wandjina

I love pens, markers and pencils... at present I have several hundred. As far as cheap biros go, say for writing lecture notes, I prefer Staedtler Stick medium or Pilot medium biros with one of those foamy grips added for comfort. For 80c a pop, can't go past a blue staedtler. As an undergrad I'd buy one each of blue, red and green, my notes were voluminous and it was easier to make sense of em later with colour. IMO bic pens suck Quite fond of Swan and Artline fine markers, and was a big fan of opaque Bosca paint pens as a kid. Love novelty pens too...gel fluoro, metallic and glitter....or anything from Japanese stationary stores, especially if it's scented and covered in 'Engrish' (www.engrish.com ....always worth a look).

Not all ethnobotany, strictly speaking, but.... was leant these 4 recently: Weiskopf, Jimmy. 'Yaje - The New purgatory. Encounters With Ayahuasca.' ***** Shanon, Benny. 'The antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience.' **** Metzner, Ralph (Ed) 'Ayahuasca: Human Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature.' *** Dobkin de Rios, Marlene. 'Amazon healer.' *** Excellent, no...fucking brilliant!!!!...historical, sociological and political perspective on drug laws and reform: Manderson, Desmond. 'From Mr Sin to Mr Big: A History of Australian Drug Laws.' ***** Badiner, A.H & Grey, Alex. 'Zig, Zag, Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics.' **** Grob, C.S. 'Hallucinogens: A Reader.' *** Grof, Stanislav. 'LSD Psychotherapy.' **** Thompson, C.J.S. 'The Mystic Mandrake.' *** Pollan, Michael. 'The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-eye view of the world.' **** Narby, Jeremy. 'The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the origins of Knowledge.' *** Musgrave, Toby & Will. 'An Empire of Plants: people and plants that changed the world.' *** (gorgeous illustrations). Zuckerman, Larry. 'The Potato.' *** (Everything you could ever want to know, and more). Costermans, Leon. 'Native Trees and Shrubs of south-Eastern australia.' ****

I haven't seen 'em around for awhile, but BBQ-flavoured Smith's chips do an impressive job masking the flavour of mushrooms. An old friend used to make sandwiches...big chip on top and bottom, freah cubie in the middle. Texture still there, but flavour not at all apparent. It was many years ago, but I was amazed how well the fungi-flave was concealed. I've never liked mushrooms...mostly a texture thing, especially when they're all spongy (fresh) and when you bite down all this fungussy fluid fills your mouth. *gag* Alternately, adding a small ammount of water to dried and powdered fungus, allows one to kneed them into a dough and then mould 'pills'.

bringers of the dawn!!!!! Any Pleiadians here? lol

Off topic sorry.....but I've lways loved this little tidbit from Terrence McKenna: "To search expectantly for a radio signal from an extraterrestrial source is probably as culture-bound a presumption as to search the galaxy for a good Italian restaurant". I couldnt agree more...SETI is a waste of time and money IMO. Ditto fantasies of old school 'star trek' style futures, tooling round a galaxy chock full o' humanoids in suped-up tin cans. Pffft. Silly. High tech intergalactic hot-rods? Same dog different collar in my mind. Judging by Earth's track record re extinction, especially mass extinctions....in 4 billion years highly unlikely Homosapiens sapiens would be around to build space craft. Mega-cephalopods perhaps? Whatever the case, I doubt our ancestors, if indeed there are any, would approach this 'problem' in the same way. That's if they (or whatever organisms/'intelligences'/'beings' may evolve) perceived a problem to begin with ...or if life as we know it will exist at all in our solar system - or anywhere else for that matter. Ever. 4 billions years CE, 4 billion light years thatta way....who knows what lies there? I reckon JBS Haldane was onto something when he (reportedly) said: "I suspect the truth is not only stranger than we suppose, but stranger than we can suppose" (or words to that effect). Maybe whatever else is 'out there' is largely beyond our everyday comprehension...or at least on the periphery. Within a 'search for extraterrrestrial intelligence' paradigm...perhaps the best approach is a stretching, an extending beyond, the peripheral. Traditional or conventional notions of ETI, and spacecraft for that matter, are too limiting in my view.

ha!! cool tat EN....she rocks.... yemanja (cathologised orisha Brasilian) is pretty groovy too d'oh

EN...what stunners!!!! so so beautiful....I'd be more than happy to see some more pictures, please do you mean the obtusa in white? it's a different species, tends to be evergreen, obtuse leaves and petals as well as very strong perfume. leaves sound right....obtuse and darker green...but the flowers were virtually pure white, barely visible tint of yellow in centre.

