Debilitating Repression

The following commentary makes us alternate between hope and despair regarding this culture’s ability to let go of the self-instilled fear engendered by unsubstantiated possibilities. Clearly some individuals see things clearly but the fact that this writing was necessary at all speaks to the continued existence of the rigidity that can lead to such atrocities as genocide.

Namaste,

Euroswydd, Reiki Clowne and Mort

Debilitating Repression

I’m curious how the parents who’ve banned a children’s book, “The Higher Power of Lucky” by Susan Patron—age of intended audience 9 through 12—explain to their own progeny the changes that occur in their bodies as those children approach puberty. I ask this seemingly invasive question because these same parents, in their capacity as librarians, have seen fit to ban a book that has won the Newberry Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature, due to its mention of the word scrotum.

Evidently the only body parts suitable for this country’s children to discuss are those used in reference to edible meats. I’ll barely touch on the widely known fact that many, many cultures consider the scrotal sacs of the animals they use for food to be a gourmet delicacy.

In the United States a preponderance of the population deem it appropriate to discuss breast meat, eggs, loins and tongue-- just to mention a few anatomical features with sexual associations—within hearing of children of all ages, while giving the scrotum the cold shoulder. Fried, broiled or barbecued scrotums not being regulars on the dinner plate have rendered its mention taboo.

No wonder our children are so confused, baffled and bewildered. All other obvious body parts are freely discussed, endowed with proper names and chores. What to do about these unmentionables that while apparently inconsequential continue enlarging?

It’s common knowledge that we tend to fear that which we do not understand. Based on that premise it should come as no surprise that the children of parents who insist upon squelching knowledge of something so integral to our being as our bodies should be afraid of a book that makes mention of a scrotum. Perhaps their parents never mentioned THAT word, instead advocating avoidance, hoping all would become magically clear without having to endure the embarrassment of an explicit conversation.

I’m curious how these parents explain ballplayers constant checking and rearranging of their pelvic regions. “It’s nothing dear,” I imagine a panicked parent explaining, “he’s just making sure his seams are straight!” How to explain the disappearance of the neighbor’s dog rear end dangles? And the list goes on. Life must be a nightmare for these parents.

What on earth are these people afraid of? Knowledge, as the old saying goes, is power. Don’t these parents wish to empower their children with all the wonders and knowledge of the world? Actually prepare them for their adult lives as opposed to entangling their psyche’s with crushing conventions whose inception was the desire of a few to control the masses?

The book in question merely tells a story in which a word is used in the most innocuous of manners just the way any other anatomical feature might be mentioned. That there are people who wish to inflict the same mind numbing, life crushing mores that their parents inflicted on them only signifies their desire to punish their offspring, not the opposite.

And a final question. How can one explain—before it’s too late--the process of fathering a child if one can’t even mention the little sac that houses the testicles that produce the sperm?

On The Road Again

Thinking it important that people understand that anyone—not just those struck by a natural disaster or plunked by judgmental types into the ‘poor and uneducated’ category-- can undergo desperate times, we thought we would avail the following letter for all to read. The author lived in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Namaste,

Euroswydd, Mort and Reiki Clowne

I will be moving again…soon. Thankfully and for the first time in years the distance between my present abode and my new one is less than 200 miles. Temperance, number 14 in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, when appearing in the upright position encourages moderation even in moderation. Over the last few years that card has evidenced itself only when doing readings for others. Perhaps that should have given me a clue to the wide swings the pendulum would take when I embarked on the move that was to lead to the fulfillment of my dreams nearly six years ago. Each ensuing move has covered distances of no less than 2,000 miles in trucks that while offering various configurations were clearly unified toward common goals.

Successfully one and all encouraged extreme levels and ensuing long term effects of limb cramping, the opening of an umbilicus connection facilitating monetary evacuation from my bank account to a disconcerting quantity of gas pumps, and an appreciation for motels/hotels with parking lots large enough and laid out in a fashion enabling movement in something larger than a compact car. In addition to moving ourselves around this ‘great land of ours’ my partner and I drove a 27’ truck from Long Island, NY to New Mexico to help friends move and a 10’ foot truck from New Mexico to Florida after the death of my father.

