Well , before I begin this Quest, Let's start with a Poem ,by RUMI.
This Poem Connotes the Essence of an Attitude one may wish to have,regarding Change.
The Guest House
This being Human is a Guest - House
Every Morning a New arrival
A Joy, a Depression, A Meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an Unexpected visitor.
Welcome and Entertain them All!!!
Even if they are a crowd of Sorrows,
Who Violently Sweep your house
Empty of its furniture.
Still,treat each Guest honorably.
He may be Clearing you out for some New delight,
The Dark thought, the Shame,the Malice,
Meet them at the door laughing,and Invite them in.
Be Grateful for Whoever comes,
Because each has been sent as Guide from Beyond.
RUMI
What is the I Ching?
There are So many answers /opinions to this question! The I Ching is an accumulated experience and wisdom, including one's own,of over 2,500 years.
For myself you use the I Ching as a reference, and a Guide. Not really as an Oracle as many do.
I use the I Ching to assist in answering one question:
How can I Best ... Deal with This Situation??
As Ann Rand asked the graduating class of West Point in, I believe, 1966,
Ask and Know the answers to these three questions:
1) Where am I?
2) How do I know this?
3) What am I going to do about it?
So, it is also with the I Ching ,we are asking ,"What is this Situation?"
"Where can it lead to?
The I Ching discusses the transitions and relationships of 64 situations.
64 Hexagrams, which Change,into any of the others. To garner an idea of here we are, where we were,and where we could go,"We throw a Kua, a Hexagram"
You'll See, the process is Profound, I've been studying it for 40 years,
"I've only just Begun"
Next time we will discuss how and what makes up a Trigram and a Hexagram.
For a Preview ,see the "Look Up Table"
See you then.
Bill Swann D.O.
Most of my Platitudes have become my Principles , on occasion some Plagiarism ,Discussions on my experiences,feelings,thoughts,philosophy on Healing, Life, This Universe, Osteopathy, Tai Chi,Qi Qong, My Own Self, My Goals,My Life, My Relationships and how to be a Healthier,Better Balanced, and Genuine Person., All within the T"Theme of the Current Blog"/
Monday, September 20, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Transitions, Graitude & the I Ching (Yi Ching)
So, this is the last of my "Gratitude" Blog entries, and , the 1st of my "New" Blog entries.
What am I grateful about? So,So Much!
1) Well for starters my oldest son, and his sweetheart, had a baby girl,
my first born "Grand Daughter" " Leanna Jane Swann" a Mestiza, her Mom is well after a C Section, (cord was around her neck)( Hera's Attempt to strangle her was foiled).
2) My Daughter, my 2nd love of my life, is home with my 2nd grandson( Hank), going into nursing and is due in 4 months with my 2nd grand daughter to be.
3) My 1st Grandson ,Kadin, a good Bow Shot, a lovely and Wise child,is 7 years old.
4) I grateful for having received the acknowledgment and the,
"Physician of the Year Award 2009" from the Maryland Osteopathic Association.
5) Last but not least , having received a Nurse Practitioner at my job, and having
such great Nurse Case Managers, to help me as the Chief Primary Care Manager
of the "Warrior Transition Unit" , and to have an opportunity to apply
for a job working with the VA as a physician only 12 miles from my home.
So, I begin a new year of Blogging, hopefully more consistent. The Theme is the
' I Ching" (Yi Ching) . I will review on each blog entry a brief discussion
on one of the 64 Hexagams, with links to online resources on the " Yi Ching".
My study f this book of wisdom, began about 39 years ago. I've read it about
3 or 4 times, used it to assist me in decision making and understanding ,
So many times. I will post a picute of the Chines Characters of each of these
hexagrams on each entry, then discuss the meaning review the Images, entries,ect.
I will learn alot, the task will take about 2 years. When I ist read the text,
and learned that Confucious didn't even start to read the text until he was in his
60's, I thought that was ridiculous. Well, I am 58 1/2, and am most likely
a bit arrogant to think I could "illuminate" anyone on the Wisdom, it contains.
However, the the throwing of it's "Kua's" has never steered me wrong. Possibly,
because I never asked for advice on the future, but rather , asked the question,
"How to I Best deal with a certain situation??",
This is how I believe the Yi Ching is to be used. Know the present, is my goal.
So, lets begin this quest together, learn together, OK. Good Luck.
Bill Swann D.O.
What am I grateful about? So,So Much!
1) Well for starters my oldest son, and his sweetheart, had a baby girl,
my first born "Grand Daughter" " Leanna Jane Swann" a Mestiza, her Mom is well after a C Section, (cord was around her neck)( Hera's Attempt to strangle her was foiled).
2) My Daughter, my 2nd love of my life, is home with my 2nd grandson( Hank), going into nursing and is due in 4 months with my 2nd grand daughter to be.
3) My 1st Grandson ,Kadin, a good Bow Shot, a lovely and Wise child,is 7 years old.
4) I grateful for having received the acknowledgment and the,
"Physician of the Year Award 2009" from the Maryland Osteopathic Association.
5) Last but not least , having received a Nurse Practitioner at my job, and having
such great Nurse Case Managers, to help me as the Chief Primary Care Manager
of the "Warrior Transition Unit" , and to have an opportunity to apply
for a job working with the VA as a physician only 12 miles from my home.
So, I begin a new year of Blogging, hopefully more consistent. The Theme is the
' I Ching" (Yi Ching) . I will review on each blog entry a brief discussion
on one of the 64 Hexagams, with links to online resources on the " Yi Ching".
My study f this book of wisdom, began about 39 years ago. I've read it about
3 or 4 times, used it to assist me in decision making and understanding ,
So many times. I will post a picute of the Chines Characters of each of these
hexagrams on each entry, then discuss the meaning review the Images, entries,ect.
I will learn alot, the task will take about 2 years. When I ist read the text,
and learned that Confucious didn't even start to read the text until he was in his
60's, I thought that was ridiculous. Well, I am 58 1/2, and am most likely
a bit arrogant to think I could "illuminate" anyone on the Wisdom, it contains.
However, the the throwing of it's "Kua's" has never steered me wrong. Possibly,
because I never asked for advice on the future, but rather , asked the question,
"How to I Best deal with a certain situation??",
This is how I believe the Yi Ching is to be used. Know the present, is my goal.
So, lets begin this quest together, learn together, OK. Good Luck.
Bill Swann D.O.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Swannanoa, Woodfin and Black Mountain North Carolina
So, Today would have been my Dad's 85th Birthday/He was born in the year of the Ox. He died in 1987, age 62,of CHF.
I am Grateful to my Dad, who lead a Tumultuous Life, but ended it as a grateful,compassionate,peaceful yet somewhat Sad Man. My Father Burned Off his Karma,in his own Life Time, he needed too,as between his being Bipolar and an Alcoholic, his Wife and Children Suffered. I am Grateful,However. I am Grateful to my Father ,whose Genes I carry. Who Gave me an Enduring Love of Family and of the Spiritual Life, both kinds of Spirits! I am Grateful for his giving me a Love of Learning and the ability to Work Incessantly for my Family. I am Grateful for the Value to Protect Family Friends and Others. I am Grateful that I only copied a few of his Faults, and most of his Virtues. Though there was emotional Carnage to Clean Up, and Given to me, Bill Swann Sr, ended his Life , a Compassionate Dragon,.
CHF is congestive heart failure,but he also had diabetes, Hypertension,alcoholism,and was Bipolar.Dad, known as "Buster" to his brothers and one Sister, and Mom,lead a complex life. His Mother was Betty Mae Jump, married to Lottie Swann, his father who left when he was ?5?, came back when he was 12 or much later/ My Dad got his nickname from haivng had been jumped on while litle,and playing causing a Hernia to"Bust" out. It was repaired when he was 12. He and his brother Charlie would run "Moon Shine" up and around "Black Mountain"
"Bill Sr", was in the CC camps, a Merchant Marine is WWII and a soldier for less than a year in the Korean Conflict,married my Mom,Rose Marion Johnson, when I was 3. He had 3 children over a decade with his 1st wife, Laura Thomas, divorced her, and married my Mom, when I was 3, but retained custody of my 2 step sisters, and one step brother. Rose had 4 more girls. Of all , myself , my eldest step sister, and my 2 youngest sisters still are alive and kickin./
My dad was Scotch/Irish/English and Cherokee/ my Mom Rose, was German and Swedish.
Laura was French/Scotch English ,not sure if she was Cherokee.
I always though Swann was an English Name, perhaps our lineage is of the Swann,which is an old VIking name, however, I am wondering now, if our name really comes from the Indian/Cherwah /Cherokee Suwa’li-nunnohi, whci later was anglicized to Swannanoa. Below is a bit of that history, Our History,Well, that is another Story.
Swannanoa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,526 in 2007. The community is named for the Swannanoa River, which flows through the settlement. The Swannanoa River joins the French Broad at Asheville, North Carolina. The Cheraw Indians lived east of the Cherokee until they were obliged to join the Catawba people early in the 18th Century. Their name for themselves must have been something like “Suwala,” because de Soto called them Xuala and, to the Cherokee, they were Ani-Suwali ["they are Suwali"]. The Cherokee name for the route from the mountains to the Cheraw country was Suwa’li-nunnohi ["Suwali path"]. In English pronunciation, that became Swannanoa and was applied to the river and the mountains just east of Asheville. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Swannanoa is approximately located between Asheville and Black Mountain. I-40 passes through the main commercial area of Swannanoa, which is focused around Ingles supermarket and gas station. The old commercial area sits beside an empty lot where the old Beacon Blankets plant once sat. The Beacon Plant was the epicenter of the Swannanoa community, built by the late Charles D. Owen,Sr.
Swannanoa is located at 35°36′17″N 82°23′17″W / 35.60472°N 82.38806°W / 35.60472; -82.38806 (35.604808, -82.387921).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.4 square miles (17 km2), of which, 6.4 square miles (17 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.62%) is water.
About Our Town
Black Mountain was originally known as Grey Eagle to the Cherokee and Catawba Native Americans who lived and hunted here in great numbers. Early settlers of the area were lured by the adventure and rugged beauty of the surrounding mountains.
The Town of Black Mountain was founded in 1893. It was named for the Black Mountain range of mountains that border the Town to the north. At the time of incorporation, the Town of Black Mountain had become a major pathway for westbound immigrants, commercial trade, and the mountain railroad. This strategic location helped establish Black Mountain as one of the most prosperous and picturesque communities in the country.
Spectacular views have welcomed Black Mountain residents and visitors for over 109 years as they step from the quaint shops, prosperous businesses, and friendly neighborhoods into the great outdoors that serves as the centerpiece for a visual feast that continues to draw so many to this lovely valley. Black Mountain’s friendly character and graceful setting have long lured botanists, hikers, travelers, and others seeking to commune with the great outdoors. However, the magnificence of the mountains has drawn more than just those seeking to enjoy this graceful natural bounty. Our historic downtown shopping district, vital service sector and clean industry, all serve to attract fine people of every age and profession with backgrounds and interests as varied as the mountainous landscape that surrounds the Town. This special mixture of people and talent has created a lively community with varied assets and lifestyles
I am Grateful to my Dad, who lead a Tumultuous Life, but ended it as a grateful,compassionate,peaceful yet somewhat Sad Man. My Father Burned Off his Karma,in his own Life Time, he needed too,as between his being Bipolar and an Alcoholic, his Wife and Children Suffered. I am Grateful,However. I am Grateful to my Father ,whose Genes I carry. Who Gave me an Enduring Love of Family and of the Spiritual Life, both kinds of Spirits! I am Grateful for his giving me a Love of Learning and the ability to Work Incessantly for my Family. I am Grateful for the Value to Protect Family Friends and Others. I am Grateful that I only copied a few of his Faults, and most of his Virtues. Though there was emotional Carnage to Clean Up, and Given to me, Bill Swann Sr, ended his Life , a Compassionate Dragon,.
CHF is congestive heart failure,but he also had diabetes, Hypertension,alcoholism,and was Bipolar.Dad, known as "Buster" to his brothers and one Sister, and Mom,lead a complex life. His Mother was Betty Mae Jump, married to Lottie Swann, his father who left when he was ?5?, came back when he was 12 or much later/ My Dad got his nickname from haivng had been jumped on while litle,and playing causing a Hernia to"Bust" out. It was repaired when he was 12. He and his brother Charlie would run "Moon Shine" up and around "Black Mountain"
"Bill Sr", was in the CC camps, a Merchant Marine is WWII and a soldier for less than a year in the Korean Conflict,married my Mom,Rose Marion Johnson, when I was 3. He had 3 children over a decade with his 1st wife, Laura Thomas, divorced her, and married my Mom, when I was 3, but retained custody of my 2 step sisters, and one step brother. Rose had 4 more girls. Of all , myself , my eldest step sister, and my 2 youngest sisters still are alive and kickin./
My dad was Scotch/Irish/English and Cherokee/ my Mom Rose, was German and Swedish.
Laura was French/Scotch English ,not sure if she was Cherokee.
I always though Swann was an English Name, perhaps our lineage is of the Swann,which is an old VIking name, however, I am wondering now, if our name really comes from the Indian/Cherwah /Cherokee Suwa’li-nunnohi, whci later was anglicized to Swannanoa. Below is a bit of that history, Our History,Well, that is another Story.
Swannanoa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,526 in 2007. The community is named for the Swannanoa River, which flows through the settlement. The Swannanoa River joins the French Broad at Asheville, North Carolina. The Cheraw Indians lived east of the Cherokee until they were obliged to join the Catawba people early in the 18th Century. Their name for themselves must have been something like “Suwala,” because de Soto called them Xuala and, to the Cherokee, they were Ani-Suwali ["they are Suwali"]. The Cherokee name for the route from the mountains to the Cheraw country was Suwa’li-nunnohi ["Suwali path"]. In English pronunciation, that became Swannanoa and was applied to the river and the mountains just east of Asheville. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Swannanoa is approximately located between Asheville and Black Mountain. I-40 passes through the main commercial area of Swannanoa, which is focused around Ingles supermarket and gas station. The old commercial area sits beside an empty lot where the old Beacon Blankets plant once sat. The Beacon Plant was the epicenter of the Swannanoa community, built by the late Charles D. Owen,Sr.
Swannanoa is located at 35°36′17″N 82°23′17″W / 35.60472°N 82.38806°W / 35.60472; -82.38806 (35.604808, -82.387921).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.4 square miles (17 km2), of which, 6.4 square miles (17 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.62%) is water.
About Our Town
Black Mountain was originally known as Grey Eagle to the Cherokee and Catawba Native Americans who lived and hunted here in great numbers. Early settlers of the area were lured by the adventure and rugged beauty of the surrounding mountains.
The Town of Black Mountain was founded in 1893. It was named for the Black Mountain range of mountains that border the Town to the north. At the time of incorporation, the Town of Black Mountain had become a major pathway for westbound immigrants, commercial trade, and the mountain railroad. This strategic location helped establish Black Mountain as one of the most prosperous and picturesque communities in the country.
Spectacular views have welcomed Black Mountain residents and visitors for over 109 years as they step from the quaint shops, prosperous businesses, and friendly neighborhoods into the great outdoors that serves as the centerpiece for a visual feast that continues to draw so many to this lovely valley. Black Mountain’s friendly character and graceful setting have long lured botanists, hikers, travelers, and others seeking to commune with the great outdoors. However, the magnificence of the mountains has drawn more than just those seeking to enjoy this graceful natural bounty. Our historic downtown shopping district, vital service sector and clean industry, all serve to attract fine people of every age and profession with backgrounds and interests as varied as the mountainous landscape that surrounds the Town. This special mixture of people and talent has created a lively community with varied assets and lifestyles
Monday, July 5, 2010
No Regrets, Week 46
Below are a Litany of Quotes on the Concept of "Regret"
I will lead the list with a Platitude of my Own, then a brief bit of explanation.
"When you change one thing, you change everything"
Bill Swann D.O.
Well, I did discover/ realize it,on my own,though I am sure in history many have done similarly. SO,when it comes to regret, be careful for what you wish for.
Our words and thoughts are like prayers, often sent before consideration of the consequences. For myself,a Life lived, ended, with No Regrets, is the Best Life.
Would I have changed this,or that, done this or that,in retrospect?
Well then would I have changed All of the ramifications of those actions.??
Doing my Best,with the Wisdom I had, /have but not attaching to myself to the
Outcome, that is what attempt to do. I do review my life, my decisions,actions,
but attempt to move on,not repeat what, I at that time, I consider misjudgment,
and learn. I think of Arthur Ashe, who died of HIV ,gotten from contaminated blood received during a transfusion after having a heart attack. When asked, did he regret his having this fatal disease, he answered,( and I am paraphrasing)
"If I changed this/take back this event, then I would have to do the same for all the good and blessed events of my life"
e do not get to pick and choose our destiny, our job is to fulfill that destiny.
And as Billy Pilgrim said,
"and so it goes".
Some Quotes from Arthur Ashe:
* "Success is a journey, not a destination."
* "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."
* "You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy."
* "If one's reputation is a possession, then of all my possessions, my reputation means most to me."
* "I respected the way they stood tall against the sky and insisted on being heard in matters other than Track and Field -- on matters of Civil Rights and social responsibility. I couldn't help but admire them." --- on the Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos when they did the Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City (as quoted by Samuel L. Jackson at the 2008 Espys)
* "From what we get, we make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." (paraphrasing Winston Churchill -"You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give")
* "I believe I was destined to do more than hit tennis balls"
* “If I were to say, God, why me? about the bad things, then I should have said, God, why me? about the good things that happened in my life.”
Some Quotes on "Regret"
"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." Author Unknown, from Dreams
Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh. Henry David Thoreau
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow." Chinese Proverb
Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. Robert Brault
I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not. Lucille Ball
Live in the present tense, facing the duty at hand without regret for the past or worry over the future. William de Witt Hyde, from Grammar
A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams. Yiddish Proverb
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. Harriet Beecher Stowe
I have no regrets. I wouldn't have lived my life the way I did if I was going to worry about what people were going to say. Ingrid Bergman
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. Jim Rohn
Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. Sydney J. Harris
Looking back, I have this to regret...that too often when I loved, I did not say so. David Grayson
Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs. Charles Dickens
No Regrets
By Agnes Sligh Turnbull
There is only one thing about which I shall have no regrets when my life ends.
I have savoured to the full all the small, daily joys.
The bright sunshine on the breakfast table;
the smell of the air at dusk;
the sound of the clock ticking;
the light rains that start gently after midnight;
the hour when the family come home;
Sunday evening tea before the fire!
I have never missed one moment of beauty,
not ever taken it for granted.
Spring, summer, autumn, or winter.
I wish I had failed as little in other ways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regret Today
By Catherine Pulsifer, © 2007
How many times do we say something that we immediately realized was not the right thing to say?
How many times do we look back on an event and think, if only I had....
How many times do we do something that we wish hadn't done?
You can't change what has been said.
You can't change a past event.
You can't change what has been done.
Do you call it regret, sorrow, repentance?
Do you think about what might have been?
Do you relive an event the way it should have been?
Forget about regret, and focus.
Focus on today, not on the past.
Focus on what you can do, not what you didn't do.
The only thing to regret is living in the past
The only thing to feel sorrow for is not living each day to the fullest.
The only thing to do to repent is to sincerely say, I'm sorry. Don't live your life regretting yesterday.
Live your life so tomorrow you won't regret today.
I will lead the list with a Platitude of my Own, then a brief bit of explanation.
"When you change one thing, you change everything"
Bill Swann D.O.
Well, I did discover/ realize it,on my own,though I am sure in history many have done similarly. SO,when it comes to regret, be careful for what you wish for.
Our words and thoughts are like prayers, often sent before consideration of the consequences. For myself,a Life lived, ended, with No Regrets, is the Best Life.
Would I have changed this,or that, done this or that,in retrospect?
Well then would I have changed All of the ramifications of those actions.??
Doing my Best,with the Wisdom I had, /have but not attaching to myself to the
Outcome, that is what attempt to do. I do review my life, my decisions,actions,
but attempt to move on,not repeat what, I at that time, I consider misjudgment,
and learn. I think of Arthur Ashe, who died of HIV ,gotten from contaminated blood received during a transfusion after having a heart attack. When asked, did he regret his having this fatal disease, he answered,( and I am paraphrasing)
"If I changed this/take back this event, then I would have to do the same for all the good and blessed events of my life"
e do not get to pick and choose our destiny, our job is to fulfill that destiny.
And as Billy Pilgrim said,
"and so it goes".
Some Quotes from Arthur Ashe:
* "Success is a journey, not a destination."
* "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."
* "You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy."
* "If one's reputation is a possession, then of all my possessions, my reputation means most to me."
* "I respected the way they stood tall against the sky and insisted on being heard in matters other than Track and Field -- on matters of Civil Rights and social responsibility. I couldn't help but admire them." --- on the Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos when they did the Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City (as quoted by Samuel L. Jackson at the 2008 Espys)
* "From what we get, we make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." (paraphrasing Winston Churchill -"You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give")
* "I believe I was destined to do more than hit tennis balls"
* “If I were to say, God, why me? about the bad things, then I should have said, God, why me? about the good things that happened in my life.”
