DISCOVERING SANTA CLAUS

Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of several books, including “Watermelon Dreams,” “Extreme Simplicity,” and “Urban Survival Guide.”  This article was originally published in "Watermelon Dreams," available from Amazon.  More information available at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

 

Christmas was always a special time, though in my very earliest memories, there were no religious overtones.  I was taken to church every Sunday, of course, but the Christmas decorations and gatherings were all something that happened at home, not at church.  When I was too young to speak, I realized that Christmas was the season that happened during the coldest time of the year, and it meant that we’d have a fire going in the fireplace, people would be coming over, and there’d be lots of gifts and food.  The food was cookies, tangerines, and walnuts.

            One of my earliest Christmas memories was when I was told that Santa Claus would come to our home and bring gifts, and that he had some way to figure out where I lived.  I didn’t know exactly why, but there was a great mystery about this fat, bearded, red-suited Santa man.  People spoke about him in hushed tones, and would even sometimes stop talking about him when I came near. 

            My brother Tom told me that Santa Claus would come down the chimney – something I found hard to believe considering how fat he appeared in the pictures.  We both peered up into our fireplace one day and wondered how Santa could get through the narrow passageway.

            “Plus, doesn’t dad have a screen over the top of the chimney to keep the pigeons out?” Tom asked.  I didn’t know.  “I hope he remembers to remove it for Santa.” 

            On Christmas Eve, our dad showed us a plate of cookies and a pot of coffee that had been set out for Santa. 

            We barely slept, and I tried to not sleep so I could be the first to rush out and catch a glimpse of this Santa.  But I fell asleep, and Tom woke me and Rick.  We jumped out of bed, and ran down the hall.  We weren’t particularly interested in gifts, but we wanted to catch Santa.  We were too late, but the three of us carefully examined the remaining evidence.  There were no cookies left on the plate – only crumbs – and there was only a small amount of coffee left in the cup.  Tom held the cup and carefully peered into it, and then Rick and I stared into the cup, examining the last remaining proof that Santa had come and departed.

            “See?” said Tom.  We all continued to stare into the cup a while longer, as if it might reveal some secrets to us.

            In a few more years, I noticed that people didn’t fully hide their comments from me when speaking about Santa Claus. 
            “He believes in Santa Claus?” was met with muffled response.  What an odd question, I thought.  Why shouldn’t I believe in Santa Claus?

            When I actually learned about this mythical aspect of Christmas, I did go through a period of confusion and even anger at the world of make-believe perpetrated entirely by adults and foisted upon me.  I suppose I felt bad because I really wanted to believe in Santa Claus, and I felt that he was a positive figure.  And I had been told to “be good” for Santa Claus, and that Santa Claus knew everything I was doing.  I was very puzzled by all this, but I got over it.

            In fact, I felt very uplifted when I learned that there was an actual historical person upon which Santa Claus was based: a Catholic bishop in Asia Minor (Turkey) of the 3^rd century named Nikolaos of Myra gave gifts to poor newlyweds around Christmas time.  A century or so later, sainthood was bestowed upon him, and he was known as Saint Nicholas.  In honor of this very real person, people began to give gifts to others, especially others in need, during the Christmas season and say it was “from Saint Nicholas.”  What a wonderful story!  What would have been wrong with telling me that historical story rather than the garbled mythology?

 

THE ROOTS OF HALLOWE'EN

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The Roots of Hallowe’en:

Is it possible to observe a pre-commercialized version?

 

[Nyerges is the author of several books including “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity,” and “Foraging California.”  Information about his books and classes is available at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]

 

 Why has the day of All Hallows Eve – Hallowe’en --  devolved into a day of  fun and fear?  How was this once- Holy Day commemorated before it was all commercialized into a scary night?  Is it possible to discover the roots of this day, and observe it in its original fashion today?

 My circle of friends attempted to answer these questions.  We determined that we’d need to dig up whatever historical facts we could find that show how this day was commemorated before 1700, more or less.  Though we couldn’t be 100% certain, we at least assumed that “commercialization” didn’t really exist in 1700, and all the European and some American commemorations before that year probably retained some semblance of what the day was all about, originally.

