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Anatomy of the Caribbean Heavens

The heavens are rich with artistry  creativity, and lessons to teach us

When viewed from a ship at sea they are even richer – and vacation provides the time and opportunity to explore and express this beauty.  The art is biased of course by the perspective of the observer.  AiA finds the shapes and character of “things” related to the body, biology, art and culture of primary interest.  The Caribbean heavens explored from a boat contains  a wealth of material.

As we started our journey….

I swear I saw  Prometheus running down from the heavens !

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and then I looked a little closer …

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and then put on my shades… and yes twas  a powerful athlete running down to earth from the skies and he was carrying something!  body, sky, heavens,clouds, athlete, running

 

Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure who brought fire to the earth that he stole from Mount Olympus.  He was punished by Zeus who chained him to the rocks of Mount Caucasus.  In addition an eagle (Zeus himself) punished Prometheus by daily feeds on his liver.  The ancients knew of the magical regenerative properties of the liver and the antiseptic qualities of bile.  The eagle (Zeus) is later slain by Heracles and Prometheus is given his freedom.  He gains strength due the the regenerative powers of the liver (also known by contemporary physicians in the world of hepatology and hepatic surgery).

Talking of animals of the sky?  And what about the Scottie dog?  What lessons does he have to teach us?

body, sky, heavens,clouds, dog, Scottie, shape, running

Scottie of the Skye in the Sky

In this image a Scottie dog was found romping in the heavens.  The Scottie is an endearing name for the Scottish terrier – aka Aberdeen terrier.  It is part of the group of Skye terriers and therefore is fittingly suited for the theme of the wonderful sightings in the sky.   The Scottie is one of the terrier breeds that come from Scotland.  Other terriers in this group include the Skye, West Highland Terrier, Dandie Dinmont and the Cairn .  The Scottie has a characteristic compact and powerful body.  The torso and head are rectangular, ears are pointed , eyes are almond shaped, and the beard has  long and soft hair.  The legs are short but powerful allowing for agility and quick movement. The breed exemplifies “power in a small package” . The confident and independent nature has earned them the nickname “Diehard”.  It is extremely territorial.  Both President Franklin D Roosevelt and George W Bush owned Scotties. George, the fourth Earl of Dumbarton owned a pack of brave Scottish Terriers, that were named “Diehards”.  Dumbartons regiment in the The Royal Scots were fittingly named the “Dumbarton Diehards”  Scotty Cramp is a disease in Scottish Terriers that causes muscle spasms resulting in hyperflexion and hyperextension of the legs. It is an inherited recessive trait of the breed.  It is  caused by a deficiency in serotonin.

sky, dog, Scottie, shapes, heavens, bones, anatomy, knees, X-ray. spine, lumbar spine, pars interarticularis, back, spondylolysis, diehard

1 Real Scottie, 1 in the Sky, and 2 in Dem Bones

In Radiology we look at the neck of the Scottie dog in a condition of the lumbar spine that causes back pain in athletes called spondylolysis.  The neck of the Scottie is overlaid in maroon in the image on  the right and represents the pars interarticularis which may undergo stress fracture in young athletes (spondylolysis) resulting in one lumbar vertebral body slipping forward on the other (spondylolisthesis).  It is one of the causes of back pain in young athletes. 

Rain – Good or Bad? –  

sky, heavens,clouds, rain, sun, sky

“Anatomy of Rain in the Sky at Sunrise” 

In this image sunrise brings a shower of rain in the east.  The sun shining through the dark clouds illuminates other clouds and brings some hope.  In the context of the vacationer the rain is a disappointment and means an undesirable day indoors.   For the farmer and for mother earth it is a blessing!

The art piece is dominated by falling rain and a rising sun that shines through and illuminates the vista.

and what does that teach us – It all depends on context

Some quotes:

Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.  Warren Buffett

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.  Langston Hughes

 As the day continued – it got grayer and grayer

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Anatomy of Rain in the Sky

In this instance the gray skies of rain bring a gloom for some and yes … also a bloom .. of life for others.  It is an essential to all biology.  

The image shows rain romping  from the heavens.  

Some Quotes

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Gray skies are just clouds passing over. Duke Ellington

The rain began again. It fell heavily, easily, with no meaning or intention but the fulfilment of its own nature, which was to fall and fall.  Helen Garner

but things change..time moves on..and 

“Time and Tide Wait for No Man”

And the following day – all had changed – the rain had passed and bright orange heavens illuminated the sky a moment before sunrise

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Anatomy of the Sky Before Sunrise

Moments before sunrise brings light to the darkness, just before the sun pokes its head from the blanket of the ocean.  The sun shining illuminates the sky with an orange optimism in the cloudless sky.

