Dinosaurs: HERRERASAURUS: Being Avant-garde

(Copyright: Nobu Tamura)

Living in the late Triassic (about 225 million years ago), Herrerasaurus, one of the oldest Dinosaurs, emerged with a breakthrough body plan. A fast and ferocious hunter, this Meat-Eater set the standard for future Dinosaurs. Living just before the Age of Dinosaurs, Herrerasaurus had to cope with Protosuchus, the hunter of Dinosaurs. This ancient relative of the modern crocodile dominated the landscape. To evade this formidable predator, Herrerasaurus had to use his speed and agility, escaping through the underbrush.

Herrerasaurus was a predator in his own right. As one of the first predators to walk on two legs, He started the chain that resulted in future Dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex ruling the land. To successfully hunt, Herrerasaurus had sharp claws on his fingers. These claws had hooks to slice meat from the bones. Meanwhile, the bones in his short arms reminded paleontologists of modern Birds. One feature unique to Him was his sliding lower jaw, which enabled Herrerasaurus to rake his teeth through his prey. As one of the first Dinosaurs, Herrerasaurus is considered by scientists to be a Basal (Basic) Theropod. (Theropods includes T.-rex and other Raptors.)

First found on an Argentine ranch in 1950, Herrerasaurus (Herrera’s lizard) was not considered a new species. Only in 1988, when his skull was discovered, did anyone know that He was different. Then after scientists determined that He was a Dinosaur, they had a spirited debate about what Family Herrerasaurus belonged to. Since He was found in the same region as Eoraptor, They decided upon “Basal Theropod.”

As one of the first Dinosaurs, Herrerasaurus pushed the envelope beyond what existed at the time. To the Others, He was “the Shock of the New.” Living more than 100 million years before T.-rex, He stood up to hunt his prey. Furthermore, his arms precluded the advent of Birds. Herrerasaurus helped to usher in the Age of the Dinosaurs. He was avant-garde, since He was innovative, and expanded the boundaries of what Dinosaurs could become. When you embrace being avant-garde, you may be laughed at, but who knows what future you have allowed to come into being. Let Herrerasaurus show you how to shock people with the New.

Dinosaurs: EORAPTOR: Living with Ambiguity

From Wikipedia

One of the earliest dinosaurs, Eoraptor lived during the Late Triassic Period (about 228 million years ago). The world that Eoraptor inhabited was ruled by Protosuchus, a massive jawed relative of the modern crocodile. In this dry open-forested land, Dinosaurs survived only to be hunted by Protosuchus. The Age of the Dinosaurs was just dawning during Eoraptor’s time.

            Eoraptor was a small slender Dinosaur who ate both plants and animals. She possessed teeth for both a carnivore and an herbivore. A swift sprinter, Eoraptor used her sharp claws to tear her prey apart. (She had five “fingers” on each hand, but only three had long claws.) Since She did not have any of the specialized features of later Dinosaurs, Eoraptor could not hold large prey with her jaws.

            Discovered in 1991 by Paul Sereno and Alfretto Monetta in Argentina, Eoraptor remained a puzzle until 2011. Her discoverer, Paul Sereno thought She was a theropod like Tyrannosaurus, at first, since Eoraptor was bipedal and had similar teeth. However, She also had characteristics of Dinosaurs like Apatosaurus. At this point, paleontologists were not sure what She was, and debated the issue back and forth.

            Then in 2011, Eodromaeus, who lived at the same time and place as Eoraptor, was discovered. This Dinosaur. Eodromaeus, scientists realized that He was the earliest Theropod, the Family which includes T. rex and other Raptors. When compared to Him, Eoraptor was neither a Theropod nor a Sauropod. Since She had characteristics of both, Eoraptor was place in her own family of Eusaurischia.      

            Eoraptor teaches that sometimes ambiguity is the only answer. Doubt is not a comfortable place to be, but it is a part of life. In Eoraptor’s case, her ambiguous nature spurred vigorous debate amongst paleontologists. Sometimes ambiguity is a holding place until something definite happens. In ambiguity, exists several possibilities, waiting to be explored. Let Eoraptor be your guide.

Tarot: Major Arcana: Tarot of the Animal Lords: Fool to Lovers (2 of 2)

  
V. The Hierophant. Dressed in ritual robes, the red stag stands stiffly holding his staff of religious office. On his antlers perches a cardinal, while standing next to him is a stork. (All these animals are connected with piety and religion.) In the background, the trees are straight with groomed, rounded crowns. As rising sun highlights the sacredness of the grove, the Hierophant offers a sense of order and strictness. Meanwhile, the bareness of green landscape emphasizes the uncluttered serenity of the Hierophant’s interior life.