 So, first, let’s begin with the day.

 It is believed that the ancient Celts observed something called a “Samhain festival” towards the end of October.  Says the World Book Encyclopedia. “The Celts believed that the dead could walk among the living at this time. During Samhain, the living could visit with the dead. Elements of the customs can be traced to a Druid ceremony in pre-Christian times. The Celts had festivals for two major gods—a sun god and a god of the dead (called Samhain), whose festival was held on November 1, the beginning of the Celtic New Year.

 This day, or period, was to mark the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. 

 Samhain (pronounced “sow-in,” which means “summer’s end,” or the name of a god, or both) is seen by some Wiccans as a time to celebrate the lives of those who have died, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets and other loved ones who have died. In some rituals the spirits of the dead are invited to attend the festivities.

 Various sorts of activities done on Samhain have been described over the centuries. In Ireland,  Samhain was a time to take stock of the herds and food supplies. Cattle were brought  to the winter pastures after six months in the higher summer pastures. Then, the people chose which animals to slaughter before the winter. After the slaughter of the animals, there would be feasting. And obviously, if you aren’t an animal-raising farmer, how would you celebrate this aspect, except for the feasting?

 The Catholic Church was aware of all the so-called “pagan” observances, and had their own day to commemorate the dead, May 13. This began in  609 or 610 A.D., when Pope Boniface the 4th dedicated the Pantheon— the Roman temple of all the gods—to Mary and all the martyrs.  Later that date was changed by Pope Gregory III (731-741 A.D.), who dedicated a chapel in Rome to all the saints and ordered that they be honored on November 1.  This was done, in part, to overshadow the pre-existing Samhain commemorations.

In the 11th century,   November 2^nd was assigned as "All Souls’ Day" in commemoration of the dead.   So this began the use of the term Hallow’s Eve, or Hallowe’en for October 31.

Hallowe’en customs are similar to the observance of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, commonly practiced in Mexico and which can be traced to early Aztec times.  Apparently,  this “day of the dead” was originally commemorated in Mexico in May, and was changed to November 2 sometime after Spanish contact, possibly to correspond with the “Christian” tradition.

FOOD and GIFTING
Trick or treating in modern times goes back to leaving food and wine for roaming dead spirits and ghosts. The custom was referred to as "going a-souling" and was eventually practiced only by the children who would visit the houses in their neighborhoods and be given gifts of ale, food and money. It was believed the spirits of the dead returned to visit their old homes during this time, so in ancient times, people left food out for them and arranged chairs so that the dead would be able to rest.  

Treats called “soul cakes” were given out in memory of the departed.  The Middle Age practice of souling — going door to door begging for food in return for prayers — became popular and is even referenced by William Shakespeare in 1593.  This is obviously the root of the modern “trick or treating” for mini Snickers bars, a practice no doubt loved by every dentist.

Seasonal foods such as apples and nuts were often used in the Samhain rituals. Apples were peeled, the peel tossed over the shoulder, and its shape examined to see if it formed the first letter of the future spouse's name.  Nuts were roasted on the hearth and then interpreted – if the nuts stayed together, so would the couple. Egg whites were dropped in water, and the shapes foretold the number of future children. Children would also chase crows and divine some of these things from the number of birds or the direction they flew.  

COSTUMES
Celts would wear masks when they left their homes during the night hours during Samhain days, because they hoped they would avoid being recognized by the ghosts and be mistaken merely for fellow ghosts.

“Mumming” and “Guising” were a part of Samhain from at least the 16th century and was recorded in parts of Ireland, Scotland, Mann and Wales. It involved people going from house to house in costume (or in disguise), usually reciting songs or verses in exchange for food.  It is suggested that it evolved from a tradition whereby people impersonated the aos sí, or the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their behalf.  Impersonating these spirits or souls was also believed to protect oneself from them.   One researcher suggests that the ancient festival included people in masks or costumes representing these spirits, and that the modern custom came from this.

PARADES
Pagan Celtic priestesses and their followers would roam the countryside, chanting songs in order to frighten away the evil spirits thought to be out on Halloween night.  I wonder how that could be practiced in your neighborhood?

