By the way, chickens can not make eggs with good shells, if they are deprived of lime. They can run on empty for a while, but it kills them. There is so much iodine in the ocean, it is everywhere, no ocean plant has to manufacture it, to get it!!! That kind of specious claim really erodes your arguments! Who do you think you are fooling? Yourself, no doubt. But not anyone who knows better.
The guy who wrote the cited paper is an alchemist! It was not for his alchemical work that he was nominated- that would open too many "wrong" doors. Even Newton "believed" in astrology! What scientists believe when off duty, is sometimes not the stuff of science. I am well-versed in both astrology and alchemy from my Haight Ashbury youth. I can throw a horoscope and interpret it- without a computer program! That does not mean I think is science or even valid, except in the most general terms.
BUT, but, but, but, astrology and alchemy are both sources of fabulous metaphors! Sometimes, performers really are leos! Wha- about 1 in 12 that is. I am a former performer, leo/pisces, aries moon- something that actually describes some of me. Except tropical astrology is not even based on where the signs are in the sky. It is based on the occurrence of the spring equinox, which is now 23 degrees out of alignment with the actual constellations! The Indians and Chinese use a sidereal, star-based, system which matches the constellations. I am a Cancer, Aquarius, Aries moon by that sytem. And it describes parts of me as well as the usual "tropical"system westerners use.
Likewise silica pearls are shamanic substitutes for metaphors found in nature, and from an ancient and beautiful traditional method of healing, which really does help heal aspects of the person, in this case, the ills of the soul, which can cause physical symptoms. Inspite of my rigidly insisting that these are metaphor, not science, I firmly believe in the power of metaphor to heal the soul, which always helps heal the physical problems that arose out of the soul loss. As a former certified professional counselor (cpc), I have long been aware of folk medicine and trust its place in modern medicine is as important as the traditional medicine system we use. In fact, I am not just a debunker of pseudo-science, pretending to be science, I realize it is the metaphor that unlocks the path and shows the progress, not the physical object itself. Remember Dumbo and the feather? He believed the feather would make him be able to fly. And it did. While there is no such THING as Santa Claus, the energy his name invokes is a real energy. A silica Santa egg would do the same thing, if that were the Rx.
In fact, consider this a self-disclosure, I have previous only hinted at, over here in the past 7 years. You guys know me as well as anyone else! You may not be surprised that I love curanderismo, the Mexican traditional medicine and have
blogged about it in the past and plan to do more of that in the future. The Aztecs are not just coming, they are already embedded in our entire landscape. Curanderismo is on the rise. In fact, it could be one's first stop in healing for most physical maladies because curanderas can and do take the place of the family doctor and refer one to the proper practitioner as needed, including the PCP!
Anyone interested in this, bring it to my blog. PM me and I will send you my email. I am not a practitioner, so don't think I have any agenda except expanding knowledge and sharing enthusiasm about traditional medicine.
I keep adding, but one more thing. This topic of pearls produced by plants and animals is at the intersection of science and shamanism. On this forum, which is science-based, we need to make it clear what is science and what is metaphor. This does not demean metaphors at all, it just means we need to keep them clear and not muddle them.