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Anatomy of the Sky at the Moment of Sunrise

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Anatomy of the Sky 1 Minute after Sunrise

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Anatomy of the Sky 3 minutes After Sunrise

Time passes quickly

Quotes

“You can’t stop the future, You can’t rewind the past, The only way to learn the secret…is to press play.” – Jay Asher

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu

As the day progressed – Nirvana – a blue blue sky , and a blue blue ocean  – interrupted only by a ruffle of waving white

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Blue Sky, Blue Water, and A Ruffle of Waving White

and this also was not for long .. as time passed and ever changing cloud pattern passed before our eyes – containing all sorts of people

… and a surprise artist made his appearance –

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Chagall Blessing the Sky

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  Blessing in the Sky with Overlay

The artist spotted Chagall flying in typical fashion through the heavens of the Caribbean.  he had his arms outstretched as if to bless the sky

And by the end of the first day… the clouds rolled in to compete for kingdom of the earthly sky

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Anatomy of the Sky as the Sun Starts to Set

The kingdom of the earthly sky is shared by the sun with the clouds as each seeks to dominate.  For the sun this is a small battle since its kingdom stretches over the entire solar system.  For the clouds this is a major battle since they only rule over the earth.  They both play an essential role in preserving life on earth.  The sun is constant and dependable.  The clouds are transient and fickle. The setting sun descends through the blanket of the clouds, and gives the sky a mysterious, and magical  feel.

And the next day… the clouds and the sun shared the spotlight at sunrise

I took a nice cuppa tea, and sat on a chaise – longue to watch the spectacle.  To my surprise I saw my knee caps…

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Sunrise View of the Knee Caps

The art piece expresses a joint experience of my knees and the sun. As I sit on the chaise-longue sipping tea and watching the sunrise with X-ray vision, I share a gaze with the sun.  The sun looks at the sunrise view of my knees and I look at its sunrise in the sky.  In radiology we use the ‘sunrise view” to evaluate the joint space between the patella and the femur.

As the day progressed the clouds disappeared, and a day moon appeared.

 

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Day Moon

And nighttime came – not a cloud in the sky … blackness descended revealing the light of a crescent moon and its neighbour  Venus.

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The Moon and Venus in Conversation

and the heavens turned black – and I saw the overshadowed crescent moon talking to Venus… “What are people thinking?- Do they not realise life rules over death? Peace over terror? Why do the leaders of the people not declare this universal truth? It is so clear from where we stand, that there is something going wrong down there….Leaders must not remain silent! “

And after the moon rose my hand rose to tell the moon something…

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I Have a Bone to Pick with You .. I said

In this art piece the larger than life bones of the hand reach out into the sky in conversation. Tongue in cheek it wants to share the idea that it has a bone in its wrist that shares a common feature with the moon.  The lunate bone is is found in the  proximal row of metacarpal bones in the wrist, so named because of its shape. “Luna” is the Latin name for the moon.

and then two more hands with their scaphoids appeared to teach us the last lessons from the Caribbean

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Scaphoids That Pass Under the Lunar Night

The art piece shows a night time sky with the X-ray of three hands.  The hand on the left and right side of the image have the scaphoid bone of the wrist outlined in color.  The scaphoid is so named because of its ship like shape. “Skaphos” means  ship in Greek.  The middle hand dominates the trio of hands and unrealistically dominates the skyline.  The lunate bone is highlighted in the middle hand.  It is so named because it is moon shaped.   Artistically the scaphoid bone on the right is colored in Irish green since the ring finger carries a claddagh ring -an Irish ring that represents love, loyalty, and friendship.  The larger than life delicate  fingers of the middle hand reach out to the moon and  talks with the moon about their common shapes… small talk in the big picture

From a literary point of view the title “Scaphoids that Pass Under the Lunar Night” infers and  invokes the sentiment of Longfellow in “Tales of a Wayside Inn” about the “ships that pass in the night”

“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.”

“Ships that pass in the night” speaks of chance meetings that are transitory that come and go and are just part of life that do not result  in a meaningful relationship – and in other contexts of two people who almost encounter each other – but do not.  In both cases, with a little effort of either party, a connection may have been life changing.

… and  these were just a few lessons taught by the Caribbean sky!

