When I first saw a video in my YouTube feed about Internal Family Systems (IFS), I skipped right past. It’s just me and the missus here and we get along fine.
It wasn’t at all what it sounded like. IFS is actually a kind of therapy for individuals invented by Richard Schwartz. I’ve watched Schwartz in several interviews and I remain intrigued.
The idea is that you have a “family” of parts in your mind that behave like individuals. If you do things to sabotage yourself it’s usually one of those parts trying to protect you from reliving some childhood trauma.
You can talk to them and they answer. If you talk to them properly you can heal the “exile” and get the protector to relax.
It’s the opposite of what they used to teach about multiple personalities, that trauma causes them.
It’s more that you already have them without realizing it, but trauma makes them more noticeable.
Schwartz divides the parts into exiles and protectors, which can be managers or firefighters. Exiles, being the vulnerable parts we try to lock up to keep from reliving their trauma. Managers arrange your life to avoid triggers. Firefighters erupt when you’ve been triggered, to stop you reliving an exile’s traumatic memories. At the heart of it all is Self, which is curious, compassionate and knows how to heal. The more “Self energy” you bring to the conversations, the more they will trust you. I think of it as the part of the ego that’s most genuine, most connected to the center that Carl Jung calls Self.
IFS reminds me of Carl Jung’s active imagination, which I’ve also tried with limited success.
My current thinking is that Jung helps you deal with the stuff in your head that culture puts there, and IFS is for all the people you used to be who are in there suffering.
The idea is to heal them and get them working together.
It sounds so crazy at first, but I’ve played around with it and I swear it works.
As an American, it feels revolutionary. We’re taught to repress our painful parts, not make friends with them.
Just saw one of those bucket list things. Went to Albuquerque to see an annular eclipse at 100 percent. Extremely cool, seeing the ring of fire. BTW, why is it annular if it’s not every year? (Just kidding.)
Courtesy of NASA. No way I took that one.
Took this when it was close to 100 percent. Interesting how the crescents in the tree shadow look almost like rings.
I also went to see the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta on Sunday morning, but I froze my tits off at 5 a.m. for no reason. Bad weather apparently.
Still worth it for the eclipse – and one other thing: people watching. I like humanity a little better after this weekend.
Pink Floyd – Eclipse
We watched the eclipse from the parking lot of a casino in Isleta. We had the mirrored glasses so I got to look directly at it this time around. We got 90 percent during the 2017 eclipse in Austin, but the best I could do was the pinhole thing.
Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire
When it got close to totality, we played Eclipse from Dark Side of the Moon, of course, followed by Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash and Corona by the Minutemen.
Next morning was a pain in the ass in some ways. Rode in a bus to get to the fairgrounds, rented a scooter because of my bad heel, waited around in the cold for nothing. But like I said, the people watching was interesting, same as with the eclipse.
Minutemen – Corona
People on neutral ground, doing what they love forget to argue and become human. They get friendly. People offered eclipse glasses to people who wanted to look. At the fairgrounds, people ate funnel cake and talked to strangers.
I wasn’t able to photograph the eclipse, but my brother-in-law did. But it was enough for me to see it in person.
Me, stylin’. Maybe I should wear those all the time?
My wife and her friend went to the Baloon Fiesta at the beginning and had much better luck seeing the balloons actually go up.
One of my favorite critters. I like the weird balloons. Gotta go back next year and stay for longer.
Just discovered another amazing bit of culture from the Adrar region of Southern Algeria. I’d like to know more about this tradition. Looks fun as hell.
The polyrhythms with the clapping remind me somehow of Flamenco dancers in Spain. Hard to do. Looks like there’s a competitive element to the dancing.
I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t even know where to begin. I was going through YouTube, looking for interesting traditional music from around the world and discovered the arts and music of Karnataka, a state in the southwestern India.