FIRES

Bonfires  were a big part of the festival in many areas of western Europe.  Bonfires were typically lit on hilltops at Samhain where everyone could see them, and there were rituals involving them.  We concluded that a small, safe backyard fire might be a good addition to celebrating the day, though we were pretty sure that local fire departments would take a very dim view if fires were built on local hilltops!

Bonfires comes from the root, “bone-fires” because the priests sacrificed animals and supposedly even people in an attempt to appease the sun god, while also looking for future omens. The fire was said to be a type of sympathetic magic, where the fire mimicked the sun, which has the power to hold back the darkness of winter.  Burning the fires was also believed to be a way of banishing evil, at least symbolically.

DIVINATION

Divination has likely been a part of the festival since ancient times, and it has survived in some rural areas.  In part, this meant that the spirits could enter your world.  Many of the food offerings and fires were directed to these spirits.   Or perhaps, some of the  crops might also be left in the ground for them.    These spirits were addressed in various ways, with food offerings, with walks into the ocean, with the idea to hold off any mischief, and perhaps to learn the future.

The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night of the year seems to have ancient origins and is found in many cultures throughout the world.

CONCLUSION

So what do you conclude from all this?  Is there an ideal way to commemorate this ancient day, and still avoid the trappings of commercialization?  Is it even possible?

I like the way that the Day of the Dead is commemorated. There are altars with pictures of the dearly departed, and plates of good food.  Candles are lit, rather than a big bonfire which the local fire department would frown upon.  Families gather, and talk in respectful tones about their departed relatives.  Yes, of course, even the Day of the Dead has turned into wild partying in some quarters, but if you seek a return to roots of the ancient commemoration of the dead, perhaps begin here.  

Begin with family or neighborhood gatherings. Prepare a good meal, and keep in the mind the foods that your beloved departeds enjoyed. This is not necessarily because you think their spirits will come to eat (last I checked, ghosts don’t need to eat), but because having, for example, your mother’s favorite dish will give you another reason to talk about your mother, and to remember all the good things she did. 

This is at least a start, and it elevates our day of ghoulish and pointless fear-mongering into one that reconnects us with our roots.  

THE POWER OF WORDS

 

THE POWER OF WORDS

How a description of a soft drink earned a trip to Disneyland

Christopher Nyerges

[Classes and books by Nyerges: go to www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

 

Sometime around 1964, or so, my mother showed me an ad in the local newspaper.  You tell them why you like the  drink Orange Crush and you can win a trip to Disneyland.

“Why don’t you try it?” asked my mother.  “It’s just 50 words.”

My mother knew that I had an interest in writing so she naturally assumed that I would enjoy writing 50 words about a drink I never tasted in order to win a prize to the theme park that I found less than exciting.

“I’ve never even tried it,” I told my mother.  “I have no idea what it tastes like.” 
“Your father can get you a bottle at the store.  How about doing it, and I will mail it for you,” continued my mother.

I didn’t want to write 50 words about something I knew nothing about, but just to please my mother, and to practice my writing, I took my pencil and notepad and sat down to work. While the rest of the family was watching TV after dinner, I sat at the dining room table and began the painful process. 

“Crush is so good,” I started. “It makes me feel that I’m at the beach.”  I halted, and then wrote more fragments and sentences, trying to sound as if I knew what I was talking about. “It’s such a delicate flavor, well-balanced, and so creamy.”  I just kept at it and re-arranged a few sentences.  I was pretty sure I had 50 words.

My mother sat next to me to see how I was doing.  My brother came in and sat across the table and asked, “What’s that?”  My mother replied that we’d be going to Disneyland. I rolled my eyes in embarrassment.  Of course I didn’t’ think we’d be going to Disneyland, at least not because of this contest.

My mother began counting the words that I wrote in my notepad.  She counted twice. “That’s 51,” she informed me.  “It has to be 50 or less.  You have to take out a word.”

“Do you think they really care?” my brother asked.

I’m thinking that I won’t win anyway.  Here I was, writing about something I’d never tasted.