Yet in spite of the fact that I’m really sick of moving and thought we’d have a least a year or two before we’d have to broach the project again—we arrived in New Hampshire from Florida, September 1^st of 2006--I am looking forward to this one.

Within a month of arriving in New Hampshire the news that our landlord was selling her duplexes felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back. At first we thought we’d buy one of the duplexes but buying something because you don’t want to pack and move that which you’ve just moved and unpacked for the gazillionth time isn’t an adequate reason to buy something that’s not exactly what one is looking for.

Gritting our teeth we began a several month odyssey of exploration. Eventually after getting to know our new state rather well, at least on a regional basis, we were presented with the piece de resistance, a 4.3 acre plot with an old but livable mobile home for a price that we could afford in an area we liked. What a deal.

Our move to sustainability, donkey, chicken and duck caretaking, land stewardship, peace and quiet with eventual replacement of the mobile home with a newer, environmentally designed dwelling has amply shown that after a lengthy time of stagnation our lives have moved back into the concretely obviously productive lane.

I say the concretely obviously productive lane because those nearly six years of beating our heads against the proverbial brick wall has been a time of lessons learned through seeming inertia—in hindsight productive but not enjoyable. We felt as though in a void of nonproductivity.

We’ve experienced homelessness, the stultifying, frustrating fear that things would never improve, subjection to prejudice and profiling, firsthand experience with how worry can completely undo ones mental and physical health, not to mention the weighty responsibility of having to provide for dependents.

Now I want to stress that I’m not talking about whether the cable TV will work, the internet be provided for, and there be enough money to buy the latest and greatest electronic gadget. I’m talking about having a roof over ones’ head, heat in the winter, food all year round and a means of continuing to access the necessities, not the frivolities, of life.

Fortunately for us those years are behind us. We will carry the lessons learned and they will shape our future lives. Not everyone is as fortunate. As a voting population we have of late contributed to making this a country of unrecognized opulence and deep cruelty. A most unforgivable situation.

Deadly Confusion

We thought this commentary might bring a smile to the readers face in spite of the seriousness of the situation. This perspective was brought about by what has been historical categorized as the Bush Years of Fanatical Pandemonium.

Namaste,

Euroswydd, Reiki Clowne and Mort

Definitions clarifying the intrinsic characteristics of food vary from the extremely convoluted and scientific to the simplistic version I will quote here, “food is any substance eaten to provide nutritional support”. A recent pass through US Customs and this definition have helped clarify a baffling situation. Why do so many US citizens continue to ingest products blatantly lacking in nutritional value in spite of reams of elucidating literature geared to correcting their wayward habits?

Boarding the plane in France for my return to the States I was handed a customs card to fill out with the stern admonition that if not filled out perfectly US BORDER OFFICIALS WOULD REFUSE IT! One of the many questions asked if any food was being brought back into the country. Not having any I dutifully marked the box next to the negative.

Ten or so long hours later I broached the US passport counter. A stern faced, blue uniformed border inspector glared at my passport, me, then after tapping information into his computer asked if I was bringing any food into the country. I again replied no (keep in mind this is the second negative on this subject) then without pausing for breath he asked if I was bringing in any fruit, vegetables or meat! Too exhausted to hide my shock at having to deal with an official both illiterate and deaf I painstakingly reiterated that I harbored and I quote, “no food of any kind”.

Mulling it over later it occurred to me that I’d stumbled into the explanation for the destructive eating habits of many in the United States. The answer is that the vast majority are confused as to what a food product is. If fruits, vegetables and meats aren’t deemed food—as clearly demonstrated by a Federal official and guardian of our precious borders—then whatever this vast majority is consuming for nutritional purposes is something else. In spite of the national preoccupation with a “proper” diet there is clearly confusion regarding what’s a food source and what’s not.

