"Times are changing for the better. Continue on the path of trust. Be open to the new."
Change. Fear. Fear: Change. I use these two words interchangeably. For me change creates fear. I should say that change used to create fear. Now change creates a furry in my blood and a yearning to know more about life. I am a perpetual student. In my early 40's I returned to school for another fellowship and in my late forties I began my informal study of plants. I was knowledgeable about herbs and plants when I started but I wanted more. I yearned for more. I wanted to continue on my path of love, trust and health. Of course this created fear, but I 'let go' of the fear.
I am always open to something new. If a friend wanted me to act in a movie, television show or play, I would do it. I am always up for learning. Today I am not ashamed to say I do not know how to...
I will learn how to do 'whatever' to the best of my ability. I now know there is no perfection - only progress. So I am in the process of making progress in progress.
Since my visit to the New York Botanical Garden, I have been reading Plant Intoxicants: A Classic Text on the Use of Mind-Altering Plants by Baron Ernst von Bibra (1806-1878) This book was published in German in 1855 and translated into English. In the book he summarized the current state of medical and plant knowledge of the most psychoactive plants used at that time. I am trying to read the chapters that stimulate my brain, introduce a plant that was obscure at that time, or discuss plants that remain more or less obscure today. Von Bibra wrote about coffee, tea, chocolate and tobacco-- all of which were already in widespread use in his time.
Did I read about those plants? Of course not. I wanted to read and research the various species of Datura. These are the sacred visionary plants. The names you might have heard in relation to these plants are Thornapple and Jimson Weed.
It is interesting to note that the Datura species are part of the nightshade family. The edible plants in this family are familiar to many of us. Examples are tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and potatoes. Historically for over 300 years, plants in the nightshade family were thought of as 'diabolic incarnations'. In von Bibra's time, the name for the fruit of Datura was "Mad apple" or "Devil's work". But if you encounter its flower, you would never think this plant produces such change if ingested. The flowers are large, fragrant and 'handsome'. I do not like the word 'pretty' to describe a flower anymore. I do not think flowers should always be feminine. I want to describe a flower as masculine, handsome, intelligent and debonair. The flower is succeeded by a large egg shaped capsule, green in color and full of thorns. So guess what? It is called the Thornapple.
What confuses me when I read about this plant is the different common names it has, depending on the region. In Jamestown, Virginia it is Jimson Weed. Others call it the 'Devil's Apple'. Since it was exploited in the famous flying ointments of the European witches, it should be known as the "Witches Apple". Maybe Walter Ellis Disney used the apple in Sleeping Beauty as a representative of the Thornapple.
It is said that the whole plant is poisonous, but the seeds are the most active. Nothing destroys the potency of the seeds--not drying nor boiling.
This is one plant that is heavily embedded in religious rituals. When I began to read this I was automatically reminded of my past readings on Wicca Studies and the Green Man. We know our ancestors associated many spirits and deities with nature, wildlife, and plant growth. It was once thought that witches and shamans held the knowledge about using plants.
The Green Man is a god of vegetation (plant life). The Green Man is usually drawn with a human face surrounded by a variety of foliage and plants. So what happened to the Green Man and Wicca studies? Wicca studies, also known as paganism is still practiced today. The Green Man went into hiding as Christianity spread. I read many books on Wicca studies but the book I liked best is The Path of the Green Man by Michael Thomas Ford. So who do you think would be my favorite Walt Disney character based on the above paragraph? It is James M. Barrie's eternally youthful boy, Peter Pan.
It is still controversial whether the pagan rituals were for mere enjoyment, recreation, medicinal purposes or even diabolically intended. I have read that in China the Datura seeds were mixed with cannabinoids and even mixing the seeds with was limited to China and India. I would like to think that in a far away forest in a far away place is a man is sipping Datura tea and having an occasional smoke to induce vivid dreams and hallucinations.
Today, in 1904, Rose Mendola gave birth to Josephine Mendola. She would be the third oldest child of a family of 11 children. She lived at 2 Elizabeth Street in New York City. In 1925 she married James Calamis. These are my grandparents-Nanny and Poppy. I was the third oldest grandchild and without any qualms I can say I was her favorite. My Nanny and I were two peas in a pod. Growing up with your grandparents living in the same house is a unique experience--one that I was blessed and grateful to have. Every night after homework I went downstairs to watch Merv Griffin or Loretta Young with my Poppy and listen to old stories from my Nanny. There were plenty of old family stories. Over the last seventeen years, I have written down these family stories.
After my grandparents lost their last child (my mother) life become sublime. My dad, brother and I did our best to keep them uplifted. It was difficult. We hired Cyress, a Jamaican companion who lived with them until their deaths. My Nanny died one month after my daughter, Alyssa was born in 1988. She holds a special place in my heart. During one of my twelve step qualifications I said recovery is like baking a slow Bundt cake- the ingredients for me are 1/4 part my nanny, 1/4 part my mother, 1/4 part my Aunt Katie, and 1/4 part Fred Astaire.
After my grandparents lost their last child (my mother) life become sublime. My dad, brother and I did our best to keep them uplifted. It was difficult. We hired Cyress, a Jamaican companion who lived with them until their deaths. My Nanny died one month after my daughter, Alyssa was born in 1988. She holds a special place in my heart. During one of my twelve step qualifications I said recovery is like baking a slow Bundt cake- the ingredients for me are 1/4 part my nanny, 1/4 part my mother, 1/4 part my Aunt Katie, and 1/4 part Fred Astaire.
My Nanny, Josephine Mendola shares her birthday with:
1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
1885 - Jerome Kern, NYC, Broadway composer,
1921 - Donna Reed, Denison Iowa,
1955 - Mimi Rogers, Coral Gables FL, actress,
1965 - Alan Cumming, Scottish actor, and
1970 - Carlos Javier Bernardo, Dutch Prince
1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
1885 - Jerome Kern, NYC, Broadway composer,
1921 - Donna Reed, Denison Iowa,
1955 - Mimi Rogers, Coral Gables FL, actress,
1965 - Alan Cumming, Scottish actor, and
1970 - Carlos Javier Bernardo, Dutch Prince
Until tomorrow...
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