Carpenter who cut off his fingers makes 'Robohand' with 3-D printer

"I was in a position to see exactly what happens in the human hand. I got the basics of what it's all about and thought yeah, I'll make my own." Richard van As is recalling the moment in May 2011 when he sat in a Johannesburg hospital waiting to hear if his fingers could be stitched back on. Just an hour earlier, he had been in his carpentry workshop sawing wood when the saw slipped and ripped diagonally through the four fingers on his right hand. "It all happened too quickly to know what actually happened," he remembers.

Rather than fear the outcome, or dwell on the repercussions of losing his fingers, he was already thinking of ways to fix the problem, like a true carpenter.

After days of scouring the Internet he couldn't find anywhere to buy a functional prosthetic finger and he was astonished at the cost of prosthetic hands and limbs which began in the tens of thousands of dollars. But his online surfing paid off as it brought him to an amateur video posted by a mechanical effects artist in Washington State, by the name of Ivan Owen.

Together, the pair developed a mechanical finger for van As, but their partnership has also gone on to benefit countless hand and arm amputees around the globe, through the birth of the company "Robohand."

Officially launched in January 2012, Robohand creates affordable mechanical prosthetics through the use of 3D printers. Not only that, but it has made its designs open source, so that anyone with access to such printers can print out fingers, hands and now arms as well.

Source: CNN

Cannabis, Consciousness and Common Sense

Almost everyone (arguably) has used cannabis recreationally at one time or another. Most people see it as little more than a natural substance that can cause a temporary euphoria and yet, in some people’s opinions, it is a drug that creates laziness and a depleted drive to contribute to society with any degree of intelligence. This opinion is often based on stereotype rather than experience.

Our governments have used stereotypes to keep us from considering that cannabis can be used sensibly or for a deeper purpose. A lot of people believe it has a wealth of spiritual uses that can help us tear down our mind-driven barriers and raise our spiritual vibration – as long as our purpose and intention in using it is clearly aligned to finding a higher vibration.

Anyone who researches cannabis and spirituality will find consistent advice to use it respectfully, in a proper setting and with the proper intentions. Our intentions and expectations create our reality, so if we use cannabis with the intention of simply ‘getting high’ as opposed to exploring our consciousness, a small, euphoric high is exactly what it will give us. On the other hand, ecstatic meditative bliss and insight can result when it’s used properly; the way the ancients used it, who knew about its potential.

Stereotype = Distraction

Beyond it’s medicinal and industrial uses, there are many spiritual benefits of cannabis. This plant has much more potential to help mankind than we give it credit for. I think its potential to help the world is why cannabis and hemp are both outlawed, despite all of the amazing things they could do if they were legal. There are interests out there who want to keep cannabis and hemp illegal, because they know cannabis can help people socially and spiritually awaken and they know hemp has a lot of uses that could grab profits away from the cotton and timber industries, among others. These interests don’t want people to explore the potential meditative benefits of cannabis, nor do they want hemp to be used as widely, industrially and medicinally, as it has been for centuries.

One of cannabis’ common effects is to alter people’s perceptions and awaken them to spirit, and the injustices that take place every day. For centuries, different cultures have used cannabis (and other plants) in a spiritual and/or ceremonial setting (the same cultures who, in some cases, used hemp industrially), and it is no mistake that this tradition carries on into today. But still, some people see cannabis as little more than a drug that, in their eyes, just makes you dumber.

Part of me wonders if the interests who profit from its illegality have purposely perpetuated the stereotypes that surround it in an effort to turn the world against it. The less aware the general public is, the more the planetary controllers profit from our ignorance. But at the same time, like any consciousness-altering substance, we shouldn’t hide from the real negative aspects of its use. We don’t want to deny the negative things that can come with consuming cannabis, particularly when it is abused, but we also don’t want to let stereotypes dupe us into thinking it can’t be used positively or progressively either.

I think it can, and a growing number of people who’ve felt the intense meditative effects of this revolutionary plant would agree with me.