 

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Anatomy of My Mind for the New Year

head, face, nose, mouth, lips, bones, skull, x-ray, radiology

“A Better Future?” 

X-rays are used to projects things of the mind and  feelings that go deep into the bones.  The X-ray of the front of the head looks upward and forward to the future.  This art piece was  created for the New Year of  2016 with a hope of deep introspection for  each thoughtful person to improve themselves and the world.   As the year 2015 has now come to a close, we all hope for a better future.  This is not going to be a passive inheritance from thin air.  It will require deep introspection and reflection.   The art piece shows the head of a person, taking the first step to self realisation and fulfilment – raising the question.  The need for a thorough mental review of the past and the future is an absolute necessity.  The importance of playing an active role in personal destiny is emphasised by asking the first question – ‘A Better Future? ?” implying – How do I do I get involved with my own destiny and the destiny of my family and the people close to me?  The  X-ray is used to project a feeling that goes deep into the bones.  The X-ray of the front of the head looks upward and forward to the future.

The New Year fills the mind with all sorts of thoughts and feelings about oneself and the world.  It is a time to take stock of the state of the union of the self!  There is always room for growth and improvement.

Deep reflection and introspection is needed in order to accomplish this growth.  Life is a struggle and a wrestle for all at multiple levels.  There are physical, emotional, psychological, mental and spiritual aspects.  Each person must deal with their own failures and successes.  Sometimes what seems or seemed like a failure is in fact a success.

Life is a struggle and a wrestle for all at multiple levels.  There are physical, emotional, psychological, mental and spiritual aspects.  Each person must deal with their own failures and successes.

 

Who am I, what am I, and who do I want to be?

Perhaps the wisest advice I received was from an egoistic professor of surgery who suggested that one should project oneself to the age of 80 and then look back and see if one accomplished what one really wanted to accomplish.  Was it money, power, or personal fame or did it have to do with fulfilling relationships?  Are there things of the body that I should have or could have done?  Are there things of the mind that I could have or should have done?  Are  there things of the soul that I could have or should have done?

head, bones, skull, X-ray, radiology, introspection, nose, chin

The First Reflection for the New Year

 In this art piece, X-rays are used to project a feeling that goes deep into the bones.  The  X-ray on the right shows a forward gaze of a person with well defined facial features. The image on the left is modified to show a blank reflection.  The art shows the head of a person, looking in the mirror at the end of the year and wondering about the past and the future.  The first  reflection is blank since the experience of  the past year and the future are difficult to grasp in that short moment.  Nothing more than the blank is expected .  Persistence and honesty with a continued effort is needed to progress beyond this point. The stare into the mirror should be more than momentary.

This art piece was also created for the new year of  2016 with a hope of deep introspection of each thoughtful person to improve themselves and the world.

 

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“What Do I Need?” 

X-rays are used to project a deep and honest questioning as to what is really needed .  The X-ray of the right head looks upward and forward to the future. The response of excessive material wealth for show is the response in this instance  One has to decide if this dream is directed toward self fulfillment.  Showing off the prize in the hope of an egotistical victory in competition with others in the community is the passion of this person.

On second thoughts-  What do I really need?

Improving my body

head, mind, bones, protection, food, physiology

Absolutes of Life

As the year 2015 has now come to a close,, a deep search is needed – right down to the core to preserve life.    Survival is the first requirement. Protection, food, and water are absolutes.  Protection means a roof and walls to keep the threatening elements out.  Food and water means nutrition and fluid to maintain bodily function

The art piece shows the head of a person, pursuing the most basic needs.  The pursuit and acquisition of basic needs is the first step.  Although this is logical to all and everybody, the new generation forget that the first step to independence, is physical independence that requires an ability to support the most basic needs of life.  It is a lesson to communities and countries who owe this basic need to their people.  It is also a lesson to individuals who pursue personal happiness as they enter”real life” after they have been educated.   The home is a simple rustic log cabin heated by a fire.

 

Improving My Mind  –  Where do I start?

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“Anatomy of Brain Function; Receive, Process, Produce, Export” 

shows the bare skeleton of the human brain function.  The brain receives, processes, and exports.  The complexity of these three basic functions will unfold not only in the brain but in all functional systems.  The style is reminiscent of surrealism . The complexity of brain function is reduced to its 3 major functions.