Plumeria sigh. There were two varieties in Brissy that I absolutely adored, dont see em down here...one with deep pink/crimson flowers, and another with pure white flowers and leaves differently shaped and more darkly coloured than more common varieties. I especially loved the latter...gorgeous one growing out the front of a house nr Toowong shopping centre. and the frangis in bali...holy cow...ginormous heads of flowers, never knew they got that big. Apparently they're associated with death and funerary rites in some cultures (polynesian?/Sth East Asian?)...interesting given Apocynaceous.... but to me they say Summer.

Anyone motoring from Sydney town? Split petrol...and i got camping gear galore

Actually its that very compliation. The cover should be pretty cool though - well Im hoping anyway. well, its one of the best comps I've ever owned, and i highly, highly recommend it to all. I've received glowing compliments from friends everytime ive played it... fantastic is all senses of the word...really love that track Cyanese Triangles (or was that on one of the others?)

yes please....would many of those tracks be on the comps we traded earlier? They farken rock!

wow Chema.... that is so cool! I would love to keep some cuttlefish or other cephs....down the road at gordons bay Ive seen schools (is that the correct term?) of cuttlefish, shimmering and irredescent....exquisite. Little ones are so cute, yours are gorgeous! would love to see some pics of your blue-ringed octopus. Interesting what you and you partner have been discussing Mesq...resonates with me. For me cephalopods, perhaps especially octopus, feel motherly and sensual, sensuous....but then, they may also have hooks and razor sharp beaks! Cephalopods are wily predators, not algae nibbling vegetarians ;) Powerful. I love crafty octopus stories from aquariums etc...one of the most famous comes from an aquarium in NZ if i recall correctly....an octopus was pilfering lobsters...refined tastes! And ive heard from a number of sources that they can definately open screw top jars, also that they go mad if not provided with adequate stimulation...so keepers often give them toys, change tank set up etc. Out of curiousity, does anyone know what the octopus represents in other cultures? Google seems heavy on 'dream dictionary' hits...im more interested in what cephs symbolised to, for eg, the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Polynesian, Native American, Aust Aborigines etc and other peoples. On another note.... save the tree octopus