Dependence and Responsible Use

Like anything else, cannabis can become destructive if it isn’t used responsibly. I think it can be used routinely without becoming an unhealthy crutch, as long as a few ideals are kept in mind and its use can be ceased without the user becoming unstable.

If emotional or psychological instability results from an inability to consume it, it might point to dependence and the user might be best to take a break and evaluate why they’re really using it and if their prolonged use is hurting more than helping.

The herb can be used safely, respectfully and responsibly if the user remembers a few things – one of which is that, although it is benign in its nature, it is very powerful. It can help us open our minds, but it can also cause us to close our minds and depend on it for any degree of happiness, wholeness or spirituality.

Embracing the Taboo

Even if our culture thinks it’s taboo, I think cannabis (and especially its cousin, hemp) has more to offer society than most people realize. It has the power to expand minds and introduce the newly awakened to the reality of spirit and the possibility of changing this world with creativity, and its potential isn’t meant to be overlooked.

Even if it aligns me with the “hippie” stereotypes out there, I openly support the herb for its spiritual benefits, even in the face of all of the negativity and naysaying that’s constantly thrown at it. The herb retains a quiet dignity throughout all of the condemnation, silently and patiently awaiting the day when it can finally show us what it can do.

I’m not saying everyone should try it, and it definitely isn’t for all of us. It would bring some people down and densify their vibration, because they’ve already raised and maintained their vibration to a point where it wouldn’t help them anymore. There are others, however (even those who maintain a consistently high vibration) who benefit tremendously from its use and the potent meditations that can result. Some people don’t use it for any spiritual purposes, but to help them relax and clear their minds of all of the stress and drama that comes with living on earth, without the negative physical side effects associated with alcohol.

I could write a whole other article about alcohol, which I don’t think poses much genuine spiritual value and, in my opinion, is much more harmful than cannabis… but I’ll leave that for another time.

Conclusion

The intention of this article was to provide a (hopefully) sensible perspective on what I feel is cannabis’ genuine spiritual value, and I stand by the legions of people who advocate it. We have to follow our passions in life, and if you’re passionate about something most of society still shuns, you might have to look deep within and find the courage to pursue your passion despite the fact that others will judge and condemn you for it.

Condemnation isn’t the way of the new world we want to create, and hopefully, everyone will eventually respect our different perspectives, opinions and passions. When we can all respect our differences, and honor what mother nature provides, we can come together to create something better and more in favor of the needs of the many (as opposed to the few) than our current system.

We have to set the example by loving and respecting each other right now, and this involves the willingness not to reject people who think differently or embrace things that society shuns – including our right to access other states of consciousness.

I think society will eventually accept cannabis, and the acceptance is already beginning with its use becoming legal in a few different states here in the U.S. The time has come for cannabis’ benefits (and downsides) to be understood in a levelheaded way, and those of you who are passionate about it can feel free to break any silence you may have maintained and voice your support for this popular spiritual assistant.

In embracing it, keep in mind that there are right and wrong ways to use it. Be careful not to fall into the trap of dependence that so many users seem to have fallen into. Almost anything can be good if used responsibly, and it’s similar to how you wouldn’t want to drink too much tea or eat too much food – because of the obvious negative consequences. But the negative aspects of cannabis use (or of the use of anything else) don’t necessarily have to deter us from embracing it; we’ll just want to keep those negative aspects in mind. Centeredness can go a long way, so if you choose to experience the ‘sacred herb’, let’s remember to be sensible.

 Wes Annac 

Sensory Perceptions

Rich with sensory perception, our human experience allows us to take in and assimilate the world around us. Unlike the rainbow portraying the very basics of color schematics, the real world vibrates with a truly unlimited spectrum of possibilities. Not limited to merely seven colors, we bless our eyes for bringing to us a full-color array that changes with alterations of light and perspective. Similarly, we bless our Creator for showing us precious bits of digestible life, all the while we fully comprehend that more than we observe and understand exists in our grand gourmet of choices.

“Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” --Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Le Petit Prince

Our relationships with one another bring far greater depth and complexity than the limitations of sensory observation allow. Like the grand earth and all its vibrations, those around us –ourselves included – put forth a limited range of who we are, for others to see. 

