out of the mists...

[friendly]

Hello all, once again. So much to say, but so little time today.

I will have a lot more to say as soon as I can get caught up at this end.

In India, certain species of Nymphaea water lilies are known as the 'thousand petalled lotus'.

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead (E.A. Wallis Budge translation) the Blue Lily is called by the same name in the 'Chapter on Transforming Oneself Into the Blue Lily'.

[t st tantra]

hows your book going then?

t s t .

[planthelper]

good to see you back, i guess most of us missed you!

[genki]

welcome back

[mescalito]

Welcome back mate can't wait for your findings and eloquent reports.

[paradox]

hope alls well friendly

a while back you were working on something to do with Panaeolus cyanescens being represented in ancient indian artwork or something along those lines.... i found it really interesting at the time. i wonder did anything become of that? did you end up giving that lecture? (i think thats what it was). would be cool to know if the pics i sent were of any use to you, just cause you seem to be pretty onto it & it'd be good to know i could contribute to your work in a some small way. would love to read transcripts or any text relating to it if it ended up going anywhere...

[friendly]

Hello again: Some downtime while the incisions healed. I've said it before : Don't get old. Things wear out. Just a hernia, though, nothing too serious.

The book is still in the works, but moving along. Many distractions, including photographing one of the finest collections of Maya artifacts still (for me at least) in private hands.

It's in the Museum of Man in San Diego now, but I can still have anything I want--even right out of the museum--for the next three years. I have purchased several extremely important items that should not be hidden away in musesums, and have persuaded like-minded others with similar interests to do the same.

I will put up photos of some of these as soon as I figure out the uploading technology (Still stuck in the 1960's).

One of my presentations at Telluride this year was 'Some Ruminations on How the Cow Became Sacred', and included photos of Ps. cyan growing from cow dung, an important component of the theme. If the dung produced the sacred mushrooms, the dung--and thence the cow--were also holy.

I also proposed that the cow was first tied up for mushroom production, and only later domesticated for other reasons.

Similar theories regarding grape/grain cultivation and the production of alcohol were mentioned.

I included photos that show temple carvings of Pan cyan, and other Ps. mushrooms in sacred context,

in some cases, with gods and goddesses standing on one foot and carrying what appear to be Soma jars. That put a buzz into the room, let me tell you.

The other presentation, 'Shamanic Transformation and the Maya Otherworld' utilized photos from the Maya collection, which consisted mainly of over 600 shamanic-related items.

I also introduced the collector to the wonders of the Blue Lily oil and S.d. liquid extract He had no previous experience with shamanic herbs, but now has interest.

Both of these presentations represent chapters in the books I am working on, so while something has gotten done, I am waiting for the rainy season--which starts tonght--to begin the big push.

I am also being inteviewed in the next month for 2 documentaries on shamanism and am in discussion about making one about lilies.

One more thing: I have recently very successfully and ecstatically bioassayed a Blue Lily essential oil and S.d massage oil as part of a line of herbal extract and essential oil enhanced massage oils I will be producing.

When I get time, I will put up a report on that specific bioassay.

Congrats to Snu; it was a long time coming.