Om Shakthi Jai Shakthi – Ravi Raj Karadi and team Beemsandra Tumkur. The video that first grabbed my attention. The costumed dancers are depicting the goddess Durga in her angered form, about to vanquish the evil lord Mahishāsura. This is part of the story of how the evil asuras Chunda and Munda were slain by the goddess Kali. (Thanks to a friend on Mastodon who filled me in.)
Some of it I loved right away. Some is so different from what I’m familiar with, I can’t tell yet. All of it fills me with awe. The variety of rituals, the complexity, the way everyone there seems to be involved.
I’ve never experienced anything like that kind of depth of culture. One thing in particular that blows me away is the theatrical art of Yakshagana. Through acting, singing, dancing and elaborate makeup, participants tell stories from history and religion.
Yakshagana – Bheeshma Vijaya 2
Vocal percussion tradition Konnakol is an art form I’m still trying to tune my ears to. One thing is for sure, this takes a TON of skill and training to pull off. Beyond impressed.
I have to talk about this guy: Farya Faraji. I really like his attitude.
He’s a singer, musician and a composer, but more than that, he’s an evangelist for culture. Persian music, Greek, Turkish, Balkan, Byzantine, lots more. They all get handled with skill and respect…
“My goal is to showcase musical traditions from all over the globe, regardless of culture, ethnicity and religion,” he says on his About page. “I want this channel to be like a musical world museum, a library of musical traditions from all over the world and all over time.”
I think he’s right. The world is hungry for this sort of thing. Real culture. Real roots. Everybody’s. Something that connects us to the parts of our culture the modern world threw away.
I like that he’s trying to give us a taste of the real thing, real culture and not the Hollywood corporatized version of culture. I approve. He’s already taught me a few things. I didn’t really understand just how Hollywood our concept of Greek music is.
I’ve always thought of Greece as Eastern, but not THAT Eastern. It has also caught me off guard, hearing Greek music that sounded Middle Eastern, but what he says makes sense. Cultures in close proximity to one another are going to have things in common. Greece is a lot closer to Persia than it is to England. What else would it sound like?
I hope his channel really takes off. I hope to see similar projects from other musicians. I’d say Peter Pringle is a good example, taking us WAY back, to the Mesopotamian cultures.
So many of us have forgotten how precious culture is. We’ve lost touch with the earth. We need to appreciate music that comes from the roots – our roots and everybody’s roots. Stop getting riled up over other generations’ wars and just enjoy the music.
I say this as an American Southerner who wishes he’d listened to his great uncle play the fiddle when he had the chance.
Looks dangerous and fun as hell. But taken in stride apparently. Coca Cola is sponsoring. Thank goodness they have that banner that says “Safety First.”
I’ve been going down the most addictive rabbit hole and not for the first time: Rocket Festival videos from Thailand and Laos. The rainy season festivals aren’t just an excuse to play with fire. They’re a tradition that goes back centuries.
I especially love watching the girandolas. Absolutely hypnotic.
What must it be like to play with fireworks where people don’t care about lawsuits or insurance? The redneck in me is so jealous.
They have normal-shaped rockets too. Not quite as cool to watch as the girandolas, but look how high it goes.
Sometimes they blow up.
Looks like I’ll be searching out videos from Thailand for a while. Also discovered a really cool genre of Thai music called Molam, btw. Really cool stuff.
I was going through some stuff in storage and found an old book that somehow it made its way to Texas from Milton, Massachusetts.
Dad must have picked it up at a garage sale. He could never resist an old book.
It’s a book of recipes (or receipts as he calls them) and other things everyone should know, from 1874.
The handwriting is hard to read, so I transcribed it the best I could, leaving out a couple of things I couldn’t figure out how to copy. We don’t use a lot of the ingredients in America these days – one in particular.
WAIT till you get to rheumatism remedies 17 and 18. I don’t want to judge people from the olden days. Life was different back then. But if you try to make the recipes, you might sub one particular item. Maybe you could do something with Crisco?
No. 1.Tanic acid will harden the feet. Put a few drops into soft water and wash them.
No. 2. Effects of Camphor on seeds.
