6

COSMIC CODES AND THE EXTRAORDINARY ELIXIR

The ancient Hermetic principle, “as above, so below, as within, so without” is a testament to the human and cosmic connection, revealing patterns coded within all life forms referred to as the “doctrine of signatures.” Many also refer to it as “sacred geometry.” In the same way that astronomers' observations required them to implement the new term sednoid, perhaps we will also discover that current systems of knowledge require alignment with something new. It is quite likely that what was previously considered conclusive regarding mainstream medicine will also require revision as a result of Sedna's return.

Having explored associations with water from the standpoint of Inuit shamanism and astrology, we'll now examine correspondences between Sedna and Chinese Medicine and myth tradition. While many modalities exist that apply sound healing or Chinese Medicine, only one curriculum offers training that combines planetary frequencies, including Sedna's, with the tenets of Chinese Medicine. AIIM, originally the Kairos Institute of Sound Healing, was founded in 1997 in Seattle, Washington, by Donna Carey, L.Ac, and musician Marjorie de Muynck. In a 2006 article written for the Oriental Medicine Journal titled “Sedna: The Mysteries, Miracles and Infinite Capacity of Water: Remembering the Past and Future of Oriental Medicine,” Carey, et al., refer to an association between the Chinese shaman Yu (circa 2200 BCE) and Sedna.^*3

Yu is the legendary sage-king known for having received special knowledge regarding the nature of water and having the demonstrated ability to control flooding. According to one legend the Lo Shu tablet, also known as “the magic square,” is a numerical pattern of divination that revealed itself to Yu on the back of a tortoise after floodwaters receded from the Yellow River. As variations occur among all myths, there is also a legend describing how Fu Xi (circa 2000 BCE) was shown this pattern when a dragon horse with black and white dots on its back emerged from the Yellow River.

Both legends connect the discovery of the Lo Shu tablet with the eight trigrams (Ba Gua) in the I Ching, the ancient Chinese divination text. Both also describe a deluge that occurred in ancient China that prompted the people to offer sacrifices to the god of the flooding Yellow River in an attempt to appease his anger. When the waters receded, a turtle emerged from the river and revealed the mysterious pattern on its shell to Yu; in the other legend a dragon horse revealed the pattern to Fu Xi. Arranged as a three-by-three grid with one cell in the center and eight around it, the eight outer cells of the Lo Shu pattern are associated with the eight trigrams (see fig. 6.1).

As the leader responsible for initiating dynastic rule with the Xia Dynasty (2070–1600 BCE), it is significant that Yu was a shaman whose experiences included journeys to heaven to study the stars and shape-shifting into animals to gain knowledge from and about them. Fu Xi is associated with a creation myth that describes how he looked up to heaven to contemplate its mysteries and down to Earth to apply that understanding for the benefit of mankind. He is also known for uniting the masculine and feminine energies into one and is credited for having instituted marriage. More relevant to this discussion is his identification as the progenitor of the I Ching.

Figure 6.1. Lo Shu square on the back of a small turtle (in the center), surrounded by the signs of the Chinese zodiac and the eight trigrams, all carried by a large turtle, which may stand for the dragon horse that had earlier revealed the trigrams to Fu Xi.

Although circumstances surrounding the origins of Yu, Fu Xi, and Sedna bear no similarity, the associations they each share with water, particularly its regulation, and shamanism is relevant. Also relevant is an inferred link between the water element in Chinese Medicine and the I Ching. We also find a correspondence between the eight trigrams and reservoirs of energy in the body known as the Eight Extraordinary Vessels (EEV).

In Chinese medical philosophy, these vessels (or channels) are understood to hold great mystery as the matrix of our multidimensionality, primordial source, or essence (called Jing in Chinese Medicine). As the “matrix of multidimensionality,” the EEV hold a fascinating connection to Sedna symbolism in that both serve a regulatory function very similar to the role assigned to Yu and Fu Xi.

The EEV reside in the kidneys and are responsible for regulating the flow of energy among and between the twelve “ordinary” meridians (channels). So when energy flow is normal, no extraordinary measures are required. However, in times of excess or deficiency within and between the twelve meridians, the EEV restore balance. In the same way, Sedna restores nourishment to the Inuit community during times of great famine and withholds it when people have committed excessive disregard for the natural (unwritten) laws.

The kidneys are responsible for the regulation of water in the body, while the urinary bladder regulates minerals and pH balance. Together they represent the body's filtering of toxins through the flow of blood. As organs belonging to the water element, they are also associated with hearing because they “flower into” the ears, a Chinese medical term used to describe how the yin and yang pairings of the internal organs “flower into” one of the five sensory organs. In their association with the blood, the kidneys also hold our genetic history. Much like the element water holds “memory” the organs belonging to the water element in Chinese Medicine help us access our memories through the information available in our DNA.

