Yoni - What Does it Mean? On Google and Bling?

First of all, Yoni is a term borrowed from India's ancient language, Sanskrit or devanagari ("divine language"). It can be translated by several English concepts ("origin", "source", "womb", "female genitals") and is the most respectful word available for naming what our modern languages refer to as vulva, pussy or cunt; or other equivalents.

The term Yoni heralds from a culture and religion in which women have long been regarded and honored as the embodiment of divine female energy - the goddess known as Shakti - and where the female genitals are seen as a sacred symbol of the Great Goddess.

Because Tantrics and others worship the Divine in the form of a Goddess, the term yoni has also acquired other, more cosmic meanings, becoming a symbol of the Universal Womb, the Matrix of Generation and Source of All.

Second, and most unfortunate for a) people interested in the Yoni and b) many male Israeli's, Yoni is the short version for men named Jonatan. It's a grievance to them, and it's a grievance to all of those who'd like the term YONI in a search on Google or Bling to only bring up information about the Sanskrit YONI.

Well, here's a kind of temporary solution. Search for yoni woman, yoni massage, yoni portraits, yoni art or yoni sanskrit - and you'll find way more relevant pages than by searching for yoni alone.

Image: Copyright © Christina Camphausen. For more about her work, check out this blog.

The Art of Discrimination

Nowadays, the term discrimination is most often seen as something wrong, negative, chauvinist ... you name it. It's a pity that this has happened, because discrimination is - in fact - one of the most important forms of thinking and intuiting. To be able to discriminate is not only important in perceiving the world more or less correctly, it is actually needed for our very survival.

One is, for example, well advised to discriminate between eating food that is nutritious and healthy - and stuff that poses as food while it actually consists of garbage, plastic and poisons. One also does well to discriminate between vampire-like people who zap one's energy by being both selfish and stupid, and others who aid one's development, honestly share opinions and insights, offer respect and friendship; perhaps even agape of some kind.

However, intelligent discrimination does need nurturing, training, education ... it is almost as difficult as it is for the young girl in this photograph to climb those stairs in the equatorial heat; carrying water to her home in the village on top.

With the following quote, I like to provide an example of how difficult discrimination can be, but also how important for our perception of what is called reality.

Try to make up your mind whether or not the following resembles fiction rather than reality, is misguided conspiracy fantasy or honest assessment of a situation by a daring mind.

"(He) had had too many dealings with the idiots on Capitol Hill to feel anything but contempt for them. Those whose arteries weren't already sufficiently hardened to cut off oxygen to their brains were so venal they never managed to get their snouts out the river of graft that year after year granted them certain return to their privileged sinecures."

And let me remind you that it says Capitol Hill only because the author of this is an American - if another name suits you better, please do exchange it when thinking about this.

Photograph: Village on Nias (Indonesia). Copyright © CCRCC
Quote: Eric Lustbader. Black Blade. London, 1997 (page 613)

The Color of Language:A Scientist ‘Claims’, a Politician Knows Better

Please read the three following headlines with attention to detail:

Professor David Nutt, the Government's chief drug adviser, was sacked today after claiming ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol . . .

The Independent, Oct. 30, 2009

Professor asked to resign after he renews criticism of decision to toughen law on cannabis . . .

The Guardian, Oct. 30, 2009

The UK's chief drug adviser Professor David Nutt is sacked after criticising government policies on cannabis.

BBC, Oct. 30, 2009

That’s the Color of Language ... and that’s exactly the stuff I like – it’s so much better than cross-word puzzles, and it even has some sort of connection with reality. Naturally, you only notice it if and when you read all of them in short succession, or if you’re an especially attentive reader, or if you’re a wordsmith yourself.

I have no beef with any of these news-outlets . . . . I’m not exactly sure who is left or right or in the dreadful middle - I just read them, watch them. I’m not English, but I prefer (slightly) European news to CNN or the Huffington Post; just as I prefer Harpers to The Daily Beast and U2 to You2b.

If you really read the three articles (links below), you’ll find the words “claims” or “claiming” in all of them at some point, but it should be clear the truly independent Independent comes across as the least independent of all.

Anyway, after digesting the story (as far as I can know it), I like the BBC version best, although the Guardian sounds better … and it’s also is more essentially English. In the Netherlands (where I lived most of my life), a Dutch paper would perhaps have written “Prominent Scientist Sacked for Critical View of Government Policies”, and a German tabloid could have screamed “Government Finally Sacks Nutty Pro-Drug Professor.”

That’s what I mean with the Color of Language – and that’s how media and politicians usually try to manipulate the minds of their readers, viewers, and constituents. Unfortunately, they often succeed, distorting reality by manipulating language - the oldest trick in the world.

In fact, “He Who Sacked” should be obliged to bow (Japanese style) do to “Him Who Was Sacked.” He, Home Secretary Alan Johnson, should bend at his waist and beg Professor David Nutt for forgiveness. Because, as everyone knows – even without being a scientist – nicotine (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff) is far more difficult to give up than dope (Cannabis, Marihuana, Skunk, THC). Apart form that, most Baby-Boomers will know that a single helping of LSD may have you encounter the Goddess of Love, whereas the equivalent litre of Gin Tonic or Vodka-Cola will have you wake up with the feeling “WHAT TE FU*K.”

Going back to science, this subjective feeling of the experienced user is fully vindicated by Professor Nutt. He may have his name work against him, but his research only confirms what many of us know from first-hand experience.

According to the scientist, gathering what can be gleaned from the three articles linked below, the Harm-Index of popular drugs looks like this:

1. Cocaine

2. Heroin

3. Barbiturates

4. Methadone

5. Alcohol

6-8 not mentioned (probably morphine, opium)

9. Nicotine

10. THC (Cannabis, Marihuana)

11. LSD

12. XTC (Ecstasy)

At present, however, the classification of drugs does not at all reflect the harm they represent, and is as follows (in the UK), though marijuana has recently moved from C to B … which is part of why this row between politicians and scientific advisors is unfolding.

Class A (most harmful)

Heroin, morphine, methadone, cocaine, opium, XTC, LSD

Class B (harmful though less potent than A)

codeine, amphetamines and barbiturates

Class C (low risk)

marijuana (now upgraded to B), tranquilizers, less potent stimulants and mild analgesics

Numbers 5 and 9, you will notice, are not at all classed as drugs. By not speaking of alcohol as a drug, the use of language can again be seen as misleading.. It isn’t hard to guess that there’s a fiscal reason to keeping the sale of alcohol and tobacco legally going – since the tax revenue coming from these addictions is badly needed – not even to mention the profits by the companies selling these substances. When someone speaks about “drug policy”, these two are never even discussed.

And if the Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs says that smoking cannabis creates only a relatively small risk of psychotic illness, and that taking ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse, he knows what he’s talking about. After all, it’s not as if he’s an Afghan drug-lord or the brother of Keith Richards … he’s the previously respected and carefully chosen chairman of the council.

Last not least, it comes as no surprise when Prof. Nutt states in his BBC interview, that the ‘row’ between scientists and politicians began the moment that England got saddled with the great man who knows all and everything: Gordon Brown.

Sources:
The Independent
The Guardian
BBC

TV interview with Prof. Nutt is here:

Video Interview