Caroline hosts long- time Astro ally, Sun- Neptune Scorpio, Hal Bahr, that we may weave lessons from the AIDS epidemic to Corona, with Astro*Mytho*Politico guiding meta-narrative: “Well I’ve been an actor, director, choreographer, teacher, off-grid homesteader, AIDS survivor, addict counseling astrologer, creator of the Character Matrix which is my reimagining of Human Design, supervisor of a drug and alcohol rehab program, and currently manager and administrator of a program for homeless mentally ill men conserved by the state of California, and court jester.”
So here’s Hal’s missive that went spiral…
“A while ago I had this insight. What humanity is being given is a course in spirituality 101 masquerading as a health crisis. We are being asked to have healthy boundaries with others, practice a cleansing ritual that removes negative energy we may have taken on, and develop the awareness that what comes out of our mouths can be toxic to others.
On a daily basis I feel like I am reliving the times decades ago while my friends, lovers, and myself were experiencing AIDS (which many people didn’t believe either). Dr Fauci told us then that closing the bathhouses, protecting ourselves and others, and limiting our exposure was the best we could do at the time. Many I knew called him a fascist who was trying to deprive us of our rights. My friends and I ignored the advice, kept our rights, and most of us died. Dr Fauci must also be experiencing deja vu these days.
If I could live my life over I would take the simple steps that would have prevented a great deal of physical, mental, and emotional suffering and I would not bear the burden of knowing that I infected others. I would not willingly have that burden placed even on those I may despise.
Today we all have a gift, an opportunity, a choice to care for others, have consideration for others and ourselves and to embrace growing, changing, and living together.
Honestly, I hate change, but I love living so my choice is a clear one.”
After viewing, at someone’s insistence, “the jig is up, must watch,” a video, that I waded into, and discerned 1/2 way through twas crack-pot (“Corona doesn’t exist, tis a hoax, tis bacteria, everyone’s actually dying of stress,” but didn’t offer any – so here’s what we can do stuff) – I started to search for the “doctor” who had been presenting, and it led me to this:
a long, (really long, thorough, fair, nuanced, and ultimately kind) worthy, dedicated deep delving…
“After five days of reading, of falling into alternating bouts of wonder, horror and awe, Dr. Kaufman seems less of a threat than he first appeared to be. For when all is said and done there remains a little of the conspiracy theorist in us all. We can allow this part of ourselves its place without letting it stifle our critical faculties or crush our sense of humour. Our collective immune system can adjust to make room for the ‘them’ who occasionally become ‘we’ as one or other of us (and I include myself here) tumbles down the rabbit hole and gets temporarily lost in the dark echo-chambers of the conspiracy warren.“Because Camus was right. It is human decency, as he wrote in his prophetic novel, The Plague, not fear that will be what makes the difference in the end in how we come out of all this. And in that spirit, while we do our best to tune out the background noise that fuzzies up our already frazzled brains, let’s stick our head down the rabbit hole, and give a call to our stranger and more fearful selves. “Ahoy! You okay down there?”
Tis worthy conversing, aspiring,
even in the compelling illusion of disagreeing,
to see us all “connected to our own wise guiding autonomy.”
So, the audio kerfuffles on the show were distracting,
echo and feedback-from possibly kpfa studio…
and general quirkiness in the field.
(And in the final moments, Aladdin the Cat (aka Ammun Ra),
arrived to lounge on the sound board, push buttons,
knock notes around, purr loudly and what not)
arrived to lounge on the sound board, push buttons,
knock notes around, purr loudly and what not)
(but will in future conversings, he will be guest on this Monday’s
Trickster Training call, where, in trickster we trust,
the audio connection will be more solid (Saturn)
allowing for greater Trickster conversational flow,
and council participation (Uranus)…)
Trickster Training call, where, in trickster we trust,
the audio connection will be more solid (Saturn)
allowing for greater Trickster conversational flow,
and council participation (Uranus)…)
but jaunty enough, and the myriad things we didn’t quite get to:
And to those who have thought, covid is a con,
the numbers are over-reported, Hal’s query was,
“do you know anyone who has had it, hovered at death’s door?”