“Yes, I’m sure they care,” said my mother.  I read and re-read what I wrote and I found an adjective to delete.

“OK,” continued my mother, “now rewrite it on this 3x5 card, like it says in the instruction.”

So I carefully printed my carefully-crafted 50 words onto the 3x5 card and was done in 20 minutes.  My mother assured me that she would mail the entry on the following day. Once I was done, I went back to watching TV for the rest of the evening, probably Bonanza, and I never thought abut my 50 words again.

My day to day routine of my life continued and I had absolutely no thoughts about my 50 words, or Orange Crush.

Until a letter arrived at our home. My mother and older sister were jubilant.  I was a winner!  They shared this fact with the whole neighborhood.  Everyone else was excited but I was puzzled.  How could I possibly win.  I will be exposed as a fraud.  I was more confused than happy, and I’d still never had any Crush.

My family was far more excited than I was.  My mother read and re-read the letter. I was going to go to Disneyland on a Saturday in about a month. I could take two friends and one adult supervisor.  We were to meet at a local bus station and everyone would be driven by bus to Disneyland.  We would all get one free meal.  We had to agree that any photos taken of us could be used for Crush’s promotional purposes.  OK, it was starting to look like this was real.

It was agreed that my brother Richard, our neighbor Jeannie, and my mother would be accompanying me. I was still petrified that I would get on a bus and people would ask me about the soft drink Crush, and I would not know what to say.

My mother did most of the prep work, telling my brother and I what to wear, and how to behave, and that we should all stay together.

Finally, the day arrived and everyone but me was excited.  Yes, we were going to Disneyland, all expenses paid, but to me, Disneyland was the land where true excitement was always around the next horizon, with lots of rides and sense titillations, but very little of lasting value.  Yes, I liked Tom Sawyer’s Island, but I found most of the rest of it a very pointless retreat from reality.

I was very silent as we all boarded the bus to Anaheim, and I was silent as other children sang songs on the way to Disneyland.  My brother Richard seemed happy, and sang loudly with the other children. 

Finally, we arrived, and we did the usual Disneyland routine – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s A Small World. 

I do recall that the food was great. I had a delicious sandwich with my favorite drink, root beer.  And I never spoke to another child who had anything to say about Crush.  We just all went our own ways, and then went home. I was curious if all these other “winners” actually drank and enjoyed a drink that I’d still never tasted.  It actually came as a great relief as the day wore on that no one really cared if I ever drank Crush.

Finally, we all boarded the bus, and my father picked us up at the bus depot somewhere near Pasadena.  Rick and Jeannie excitedly talked about what a fantastic time they had. My father asked me how I liked it, and I told him that I liked my sandwich.  My father laughed.   I supposed that he laughed because he figured I’d have something more interesting to report than my sandwich.

As the trip faded into a distant memory, no one ever asked me about the trip to Disneyland, and no one ever once asked me if I really liked Crush.  I didn’t realize it at the time that no one really cared whether or not I really liked Crush, and no one cared whether or not I’d won the trip under fraudulent pretenses.

Within a week, we were sent a thank you letter and a small case of Crush.  Everyone was very excited, and I finally drank my first Crush.  I drank it slowly, trying to savor each sip, trying to see if its flavor was similar to what I’d already described.  Yes, I liked it, especially on ice.  It was smooth, better than most sodas, though not better than straight orange juice.

As for my tastes in soda, I don’t drink them much, but I still prefer root beer and old-fashioned ginger beer.

In the years that followed, I became more aware of the power of words and their ability to shape reality and to move people to action.  I then made a promise to myself to never again lie in order to earn some material gain, whether it was Disneyland, money, or whatever.

 

Book Review: Neil Strauss’ EMERGENCYgoogle.com, pub-8623877305223293, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

 

Review of Neil Strauss’ EMERGENCY

By Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is an educator, and author of such books as “Urban Survival Guide,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Foraging California,” “Self-Sufficient Home,” and others.  His website is www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

 

I recently gave a lecture based on the decline of western culture, referring to such books as Morris Berman’s book, “The Twilight of American Culture” and others.  One of the other books I used to broaden the perspective was “Emergency.”