Now, the two elements of the human equation – what truly exists compared to what our limitations allow us to perceive and what we put forth for others to see vs. their ability to see it – add a doubly variable basis for establishing, forming and maintaining relationships with one another. 

Who are you, really? 

Over the years, various psychological studies hypothesize we use about 10% of our total brain capacity. That, alone, astounds us by demonstrating we rarely dare to exert the other 90% of our capability. What comprises that inert 90%? Mystical, elusive and often fearful traits popularly bear the reputation of that unknown brain store.

The notion of true genius rests in people demonstrating perhaps a larger percentage of brain usage. But what if genius had nothing to do with the filing cabinet of facts and figures, and more to do with connecting to spirit for intuition and understanding of that we do not see using merely the ten percent?

Additionally, we must also understand that like the limitations of the spectrum of sensory perception and the 10% of human brain usage, who we truly are as a physical being reflects a mere fraction of our true selves as a spiritual being. 

When we consider the wide range of non-physical experiences our soul carries forth, these bodies - or vehicles – merely experience the possibilities limited on the earth plane. As we ponder our spiritual existence, our mind stalls as the magnitude overwhelms us. Like gazing at billions of stars in countless galaxies, our limited awareness barely comprehends the full breadth of our spiritual truth.

Understanding the human limits 

Like living within our means financially, we quickly learn that our human bodies constrain us in many ways. Subject to the limitations of the law of gravity, for instance, mankind overcame his avian desires by building airplanes and other modes of aviation. The myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus exemplifies failed attempts at human flight independently, at will.

Similarly, we understand the restrictions of spirit as captured into the human experience. Like seeing birds in flight and knowing that mobility is impossible for us, we get loving glimpses of spirit at work in our life and believe that, too, eludes us. Thus far, technology sidesteps or never considers the spiritual or invisible component to our earthly experience, and therefore fails to account for the spiritual component at work in human lives each day. 

Multiple ports of entry

The news media proves effective by using several modes of sensory input to convey a story. For thousands of years, the spoken word prevailed as the primary source of information from person to person, and generation to generation.Then, somewhere along the timeline, the written word emerged, lending a second component to communication.

Ever since Gutenberg, the printed word reigned as the staple of information exchange. Five hundred years later (give or take), recorded audio began as Edison brought the phonograph to the general marketplace.

From there, various regenerations of audio media integrated into our culture and now we enjoy personal systems, satellite television and more. Researchers over the years learned that the impact of an intended message intensifies when the message is presented using more than one sensory receptor.

That means that if you get your news on television, for example, you see it and hear it. Therefore, the news’ ability to reach you is greater and your ability to receive and remember it, is greater, too.

Add to the visual pictures, the scrolling bar along the bottom of major news channels, you engage in reading, watching pictures and colors and hearing. A triple whammy to hit your brain! As of yet, the transmission of smell, taste and touch is not possible, but when that occurs, the retention ratio will skyrocket! Think of the scratch-and-sniff ads in your favorite magazine. Why did they do that? It wasn’t effective enough to let you see and read about a perfume. Once you see, read and smell, presumably, you’re hooked!

The illusion of what we perceive.

In high school, a wise teacher once told our class, “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” Looking back, I realize her direction not only addressed the unreliability of gossip and hearsay, or even the media for that matter, but also spoke to our interpretive abilities as limited by the human experience.

Not meaning to second guess or inspire doubt in what we believe we know for certain, let us remember to keep a healthy perspective when taking in information of any sort. Spirit knows no limitation of any kind. Our higher self recognizes things on more than a physical, human level – it sees what Antoine de Saint Exupéry, says “is invisible to the eye.”

The spiritual connection within us, when trusted, acknowledges what is essential – whether or not our ability to perceive it exists. When our awareness of the illusions comes to light, our ability to thrive peacefully increases along with the connection to Spirit and the Infinite. We are human beings struggling to move forward in a world with built-in perception restrictions. We are so much more than our human limitations! 

Remember what is essential to you, take a deep breath and trust that your higher self senses all and shows you the truth.

Marlene Buffa