Taken from Boston Daily Advertiser, Aug. 7, 74. Very many years ago that water saturated with camphor, had a great effect upon the germination of seeds. It was forgotten, but a German professor revived the idea and establishes the fact that a solution of camphor stimulates vegetables as alcohol does animals. He took seeds some of which were 3 or 4 years of age, dry and hard and put some between pieces of blotting paper simply wet and some of the same seed he put between paper soaked in camphorated water. Where those in the 1st case did not swell at all. Those in the blotter with camphor every seed germinated. The experiment was tried on seeds both old and new and always with a like result showing a singular awakening of Dormant vitalism an a wonderful quickening of growth. It also appears that plants started in this manner continue to grow with much more vigor than those not treated in this way. On the other hand.
Camphor pulverized and mixed with the soil has a bad effect on the seed. Owing probably to its being too strong.
No. 3.Receipt for bluing.
Take one oz. Prussian Blue
¼ oz. oxalic acid. Put into a quart bottle and fill with soft water. Excellent and cheap.
No. 4. Receipt for Cheap Cologne.
10 qts (can’t be quarts, but that’s what it looks like) 85 per cent alcohol
5 oz. essence of Lemon
12 ½ Drachms essence of cedrate
4 oz. essence of Bergamot
1 oz. Essence of Lavender
1 oz. tincture of benzoin. Mix.
No. 5.Spruce Beer
Dissolve 10 lbs. Sugar and 4 oz. of essence of Spruce in 10 gallons of warm water. Allow it to cool a little . Add ½ pint yeast; Bottle immediately.
No.’s 6 and 7 I can’t copy. No. 6 is an Interest Table that goes on for a couple of pages, has math I don’t understand and “ marks going down columns I would never be able to copy. I like how it says “commit to memory.” As if. No. 7 says “Interest rules” and has a division equation in it. I don’t do division. Here are some pics if you want to try and make sense of them. He must have had a small business. Looked him up and it looks like he was a constable.
No. 8. Leather Cement (Good)
Gutapercha
Benzoin
Cloroform
(Equal parts mix)
Warm both parts before applying the cement.
No. 9. Wart acid.
Acetic acid 2 drachams
Citric acid 10 grains
Mix.
No. 10. For Ring-worms.
Apply Rotten Apples or pound up garlic or rub them with juice of house-leak or wash them with oil of sweet almonds and oil of tartar mixed. Or lunar (?) caustic.
12 grains to 1 oz. water. Or apply gunpowder & vinegar
No. 11. For Scald Head
Citrin ointment
Tar
(equal part mix)
Wash the head every morning with castile soap and apply the ointment. This was never known to fail in 35 yrs practice.
Give sulphur and charcoal mixed in molasses to be taken inwardly.
No. 12. Salve.
Take a white turnip and roast it. Scrape it and mix with lard. Good for any sore.
No. 13. Cancer. Balsam.
Take of sorrel salve
Fir Balsam.
Fresh Butter
(Equal parts mix)
Simmer together. Good for cancerous sores or any other sore.
No. 14. Ointment for a feeling like ants crawling.
Iodide of Possassium ½ dracham
Simple cerate 4 oz.
Make and apply.
No. 15. Kelly’s Healing Salve.
Beeswax 4 oz.
Beef tallow or lard 6 oz.
Fir Balsam 4 oz.
Venice Turpentine 2 oz.
Simmer all together except the turpentine, which you add after taking off the fire. Stir until cold.
No. 16. For Stiff Joints
Fish oil
Beef brine
(of each 1 gill – I don’t know what a gill is, but that’s what it looks like)
The yolk of 4 eggs, beat, mix and shake together
Apply three times a day
No. 17. For Rheumatism, gout, cramps, contractions of the sinews etc.
Take a young fat dog. Kill him. Scald him and strip off his hair, then from a small incision, take out the contents of his belly, and put in the cavity two hand fulls of nettles, 2 oz. brimstone, 12 eggs. 4 oz. turpentine well mixed together, then see-saw up his belly and roast him before the fire and save the oil. This is to be applied to the parts affected and warm before the fire.