Just as there are common themes between Sedna, Chinese myth, the EEV, and the eight trigrams in the I Ching, there are numerical similarities between human DNA, the I Ching, and astrology.

COSMIC CODES IN OUR DNA

In The Hermetic Code in DNA, author Michael Hayes outlines the numerical patterns shared between the I Ching and DNA structures. Some of these patterns are also found in Chinese medical philosophy and astrology. The numbers involved are four, three, sixty-four, eight, and twenty-two. Given that we find hexagrams in the I Ching, DNA, and the Sedna chart, the number six also holds great relevance. Although the number twelve is not included in DNA or the I Ching, it is important when we discuss the correspondences between astrology and Chinese Medicine, particularly the twelve zodiac signs and twelve ordinary meridians.

Figure 6.2. RNA genetic codons are made of three of the four chemical bases. Combinations of these codons make amino acids. (Reprinted from The Hermetic Code in DNA with permission from Michael Hayes.)

Hayes begins with the number four, explaining that the four chemical bases found in the genetic code (adenine, guanine, thymine [uracil in RNA], and cytosine) are fundamental to the whole process of amino acid synthesis (see fig. 6.2). The I Ching is also composed of four basic symbols: young yang, old yin, old yang, and young yin, each containing two lines (see fig. 6.3). This is also reminiscent of the four astrological elements built upon yang and yin polarity. Two elements belong to yang (fire/air), and two elements belong to yin (earth/water).

The number three reflects the triune expression found in creation. Whether it's Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or yang, yin, and the Tao (also undifferentiated wholeness or the “Great Extreme”¹), each refers to the polarities creating a third phenomenon. An important distinction regarding the third phenomenon, however, is that it is invisible, mysterious, and neutral. In the I Ching, a trigram is formed when a third line is added to one of the four symbols (see fig. 6.4). Astroogy applies the law of three with its modes: cardinal (positive—initiating energy out); fixed (negative—pulling energy in); and mutable (neutral—spiraling energy up).

Figure 6.3. Young (tai) yang, old (shao) yin, old (shao) yang, young (tai) yin.

Figure 6.4. Eight trigrams created from yin and yang.

Figure 6.5. The sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching.

Hexagrams are formed by two trigrams and therefore contain a total of six lines (see fig. 6.5). In DNA, genetic codons contain three of the four chemical bases. In the same way that three lines make a trigram and two trigrams form a hexagram, three chemical bases make a codon and two codons create what Hayes calls a “biochemical hexagram”² (see fig. 6.6 below).

The best way to understand this is to remember that the information inside a DNA molecule must attach to a protein outside the molecule in order to create an amino acid. That happens by way of RNA codons, containing three of the four bases. One “messenger” RNA must combine with a “translator” RNA. These two codons (trigrams) combine to create a “biochemical hexagram.”

Another symbolic number is sixty-four. In the I Ching we have sixty-four total hexagrams, and in the genetic structure, we have sixty-four biochemical hexagrams. So far so good. Hayes explains that from the sixty-four possibilities—or codes—twenty amino acids may be created, plus the amino acids that start and stop the process. Thus there are twenty-two components in DNA expression. This is where there appeared to be a discrepancy, until Hayes remembered the law of octaves.

Figure 6.6. Sixty-four possible biochemical hexagrams can be formed from RNA codons that can then create twenty-two amino acids. (Reprinted from The Hermetic Code in DNA with permission from Michael Hayes.)

If the I Ching has eight trigrams of three lines each, adding up to the number twenty-four (8 × 3), why would there only be twenty-two “processes” in DNA? After much reflection, Hayes describes his astonishment upon discovering the reason: “It was an exhilarating moment when the light finally dawned and the answer . . . exploded silently inside my head: ‘Heptaparaparshinokh.'”³

Heptaparaparshinokh, he explains, refers to the law of octaves by which everything is governed, including the genetic code and the I Ching. So what exactly is the law of octaves?

In any musical scale, the eighth tone shares the function of not only completing the scale begun by the previous seven notes, it also begins the next octave and, therefore, does not need to be repeated. That is why in a “protein scale” there are only twenty-two processes (twenty amino acids plus instructions coded to start and stop) rather than twenty-four (see fig. 6.7). The processes we find in DNA expression reflect a complex system of communication involving information from inside the DNA molecule that must be retrieved (mRNA) and translated (tRNA).

Figure 6.7. Protein scale. The letters at the top of the image show the musical scale (do re mi fa so la ti do). The numbers at the bottom illustrate the twenty-two components in DNA that interconnect with three octaves (3 x 8 = 24). The start and stop processes overlap with the beginning/end of the individual octaves. (Reprinted from The Hermetic Code in DNA with permission from Michael Hayes.)