Been having a string of coincidences/synchronicities involving octopuses, more generally cephalopods...especially squid and cuttle-fish like creatures. I have always admired cephalopods, the most intelligent of invertebrates. The most expressive of molluscs For me, there has always been 'something' about cephalopods. Seems I'm not the only one ;) Terrence Mc Kenna had some interesting things to say about cephalopods...though I cannot recall the details, it was something to do with their skin...ie, that their mood is reflected in the colour and texture of their integument. How would we fare if we could not hide behind appearance? Or be able to emanate rippling chromatics, project gnarly protuberances, coil into a ball or ooze flat as a pool of water. Sometimes we do I suppose...though not with as much ease, at least in our everyday lives. Kaleidoscopic 'mood' skin, three hearts, a 'brain' or 'brains' distributed throughout the body (what may the implications be for consciousness if ones limbs were capable of thought?...which is not to say they aren't, reference to holographs etc blah blah)....blue blood, incredible flexibility, jet propulsion...and those eyes...those amazing alien eyes. C Can anyone remember a doco from a few years back on cable....it was a series, CGI, like 'Walking with Dinosaurs' in reverse. Hundreds of millions of years in the future, humans long gone...and the hypothetical organisms and ecosystems that could foreseeably evolve and inhabit future Earths. Highly speculative...but based on postulations of reputable paeleontologists, evolutionary ecologists and biologists of other stripes etc. fascinating. Anyway...in one episode future cephalopods are explored. One genera/species leaves the water for the trees...arboreal selection pressures lead to similar adaptations as in primate evolution...most especially on development of binocular vision/CNS. Apparently cephalopods are regarded as one of the most likely candidates for 'higher evolution', to become 'advanced' (its all relative i suppose...but an appealing hypothesis don't you think?) I would love to see this doco again..but cant find it or remember what it was called. Can anyone shed some light? cheers. Invertebrates, I am in awe! Seems we hear alot about insects, insectoids and mantids etc...but what about other arthropods (eg Crutaceans, Chelicerates-spiders, scorpions etc), worms (alot weirder than you might think...eg polychaetes) and molluscs....i know they're not so popular, but slugs are cool IMO, especially the predatory ones like Limax sp ...and of course octopus, squid and cuttlefish. I'd be really interetsed to hear about experiences with other 'totems' or animal archetypes. Do you consider yourself to have a totem, or 'relate'/'connect' to a particular animal? Or are you too rational for this kinda palaver and just have an unusual favourite animal that you admire or respect. Bring on the animal stories!! from http://www.sayahda.com/cyc3.html some great stuff on animal totems: The Octopus Octopus live in dens, crevices on the sea floor, or holes they dig under large rocks. They are night predators and feed on crabs, sea snails, and other small fish. An adult female has a short life span approximately one to one and a half years. . There are over 100 species of these solitary eight armed animals that live on the ocean floor. They range in size from one inch up to 23 feet. Adults lay 1000’s of eggs at a time. They watch over the eggs for several months without ever leaving the den. Exhausted by breeding and starved by the vigil over her eggs the female octopus usually dies before or shortly after the eggs hatch. In the world of the octopus the cycle of life and death is continuos. The Greeks believe the octopus represents the sacred spiral of life, always evolving and ever changing. Near death and out of body experiences are common for those with this totem giving them the skills necessary to help others transition into spirit. They make excellent hospice workers and death and dying therapists. The agility of the octopus is surpassed by none. Since they don’t have bone attached to the muscles in their legs they can squeeze through openings no bigger than a penny. If the octopus loses an arm it will regrow another one. Flexibility and regeneration are some of its teachings. The study and practice of Yoga would be an excellent therapy for those with this medicine. The most unusual feature of the octopus is its 3 hearts. One heart pumps blood through the body and the other two-pump blood through the gills. This attributes to their constant high blood pressure. Octopus blood is blue and a poor carrier of oxygen. The rare condition known as a blue baby is associated with octopus medicine. Because of these physiological oddities the octopus has poor stamina and an inability to struggle offensively or defensively for very long. Heart conditions are common in those with this medicine so caution is advised. These unique creatures of the sea have excellent eyesight but cannot hear. They are believed to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates. Those with this medicine are clairvoyant at birth but have difficulty hearing or responding to the voice within no matter how hard they try. When octopus swims into your life it is asking you to let go of your inefficiencies, stop trying so hard and focus on fine tuning the skills that are naturally yours. Octopuses are experts in the art of camouflage and teach us how to utilize this skill for our own benefit. These fascinating creatures can change colors to mirror their surroundings and alter their skin texture to match the texture of sand, rocks or other surfaces they are on. They also squirt black ink into the water clouding a predator’s visibility so they can escape unharmed. The octopus is a powerful totem to have. By following its lead we learn how to move through life safely, securely and without struggles. i like cockatoo too. and lastly...how cool is this/these creature(s): pyrosoma pyrosome story

Excellent work...I especially like those in the first and last posts....gorgeous colours, tones and shading