Some Quotes on "Regret"
"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." Author Unknown, from Dreams
Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh. Henry David Thoreau
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow." Chinese Proverb
Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. Robert Brault
I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not. Lucille Ball
Live in the present tense, facing the duty at hand without regret for the past or worry over the future. William de Witt Hyde, from Grammar
A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams. Yiddish Proverb
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. Harriet Beecher Stowe
I have no regrets. I wouldn't have lived my life the way I did if I was going to worry about what people were going to say. Ingrid Bergman
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. Jim Rohn
Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. Sydney J. Harris
Looking back, I have this to regret...that too often when I loved, I did not say so. David Grayson
Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs. Charles Dickens
No Regrets
By Agnes Sligh Turnbull
There is only one thing about which I shall have no regrets when my life ends.
I have savoured to the full all the small, daily joys.
The bright sunshine on the breakfast table;
the smell of the air at dusk;
the sound of the clock ticking;
the light rains that start gently after midnight;
the hour when the family come home;
Sunday evening tea before the fire!
I have never missed one moment of beauty,
not ever taken it for granted.
Spring, summer, autumn, or winter.
I wish I had failed as little in other ways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regret Today
By Catherine Pulsifer, © 2007
How many times do we say something that we immediately realized was not the right thing to say?
How many times do we look back on an event and think, if only I had....
How many times do we do something that we wish hadn't done?
You can't change what has been said.
You can't change a past event.
You can't change what has been done.
Do you call it regret, sorrow, repentance?
Do you think about what might have been?
Do you relive an event the way it should have been?
Forget about regret, and focus.
Focus on today, not on the past.
Focus on what you can do, not what you didn't do.
The only thing to regret is living in the past
The only thing to feel sorrow for is not living each day to the fullest.
The only thing to do to repent is to sincerely say, I'm sorry. Don't live your life regretting yesterday.
Live your life so tomorrow you won't regret today.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Irish Twins Week 44
Irish Twins Week 44 of Gratitude Journal,Now ? Monthly ?/
The term “Irish twins” is used to describe two children born to the same mother within 12 months of each other or born in the same calendar year. Given that it is a somewhat derogatory term, it is generally not used in print or in polite society. As is the case with many terms with derogatory origins, some people use it without thinking about the implications of the deeper meaning. Learning about the roots of these terms and the meaning behind them can help people to decide whether or not they are appropriate for common use.
The roots of the idea behind the term are actually quite old, although no one knows when, exactly, people first began to talk about Irish twins. In both England and the United States, a massive influx of Irish immigration in the 1800s led to a negative connotation with Irish people and society. This often happens when a large immigrant group begins to settle in mass numbers in a new country. The Irish were accused of being backwards and uncultured, and it was assumed that they were uneducated, dirty, and a general pox on society. As a result, the use of the word “Irish” began to be pejorative.
A number of derogatory terms incorporating stereotypes about the Irish began to emerge, including “Irish confetti” for thrown bricks and “Irish kiss” for a slap. Irish twins fits into this vernacular, and is actually insulting on multiple levels.
Firstly, the term pokes fun at the stereotypical fertility of Irish Catholic families, which traditionally do not use birth control. In addition, it implies that the Irish lack the ability to plan ahead or control themselves, having children in quick succession rather than responsibly spacing them. Finally, it suggests that the Irish do not understand the medical definition of twins, which involves two children conceived and born together.
A variation on the term is “Irish triplets,” which means three children born within three years. Parents who have Irish twins or triplets often struggle with a variety of issues, since having two or three very young children to manage can be very stressful. As the children grow up, the parents may encounter other difficulties as well, such as the simultaneous payment of astronomical college tuition fees. However, Irish twins often end up being very close and affectionate with each other, since the space between them is so small, and it intensifies the sibling bond.
Yes , and No, they aren't necessarily Irish, or Twins, but my Wife and I had a Pair, my Daughter ,Yvonne, is to start hers,Her Irish Twin ,Jonathan, is to start his Singlet, and their Adventure Begins.
Following our Irish Twins, my Wife bore a our last son, who became a Lovely Young Man,a Lovely Young Father of our 1st Grandson,Kadin..
I am Grateful for my Three Children,Who almost, made is as Irish Triplets .
I am Grateful for my Wife ,who bore these 3 Jewels of my Heart.
I am Grateful for my grandchildren, and Hope they all have another set ,(except for my daughter, she'd go nuts,) of Irish Twins.
Bill Swann D.O.
The term “Irish twins” is used to describe two children born to the same mother within 12 months of each other or born in the same calendar year. Given that it is a somewhat derogatory term, it is generally not used in print or in polite society. As is the case with many terms with derogatory origins, some people use it without thinking about the implications of the deeper meaning. Learning about the roots of these terms and the meaning behind them can help people to decide whether or not they are appropriate for common use.
The roots of the idea behind the term are actually quite old, although no one knows when, exactly, people first began to talk about Irish twins. In both England and the United States, a massive influx of Irish immigration in the 1800s led to a negative connotation with Irish people and society. This often happens when a large immigrant group begins to settle in mass numbers in a new country. The Irish were accused of being backwards and uncultured, and it was assumed that they were uneducated, dirty, and a general pox on society. As a result, the use of the word “Irish” began to be pejorative.
A number of derogatory terms incorporating stereotypes about the Irish began to emerge, including “Irish confetti” for thrown bricks and “Irish kiss” for a slap. Irish twins fits into this vernacular, and is actually insulting on multiple levels.
Firstly, the term pokes fun at the stereotypical fertility of Irish Catholic families, which traditionally do not use birth control. In addition, it implies that the Irish lack the ability to plan ahead or control themselves, having children in quick succession rather than responsibly spacing them. Finally, it suggests that the Irish do not understand the medical definition of twins, which involves two children conceived and born together.
A variation on the term is “Irish triplets,” which means three children born within three years. Parents who have Irish twins or triplets often struggle with a variety of issues, since having two or three very young children to manage can be very stressful. As the children grow up, the parents may encounter other difficulties as well, such as the simultaneous payment of astronomical college tuition fees. However, Irish twins often end up being very close and affectionate with each other, since the space between them is so small, and it intensifies the sibling bond.
Yes , and No, they aren't necessarily Irish, or Twins, but my Wife and I had a Pair, my Daughter ,Yvonne, is to start hers,Her Irish Twin ,Jonathan, is to start his Singlet, and their Adventure Begins.
Following our Irish Twins, my Wife bore a our last son, who became a Lovely Young Man,a Lovely Young Father of our 1st Grandson,Kadin..
I am Grateful for my Three Children,Who almost, made is as Irish Triplets .
I am Grateful for my Wife ,who bore these 3 Jewels of my Heart.
I am Grateful for my grandchildren, and Hope they all have another set ,(except for my daughter, she'd go nuts,) of Irish Twins.
Bill Swann D.O.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Gratitude Journal Week 39 & Is It 4 or 5 Levels of Experience?
So, this blog has evolved into a weekly blog, almost.
I am Gratefull for Being able to maintan my composure most of teh time
I am Gratefull for Others who have taught me this virtue and for Others who are able to to do so as well
I am Gratefull for My Wifee's gardening Skills, she has turned our Garden inot a Paradise.
So, is it 4 or 5 levels of experience.?
Distilled from Tony Robbins "Personal Power"series there are
4 Levels of Experience.:
1) I like it, it Is Good for me and Helps Others
2) I don’t like it, but it Is Good for me and helps others
3) I like it, but it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
4) I don’t like it, it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
However I seem to have a found a 5th, a paradox in fact.
5) I Like It, It Helps Others, But It Isn't Good For Me
How's That?! Well, Like my job, like being a soldier on occassion,
We are helping others, at least the group we care for or protect
We enjoy in some fashion, to a degree or more the process,
However, the Job has Risks, Is Consuming, Not healthy
or in a Healthy Enviroment, or over time, Deleterious to One's Health.
So,What is one to Do?/
Well,Find a way to make it Good For You. At Least on a "Karmic" level.
There are sacrifices we make, but perhaps what appears
"Not to be Good for Us" is really a means ,method or form of discipline,
suffering,self denial, that is the long run ,is good for us.
Perhaps we need to be more resilient, then it will be good for us.
I Wonder>
Then what about the "Karmic Cost" of what we Do.?
Well, that is for another day and discussion.
Take Care
Bill Swann D.O.
I am Gratefull for Being able to maintan my composure most of teh time
I am Gratefull for Others who have taught me this virtue and for Others who are able to to do so as well
I am Gratefull for My Wifee's gardening Skills, she has turned our Garden inot a Paradise.
So, is it 4 or 5 levels of experience.?
Distilled from Tony Robbins "Personal Power"series there are
4 Levels of Experience.:
1) I like it, it Is Good for me and Helps Others
2) I don’t like it, but it Is Good for me and helps others
3) I like it, but it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
4) I don’t like it, it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
However I seem to have a found a 5th, a paradox in fact.
5) I Like It, It Helps Others, But It Isn't Good For Me
How's That?! Well, Like my job, like being a soldier on occassion,
We are helping others, at least the group we care for or protect
We enjoy in some fashion, to a degree or more the process,
However, the Job has Risks, Is Consuming, Not healthy
or in a Healthy Enviroment, or over time, Deleterious to One's Health.
So,What is one to Do?/
Well,Find a way to make it Good For You. At Least on a "Karmic" level.
There are sacrifices we make, but perhaps what appears
"Not to be Good for Us" is really a means ,method or form of discipline,
suffering,self denial, that is the long run ,is good for us.
Perhaps we need to be more resilient, then it will be good for us.
I Wonder>
Then what about the "Karmic Cost" of what we Do.?
Well, that is for another day and discussion.
Take Care
Bill Swann D.O.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Nurses Week and Five Famous Nurses
This Week 38 of my Gratitude Journal.
I am Grateful for the Existances of the Nursing Profession and Nurses.
International Nurses week (IND) is celebrated around the world every 6-12 May. This day is celebrated to remember all of the valuable contributions nurses make to society.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, had proposed that then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaim a "Nurses Day," but he did not approve it.[1]
In January 1974, the decision was made to celebrate the day on 12 May as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing. Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses' Day Kit. The kit contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere.
As Florence Nightingale is no longer seen as a role model in some parts of the world, demands have arisen, for example by the British public sector union UNISON, to transfer this day on another date.[2] 21 May, the birthday of Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845), has been suggested. Elizabeth Fry founded the Institution of Nursing Sisters and is also known for her work with prisoners.[3]
As of 1998, May 8th was designated as annual National Student Nurses Day. As of 2003, the Wednesday within National Nurses Week, between May 6th and May 12th, is National School Nurse Day.[4]
[edit] UK celebrations
Each year on 12 May service is held in Westminster Abbey in London. During the Service, a symbolic Lamp is taken from the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, thence to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar. This signifies the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another. At St Margaret's Church at East Wellow in Hampshire, where Florence Nightingale is buried, a service is also held on the Sunday after her birthday.[5]
Below are the Biographies of 5 ( Of Oh So Many,Most Unkown and UnNamed) Nurses in History:
NURSE HELEN FAIRCHILD
Nurse Helen Fairchild, RN was born on the 21st. November 1885 in Turbot Township, Milton, in central Pennsylvania and graduated as a nurse from Pennsylvania Hospital in 1913. One month after America declared war on April 6th. 1917, Helen volunteered to go overseas with 63 other nurses from Pennsylvania Hospital. She was assigned to duty as a Nurse on the 7th. May 1917 and nursed in Flanders during the Battle of Passchendaele (3rd. Ypres).
She had a history of abdominal pain after meals before she left for France and during November 1917 she suffered from a recurrence. By Christmas she was vomiting after every meal and a Barium meal X-Ray revealed a large gastric ulcer obstructing her pylorus. She underwent a gastro-enterostomy operation for the pyloric obstruction on the 13th. January 1918. Initially she did well but she became jaundiced on the third day postoperatively and deteriorated rapidly, dying in a coma at 11.20 AM on the 18th. January 1918.
Nurse Fairchild's cause of death was attributed to acute atrophy of the liver. A postmortem examination was performed and the report can be viewed at the end of this document by clicking on the link. The final cause of death was considered to be a result of hepatic complications of the chloroform used for her general anaesthetic.
She wrote 100 pages of letters during her time in France and her letters home have been collected by her niece, Mrs Nelle Fairchild Rote. A selection of these letters were originally published in an article in the Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine by Mrs Rote and they are reproduced here by kind permission of the author who can be contacted by E-mail at: elle12@ptd.net
Dr Geoffrey Miller
NURSE HELEN FAIRCHILD,
MY AUNT, MY HERO
By NELLE FAIRCHILD ROTE;
REPRINTED FROM DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 1997, VOL. 131, NO. 9
NURSE HELEN FAIRCHILD
As a little girl I knew how proud my father was of his sister who had been a nurse in World War 1. When the boys in the fourth grade said, "She doesn't count, she's a girl," I was stung by their unfairness. How could anyone say she was not a veteran too?
"Oh the stories I'll tell when I get home" wrote Nurse Helen Fairchild in 1917, while serving with the American Expeditionary Force in France. Aunt Helen, 32, volunteered to be one of the first to go overseas after the United States entered World War 1, April 5th, 1917. She volunteered to go to the "Front," July 31, 1917, to Casualty Clearing Station No. 4. Through her letters written to her family, which have been so lovingly preserved, Nurse Fairchild is at last telling her story:
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PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL UNIT, Saturday, May 8, 1917
Dear Brother,
Monday I got a telegram telling me to be here ready to go abroad by Friday, so here I am, waiting for the pokey old government to get things ready for us to go. I am grateful to be one of the ones to go, but feel sorry for Mother... if only she wouldn't worry so much. Don't feel uneasy about me, ever, for the folks at home will he notified immediately if anything should happen.
Heaps of love, and write me right away,
Lovingly, Sis
MIDLAND ADELPHI HOTEL, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, May 26, 1917
Dear Mother,
Someday I will write you all that has happened from the time we left New York last Saturday. We sailed at noon and by 6 o'clock pm I felt as if the floors were coming up to meet me, and the whole universe was whirling. You can see I didn't waste much time getting seasick, and I like to die all day Sunday and Monday. Then on Tuesday morn we had to have para-typhoid
vaccine. Everybody had to take it and everybody had quite a reaction. We were on the boat just eight days.
Heaps of love, your very own, Helen.
.I forgot to tell you that we wear uniforms all the time, and our street uniforms are heavy dark blue serge, made very military, one piece, with big broad pleats over the shoulders with rows of big, black buttons down both sides, and swirls, with panels front and back, made quite short little
white bands around the collar and sleeves, and sort blue hats. At first we didn't like the idea of having to wear uniforms all the time, but we have learned the wisdom of it now, for it gives protection, and everywhere we go they leave us in without charges whatever.
Waldorf Hotel, England, June 2, 1917
Dear Mother,
...in a restaurant the orchestra played the Star Spangled Banner, and maybe we didn't cheer! You never appreciate your own National Air until you hear it in some foreign land. Everyone living in London has been lovely to us, but the Americans living here are particularly so.
On Wednesday we had tea at the Astor country home, and yesterday six of us had tea with Miss Emily Sergeant, a sister of John Sargeant, who is considered America's most famous artist, so you can see we are getting well treated, but at that, I am ready to go back work.
Don't worry if you don't hear from me, for you will be cabled promptly if anything goes wrong.
Heaps of love, your very own, Helen
Base Hospital No. 10, Le Treport, France
Dear Mother,
The wind is whistling around the hut. I do not mind the rain so much, but the wind makes me cross, and it blows a perfect gale, even in perfect weather. You should see our clothes, no fancy things for us. I have 2 rain hats and 2 raincoats and a pair of rubber boots, so we never stay in on account of rain. One soldier said, "I didn't know American girls were so ugly."
After finding a rickety old Ford to take us, went shopping in Dieppe today on our half day off. I bought a knitted underskirt and a pair of the heaviest shoes l have ever had, great high ones too, cost fifteen dollars.
One has to pay well for everything here, but I am going to keep warm if possible. I had a notion to have you send me some shoes, as it is often impossible to find shoes here that we can wear, as they are such queer shapes.
Heaps and heaps of love, your very own,
Helen.
Nurse Helen Fairchild
THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES - PAASCHENDAELE, WORLD WAR I
The casualty clearing stations were frequently the scene of the most distressing sight which human eye can witness, that is the re-wounding and killing of already wounded men by an enemy's bomb dropped suddenly in the dead of night. There was hardly a moonlight night that the Hun did not visit our neighborhood and drop bombs. We dug below the level of the ground to form shallow graves, two by six, by eighteen inches deep, which were dug through the floor of our tents, and when the anti-aircraft guns were shooting and particles of the exploded shells were falling, we partly closed over a section of the floor of the tent which was hinged and which
had a piece of sheet iron nailed on the underside.
I was impressed with the bravery and fortitude of the women nurses. Night bombing is a terrifying thing, and those who are not disturbed by it possess unusual qualities. I believe the nurses showed less fear than anyone. In 1920 I had the opportunity to visit this casualty clearing station area again, where I found only a few of the metal huts standing, but was able to locate the nurses dug-out, and the holes in the ground where they slept,
Nurse Fairchild represented the truest type of womanhood and stood for the very best in the nursing profession.
Ida Downs, Pennsylvania Hospital, U.S.A.
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From Base Hospital No. 10, Paul B. Hoeber later wrote:
"Upon their arrival, sixty four American nurses were faced with a 2,000 bed hospital. The first hard experience came when an exceedingly large convoy of patients, overwhelmed by Mustard gas, and the picture of intense suffering, poured in on them in great numbers... 600 in less than 48 hours, and it was repeated for many a night.
Casualty Clearing Station No. 4, [Ypres-Passchendaele area]
August 1917
Dear Mother,
...I am with an operating team about 100 miles from our own Base Hospital, closer to the fighting lines. I'll sure have a lot to tell about this experience when I get home. I have been here three weeks and see no signs of going back yet, altho when we came we only expected to be here a few days. Of course, I didn't bring much with me. Had two white dresses and two aprons, and two combinations. Now can you imagine trying to keep decent with that much clothing in a place where it rains nearly every day. We all live in tents and wade through mud to and from the operating room where we stand in mud higher than our ankles. It was some task, but dear old Major Harte, who I am up here with, got a car and a man; to go down to our hospital and get us some things. He brought me six clean uniforms and aprons, beside heaps of notes from all the nurses, letters from home and all kinds of fruit and cake.
We made the trip up to this place in an auto-ambulance 100 miles through France. Oh I shall have books to tell when I get home.
Wounded soldiers at a Casualty Clearing Station, waiting to be taken to a Base Hospital.
Chief Nurse Julia Stimson was concerned for the nurses she sent for temporary duty at the casualty clearing stations.
Nurse Stimson wrote:
"...what with the steam, the ether, and the filthy clothes of the men...the odor in the operating room was so terrible that it was all any of them could do to keep from being sick...no mere handling of instruments and sponges, but sewing and tying up and putting in drains while the doctor takes the next piece of shell out of another place. Then after fourteen hours of this with freezing feet, to a meal of tea and bread and jam, then off to rest if you can, in a wet bell tent in a damp bed without sheets, after a wash with a cupful of water...one need never tell me that I women can't do as much, stand as much, and be as brave as men."
Base Hospital No. 10, October 1917
Dear Mother,
I hope by next summer I can be home to help eat the peaches Irma tells me you are putting up. One of the girls brought me some great big, dandy ones a day or two ago, but they were so bitter I couldn't eat them.
Just as soon as I get home I am going to get dresses all colors of the rainbow, but never again blue serge or a blue felt hat. Gee, now I know how the kids in orphan asylums must feel when they all have to wear the same kind of clothes.
Another of our operating team left for a place further up the lines this am. They went to relieve Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Packard and Miss McClelland, who have been up there since July 21st, and who are tired out. This team will take their place so they can come home.
Rained some last night and is frightfully windy and cold. I put on some woolen clothing for we do not have any fires in the hut yet, but in spite of two pairs of stockings my feet are cold. Right now I stopped writing and got two hot water bottles and have my feet on one and the other in my lap.
Please write letters often, they mean more to me than a package, for I get a little homesick sometimes.
Heaps and heaps of love and a big kiss to every one,
your very own, Helen.
THE LAST LETTER SENT HOME
Base Hospital No. 10, December 28, 1917
Dear Mother,
Had a letter from the States this week and was glad, for being sick this far from home is no fun, but everyone has been fine to me. My room is filled with flowers they bring me, and fruit galore. Miss Dunlop does everything she can to make me comfortable and came in and talked with me every couple of hours. She wanted me to come up in the cot in her sitting room, but I did not want to do that, for Wagner wanted me to stay in our own room where she could do things for me. Wagner sure is a friend indeed.
Dr. Norris was just in to see me and told me I could stop some of my medicine. He said my throat looked much better but I still can't go on duty "till I eat and get some color, so I see my finish, for as usual, I look like the wrath of Kingdom come, but I'll make them let me go back soon, for it's too lonesome here to be off duty.
Gee but I'll be glad to see you all by the time this war is over, but at the same time I am glad to be here to help take care of these poor men, and I'll be doubly glad when our own U.S. boys will be [in this part of France] with us, for they will be so far from home, and they will have no one but us American nurses to really take any genuine interest in them, for their own friends will not be able to reach them.