Figure 6.8. Octaves follow the pattern of three. Individual octaves are composed inwardly of three octaves each, producing nine octaves and a total of sixty-four “notes.” Nine octaves (9 x 8 = 72) minus eight overlapping notes: (72 – 8 = 64). (Reprinted from The Hermetic Code in DNA with permission from Michael Hayes.)

At this point, we must remember that the law of octaves is ongoing, as is the law of threes, connecting inner, simpler processes to larger, more complex ones. Depending on one's perspective, the inner processes could appear to be more complex than the larger ones. As is the case with the eight trigrams, the protein scale follows the pattern of three (see fig. 6.8). Since it is well beyond the scope and purpose of this text to explain the entire process of amino acid synthesis, refer to Hayes's The Hermetic Code in DNA for a more comprehensive analysis.

As it relates to Sedna's message, it is a reminder to honor and be aware of the “inner processes” in order to understand what is being created. Sedna's connection to DNA, I Ching, and Chinese Medicine will be explored in greater detail when we return to the numbers six and eight. First, let's examine astrology and Chinese Medicine with regard to the numerical patterns discussed thus far.

SHARED PATTERNS IN ASTROLOGY, I CHING, DNA, AND CHINESE MEDICINE

Analogous to the division of a cell or “egg,” when the zodiac circle is divided in two we have the polarities, yin and yang, thus forming the opposition at 180°. These polarities divide again into the four elements: fire/air—yang; earth/water—yin, thus forming the squares at 90°.

The number three is revealed in astrology through the modes: cardinal, fixed, and mutable, thus forming a trine at 120°. Each of the three modes contains four elements (fire, earth, air, water). There are four cardinal mode signs (Aries, Capricorn, Libra, Cancer), four fixed mode signs (Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, Scorpio), and four mutable mode signs (Sagittarius, Virgo, Gemini, Pisces). These comprise, of course, the twelve signs of the zodiac. However, instead of a pattern where three of four base symbols or elements are creating a trigram, in astrology we have three modes that group four elements and their corresponding sign.

Although astrology does not follow the pattern of sixty-four hexagrams, when we look at the number twenty-four, we find consistency with the I Ching and Chinese Medicine. From the geocentric perspective, there is a different sign “rising” in the east every two hours; hence each sign is assigned its own two-hour time frame within the twenty-four-hour day. This holds true with the twelve meridians, as they are each assigned two hours within the twenty-four-hour circadian clock. But that's not all.

In astrology, we also have six signs (three yin, three yang) above the equator, and six signs (three yin, three yang) below the equator (see fig. 6.9). This numerical pattern is reminiscent of the two trigrams that combine to make a hexagram in the I Ching, as well as the two codons that combine to make a biochemical hexagram in DNA. It is also reminiscent of the two triangles, or pyramids, we find in the Sedna chart creating the Star of David. One pyramid points north and the other points south; likewise, one pyramid activates the outer realm and one activates the inner realm.

Hexagrams, built on sixes, represent balance and symmetry. In astrology the sextile represents a harmonious aspect offering opportunity that the native must actively engage. In the Sedna chart hexagram, each point on the star is in a sextile relationship—a 60° angle to its neighbors on either side—offering us the opportunity to achieve balance and harmony.

Figure 6.9. Zodiac circle showing three yin (-) and three yang (+) signs above and below the east-west axis. Fire (F), Water (W), Air (A), Earth (E), Cardinal (C), Fixed (F), Mutable (M)

Similar to the pattern we find in the astrology chart are the twelve ordinary channels described in Chinese Medicine that are distributed in the body with six meridians (three yin, three yang) originating above the waist and six meridians (three yin, three yang) originating below the waist. What's more, this pattern of twelve also corresponds to other twelve-around-one patterns: twelve signs around the Sun in the tropical zodiac system, twelve apostles around Christ in Christianity, and twelve petals around one pistil in the Fruit of Life symbol found cross-culturally.

Where Western (tropical) astrology and Chinese Medicine seem to part ways may be analogous to Michael Hayes's conundrum regarding the protein scale. Astrology works with the four elements (fire, earth, air, and water), and Chinese Medicine works with the Five Element Theory (fire, earth, metal, water, and wood). But when we take into consideration that, alchemically speaking, nothing is stagnant we can apply a similar framework. Consider that the four elements—expressed in the cosmos as fire, solids, gas, and liquids and in DNA as the four chemical structures adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine—are always morphing into another phenomenon. In this way the combination of the four create a fifth phase or phenomenon representing change and a phase within which the building blocks create anew.

In the Five Element Theory, also called the Five Phase Theory, there is recognition of this alchemical change. If we use the lens of metaphor rather than literal interpretation, fire, earth, air, and water can be seen as analogous to fire, earth, metal,^*4 and water in Chinese Medicine.