 
VI. The Lovers. Two Mandarin ducks gaze tenderly at the other. (In animal lore, Mandarin ducks are devoted partners.) Since the male is wearing a sword, I think that these two are greeting each other after a war. Surrounding them is an orange grove (a tree noted for love). Moreover, the Lovers are standing under an arbor of oranges and orange blossoms, as orange butterflies flutter around them. The color orange gives me a feeling of tenderness and mature love. The activity of the summer’s day in the orchard fills me with contentedness. Love encompasses all things.


Other entries in this series:

The Fool to The Emperor

The Hierophant to The Lovers

Strength to The Wheel of Fortune 

Justice to The Hanged Man

Tarot: Major Arcana: Tarot of the Animal Lords: Fool to Lovers (1 of 2)

The Tarot deck that I used to experience the Major Arcana was “The Tarot of the Animal Lords,” (Pietro Alligo and Angelo Gianni). I chose this deck because it features animals which allows me more in-depth readings. Also, the deck uses Rider-Waite motifs, which is helpful to me in learning the Tarot.

 To experience each card, I started by thinking about why each animal was featured. Then, I thought about what the animals were doing. As I viewed each card, I observed the landscape, season, and time of day. If there was any predominant color, I wrote that down, as well. Whenever I felt a feeling such as being pricked with thorns or freezing cold, I noted that too.

What I learned by observing and then experiencing the cards, is that often the minor details will merge into a whole. The various details caused me to ponder why they are there and what their meanings are. As I reflected on each, I would receive feelings that settled inside me. By experiencing the cards instead of just viewing them, I intuitively came to know what each meant.

 The cards as I perceived them.
0. The Fool. This card highlights a young European badger walking through a dark, snowy forest on a winter’s day. Along with his hobo stick, he carries a puffin, whilst a magpie sits in a tree branch watching. After laughing about how absurd carrying a puffin around is, I then felt the cold and darkness. I became aware of an adventure that was tempered with foreboding. The dynamics of the Fool for me was represented by the magpie, who was wryly amused by the pair.

 I. The Magician. This card features a red fox playing “find the bean under the cup,” with an audience of a field mouse and a scarlet tanager. Standing in a briar thicket, he uses a giant toadstool as his table. Although I feel pricked by the briar thorns, I cannot stop myself, since I want to play the game, too. The fox is an illusionist and if I am not careful, I will be caught in his invention. Meanwhile, the toadstool and the autumnal colors speak of alchemy, with the fox being the master Magician. When I entered the briar patch, I stepped in a world of mystery, beyond my senses.

II. The High Priestess. In a glen of cedar trees, a cow elephant sits regally on a tree stump with an open book, whilst sunlight bathes her head. At her feet are two striped squirrels sitting in the yellow asters. These squirrels are taking her bits of knowledge and “squirreling” them away. I feel that this High Priestess will keep the mysteries, only telling them to those who will secret them away. (Matriarch elephants hold the wisdom of their herd.) Meanwhile the curves between the trees and those of her tusks remind me of the moon, where the secrets are often kept. The bright sunlight tells me that if I develop the inner sight then I can see the mysteries, which are hidden in plain sight.

III. The Empress. Sitting on a turtle throne, a she-wolf gazes off in the distance, lost in thought. Surrounding her are her playful pups, who are chasing the butterflies. While the Empress sits in a field alive with flowers, a toucan sits behind her watching the pups. Although all life is exploding around her, the Empress seems remote and untouchable. Even though I feel safe being watched by the toucan, I wonder about the Empress. Is she serene or merely removed? Meanwhile, the profusion of butterflies and mallow flowers at her feet give a hint of her fertile powers.

 IV. The Emperor. Dressed in casual clothes, the Emperor wears a crown and rests his hands on a sword, as a falcon perches on the hilt. Adding to this casual feeling is his throne which is a tree stump. Ruling the African veldt, the Emperor, who is a lion, stares directly at me with a look of authority. With his sense of easy power, the Emperor cares not what he wears or sits on, for he is in control. Meanwhile, the bright sun highlights his potent aura.


Other entries in this series:

The Fool to The Emperor

The Hierophant to The Lovers

Strength to The Wheel of Fortune 

Justice to The Hanged Man

Finding The World Tree in Oaks

Whenever I ponder the World Tree, I often reflect on my own relations with trees. In my experience, They are magical beings, Each with their own personalities. By carrying their own vision of the world inside Themselves, each species of tree offers something of Themselves to the Axis Mundus, which is the World Tree.

 In imagining this Axis Mundus, I think back on my experience with a white oak, which lived next to my third story condo. During a hurricane (more than fifteen years ago) the tree fell through my living room. Between the chaos and the debris, I stopped to marvel at this immense tree laying on the floor, taking up my living-dining room. The crown, the branches, the leaves, the acorns, and the trunk all spilled out over the floor. Amongst the debris were some squirrels and two of their nests. (That is a story for another time.)

 As I touched the felled tree, I felt that I stepped through a door to other worlds. All of these worlds, whether they were below, above, or in-between, were connected through this tree. Moreover, all life was centered in, around, under, above, and through this tree. For me, it was a disorienting, yet remarkable experience. From that, I gained knowledge of the World Tree.

