The Passion and the Fury

God gave us the gift of emotion and although we display many of them   almost daily some are subtler and still more that are reserved for the peak sensations.  Most of us claim that we have passion for the work we do or a particular avocation or for that special someone in our lives.  Rarely however do we see and witness the emotion of fury, which has its own connotation of unrestrained anger that is out of control. What we might not suspect however is that underneath the emotion of fury lies passion.  

Passion can stand by itself but fury is a human disturbance that needs passion as its fuel.

Fury by Merriam definition is intense, disordered and often destructive rage. Rarely does fury get a positive spin and used in a sentence might read something like: The fury in her eyes turned to a physical rage that seemed to belie her gentle nature. A hurricane can have fury when it unleashes its potent power of water and wind but fury in the human form usually has people in their path running for cover. Fury cannot obtain the force it needs to exist unless passion is running concurrently in the background. When someone is passionate about someone or some thing the management of containment is not always in a person’s power or control. Fury is a deep-seated emotion and the gasoline is passion.  

P.S.

A woman's fury is a force to be reckoned with.  

Human Love Part II

Human love is often a roller coaster without a seat belt and it can buffet us about saddling us with sebaceous injuries   we never heal from primarily because we never establish boundaries beyond nebulous rules that society has established and we never take the time to agree to. My step daughter comes to mind as one woman that made it very clear what she wanted in a man, what she wouldn’t tolerate and if she didn’t see every boyfriend as a potential mate she ushered him to the door right quick.

  In my own life I took hostages both before I drank and when my alcoholism was active. My first wife was a serious relationship from the start and it wasn’t until later that I realized that I had tried to make her a replacement for my sister who had died suddenly at 16.  It is not to say I didn’t love her because I did and she gave me the emotional support throughout that dark period in my life.  I think of her as the most stable relationship I have ever had and although it did not have the fire my carnivorous appetite desired she nonetheless made me realize that human love often consumed in the carnal knowledge of another rarely lasts unless the love moves beyond the physical plane.  

It is my opinion that we can never really appreciate divine or spiritual love (unless maybe you’re of the clergy) until we have really understood what human love is. It is always changing and it can vary so much we might not even recognize the shape when it started.  Some are lucky enough to mate for life but in the 21st Century that has become increasingly difficult merely because technology changes people so dynamically that we often don’t even know who we are let alone who another human might be.  I have heard that phrase uttered many times which often makes me cringe and it’s: I thought I knew you but now I don’t.  How can anyone really know someone else? It’s impossible and because humans will definitely err measuring up to who someone thinks we are in every facet of their lives is headed for a huge disappointment. 

Human Love Part I

Let’s begin with human love.  We all know firsthand this kind of love from before we even knew what love was in our mother’s arms to the first puppy love we experience with a romantic interest when our hormones begin to awaken in our body.  The love we have for our mother although remaining constant for the most part is always changing and always varying in intensity depending upon our age and the amount of defiance we are feeling especially in our teenage years.   

And with first love, which is probably, just lust disguised cutely inside a young body has its intensity varying almost on a daily or weekly basis because of hormonal rushes and that type of love changes frequently   because in our youth we go through relationships like socks and underwear wanting to try on something new that strikes our particular fancy at a moment in time.  Of course when we are young we can’t see past the next day or week and we have no real plan that says we have a chance at finding our mates in adolescence. As we all know we can’t see past the next hour with the love du jour of our lives until they do something that pisses us off and its on to the next teenage dream. 

Spiritual Love

What is it about spiritual love that makes me think even that is transitory. Wayne Dyer related from an author he read that there were three types of love. Divine love, which never changes or varies. Spiritual love that never changes but does vary and Human love which always changes and always varies. 

I like these concepts because they are starting to help me in distinguishing what the hell I am feeling toward all the people in my life. Divine love is what our Higher Power holds for us and with that there is no room for discussion (thank God) but the other types of love are what bedevil me almost on a daily basis. Human love is what we all feel at different times of our lives and even from day to day.  That warm and fuzzy feeling we have for our friends that touch our lives even if it is only for short intervals like an exercise class or for some of our close associates at work. This type of human love doesn’t require any commitment other than the wave of serenity that cascades over us when ‘the spirit’ moves us.  

Next Up Human Love 

Ibogaine

The New Miracle Drug?

In my investigation for a drug to learn about I chose Ibogaine. According to a google search the website Maps.org reveals that ibogaine is a psychoactive substance occurring naturally in a plant in West Africa called iboga.  According to MAPS, iboga is a mild stimulant in small doses but in larger quantities is a strong psychedelic. The alkaloid in this shrub was used in ceremonies in the Bwiti religion in healing ceremonies. However some people with opiate addictions have found that it can markedly reduce the withdrawal and temporarily remove cravings for opiates. 

Ibogaine is classified as a Schedule I drug in the United States and also is illegal in some European countries even though currently it is not thought that it will gain prominence as a recreational drug. To make matters a little suspect in my opinion there is no known medical use for the substance but that does not keep people from seeking out underground suppliers and international clinics that provide it.  

The preliminary risks are that ibogaine causes death in 1/300 but these fatalities are in combination with other medical conditions like slowing of the heart and liver problems.  The source also warns patients seeking its use should weigh the health risks and have a medical professional nearby when taking it.  

Ibogaine is taken three different ways:

 1. Orally via a capsule.

 2. Orally as a powder.

 3. Anally. 

 When its taken in capsule it is accompanied by a small amount of water to minimize the urge to use the toilet and the capsule eliminates the horrible taste of the substance.  The patient will also feel compelled to throw up as it lumps in the stomach when it dissolves. Anti-nausea medicines are advised before ingestion.  

Somewhat counter intuitively a better way is to take the drug is as a powder. Even though some claim it tastes like battery acid. This method allows the stomach to be lined with an increased amount of water thereby reducing the urge for reverse peristalsis.  Anti-nausea meds are also suggested.  It can also be mixed with honey, or sweetened water. 

The third administering of the drug anally prevents throwing up and dispenses with the disgusting taste.  Beside the embarrassment and discomfort this method has no comparison to it be taken orally.  An enema is taken first and after a waiting period using a syringe the ibogaine is injected.  

This month Dr. T.K. Brown in a clinic in Mexico is completing his observation of the long-term effects of Ibogaine. Dr. Brown hopes that his study will help evaluate the efficacy of ibogaine-assisted therapy.  The twelve-month follow up will examine if the quality of life for ibogaine patients is significantly improved.   This report will be compared concurrently the MAPS study in New Zealand.  The New Zealand study is examining the safety of the drug and also its long-term effectiveness using a small sample of 20-30 participants.  

Other players in the world using Ibogaine as a treatment claim that it cures heroin and cocaine addiction in as little as 48 hours without withdrawal symptoms.  All of the treatments are done outside of the United States and the cost varies from as low as 2, 200 to 20,000. One caveat that seems to have been raised is that the use of ibogaine does not have a plan that is systematic before and after its use. It could be that ibogaine as some have suggested will only buy those patients a window of time.  

It would seem that the study of Ibogaine is still in its infancy and there will be considerable resistance if its use becomes more widespread to those that produce the drug methadone as it might hurt their sales.