The fifth element, wood, corresponds to the color green—representative of the “greening” generative process of growth and change. In Chinese Medicine, the organs associated with the wood element are the liver and gallbladder, known as the “visionary” and the “implementer,” respectively. Together, they represent our innate desire to create change through the process of visualization, appropriate since the liver “flowers into” the eyes.⁴ When liver qi (vital energy) is stagnant and, consequently, unable to create healthy change, we feel stymied, angry, and frustrated. The liver also has powerful regenerative capabilities that enable it to renew its own tissue. But the main point is that the wood element and the organs associated with it are responsible for tapping us into our creative abilities, including seeing with new eyes.

Another correspondence to five concerning the elements relates to the five platonic solids. Regarding the fifth solid, dodecahedron, Plato remarked, “the god used [it] for arranging the constellations on the whole heaven”⁵ (see figs. 6.10 and 6.11). The dodecahedron, with its twelve faces, also reflects the twelve-around-one theme we see in astrology with the twelve signs and in the body with the twelve meridians. For more specifics on how the five platonic solids relate to the motion of the planets, refer to chapter 5 in The Science of Planetary Signatures in Medicine. For now, we will continue with the relevance of the number six.

Figure 6.10. The dodecahedron platonic solid.

Figure 6.11. Twelve sides of the dodecahedron shown one-dimensionally.

In addition to balance and harmony, the number six implies physical organization. It is the means by which the polarities harmonize and the most efficient way for nature to organize itself. We see this in the hexagonal configurations found in water crystals, snowflakes, the inside of sliced fruits and vegetables, and the honeycomb, to list a few examples. By coincidence or design, it also happens to be the sixth house and the sixth sign of the zodiac (Virgo), which have to do with efficiency, health, and daily living. Homeostasis represents the balance and harmony required for maintaining optimal health.

While the sixth planet, Saturn, has no correspondence with the sign Virgo, it does correspond with the structuring of things. Also, in keeping with the “as above, so below” principle, there is a hexagon on the north pole of Saturn (see fig. 6.12). As we consider the implications of Sedna's return, it's important to remember that the grand sextile in Sedna's discovery chart, which forms the six-pointed Star of David, is symbolic of an unprecedented opportunity for us to achieve a state of balance on a massive scale as well as individually.

Having explored several numerical associations between astrology, the I Ching, DNA, and Chinese Medicine, the number eight will now be analyzed more closely. It's interesting to note that the Moon has eight phases: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, 1st Quarter Moon, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent. There is a primordial quality to the Moon associated with maternal energy and fertility. Just as the number eight infers “as above so below” in its symmetry, when turned sideways it also becomes the lemniscate, a symbol for infinity. In Chinese Medicine we have deeper reservoirs of energy known as the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, which are used to access “primordial essence.” As it happens, they also share a correspondence to the eight trigrams in the I Ching (see fig. 6.13).

Figure 6.12. Image of hexagon on Saturn's north pole. (By NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.)

THE EXTRAORDINARY ELIXIR

The meridian system in the human body is often referred to as a matrix of energy, which includes the twelve ordinary channels and the eight extraordinary channels (or vessels). The ordinary channels have also been referred to as axiatonal lines, which will be discussed a little later. The root for the word matrix comes from the fourteenth century Middle English word matris, a derivative of mater or mother.⁶ This meaning coincides beautifully with the following translation on “the mysterious female” by Ancestor Lu, believed to have lived during the T'ang Dynasty (circa 618–907 CE). Recalling our discussions regarding the Great Mother, the Divine Mother who cannot exclude any living creature, the Archetypal Feminine who is mysterious and, therefore, feared, we can see the correlation with this mysterious opening and matrix of multidimensionality relating to Sedna.

Figure 6.13. Eight trigrams with corresponding Eight Extraordinary Vessels (EEV). (Illustration by Benoît Stella.)

The ancient Taoists believed that there was a non-physical, multidimensional opening in the body called the “mysterious female.”

. . . it receives energy, whereby it gives birth to substance. . . . Vitality, spirit, and the higher and lower souls meet in this opening, which is the root of the restoration of the gold elixir, the place where spiritual immortals congeal the sacred embryo.