Now when I picture the World Tree, I see a towering, massive tree with branches reaching to the sky, and roots reaching deep into the earth. This broadleaf tree offers shade from the sun and shelter from the rain. The leaves reflect the passing seasons, but they never leave the tree completely bare. Also, this tree provides food for the beings living in it and around it.

 Again, I flashed to a huge oak in my life. This oak of my adolescence sat next to a stone wall in my family’s yard. A clothesline ran from its lower trunk to one of the posts of our patio. This oak tree was said to be a least two hundred years old, and seemed as ancient (at least to me). Whenever, I hung out wet clothes or gathered in the dried ones, the Tree would talk to me. In the summer, I would look up into the crooked branches, and watch the leaves move in the breeze. In the fall, “She” would drop acorns on me. (I thought of this Oak as “She.”) In winter, a few brown leaves would wave at me. Through it all, the Tree was there for me.

 To guide me further, the Oak introduced me to the squirrels. These mammals seemed to be everywhere: eating acorns, buying acorns, chasing each other, and building leaf nests. During the mating season, the squirrels would gather leaves to refurbish their nests. When I was feeling my teenage angst, the squirrels would cheer me up with their activities. The squirrels were partners to the Oak, as they were nurtured by Her, and they cared for Her.

 This Oak nurtured me through some stormy times. She counseled me and gave me her strength. She offered the world to me, for which I was grateful. With her help, I made it through adolescence.

 Therefore I regard the Oak to be the World Tree, the Axis Mundus. Furthermore, the lore about oak trees in various cultures supports my idea. For example, the Celts, not only considered oaks to be Chieftain Trees, but also the Doorway to Other Worlds. To the Romans and Greeks, the oak represented Jupiter and Zeus (respectively), the heads of their pantheons. These Gods spoke through lightening which was caught by the oak. This lightening would travel from the oak’s crown to its roots. This means to me that the oak acted as the Axis Mundus. Not only that, but the oak also contains the sheer life force of the Universe. That is how I imagine the World Tree.

 Works Used.

 Hageneder, Fred, “The Meaning of Trees.” Chronicle Books: San Francisco. 2005. Print.
Hidalgo, Sharlyn, “The Healing Power of Trees.” Llewellyn: Woodbury MN. 2010. Print.
Hopman, Ellen Evert, “A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine.” Destiny: Rochester VT. 2008. Print.

SALTASAURUS: Choosing What is Best

Drawing by Lady of Hats

The last of Dinosaurs with big noses (Macronaria) were the Titanosaurs, who lived from the late Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period (about 65 million years ago). Like their name, Titanosaurs were huge. In addition to their size, these Dinosaurs had thick forearms, barrel-shaped bodies, and broad chests.

            Like many Titanosaurs, Saltasaurus had body amour, resembling that of modern crocodiles. In the late 1800s, paleontologists found fossils of circular and oval-shaped bony plates. These armored plates (called osteoderms) were about four inches (11 cm) in diameter. Since these plates were not the same as those from armored Dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus, scientists were confused as to whether they belonged to a Dinosaur (and if they did, which one). Saltasaurus’ discovery in Argentina, in 1980 by Jose Bonaparte and Jaime Powell, solved this puzzle. When the scientists assembled her fossil bones, they realized that these round disks belonged on her back. These large bony plates of Saltasaurus went from her neck to her tail.

            The last of the Sauropods to evolve, Saltasaurus was still going strong at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Because few Sauropod fossils were found in the Northern Hemisphere, paleontologists believed that this Suborder of Dinosaurs had died out years earlier. However, They were abundant in South America. Separated from the other continents, South America hosted many Titanosaurs (who are Sauropods). For example, Saltasaurus was named for Salta City in Argentina, where she was found. In fact, Titanosaurs were the dominant plant eaters there and in Africa.

In Patagonia, paleontologists found the nesting grounds of Saltasaurus. Neatly spaced, each nest was carefully tended by the Mothers. Moreover, Saltasaurus Mothers would return to the same place at the same time to nest. Most scientists regard these signs that she was a good mother.

            Besides her scales, Saltasaurus had other unique features. Where her fingers should be, She had stumps. Moreover, her pencil-shaped teeth reminded scientists of Diplodocus (another Sauropod). (These two Dinosaurs had evolved their type of teeth separately.) Since She could not chew her food, Saltasaurus swallowed the leaves whole. Her huge stomach chamber did the digesting, fermenting the plant matter, and expelling the gases.    

            Though different from many other Titanosaurs, Saltasaurus chose what was best for Her. Her peg-like teeth could strip shrubs of their tough leaves. Her barrel-shaped body fermented her food. Her bony plates broke the teeth of an attacking predator. Though her choices may seem strange to others, She knows what works for Her. When you are faced with choices, remember what Saltasaurus teaches.