His brother.
the numbers are over-reported, Hal’s query was,
“do you know anyone who has had it, hovered at death’s door?”
His brother.
(for starters)…
We embrace compassionate kinship,
with all beings scared and suffering, and bravely altruistic.
with all beings scared and suffering, and bravely altruistic.
Dr David Hu (I think), on Rachel Maddow said,
“those who came closest to death with Covid,
have the most potent antibodies.”
“those who came closest to death with Covid,
have the most potent antibodies.”
Which is not always the case with other viruses etc,
thus noteworthy. And symbolically communicative to us all…
Kinned to David Grimes, worthy quip,
“Sometimes the healing dose is close to the lethal dose.”
Which is where we all are Pluto-Jupiter-Saturn-wise:
the inter-related crises of planetary stewardship,
precariousness of democracy, sane reverent common sense,
a culture of reciprocal blessing and mutual egalitarian aid…
all one crisis,
precariousness of democracy, sane reverent common sense,
a culture of reciprocal blessing and mutual egalitarian aid…
all one crisis,
calling for our Venus, the restoration of collaborative intimacy,
square Neptune, we’re all in this dream together.
square Neptune, we’re all in this dream together.
Square the Moon in Virgo, which trines Uranus.
May our diagnostic language craft be in order to heal and liberate.
(also describes to technical communicative challenge.)
And, yet, Venus and Mars are in creative harmonic cahoots.
Mars’ image – the most positive yang for now, is
“A woman weaving a magical basket out of serpents.”
That we weave many spicy, different practices into an artful
and useful whole, in our spoken words, and actions.
And see/encourage the customized, positive intrigue role,
we have all to play
at this time of Dire Beauty
and here be Hal, that we also encourage bless,
and are blessed by all who pass before us.
Sun-Neptune like myself…
Only Earth planet is Pluto. The Underworld keeps him here.
And I was heartened by our conversing back-stage re relationships.
He, like myself, has South Node in 7th.
Addressing which he said, in previous attempts at relationship
he had squinched himself to change, so as to enter the other’s story.
When he met his now husband
(the funniest person he has ever met! Lucky!)
That person would just say, “you- do you!”
Which is a wonderful liberating blessing
for us all to inhale and spiral forth.
The energy liberated by authenticity.
and here be a useful forward from a friend’s Doctor
(who had guided him through arduous medical adventure –
to brimming with health)
July 16, 2020Letter to patients:It has been a challenging time and I hope you are staying well and in good spirits.Since my last letter, there has been a lot more learned about the SARS-CoV-2 virus. I’m writing to update you on some of the information doctors and researchers are sharing with each other and how it can help our immune system to better cope with a possible infection.First, we have learned through clinical experience and laboratory findings that the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not as much a lung ailment as a vascular endothelial disease. People with lung disease are no more at risk for hospitalization for COVID-19 than others with the same lung disease without COVID. The virus attacks the ACE- receptor on the lining of blood vessels. The vessels react by releasing factors (including vonWillebrand factor) that make the blood more coagulable which in turn results in micro-clots that show up, among other places, in the lungs that create the damage we see in CT scan images. All the complications from viral attacks are mediated by oxidative stress, a condition more prevalent in those with advanced age, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and obesity. (For geeks: The loss of ACE-2 receptors leads to a build-up of angiotensin-II instead of being metabolized to angiotensin 1,7. Angiotensin-II is is a vasoconstrictor that elevates reactive oxygen species by inducing NAD(P)H oxidase)To mitigate oxidative stress in our cells, I would like to update my previous recommendations.As a preventative I suggest:Vitamin C 1-4 grams a dayVitamin D 5,000 units a dayVitamin A 10,000 units a dayZinc 30mg a dayNAC 1000mg 2-4 times a day (on an empty stomach)Quercetin, an ionophore for zinc may be helpful. The laboratory studies used 4-5 grams a day which is more than commonly taken but take what seems tolerable and appropriate for you.Most important of the items above is NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine). We know there is a direct correlation between risk of COVID complications and low levels of glutathione which is seen in advanced age, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and heart disease. NAC restores glutathione levels in the body