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Vampires and werewolves, contrary to popular opinion, are not supernatural creatures. They are 'wer-animals' – the result of an animal genome being introduced into a human. ('wer' means 'man'). More information is found n the navigation bar under 'The Wer Disease', and 'The Wer-Animals: Wolf, Bat, Jaguar'.
Witches (and wizards, warlocks etc) do indeed exist as 'magical' beings. Their magic is derived from what most people call 'ESP' or psychic phenomena. The human mind operates as an antenna to receive signals that science, so far, ignores. Something like clairvoyance is 'receptive magic', whereby a witch receives knowledge by means science cannot measure. 'Expressive magic', working a spell, simply turns this process around – instead of receiving 'vibrations', the witch sends out signals which affect both the mental and the physical world.
Of the many myths associated with beings which are either truly mythical, or merely esoteric, it can be expected that there is some kernel of truth from which the myth grew. For example, it is now widely believed that the 'myth' of the Lost Continent of Atlantis probably originated in the sudden and catastrophic downfall of the Minoan civilization when the volcano of Thera (or Santorini) erupted in the Bronze age. The reasoning can be applied to cyclops (arising out of the finding of mammoth skulls) and vampires. I do not mean that the vampires themselves are myths, but that many of the bizarre ideas about vampires (such as their showing no reflection in mirrors) are myths born out of some historical fact. These myths and their explanations are explored in the navigation tab, "The Truth in the Myths".
A brief and modest reference to the instinctive fear of snakes of an infant chimpanzee, as opposed to a human child, which does not have the instinct. I cannot find a reference to the film clip I originally saw many years ago.
http://www.4to40.com/QA/index.asp?counter=69&category=animal
A totem in magic is something which takes on a specific power by association with something else. In wer-animal lore it means the animal species which is chosen to be infected with Weprabies, in order to harvest its genome and create a wer-animal, ie a human-animal cross. For example, the bat is the totem animal of the vampire. The jaguar is the totem animal of the wer-jaguar. But the wolf is sometimes considered not to be the totem animal of the weerwolf, for the simple reason that it is the original and natural source of the infection, and therefore was never chosen to be infected for the purpose of creating a wer-animal.
In shamanism there are magical implications to the choice of the totem animal. The relationship between shaman and totem animal far ante-dates the arrival of Anubis in Mexico. The jaguar had long been considered an extremely desirable nagual or nahual, that is spirit companion to protect the shaman during his trips between the worlds as he acted in his function as intermediary between the natural and spiritual world. [See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism]
Therefore, when Anubis introduced wer-jaguars, it was natural for the totem animal concept to simply incorporate the extra step of the nahual entering the shaman's body and manifesting in a physical transformation of the shaman into the nahual. In a way, the Olmecs were as pre-conditioned for the wer-animal phenomenon as were the Egyptians with their animal-god pantheon.
The follow quote from Wikipedia is interesting with respect to the jaguar as nahual: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguars_in_Mesoamerican_culture
"The jaguar is also important for shamans who often associate the jaguar as a spirit companion or nagual, which will protect the shaman from evil spirits and when they move between the earth and the spirit realm. In order for the shaman to combat whatever evil forces may be maligning him, or those who rely on the shaman for protection, it is necessary for the shaman to transform himself and crossover to the spirit realm. The jaguar is often chosen as a nagual because of its strength, for it is necessary that the shaman "dominate the spirits, in the same way as a predator dominates its prey" (Saunders 1998:30). The jaguar is said to possess the transient ability of moving between worlds because of its comfort in the trees and the water, their ability to hunt as well in the nighttime as in the daytime, and their habit of sleeping in caves, places often associated with the deceased ancestors. The concept of the transformation of the shaman is well documented in Mesoamerica and South America, and is demonstrated in the context of the Olmec through the prominence of the were-jaguar, and other sculpture illustrating jaguar transformation."
Anubis was at one time the lover of Osiris in Egypt and in all probability the lover of Quetzalcoatl in Mexico. Although there is no evidence to suggest that he ever much expressed any hidden feminine side (assuming such to exist in all men), there are hints that he respected 'two-souled' individuals, who would now days be called transvestites. (Hapi, the god of the Nile, was ambi-sexual.) The following quote from Wikipedia is of interest along these lines with respect to 'two-souled' men and magick, especially shamanism. This quote is from the same Wikipedia article on shamanism.
"Most shamans are men, but there are societies in which women may be shamans. In some societies, shamans exhibit a two-spirited identity, assuming the dress and attributes of the opposite sex from a young age, for example, a man taking on the role of a wife in an otherwise ordinary marriage. [Meaning a man married to another man, who functions as a wife. – Webmaster's comment] This practice is common..... Indeed, these two-spirited shamans were so widespread as to suggest a very ancient origin of the practice. See, for example, [Joseph Campbell's map in his The Historical Atlas of World Mythology: Vol I: The Way of the Animal Powers: Part 2: pg 174] Such two-spirited shamans are thought to be especially powerful, and Shamanism so important to ancestral populations that it may have contributed to the maintenance of genes for transgendered individuals in breeding populations over evolutionary time through the mechanism of "kin selection." [see final chapter of E.O. Wilson's "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis] They are highly respected and sought out in their tribes, as they will bring high status to their mates.
The study of viruses, of course, is a life-time undertaking, but there is an abundance of sites online for a quick overview.
For a site offering all the links you could possibly want about viruses in general, see: http://www.virology.net/garryfavweb.html
For an overview of the rabies virus, including photos (I know that sounds irresistible), see: http://www.virology.net/Big_Virology/BVRNArhabdo.html
See the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrion
For the interesting connections among rabies, summer and Sirius (the dog star), see http://spaces.msn.com/astroprof/blog/cns!9914389DC1F1ADC6!418.entry
Hmm - I am told this page is no longer available. I think it was hosted by astroprof http://astroprofspage.com/
I guess you can find similar material by searching under Sirius, rabies and summer.
To read one expert's opinion on how furious rabies might reinforce the vampire legend, see http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=42108, citing Juan Gomez-Alonzo, of the Xeral Hospital in Vigo, Spain.
Another disappearing webpage. Try:
http://microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC195E/Gomez-Alonso.html
http://microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC195E/195Ehomepage.html
See tab in naviation menu.
"Each phase of life is a separate metamorphosis - an evolution complete unto itself, although always based on the same genetic information. Mammal bodies don't just add some cells and tissue as they enter adolescence. They change radically, breaking down bone and rearranging it. The metamorphosis is no less complete than that of a caterpillar tearing itself apart to build a butterfly.
In this picture of development, the genome takes on an almost advisory role. It doesn't direct development: it just sets the process in motion and stabilizes it."
Quoted from Human Metamorphosis Discover, June 2004.
I cannot find a photo of the tooth-in-the-foot tale. This is what I did find online:
"Fetus in fetu?
Post by Robert Gift on December 16th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Bravo to doctors for successfully removing the tissues and the child will be OK.
Years ago, was it a young teen who had a perfectly formed tooth growing in his foot?
Would be great if this could lead to purposeful creation of heathy parts.
(Wish I could replace a cracked molar.)"
(Colorado) Springs newborn had foot, other body parts, embedded in brain
By Sally S. Ho
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/16/2008 12:30:00 AM MST
A growth in the brain of newborn Sam Esquibel was believed to be a tumor, but in fact was a nearly perfect foot. (Special to The Post | Tiffnie Esquibel)
The parents of Sam Esquibel know him only as a miracle baby.
The Colorado Springs infant survived surgery to remove what was believed to be a tumor when he was just 3 days old.
"The doctors said to us, 'This one is for the books,' " mom Tiffnie Esquibel said.
Inside the microscopic tumor was what looked like the formations of two feet, a hand and thigh.
"To find a perfectly formed structure (like this) is extremely unique, unusual, borderline unheard of," said Dr. Paul Grabb, the veteran pediatric neurosurgeon who performed the operation on Sam at Colorado Springs' Memorial Hospital for Children.
As for what this could mean to science books, Grabb said he did not pursue it because it was not vital to saving Sam, although he did say it gave insight to stem-cell research.
"How does the body form complete extremities? Who is to say we can't grow a heart, leg or foot?" Grabb said. "This could show a window of what's possible."
At 41 weeks into Esquibel's pregnancy, an ultrasound showed fluid in Sam's brain, and an emergency cesarean section was scheduled. The infant appeared healthy, but was given an MRI exam to be sure.
"If they hadn't done the (testing), the hospital said they would have sent Sam home with me," Esquibel said. "He just seemed as healthy as can be."
The MRI ultimately revealed a tumor, and at 3 days old, Sam underwent a two-hour surgery to remove it.
"I was absolutely devastated," Esquibel said. "We didn't know if he'd make it through the surgery or not, and it was a 50-50 percent chance the tumor could be cancerous."
Two and half months later, Sam has mostly recovered. Now that the sutures have healed, the infant is scheduled for 25 sessions of physical therapy to improve use of the right side of his head and neck.
"You'd never know if he didn't have a scar there," his mom said.
I did find this mention online: http://www.geocities.com/transactoid/facts.html
# In 1977, a 13-year-old kid found a tooth growing out of his left foot.
Sandman did see the photo of the X-ray of the tooth-in-the-foot, which, apparently was taken in 1977. I put this fact into his 1976 conversation because it seemed timely. He did not authenticate this factoid, nor did I investigate this foot-in-the-brain report.
See the Aarrgh tab.
See the Queztalcoatl tab.
"Background: Erythropoietic porphyria (EP) is a rare inborn error of porphyrin-heme synthesis inherited that is as an autosomal recessive trait. The inheritance of 2 mutant alleles for the gene encoding the enzyme uroporphyrinogen III synthase leads to accumulation of porphyrins of the isomer I type that are biologically useless but cause cutaneous photosensitivity characterized by blisters, erosions, and scarring of light-exposed skin.
Clinical manifestations can range from mild to severe. Chronic damage of skin, cartilage, and bones can cause mutilation. Hypertrichosis, erythrodontia, and reddish-colored urine are often present. Hemolytic anemia can be mild or severe, with resultant splenomegaly and osseous fragility.
EP is reported in diverse populations. The total number of cases reported worldwide is less than 200.
The teeth have a reddish color."
Note: 'hypertrichosis' means an excessive hairiness (as in werewolf syndrome), and the 'erythrodontia' means red teeth (from blood seeping into the teeth). The same thing happens to the eyes, and the nails of the hands and feet.
The disease is severely aggravated by (potentiates with) interaction with the W-virus. That is to say, the apoptosis reflex, which is normally turned off, is magnified, and the skin blisters, boils, and necroses. Ears, lips, the nose, fingers etc. can all quickly fall off, and the damage will continue to spread for hours after the sunlight is removed. Death could be expected from a full body exposure for as little as ten minutes.
See also Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porphyria
Quotes taken from the Wikipedia article:
"The erythropoietic porphyrias primarily affect the skin, causing photosensitivity (photodermatitis), blisters, necrosis of the skin and gums, itching, and swelling, and increased hair growth on areas such as the forehead.
Heme precursors may also accumulate in the teeth and fingernails, giving them a reddish appearance."