So a good place to start is to a focus on the sensory system and it so happens that Janus of January has a lesson to share!

head, brain, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, sight, hearing taste, touch, smell, X-ray, Janus

Janus in Touch with His Senses

Janus is the God of beginnings and transitions and the art piece emphasises the organs of his senses.  He is usually depicted with two heads, one facing forward to the future and the other back to the past. The month of January takes its name from the Roman god.  As we face the new year, respect for the miracle of our senses needs to be celebrated.  In line with our resolutions of the optimizing the body, taking full advantage of our senses to optimise our mind is a natural progression.  The sensory organs keep us in touch with all that is around us, and it behoves us to use these miraculous tools  to feed our mind.  The art piece shows the sensory organs including, the eyes (sight), ears (hearing), nose (smell), mouth (taste), nose (smell), and hands (touch).

This art piece asks you to …see when you look, listen when you hear, taste when you eat….feel when you touch..

 As the year 2015 has come to a close, we all hope for a better future.  This is not going to be a passive inheritance from thin air.  It will require deep introspection and reflection of real and meaningful needs.    X-rays are used to project a deep and honest questioning as to what is really needed .  The X-ray of the left head of Janus looks upward and forward to the future with senses perked. The right head of Janus looks back with senses heightened in similar fashion.  

So a good place to start is an intense focus on the basics

Absolutes of food, water, and a home ….before the pie in sky

Use the senses sensibly – See when you look, listen when you hear, taste when you eat, remember to smell….and feel when you touch..

 

 

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Biological Rhythms

Biological Rhythms – Anatomy of the Fall- and Thanksgiving

Ashley Davidoff MD Copyright 2015

The Fall

Mixed messages.

Maturation with impending death.

Strong green,

Hints of orange, yellow, and red

Skulls and ghosts in gardens

Thanksgiving

Mortality and cycles of life

Biological Rhythms

“Early Fall”

shows a CT scan of a skull in the aging garden as the time of the Fall shows its beautiful head.  Some of the greens are still green but there is a sense of a cycle moving forward to a next phase as some leaves start to show their mature age with the coming of the fall season.

Time moves on

Yellows oranges and reds become deeper…

And more intense

And we understand George Eliot

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,”

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“Mid Fall and Halloween”

shows a CT scan of a skull with reducing volume of bone as the Fall ages and becomes fatter.  The skull is located in the aging garden as the time progresses to the mature and mellow yellow, oranges, and reds.  There is a sense of a seasonal cycle moving forward. Middle fall is the season of Halloween when we are reminded of our mortality.

We take the dog for a walk

And everywhere it says

Death is coming

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“Autumn Reminding Us of Mortality”

shows the sentiment of the Fall as we move on in our life cycles.  Biology by its natural cycles will have a beginning, a middle and an end.  The fall is a time for contemplation and a reminder to make sweet while the sun shines.

Halloween brings the

Cutest of our society to say

“Do not to worry – there is youth in this season also”

And a pregnant Mommy stands behind smiling

Yet another inner maturation –

Cycles within cycles

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“An Autumn Beginning for this Baby”

shows an MRI of a pregnant uterus in the third trimester.  For this baby the fall is a beginning

So I come to think of the parts that make the whole

Of members of my inner society

And start with the cell

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“The Cell in the Autumn of Its Life Cycle”

shows the cell in the its own  mature and mellow colors in a background of yellows and oranges of the seasonal external cycle.  The beauty and reality of the seasons and biological rhythms are in us and all around us.

And think about the tree of my breath

As it goes through its cycles

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“Ginkgo Lung in the Fall”

is a rendering of a CT scan showing an upside airways forming the trunk and branches of a tree.  The lungs have been reshaped and colored  to reflect the shape of the ginkgo leaf in the Fall.

And about my aging bones that

Used to run in the park with no effort

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“Anatomy of a Jog  in the Fall”

shows X-rays of the calves of a runner taking a run through the park in the late fall season.  The orange colors reflect a mature part of a cycle as well as portray the element of time

and of the agility and beauty of a dancer in her prime

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“En Pointe in the Fall”

shows X-rays of the foot of a ballet dancer “en pointe” in the park in the late fall season.  The yellow colors reflect a mature part of a cycle as well as portray the element of time

 I try to shake off the melancholy

Uplifted by the performance ….

Through my orange eyes

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“The Dance of Autumn”

shows an impressionistic  portrayal of contemporary dance in the Fall.  The mature and mellow colors are reflected in the yellows and oranges with the occasional splash of evergreen green.

And then we give thanks

For being  alive

And for being part of a bigger family

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The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth, 1914

(Original by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Modified Public Domain Image )

 “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
― Jim Bishop

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