What the Red Cross and the YMCAs are doing for us here means so much to us. Really, it would be awful to get along without the things they send us. Most of the pleasure that the troops get are the ones provided by the YMCA.
If you could only see what the boys here have to go through sometimes, you would see they need all the comfort possible. Without the supplies sent to us by the Red Cross Society, we could not do half as much for them as we are.
Please tell me what it was that everyone seems to have heard concerning me at home. Of course, whatever it was, as you know, is not correct, for as I have told you often, anytime anything should happen, you would be notified.
Heaps of love, your very own, Helen.
War Department
Office of the Surgeon General
Washington, D.C.
January 24, 1918
Mr. Ambrose Fairchild
Allenwood, Union County, Pennsylvania
Dear Mr. Fairchild,
It is with regret that I have to inform you of the death of your daughter, Miss Helen Fairchild, RN, on January 18, 1918, while on duty with Base Hospital #10, American Expeditionary Forces, France.
D.E. Thompson, Superintendent Army Nurse Corps
The cause of Nurse Fairchild's death was "acute atrophy of the liver," according to General John J. Pershing. Exploratory surgery revealed a massive stomach ulcer, caused or made worse by exposure to Mustard gas and other gasses used by the enemy. The word was she gave her gas mask to a soldier. She was given a military funeral, a "most solemn and impressive ceremony, and buried in the uniform of an American Army nurse. Her funeral was attended by an entire garrison of English, Canadian, French and American officers, nurses and troops." Buried first in Mont Huron Cemetery, Le Treport, her body was removed to the Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, Bony, France; plot A, Row 15, grave 13.
Upon the organization of the Nurses' Post of the American Legion at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 1919, it was named the Helen Fairchild Nurses' Post 412, of the American Legion.
Helen Fairchild is registered in Women In Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington Cemetery, Virginia. Helen's sister, Christine McFarland, at 92, had the pleasure of registering her in the Memorial. Aunt Chris died in 1993. She was grateful that the stories of all women veterans would be preserved, upon the completion of this great Museum and Memorial.
The Women In Military Service for America Museum and Memorial, WIMSA, planned to display Nurse Fairchild's artifacts in their World War I display, but World War II has been given priority for the opening in October. As funds become available, the World War I exhibit will be completed.
Anyone may register the name of any woman veteran or veteran health caregiver, and is urged to do so. Contributions are also needed to reach the goal. The address is: WIMSA, Dept. 560., Washington, D.C. 20042-0560.
Kathleen Hall RGN, RM
(1896 - 1970)
Kathleen Hall was born in Napier, New Zealand in 1896 and later moved to Auckland. There she trained at Auckland Public Hospital.
In 1922 she was accepted by the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for missionary work in China. Before leaving New Zealand she successfully undertook midwifery training at St Helen's hospital in Christchurch.
In North China at that time there was one outstanding hospital where western medicine was practised, the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC). It was a very advanced institution, funded by the American Rockefeller Foundation and operated by British and American Protestant missions.
After several years language training and professional practice there, Kathleen was appointed Sister-in-Charge of a provincial hospital at Datong, later being transferred to the same position at Hejian and Anguo in Hebei Province.
She became acquainted with the deplorable living conditions in the Hebei mountains and in 1934 she obtained the permission of her Bishop to leave the cities and set up her own cottage hospital in the mountain village of Songjiazhuang.
In 1937 she had to return temporarily to take charge of the hospital at Anguo on the plains and she was in charge there when the Japanese invaded.
There was a great battle nearby, the Chinese were defeated and hers was the only hospital for hundreds of miles. The doctors fled and with a few Chinese nurses she was left to deal with many hundred casualties.
As the Japanese pushed southwards, she was able to return to her own hospital in the mountains, to find that it was now in "no-man's land" between the Chinese guerilla forces and the Japanese. With her British passport she could move comparatively freely, and before long she was making long journeys to Peking to purchase medical supplies, much of which she passed on to the Chinese army, until caught by the Japanese.
They put her on a ship for New Zealand, but she disembarked at Hong Kong and joined the Chinese Red Cross. She made a dangerous journey through inland China to rejoin the 8th Route Army. Eventually she was struck down with beriberi, and repatriated to New Zealand.
After the war the helped to establish a model leper colony in Hong Kong, and in her final years of service she worked with the Anglican Maori Mission at Te Kuiti and Waitara.
In retirement she devoted her life to telling New Zealanders the truth about China. She worked very hard to bring the various Friendship groups in Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch together to form the NZ-China Friendship Society, which was inaugurated in Wellington in 1958, with Kathleen as a member of the first National Committee.
She was able to revisit China twice more, in 1960 and 1964. She died in Hamilton in 1970.
In 1993 a delegation of friends and relatives carried her ashes back to China in accordance with her wishes.
In 1996 the local people of Quyang County celebrated the centennial of her birth by creating a beautiful marble statue and setting it up in the village of Songjiazhuang where she had established her clinic.
A China Today article published in 1997 describes this moving event, and gives more details of Kathleen's life.
In 2000, her clinic was rebuilt with a donation of $15,000 from our Society, which has been tripled by a subsidy from the N.Z. Government. The completion of the rebuilding project was celebrated in June 2000 and the clinic was officially reopened in July 2001. Click here to view pictures of both celebrations.
Margaret Sanger
Many don't realize the very short period of time in our history we as a society have been allowed to participate in using birth control. Many are also unaware that we contribute the advocacy and use of birth control to famed nurse Margaret Sanger. Her crusade to legitimize birth control and give women the right to choose was one that showed much opposition from not only the government but also the Catholic Church. But no one understood the importance of birth control more than Sanger. She was the sixth of eleven children, whose mother died while she was young and whose death was attributed to her many pregnancies. Sanger started her career working in the poor ghettos of New York City, seeing first hand the atrocities that came with complicated pregnancies and self-abortions. As a nurse, she realized the only way to combat these problems was to target the source of the problem: child birth. This would begin her crusade to educate the poor working class about birth control, in addition to several writings which discussed elements of growth for young women. Throughout her career she would be resisted by those who thought her teachings were lewd or pornographic, as in the early twentieth century it was not customary to discuss sexual relations in public. The Catholic Church also showed much opposition as her teachings went against the churches, but back down over time as they decided to focus on teaching abstinence to their followers as a means to control birth. Sanger would spent her later years spreading her message to the more elite in order to convince them of the needs of birth control and education in order to reach a much larger audience.
Margaret Sanger
Many don't realize the very short period of time in our history we as a society have been allowed to participate in using birth control. Many are also unaware that we contribute the advocacy and use of birth control to famed nurse Margaret Sanger. Her crusade to legitimize birth control and give women the right to choose was one that showed much opposition from not only the government but also the Catholic Church. But no one understood the importance of birth control more than Sanger. She was the sixth of eleven children, whose mother died while she was young and whose death was attributed to her many pregnancies. Sanger started her career working in the poor ghettos of New York City, seeing first hand the atrocities that came with complicated pregnancies and self-abortions. As a nurse, she realized the only way to combat these problems was to target the source of the problem: child birth. This would begin her crusade to educate the poor working class about birth control, in addition to several writings which discussed elements of growth for young women. Throughout her career she would be resisted by those who thought her teachings were lewd or pornographic, as in the early twentieth century it was not customary to discuss sexual relations in public. The Catholic Church also showed much opposition as her teachings went against the churches, but back down over time as they decided to focus on teaching abstinence to their followers as a means to control birth. Sanger would spent her later years spreading her message to the more elite in order to convince them of the needs of birth control and education in order to reach a much larger audience.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892): Few people realize that the famous poet was also a volunteer nurse. Whitman worked as a nurse at Army hospitals set up during the Civil War. Many of his observations during this time led to his “The Great Army of the Sick.” Whitman was known for his egalitarian views, as well as for his political interest and poems.
Walt Whitman, 1887
Born May 31, 1819(1819-05-31)
West Hills, Town of Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S.
Died March 26, 1892 (aged 72)
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.
Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War in addition to publishing his poetry. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey where his health further declined. He died at age 72 and his funeral became a public spectacle.[2][3]
Whitman's sexuality is often discussed alongside his poetry. Though biographers continue to debate his sexuality, he is usually described as either homosexual or bisexual in his feelings and attractions.[4] However, there is disagreement among biographers as to whether Whitman had actual sexual experiences with men.[5] Whitman was concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso and opposed the extension of slavery generally. His poetry presented an egalitarian view of the races, and at one point he called for the abolition of slavery, but later he saw the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy.[6
Hazel W. Johnson-Brown:
The first African-American woman general in history, Hazel W. Johnson-Brown is also a skilled nurse. She served as the chief of the Army Nurse Corps. and served as dean of the Walter Reed Army Institute School of Nursing. She was introduced to the army while working at a Veteran’s hospital. It is hard to believe, considering her accomplishments, that she was first rejected for nursing school at the West Chester School of Nursing because of her race.
Hazel Johnson-Brown made military history when she became the first African American woman general in 1979. She entered the U.S. Army in 1955, shortly after President Harry Truman banned segregation in the armed services. When she retired from the military in 1983, the list of credentials Johnson-Brown had accumulated was impressive. Some of the positions she held included project director at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command in Washington, D.C.; dean of the Walter Reed Army Institute School of Nursing; and special assistant to the chief of the U.S. Army Medical Command in Korea. She reached the pinnacle of her military career when she was appointed Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, with the rank of Brigadier General.
Born in 1927 in Malvern, Pennsylvania and one of seven children, she was raised on her father’s farm in nearby West Chester. Inspired by a local white public heath nurse when she was 12, Johnson decided that she too would become a nurse. She applied to the West Chester School of Nursing, but was rejected because she was black. She did not, however, let this stand in her way. She left West Chester for New York City in 1947, and enrolled in the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing.
After graduating, she went to work at the Philadelphia Veteran’s Hospital in 1953. It was there that her colleagues noticed her natural leadership abilities, and suggested she join the Army. After one meeting with a recruiter, she enlisted for what she thought would be a two-year tour. Instead, she swiftly rose through the ranks, enjoying a remarkable military career that spanned almost three decades.
As the first African American appointed as Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Johnson commanded 7,000 male and female nurses in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves. She also set policy and oversaw operations in eight Army medical centers, fifty-six community hospitals and one hundred forty-three freestanding clinics in the United States, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, and Panama.
While in the army, she continued her formal education, earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova University, a master’s degree in nursing education from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in education administration from Catholic University. Two years before retiring from the army in 1983, she married David Brown.
Following her retirement, Johnson-Brown enjoyed a distinguished “second” career in academia. She served as professor of nursing at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and finally at George Mason University in Virginia. At George Mason University, she was instrumental in founding the Center for Health Policy, designed to educate and involve nurses in health policy and policy design.
She retired from teaching in 1997. She continues to live in the Washington area, serving on a variety of university and health administration boards.
I am Grateful for the Existances of the Nursing Profession and Nurses.
International Nurses week (IND) is celebrated around the world every 6-12 May. This day is celebrated to remember all of the valuable contributions nurses make to society.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, had proposed that then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaim a "Nurses Day," but he did not approve it.[1]
In January 1974, the decision was made to celebrate the day on 12 May as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing. Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses' Day Kit. The kit contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere.
As Florence Nightingale is no longer seen as a role model in some parts of the world, demands have arisen, for example by the British public sector union UNISON, to transfer this day on another date.[2] 21 May, the birthday of Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845), has been suggested. Elizabeth Fry founded the Institution of Nursing Sisters and is also known for her work with prisoners.[3]
As of 1998, May 8th was designated as annual National Student Nurses Day. As of 2003, the Wednesday within National Nurses Week, between May 6th and May 12th, is National School Nurse Day.[4]
[edit] UK celebrations
Each year on 12 May service is held in Westminster Abbey in London. During the Service, a symbolic Lamp is taken from the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, thence to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar. This signifies the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another. At St Margaret's Church at East Wellow in Hampshire, where Florence Nightingale is buried, a service is also held on the Sunday after her birthday.[5]
Below are the Biographies of 5 ( Of Oh So Many,Most Unkown and UnNamed) Nurses in History:
NURSE HELEN FAIRCHILD
Nurse Helen Fairchild, RN was born on the 21st. November 1885 in Turbot Township, Milton, in central Pennsylvania and graduated as a nurse from Pennsylvania Hospital in 1913. One month after America declared war on April 6th. 1917, Helen volunteered to go overseas with 63 other nurses from Pennsylvania Hospital. She was assigned to duty as a Nurse on the 7th. May 1917 and nursed in Flanders during the Battle of Passchendaele (3rd. Ypres).
She had a history of abdominal pain after meals before she left for France and during November 1917 she suffered from a recurrence. By Christmas she was vomiting after every meal and a Barium meal X-Ray revealed a large gastric ulcer obstructing her pylorus. She underwent a gastro-enterostomy operation for the pyloric obstruction on the 13th. January 1918. Initially she did well but she became jaundiced on the third day postoperatively and deteriorated rapidly, dying in a coma at 11.20 AM on the 18th. January 1918.
Nurse Fairchild's cause of death was attributed to acute atrophy of the liver. A postmortem examination was performed and the report can be viewed at the end of this document by clicking on the link. The final cause of death was considered to be a result of hepatic complications of the chloroform used for her general anaesthetic.
She wrote 100 pages of letters during her time in France and her letters home have been collected by her niece, Mrs Nelle Fairchild Rote. A selection of these letters were originally published in an article in the Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine by Mrs Rote and they are reproduced here by kind permission of the author who can be contacted by E-mail at: elle12@ptd.net
Dr Geoffrey Miller
NURSE HELEN FAIRCHILD,
MY AUNT, MY HERO
By NELLE FAIRCHILD ROTE;
REPRINTED FROM DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 1997, VOL. 131, NO. 9
NURSE HELEN FAIRCHILD
As a little girl I knew how proud my father was of his sister who had been a nurse in World War 1. When the boys in the fourth grade said, "She doesn't count, she's a girl," I was stung by their unfairness. How could anyone say she was not a veteran too?
"Oh the stories I'll tell when I get home" wrote Nurse Helen Fairchild in 1917, while serving with the American Expeditionary Force in France. Aunt Helen, 32, volunteered to be one of the first to go overseas after the United States entered World War 1, April 5th, 1917. She volunteered to go to the "Front," July 31, 1917, to Casualty Clearing Station No. 4. Through her letters written to her family, which have been so lovingly preserved, Nurse Fairchild is at last telling her story:
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PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL UNIT, Saturday, May 8, 1917
Dear Brother,
Monday I got a telegram telling me to be here ready to go abroad by Friday, so here I am, waiting for the pokey old government to get things ready for us to go. I am grateful to be one of the ones to go, but feel sorry for Mother... if only she wouldn't worry so much. Don't feel uneasy about me, ever, for the folks at home will he notified immediately if anything should happen.
Heaps of love, and write me right away,
Lovingly, Sis
MIDLAND ADELPHI HOTEL, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, May 26, 1917
Dear Mother,
Someday I will write you all that has happened from the time we left New York last Saturday. We sailed at noon and by 6 o'clock pm I felt as if the floors were coming up to meet me, and the whole universe was whirling. You can see I didn't waste much time getting seasick, and I like to die all day Sunday and Monday. Then on Tuesday morn we had to have para-typhoid
vaccine. Everybody had to take it and everybody had quite a reaction. We were on the boat just eight days.
Heaps of love, your very own, Helen.
.I forgot to tell you that we wear uniforms all the time, and our street uniforms are heavy dark blue serge, made very military, one piece, with big broad pleats over the shoulders with rows of big, black buttons down both sides, and swirls, with panels front and back, made quite short little
white bands around the collar and sleeves, and sort blue hats. At first we didn't like the idea of having to wear uniforms all the time, but we have learned the wisdom of it now, for it gives protection, and everywhere we go they leave us in without charges whatever.
Waldorf Hotel, England, June 2, 1917
Dear Mother,
...in a restaurant the orchestra played the Star Spangled Banner, and maybe we didn't cheer! You never appreciate your own National Air until you hear it in some foreign land. Everyone living in London has been lovely to us, but the Americans living here are particularly so.
On Wednesday we had tea at the Astor country home, and yesterday six of us had tea with Miss Emily Sergeant, a sister of John Sargeant, who is considered America's most famous artist, so you can see we are getting well treated, but at that, I am ready to go back work.
Don't worry if you don't hear from me, for you will be cabled promptly if anything goes wrong.
Heaps of love, your very own, Helen
Base Hospital No. 10, Le Treport, France
Dear Mother,
The wind is whistling around the hut. I do not mind the rain so much, but the wind makes me cross, and it blows a perfect gale, even in perfect weather. You should see our clothes, no fancy things for us. I have 2 rain hats and 2 raincoats and a pair of rubber boots, so we never stay in on account of rain. One soldier said, "I didn't know American girls were so ugly."
After finding a rickety old Ford to take us, went shopping in Dieppe today on our half day off. I bought a knitted underskirt and a pair of the heaviest shoes l have ever had, great high ones too, cost fifteen dollars.
One has to pay well for everything here, but I am going to keep warm if possible. I had a notion to have you send me some shoes, as it is often impossible to find shoes here that we can wear, as they are such queer shapes.
Heaps and heaps of love, your very own,
Helen.
Nurse Helen Fairchild
THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES - PAASCHENDAELE, WORLD WAR I
The casualty clearing stations were frequently the scene of the most distressing sight which human eye can witness, that is the re-wounding and killing of already wounded men by an enemy's bomb dropped suddenly in the dead of night. There was hardly a moonlight night that the Hun did not visit our neighborhood and drop bombs. We dug below the level of the ground to form shallow graves, two by six, by eighteen inches deep, which were dug through the floor of our tents, and when the anti-aircraft guns were shooting and particles of the exploded shells were falling, we partly closed over a section of the floor of the tent which was hinged and which
had a piece of sheet iron nailed on the underside.
I was impressed with the bravery and fortitude of the women nurses. Night bombing is a terrifying thing, and those who are not disturbed by it possess unusual qualities. I believe the nurses showed less fear than anyone. In 1920 I had the opportunity to visit this casualty clearing station area again, where I found only a few of the metal huts standing, but was able to locate the nurses dug-out, and the holes in the ground where they slept,
Nurse Fairchild represented the truest type of womanhood and stood for the very best in the nursing profession.
Ida Downs, Pennsylvania Hospital, U.S.A.
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From Base Hospital No. 10, Paul B. Hoeber later wrote:
"Upon their arrival, sixty four American nurses were faced with a 2,000 bed hospital. The first hard experience came when an exceedingly large convoy of patients, overwhelmed by Mustard gas, and the picture of intense suffering, poured in on them in great numbers... 600 in less than 48 hours, and it was repeated for many a night.
Casualty Clearing Station No. 4, [Ypres-Passchendaele area]
August 1917
Dear Mother,
...I am with an operating team about 100 miles from our own Base Hospital, closer to the fighting lines. I'll sure have a lot to tell about this experience when I get home. I have been here three weeks and see no signs of going back yet, altho when we came we only expected to be here a few days. Of course, I didn't bring much with me. Had two white dresses and two aprons, and two combinations. Now can you imagine trying to keep decent with that much clothing in a place where it rains nearly every day. We all live in tents and wade through mud to and from the operating room where we stand in mud higher than our ankles. It was some task, but dear old Major Harte, who I am up here with, got a car and a man; to go down to our hospital and get us some things. He brought me six clean uniforms and aprons, beside heaps of notes from all the nurses, letters from home and all kinds of fruit and cake.
We made the trip up to this place in an auto-ambulance 100 miles through France. Oh I shall have books to tell when I get home.
Wounded soldiers at a Casualty Clearing Station, waiting to be taken to a Base Hospital.
Chief Nurse Julia Stimson was concerned for the nurses she sent for temporary duty at the casualty clearing stations.
Nurse Stimson wrote:
"...what with the steam, the ether, and the filthy clothes of the men...the odor in the operating room was so terrible that it was all any of them could do to keep from being sick...no mere handling of instruments and sponges, but sewing and tying up and putting in drains while the doctor takes the next piece of shell out of another place. Then after fourteen hours of this with freezing feet, to a meal of tea and bread and jam, then off to rest if you can, in a wet bell tent in a damp bed without sheets, after a wash with a cupful of water...one need never tell me that I women can't do as much, stand as much, and be as brave as men."
Base Hospital No. 10, October 1917
Dear Mother,
I hope by next summer I can be home to help eat the peaches Irma tells me you are putting up. One of the girls brought me some great big, dandy ones a day or two ago, but they were so bitter I couldn't eat them.
Just as soon as I get home I am going to get dresses all colors of the rainbow, but never again blue serge or a blue felt hat. Gee, now I know how the kids in orphan asylums must feel when they all have to wear the same kind of clothes.
Another of our operating team left for a place further up the lines this am. They went to relieve Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Packard and Miss McClelland, who have been up there since July 21st, and who are tired out. This team will take their place so they can come home.
Rained some last night and is frightfully windy and cold. I put on some woolen clothing for we do not have any fires in the hut yet, but in spite of two pairs of stockings my feet are cold. Right now I stopped writing and got two hot water bottles and have my feet on one and the other in my lap.
Please write letters often, they mean more to me than a package, for I get a little homesick sometimes.
Heaps and heaps of love and a big kiss to every one,
your very own, Helen.