People of the old called this the Stem of the Ultimate, the Handle of the Primal, the Source of Open Emptiness, the Root of Undifferentiated Wholeness, the Valley of Cosmic Space, the Source of Evolution, the Opening Back to the Root, the Passageway to Restoration of Life, the Point of True Unity . . . the Crescent moon Furnace . . . the House of the Go-Between . . . the Spiritual Water . . . the Divine Unity. . . . All of these terms refer to one point. . . . It is right in the center . . . heaven and earth within the body. The empty opening where the systems of the eight channels interlink. . . . It is not based on physical form, but arises from understanding the way.⁷

In Acutonics: From Galaxies to Cells; Planetary Science, Harmony, and Medicine, Carey et al., describe the Eight Extraordinary Vessels as:

the conduits and retainers, transmitters, and transmuters of the cosmic Jing, the essential essence, the cosmic blueprint, the evolutionary pathways and energetic potential of our destiny. They are the embryological logos, the original sound, and the holographic echo of our eternal connection to the place of true origins. The vessels represent the most inner organization of life and are not bound by time and space.⁸

This description conveys the mysterious alchemical component of the “extraordinary” meridians and the role they play in cultivating the internal elixir of immortality. But this description also conveys perfectly the shamanic healing potential of the “mysterious female,” indicative of Sedna symbolism, which speaks to human multidimensionality, mystery, and primordial origins.

Although many Western schools of acupuncture may not acknowledge the ancient practice of inner alchemy, it is the taproot of our ancestry and the evolutionary reminder inherent in Sedna's message regarding “inue”—indwelling consciousness. It also characterizes the inner alchemy explored thus far in DNA expression. Author and Oriental Medicine doctor Tianjun Liu states that essence, qi, and spirit are considered medical terms in the practice of Qigong, and necessary for the cultivation of the “internal elixir.”⁹ In Alchemy of the Extraordinary, acupuncturist and author Peter Shea emphasizes the necessity for inner work as a prerequisite for the practice and delivery of true medicine. He offers insights regarding his experience working with the Eight Extraordinary Vessels and reminds us that metaphor is ever present in Chinese Medicine.

The acupuncture meridians and points tell the story of the evolution of the spirit as it experiences incarnation. This is known as the inner tradition, the internal arts . . . wisdom gained from reflection and awareness that reveals how the mystery, the spirit, the Tao, the quantum entanglement and the empty space drives the manifest reality. . . . Metaphor is entwined and entangled with metabolism . . . this is the reality of Medicine.¹⁰

As an instructor at Daoist Traditions College in Asheville, North Carolina, he promotes the tenet in Chinese Medicine to fulfill one's destiny as the highest form of medicine one can practice for healing Self and the collective. The Eight Extraordinary Vessels contain our primordial essence and provide the deeply transformative healing we require to know the Self fully. When we combine planetary healing, including that of Sedna, with the Eight Extraordinary Vessels and one's astrological signature providing clues to one's destiny and purpose, it is possible to accelerate this transformation process. With Sedna's return we have certainly entered an unprecedented time when thinking beyond the “ordinary” to embrace the “extraordinary” is required.

As discussed in chapter 5, Sedna represents triple yin and the water element. In Chinese Medicine, water is associated with the kidney and urinary bladder organs and meridians, the color black, and the emotion fear. It is kidney Jing (essence) that produces bone marrow; nourishes the brain, reproductive, and regenerative functions; and houses our DNA and our “pre-heaven” primordial essence.

Within the context of Chinese Medicine, Yuan Qi, or source qi, originates in the kidneys and is conveyed in the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. Yuan Qi gives rise to several other forms of qi named according to the function of its energy in the body.

The most basic species of qi in the body is source qi. . . . It is comprised of the essential qi of the kidney. . . . All other forms of qi in the body are considered to be manifestations or derivatives of source qi. . . . Source qi springs from the kidney.¹¹

ENERGY AS PRIME MOVER

Within the Earth, as within the human body, there is a dynamic energy at work that seems to reflect what is always evolving in space. In a similar way, the energy that animates life and comes from the Source may take on many derivative forms. It is never static, but rather expanding constantly, even if imperceptible to the human eye.

Similar to the Inuit assignment of several words to refer to the same thing, various names have been used in an attempt to describe this energy, reflecting the challenge of trying to name something from which infinite life forms and phenomena arise. These names include prana, qi, Kundalini, Life Force, Prime Mover, God, and so on.

The famous question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” describes well the circular nature of this force that seems to have no ending or beginning. It just “is.” In fact, when we consider the law of octaves, “that by which everything is governed,” the end is also the beginning. A similar analogy exists in Chinese Medicine: “Blood is the mother of qi; qi is the commander of blood.” How can one ever completely separate such codependent relationships? Blood produces qi, and qi moves the blood, without which no circulation or life would be delivered to the tissues and organs. The energy that animates life affects all elements—fire, earth, air, and water (spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional)—not just physical phenomena. And, as such, it must also affect every culture, providing uniformity among those that seem to have no connection. Within the Earth, this energy travels along lines known as ley lines (also called dragon lines) and, as already discussed, they are known in the body as meridians. However, they are also called axiatonal lines, a word combining axial (meaning “along an axis or imaginary line of energy”) and tonal (meaning “of or relating to a tone”). Within the context of our ancient spiritual ancestry, these axiatonal lines represent the means for aligning with cosmic energy for the purpose of healing.