Our flora and fauna have suffered due to the innocent introduction of nonnative life forms from other worldly regions. Extreme care should be taken to keep further outbreaks from occurring but categorizing fruits, vegetables and meats as something other than food? Won’t this perpetuate worldwide chaos? What to eat, what not to eat, what to transport, what not to? Just imagine the possible worldwide, calamitous ramifications.

Quart Sized Baggies

We think this commentary requires a minimal amount of introduction.
Namaste,
Euroswydd, Reiki Clowne and Mort

I’m leaving in less than two weeks for a much anticipated trip to the Bordeaux region of France. Since 911 there has been much ado about protecting ourselves from terrorism and to that end grandiose speeches oozing with declarations have prompted equally grand gestures—uniformed stern faced monitors, screeching chimes, warning bells, flashing lights, x-ray vision and general to extreme inconvenience—to proliferate at airport security checkpoints. Now one must unpack, unclothe and then redo what took days in a matter of minutes, as those behind shuffle forward to meet the same fate.
Add to that mix the incident of the past year. A “credible/substantiated” terrorist plot involving the anticipated employment of gels, liquids, pastes, pressurized containers and other solutions and items of similar consistency surfaced to wreak havoc for air travelers. Now one cannot bring such items on board unless their containers can be fit in a quart—not a pint, gallon or any other capacity—size zip lock baggie. For those of us who do not use that size or don’t have enough of the offending items to fit a bag that large, logic decrees that a smaller size should suffice. Apparently logic has nothing to do with it as a friend of mine discovered recently after presenting her pint sized bag with minimal items to the security personnel. She was chastised, provided with a quart sized bag and sent away to repackage and begin the entire security checkpoint procedure all over again. Such rigid, blind, illogical adherence to rules and regulations does not promote confidence that these officials possess the capacity to keep me and mine safe.
However, in spite of the fact that I find this all just ridiculous, since I do want to be allowed on board with as little fuss and muss as possible and finding myself in the grocery store yesterday, I perused the appropriate aisle for baggies. Variations on the quart size theme abounded. Since I only need one not 50, 200 or even 25, I opted for the cheapest box that coincidentally had only 22—this involved easy math to figure out 2/$5.00 for 25 as opposed to 2/$4.00 for 20 and so on and so forth. Hopefully I will go on 22 trips before I have to use either a different size or none at all. As I put the box in the cart an airplane’s picture caught my eye. Affixed to the front of the box a sticker boasted that the contents “meets airport security guidelines”. In the not so distant past baggies were for sandwiches or storing leftovers and didn’t zip much less conform to ineffectual security guidelines.
Apparently the latest advertising hype will revolve around a quart size baggie’s aptitude for providing a consumer/traveler the ability to pass inspection with ease prior to boarding a plane. Touting zip locks and holding full baggies upside down while contents stay within are rapidly becoming as antiquated as those outdated models that close by folding over.
I wonder what the anthropologists of the next century will conjecture about our culture when they uncover evidence of our habits. Or will they be contained within saran wrap with not a thought that hasn’t been pumped into their systems.

Buyers Palpitations

During our time of study we’ve perused many varied and interesting commentaries by Earthling’s on life’s vagaries but reading of the numerous largely ignored atrocities such as the Katrina aftermath challenges our ability to view the actions of this world with neutrality.
For instance, if it was possible for a private business to get packages (admittedly at high cost) anywhere in the country within a limited time frame then why, given the power and influence of the US government, were the victims of that Hurricane still without adequate help over a year after the event.?
Even though we know these are historical events long ago played out and over with it’s still disturbing viewing the cruel practices of these Humanoids. They are so contrary to our own.
While being thought provoking the following commentary should bring a smile to the reader’s face.