THE LAST LETTER SENT HOME
Base Hospital No. 10, December 28, 1917
Dear Mother,
Had a letter from the States this week and was glad, for being sick this far from home is no fun, but everyone has been fine to me. My room is filled with flowers they bring me, and fruit galore. Miss Dunlop does everything she can to make me comfortable and came in and talked with me every couple of hours. She wanted me to come up in the cot in her sitting room, but I did not want to do that, for Wagner wanted me to stay in our own room where she could do things for me. Wagner sure is a friend indeed.
Dr. Norris was just in to see me and told me I could stop some of my medicine. He said my throat looked much better but I still can't go on duty "till I eat and get some color, so I see my finish, for as usual, I look like the wrath of Kingdom come, but I'll make them let me go back soon, for it's too lonesome here to be off duty.
Gee but I'll be glad to see you all by the time this war is over, but at the same time I am glad to be here to help take care of these poor men, and I'll be doubly glad when our own U.S. boys will be [in this part of France] with us, for they will be so far from home, and they will have no one but us American nurses to really take any genuine interest in them, for their own friends will not be able to reach them.
What the Red Cross and the YMCAs are doing for us here means so much to us. Really, it would be awful to get along without the things they send us. Most of the pleasure that the troops get are the ones provided by the YMCA.
If you could only see what the boys here have to go through sometimes, you would see they need all the comfort possible. Without the supplies sent to us by the Red Cross Society, we could not do half as much for them as we are.
Please tell me what it was that everyone seems to have heard concerning me at home. Of course, whatever it was, as you know, is not correct, for as I have told you often, anytime anything should happen, you would be notified.
Heaps of love, your very own, Helen.
War Department
Office of the Surgeon General
Washington, D.C.
January 24, 1918
Mr. Ambrose Fairchild
Allenwood, Union County, Pennsylvania
Dear Mr. Fairchild,
It is with regret that I have to inform you of the death of your daughter, Miss Helen Fairchild, RN, on January 18, 1918, while on duty with Base Hospital #10, American Expeditionary Forces, France.
D.E. Thompson, Superintendent Army Nurse Corps
The cause of Nurse Fairchild's death was "acute atrophy of the liver," according to General John J. Pershing. Exploratory surgery revealed a massive stomach ulcer, caused or made worse by exposure to Mustard gas and other gasses used by the enemy. The word was she gave her gas mask to a soldier. She was given a military funeral, a "most solemn and impressive ceremony, and buried in the uniform of an American Army nurse. Her funeral was attended by an entire garrison of English, Canadian, French and American officers, nurses and troops." Buried first in Mont Huron Cemetery, Le Treport, her body was removed to the Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, Bony, France; plot A, Row 15, grave 13.
Upon the organization of the Nurses' Post of the American Legion at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 1919, it was named the Helen Fairchild Nurses' Post 412, of the American Legion.
Helen Fairchild is registered in Women In Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington Cemetery, Virginia. Helen's sister, Christine McFarland, at 92, had the pleasure of registering her in the Memorial. Aunt Chris died in 1993. She was grateful that the stories of all women veterans would be preserved, upon the completion of this great Museum and Memorial.
The Women In Military Service for America Museum and Memorial, WIMSA, planned to display Nurse Fairchild's artifacts in their World War I display, but World War II has been given priority for the opening in October. As funds become available, the World War I exhibit will be completed.
Anyone may register the name of any woman veteran or veteran health caregiver, and is urged to do so. Contributions are also needed to reach the goal. The address is: WIMSA, Dept. 560., Washington, D.C. 20042-0560.
Kathleen Hall RGN, RM
(1896 - 1970)
Kathleen Hall was born in Napier, New Zealand in 1896 and later moved to Auckland. There she trained at Auckland Public Hospital.
In 1922 she was accepted by the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for missionary work in China. Before leaving New Zealand she successfully undertook midwifery training at St Helen's hospital in Christchurch.
In North China at that time there was one outstanding hospital where western medicine was practised, the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC). It was a very advanced institution, funded by the American Rockefeller Foundation and operated by British and American Protestant missions.
After several years language training and professional practice there, Kathleen was appointed Sister-in-Charge of a provincial hospital at Datong, later being transferred to the same position at Hejian and Anguo in Hebei Province.
She became acquainted with the deplorable living conditions in the Hebei mountains and in 1934 she obtained the permission of her Bishop to leave the cities and set up her own cottage hospital in the mountain village of Songjiazhuang.
In 1937 she had to return temporarily to take charge of the hospital at Anguo on the plains and she was in charge there when the Japanese invaded.
There was a great battle nearby, the Chinese were defeated and hers was the only hospital for hundreds of miles. The doctors fled and with a few Chinese nurses she was left to deal with many hundred casualties.
As the Japanese pushed southwards, she was able to return to her own hospital in the mountains, to find that it was now in "no-man's land" between the Chinese guerilla forces and the Japanese. With her British passport she could move comparatively freely, and before long she was making long journeys to Peking to purchase medical supplies, much of which she passed on to the Chinese army, until caught by the Japanese.
They put her on a ship for New Zealand, but she disembarked at Hong Kong and joined the Chinese Red Cross. She made a dangerous journey through inland China to rejoin the 8th Route Army. Eventually she was struck down with beriberi, and repatriated to New Zealand.
After the war the helped to establish a model leper colony in Hong Kong, and in her final years of service she worked with the Anglican Maori Mission at Te Kuiti and Waitara.
In retirement she devoted her life to telling New Zealanders the truth about China. She worked very hard to bring the various Friendship groups in Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Wellington and Christchurch together to form the NZ-China Friendship Society, which was inaugurated in Wellington in 1958, with Kathleen as a member of the first National Committee.
She was able to revisit China twice more, in 1960 and 1964. She died in Hamilton in 1970.
In 1993 a delegation of friends and relatives carried her ashes back to China in accordance with her wishes.
In 1996 the local people of Quyang County celebrated the centennial of her birth by creating a beautiful marble statue and setting it up in the village of Songjiazhuang where she had established her clinic.
A China Today article published in 1997 describes this moving event, and gives more details of Kathleen's life.
In 2000, her clinic was rebuilt with a donation of $15,000 from our Society, which has been tripled by a subsidy from the N.Z. Government. The completion of the rebuilding project was celebrated in June 2000 and the clinic was officially reopened in July 2001. Click here to view pictures of both celebrations.
Margaret Sanger
Many don't realize the very short period of time in our history we as a society have been allowed to participate in using birth control. Many are also unaware that we contribute the advocacy and use of birth control to famed nurse Margaret Sanger. Her crusade to legitimize birth control and give women the right to choose was one that showed much opposition from not only the government but also the Catholic Church. But no one understood the importance of birth control more than Sanger. She was the sixth of eleven children, whose mother died while she was young and whose death was attributed to her many pregnancies. Sanger started her career working in the poor ghettos of New York City, seeing first hand the atrocities that came with complicated pregnancies and self-abortions. As a nurse, she realized the only way to combat these problems was to target the source of the problem: child birth. This would begin her crusade to educate the poor working class about birth control, in addition to several writings which discussed elements of growth for young women. Throughout her career she would be resisted by those who thought her teachings were lewd or pornographic, as in the early twentieth century it was not customary to discuss sexual relations in public. The Catholic Church also showed much opposition as her teachings went against the churches, but back down over time as they decided to focus on teaching abstinence to their followers as a means to control birth. Sanger would spent her later years spreading her message to the more elite in order to convince them of the needs of birth control and education in order to reach a much larger audience.
Margaret Sanger
Many don't realize the very short period of time in our history we as a society have been allowed to participate in using birth control. Many are also unaware that we contribute the advocacy and use of birth control to famed nurse Margaret Sanger. Her crusade to legitimize birth control and give women the right to choose was one that showed much opposition from not only the government but also the Catholic Church. But no one understood the importance of birth control more than Sanger. She was the sixth of eleven children, whose mother died while she was young and whose death was attributed to her many pregnancies. Sanger started her career working in the poor ghettos of New York City, seeing first hand the atrocities that came with complicated pregnancies and self-abortions. As a nurse, she realized the only way to combat these problems was to target the source of the problem: child birth. This would begin her crusade to educate the poor working class about birth control, in addition to several writings which discussed elements of growth for young women. Throughout her career she would be resisted by those who thought her teachings were lewd or pornographic, as in the early twentieth century it was not customary to discuss sexual relations in public. The Catholic Church also showed much opposition as her teachings went against the churches, but back down over time as they decided to focus on teaching abstinence to their followers as a means to control birth. Sanger would spent her later years spreading her message to the more elite in order to convince them of the needs of birth control and education in order to reach a much larger audience.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819 – 1892): Few people realize that the famous poet was also a volunteer nurse. Whitman worked as a nurse at Army hospitals set up during the Civil War. Many of his observations during this time led to his “The Great Army of the Sick.” Whitman was known for his egalitarian views, as well as for his political interest and poems.
Walt Whitman, 1887
Born May 31, 1819(1819-05-31)
West Hills, Town of Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S.
Died March 26, 1892 (aged 72)
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.
Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War in addition to publishing his poetry. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey where his health further declined. He died at age 72 and his funeral became a public spectacle.[2][3]
Whitman's sexuality is often discussed alongside his poetry. Though biographers continue to debate his sexuality, he is usually described as either homosexual or bisexual in his feelings and attractions.[4] However, there is disagreement among biographers as to whether Whitman had actual sexual experiences with men.[5] Whitman was concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso and opposed the extension of slavery generally. His poetry presented an egalitarian view of the races, and at one point he called for the abolition of slavery, but later he saw the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy.[6
Hazel W. Johnson-Brown:
The first African-American woman general in history, Hazel W. Johnson-Brown is also a skilled nurse. She served as the chief of the Army Nurse Corps. and served as dean of the Walter Reed Army Institute School of Nursing. She was introduced to the army while working at a Veteran’s hospital. It is hard to believe, considering her accomplishments, that she was first rejected for nursing school at the West Chester School of Nursing because of her race.
Hazel Johnson-Brown made military history when she became the first African American woman general in 1979. She entered the U.S. Army in 1955, shortly after President Harry Truman banned segregation in the armed services. When she retired from the military in 1983, the list of credentials Johnson-Brown had accumulated was impressive. Some of the positions she held included project director at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command in Washington, D.C.; dean of the Walter Reed Army Institute School of Nursing; and special assistant to the chief of the U.S. Army Medical Command in Korea. She reached the pinnacle of her military career when she was appointed Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, with the rank of Brigadier General.
Born in 1927 in Malvern, Pennsylvania and one of seven children, she was raised on her father’s farm in nearby West Chester. Inspired by a local white public heath nurse when she was 12, Johnson decided that she too would become a nurse. She applied to the West Chester School of Nursing, but was rejected because she was black. She did not, however, let this stand in her way. She left West Chester for New York City in 1947, and enrolled in the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing.
After graduating, she went to work at the Philadelphia Veteran’s Hospital in 1953. It was there that her colleagues noticed her natural leadership abilities, and suggested she join the Army. After one meeting with a recruiter, she enlisted for what she thought would be a two-year tour. Instead, she swiftly rose through the ranks, enjoying a remarkable military career that spanned almost three decades.
As the first African American appointed as Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Johnson commanded 7,000 male and female nurses in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves. She also set policy and oversaw operations in eight Army medical centers, fifty-six community hospitals and one hundred forty-three freestanding clinics in the United States, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, and Panama.
While in the army, she continued her formal education, earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova University, a master’s degree in nursing education from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in education administration from Catholic University. Two years before retiring from the army in 1983, she married David Brown.
Following her retirement, Johnson-Brown enjoyed a distinguished “second” career in academia. She served as professor of nursing at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and finally at George Mason University in Virginia. At George Mason University, she was instrumental in founding the Center for Health Policy, designed to educate and involve nurses in health policy and policy design.
She retired from teaching in 1997. She continues to live in the Washington area, serving on a variety of university and health administration boards.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), a Measured Response
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT),
REBT previously called rational therapy and rational emotive therapy, is a comprehensive, active-directive, philosophically and empirically based psychotherapy which focuses on resolving emotional and behavioral problems and disturbances and enabling people to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. REBT was created and developed by the American psychotherapist and psychologist Albert Ellis who was inspired by many of the teachings of Asian, Greek, Roman and modern philosophers. REBT is one form of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and was first expounded by Ellis in the mid-1950s; development continued until his death in 2007.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Theoretical assumptions
3 Psychological dysfunction
4 Mental wellness
5 REBT Intervention
6 Limitations and critique
7 Applications and interfaces
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
10.1 General
10.2 REBT Applications
10.3 Forums
[edit] History
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is both a psychotherapeutic system of theory and practices and a school of thought established by Albert Ellis. Originally called rational therapy, its appellation was revised to rational emotive therapy in 1959, then to its current appellation in 1992. REBT was one of the first of the cognitive behavior therapies, as it was predicated in articles Ellis first published in 1956,[1] nearly a decade before Aaron Beck first set forth his cognitive therapy.[2]
[edit] Theoretical assumptions
One of the fundamental premises of REBT is that humans, in most cases, do not merely get upset by unfortunate adversities, but also by how they construct their views of reality through their language, evaluative beliefs, meanings and philosophies about the world, themselves and others.[3] In REBT, clients usually learn and begin to apply this premise by learning the A-B-C-model of psychological disturbance and change. The A-B-C model states that it normally is not merely an A, adversity (or activating event) that contributes to disturbed and dysfunctional emotional and behavioral Cs, consequences, but also what people B, believe about the A, adversity. A, adversity can be either an external situation or a thought or other kind of internal event, and it can refer to an event in the past, present, or future.[4]
The Bs, beliefs that are most important in the A-B-C model are explicit and implicit philosophical meanings and assumptions about events, personal desires, and preferences. The Bs, beliefs that are most significant are highly evaluative and consists of interrelated and integrated cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects and dimensions. According to REBT, if a person's evaluative B, belief about the A, activating event is rigid, absolutistic and dysfunctional, the C, the emotional and behavioral consequence, is likely to be self-defeating and destructive. Alternatively, if a person's evaluative B, belief is preferential, flexible and constructive, the C, the emotional and behavioral consequence is likely to be self-helping and constructive.
Through REBT, by understanding the role of their mediating, evaluative and philosophically based illogical, unrealistic and self-defeating meanings, interpretations and assumptions in upset, people often can learn to identify them, begin to D, dispute, refute, challenge and question them, distinguish them from healthy constructs, and subscribe to more constructive and self-helping constructs.[5]
The REBT framework assumes that humans have both innate rational (meaning self- and social-helping and constructive) and irrational (meaning self- and social-defeating and un-helpful) tendencies and leanings. REBT claims that people to a large degree consciously and unconsciously construct emotional difficulties such as self-blame, self-pity, clinical anger, hurt, guilt, shame, depression and anxiety, and behaviors and behavior tendencies like procrastination, over-compulsiveness, avoidance, addiction and withdrawal by the means of their irrational and self-defeating thinking, emoting and behaving.[6] REBT is then applied as an educational process in which the therapist often active-directively teaches the client how to identify irrational and self-defeating beliefs and philosophies which in nature are rigid, extreme, unrealistic, illogical and absolutist, and then to forcefully and actively question and dispute them and replace them with more rational and self-helping ones. By using different cognitive, emotive and behavioral methods and activities, the client, together with help from the therapist and in homework exercises, can gain a more rational, self-helping and constructive rational way of thinking, emoting and behaving. One of the main objectives in REBT is to show the client that whenever unpleasant and unfortunate activating events occur in people's lives, they have a choice of making themselves feel healthily and self-helpingly sorry, disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed, or making themselves feel unhealthily and self-defeatingly horrified, terrified, panicked, depressed, self-hating, and self-pitying.[7] By attaining and ingraining a more rational and self-constructive philosophy of themselves, others and the world, people often are more likely to behave and emote in more life-serving and adaptive ways.
Albert Ellis[7] posits three major insights of REBT:
Insight 1 - People seeing and accepting the reality that their emotional disturbances at point C only partially stem from the activating events or adversities at point A that precede C. Although A contributes to C, and although disturbed Cs (such as feelings of panic and depression) are much more likely to follow strong negative As (such as being assaulted or raped), than they are to follow weak As (such as being disliked by a stranger), the main or more direct cores of extreme and dysfunctional emotional disturbances (Cs) are people’s irrational beliefs — the absolutistic musts and their accompanying inferences and attributions that people strongly believe about their undesirable activating events.
Insight 2 - No matter how, when, and why people acquire self-defeating or irrational beliefs (i.e. beliefs which are the main cause of their dysfunctional emotional-behavioral consequences), if they are disturbed in the present, they tend to keep holding these irrational beliefs and continue upsetting themselves with these thoughts. They do so not because they held them in the past, but because they still actively hold them in the present, though often unconsciously, while continuing to reaffirm their beliefs and act as if they are still valid. In their minds and hearts they still follow the core "musturbatory" philosophies they adopted or invented long ago, or ones they recently accepted or constructed.
Insight 3 - No matter how well they have achieved insight 1 and insight 2, insight alone will rarely enable people to undo their emotional disturbances. They may feel better when they know, or think they know, how they became disturbed - since insights can give the impression of being useful and curative. But, it is unlikely that they will actually get better and stay better unless they accept insights 1 and 2, and then also go on to strongly apply insight 3: There is usually no way to get better and stay better but by: continual work and practice in looking for, and finding, one’s core irrational beliefs; actively, energetically, and scientifically disputing them; replacing one’s absolutist musts with flexible preferences; changing one's unhealthy feelings to healthy, self-helping emotions; and firmly acting against one’s dysfunctional fears and compulsions. Only by a combined cognitive, emotive, and behavioral, as well as a quite persistent and forceful attack on one's serious emotional problems, is one likely to significantly ameliorate or remove them — and keep them removed.
Regarding cognitive-affective-behavioral processes in mental functioning and dysfunctioning, originator Albert Ellis explains:[7]
"REBT assumes that human thinking, emotion, and action are not really separate or disparate processes, but that they all significantly overlap and are rarely experienced in a pure state. Much of what we call emotion is nothing more nor less than a certain kind — a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind — of thought. But emotions and behaviors significantly influence and affect thinking, just as thinking influences emotions and behaviors. Evaluating is a fundamental characteristic of human organisms and seems to work in a kind of closed circuit with a feedback mechanism: Because perception biases response and then response tends to bias subsequent perception. Also, prior perceptions appear to bias subsequent perceptions, and prior responses appear to bias subsequent responses. What we call feelings almost always have a pronounced evaluating or appraisal element."
REBT then generally proposes that many of these self-defeating cognitive, emotive and behavioral tendencies are both innately biological and indoctrinated early in and during life, and further grow stronger as a person continually revisits, clings and acts on them. Ellis alluded to similarities between REBT and General Semantics in explaining the role of irrational beliefs in self-defeating tendencies, citing Alfred Korzybski as a significant modern influence on this thinking.[citation needed]
REBT differs from other clinical approaches like psychoanalysis in that it places little emphasis on exploring the past, but instead focuses on changing the current evaluations and philosophical thinking-emoting and behaving in relation to themselves, others and the conditions under which people live.
[edit] Psychological dysfunction
One of the main pillars of REBT is that irrational and dysfunctional ways and patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving are contributing to much, though hardly all, human disturbance and emotional and behavioral self- and social defeatism. REBT generally teaches that when people turn flexible preferences, desires and wishes into grandiose, absolutistic and fatalistic dictates, this tends to contribute to disturbance and upsetness.
Albert Ellis has suggested three core beliefs or philosophies that humans tend to disturb themselves through:[7]
"I absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions and at all times, perform well (or outstandingly well) and win the approval (or complete love) of significant others. If I fail in these important—and sacred—respects, that is awful and I am a bad, incompetent, unworthy person, who will probably always fail and deserves to suffer." "Other people with whom I relate or associate, absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions and at all times, treat me nicely, considerately and fairly. Otherwise, it is terrible and they are rotten, bad, unworthy people who will always treat me badly and do not deserve a good life and should be severely punished for acting so abominably to me." "The conditions under which I live absolutely MUST, at practically all times, be favorable, safe, hassle-free, and quickly and easily enjoyable, and if they are not that way it's awful and horrible and I can't bear it. I can't ever enjoy myself at all. My life is impossible and hardly worth living."
Holding this belief when faced with adversity tends to contribute to feelings of anxiety, panic, depression, despair, and worthlessness. Holding this belief when faced with adversity tends to contribute to feelings of anger, rage, fury, and vindictiveness. Holding this belief when faced with adversity tends to contribute to frustration and discomfort, intolerance, self-pity, anger, depression, and to behaviors such as procrastination, avoidance, and inaction.
REBT commonly posits that at the core of irrational beliefs there often are explicit or implicit rigid demands and commands, and that extreme derivatives like awfulizing, frustration intolerance, people deprecation and over-generalizations are accompanied by these.[4] According to REBT the core dysfunctional philosophies in a person's evaluative emotional and behavioral belief system, are also very likely to contribute to unrealistic, arbitrary and crooked inferences and distortions in thinking. REBT therefore first teaches that when people in an insensible and devout way overuse absolutistic, dogmatic and rigid "shoulds", "musts", and "oughts", they tend to disturb and upset themselves.