You can still deck the halls Gom!!! Decorating a tree needn't be associated with Christianity Likewise, the sleigh-riding elf with flying reindeer is considered by some to be of shamanic origins (and a red nosed reindeer is apparently one that has been munching on Amanitas...also keeping in mind the fungus' symbiotic relationship with some species of pine and pagan nature worship). So bring a special plant inside and worship like the heathen you are! Much love to all...mnwah! from religioustolerance.com Origins of the Christmas Tree: Pagan traditions: Many Pagan cultures used to cut boughs of evergreen trees in December, move them into the home or temple, and decorate them. 7 Modern-day Pagans still do. This was to recognize the winter solstice -- the time of the year that had the shortest daylight hours, and longest night of the year. This occurs annually sometime between DEC-20 to 23. They noticed that the days were gradually getting shorter; many feared that the sun would eventually disappear forever, and everyone would freeze. But, even though deciduous trees, bushes, and crops died or hibernated for the winter, the evergreen trees remained green. They seemed to have magical powers that enabled them to withstand the rigors of winter. Not having evergreen trees, the ancient Egyptians considered the palm tree to symbolize resurrection. They decorated their homes with its branches during the winter solstice. 3 "The first decorating of an evergreen tree began with the heathen Greeks and their worship of their god Adonia, who allegedly was brought back to life by the serpent Aessulapius after having been slain." 5 The ancient Pagan Romans decorated their "trees with bits of metal and replicas of their god, Bacchus [a fertility god]. They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god" 2 Their mid-winter festival of Saturnalia started on DEC-17 and often lasted until a few days after the Solstice. In Northern Europe, the ancient Germanic people tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches, in honor of their god Woden. Trees were viewed as symbolizing eternal life. This is the deity after which Wednesday was named. The trees joined holly, mistletoe, the wassail bowl and the Yule log as symbols of the season. All predated Christianity. 5 from wiki: American psychedelicists Jonathan Ott, James Arthur, Jan Irvin and Andrew Rutajit as well as UK mycologist Dr. Patrick Harding suggest that many of the modern features attributed to Santa Claus may somehow be derived from those of the Kamchatkan or Siberian shaman. During the midwinter festival (holiday season) in Siberia (near the North Pole), the shaman would enter a yurt (home) through the shangrak (chimney), bringing with him a sack of fly agaric mushrooms (presents) to give to the inhabitants. This type of mushroom is brightly colored red and white, like Santa Claus. Although some question the relevance of this, the above factoids provide many interesting associations. The mushrooms were often hung (to dry) in front of the fireplace, much like the stockings of modern-day Christmas. Furthermore, the mushrooms were associated with reindeer who were known to eat them and become intoxicated. Reindeer are also associated with the shaman, and like Santa Claus, many people believed that the shaman could fly.[4]

lmao...that was great....always wondered what all this badger badger badger etc business was about. Hilarious.

thanks Jono Lovely sentiment. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanuka, a Reverential Ramadan, Bonza Kwannza and a Sensational Solstice to all!!!! Wishing everyone a happy, safe and fun silly season. Much love to you and yours, from me and mine!

Wandjina, You seem to be quite vocal about (alleged )negativity being attached to ‘x’ number of posts on forums, but I am yet to see such a trend. yet you have also said: this is the only forum I use, or have ever used Considering you've also been MIA for most of the last year, it would be surprising if any 'trends' became evident to you. But just to be clear, i was referring to web forums in general...tho there have been some posts here and at EB in the past where ppl questioned number of posts vs. status/rank etc, and they were usually recent arrivals. It is something I have noticed elsewhere, or several occassions. There has also been crticism of 'post whores'...those who rapidly rack up 100s of posts, but ultimatly it all comes down to substance. How does it present itself, perhaps I’ve missed it. Surely a forum of like-minds (that would be any forum, right?) would be ragging newies more than regulars, if at all. Sorry, when did i say this was a frequent occurrence? Occassionally this does happen (they're usually referred to as trolls), tho usually doesnt last long. Whatever the case, SAB is exceptional as far as web forums go, 'ragging' on newbies isn't a past time as far as I can tell....whatever the case, a sample of one cannot be taken as representational even if SAB were ordinary. Let’s look again at my original post shall we ? Is the number of posts some sort of status symbol for people ? You have failed to appreciate the context, or how your post would be understood/interpreted. 'Status symbol' has a negative connotation in general usage, and hence your post can be taken as criticism, or as judgement. It also comes across as a rhetorical question, as if you have made an observation and are expressing your opinion, not meekly inquiring. I feel it has an accusatory ring to it. I fail to see why you are taking such strong umbrage to my li’l ol’ post. Been trying on a few hats since reading your entry (albeit on the same head), and fail to see where you make such assumptions. Is PH offended ? Dunno, perhaps he can tell me. Was it my intention ? Nope. Do I have a negative viewpoint on posters with a high post count ? I repeat what I said earlier, I can’t see how, in my view or others that you suggest may have such a petty low self-opinion of themselves in cyberspace. as above...IMO your 'lil ol post' reeks of negativity and judgement IMO, and I don't think it was appropriate or nice to post it in this thread. And 'cyberspace' is full of individuals who make it their business to stir up shit or 'troll'...it's like a hobby or something, and i feel this way of relating is low self-esteem made manifest. And to be honest, I find your tone smug at times and it irritates me. You also ask ‘who am I to question or criticise’ the relevance of someone’s 2000 posts. Again, I cannot see the criticism in my first post, however we are all granted the freedom to question something we do not understand. This site’s full of it. How can you deny anyone the freedom to question? By that logic how can you deny me the right to question who you are to post something that I, (and I suspect many others), feel is implicitly judgemental and unneccessarily critical in the context of this thread? Please don't misrepresent my argument to bolster your own...I am not denying you or anyone else the 'freedom to question' (now everybody rise for a stirring rendition of the star spangled banner), I take issue with your insenstivity and cocky attitude.

