i noticed something on list seeking information about ecofeminist views
on drugs. while not completely on topic i'd like to introduce the work
of Maria Sabina, a Mazatec shaman whose healing technique involved(s?)
chants after ingestion of psilocybin mushrooms. one of the things i
like best about her work which continues a stream of chant healing from
pre conquest times, is that her sense of self is broad and ecological,
multifocal, like dreaming self and beautifully expressed in language.
"thunder woman i am..."
"Because i am the water that looks says
because i am the woman wise in medicine, says
because i am the woman herbalist, says
because i am the woman of the medicine, says
because I am the woman of the breeze, says
because I am the woman of the dew, says"
"The little saints[the mushrooms] tell me that I am the woman of the
Lord of all the Mountains. That is why I say:
I am the woman of the flowing water...
They tell me that I am the woman of the oceans, that I bring wisdom in
my hands."
from Maria Sabina, Her Life and Chants by Alvaro Estrada/Ross-Erikson
pub (Santa Barbara CA)
"The mushrooms give me the power of universal contemplation. I can see
from the origin. I can arrive where the world is born."
in my personal opinion: constructive use of drugs requires discipline,
in terms of tutelage and tradition, unguided indulgence can be harmful
in the extreme. i work with some children who have preventable drug
related severe disability, little control of bodily function, cortical
damage may make them unable to Learn to walk. this is very sad and not
necessarily mitigated by shifts in criminalization.
i also have some question about children using ritalin. they seem to
have a contextual disability. hmm how to say that i believe a shift in
context can change neurology... learning does that. our brains are
quite plastic in some areas. this responsivenes is intrinsically
ecological to me. i could go on but my point of view is an outsider one
academically. good luck. marybeth
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Jan 30 10:00:37 1997
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:57:10 -0800 (PST)
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:54:18 -0800 (PST)
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 08:54:18 -0800 (PST)
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Irene Reti)
Subject: feminist nature writing
Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
HerBooks
P.O. Box 7467
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
(408) 425-7493
Feminist Nature Writing Contest: HerBooks Publishing is looking for
creative nonfiction book-length manuscripts by women which have as their
central theme women's relationship with the land/natural environment/place.
What are the landscapes that speak to us of home? What places have we been
exiled from? What places do we have a enduring relationship with? We are
particularly interested in work by lesbians and women of color. No entry
fee. Winner receives publication and $500 and 50 free copies. Deadline
December 1, 1997. Send manuscripts with SASE to HerBooks, P.O. Box 7467,
Santa Cruz, CA 95061. Deadline December 1, 1997.