Further REBT generally posits that disturbed evaluations to a large degree occur through over-generalization, wherein people exaggerate and globalize events or traits, usually unwanted events or traits or behavior, out of context, while almost always ignoring the positive events or traits or behaviors. For example, awfulizing is partly mental magnification of the importance of an unwanted situation to a catastrophe or horror, elevating the rating of something from bad to worse than it should be, to beyond totally bad, worse than bad to the intolerable and to a "holocaust". The same exaggeration and overgeneralizing occurs with human rating, wherein humans come to be arbitrarily and axiomatically defined by their perceived flaws or misdeeds. Frustration intolerance then occurs when a person perceives something to be too difficult, painful or tedious, and by doing so exaggerates these qualities beyond one's ability to cope with them.
Essential to REBT theory is also the concept of secondary disturbances which people sometimes construct on top of their primary disturbance. As Ellis emphasizes:[7]
"Because of their self-consciousness and their ability to think about their thinking, they can very easily disturb themselves about their disturbances and can also disturb themselves about their ineffective attempts to overcome their emotional disturbances."
[edit] Mental wellness
As would be expected, REBT argues that mental wellness and mental health to a large degree results from a surfeit of self-helping, flexible, logico-empirical ways of thinking, emoting and behaving.[6] When a perceived undesired and stressful activating event occurs, and the individual is interpreting, evaluating and reacting to the situation rationally and self-helpingly, then the resulting consequence is, according to REBT, likely to be more healthy, constructive and functional. This does not by any means mean that a relatively un-disturbed person never experiences negative feelings, but REBT does hope to keep debilitating and un-healthy emotions and subsequent self-defeating behavior to a minimum. To do this REBT generally promotes a flexible, un-dogmatic, self-helping and efficient belief system and constructive life philosophy about adversities and human desires and preferences.
REBT clearly acknowledges that people, in addition to disturbing themselves, also are innately constructivists. Because they largely upset themselves with their beliefs, emotions and behaviors, they can be helped to, in a multimodal manner, dispute and question these and develop a more workable, more self-helping set of constructs.
REBT generally teaches and promotes:
That the concepts and philosophies of life of unconditional self-acceptance, other-acceptance, and life-acceptance are effective philosophies of life in achieving mental wellness and mental health.
That human beings are inherently fallible and imperfect and that they had better accept their and other human being's totality and humanity, while at the same time not like some of their behaviors and characteristics. That they are better off not measuring their entire self or their "being" and give up the narrow, grandiose and ultimately destructive notion to give themselves any global rating or report card. This is partly because all humans are continually evolving and are far too complex to accurately rate; all humans do both self- and social-defeating and self- and social-helping deeds, and have both beneficial and un-beneficial attributes and traits at certain times and in certain conditions. REBT holds that ideas and feelings about self-worth are largely definitional and are not empirically confirmable or falsifiable.
That people had better accept life with its hassles and difficulties not always in accordance with their wants, while trying to change what they can change and live as elegantly as possible with what they can not change.
[edit] REBT Intervention
As explained, REBT is a therapeutic system of both theory and practices; generally one of the goals of REBT is to help clients see the ways in which they have learned how they often needlessly upset themselves, teach them how to un-upset themselves and then how to empower themselves to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.[3] The emphasis in therapy is generally to establish a successful collaborative therapeutic working alliance based on the REBT educational model. Although REBT teaches that the therapist or counsellor had better demonstrate unconditional other-acceptance or unconditional positive regard, the therapist is not necessarily always encouraged to build a warm and caring relationship with the client. The tasks of the therapist or counsellor include understanding the client’s concerns from his point of reference and work as a facilitator, teacher and encourager.
In traditional REBT, the client together with the therapist, in a structured active-directive manner, often work through a set of target problems and establish a set of therapeutic goals. In these target problems, situational dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and beliefs are assessed in regards to the client's values and goals. After working through these problems, the client learns to generalize insights to other relevant situations. In many cases after going through a client's different target problems, the therapist is interested in examining possible core beliefs and more deep rooted philosophical evaluations and schemas that might account for a wider array of problematic emotions and behaviors.[4] Although REBT much of the time is used as a brief therapy, in deeper and more complex problems, longer therapy is promoted.
In therapy, the first step often is that the client acknowledges the problems, accepts emotional responsibility for these and has willingness and determination to change. This normally requires a considerable amount of insight, but as originator Albert Ellis[7] explains:
"Humans, unlike just about all the other animals on earth, create fairly sophisticated languages which not only enable them to think about their feeling, their actions, and the results they get from doing and not doing certain things, but they also are able to think about their thinking and even think about thinking about their thinking."
Through the therapeutic process, REBT employs a wide array of forceful and active, meaning multimodal and disputing, methodologies. Central through these methods and techniques is the intent to help the client challenge, dispute and question their destructive and self-defeating cognitions, emotions and behaviors. The methods and techniques incorporate cognitive-philosophic, emotive-evocative-dramatic, and behavioral methods for disputation of the client's irrational and self-defeating constructs and helps the client come up with more rational and self-constructive ones. REBT seeks to acknowledge that understanding and insight are not enough; in order for clients to significantly change, they had better pinpoint their irrational and self-defeating constructs and work forcefully and actively at changing them to more functional and self-helping ones.
REBT posits that the client must work hard to get better, and in therapy this normally includes a wide array of homework exercises in day-to-day life assigned by the therapist. The assignments may for example include desensitization tasks, i.e., by having the client confront the very thing he or she is afraid of. By doing so, the client is actively acting against the belief that often is contributing significantly to the disturbance.
Another factor contributing to the brevity of REBT is that the therapist seeks to empower the client to help himself through future adversities. REBT only promotes temporary solutions if more fundamental solutions are not found. An ideal successful collaboration between the REBT therapist and a client results in changes to the client's philosophical way of evaluating him- or herself, others, and his or her life, which will likely yield effective results. The client then moves toward unconditional self-acceptance, other-acceptance and life-acceptance while striving to live a more self-fulfilling and happier life.
[edit] Limitations and critique
REBT and CBT in general have a substantial and strong research base to verify and support both their psychotherapeutic efficiency and their theoretical underpinnings. A great quantity of scientific empirical studies have proven REBT to be an effective and efficient treatment for many kinds of psychopathology, conditions and problems[7][8].[9][10] A vast amount of outcome- and experimental studies support the effectiveness of REBT and CBT.[11][12] Recently, REBT randomized clinical trials have offered a positive view on the efficacy of REBT.[13]
In general REBT is arguably one of the most investigated theories in the field of psychotherapy and a large amount of clinical experience and a substantial body of modern psychological research have validated and substantiated many of REBTs theoretical assumptions on personality and psychotherapy[14].[9][13] Some critiques have been given on some of the clinical research that has been done on REBT both from within and by others. For instance originator Albert Ellis has on occasions emphasized the difficulty and complexity of measuring psychotherapeutic effectiveness, since many studies only tend to measure whether clients merely feel better after therapy instead of them getting better and staying better.[6] Ellis has also criticized studies for having limited focus primarily to cognitive restructuring aspects, as opposed to the combination of cognitive, emotive and behavioral aspects of REBT.[9] As REBT has been subject to criticisms during its existence, especially in its early years, REBT theorists have a long history of publishing and addressing those concerns. It has also been argued by Ellis and by other clinicians that REBT theory on numerous occasions has been misunderstood and misconstrued both in research and in general.[13]
Some have criticized REBT for being harsh, formulaic and failing to address deep underlying problems.[14] This has been cogently refuted by REBT theorists who have pointed out that a careful study of REBT shows that it is both philosophically deep, humanistic and individualized collaboratively working on the basis of the client’s point of reference.[3][14] They have further pointed out that REBT utilizes an integrated and interrelated methodology of cognitive, emotive-experiential and behavioral interventions.[3][9] Others have questioned REBTs view of rationality, both radical constructivists who have claimed that reason and logic are subjective properties and those who believe that reason can be objectively determined.[14] REBT theorists have refuted these claims by maintaining that REBT raises objections to clients irrational choices and conclusions as a working hypothesis and through collaborative efforts demonstrate the irrationality on practical, functional and social consensual grounds.[7][14] In 1998 when asked what the main criticism on REBT was, Albert Ellis replied that it was the claim that it was too rational and not dealing sufficiently enough with emotions. He repudiated the claim by saying that REBT on the contrary emphasized that thinking, feeling, and behaving are interrelated and integrated, and that it includes a vast amount of both emotional and behavioral methods in addition to cognitive ones.[15]
Seen as a quite controversial figure in some camps, Ellis has also received criticism that has arguably been more directed at him than his psychotherapy. These include his use of four-letter words and confrontational attitude.[citation needed][who?] In addition Ellis has himself in very direct terms criticized opposing approaches such as psychoanalysis, transpersonal psychology and abreactive psychotherapies in addition to on several occasions questioning some of the doctrines in certain religious systems, spiritualism and mysticism. Many, including REBT practitioners, have warned against dogmatizing and sacredizing REBT as a supposedly perfect psychological cure-all and panacea. Prominent REBTers have promoted the importance of high quality and programmatic research, including originator Ellis, a self-proclaimed "passionate skeptic". He has on many occasions been open to challenges and acknowledged errors and inefficiencies in his approach and concurrently revised his theories and practices.[7][14] In general, with regard to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies' interventions, others have pointed out that as about 30-40% of people are still nonresponsive to interventions, that REBT could be a platform of reinvigorating empirical studies on the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioral models of psychopathology and human functioning.[13]
REBT has generally in quite many ways been developed, revised and augmented through the years as understanding, knowledge and science about psychology and psychotherapy have progressed. This includes both its theoretical concepts but also its practices and methodology. Inherent in REBT as an approach has been the teaching of scientific thinking, reasonableness and un-dogmatism and these ways of thinking have been part of REBT's empiricism and skepticism.
[edit] Applications and interfaces
REBT is used with a broad range of clinical problems in traditional psychotherapeutic settings such as individual-, group- and family therapy. It is used as a general treatment for a vast number of different conditions and psychological problems normally associated with psychotherapy.
In addition, REBT is used with non-clinical problems and problems of living through counselling, consultation and coaching settings dealing with problems including relationships, social skills, career changes, stress management, assertiveness training, grief, problems with aging, money, weight control etc.
REBT also has many interfaces and applications through self-help resources, phone- and internet counseling, workshops & seminars, workplace and educational programmes, etc. This includes Rational Emotive Education (REE) where REBT is applied in education settings, Rational Effectiveness Training in business and work-settings and SMART Recovery (Self Management And Recovery Training) in supporting those in addiction recovery. In addition a wide variety of special treatment strategies and applications have been developed for different kinds of specialized groups.
Albert Ellis consistently used hypnosis as an adjunct to REBT throughout his professional life. He acknowledged a number of similarities hypnosis shares with REBT. (1986; 1993) For example, both Hypnosis and REBT are active and directive in therapist style. Additionally most traditional approaches to Hypnosis help clients to develop powerful coping statements which can impact the client's life positively. REBT similarly helps clients to dispute their irrational self-defeating beliefs and to replace them with rational self-supporting and constructive beliefs. A number of therapeutic models have emerged which attempt to combine the two therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH).
REBT previously called rational therapy and rational emotive therapy, is a comprehensive, active-directive, philosophically and empirically based psychotherapy which focuses on resolving emotional and behavioral problems and disturbances and enabling people to lead happier and more fulfilling lives. REBT was created and developed by the American psychotherapist and psychologist Albert Ellis who was inspired by many of the teachings of Asian, Greek, Roman and modern philosophers. REBT is one form of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and was first expounded by Ellis in the mid-1950s; development continued until his death in 2007.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Theoretical assumptions
3 Psychological dysfunction
4 Mental wellness
5 REBT Intervention
6 Limitations and critique
7 Applications and interfaces
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
10.1 General
10.2 REBT Applications
10.3 Forums
[edit] History
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is both a psychotherapeutic system of theory and practices and a school of thought established by Albert Ellis. Originally called rational therapy, its appellation was revised to rational emotive therapy in 1959, then to its current appellation in 1992. REBT was one of the first of the cognitive behavior therapies, as it was predicated in articles Ellis first published in 1956,[1] nearly a decade before Aaron Beck first set forth his cognitive therapy.[2]
[edit] Theoretical assumptions
One of the fundamental premises of REBT is that humans, in most cases, do not merely get upset by unfortunate adversities, but also by how they construct their views of reality through their language, evaluative beliefs, meanings and philosophies about the world, themselves and others.[3] In REBT, clients usually learn and begin to apply this premise by learning the A-B-C-model of psychological disturbance and change. The A-B-C model states that it normally is not merely an A, adversity (or activating event) that contributes to disturbed and dysfunctional emotional and behavioral Cs, consequences, but also what people B, believe about the A, adversity. A, adversity can be either an external situation or a thought or other kind of internal event, and it can refer to an event in the past, present, or future.[4]
The Bs, beliefs that are most important in the A-B-C model are explicit and implicit philosophical meanings and assumptions about events, personal desires, and preferences. The Bs, beliefs that are most significant are highly evaluative and consists of interrelated and integrated cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects and dimensions. According to REBT, if a person's evaluative B, belief about the A, activating event is rigid, absolutistic and dysfunctional, the C, the emotional and behavioral consequence, is likely to be self-defeating and destructive. Alternatively, if a person's evaluative B, belief is preferential, flexible and constructive, the C, the emotional and behavioral consequence is likely to be self-helping and constructive.
Through REBT, by understanding the role of their mediating, evaluative and philosophically based illogical, unrealistic and self-defeating meanings, interpretations and assumptions in upset, people often can learn to identify them, begin to D, dispute, refute, challenge and question them, distinguish them from healthy constructs, and subscribe to more constructive and self-helping constructs.[5]
The REBT framework assumes that humans have both innate rational (meaning self- and social-helping and constructive) and irrational (meaning self- and social-defeating and un-helpful) tendencies and leanings. REBT claims that people to a large degree consciously and unconsciously construct emotional difficulties such as self-blame, self-pity, clinical anger, hurt, guilt, shame, depression and anxiety, and behaviors and behavior tendencies like procrastination, over-compulsiveness, avoidance, addiction and withdrawal by the means of their irrational and self-defeating thinking, emoting and behaving.[6] REBT is then applied as an educational process in which the therapist often active-directively teaches the client how to identify irrational and self-defeating beliefs and philosophies which in nature are rigid, extreme, unrealistic, illogical and absolutist, and then to forcefully and actively question and dispute them and replace them with more rational and self-helping ones. By using different cognitive, emotive and behavioral methods and activities, the client, together with help from the therapist and in homework exercises, can gain a more rational, self-helping and constructive rational way of thinking, emoting and behaving. One of the main objectives in REBT is to show the client that whenever unpleasant and unfortunate activating events occur in people's lives, they have a choice of making themselves feel healthily and self-helpingly sorry, disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed, or making themselves feel unhealthily and self-defeatingly horrified, terrified, panicked, depressed, self-hating, and self-pitying.[7] By attaining and ingraining a more rational and self-constructive philosophy of themselves, others and the world, people often are more likely to behave and emote in more life-serving and adaptive ways.
Albert Ellis[7] posits three major insights of REBT:
Insight 1 - People seeing and accepting the reality that their emotional disturbances at point C only partially stem from the activating events or adversities at point A that precede C. Although A contributes to C, and although disturbed Cs (such as feelings of panic and depression) are much more likely to follow strong negative As (such as being assaulted or raped), than they are to follow weak As (such as being disliked by a stranger), the main or more direct cores of extreme and dysfunctional emotional disturbances (Cs) are people’s irrational beliefs — the absolutistic musts and their accompanying inferences and attributions that people strongly believe about their undesirable activating events.
Insight 2 - No matter how, when, and why people acquire self-defeating or irrational beliefs (i.e. beliefs which are the main cause of their dysfunctional emotional-behavioral consequences), if they are disturbed in the present, they tend to keep holding these irrational beliefs and continue upsetting themselves with these thoughts. They do so not because they held them in the past, but because they still actively hold them in the present, though often unconsciously, while continuing to reaffirm their beliefs and act as if they are still valid. In their minds and hearts they still follow the core "musturbatory" philosophies they adopted or invented long ago, or ones they recently accepted or constructed.
Insight 3 - No matter how well they have achieved insight 1 and insight 2, insight alone will rarely enable people to undo their emotional disturbances. They may feel better when they know, or think they know, how they became disturbed - since insights can give the impression of being useful and curative. But, it is unlikely that they will actually get better and stay better unless they accept insights 1 and 2, and then also go on to strongly apply insight 3: There is usually no way to get better and stay better but by: continual work and practice in looking for, and finding, one’s core irrational beliefs; actively, energetically, and scientifically disputing them; replacing one’s absolutist musts with flexible preferences; changing one's unhealthy feelings to healthy, self-helping emotions; and firmly acting against one’s dysfunctional fears and compulsions. Only by a combined cognitive, emotive, and behavioral, as well as a quite persistent and forceful attack on one's serious emotional problems, is one likely to significantly ameliorate or remove them — and keep them removed.
Regarding cognitive-affective-behavioral processes in mental functioning and dysfunctioning, originator Albert Ellis explains:[7]
"REBT assumes that human thinking, emotion, and action are not really separate or disparate processes, but that they all significantly overlap and are rarely experienced in a pure state. Much of what we call emotion is nothing more nor less than a certain kind — a biased, prejudiced, or strongly evaluative kind — of thought. But emotions and behaviors significantly influence and affect thinking, just as thinking influences emotions and behaviors. Evaluating is a fundamental characteristic of human organisms and seems to work in a kind of closed circuit with a feedback mechanism: Because perception biases response and then response tends to bias subsequent perception. Also, prior perceptions appear to bias subsequent perceptions, and prior responses appear to bias subsequent responses. What we call feelings almost always have a pronounced evaluating or appraisal element."
REBT then generally proposes that many of these self-defeating cognitive, emotive and behavioral tendencies are both innately biological and indoctrinated early in and during life, and further grow stronger as a person continually revisits, clings and acts on them. Ellis alluded to similarities between REBT and General Semantics in explaining the role of irrational beliefs in self-defeating tendencies, citing Alfred Korzybski as a significant modern influence on this thinking.[citation needed]
REBT differs from other clinical approaches like psychoanalysis in that it places little emphasis on exploring the past, but instead focuses on changing the current evaluations and philosophical thinking-emoting and behaving in relation to themselves, others and the conditions under which people live.
[edit] Psychological dysfunction
One of the main pillars of REBT is that irrational and dysfunctional ways and patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving are contributing to much, though hardly all, human disturbance and emotional and behavioral self- and social defeatism. REBT generally teaches that when people turn flexible preferences, desires and wishes into grandiose, absolutistic and fatalistic dictates, this tends to contribute to disturbance and upsetness.
Albert Ellis has suggested three core beliefs or philosophies that humans tend to disturb themselves through:[7]
"I absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions and at all times, perform well (or outstandingly well) and win the approval (or complete love) of significant others. If I fail in these important—and sacred—respects, that is awful and I am a bad, incompetent, unworthy person, who will probably always fail and deserves to suffer." "Other people with whom I relate or associate, absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions and at all times, treat me nicely, considerately and fairly. Otherwise, it is terrible and they are rotten, bad, unworthy people who will always treat me badly and do not deserve a good life and should be severely punished for acting so abominably to me." "The conditions under which I live absolutely MUST, at practically all times, be favorable, safe, hassle-free, and quickly and easily enjoyable, and if they are not that way it's awful and horrible and I can't bear it. I can't ever enjoy myself at all. My life is impossible and hardly worth living."
Holding this belief when faced with adversity tends to contribute to feelings of anxiety, panic, depression, despair, and worthlessness. Holding this belief when faced with adversity tends to contribute to feelings of anger, rage, fury, and vindictiveness. Holding this belief when faced with adversity tends to contribute to frustration and discomfort, intolerance, self-pity, anger, depression, and to behaviors such as procrastination, avoidance, and inaction.
REBT commonly posits that at the core of irrational beliefs there often are explicit or implicit rigid demands and commands, and that extreme derivatives like awfulizing, frustration intolerance, people deprecation and over-generalizations are accompanied by these.[4] According to REBT the core dysfunctional philosophies in a person's evaluative emotional and behavioral belief system, are also very likely to contribute to unrealistic, arbitrary and crooked inferences and distortions in thinking. REBT therefore first teaches that when people in an insensible and devout way overuse absolutistic, dogmatic and rigid "shoulds", "musts", and "oughts", they tend to disturb and upset themselves.
Further REBT generally posits that disturbed evaluations to a large degree occur through over-generalization, wherein people exaggerate and globalize events or traits, usually unwanted events or traits or behavior, out of context, while almost always ignoring the positive events or traits or behaviors. For example, awfulizing is partly mental magnification of the importance of an unwanted situation to a catastrophe or horror, elevating the rating of something from bad to worse than it should be, to beyond totally bad, worse than bad to the intolerable and to a "holocaust". The same exaggeration and overgeneralizing occurs with human rating, wherein humans come to be arbitrarily and axiomatically defined by their perceived flaws or misdeeds. Frustration intolerance then occurs when a person perceives something to be too difficult, painful or tedious, and by doing so exaggerates these qualities beyond one's ability to cope with them.