I'm intrigued as to how it may be viewed a landmark figure. diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. The forums mean more, or different things, to some ppl than others I guess. Number of posts can be taken as an index of time and energy invested, interest in ethnobotany and allied topics, feeling of belonging to a community of like-minded individuals etc. If you're not in some sense committed or 'serious', who's gonna stick around long enough to post 1000/2000 times? Can anyone nominate a member with 1000+ posts who is not highly regarded and/or respected? Alternatively, most trolls and numb-nuts dissappear pretty quickly through lack of attention or because they just don't seem to 'get it'... I have noticed that some ppl tend to view the number of posts thing negatively (appears to happen at most web forums IME), especially if 'ranks' are involved, and sometimes resent the hierarchical structure they feel is imposed in this way. Never seems to be long-standing members who take issue though, whether they have 15 posts or 3000... they were all newbies once too. So why does 1000, 2000 etc seem to have a certain cachet? ....well, why so much emphasis on turing 100? On centenaries, on millenium this and that, why all the hoo-ha in the year 2000? Why not celebrate 1999 posts? Perhaps we can blame the decimal system for this great, and thoroughly arbitrary, injustice!!!? But really, why do you care if someone is chuffed about having posted 2000 times? Even if your response isn't a dig at him directly (though if it were me I would have thought it was), who are you to criticise and question the relevance of anyone's 2000 posts? I'll put mine up on swap n sell if you want to trade for one of your artworks pffffft not even if you paid me

The circular motifs I find are very consistent with the 'wandjina' theme - the rock paintings with the circular headgear reminiscent of ancient astronauts visiting earth. eek...von daniken strikes again!!! My take on wandjina is a nature spirit associated with the rains/wet season (also the name of a good mate of my brother's from high school). But ancient astronauts visiting Earth? Unadulterated malarkey IMO....prefer the panspermia theory myself, as far as seeding is concerned. Inner journeys reveal truths orders of magnitude more bizarre than notions of pan-galactic tourists with a penchant for genetic engineering.

wow...my work inspired something? what a compliment! Very nice work T-bird...love it. Funky textures and patterns...and Escher, sigh...a real genius

WAHEY!!! Onya Apo, i had no doubt you'd pass I threw in the towel after quadratic equations...long, long ago...in a classroom far, far away

Is the number of posts some sort of status symbol for people ? Perhaps for some, and so what if it is? Or is it that members with high numbers of posts present a problem for some with less? This issue has been raised several times before, and it has been agreed that status is accorded not on the basis of quantity, but quality. Content is what counts. Some highly regarded members have been here for years, yet have relatively few posts...others rack up hundreds in a few weeks or months. That said, making 1000, 2000, or even 10 000 posts are milestones...perhaps especially for some established members of the community, to whom the sab forums are home and provides the opportunity to share experience and knowledge not appreciated elsewhere. In Ph's case, 2000 posts represents an enormous contribution to the community...and he deserves to be recognised for this. Congratulations Ph... I'm not ashamed to say I'm excited about approaching 1000

i like the psychedelic aboriginal motifs. Some of the images look a bit like some of the early heavily influenced by shinto, japanese anime by Miyazaki. It reminded me of the great forest spirit from Miyazakis 'Princess Mononoke'. Below is a link to some images of it, but it also transforms it gigantic translucent spirit which resembles your artwork, unfortunately i could only find pictures of it in this (small) form. Aboriginal? interesting...you're the first person to see my work that way. Not a conscious inspiration...but there you go! And I'm very flattered to be compared to Miyazaki...Princess Mononoke is one of my favourite films...quite partial to Nausicaa too. Now that you mention it, i can really see it in the eyes of 'sub-species II'!