May my consciousness 
  • and my behavior 
  • be of service to all beings in all worlds, 
  • liberating all 
  • into the suchness 
  • of this and every moment

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Illuminatus : the next book

What is the best Robert Shea novel for fans of "Illuminatus!' to try?

All of them! But if I had to pick one I'd say SHAMAN. SHIKE would be a close second. None of his works ever fit the mold of ILLUMINATUS again. When it came to writing, RAW and my dad didn't really see eye-to-eye after Illuminatus got published. RAW continued to expand the theories outlined in Illuminatus into new directions while my dad became a quiet Chicago Suburbanite. His books fit this as well. He switched from ILLUMINATUS to historical fiction. Still, the reviews have always been good. People loved his stuff.