Essential to REBT theory is also the concept of secondary disturbances which people sometimes construct on top of their primary disturbance. As Ellis emphasizes:[7]
"Because of their self-consciousness and their ability to think about their thinking, they can very easily disturb themselves about their disturbances and can also disturb themselves about their ineffective attempts to overcome their emotional disturbances."
[edit] Mental wellness
As would be expected, REBT argues that mental wellness and mental health to a large degree results from a surfeit of self-helping, flexible, logico-empirical ways of thinking, emoting and behaving.[6] When a perceived undesired and stressful activating event occurs, and the individual is interpreting, evaluating and reacting to the situation rationally and self-helpingly, then the resulting consequence is, according to REBT, likely to be more healthy, constructive and functional. This does not by any means mean that a relatively un-disturbed person never experiences negative feelings, but REBT does hope to keep debilitating and un-healthy emotions and subsequent self-defeating behavior to a minimum. To do this REBT generally promotes a flexible, un-dogmatic, self-helping and efficient belief system and constructive life philosophy about adversities and human desires and preferences.
REBT clearly acknowledges that people, in addition to disturbing themselves, also are innately constructivists. Because they largely upset themselves with their beliefs, emotions and behaviors, they can be helped to, in a multimodal manner, dispute and question these and develop a more workable, more self-helping set of constructs.
REBT generally teaches and promotes:
That the concepts and philosophies of life of unconditional self-acceptance, other-acceptance, and life-acceptance are effective philosophies of life in achieving mental wellness and mental health.
That human beings are inherently fallible and imperfect and that they had better accept their and other human being's totality and humanity, while at the same time not like some of their behaviors and characteristics. That they are better off not measuring their entire self or their "being" and give up the narrow, grandiose and ultimately destructive notion to give themselves any global rating or report card. This is partly because all humans are continually evolving and are far too complex to accurately rate; all humans do both self- and social-defeating and self- and social-helping deeds, and have both beneficial and un-beneficial attributes and traits at certain times and in certain conditions. REBT holds that ideas and feelings about self-worth are largely definitional and are not empirically confirmable or falsifiable.
That people had better accept life with its hassles and difficulties not always in accordance with their wants, while trying to change what they can change and live as elegantly as possible with what they can not change.
[edit] REBT Intervention
As explained, REBT is a therapeutic system of both theory and practices; generally one of the goals of REBT is to help clients see the ways in which they have learned how they often needlessly upset themselves, teach them how to un-upset themselves and then how to empower themselves to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.[3] The emphasis in therapy is generally to establish a successful collaborative therapeutic working alliance based on the REBT educational model. Although REBT teaches that the therapist or counsellor had better demonstrate unconditional other-acceptance or unconditional positive regard, the therapist is not necessarily always encouraged to build a warm and caring relationship with the client. The tasks of the therapist or counsellor include understanding the client’s concerns from his point of reference and work as a facilitator, teacher and encourager.
In traditional REBT, the client together with the therapist, in a structured active-directive manner, often work through a set of target problems and establish a set of therapeutic goals. In these target problems, situational dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and beliefs are assessed in regards to the client's values and goals. After working through these problems, the client learns to generalize insights to other relevant situations. In many cases after going through a client's different target problems, the therapist is interested in examining possible core beliefs and more deep rooted philosophical evaluations and schemas that might account for a wider array of problematic emotions and behaviors.[4] Although REBT much of the time is used as a brief therapy, in deeper and more complex problems, longer therapy is promoted.
In therapy, the first step often is that the client acknowledges the problems, accepts emotional responsibility for these and has willingness and determination to change. This normally requires a considerable amount of insight, but as originator Albert Ellis[7] explains:
"Humans, unlike just about all the other animals on earth, create fairly sophisticated languages which not only enable them to think about their feeling, their actions, and the results they get from doing and not doing certain things, but they also are able to think about their thinking and even think about thinking about their thinking."
Through the therapeutic process, REBT employs a wide array of forceful and active, meaning multimodal and disputing, methodologies. Central through these methods and techniques is the intent to help the client challenge, dispute and question their destructive and self-defeating cognitions, emotions and behaviors. The methods and techniques incorporate cognitive-philosophic, emotive-evocative-dramatic, and behavioral methods for disputation of the client's irrational and self-defeating constructs and helps the client come up with more rational and self-constructive ones. REBT seeks to acknowledge that understanding and insight are not enough; in order for clients to significantly change, they had better pinpoint their irrational and self-defeating constructs and work forcefully and actively at changing them to more functional and self-helping ones.
REBT posits that the client must work hard to get better, and in therapy this normally includes a wide array of homework exercises in day-to-day life assigned by the therapist. The assignments may for example include desensitization tasks, i.e., by having the client confront the very thing he or she is afraid of. By doing so, the client is actively acting against the belief that often is contributing significantly to the disturbance.
Another factor contributing to the brevity of REBT is that the therapist seeks to empower the client to help himself through future adversities. REBT only promotes temporary solutions if more fundamental solutions are not found. An ideal successful collaboration between the REBT therapist and a client results in changes to the client's philosophical way of evaluating him- or herself, others, and his or her life, which will likely yield effective results. The client then moves toward unconditional self-acceptance, other-acceptance and life-acceptance while striving to live a more self-fulfilling and happier life.
[edit] Limitations and critique
REBT and CBT in general have a substantial and strong research base to verify and support both their psychotherapeutic efficiency and their theoretical underpinnings. A great quantity of scientific empirical studies have proven REBT to be an effective and efficient treatment for many kinds of psychopathology, conditions and problems[7][8].[9][10] A vast amount of outcome- and experimental studies support the effectiveness of REBT and CBT.[11][12] Recently, REBT randomized clinical trials have offered a positive view on the efficacy of REBT.[13]
In general REBT is arguably one of the most investigated theories in the field of psychotherapy and a large amount of clinical experience and a substantial body of modern psychological research have validated and substantiated many of REBTs theoretical assumptions on personality and psychotherapy[14].[9][13] Some critiques have been given on some of the clinical research that has been done on REBT both from within and by others. For instance originator Albert Ellis has on occasions emphasized the difficulty and complexity of measuring psychotherapeutic effectiveness, since many studies only tend to measure whether clients merely feel better after therapy instead of them getting better and staying better.[6] Ellis has also criticized studies for having limited focus primarily to cognitive restructuring aspects, as opposed to the combination of cognitive, emotive and behavioral aspects of REBT.[9] As REBT has been subject to criticisms during its existence, especially in its early years, REBT theorists have a long history of publishing and addressing those concerns. It has also been argued by Ellis and by other clinicians that REBT theory on numerous occasions has been misunderstood and misconstrued both in research and in general.[13]
Some have criticized REBT for being harsh, formulaic and failing to address deep underlying problems.[14] This has been cogently refuted by REBT theorists who have pointed out that a careful study of REBT shows that it is both philosophically deep, humanistic and individualized collaboratively working on the basis of the client’s point of reference.[3][14] They have further pointed out that REBT utilizes an integrated and interrelated methodology of cognitive, emotive-experiential and behavioral interventions.[3][9] Others have questioned REBTs view of rationality, both radical constructivists who have claimed that reason and logic are subjective properties and those who believe that reason can be objectively determined.[14] REBT theorists have refuted these claims by maintaining that REBT raises objections to clients irrational choices and conclusions as a working hypothesis and through collaborative efforts demonstrate the irrationality on practical, functional and social consensual grounds.[7][14] In 1998 when asked what the main criticism on REBT was, Albert Ellis replied that it was the claim that it was too rational and not dealing sufficiently enough with emotions. He repudiated the claim by saying that REBT on the contrary emphasized that thinking, feeling, and behaving are interrelated and integrated, and that it includes a vast amount of both emotional and behavioral methods in addition to cognitive ones.[15]
Seen as a quite controversial figure in some camps, Ellis has also received criticism that has arguably been more directed at him than his psychotherapy. These include his use of four-letter words and confrontational attitude.[citation needed][who?] In addition Ellis has himself in very direct terms criticized opposing approaches such as psychoanalysis, transpersonal psychology and abreactive psychotherapies in addition to on several occasions questioning some of the doctrines in certain religious systems, spiritualism and mysticism. Many, including REBT practitioners, have warned against dogmatizing and sacredizing REBT as a supposedly perfect psychological cure-all and panacea. Prominent REBTers have promoted the importance of high quality and programmatic research, including originator Ellis, a self-proclaimed "passionate skeptic". He has on many occasions been open to challenges and acknowledged errors and inefficiencies in his approach and concurrently revised his theories and practices.[7][14] In general, with regard to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies' interventions, others have pointed out that as about 30-40% of people are still nonresponsive to interventions, that REBT could be a platform of reinvigorating empirical studies on the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioral models of psychopathology and human functioning.[13]
REBT has generally in quite many ways been developed, revised and augmented through the years as understanding, knowledge and science about psychology and psychotherapy have progressed. This includes both its theoretical concepts but also its practices and methodology. Inherent in REBT as an approach has been the teaching of scientific thinking, reasonableness and un-dogmatism and these ways of thinking have been part of REBT's empiricism and skepticism.
[edit] Applications and interfaces
REBT is used with a broad range of clinical problems in traditional psychotherapeutic settings such as individual-, group- and family therapy. It is used as a general treatment for a vast number of different conditions and psychological problems normally associated with psychotherapy.
In addition, REBT is used with non-clinical problems and problems of living through counselling, consultation and coaching settings dealing with problems including relationships, social skills, career changes, stress management, assertiveness training, grief, problems with aging, money, weight control etc.
REBT also has many interfaces and applications through self-help resources, phone- and internet counseling, workshops & seminars, workplace and educational programmes, etc. This includes Rational Emotive Education (REE) where REBT is applied in education settings, Rational Effectiveness Training in business and work-settings and SMART Recovery (Self Management And Recovery Training) in supporting those in addiction recovery. In addition a wide variety of special treatment strategies and applications have been developed for different kinds of specialized groups.
Albert Ellis consistently used hypnosis as an adjunct to REBT throughout his professional life. He acknowledged a number of similarities hypnosis shares with REBT. (1986; 1993) For example, both Hypnosis and REBT are active and directive in therapist style. Additionally most traditional approaches to Hypnosis help clients to develop powerful coping statements which can impact the client's life positively. REBT similarly helps clients to dispute their irrational self-defeating beliefs and to replace them with rational self-supporting and constructive beliefs. A number of therapeutic models have emerged which attempt to combine the two therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH).
Friday, April 2, 2010
How to Accomplish (Almost) Anything
How to Accomplish(Almost)Anything
6 Basic Human Needs
1) Certainty
2) Diversity
3) Significance
4) Connectiveness
5) Growth
6) Contribution
4 Levels of Experience
1) I like it, it Is Good for me and Helps Others
2) I don’t like it, but it Is Good for me and helps others
3) I like it, but it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
4) I don’t like it, it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
7 methods to sabotage any process, DO the Reverse to Fix it
1) Have a negative attitude towards the process
2) Avoid an Abundant /Enthusiastic attitude/mentality
3) Don’t have a Strategy
4) Don’t follow that strategy thru
5) Rely entirely on experts
6) Fail to maintain a Vigil once successful
7) Allow crisis to turn into catastrophe, a lack of resilience
12 Methods to Solve any Problem
1 ) Manage your emotional state
2) Focus, 20 % on the problem, 80 % on the solution
3) Obtain and maintain momentum, write it down
4) Analyze the issue
5) Re assess, Redirect, your method/ solution
6) Recruit Role models to assist, people who’ve been there ,negotiated a similar problem successfully before
7) Reassess your relationship with this challenge
8) Find out what is good about this challenge
9) Find out what is not perfect yet, but could me
10) Find out what are you willing to do , to solve this challenge
11) Find out what you are no longer willing to do ,or continue doing to solve this challenge
12) Find out how you can deal with this challenge and enjoy, learn ,grow from the process
6 Basic Human Needs
1) Certainty
2) Diversity
3) Significance
4) Connectiveness
5) Growth
6) Contribution
4 Levels of Experience
1) I like it, it Is Good for me and Helps Others
2) I don’t like it, but it Is Good for me and helps others
3) I like it, but it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
4) I don’t like it, it is Not Good for me, and does not help others
7 methods to sabotage any process, DO the Reverse to Fix it
1) Have a negative attitude towards the process
2) Avoid an Abundant /Enthusiastic attitude/mentality
3) Don’t have a Strategy
4) Don’t follow that strategy thru
5) Rely entirely on experts
6) Fail to maintain a Vigil once successful
7) Allow crisis to turn into catastrophe, a lack of resilience
12 Methods to Solve any Problem
1 ) Manage your emotional state
2) Focus, 20 % on the problem, 80 % on the solution
3) Obtain and maintain momentum, write it down
4) Analyze the issue
5) Re assess, Redirect, your method/ solution
6) Recruit Role models to assist, people who’ve been there ,negotiated a similar problem successfully before
7) Reassess your relationship with this challenge
8) Find out what is good about this challenge
9) Find out what is not perfect yet, but could me
10) Find out what are you willing to do , to solve this challenge
11) Find out what you are no longer willing to do ,or continue doing to solve this challenge
12) Find out how you can deal with this challenge and enjoy, learn ,grow from the process
Friday, March 19, 2010
Irises
The Iris, to me ,is one of my favorite flowers,
exotic,sturdy,beautiful,returning every Spring,and So Lovely, like my wife.
My wife ,Soring, for whom a genus of Iris should be named after, has
planted hundreds,if not a thousand Irises.
She plants I take the pictures.
Every Spring, I look forward to their arrival in our garden.
Each with a scent,though some have little, the variation is amazing;
Chocolate,BubbleGum,Vanilla,Cinamon,Sweet, Intoxicating fragrances.
So,below is alittle bit of history.and some info on this lovely flower.
Meanings of Irises
With striking uniqueness and beauty, irises have rich meanings, and when given as gifts, they can convey deep sentiments. With over 200 varieties in a wide spectrum of colors, the iris, which fittingly takes its name from the Greek word for "rainbow," can be found in virtually every part of the world, growing both naturally and in farms. While garden irises can come in any of these many varieties, the flower's cut versions are mostly blue (the most popular type), white, and yellow.
The iris's history is rich, dating back to Ancient Greek times when the Greek Goddess Iris, the messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow, acted as the link between heaven and earth. Purple irises were planted over the graves of women to summon the Goddess to guide the dead in their journey. Ancient Egyptian kings marveled in the iris’s exotic nature, and drawings have been found of the flower in a number of Egyptian palaces. During the Middle Ages, the meaning of irises became linked to the French monarchy, and the Fleur-de-lis eventually became the recognized national symbol of France. From their earliest years, irises were used to make perfume and as a medicinal remedy. Today, they are primarily seen in gardens, in bouquets, and in the wild all over the world.
Through its intricate history, the meanings of the iris has come to include faith, hope, and wisdom. Depending on factors such as color and region, irises may bear additional meanings as well. In some parts of the world, the dark blue or purple iris can denote royalty, whereas the yellow iris can be a symbol of passion. Irises may also express courage and admiration. The many meanings of the iris makes the flower a great choice for an array of gift giving occasions: corporate, sympathy, get well, thinking of you, and birthday are just some of the occasions for which irises might be the perfect choice.
Today, the iris is the state flower of Tennessee, and the Fleur-de-lis is the emblem for the city of New Orleans. Irises are cultivated all over the world, and they can be found naturally in Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, Asia, and North America.
Iris (plant)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Other plants named "iris" are found elsewhere in the Iridaceae.
Iris
Blood Iris (Iris sanguinea),
known as ayame in Japan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Iridoideae
Tribe: Irideae
Genus: Iris
L.
Type species
Iris germanica
L.
Subgenera
Hermodactyloides
Iris
Limniris
Nepalensis
Scorpiris
Xiphium
Synonyms
Iridodictyum
Juno
Junopsis
Xiphion
Iris is a genus of between 200–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species.[1] As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a common name; for one thing, it refers to all Iris species, though some plants called thus belong to other closely related genera. In North America, a common name for irises is 'flags', while the plants of the subgenus Scorpiris are widely known as 'junos', particularly in horticulture. It is a popular garden flower in the United States.
The genera Belamcanda (blackberry lily), Hermodactylus (snake's head iris), Neomarica (walking iris) and Pardanthopsis are sometimes included in Iris.
Rhizomes of ornamental irises
Iris persica, a bulbous iris
Iris reichenbachii fruitThe genus is widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone. Their habitats are considerably varied, ranging from cold and montane regions to the grassy slopes, meadowlands and riverbanks of Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, Asia and across North America.
Irises are perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises), or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises). They have long, erect flowering stems, which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3–10 basal, sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical, basal leaves.
The inflorescences are fan-shaped and contain one or more symmetrical six-lobed flowers. These grow on a pedicel or lack a footstalk. The three sepals, which are spreading or droop downwards, are referred to as "falls". They expand from their narrow base, which in some of the rhizomatous irises has a "beard" (a tuft of short upright extensions growing in its midline), into a broader expanded portion ("limb"), often adorned with veining, lines or dots. The three, sometimes reduced, petals stand upright, partly behind the sepal bases. They are called "standards". Some smaller iris species have all six lobes pointing straight outwards, but generally, limb and standards differ markedly in appearance. They are united at their base into a floral tube that lies above the ovary (known as an inferior ovary). The styles divide towards the apex into petaloid branches; this is significant in pollination.
The iris flower is of special interest as an example of the relation between flowering plants and pollinating insects. The shape of the flower and the position of the pollen-receiving and stigmatic surfaces on the outer petals form a landing-stage for a flying insect, which in probing the perianth for nectar, will first come in contact of perianth, then with the stigmatic stamens in one whorled surface which is borne on an ovary formed of three carpels. The shelf-like transverse projection on the inner whorled underside of the stamens is beneath the over-arching style arm below the stigma, so that the insect comes in contact with its pollen-covered surface only after passing the stigma; in backing out of the flower it will come in contact only with the non-receptive lower face of the stigma. Thus, an insect bearing pollen from one flower will, in entering a second, deposit the pollen on the stigma; in backing out of a flower, the pollen which it bears will not be rubbed off on the stigma of the same flower.
The iris fruit is a capsule which opens up in three parts to reveal the numerous seeds within. In some species, these bear an aril.
[edit] Systematics and taxonomy
Up to 300 species – many of them natural hybrids – have been placed in the genus Iris. Modern classifications, starting with W. R. Dykes' 1913 book, have subdivided them. Dykes referred to the major subgroupings as sections, but later authors have generally called them subgenera, while essentially retaining his groupings. Like some older sources, the influential classification by G. I. Rodionenko removed some groups (particularly the bulbous irises) to separate genera, but even if this is done the genus remains large and several subgenera, sections and/or subsections are recognised within it.[2]
In general, modern classifications usually recognise six subgenera, of which five are restricted to the Old World; the sixth (subgenus Limniris) has a Holarctic distribution. The two largest subgenera are further divided into sections.
[edit] Subgenus Iris
Bearded rhizomatous irises
Stool Iris (Iris aphylla) flower. Note prominent white "beard".
Iris reichenbachiiSection Iris
Iris albertii
Iris albicans – White Cemetery Iris, White Flag Iris
Iris amoena DC. (= I. variegata?)
Iris aphylla L. – Stool Iris (including I. benacensis, I. nudicaulis)
Iris attica (Boiss. & Heldr.) Hayek
Iris × buriensis Lem.
Iris croatica
Iris cypriana Foster & Baker
Iris flavescens Delile – Lemon-yellow Iris (= I. variegata?)
Iris furcata Bieb.
Iris germanica L. – German Iris (includes I. × barbata)
Iris × germanica nothovar. florentina Dykes
Iris glaucescens Bunge
Iris glockiana O.Schwarz
Iris illyrica (often included in I. pallida)
Iris imbricata Lindl.
Iris junonia Schott ex Kotschy
Iris × lurida Aiton (I. pallida × I. variegata, including I. neglecta, I. squalens)
Iris lutescens Lam. (including I. italica)
Iris marsica I.Ricci & Colas.
Iris mesopotamica – Mesopotamian Iris
Iris orjenii – Orjen Iris
Iris pallida – Sweet Iris, Dalmatian Iris
Iris perrieri Simonet ex P.Fourn.
Iris pseudopumila Tineo
Iris pumila L.
Iris purpureobractea B.Mathew & T.Baytop
Iris reichenbachii Heuff. – Reichenbach's Iris
Iris sambucina L.
Iris scariosa Willd. ex Link
Iris schachtii Markgr.
Iris suaveolens Boiss. & Reut. (including I. iliensis)
Iris subbiflora Brot.
Iris taochia Woronow ex Grossh.
Iris timofejewii Woronow
Iris variegata L. – Hungarian Iris
Nazareth Iris, Iris bismarckiana
Iris humilis ssp. arenariaSection Oncocyclus
Iris acutiloba C.A.Mey. (including I. ewbankiana)
Iris assadiana Chaudhary, Kirkw. & C.Weymolauth
Iris atrofusca Bak.
Iris atropurpurea Bak.
Iris barnumae Bak. & Fost.
Iris bismarckiana Reg. – Nazareth Iris
Iris camillae Grossh.
Iris gatesii Foster
Iris haynei (Bak.) Mallet. – Gilboa Iris
Iris hermona Dinsmore – Hermon Iris
Iris iberica Hoffm.