“Emergency” is by Neil Strauss, published in 2009.   It’s a thick book, 418 pages long, where Strauss takes us along on his survival adventure.  He’s a man who became very concerned that America was going to hell in a handbasket, and he didn’t want to go down with the ship.  He shares the facts as he sees them, and he spends the beginning of the book describing how he can find safe haven elsewhere, out of the United Stated.  He takes us on his journey of off-shore banking, multiple passports, the logistics of actually getting out if there was an impending crisis.  This is a man who was convinced that the U.S. was the worst place to be in the world and he was trying whatever he could to find refuge elsewhere.  That’s the 25 cent version anyway.  And though all of his research was correct, he made a fascinating and eye-opening discovery in his world travels:  Wherever he went, there were people working just as hard to get INTO the U.S., as he was working to get out.  Everyone wanted to come here to the United States of America.   It made Strass start to re-think his whole survival plan.

He decided to take another look at the United States, and see if perhaps he should set his sights closer to home. 

Strauss takes us step by step in this journey, where he began to enroll in various sorts of survival classes here in the U.S., and describes his learning process.  He didn’t know it at the time, but he was learning how to live with less, and how to live with very little in the forest, or his own backyard for that matter.

Among the many classes he describes joining and doing his best to master, included Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School where he learned to make fire, make a lean-to and sleep in it, cold and rain notwithstanding.  Remember, this is not a how-to book, but an entertaining book where the author explains how pathetic he felt, how vulnerable he felt in the big mean world, but by taking classes and learning hands-on, he slowly became confident in his own abilities, and his likelihood of surviving a disaster.

We’re treated to a cast of characters who inhabit the “survival” world, such as firearms instructors, hard-core survivalists, the CERT training, and even me.  Yes, among the many classes that Neil Strauss attended in his personal training program included the classes that I teach through the School of Self-Reliance.  He described learning how to recognize wild foods, and how we created meals that we collected from the wild that day.  He describes how he learned to make an archery bow from me, and how we made fire with the bow and drill.  He even talks about how I eat poison oak to develop immunity – though I do not recommend it to others because our body chemistries are so different.

I barely remember Strauss at the many classes of mine he describes.  He didn’t say much.  In fact, I only learned about his book because a friend alerted me to the fact that I was described in it.  I guess I felt good that I could make someone else feel confident, and feel good about living in the United States, decline or not.

Strauss talks about how he enrolled in the CERT (Citizen Emergency Response Team) program, which is a nation-wide program to get civilians trained and ready for emergencies.  Strauss talks about the training, the gear that he learned to use, and how the training altered his state of mind regarding emergencies.  “Before I would run away from a problem or disaster, and now I was running to it,” he explained. 

Strauss also describes a self-imposed three-day survival experiment in his own home where he could use no refrigerator, no gas or electricity, and couldn’t use the flush toilet. Everything had to be from the food, water, and gear he stored, and this was no small feat considering he lived in a smallish urban home.

As I said, it’s not a how-to book, but it’s loaded with practical experiences that anyone can adapt and apply.  You can find copies on Amazon.

50 YEARS OF FORAGING -- an interview with Christopher Nyergesgoogle.com, pub-8623877305223293, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

 

CHRISTOPHER NYERGES HAS TAUGHT SELF-RELIANCE, SURVIVAL, AND WILD FOOD SINCE JAN. 1974 –       NEARLY 50 YEARS!

Christopher Nyerges:  “After 50 years of teaching, and 27 books later,

 I still enjoy learning new things….”

 

GZ INTERVIEWS CHRISTOPHER NYERGES, web site: www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com

 

GZ:  How do people find out about your classes?

CN:  Various ways ,such as word-of-mouth, the web-site, news articles.  I often just get random phone calls such as the guy who asked me to teach him and his family how to be self-reliant.

GZ:  What did you tell him?

CN:  With such a question,  I asked him what the term ‘self-reliance’ means to him.   He wasn’t all that sure, so it led to a conversation to find out what he already know, and to find out  his life situation.  I wanted to know what skills he already had, and more importantly, what deficits he believed he had.

