Plants in Human Affairs, weeks one
I was in an odd space following Christmas and the new year. It was cold and wet and lonely. Spending time with my mate and helping him build his shack was nice but also intense. This made dropping into a Uni course even more of an event.
The big island is huge and I had yet to make it to the Kona side of the island. This is where old fishing villages were, it is in the rain shadow of Mauna Loa and so is the dry side of the island. The region grows heaps of coffee and mac nuts now as well as being a retirement colony for faded hippies and the new age.
I was dropped at the airport by friends and met up with Momi, a hawaiian women who was teaching us somewhat in the course and helping out with driving and that sort of stuff. We smoked cigarettes and played ukulele while we waited for other students to arrive. Arriving were Patrick and Therese, like most of the class participants, from Minnisota where the center running the course was based. We drove to the B&B where the course was being held at Kealakekua, the bay where Cpt. Cook was killed. I talked with the other students and we ate Pizza that Dennis had bought. I was beat and so went to bed fairly early.
On sunday we had a day to adjust to arriving, but I was ok. I did some course reading and we went to the open market where I got some great drawings from a botanical illustrator. Other than that I tried to get to know the other students, being so starved of good company my age for some time. The class was an interesting mix of heads (myself included) and muggles who were taking the course as part of a horticulture degree, to "Expand the scope" of their pre-med studies or to go to hawaii. Psychedelic enthusiasts talked at length about inner realms and plant metaphysics while the muggles seemed taken aback. I met a really nice girl called Rebecca who was a pre-med student studying chinese and the chinease medicine system. We talked at length over the two weeks about limits to rational conceptions of health and healing and the notion and effects of intuition and intent when practicing and receiving healing.
In the first week we looked at the botanical dimensions of the world. We had two key lecturers, Kat Harrison and Dennis McKenna. They covered various different topics concerning plants in human affairs. Dennis looked at the complexity of plant chemistry and how plants use chemicals rather than motion or movement in order to communicate with and interact in the environment. Using molecules for scent, sight and direct communication with other plants and organisms they have substituted behavior for chemistry. We then looked at these classes of compounds and also at issues surrounding the patenting of nature and bioprospecting, how to remediate traditional healers if they choose to share this knowledge. With Kat we looked at plants in human affairs with things like the spice trade, domestication of plants and the birth of agriculture and the use of plants in healing practice. The food was amazing, prepared by a caterer and i felt really good doing the course and reinforcing alot of knowledge about humans and plant uses. On Friday we went to the Awa bar in town to talk story and Saturday we cruised the island going to the volcano and such. Sunday was a day of rest but I had a great time cruising down to the canoe club and talking with the guys. In the old days they would bring 50m tall acaica koa trees down and carve canoes out for battle in that spot.
It was time for week 2
The big island is huge and I had yet to make it to the Kona side of the island. This is where old fishing villages were, it is in the rain shadow of Mauna Loa and so is the dry side of the island. The region grows heaps of coffee and mac nuts now as well as being a retirement colony for faded hippies and the new age.
I was dropped at the airport by friends and met up with Momi, a hawaiian women who was teaching us somewhat in the course and helping out with driving and that sort of stuff. We smoked cigarettes and played ukulele while we waited for other students to arrive. Arriving were Patrick and Therese, like most of the class participants, from Minnisota where the center running the course was based. We drove to the B&B where the course was being held at Kealakekua, the bay where Cpt. Cook was killed. I talked with the other students and we ate Pizza that Dennis had bought. I was beat and so went to bed fairly early.
On sunday we had a day to adjust to arriving, but I was ok. I did some course reading and we went to the open market where I got some great drawings from a botanical illustrator. Other than that I tried to get to know the other students, being so starved of good company my age for some time. The class was an interesting mix of heads (myself included) and muggles who were taking the course as part of a horticulture degree, to "Expand the scope" of their pre-med studies or to go to hawaii. Psychedelic enthusiasts talked at length about inner realms and plant metaphysics while the muggles seemed taken aback. I met a really nice girl called Rebecca who was a pre-med student studying chinese and the chinease medicine system. We talked at length over the two weeks about limits to rational conceptions of health and healing and the notion and effects of intuition and intent when practicing and receiving healing.
In the first week we looked at the botanical dimensions of the world. We had two key lecturers, Kat Harrison and Dennis McKenna. They covered various different topics concerning plants in human affairs. Dennis looked at the complexity of plant chemistry and how plants use chemicals rather than motion or movement in order to communicate with and interact in the environment. Using molecules for scent, sight and direct communication with other plants and organisms they have substituted behavior for chemistry. We then looked at these classes of compounds and also at issues surrounding the patenting of nature and bioprospecting, how to remediate traditional healers if they choose to share this knowledge. With Kat we looked at plants in human affairs with things like the spice trade, domestication of plants and the birth of agriculture and the use of plants in healing practice. The food was amazing, prepared by a caterer and i felt really good doing the course and reinforcing alot of knowledge about humans and plant uses. On Friday we went to the Awa bar in town to talk story and Saturday we cruised the island going to the volcano and such. Sunday was a day of rest but I had a great time cruising down to the canoe club and talking with the guys. In the old days they would bring 50m tall acaica koa trees down and carve canoes out for battle in that spot.
It was time for week 2
posted by Angel Ironhead at 11:17 am
1 Comments:
Sounds like a fascinating week. I never thought of plants as "communicating" with the environment, chemically or otherwise.
One critical comment: no need for the reference to "faded" hippies. It is a very prejudicial term, and also inaccurate, as most veteran hippies are no less flamboyant and colorful than they were in the aquarian era. Even those who have morphed into curmudgeons are vibrant and mystical in their grumpiness.
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