There is at work within all biological systems a path of interchangeability to standardize unique vibratory levels. Our galactic body of creation controls its renewing functions through meridian axiatonal lines which are the equivalent of acupuncture lines that can connect with resonating star systems. These axiatonal lines are not limited to a physical body or a biological creation, but are open-ended and can connect the body vehicle with axiatonal lines that emanate from the various star populations and exist as chemical code mechanisms. When Man can discover the connection between this life space and the axiatonal grids controlling the body through endless cell division, Man will have a new superscience known as medical astronomy.¹²

The idea that it is vibration itself to which life is responding is becoming more apparent. This may be the cause of certain repeating patterns found in nature, such as the golden ratio (phi or 1.618), which can be seen in the spiral of plant growth, as well as in the dimensions of the human body (Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man). Perhaps the reason we are only aware of 5 percent of this reality is due to the imperceptibility of the processes having to do with slower (lower) vibration. The physical dimension vibrates at a slower rate, yet all rocks, minerals, rivers, plants, animals, and human bodies contain something mysterious at work within them.

For example, the sixteenth-century alchemist and physician Paracelsus heard from miners who, upon returning to a particular area, discovered gold “growing” in the rocks where they had previously mined and found none.¹³ Likewise, even though we can't see the protein “scale” in our DNA, or feel how it may be changing, that doesn't mean it is not responding to the vibrational field in which all life exists.

When plants are observed using time-lapse photography, one can see more clearly how they grow. In this way, scientists have been able to recognize that plants are responding to their surrounding environment and vibrational field, whether it is audible or inaudible. This type of response to the vibrational field is happening now at an accelerated rate. More importantly, the field of influence includes not just our inner mind, emotions, and thoughts, but also the Sun, Moon, and other planets, all of which sense and respond to each other via this vibrational field simultaneously and unceasingly.

Internationally renowned astronomer and lecturer Dr. Percy Seymour has written several books on the scientific theory behind astrology, particularly how magnetic currents permeate the solar system and are amplified by the planets. Together they impart a significant influence on all life on Earth. Seymour is a scientist, and therefore the basic foundation upon which he began his research involved healthy skepticism. Yet it was his research that led him to conclude that the planets impact Earth's magnetosphere through the principle of resonance.¹⁴ Moreover, he concluded that it is through the nervous system, particularly with fetuses still in the womb, that this magnetic resonance is conducted.

In an interview about his book The Scientific Basis of Astrology,¹⁵ Seymour explains the basic tenets upon which the book is based. First, he states that the Sun's cycle affects Earth's geomagnetic field. This, in turn, affects biological rhythms on Earth in observable ways, specifically, that of human birth. He explains that particular influences correlate with planetary cycles and transits when they form their own geometric pattern in the sky. It is by way of magnetic resonance, he states, that certain cycles and events are orchestrated, including that of drawing forth the fetus at the time of its birth.

Thus the planets play a role in the modulation of Earth's magnetic field . . . because of resonance . . . [and] the vibrations of the Earth's field in step with the planetary movements. The resulting fluctuations of Earth's field are picked up by the nervous system of the fetus, which acts like an antenna, and these synchronize the internal biological clocks of the fetus which control the moment of birth.

He continues to explain how our genetic inheritance and personality may be characterized by the position of the planets.

The tuning of the fetal magnetic antenna is carried on by the genes which it inherits, and these to some extent will determine its basic genetically inherited personality characteristics. Thus the positions of the planets at birth are not altering what we have inherited genetically but are labeling our basic inherited personality characteristics.

Although his research does not include Sedna per se, it does offer data suggesting that planets affecting Earth's Sun will, in fact, affect all life on our planet. Taking this into consideration within the context of an ever-evolving cosmos, it would seem to indicate the need for an evolving science to match it. And although Seymour states that the “planets are not altering what we have inherited” but rather describing it, it is reasonable to assume that newly discovered planets will provide fresh information regarding how we describe ourselves and our genetic disposition.

Higher vibrations increase the rate of speed felt within and by the physical realm, including the human body. We are experiencing this rate of change even though we may not recognize it as such. Felt indirectly, it may be experienced as a quickening of the parasympathetic nervous system—fight or flight—until we learn to discern the reality unfolding beyond the 5 percent we currently sense. Therefore, the importance of “getting with the galactic program” has never been more important on every level of our being.

As Earth transforms in response to the galactic tide of frequencies so too must we support the Earth by consciously working with these forces. It is incumbent upon us to allow the process of change to quicken the energy and essence within us in such a way that allows more life to flow through us—for healing ourselves as well as the collective. In order for more life to flow through our earthly existence, we need to let that which no longer serves our evolutionary purpose “die,” just as shamanic initiates had to surrender to transformation in order to experience more spiritual gifts and healing. Other ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians, also perceived “death” in this way.