GZ:  So what did you end up advising him?

CN:  In this case, he took a few private Wild Plant walks with me, and a few classes on storing and purifying water.  That satisfied his need to learn more self-reliant skills and I still see him.

GZ:  You must get odd requests sometimes too, right?

CN: Right.  A man called me  who wanted to take my wild food classes, and cut his food bill in half because he had a big family. That was his main concern, saving money.  I told him that Botany is a science and that it takes time and that there are many benefits. However, if his primary motivation was to save money, I felt he’d be disappointed by studying wild foods. I mean, it’s about so much more than saving money.  So I advised him to join a food co-op, begin using coupons, go to the 99 cent store, get an EBT card from the government, and things like that.  I don’t think he thought much of what I was telling him, and I never heard from him again.

GZ:  So you’ve been doing this a long time.  Much longer than anyone out there.  How did  you get into this field as a teacher and writer?

CN:  In the 1970s, when barely in high school, I became alarmed by studying the world situation, and realized that there were threats to my survival around every corner.  I realized that in order to eat, I should study botany, ethnobotany, and mycology, which I did intensively.  I began studying the works of Euell Gibbons and Bradford Angier, and I joined the L.A. Mycological Association. I was in it for the long haul.  I also became familiar with Larry Dean Olsen, who was the foremost teacher of primitive and indigenous living skills. 

GZ:  I know Euell Gibbons – the author of “Stalking the Wild Asparagus.”  But who is Larry Dean Olsen?

CN: Olsen taught primitive skills – skills that the indigenous peoples used – at Brigham Young University in the 1960s, and he is largely responsible for the primitive skills interest we have today. His very popular book was “Outdoor Survival Skills.”  He passed away just a few years ago.

GZ:  I see.  Many of our younger readers may have never heard of them.

CN:  Right, that was before the days of the internet and cell phones.  And so back then, I had to learn by all the old school methods.  I made a point of going to every lecture that I could in order to learn about the plants and skills that I thought would save my life one day. In high school and college, I took courses in botany, ethno-botany, field biology, geology, astronomy – all the sciences that I thought would help me.

By 1974, Mr. R.E.White, who founded the non profit WTI, and sponsored the first Wild Food Outing that I led in January of 1974. Within a year,  I met Euell Gibbons, and I started a serious ethnobotanical study with Dr. Leonid Enari of the L.A. County Arboretum.   I regarded the pursuit of “self-reliance” as a serious life study, and I am indebted to the various high-quality individuals along the way who assisted me in my journey.

I wrote my first book and it was published in 1978, “Guide to Wild Foods,” with the help of R.E. White and Dr.Enari.  The book is still in print, now in color, and I still suggest that those seeking to learn about self-reliance read that book.

GZ:  1978!  Wow.  And is that book still in print?

CN:  Yes, still in print, many version later, and now all in color.

Along the way, I have continued to teach in field trips, in the classroom, and various lectures and workshops.  We have figured that we’ve seen up to 50,000 students in the last 50 years!  A lot of the up and coming naturalists have participated in our classes, and we’ve been written up in magazines and books, such as in Neil Strauss’ “Emergency” book.    Besides my first book, I’ve produced over two dozen related books, on wild foods, wilderness survival, and urban self-reliance.   

GZ:  Yes, I noticed that you have many books available on Amazon.  You must be busy all the time.

CN:  (Laughs).  So, today, when someone wants to learn about “self-reliance,” I usually tell them to read my “Extreme-Simplicity: Homesteading in the City” book, where I detail what my wife and I did for 20 years in our attempt to live a more self-reliant life in Los Angeles.  The book discusses raising animals, using solar electricity, gardening, collecting rainwater and so much more.   The sequel book was “Self-Sufficient Home” which I also highly recommend.

Along the way, I have also written eight Foraging Guides by Falcon Books, the most relevant here would be “Foraging California” and “Nuts and Berries of California.”  All these are fully illustrated with color photos. I also more recently wrote “Urban Survival Guide” which is my most current thinking about how cities should be built, how homes should be built, and h ow we all should be living.  This book includes an extensive section on Health and Economics, topics not normally found in “survival” books. 