No. 18. No. 2 of the above Receipt. The dog being prepared in the same manner, fill his belly with a pint of Red pepper a pint of angle worms, the bark of sassafras roots, four green frogs.
Roast in the same manner and save oil. This is a valuable ointment for Rheumatism, contraction of the tendons, Nervous affections affections (that’s what it says – afflictions afflictions?), burns etc.
These preparations although singular are valuable no one need doubt.
(Poor little puppies. At least he thought they were “singular.” And I thought I was scared of grandmother’s home remedies.)
No. 19. For cough and Hoarseness.
Take ½ pt vinegar
2 Lemons
2 oz Garlic
Simmer well together, then strain and add ½ lb. Sugar and ½ pt. Gin, add all together.
Dose ½ wine glass full 3 or 4 times a day.
No. 20. For a Cough
Take equal parts of the lose, coarse, moss which grown on White Oak, White Maple and White Ash trees, make a strong tea. Sweeten and drink freely.
No. 21. Pulmonary Balsam.
For consumption cough if longstanding…
Take of
Spinesnard 6 oz.
Hoarhound 6 oz.
Elecampane 6 oz.
Comphfrey root 6 oz.
Boil in three gallons of water. Reduce down to 2 ½ gallons. Add 3 lbs. white sugar. 1 ½ lbs honey. Clarify with whites of eggs. Let is stand 24 hours in order that it may style. Add 1 qt. Spirit and bottle it for use. Dose… a wine glassfull 3 or 4 times a day.
Excellent
No. 22. To Make Whiskey Cordial
Cinnamon
Ginger
Coriander seeds
(of Each 3 oz.)
Mace. Cloves. Cubebs (It’s a thing. Look it up).
Of each one ounce and half. Add 11 gallons proof spirits and 2 gallons water.. Now tie up 5 oz. saffron. 4 lbs. Raisins with seeds taken out. 4 lbs. Dates. 2 lbs liqorice root. Let it stand 12 hours in 2 gallons of water, strain & add to the above. Sugar to suit.
Proof spirits consists of
Half of each of 95% alcohol and water
No. 23. Liniment for Rheumatism
1 oz. Spirits ammonia
1 oz. Laudanum
1 oz. Oil Origanum
1 oz. Sweet Oil
1 oz. Oil Hemlock
8 oz. 95% alcohol
1 teaspoon Rattle Snakes Oil
Mix
No. 24. For Glue that will never give out.
⅔ pt. Alcohol 95%
½ lb. white glue
¼ lb. white lead
3 oz. American isinglass or fish glue. 1 teaspoon spirits of camphor to 1 qt. Soft water.
First dissolve the glue and isinglass in the water but not. (I don’t know why the sentence ends there but it does)
Boil then add the lead. Then the alcohol & camphor and it is ready to Bottle.
No. 25. Hot Drops…
Gum. Myrrh
Cayenne peper
Common ginger
Red Sanders (for color)
(of each 1 ½ ounces)
Put into 1 gallon of Liquor no mater whether Gin or Whiskey or proof Spirits, but not Rum. Shake once in a while for a day or two and it is fit for use after filtering.
No. 26. Recipe for Dropsy
1 oz. mustard seed
1 oz. Horse Radish
Water or cider 1 pint. Simmer two hours. Dose. 3 Wine glass full four times a day.
No. 27. For Rheumatism
1 qt. Whiskey 2 oz. Gum guiac 2 drachms of Salt Petre. Mix. Dose a wine glassful 3 times a day.
No. 28. For Rheumatism
2 oz. Spirits frument (spiritus frumenti – it’s a kind of liquor)
2 oz. Gum guaiac
2 drachms Nitrate Potass.
Mix. Dose wine glassful 3 times a day.
