La Hierberia, Part 3

Gobernadora (creosote bush, chaparral): The leaves of this common desert plant are used as a hair wash to relieve itchy scalp and dandruff.  This plant should not be taken internally.

Ephedra (joint fir): This is another common desert plant found in our area.  It looks like a bush made up of giant jointed pine needles.  A tea made from the “needles” is used to treat hay fever, asthma, and nasal congestion.  This plant contains large quantities of ephedrine, a potent drug whose analogues are found in many commercial asthma and congestion remedies.

Yerba Santa: this herb grows wild in California and is used to treat colds, asthma, and hay fever.  It was (and still is) dried and smoked by the Indians of the West Coast to treat lung problems and can also be made into a tea which is soothing to the throat.

Granado (pomegranate): The fruit of this tree is eaten for its sweet-sour taste, but its juice also has medicinal properties.  It is useful in cleansing the bladder and kidneys, and relieves constipation.  The bark of the tree can be boiled to make a tea that relieves diarrhea and kills tapeworms.  This tea is strong and should be drunk sparingly.

Aloe Vera: This plant has thick, juicy green leaves, and is often cultivated as an indoor plant.  The sticky juice of its leaves is used to relieve the pain of burns, including sunburns.  The leaf is broken open and the juice applied directly to the burn.      

The Two Novalises

Over the past ten years or so, nearly all of Novalis’ “philosophical” writings have appeared in new and very good English translations.  This has led to a reassessment of Novalis in the English-speaking world, with the picture of a poetic, otherworldly mystic being replaced by a not-yet-mature but serious systematic thinker who was on his way to making a major contribution to the Idealist philosophical movement.  While both images of Novalis contain truth, the philosopher Novalis is now in danger of eclipsing the poet and mystic.  It is the latter that has always interested me the most, and it is his mystical and poetic work that strikes me as most well-developed and mature.  To paraphrase Tagore, I respect the philosophical Novalis, but it is the poet in him that I love.

Fern im Osten wird es helle,
Graue Zeiten werden jung;
Aus der lichten Farbenquelle
Einen langen tiefen Trunk!
Alter Sehnsucht heilige Gewährung,
Süße Lieb in göttlicher Verklärung!

           --Novalis, Geistliche Leider

My Dream for CF

This is one of a series of videos, "My Dream for CF," produced by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Sophie Scholl

Wie wir righteousness erwarten können, um vorzuherschen, wenn es kaum jedermann gibt, das willt, sich einzeln zu einer righteous Ursache oben zu geben. Solch ein feiner, sonniger Tag und ich müssen gehen. Aber was macht mein Tod aus, wenn durch uns Tausende von Leuten zur Tätigkeit geweckt und gerührt werden?  (How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go. But what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?)

                                           --Sophie Scholl, member of the White Rose Resistance Movement, martyred on February 22, 1943

La Hierberia, Part 2

Ajo (garlic): Considered a “wonder food,” ajo is believed to lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, and act as a natural antibiotic.  Ajo has been scientifically demonstrated to lower cholesterol (The Lancet, Dec. 29, 1973, May 31, 1975.)  Ajo has long been known as one of the best natural worm remedies.  It has been used with success on both humans and animals.

Manzanilla (chamomile): A plant with yellow/white flowers and a sweet, fruity smell, it is used in many ways.  The fresh root is used to relieve toothaches.  The stems and flowers can be used to make a tea that reduces swelling of the eyes or bruised areas.  Taken internally, the tea acts as a mild sedative.

Romero (rosemary): This herb and the oil derived from it are used as a skin conditioner.  Always try the oil or any product made from it on a tiny bit of skin first to make sure that you are not allergic to it.  Taken internally (as a tea or tincture--the oil is not for internal use), it is said to lower blood pressure and help rheumatism.  Romero is also used for flavoring in cooking.

Yerbabuena (mint): The tea made from yerbabuena, in addition to having an enjoyable taste, is good for both head and stomach aches.  It can help to relieve nausea and is said to be good for the digestion.

Chile (red pepper): Most people don’t think of chile as an herbal medicine.  In fact, across the Americas it is used in traditional medicine very successfully.  To relieve minor fevers due to colds, soak a few dried red chile pods in orange juice and drink.  This beverage is also said to be good for sore throats and hangovers.

The Battle in Madison

The attempt to break the public employee unions in Wisconsin is less about the state’s budget problems than it is about political power.  The attempt by Gov. Walker to take away rights that workers there have held for over fifty years is part of a campaign that stretches from Wisconsin to Ohio, Florida to Indiana.  The gap between rich and poor continues to widen, and the rich are now going after what little the middle class has been able to hold on to.  And it’s not only public workers who are hurt by this war on their rights.  If you or your child attend a public primary school or university, if you have ever used a public hospital, if you need emergency services or any kind of state-administered benefits, you will also feel the pain.  If you think the lines are long at the Department of Motor Vehicles now, just wait.  The legislators that are stripping public employees of their rights, their benefits and, ultimately, their jobs, are paying back their rich contributors who send their kids to private schools, use private hospitals, and don’t care if everyone else loses out.  The rich continue to get richer, the poor poorer, and the middle class is sinking into poverty as well.  And unions, for all of their limitations (many caused by having to work within a maze of already-existing anti-union legislation), are one of the few bulwarks left to counter this trend.