GZ:  Yes, I have the Urban Survival Guide book.

CN:  So, after 50 years of teaching, and 27 books later, I still enjoy learning new things, and sharing those practical skills with those close to me.  And though the threats today to our very existence are still there, and greater, I no longer pursue this path based on fears.  It’s very exciting and fulfilling to live better with less, to realize that each of us holds at least some of the keys to our survival, depending on  how we think and live. 

I share in my newspaper and magazine articles, and in my books, the ideas and skills that I think everyone would benefit by learning.  In my on-going education and teaching experience.  It’s really been a fulfilling experience, and I’ve met so many great people along the way.

GZ:  Thanks for your time!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

on EUCALYPTUS

 

THE EUCALYPTUS TREE:google.com, pub-8623877305223293, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

AUSTRALIA’S MOST DOMINANT TREE HAS NOW NATURALIZED
IN PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES

Christopher Nyerges

 Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” and an outdoor instructor.  For more information, contact him at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041

The Eucalypti are the most dominant tree of the Australian landscape, with approximately 550 species known as ironwoods, gumwoods, and mallees.  They are also one of the most common introduced trees in Southern California and Arizona. 

They were originally brought into Southern California about 150 years ago, in the belief that this quick-growing tree would be a good timber tree for railroads and other building applications.  This proved not to be the case, as the twisting grain of eucalyptus made it unsuitable for most building projects.  Nevertheless, this beautiful, fragrant, and largely pest-resistant tree caught on as a garden, park, and street tree in California, Arizona, and throughout the southern U.S. all the way to Florida where the climate is moderate.

Eucalyptus is generally thought of as a medicinal tree rather than a food-source, though there are a few foods available from the plant.  Perhaps the most interesting is a common bug that is seen on the leaves, appearing as small white bumps.  This is actually a psyllid, a small scale-like creature that Aboriginal children in Australia would scrape off the leaves with their teeth to get a good sugar source.

At my field trips, we have participants pick off the leaves and chew the white sweet bugs.  A few people refuse to do so, but this is really one of the most pleasant ways to “eat bugs.”  You can also put a psyllid-infested eucalyptus leaf into a cup of hot water, and end up with sweetened eucalyptus tea.

In fact, a tea from the leaves of any eucalyptus species (with or without the psyllids) can be infused and used as a pleasant beverage. 

The roots of several Eucalyptus species were dried, powdered, and used as food in Australia.  The best are said to be E. caesia, E. dumosa, and E. gracilis.     The finely powdered seeds of one mallee, E. microtheca, have been reportedly used for food.

In Australia, the eucalyptus provides nectar and pollen to bees, who in turn provide honey and beeswax.  Beehives that I've kept near a Eucalyptus grove in my Los Angeles back yard have produced a honey as dark as molasses and extremely fragrant.  I use this honey as a medicine as much as a sweetener, and find that if I have a cold or sore throat, I feel much better after using this honey in my drinks.

The young fruits can be sucked for sore throats.  According to Alma R. Hutchens, author of Indian Herbology of North America, "Among the diseases in which it is employed are croup, diphtheria, bronchitis, asthma, piles, neuralgia, malarial diseases, catarrh, in subacute or chronic inflammation of the urinary organs, ulcers and sores.  It has proven an effective remedy in some cases of rheumatism.  For some, the mode of using it in asthma is to smoke the dried leaves."  (I’ve never tried this last use).

The tea of eucalyptus leaves, well known for its efficacy in dealing with sinus congestion, also has sufficient antiseptic properties that it can be used to clean wounds.  In fact, though there are many species of eucalyptus with many distinct uses throughout Australia, the two primary uses for eucalyptus are the tea from the leaves for all breathing-related problems, and a tea from the bark used to wash and disinfect wounds.

I have boiled eucalyptus leaves on many occasions and inhaled the steam to help with sinus congestion.  I usually drink a little of the strong broth as well.