Namaste and Peace,
Euroswydd, Reiki Clowne and Mort


Buyer’s Palpitations
In order to fulfill the initial step of the purchase and sales agreement on a recent property acquisition it was necessary to get a certified check to the escrow agent as quickly as possible. Unable to drive the three and a half hour distance because of work constraints I chose Fed Ex due to past reliability. Initiation of the process complete I left the Fed Ex facility clutching the all important tracking number.
My usual easing from the left over haze of the previous night’s slumber into the activities of the day was cut short the next morning when, after typing in the tracking number, Fed Ex revealed that my all important package was in Memphis, Tennessee. Once my heart stopped palpitating and functional breathing became possible again I checked all the information given to Fed Ex and found it to be accurate. Telling myself they knew what they were doing I calculated the hours it would take to fly the check back to New Hampshire.
At the conjectured time I apprehensively typed in the tracking number and found that yes indeed the package had boomeranged in a northerly direction. Although in a neighboring state it was at least on a truck and slated for delivery. Two hours later the package was deposited on the desk of the escrow agent.
Now I’m sure (or at least trying to convince myself) that the powers that be at Fed Ex picked the most efficacious route and I do understand the concept of connections, however, going from New Hampshire to Tennessee with a pit stop in Vermont before returning to New Hampshire seems a bit of a stretch. It occurs to me to wonder if those establishing Fed Ex connections might not be related to those running the country (or those who voted in those stumbling the country).
On second thought they can’t be. Even though the process seems wasteful and nonsensical at least Fed Ex delivers what its constituents (or clients) have voted (paid) for. If they didn’t they would be out of business.

Perception vs 20/20

We thought this an evocative take on Thanksgiving.
Namaste,
Euroswydd, Mort and Reiki Clown

Hindsight, as the saying goes, is 20/20. And while 20/20 refers to a numerical value used by ophthalmologists to describe perfect vision, I’ve often felt perfect described perceptual rather than certifiably concrete parameters. When viewed from such a prospective Thanksgiving seems based on events which while representing the beginning of the end for the natives of the North American continent are nonetheless deserving of attention. The type of attention given a grave moral and ethical wrong rather than that of a celebratory genre.
Of course this is not news to anybody these days. Yet Thanksgiving is still touted as that heartwarming annual holiday when we should feel privileged to gather round the Groaning Board to reiterate our admiration and gratitude for those who brought in that first bountiful harvest. No matter the subsequent cost.
There’s nothing wrong with being proud of ones ancestors, it’s a healthy and grounding activity. However in light of the fact that this particular event is clouded with attitudes epitomizing the holier than thou (oh those dumb savages) controlling aspects of human nature perhaps the focus could be changed to more accurately reflect aspects of Thanks and Giving. Somehow exemplifying the precursor to the inhumane and environmentally skewed behavioral patterns extended over several centuries doesn’t seem a very commenmorative worthy event.
Admittedly I am coming off sounding extremely sour—I mean to. The precepts of this holiday are fraught with judgmental, overbearing aspects. Rather than a celebration of a bountiful, successful harvest it was a memorializing articulation embodying the very reasons the Pilgrims left their homeland in the first place—oppression and persecution. They tamed, overcame and overwhelmed the land and its people in order to prevail and implement their own agenda.
Now having gone up on my soapbox and reiterated the already well established ideas deploring the inhumane treatment of the Indians and their land let me shock any reading this diatribe by expressing my eager anticipation of this coming Thursday. Be assured I am not anticipating a commemorating of the inception of a continuation of unconscionable behavior the type of which goaded the Pilgrims into seeking a new homeland but something very different.
The day for me will be filled with sleeping late, chosen companionship, cooking, eating, the cozy smells of the season, relaxation and a welcome break from the normal routine. I will not be thinking (or at least I will try not to) of the Indians I met and came to know when I lived in the Southwest. I will try not to think of the horror stories they told me of their personal treatment, of the drunks filling the crevasses of those towns subsisting near Reservations, the hopelessness, the abject degradation perpetrated by those who ‘discovered’ and ‘tamed’ this continent.
Let me point out that I know how lucky I am. In my lifetime I have been subjected to profiling, derogatory treatment, being ostracized, denial of basic needs and rights all based solely on my sex and/or economic status as judged by the perceptions and vagaries of others. I have experienced homelessness and the emptiness of long distance travel associated with searching for a new one. Well acquainted as I am with the insurmountable weight of depression brought about by these and other factors I will enjoy this coming Thursday as a day to give thanks for having accomplished and learned much over the past year.
Thanksgiving can be a wonderful holiday in which to nestle positive meanings and actions. It is, however, incumbent upon us all to remember past mistakes and wrongs perpetrated in its name. How else can we hope to discontinue such horrors as genocide?