La Hierberia, Part 1

Some time ago, I did a column for Perspectiva Popular on herbs.  I have decided to publish it here in serial form as it originally appeared.  A Spanish version was rendered by Antonio Marin in the original Perspectiva version.  The first column dealt with wild herbs of our region, and subsequent ones had themes like garden herbs, shrubs, herbs of the Mexica, and trees.

Maguey (agave): The dried leaves and root can be used to make a tea that helps relieve indigestion, as well as colic in babies.  Constant use may interfere with intestinal absorption, so it should not be used for more than a week at a time.

Cenizo (purple sage): This shrub with gray leaves and purple flowers is found in West Texas, where it has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries.  It is used to treat colds and ’flu.  Prepared as a tea, it induces mild sweating, helps break a fever, and produces relaxing sleep.

Mesquite (tornillo): The leaves, bark, and green pods of the mesquite contain a strong disinfectant, and if they are boiled to make a strong tea, this disinfectant is concentrated.  It can be drunk (in moderation) to cure dysentery, and applied to cuts and other wounds to prevent infection.

Chamiso (sagebrush): Sagebrush is not native to our area but grows wild in the high deserts of Northern Nuevo Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.  It is also found in California and Baja California.  It is often the object of trade or gifts to people in our area.  Chamiso is also antimicrobial, and the powdered leaves are used to treat infected rashes.  This plant is often burned or steamed in the temascal for its physical and spiritual purifying and disinfecting powers.

Tronadora (esperanza): Tronadora bushes are found in abundance in the North Franklin Mountains, and are easily recognized by their yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers.  This plant is used to treat diabetes throughout Mexico and Central America, often by doctors.  The usual dosage is 5-7 grams of dried and powdered leaves and flowers each per day.  A tea prepared from the leaves is also useful in relieving stomach upset caused by heavy drinking. 

Florence Kelley

Florence Kelley, social reformer, labor and women’s rights activist, civil rights supporter, and first General Secretary of the National Consumer’s League.

September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932

To live means to buy, to buy means to have power, to have power means to have responsibility. 

      --Florence Kelley

Reflections

Those who struggle for a better world, especially in the present state of society, often feel isolated (and sometimes, it must be admitted, we are isolated through our own doing) and discouraged by a lack of spectacular results.  I would like to offer a few words of encouragement in the face of the difficulties that are inevitably encountered when trying to build a juster and more human world amid the lies and selfishness that are held up for praise and admiration by the powers that dominate today’s world.

     It is obvious to anyone without substantial sums of money (who isn’t rich) that just to survive in the “collapse of capitalism” environment of modern America has become more and more difficult.  Yet even those of us who consider ourselves “simple livers” would be considered “millionaires” by the majority of the human race, if they had a chance to confront us.  Despite the struggle for our daily bread, few of us can claim that all of our time is taken up with just surviving.  But those who make an extra effort outside of the daily grind to contribute to the struggle against injustice have certainly at one time or another felt discouragement, and most of us have also been tempted to blame others for our failures.

     It is easy for our rejection of an unjust society to become a hatred of all who are not of the same mind as ourselves.  This hatred may be born of a frustration with the injustice and evil we see all around us, a frustration that taps into our own weakness and resentments.  The poet Ernesto Cardenal wrote, “Often I find the real dictator is within myself.  The atom bomb is a reality of our souls.”  In the same vein, his friend Thomas Merton wrote, “For only love—which means humility—can exorcise the fear that is at the root of all war.” 

     In addition to the “seeds of destruction” which exist within us and must be resisted, the other great enemies of anyone working for a better world are discouragement and “burn out.”  Anyone who has tried to make a difference knows how elusive positive results can be.  Whether through our own fault or because of circumstances beyond our control, we are seldom able to change things overnight.  In the society that we belong to, where a person’s worth is judged by “success” or “failure” (read measurable accomplishments or the lack of them—the measure usually being money), it is easy to get discouraged as things seem to go from bad to worse.  And even those who have accomplished something often feel burn out, too.  However, in my experience, those who have been most faithful to the struggle in good times and bad are those who can look beyond immediate results—those with a basic belief in the goodness of people, or with spiritual or religious values, or who believe in the possibility of a better society in the future.  To struggle when conditions are most discouraging is the true measure of commitment.  And I believe that the struggle is never in vain.  When our efforts seem to bring little in the way of results, when the hearts of those around us seem to be made of stone, to continue to hope is a victory in itself.  We must never forget that individuals can make a difference, and that together we can make justice and peace a reality in the world.       

Valentine's Day

Not much is known about the real St. Valentine.  But it is believed that he was martyred in Rome about 270 A.D.  Some say he was a Christian priest or bishop and that his crime was that of performing illegal marriages.  Marriages had been outlawed by Claudius II in the interests of “national security” because it was believed that family ties made soldiers less willing to fight.  Whatever his crime, the story goes that while held in prison, Valentine became friends with the jailer’s daughter.  On the eve of his execution, he thanked her for her care and kindness in a note which he signed “Your Valentine.”  And so was born the tradition of exchanging such notes.