Iris kirkwoodi (including I. calcarea)
Iris lortetii Barbey ex Boiss.
Iris mariae Barbey.
Iris meda Stapf
Iris paradoxa Steven
Iris petrana Dinsm.
Iris polakii Stapf
Iris sari Schott ex Bak.
Iris sofarana Fost.
Iris susiana L. – Mourning Iris
Section Hexapogon
Iris falcifolia Bunge
Iris longiscapa Ledeb.
Section Psammiris
Iris bloudowii Ledeb.
Iris humilis Georgi
Iris kamelinii Alexeeva
Iris mandschurica Maxim.
Iris potaninii Maxim.
Iris vorobievii N.S.Pavlova
Section Pseudoregelia
Iris goniocarpa Bak.
Iris hookeriana Fost.
Iris kamaonensis Wall.
Iris sikkimensis Dykes
Iris tigrida Bunge ex Ledeb.
Section Regelia
Iris hoogiana Dykes
Iris korolkowii Regel
Iris stolonifera Maxim.
[edit] Subgenus Limniris
Beardless rhizomatous irises
Section Limniris
Japanese Iris (Iris ensata) or hanashōbu, cv. 'Kumoinogan'
Iris graminea
Yellow-banded Iris, Iris orientalis
Blood Iris (Iris sanguinea) or ayameIris acoroides Spach
Iris bracteata – Siskiyou Iris
Iris brevicaulis Raf. – Zigzag Iris
Iris bulleyana Dykes
Iris caespitosa Pall. & Link
Iris chrysographes – Black Iris
Iris chrysophylla – Yellow-leaved Iris
Iris clarkei Bak.
Iris crocea Jacquem. ex R.C.Foster (including I. aurea)
Iris delavayi Micheli
Iris demetrii Achv. & Mirzoeva
Iris douglasiana – Douglas Iris
Iris ensata Thunb. – Japanese Iris, hanashōbu (Japanese) (including I. kaempferi)
Iris fernaldii – Fernald's Iris
Iris foetidissima – Stinking Iris, Gladwin Iris, Stinking Gladwin, Gladdon, Roast-beef Plant
Iris forrestii Dykes
Iris fulva Ker-Gawl. – Copper Iris
Iris giganticaerulea – Giant Blue Iris, Giant Blue Flag
Iris graminea L.
Iris grant-duffii Bak.
Iris hartwegii – Hartweg's Iris, Rainbow Iris, Sierra Iris
Iris hexagona Walt. – Dixie Iris
Iris hookeri Penny – Hooker's Iris
Iris innominata – Del Norte Iris
Iris kerneriana Asch. & Sint.
Iris koreana Nakai
Iris lactea Pall.
Iris laevigata – Rabbitear Iris, Shallow-flowered Iris, kakitsubata (Japanese)
Iris lazica Albov
Iris loczyi Kanitz
Iris longipetala Herb.
Iris lorea Jank.
Iris ludwigii Maxim.
Iris maackii Maxim.
Iris macrosiphon – Bowltube Iris
Iris missouriensis – Rocky Mountain Iris, Western Blue Flag
Iris monnieri DC.
Iris munzii – Munz's Iris, Tulare Lavender Iris
Iris nelsonii Randolph – Abbeville Iris
Iris notha M.Bieb.
Iris orientalis Mill. – Yellow-banded Iris
Iris pontica Zapal.
Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker-Gawl. – Slender Blue Flag
Iris pseudacorus – Yellow Iris, Yellow Flag
Iris purdyi – Purdy's Iris
Iris × robusta E.Anders. – Robust Iris (I. versicolor × I. virginica)
Iris ruthenica Ker-Gawl.
Iris × sancti-cyri Rouss. – Sanctimonious Iris[verification needed] (I. hookeri × I. versicolor)
Iris sanguinea Hornem. ex Donn – Blood Iris, ayame (Japanese)
Iris setosa Pallas ex Link – Beachhead Iris
Iris sibirica – Siberian Iris
Iris sintenisii Janka
Iris sintenisii ssp. brandzae Prodan
Iris songarica Schrenk
Iris spuria – Blue Iris
Iris spuria ssp. maritima – Seashore Iris
Iris tenax – Tough-leaved Iris, Oregon Iris
Iris tenuifolia Pall.
Iris tenuissima Dykes – Long-tubed Iris
Iris thompsonii R.C.Foster – Thompson's Iris (formerly in I. innominata)
Iris tridentata Pursh – Savanna Iris
Iris unguicularis Poir. (including I. speciosa, I. stylosa)
Iris uniflora Pall.
Iris ventricosa Pall.
Iris verna L. – Dwarf Violet Iris
Iris versicolor – Larger Blue Flag, Harlequin Blueflag
Iris × vinicolor Small – Vinicolor Iris, Wine-coloured Iris (I. fulva × I. giganticaerulea)
Iris virginica L. – Virginia Iris
Iris wilsonii C.H.Wright
Iris wattiiSection Lophiris
Iris confusa – Bamboo Iris
Iris cristata – Crested Iris
Iris gracilipes A.Gray
Iris japonica Thunb.
Iris lacustris – Dwarf Lake Iris
Iris milesii Foster
Iris milesiiIris tectorum Maxim. – Wall Iris
Iris tenuis S.Wats. – Clackamas Iris
Iris wattii Baker ex Hook.f.
[edit] Subgenus Xiphium
Smooth-bulbed bulbous irises. Formerly genus Xiphion.
Yellow Spanish Iris, Iris xiphium var. lusitanicaSection Xiphium
Iris boissieri Henriq
Iris filifolia Boiss.
Iris juncea Poir.
Iris latifolia – English Iris
Iris serotina Willk. in Willk. & Lange
Iris tingitana Boiss. & Reut. – Morocco Iris
Iris xiphium – Spanish Iris, Dutch Iris, Small Bulbous-rooted Iris
[edit] Subgenus Nepalensis
Bulbous irises. Formerly genus Junopsis.
Section Nepalensis
Iris collettii Hook.
Iris decora Wall.
[edit] Subgenus Scorpiris
Smooth-bulbed bulbous irises known as "junos". Formerly genus Juno.
Iris palaestinaSection Scorpiris
Iris albomarginata R.C.Foster
Iris aucheri (Baker) Sealy (including I. sindjarensis)
Iris bucharica Foster
Iris caucasica Hoffm.
Iris cycloglossa Wendelbo
Iris fosteriana Aitch. & Baker
Iris graeberiana Tubergen ex Sealy
Iris magnifica Vved.
Iris narynensis O.Fedtsch.
Iris nusairiensis Monterode
Iris palaestina (Bak.) Boiss.
Iris persica L.
Iris planifolia (Mill.) Fiori & Paol.
Iris pseudocaucasica Grossh.
Iris regis-uzziae Feinbrun
Iris rosenbachiana Reg.
Iris vicaria Vved.
[edit] Subgenus Hermodactyloides
Iris reticulataReticulate-bulbed bulbous irises. Formerly genus Iridodictyum.
Section Hermodactyloides
Iris bakeriana Foster
Iris danfordiae (Baker) Boiss.
Iris histrio Rchb.f.
Iris histrioides (G.F.Wilson) S.Arn.
Iris kolpakowskiana Regel
Iris pamphylica Hedge
Iris reticulata Bieb.
Iris vartanii Fost.
Iris winogradowii Fomin
[edit] Uses
[edit] In horticulture
Irises are extensively grown as ornamental plants in home and botanical gardens. Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in New Jersey, for example, is a living iris museum with over 10,000 plants, while in Europe the most famous iris garden is arguably the Giardino dell'Iris in Florence (Italy) which every year hosts one of the most famous iris breeders' competitions in the world.
The most commonly found garden iris is the bearded German Iris (I. germanica), a hybridogenic species, and its numerous cultivars. Various wild forms and naturally occurring hybrids of the Sweet Iris (I. pallida) and the Hungarian Iris (I. variegata) form the basis of most all modern hybrid bearded irises. Median forms of bearded iris (intermediate bearded, or IB; miniature tall bearded, or MTB; etc.) are derived from crosses between tall and dwarf varieties.
The bearded irises are easy to cultivate and propagate, and have become very popular in gardens. They grow in any good free garden soil, the smaller and more delicate species needing only the aid of turf ingredients, either peat or loam, to keep it light and open in texture. The earliest to bloom are species like I. junonia and I. reichenbachii, which flower as early as February and March, followed by the dwarf forms of I. pumila which blossom during March, April and May. During the latter month and the following one, most of the larger-growing "tall bearded" irises bloom, such as the German Iris and its variety florentina, Sweet Iris, Hungarian Iris, Lemon-yellow Iris (I. flavescens), Iris sambucina, I. amoena, and their natural and horticultural hybrids such as those described under names like I. neglecta or I. squalens and best united unter I. × lurida.
The section Oncocyclus contains the cushion irises or royal irises, a group of plants noted for their large, strongly marked flowers. Between 30 and 60 species are classified in this section, depending on the authority. Compared with other irises the cushion varieties are scantily furnished with narrow sickle-shaped leaves and the flowers are usually borne singly on the stalks; they are often very dark and in some almost blackish. The cushion irises are somewhat fastidious growers, and to be successful with them they must be planted rather shallow in very gritty well-drained soil. They should not be disturbed in the autumn, and after the leaves have withered the roots should be protected from heavy rains until growth starts again naturally.
The section Regelia, closely allied to the cushion irises, includes several garden hybrids with species in section Oncocyclus, known as Regelio-cyclus irises. They are best planted in September or October in warm sunny positions, the rhizomes being lifted the following July after the leaves have withered.
A truly red bearded iris remains an unattained goal despite frequent hybridizing and selection. There are species and selections, most notably based on the beardless rhizomatous Copper Iris (I. fulva), which have a relatively pure red color. However, getting this color into a modern bearded iris breed has proven very difficult, and thus, the vast majority of irises are in the purple and blue range of the color spectrum, with yellow and whitish breeds also quite frequent.
Other beardless rhizomatous iris types commonly found in garden are the Siberian Iris (I. sibirica) and its hybrids, and the Japanese Iris (I. ensata) and its hybrids. "Japanese iris" is also a catch-all term for the Japanese Iris proper (hanashōbu), the Blood Iris (I. sanguinea, ayame) and the Rabbitear Iris (I. laevigata, kakitsubata). I. unguicularis is a late-winter-flowering species from Algeria, with sky-blue flowers blotched with yellow, produced (in the Northern Hemisphere) from November to March or April. Yet another beardless rhizomatous iris popular in gardening is I. ruthenica, which has much the same requirements and characteristics as the "tall bearded" irises.
Many of the smaller species of bulbous iris, being liable to perish from excess of moisture, should have a well-drained bed of good but porous soil made up for them, in some sunny spot, and in winter should be protected by a covering of half-decayed leaves or fresh cocos-fibre refuse. To this group belong the "reticulate" irises with their characteristic bulbs, including I. danfordiae, I. histrioides, I. reticulata and others, as well as the smmoth-bulbed I. filifolia, which flower as early as February and March
Giardino dell'Iris in Florence
The bearded iris cultivar 'Mary Todd'
Chestnut cultivars like 'Samurai Warrior' are the closest breeder have been able to get to a "red" bearded iris
Iris atropurpurea, one of the dark-flowered Oncocyclus bearded irises
Iris unguicularis flower
'Katharine Hodginkin', a bulbous iris cultivar, a hybrid between I. winogradowii and I. histrioides 'Major'.
Iris kemaonensis in Himalaya
Iris pseudacorus in Cheshire in England
[edit] Aromatic rhizomes
Bombay Sapphire gin contains flavoring derived from particular bearded iris speciesRhizomes of the German Iris (I. germanica) and Sweet Iris (I. pallida) are traded as orris root and are used in perfume and medicine, though more common in ancient times than today. Today Iris essential oil (absolute) from flowers are sometimes used in aromatherapy as sedative medicines. The dried rhizomes are also given whole to babies to help in teething. Gin brands such as Bombay Sapphire and Magellan Gin use orris root and sometimes iris flowers for flavor and color.
For orris root production, iris rhizomes are harvested, dried, and aged for up to 5 years. In this time, the fats and oils inside the roots undergo degradation and oxidation, which produces many fragrant compounds that are valuable in perfumery. The scent is said to be similar to violets. The aged rhizomes are steam-distilled which produces a thick oily compound, known in the perfume industry as "iris butter".
Iris rhizomes also contain notable amounts of terpenes, and organic acids such as ascorbic acid, myristic acid, tridecylenic acid and undecylenic acid. Iris rhizomes can be toxic. Larger Blue Flag (I. versicolor) and other species often grown in gardens and widely hybridized contain elevated amounts of the toxic glycoside iridin. These rhizomes can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or skin irritation, but poisonings are not normally fatal. Irises should only be used medicinally under professional guidance.
[edit] In water purification
Further information: Organisms_used_in_water_purification
Further information: Treatment_pond
Flowering Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) at a treatment pondIn water purification, Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus) is used. The roots are usually planted in a substrate (e.g. lava-stone) in a reedbed-setup. The roots then improve water quality by consuming nutrient pollutants, such as from agricultural runoff.
[edit] In art and symbolism
The artist George Gessert has specialised in breeding irises.[3]
The artist Vincent van Gogh painted several famous pictures of irises.[4]
The American artist, Joseph Mason — a great friend of John James Audubon — painted a precise image of what was then known as the Lousianna Flag or Copper Iris (Iris cuprea) to which Audubon subsequently added two Northern Paraula birds (parula americana) for inclusion as Plate 15 in his Birds of America.
The artist Philip Hermogenes Calderon painted an iris in his 1856 work Broken Vows; he followed the principles of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. An ancient belief is that the iris serves as a warning to be heeded, as it was named for the messenger of Olympus. It also conveys images of lost love and silent grief, for young girls were led into the afterlife by Iris. Broken Vows was accompanied with poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when it was first exhibited.[5]
The fleur-de-lis, a stylized iris, first occurs in its modern use as the emblem of the House of Capet. The fleur-de-lis has been associated with France as Louis VII adopted it as a symbol in the 12th Century. The yellow fleur-de-lis reflects the Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus), common in Western Europe. Contemporary uses can be seen in the Quebec flag and the logo of the New Orleans Saints professional football team, and on the flag of Saint Louis, Missouri.
The red fleur-de-lis in the coat-of-arms of Florence (Italy) descends from the white iris which is native to Florence and which grew even in its city walls. This white iris, displayed against a red background, became the symbol of Florence until the Medici family, to signal a change in political power, reversed the colors making the white one red and setting in motion a centuries-long breeding program to hybridize a red iris.
Furthermore, the fleur-de-lis is the almost-universal symbol of Scouting and one of the symbols adopted by the sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
A stylized Yellow Iris is the symbol of Brussels, since historically, the important Saint Gaugericus Island was carpeted in them.[6] The iris symbol is now the sole feature on the flag of the Brussels-Capital Region.
An iris – species unspecified – is one of the state flowers of Tennessee. Tradition holds that the particular iris symbolizing Tennessee is a purple cultivar, to go alongside the wild-growing Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) which is the state's other floral emblem.
The provincial flower of Québec (Canada) is the Harlequin Blueflag (I. versicolor), called iris versicolore in French.
Philip Hermogenes Calderon's Broken Vows with the iris at lower left
Coat-of-arms of the House of Capet
Coat-of-arms of Florence
Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region
Coat of Arms of Ukraine is a stylized iris[verification needed], a symbol of the Perun (thunder god) from the pagan antiquity.
[edit] See also
List of early spring flowers
List of late spring flowers
List of early summer flowers
[edit] References
1.^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 200–204. ISBN 0-88192-897-6.
2.^ Dyke (1913), Rodionenko (1961)
3.^ West [2008]
4.^ Pioch (2002)
5.^ Mancoff (2003): p.6,16
6.^ CPM-KB [2007]
Chancery of the Prime Minister, Kingdom of Belgium (CPM-KB) [2007]: Brussels Town Hall. Retrieved 2007-NOV-11.
Dykes, W.R. (1913): The genus Iris. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Mancoff, Debra N. (2003): Flora Symbolica: Flowers in Pre-Raphaelite Art. Prestel Publishing, New York, USA. ISBN 3-7913-2851-4
Pioch, Nicolas (2002): Gogh, Vincent van: Irises. Bersion of 2002-AUG-19. Retrieved 2008-DEC-10.
Rodionenko, G.I. (1961): The genus Iris L.. Moscow and Leningrad.
Species Group of the British Iris Society (1996): A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. ISBN 0-521-44074-2
West, Ruth [2008]: George Gessert. Retrieved 2008-DEC-10.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iris (Iridaceae)
Joseph Mason's painting - Copper Iris Copper Iris / Lousianna Flag (Iris cuprea) from John James Audubon's Birds of America
Kew Checklist: Iris
Flora of North America: Iris
Flora of China: Iris
Flora of Pakistan: Iris
Flora of Nepal: Iris
Iris Species
A web site devoted to Irises, by David Payne-Joyce; includes plates from Dykes (1913).
The American Iris Society
Iris taxonomy in GBIF Biodiversity Data Portal
Historic Iris Preservation Society
Iris listings at Wild Flowers of Israel
Bearded Iris colors
Iris in Art and Culture
Gouvernement du Québec Emblèmes du Québec - Iris versicolor (french)
exotic,sturdy,beautiful,returning every Spring,and So Lovely, like my wife.
My wife ,Soring, for whom a genus of Iris should be named after, has
planted hundreds,if not a thousand Irises.
She plants I take the pictures.
Every Spring, I look forward to their arrival in our garden.
Each with a scent,though some have little, the variation is amazing;
Chocolate,BubbleGum,Vanilla,Cinamon,Sweet, Intoxicating fragrances.
So,below is alittle bit of history.and some info on this lovely flower.
Meanings of Irises
With striking uniqueness and beauty, irises have rich meanings, and when given as gifts, they can convey deep sentiments. With over 200 varieties in a wide spectrum of colors, the iris, which fittingly takes its name from the Greek word for "rainbow," can be found in virtually every part of the world, growing both naturally and in farms. While garden irises can come in any of these many varieties, the flower's cut versions are mostly blue (the most popular type), white, and yellow.
The iris's history is rich, dating back to Ancient Greek times when the Greek Goddess Iris, the messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow, acted as the link between heaven and earth. Purple irises were planted over the graves of women to summon the Goddess to guide the dead in their journey. Ancient Egyptian kings marveled in the iris’s exotic nature, and drawings have been found of the flower in a number of Egyptian palaces. During the Middle Ages, the meaning of irises became linked to the French monarchy, and the Fleur-de-lis eventually became the recognized national symbol of France. From their earliest years, irises were used to make perfume and as a medicinal remedy. Today, they are primarily seen in gardens, in bouquets, and in the wild all over the world.
Through its intricate history, the meanings of the iris has come to include faith, hope, and wisdom. Depending on factors such as color and region, irises may bear additional meanings as well. In some parts of the world, the dark blue or purple iris can denote royalty, whereas the yellow iris can be a symbol of passion. Irises may also express courage and admiration. The many meanings of the iris makes the flower a great choice for an array of gift giving occasions: corporate, sympathy, get well, thinking of you, and birthday are just some of the occasions for which irises might be the perfect choice.
Today, the iris is the state flower of Tennessee, and the Fleur-de-lis is the emblem for the city of New Orleans. Irises are cultivated all over the world, and they can be found naturally in Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, Asia, and North America.
Iris (plant)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Other plants named "iris" are found elsewhere in the Iridaceae.
Iris
Blood Iris (Iris sanguinea),
known as ayame in Japan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Iridoideae
Tribe: Irideae
Genus: Iris
L.
Type species
Iris germanica
L.
Subgenera
Hermodactyloides
Iris
Limniris
Nepalensis
Scorpiris
Xiphium
Synonyms
Iridodictyum
Juno
Junopsis
Xiphion
Iris is a genus of between 200–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species.[1] As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a common name; for one thing, it refers to all Iris species, though some plants called thus belong to other closely related genera. In North America, a common name for irises is 'flags', while the plants of the subgenus Scorpiris are widely known as 'junos', particularly in horticulture. It is a popular garden flower in the United States.
The genera Belamcanda (blackberry lily), Hermodactylus (snake's head iris), Neomarica (walking iris) and Pardanthopsis are sometimes included in Iris.
Rhizomes of ornamental irises
Iris persica, a bulbous iris
Iris reichenbachii fruitThe genus is widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone. Their habitats are considerably varied, ranging from cold and montane regions to the grassy slopes, meadowlands and riverbanks of Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, Asia and across North America.
Irises are perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises), or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises). They have long, erect flowering stems, which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3–10 basal, sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical, basal leaves.
The inflorescences are fan-shaped and contain one or more symmetrical six-lobed flowers. These grow on a pedicel or lack a footstalk. The three sepals, which are spreading or droop downwards, are referred to as "falls". They expand from their narrow base, which in some of the rhizomatous irises has a "beard" (a tuft of short upright extensions growing in its midline), into a broader expanded portion ("limb"), often adorned with veining, lines or dots. The three, sometimes reduced, petals stand upright, partly behind the sepal bases. They are called "standards". Some smaller iris species have all six lobes pointing straight outwards, but generally, limb and standards differ markedly in appearance. They are united at their base into a floral tube that lies above the ovary (known as an inferior ovary). The styles divide towards the apex into petaloid branches; this is significant in pollination.