Old Kingdom Egyptians were almost totally preoccupied with it [death], as the myths and the precise star-bound alignments of their architecture clearly show. The reference to “dying,” therefore, may have some other, more esoteric meaning . . . intended to remind initiates not of their mortality, but of the way in which immortality can be achieved; that is by dying to the illusory, material world, by regularly adopting a passive role in the cosmic scheme of things.¹⁶

Therefore, death was viewed as a symbolic rite of passage, a transition and gateway to the eternal requiring passivity (the ability to trust), which in turn allowed more of the Infinite to unfold.

EARTH'S MATRIX

When we consider that Earth has a grid or matrix that behaves in a similar fashion to the body's meridian matrix, we can more easily understand why ancient temples and monuments were built at certain sites. In essence, they behave as resonators for activating energy on Earth in much the same way that needle and sound stimulation on the meridian matrix can activate energy in the body. These lines within the Earth are called “ley lines” or “dragon lines.”

In Chinese cosmology, the dragon is analogous to the flying serpent, which describes Kundalini energy traveling along the spine and climbing upward until it reaches the pineal gland where it becomes “winged” and reaches higher consciousness. Depicted in the caduceus, this symbol has been “hiding in plain sight” since the inception of modern medicine despite its ancient roots in alchemy. It is through the Kundalini force of the Earth and human beings that the electromagnetic communication takes place between humans and planets. It is the meridians and chakras (energy centers) that convey this energy to and from the body, as well as up the spinal column, along which Kundalini and the nervous system communicate.

Although many Eastern traditions still acknowledge the humancosmic connection, Chinese Medicine is certainly one that has maintained continuity, and that enables us to see a link between the mapping system in the body and that on Earth. Acupuncturist and author Gail Reichstein Rex outlined the connection between Earth's energy and the body's meridian matrix in her book Earth Acupuncture. After experiencing toxicity near her home in the Hudson River region, New York, she came to realize that she could help facilitate healing the Earth using the same principles she used with patients. In conjunction with her acupuncture training, she also incorporated shamanic principles.

Her work emphasized that all of us may develop an authentic means of communicating with surrounding waterways, plants, rocks, and all manner of life in our environment as a starting point for facilitating healing. Listening in a way that transcends physical hearing, a form of spiritual tuning in, is the central theme for determining what is needed for healing: “Each time a person awakens to this primary relationship with the land, he is a new arrival in the family of life—one who can participate in the community and contribute to its growth.”¹⁷

Growth implies maturity, and yet she was speaking about more than just physical growth; she was also referring to the evolution of consciousness, which recognizes our multidimensional nature: “The new birth was . . . an awakening to the multidimensional awareness that is the consciousness of creation.”¹⁸

Given the connection between human and Earth anatomy, as well as the evidence put forth by Percy Seymour stating how life on Earth responds to planetary resonance, it stands to reason that, as new planets are “discovered,” they inevitably produce new, albeit ancient, awareness. In her book Kundalini in the Physical World,¹⁹ psychologist and author Mary Scott, who was herself born in India, explains that in Hindu cosmology, Kundalini is considered divine cosmic energy, having particular governance over the physical world. Referred to as “Shakti” it is “power at rest,” or dormant power maintaining equilibrium itself and conferring equilibrium upon everything in the physical world.²⁰ Great Kundalini is the overarching Shakti, also called Mahakundalini. It is distinct from the lesser Shaktis, which take on special attributes, such as that of feminine/masculine, resting/active, etc. This reflects how Chinese Yuan Qi, or kidney Jing, diverges into other forms of qi in the body's metabolic processes. Scott described unity amid diversity in this way:

The first duality to arise out of the Oneness of Brahman is the Shiva-Shakti Tattva. Tattva translates roughly as quality. . . . So the Shiva Tattva ensures that, throughout the whole cycle of creation and dissolution the underlying unity . . . is never lost . . . despite the endless diversity of objects produced . . . and the profusion of conscious states generated.²¹

It is in consciously working with this cosmic energy that we find the greatest ability to maintain equilibrium despite the many changes instigated by an evolving cosmos.

PLANETS ACTIVATE KUNDALINI

In her book Astrology and the Rising of Kundalini, internationally acclaimed author and astrologer Barbara Hand Clow writes about how planetary cycles activate Kundalini in individuals. She discusses how working with polarity in current “linear” time can only be done by way of working with emotion and feeling. Even more interesting is her philosophy on awakening the twelve-strand DNA as the means for human evolution.