Successfully Nurturing Herb Plants

We’ve received such positive feedback from other articles written about herbs, and referring to the information in Herbal Rhythms: Deciphering Herbal Codes that we felt compelled to continue sharing with others.
Happy Herb Usage!
Euroswydd, Reiki Clown, and Mort

Herbal, organic, sustainable, back to nature, and nontoxic are but a few of the positive catch phrases commonly used when referring to a kinder, healthier lifestyle. Having—perhaps whilst dining out--enticed taste buds with new sensations of flavor not based on fats and salts many have purchased herbs and cookbooks with the intent of manifesting those flavor sensations at home. Unfortunately in our age of disassociation with process most are disappointed when the herbs don’t magically flourish wherever they’re put once arriving in their new home.
Such necessities as the proper amount of sunlight, water, soil conditions, soil and other amenities, temperatures, freezing of seeds or not at some point during the living cycle, likelihood of wind damage, animal intervention and other factors must be factored into the equation when considering successful herb plant cultivation. Casual placement whether in the ground or pot can easily result in disappointment whereas knowledge of the microclimates, targets of automatic sprinklers, exposure to sun etc. can make the difference between an easy harvest and none at all.
While most herbs don’t require the ministrations that high maintenance plants such as roses do, herbs prefer a close approximation of the conditions inherent to their native lands. This can be arrived at by various means and once the proper growth regiment is met can be repeated year after year with predictable success.
By way of example, those plants grown for the sake of their roots need a loose, detritus—natural rock formations, unnatural leftovers from construction—free area to stretch and grow in to their optimal harvest potential. Those coming from the Mediterranean regions prefer drier, coarser soil.
Anyone who has gardened is aware of delineation of the country’s climates into Zones. Knowledge of these and their placement help facilitate decisions about what to plant, where and when. Set up on the principle of averages they’re quite useful but don’t fully take into account altitude, desiccation/humidity levels, intensity of the sun, propensity for wind damage, micro-climes within the yard and other unique local factors. Familiarity with these is crucial when planning and executing a garden whether herb or otherwise.
Other influences to keep in mind might include cats--whether neighborhood or personal. I’ve found there to be a marked difference of opinion over the best intended use of a freshly turned area of the garden. I see it as a place for seeds or seedlings; they see it as an area in need of their ministrations and worthy of deposits of various sorts. A piece of screening over the top discourages further soil rearranging by feline or other volunteers and provides a resilient, light protection for new seedlings. It also keeps birds from nibbling on quite so many of the seeds before they germinate. Again a difference of perceptions springs to the avian and human mind when seeds are sown. They see dinner while I enjoy visions of leafy vegetation erupting within 7 to 10 days.
Once the foundational habits and desires of a particular herb are known the next step is to incorporate those into the specific geographical growing situation. Some will grow easily while others may require a bit of experimentation. Having all the necessary information easily accessible within a reference guide such as “Herbal Rhythms: Deciphering Herbal Codes” goes a long way towards facilitating a healthy, enjoyable harvest.
Most books cover many herbs and only provide brief informational snippets about each. Providing a well rounded picture of fourteen of the most widely used herbs this book discusses historical, medicinal, culinary, cultivation practices, as well as offering recipe suggestions and projects to clarify various processes and have fun. The fourteen herbs discussed include basil, coriander/cilantro, dill, ginger, lavender, lemon balm, licorice, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme.