obedience is intercession for you, elizabeth

this is who i am when i am loved, my inner woman

"Pain is far more than neural transmission and sensory transduction," Weiner tells LiveScience. "Pain is a complex mixture of emotions, culture, experience, spirit and sensation."

a better question, "What do you know about the olibanum tree?"

"The aroma of frankincense is said to represent life and the Judaic, Christian and Islamic faiths have often used frankincense mixed with oils to anoint newborn infants and individuals considered to be moving into a new phase in their spiritual lives."

Olibanum is characterized by a balsamic-spicy, slightly lemon and typical fragrance of incense, with a slightly conifer-like undertone.

 Frankincense, also called olibanum (Arabic language: لبٌان, lubbān), is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra (syn. B. carteri, B. thurifera) (Burseraceae). It is used in incense as well as in perfumes.

Frankincense is tapped from the very scraggly but hardy Boswellia tree by scraping the bark and allowing the exuded resins to bleed out and harden. These hardened resins are called tears, as they are teardrop-shaped. There are numerous species and varieties of frankincense trees, each producing a slightly different type of resin. Differences in soil and climate create even more diversity of the resin, even within the same species.

Frankincense trees are also considered unusual for their ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that they sometimes seem to grow directly out of solid rock. The means of initial attachment to the stone is not known but is accomplished by a bulbous disk-like swelling of the trunk. This disk-like growth at the base of the tree prevents it from being torn away from the rock during the violent storms that frequent the region they grow in. This feature is slight or absent in trees grown in rocky soil or gravel. The tears from these hardy survivors are considered superior due to their more fragrant aroma.

Flowers and branches of the Boswellia sacra tree, the species from which most frankincense is derived

The trees start producing resin when they are about 8 to 10 years old. Tapping is done 2 to 3 times a year with the final taps producing the best tears due to their higher aromatic terpene, sesquiterpene and diterpene content. Generally speaking, the more opaque resins are the best quality. Omani frankincense (from Boswellia sacra)^[1] is said to be the best in the world, although fine resin is also produced in Yemen, and along the north coast of Somalia.

Recent studies have indicated that frankincense tree populations are declining due to over-exploitation. Heavily tapped trees have been found to produce seeds that germinate at only 16% while seeds of trees that had not been tapped germinate at more than 80%.

quotes on healing:

"Oil of Lebanon" since Lebanon was the place where the resin was sold and traded with Europeans. Compare with Exodus 30:34, where it is clearly named levonah, meaning either "white" or "Lebanese" in Hebrew.

"every year for 29 years, i wake up on my birthday and decide if this is the day i am going to commit suicide. sometimes it takes until late afternoon to weigh the options. this year? i already am dead~~dead to family, to love, to laughter, to new beginnings.... so turn the gas off, it will be a long year of sheer terror and misery, welcome to my life. and to my friends? i do not know why you give a shit. i have done nothing except burden you with bullshit. things i cannot repay or pass on. the black hole of calcutta, that is me."