and furthermore, when clotting starts, which is due to clumping of vonWillebrand factor, NAC breaks up the clumping to decrease widespread clotting that results in many of the advanced complications of COVID. Thus, NAC decreases oxidative stress and decreases widespread microclotting (without increasing your risk of bleeding as proven with thrombotic strokes).Historically, I haven’t advocated for a lot of nutritional supplements but there is evidence to suggest that antioxidants such as green tea, resveratrol, turmeric, grapeseed, coca, and anthocyanidins may be beneficial in reducing oxidative stress and therefore possibly decreasing the risk for complications. A fresh, colorful diet is an excellent source of these nutrients. The adage of whole foods, copious fruits, and vegetables has never been more meaningful.Before oxidative stress from loss of ACE-2, at the very onset of COVID-19 viral infection, the virus attacks the innate immune system. We see suppression of the cells and lowered counts as the virus invades although does not replicate in those cells (lymphocytes and monocytes). This in turn suppresses secretion of interferon, which is necessary for an initial, non-specific attack, on viruses. Augmenting the innate immune system should be our first priority. In doing so it should decrease initial viral load to decrease the incidence of later complications. To this end, I have also advocated hot-cold therapies as a preventative. Quite a lot of research now proves to me that this is an effective and valuable intervention during this time. The best way to improve the cell counts and levels of necessary cytokines (including interferon) is by using these therapies. Alternating a sauna with cold interludes is one of the most effective ways of achieving this. The Finns, as an example, have lower death and complication rates by an order of magnitude to similar populations. With a population of 5 million, they have 3.5 million saunas. The hospitals that used these therapies in the 1918 flu pandemic, called fomentation, decreased mortality rates also by more than an order of magnitude. A similar result can be achieved with hot tubs or showers. The inclusion of cold in the hot/cold therapies not only improve the innate immune system but also has been proven to modulate the ensuing overexpression of the inflammation that results the cytokine storm. There are other scientifically proven ways to stimulate the innate immune system such as BCG vaccination, but they prove less practical for the greater population. My inquiry into this aspect of COVID continues.My recommendations about chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (with zinc) haven’t changed. I believe early treatment, limited to high-risk patients, will help minimize complications and hospitalizations. I understand this issue is hotly debated and that the FDA has come out against its use. Most of the research to date has been in hospitalized patients with each study having its major flaws. The large studies that refuted its efficacy have been retracted. The one controlled study available shows the advantage of zinc with HCQ over HCQ alone. The precautions about arrhythmias have been repeated many times but after millions of doses used, we have a fair idea of the risks, which are minimal at this point.My interest in COVID therapies are limited to what can be done before hospitalization. The use of systemic steroids show a benefit for patients who have an oxygen or ventilator requirement but show a poorer outcome if used before then. There are anecdotal reports regarding the benefits of inhaled steroids early in the disease but the studies are still needed to confirm this.Medical literature to support statements above are available in pdf files. If anyone would like to look into any of the topics further I would be happy to supply them at your request.My more pressing concern regarding the impact of COVID on our health is the emotional burden carried from fear and anger in response to the virus and decisions to contain the pandemic . In my experience that burden carries a far greater cost to our health through isolation, confusion and reactivity. Whatever numbers that are presented to us about morbidity, mortality or subsequent impairments are just numbers. It is up to each of us to interpret what they mean or follow the advice of whom we trust. When others have a different interpretation and subsequent behavior it often elicits fear and anger. I invite each one of us to examine the impact that burden has on our well-being and consider strategies to maintain that well-being. Very little is worth compromising that.Maybe nothing is worth compromising our own well-being.Thank you for your attention in this endeavor to improve all of our chances in remaining healthy through this time.