     An alternative celebration of Valentine’s Day can be a time of remembering and celebrating personal relationships between lovers, wives and husbands, children and parents, and friends in non-commercial ways.

     In keeping with the spirit of kindness shown by the jailer’s daughter, it seems most appropriate to include in our Valentine’s Day celebration consciousness-raising and meaningful activities on behalf of those in prison.

                                                          --from Alternative Celebrations Planning Calendar

     This can be done in many ways.  There is injustice and misery in every prison, people wrongfully imprisoned, people caught in a penal system which serves neither the prisoner nor the society that imprisoned that person and which badly needs alternatives.  There are a number of groups that are working for prison reform in this country, to exonerate the innocent, and to help reintegrate ex-prisoners back into society.  A few are listed below.

     There is no better way to get to know what the life of a prisoner is like than to hear about it firsthand.  Because of the isolation that prison causes, contact with people on the “outside” becomes terribly important.  Many prisoners receive neither mail nor visitors and would love to hear from YOU!   If you would be interested in writing to a prisoner, contact one of the organizations below.

     If you are interested in actually visiting a prisoner, you can contact the Prisoner Visitation and Support Committee for information on visiting prisoners in federal prisons.  This is an outstanding organization that has been around for many years and offers extensive training and assistance to anyone seriously interested in visiting in the federal prison system.

PRISON REFORM, ADVOCACY, EXONERATION, POST-PRISON SUPPORT:

Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants

http://www.curenational.org

Offender Aid and Restoration (D.C. area)

http://www.oaronline.org

The Innocence Project

http://www.innocenceproject.org

Prison Activist Resource Center

http://www.prisonactivist.org

Howard League for Penal Reform

http://www.howardleague.org

PRISONER CORRESPONDENCE:

Prisoner Life.com (they have a very good page on guidelines for writing a prisoner)

http://www.prisonerlife.com

PRISONER VISITATION:

Prisoner Visitation and Support

http://www.prisonervisitation.org

Crisis?

There is apparently a crisis in modern America concerning poetry; or at least I glean that sentiment from the ever-argumentative internet.  There are too many poets and not enough readers.  The quality of poetry as a whole has declined as the number of poets has risen.  Forgive me if I opt out of this discussion, permanently.  I prefer to live in a culture where poetry is simply a part of life, be it in the form of dichos, Las Mañanitas, or the anguished cry of some scribbler in a movement newspaper; the poetry in names of insects and flowers, in arrullos and hymns and corridos. 

February 8

The lone worker will never escape from his life of poverty for ever and ever; he will go on existing in affliction as long as man is not man’s protector, but his worst enemy.

                        

                                                  --Halldór Laxness, Independent People (Sjálfstætt folk)

Reduced to Talking About the Weather

I suppose I should say something about the weather, although it’s hard to think of anything particularly interesting or insightful.  The temperature only got up to 15˚ F yesterday.  This was a new all-time record for us here in El Paso.  I have certainly never experienced anything like it in my lifetime.  Right now (10 am), it is 5˚ F, and the temperature is not expected to climb out of the teens.  Almost everything is closed, and I have not gone anywhere in days.  Our water pipes are frozen, and I hope that they haven’t burst (as that could be very bad when you live in a mud house).  The semi-tropical foliage that surrounds us (including orange trees, lantanas, oleanders, and others) has certainly taken a beating and will probably not survive.  Some of the trees and bushes are decades old and have been through “cold” weather before (cold by El Paso standards), but nothing like this.  A good portion of the U.S. has been suffering blizzard conditions, but this is really a first for us.  El Paso is known for its bland weather (except for the very hot days in summer—but there is little humidity, so they are generally bearable).  I think of the homeless people that I know, the elderly poor, and of our brothers and sisters in the colonias of Cd. Juarez.  This weather brings misery with it for those who cannot adequately protect themselves.  I’m sure my friends down at the Rescue Mission have their hands full.

I wanted to mention that long-time compa and fellow Paseño (now living on the West Coast) Rafael Jesús González has a very powerful tanka on his website for the Year of the Rabbit:
 http://rjgonzalez.blogspot.com/2011/02/year-of-rabbit-4709.html

It was a winter, such as when birds do die

In the deep forests; and the fishes lie

Stiffen'd in the translucent ice, which makes

Even the mud and slime of the warm lakes

A wrinkled clod, as hard as brick; and when,

Among their children, comfortable men

Gather about great fires, and yet feel cold,

Alas! then for the homeless beggar old!

                      --Percy Bysshe Shelly, "Summer and Winter"

Actually, the birds here seem to be doing fine.  The finches and sparrows were calling and chirping in the winter-worn bushes and trees until I brought them a few handfuls of seeds and gave them fresh water that is sure to freeze eventually, even though the sun is finally out.  But alas! for the homeless beggar old!