The iris flower is of special interest as an example of the relation between flowering plants and pollinating insects. The shape of the flower and the position of the pollen-receiving and stigmatic surfaces on the outer petals form a landing-stage for a flying insect, which in probing the perianth for nectar, will first come in contact of perianth, then with the stigmatic stamens in one whorled surface which is borne on an ovary formed of three carpels. The shelf-like transverse projection on the inner whorled underside of the stamens is beneath the over-arching style arm below the stigma, so that the insect comes in contact with its pollen-covered surface only after passing the stigma; in backing out of the flower it will come in contact only with the non-receptive lower face of the stigma. Thus, an insect bearing pollen from one flower will, in entering a second, deposit the pollen on the stigma; in backing out of a flower, the pollen which it bears will not be rubbed off on the stigma of the same flower.
The iris fruit is a capsule which opens up in three parts to reveal the numerous seeds within. In some species, these bear an aril.
[edit] Systematics and taxonomy
Up to 300 species – many of them natural hybrids – have been placed in the genus Iris. Modern classifications, starting with W. R. Dykes' 1913 book, have subdivided them. Dykes referred to the major subgroupings as sections, but later authors have generally called them subgenera, while essentially retaining his groupings. Like some older sources, the influential classification by G. I. Rodionenko removed some groups (particularly the bulbous irises) to separate genera, but even if this is done the genus remains large and several subgenera, sections and/or subsections are recognised within it.[2]
In general, modern classifications usually recognise six subgenera, of which five are restricted to the Old World; the sixth (subgenus Limniris) has a Holarctic distribution. The two largest subgenera are further divided into sections.
[edit] Subgenus Iris
Bearded rhizomatous irises
Stool Iris (Iris aphylla) flower. Note prominent white "beard".
Iris reichenbachiiSection Iris
Iris albertii
Iris albicans – White Cemetery Iris, White Flag Iris
Iris amoena DC. (= I. variegata?)
Iris aphylla L. – Stool Iris (including I. benacensis, I. nudicaulis)
Iris attica (Boiss. & Heldr.) Hayek
Iris × buriensis Lem.
Iris croatica
Iris cypriana Foster & Baker
Iris flavescens Delile – Lemon-yellow Iris (= I. variegata?)
Iris furcata Bieb.
Iris germanica L. – German Iris (includes I. × barbata)
Iris × germanica nothovar. florentina Dykes
Iris glaucescens Bunge
Iris glockiana O.Schwarz
Iris illyrica (often included in I. pallida)
Iris imbricata Lindl.
Iris junonia Schott ex Kotschy
Iris × lurida Aiton (I. pallida × I. variegata, including I. neglecta, I. squalens)
Iris lutescens Lam. (including I. italica)
Iris marsica I.Ricci & Colas.
Iris mesopotamica – Mesopotamian Iris
Iris orjenii – Orjen Iris
Iris pallida – Sweet Iris, Dalmatian Iris
Iris perrieri Simonet ex P.Fourn.
Iris pseudopumila Tineo
Iris pumila L.
Iris purpureobractea B.Mathew & T.Baytop
Iris reichenbachii Heuff. – Reichenbach's Iris
Iris sambucina L.
Iris scariosa Willd. ex Link
Iris schachtii Markgr.
Iris suaveolens Boiss. & Reut. (including I. iliensis)
Iris subbiflora Brot.
Iris taochia Woronow ex Grossh.
Iris timofejewii Woronow
Iris variegata L. – Hungarian Iris
Nazareth Iris, Iris bismarckiana
Iris humilis ssp. arenariaSection Oncocyclus
Iris acutiloba C.A.Mey. (including I. ewbankiana)
Iris assadiana Chaudhary, Kirkw. & C.Weymolauth
Iris atrofusca Bak.
Iris atropurpurea Bak.
Iris barnumae Bak. & Fost.
Iris bismarckiana Reg. – Nazareth Iris
Iris camillae Grossh.
Iris gatesii Foster
Iris haynei (Bak.) Mallet. – Gilboa Iris
Iris hermona Dinsmore – Hermon Iris
Iris iberica Hoffm.
Iris kirkwoodi (including I. calcarea)
Iris lortetii Barbey ex Boiss.
Iris mariae Barbey.
Iris meda Stapf
Iris paradoxa Steven
Iris petrana Dinsm.
Iris polakii Stapf
Iris sari Schott ex Bak.
Iris sofarana Fost.
Iris susiana L. – Mourning Iris
Section Hexapogon
Iris falcifolia Bunge
Iris longiscapa Ledeb.
Section Psammiris
Iris bloudowii Ledeb.
Iris humilis Georgi
Iris kamelinii Alexeeva
Iris mandschurica Maxim.
Iris potaninii Maxim.
Iris vorobievii N.S.Pavlova
Section Pseudoregelia
Iris goniocarpa Bak.
Iris hookeriana Fost.
Iris kamaonensis Wall.
Iris sikkimensis Dykes
Iris tigrida Bunge ex Ledeb.
Section Regelia
Iris hoogiana Dykes
Iris korolkowii Regel
Iris stolonifera Maxim.
[edit] Subgenus Limniris
Beardless rhizomatous irises
Section Limniris
Japanese Iris (Iris ensata) or hanashōbu, cv. 'Kumoinogan'
Iris graminea
Yellow-banded Iris, Iris orientalis
Blood Iris (Iris sanguinea) or ayameIris acoroides Spach
Iris bracteata – Siskiyou Iris
Iris brevicaulis Raf. – Zigzag Iris
Iris bulleyana Dykes
Iris caespitosa Pall. & Link
Iris chrysographes – Black Iris
Iris chrysophylla – Yellow-leaved Iris
Iris clarkei Bak.
Iris crocea Jacquem. ex R.C.Foster (including I. aurea)
Iris delavayi Micheli
Iris demetrii Achv. & Mirzoeva
Iris douglasiana – Douglas Iris
Iris ensata Thunb. – Japanese Iris, hanashōbu (Japanese) (including I. kaempferi)
Iris fernaldii – Fernald's Iris
Iris foetidissima – Stinking Iris, Gladwin Iris, Stinking Gladwin, Gladdon, Roast-beef Plant
Iris forrestii Dykes
Iris fulva Ker-Gawl. – Copper Iris
Iris giganticaerulea – Giant Blue Iris, Giant Blue Flag
Iris graminea L.
Iris grant-duffii Bak.
Iris hartwegii – Hartweg's Iris, Rainbow Iris, Sierra Iris
Iris hexagona Walt. – Dixie Iris
Iris hookeri Penny – Hooker's Iris
Iris innominata – Del Norte Iris
Iris kerneriana Asch. & Sint.
Iris koreana Nakai
Iris lactea Pall.
Iris laevigata – Rabbitear Iris, Shallow-flowered Iris, kakitsubata (Japanese)
Iris lazica Albov
Iris loczyi Kanitz
Iris longipetala Herb.
Iris lorea Jank.
Iris ludwigii Maxim.
Iris maackii Maxim.
Iris macrosiphon – Bowltube Iris
Iris missouriensis – Rocky Mountain Iris, Western Blue Flag
Iris monnieri DC.
Iris munzii – Munz's Iris, Tulare Lavender Iris
Iris nelsonii Randolph – Abbeville Iris
Iris notha M.Bieb.
Iris orientalis Mill. – Yellow-banded Iris
Iris pontica Zapal.
Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker-Gawl. – Slender Blue Flag
Iris pseudacorus – Yellow Iris, Yellow Flag
Iris purdyi – Purdy's Iris
Iris × robusta E.Anders. – Robust Iris (I. versicolor × I. virginica)
Iris ruthenica Ker-Gawl.
Iris × sancti-cyri Rouss. – Sanctimonious Iris[verification needed] (I. hookeri × I. versicolor)
Iris sanguinea Hornem. ex Donn – Blood Iris, ayame (Japanese)
Iris setosa Pallas ex Link – Beachhead Iris
Iris sibirica – Siberian Iris
Iris sintenisii Janka
Iris sintenisii ssp. brandzae Prodan
Iris songarica Schrenk
Iris spuria – Blue Iris
Iris spuria ssp. maritima – Seashore Iris
Iris tenax – Tough-leaved Iris, Oregon Iris
Iris tenuifolia Pall.
Iris tenuissima Dykes – Long-tubed Iris
Iris thompsonii R.C.Foster – Thompson's Iris (formerly in I. innominata)
Iris tridentata Pursh – Savanna Iris
Iris unguicularis Poir. (including I. speciosa, I. stylosa)
Iris uniflora Pall.
Iris ventricosa Pall.
Iris verna L. – Dwarf Violet Iris
Iris versicolor – Larger Blue Flag, Harlequin Blueflag
Iris × vinicolor Small – Vinicolor Iris, Wine-coloured Iris (I. fulva × I. giganticaerulea)
Iris virginica L. – Virginia Iris
Iris wilsonii C.H.Wright
Iris wattiiSection Lophiris
Iris confusa – Bamboo Iris
Iris cristata – Crested Iris
Iris gracilipes A.Gray
Iris japonica Thunb.
Iris lacustris – Dwarf Lake Iris
Iris milesii Foster
Iris milesiiIris tectorum Maxim. – Wall Iris
Iris tenuis S.Wats. – Clackamas Iris
Iris wattii Baker ex Hook.f.
[edit] Subgenus Xiphium
Smooth-bulbed bulbous irises. Formerly genus Xiphion.
Yellow Spanish Iris, Iris xiphium var. lusitanicaSection Xiphium
Iris boissieri Henriq
Iris filifolia Boiss.
Iris juncea Poir.
Iris latifolia – English Iris
Iris serotina Willk. in Willk. & Lange
Iris tingitana Boiss. & Reut. – Morocco Iris
Iris xiphium – Spanish Iris, Dutch Iris, Small Bulbous-rooted Iris
[edit] Subgenus Nepalensis
Bulbous irises. Formerly genus Junopsis.
Section Nepalensis
Iris collettii Hook.
Iris decora Wall.
[edit] Subgenus Scorpiris
Smooth-bulbed bulbous irises known as "junos". Formerly genus Juno.
Iris palaestinaSection Scorpiris
Iris albomarginata R.C.Foster
Iris aucheri (Baker) Sealy (including I. sindjarensis)
Iris bucharica Foster
Iris caucasica Hoffm.
Iris cycloglossa Wendelbo
Iris fosteriana Aitch. & Baker
Iris graeberiana Tubergen ex Sealy
Iris magnifica Vved.
Iris narynensis O.Fedtsch.
Iris nusairiensis Monterode
Iris palaestina (Bak.) Boiss.
Iris persica L.
Iris planifolia (Mill.) Fiori & Paol.
Iris pseudocaucasica Grossh.
Iris regis-uzziae Feinbrun
Iris rosenbachiana Reg.
Iris vicaria Vved.
[edit] Subgenus Hermodactyloides
Iris reticulataReticulate-bulbed bulbous irises. Formerly genus Iridodictyum.
Section Hermodactyloides
Iris bakeriana Foster
Iris danfordiae (Baker) Boiss.
Iris histrio Rchb.f.
Iris histrioides (G.F.Wilson) S.Arn.
Iris kolpakowskiana Regel
Iris pamphylica Hedge
Iris reticulata Bieb.
Iris vartanii Fost.
Iris winogradowii Fomin
[edit] Uses
[edit] In horticulture
Irises are extensively grown as ornamental plants in home and botanical gardens. Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in New Jersey, for example, is a living iris museum with over 10,000 plants, while in Europe the most famous iris garden is arguably the Giardino dell'Iris in Florence (Italy) which every year hosts one of the most famous iris breeders' competitions in the world.
The most commonly found garden iris is the bearded German Iris (I. germanica), a hybridogenic species, and its numerous cultivars. Various wild forms and naturally occurring hybrids of the Sweet Iris (I. pallida) and the Hungarian Iris (I. variegata) form the basis of most all modern hybrid bearded irises. Median forms of bearded iris (intermediate bearded, or IB; miniature tall bearded, or MTB; etc.) are derived from crosses between tall and dwarf varieties.
The bearded irises are easy to cultivate and propagate, and have become very popular in gardens. They grow in any good free garden soil, the smaller and more delicate species needing only the aid of turf ingredients, either peat or loam, to keep it light and open in texture. The earliest to bloom are species like I. junonia and I. reichenbachii, which flower as early as February and March, followed by the dwarf forms of I. pumila which blossom during March, April and May. During the latter month and the following one, most of the larger-growing "tall bearded" irises bloom, such as the German Iris and its variety florentina, Sweet Iris, Hungarian Iris, Lemon-yellow Iris (I. flavescens), Iris sambucina, I. amoena, and their natural and horticultural hybrids such as those described under names like I. neglecta or I. squalens and best united unter I. × lurida.
The section Oncocyclus contains the cushion irises or royal irises, a group of plants noted for their large, strongly marked flowers. Between 30 and 60 species are classified in this section, depending on the authority. Compared with other irises the cushion varieties are scantily furnished with narrow sickle-shaped leaves and the flowers are usually borne singly on the stalks; they are often very dark and in some almost blackish. The cushion irises are somewhat fastidious growers, and to be successful with them they must be planted rather shallow in very gritty well-drained soil. They should not be disturbed in the autumn, and after the leaves have withered the roots should be protected from heavy rains until growth starts again naturally.
The section Regelia, closely allied to the cushion irises, includes several garden hybrids with species in section Oncocyclus, known as Regelio-cyclus irises. They are best planted in September or October in warm sunny positions, the rhizomes being lifted the following July after the leaves have withered.
A truly red bearded iris remains an unattained goal despite frequent hybridizing and selection. There are species and selections, most notably based on the beardless rhizomatous Copper Iris (I. fulva), which have a relatively pure red color. However, getting this color into a modern bearded iris breed has proven very difficult, and thus, the vast majority of irises are in the purple and blue range of the color spectrum, with yellow and whitish breeds also quite frequent.
Other beardless rhizomatous iris types commonly found in garden are the Siberian Iris (I. sibirica) and its hybrids, and the Japanese Iris (I. ensata) and its hybrids. "Japanese iris" is also a catch-all term for the Japanese Iris proper (hanashōbu), the Blood Iris (I. sanguinea, ayame) and the Rabbitear Iris (I. laevigata, kakitsubata). I. unguicularis is a late-winter-flowering species from Algeria, with sky-blue flowers blotched with yellow, produced (in the Northern Hemisphere) from November to March or April. Yet another beardless rhizomatous iris popular in gardening is I. ruthenica, which has much the same requirements and characteristics as the "tall bearded" irises.
Many of the smaller species of bulbous iris, being liable to perish from excess of moisture, should have a well-drained bed of good but porous soil made up for them, in some sunny spot, and in winter should be protected by a covering of half-decayed leaves or fresh cocos-fibre refuse. To this group belong the "reticulate" irises with their characteristic bulbs, including I. danfordiae, I. histrioides, I. reticulata and others, as well as the smmoth-bulbed I. filifolia, which flower as early as February and March
Giardino dell'Iris in Florence
The bearded iris cultivar 'Mary Todd'
Chestnut cultivars like 'Samurai Warrior' are the closest breeder have been able to get to a "red" bearded iris
Iris atropurpurea, one of the dark-flowered Oncocyclus bearded irises
Iris unguicularis flower
'Katharine Hodginkin', a bulbous iris cultivar, a hybrid between I. winogradowii and I. histrioides 'Major'.
Iris kemaonensis in Himalaya
Iris pseudacorus in Cheshire in England
[edit] Aromatic rhizomes
Bombay Sapphire gin contains flavoring derived from particular bearded iris speciesRhizomes of the German Iris (I. germanica) and Sweet Iris (I. pallida) are traded as orris root and are used in perfume and medicine, though more common in ancient times than today. Today Iris essential oil (absolute) from flowers are sometimes used in aromatherapy as sedative medicines. The dried rhizomes are also given whole to babies to help in teething. Gin brands such as Bombay Sapphire and Magellan Gin use orris root and sometimes iris flowers for flavor and color.
For orris root production, iris rhizomes are harvested, dried, and aged for up to 5 years. In this time, the fats and oils inside the roots undergo degradation and oxidation, which produces many fragrant compounds that are valuable in perfumery. The scent is said to be similar to violets. The aged rhizomes are steam-distilled which produces a thick oily compound, known in the perfume industry as "iris butter".
Iris rhizomes also contain notable amounts of terpenes, and organic acids such as ascorbic acid, myristic acid, tridecylenic acid and undecylenic acid. Iris rhizomes can be toxic. Larger Blue Flag (I. versicolor) and other species often grown in gardens and widely hybridized contain elevated amounts of the toxic glycoside iridin. These rhizomes can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or skin irritation, but poisonings are not normally fatal. Irises should only be used medicinally under professional guidance.
[edit] In water purification
Further information: Organisms_used_in_water_purification
Further information: Treatment_pond
Flowering Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) at a treatment pondIn water purification, Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus) is used. The roots are usually planted in a substrate (e.g. lava-stone) in a reedbed-setup. The roots then improve water quality by consuming nutrient pollutants, such as from agricultural runoff.
[edit] In art and symbolism
The artist George Gessert has specialised in breeding irises.[3]
The artist Vincent van Gogh painted several famous pictures of irises.[4]
The American artist, Joseph Mason — a great friend of John James Audubon — painted a precise image of what was then known as the Lousianna Flag or Copper Iris (Iris cuprea) to which Audubon subsequently added two Northern Paraula birds (parula americana) for inclusion as Plate 15 in his Birds of America.
The artist Philip Hermogenes Calderon painted an iris in his 1856 work Broken Vows; he followed the principles of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. An ancient belief is that the iris serves as a warning to be heeded, as it was named for the messenger of Olympus. It also conveys images of lost love and silent grief, for young girls were led into the afterlife by Iris. Broken Vows was accompanied with poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when it was first exhibited.[5]
The fleur-de-lis, a stylized iris, first occurs in its modern use as the emblem of the House of Capet. The fleur-de-lis has been associated with France as Louis VII adopted it as a symbol in the 12th Century. The yellow fleur-de-lis reflects the Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus), common in Western Europe. Contemporary uses can be seen in the Quebec flag and the logo of the New Orleans Saints professional football team, and on the flag of Saint Louis, Missouri.
The red fleur-de-lis in the coat-of-arms of Florence (Italy) descends from the white iris which is native to Florence and which grew even in its city walls. This white iris, displayed against a red background, became the symbol of Florence until the Medici family, to signal a change in political power, reversed the colors making the white one red and setting in motion a centuries-long breeding program to hybridize a red iris.
Furthermore, the fleur-de-lis is the almost-universal symbol of Scouting and one of the symbols adopted by the sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
A stylized Yellow Iris is the symbol of Brussels, since historically, the important Saint Gaugericus Island was carpeted in them.[6] The iris symbol is now the sole feature on the flag of the Brussels-Capital Region.
An iris – species unspecified – is one of the state flowers of Tennessee. Tradition holds that the particular iris symbolizing Tennessee is a purple cultivar, to go alongside the wild-growing Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) which is the state's other floral emblem.
The provincial flower of Québec (Canada) is the Harlequin Blueflag (I. versicolor), called iris versicolore in French.
Philip Hermogenes Calderon's Broken Vows with the iris at lower left
Coat-of-arms of the House of Capet
Coat-of-arms of Florence
Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region
Coat of Arms of Ukraine is a stylized iris[verification needed], a symbol of the Perun (thunder god) from the pagan antiquity.
[edit] See also
List of early spring flowers
List of late spring flowers
List of early summer flowers
[edit] References
1.^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 200–204. ISBN 0-88192-897-6.
2.^ Dyke (1913), Rodionenko (1961)
3.^ West [2008]
4.^ Pioch (2002)
5.^ Mancoff (2003): p.6,16
6.^ CPM-KB [2007]
Chancery of the Prime Minister, Kingdom of Belgium (CPM-KB) [2007]: Brussels Town Hall. Retrieved 2007-NOV-11.
Dykes, W.R. (1913): The genus Iris. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Mancoff, Debra N. (2003): Flora Symbolica: Flowers in Pre-Raphaelite Art. Prestel Publishing, New York, USA. ISBN 3-7913-2851-4
Pioch, Nicolas (2002): Gogh, Vincent van: Irises. Bersion of 2002-AUG-19. Retrieved 2008-DEC-10.
Rodionenko, G.I. (1961): The genus Iris L.. Moscow and Leningrad.
Species Group of the British Iris Society (1996): A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. ISBN 0-521-44074-2
West, Ruth [2008]: George Gessert. Retrieved 2008-DEC-10.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iris (Iridaceae)
Joseph Mason's painting - Copper Iris Copper Iris / Lousianna Flag (Iris cuprea) from John James Audubon's Birds of America
Kew Checklist: Iris
Flora of North America: Iris
Flora of China: Iris
Flora of Pakistan: Iris
Flora of Nepal: Iris
Iris Species
A web site devoted to Irises, by David Payne-Joyce; includes plates from Dykes (1913).
The American Iris Society
Iris taxonomy in GBIF Biodiversity Data Portal
Historic Iris Preservation Society
Iris listings at Wild Flowers of Israel
Bearded Iris colors
Iris in Art and Culture
Gouvernement du Québec Emblèmes du Québec - Iris versicolor (french)
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