No. 29. For consumption cough of longstanding
6 oz. Spikenard
6 oz. Hoar hound
6 oz. Elecampane Root
6 oz. Compfrey Root
Boil in 3 gallons of water, Reduce it down to 2 ½ gallons. Add 3 lb. White Sugar. 1 1/2w lb. Honey. Clarify with whites of eggs. Let it stand 24 hours to settle. Add 1 qt. Spirits and Bottle it up. Dose. wineglassful 3 or 4 times a day.
No. 30. Onion Syrup for Cough. Cold etc.
Take any quantity of onions. Roast them on the fire. Peal off the outside and press out the juice and sweeten with honey, molasses or sugar. Teaspoonfull to tablespoonfull according to age.
No. 31. (Blank – Mr. Bronsdon ran out of material and interest and quit filling up the notebook.)
Phoebe Killdear and the Short Straws – Fade Out Line. This is my favorite version so far…
I’ve been obsessed by Phoebe Killdear for days. I didn’t know they made rock ‘n’ roll chicks like her any more. Powerful, badass. She puts me in mind of singers like Patti Smith, Danielle Dax, even Diamanda Galas, though she’s way more accessible than any of those.
Phoebe Killdear and the Short Straws – Highway Birds (live in Paris). Very psychedelic version. They would have fit in very well at Psych Fest in Austin.
Innerquake from Phoebe Killdear and the Short Straws has been in constant rotation. That album has totally hooked me. It seems “Fade Out Line” was an international hit 12 years ago and I somehow missed it. Anyway it was new to me. When you get to be my age, 12 years is still recent history. The whole album is a banger.
I don’t know if she’s still working with the Short Straws, but I really enjoy watching their mesmerizing live performances. “Fade Out Line” really resonates. It describes a feeling I think most of us have these days.
Phoebe Killdear and the Shift – Dream B
The Piano’s Playing the Devil’s Tune fromfeatures Maria Medeiros (Bruce Willis’ wife in Pulp Fiction, is what I would call esoteric music. Right up my alley. Spoken word poetry, unsettling and hallucinatory.
More recently she’s been working with Melanie Pain a project called Kill the Pain. So far I’m digging the self-titled album, which is very catchy and a lot more upbeat than the other Killdear works I mentioned.
Kill the Pain – Zig Zag. This one reminds me a lot of Talking Heads. Styles on the rest of the album are pretty all over the place.
Hania Rani – Ghosts. This one really hits the spot for me today.
Don’t tell my wife, but I think I’m in love with this woman. I just discovered her via her live KEXP performance. She’s got something special. Classical yet modern.
Her synth pieces remind me of Michele Jean Jarre, the only New Age composer I really like. Her piano pieces put me in mind of Erik Satie. She has a beautiful voice and her lyrics are compelling.
Interesting to find that she’s from Poland. More evidence of a rich cultural life. So it’s back to that old Rabbit Hole I guess. It’s been a bit of a rough week, so this music was just what I needed today. Just put it on and chill…
I’m behind the curve as always, but as you get on in years you have to be a little more choosy. Just discovered Skating Polly – young people doing rock just like the good old days.
Skating Polly – Hickey King
Rock was life from the ’70s through at least half the ’90s. And by rock I mean rock. Rock as I defined it – meaning it had to ROCK. Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Judas Priest were gods to me, if that gives you an idea. Glad to see the spirit is still alive.
A lot great rock songs had lines about how rock was never gonna die. I used to believe it too. But at some point it felt like it really did kind of die. What I heard wasn’t exciting me anymore, and it seemed like the world stopped caring.
I branched out into every kind of music imaginable, starting with the blues – not a big stretch there, since that’s where Zeppelin got their whole schtick.
I have a lot of listening options, but I still get excited to see this stuff still being made. There are a lot of kids keeping it alive. The kids who cover Tool songs are pretty amazing. Glad to see the art is still being taught. Maybe these kids will grow up and create music of their own.
Kids Cover – 46 and 2 by Tool
Now I think of it, maybe these kids will go on to form their own bands, avoid all that tech that takes the punch out of everything, and ROCK.
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