Eucalyptus oil (obtained from the leaves by distillation) is rich in the therapeutic agent cineole.  Cineole is used as an active ingredient in inhalants, gargles, lozenges, etc., because it has a pleasant odor and is efficient in killing bacteria.  Rutin, used medicinally for diabetes and high blood pressure, occurs in the leaves of some eucalyptus. You have consumed this anytime you’ve had eucalyptus cough drops (by whatever name).

We have taken the caps off some of the smaller capsules, and used the powdered insides (which consisted mostly of stamens) as a first aid remedy for cuts.  In all cases, this resulted in rapid healing and very little scarring.  We suggest that the smaller, unopened capsules be included in first aid kits.

The variously scented eucalyptus leaves (peppermint, lemon, medicinal, etc.) tend to repel insects.  A necklace of young fruits is used as a safe flea repellent for cats and dogs.

Whole books have been written on the many uses of this valuable plant.  We've only scratched the surface here.  One good book for further information is Bush Food: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine by Jennifer Isaacs Lansdowne Publishing Pty. Ltd., Sydney, 1987).

EUCALYPTUS AND AGRICULTURE

It is worth noting that eucalyptus trees are very high transpirers, and they often dry up underground water sources.  It is also more difficult to garden or farm under the areas where eucalypti are growing.  Your garden plants will produce smaller fruit or tubers, and the plants will require more fertilizer.  This is the result of the dispersion of the various eucalyptus oils into the soil.

They should not be heavily planted in areas where one intends to farm or garden.

Native to Australia, there are about 90 varieties which have naturalized in California and Arizona, and beyond those areas.

 

SOURCE OF LEAVES FOR TEA:  Urban farmer Julie Balaa of WTI Farms sells packages of the dried eucalyptus leaves which can be used for tea. It comes with instructions.  One package is $10, from WTI, 5835 Burwood Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90042.

Or email Balaa at juliebalaa@gmail.com.

 

 

 

In honor of Fathers Day and Mothers Day


I wrote this over 10 years ago, in another frame of mind, in a universe far away....
 







FORGIVING OUR PARENTS
Christopher Nyerges
www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com

 
We seldom think that who we are
Is product from backseat car
Or lusty night from smokey bar
And not the son of distant star
 
We are the product of mom and dad
Their mingled traits both good and bad
We want to think we’re so unique
And so we are, but let us speak
 
How our child minds did set the stage
For adult us who learned to rage
With pain within we could not gauge
And fears and deficiencies
 
From hidden fears from early age
We found we could not turn the page
To cure, we had to find a sage
Who maybe helped us, maybe not
Our solution, had to be sought
By choice within, or happened not
And even then, inside we fought
Our inner demons, night and day
Until we got to bright new day
Until we find that we could say
I accept my father who he was
I accept my mother who she was
They lived their life, they did their buzz
They were who they were, just because
I did what I did, I always does
 
Above my parents did I rise?
Or were their limits born in me
Should I blame them for my own lies
They were my parents, not 2 gods
They made no pretense, they weren’t frauds
I must forgive them, on my own
And for their soul, let cease that moan
They did their best, I am quite sure
No pain intend, from him or her
 
They lived their life, they tried their best
During Depression, dad came west
Challenge had in time of war
Enough to make their bodies sore
I was not center of their life
Though tried their best in time of strife
The center I’d have liked to been
That I wasn’t, was not sin
Child rarely in parents’ shoes
Sees from parents eyes what they dos
Day in and out, sun rise to set
Bills to pay and job to get
Responsibility, oh boy
My parents sometimes had no joy
 
I forgive them now in my heart
Though both gone now, I have to start
To have new life, must do my part
To see anew, and wipe eyes clean
Parents forgive, no more mean
Within my mind, internal clean
Release I do bad pictures seen
It’s finally time to let it go
And see instead divine rainbow
Challenges many we all have
Some we fail and some we meet
Time it is for spiritual salve
To lighten mind and stop the heat
 
To finally learn from our past
Forgive our parents at long last
And with optimistic heart and mind
Seek the truth that is there to find
Not dark webs that would keep us bind
But bright truth light most rad’ant kind
And on that path our answers find
That kingdom within, in our mind
A place real, where we’re no more last
Truly, we can be free at last
 
 



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