This expressive twelve-sided response pattern, which is structured into six polarities, is accessible only by means of our feelings, which then direct our actions in linear space and time. This alignment tremendously enhances our ability to create realities in the physical plane by means of intentional thought in our hearts.²²

Clow examines the transformative energies of Saturn, Uranus, and Chiron. Saturn's cycles are felt most intensely at ages seven, fifteen, twenty-one, and twenty-nine, during which times it is creating the squares (ages seven and twenty-one) and opposition (age fifteen) to its natal position in one's chart. Saturn takes approximately twenty-nine years to make a full circle back to its natal position, and it is, at least traditionally, around the age of twenty-nine when many choose to take on more responsibility in the world by focusing on marriage, family, and career.

Uranus's cycle takes eighty-four years to orbit the Sun, and therefore approximately eighty-four years to make a full circle around one's natal chart. Uranus is the planet primarily responsible for the movement of Kundalini energy, and we feel it most intensely when there is a blockage involved. Its main purpose is to eradicate anything that prevents freedom and independence. Therefore, it will cause disruptive circumstances in the body, environment, or both if we remain unaware or try to resist the energy that wants to liberate us from the structures of Saturn that no longer serve our highest potential.

For most, this energy is felt when Uranus forms the opposition to its natal position, known most appropriately as the “midlife crisis.” This is the time when, for some, changes are instigated that seem to come from nowhere, from out of the blue, but that actually come from a place—consciously or unconsciously—of responding to the Uranus impetus to liberate oneself.

When I experienced this opposition, I had severe low back pain caused by a herniated disc. Later, I came to understand that the powerful energy of Uranus was moving through a blockage as I worked several part-time jobs to support myself financially and materially (Saturn) but was not supporting myself emotionally. Low back issues correlate with the root/survival chakra, the kidneys and the foundation of support. I was using the “old” ways (Saturn) to survive, and Uranus's energy was disrupting that plan and causing physical pain as it opened up the root chakra. When I finally got the message that I needed to restructure my life in such a way that would support my independence and happiness quotient, I began to heal.

Each planet's cycle serves a purpose to awaken our growth and maturity. Saturn's cycles are appropriate during their “season,” just as Uranus's disruption is appropriate when Saturn's energy becomes too stagnant or too burdensome. The planetary bodies work in concert, behaving like a cosmic clock for individuals and all life in the cosmos, all for the purpose of awakening and evolving.

The third planet Clow addresses is Chiron, which was discovered on November 1, 1977. It has an elliptical orbit around the Sun, taking approximately fifty years. In myth, Chiron is the centaur who was accidentally wounded by Heracles's poisonous arrow and traveled the world to find a cure for his pain. While failing to find his own cure, he was able to help others along the way and has come to be known as the “wounded healer.” Chiron's position in our solar system falls between Saturn and Uranus, so it acts as a gateway between the boundaries and structures Saturn provides and the newness Uranus instigates. Incidentally, with Chiron's discovery came an increased interest in, and expansion of, the healing arts as well as a concern for providing handicap access to buildings.

Chiron's function is to pinpoint the areas in which we require healing. Its objective is to help us find equilibrium amid and harmonization of seemingly disparate energies, such as that of Saturn and Uranus. Chiron returns to its natal position around the time we reach age fifty, inviting us to find more peaceful, harmonious ways to facilitate healing in our own lives and the lives of others. Before we do, we must revisit old wounds so that we can face the ways in which we allow ourselves to feel victimized and proceed along the path of transforming victimhood into service and healing.

In Sedna's case, since we are dealing with an 11,000-year cycle, one might at first dismiss any potential learning we could assimilate as individuals whose lifespan typically ends between eighty and one hundred years. However, once we allow ourselves to consider the impact of such ancient history returning, it is likely that what we've come to accept regarding time may be turned on its head. (Recall from the introduction the old crone's transformation when she called upon Synchronicity, Serendipity, and Magic in the “Genie from Nal.”) The notion of linear time is giving way to the concept of many dimensions and realities existing simultaneously. Likewise, the relevance of similar connections and associations across different cultures impacts how we view our own history and cosmology.

It bears repeating that the terms myth and mythology must be reevaluated as new information comes to light. On that subject, author and scholar Laird Scranton says the following:

Modern science . . . interprets the surviving documents of these early societies as a blend of mythology and history, and so all such statements have been assigned to the realm of the mythological. However, during the course of the past two centuries, the imaginary line that separates ancient mythology from ancient history has moved slowly and persistently backward in time as new archaeological discoveries cause us to understand as historic what was formerly thought to be mythic.²³

Sedna is our siren call, activating the ability to transcend former versions of ourselves as perceived through limited, linear, and one-dimensional concepts. She is here to remind us how to consciously cultivate and support this process through symbolic metaphor, Chinese mythology, and planetary medicine.

Sedna's mythological home in the deep sea symbolizes our own ability to “see inside” the water element and learn to dissolve boundaries rather than divide and compartmentalize our world. Although our planet is far more ancient, Sedna brings us back to a period 11,000 years ago, associated with the legendary sinking of Atlantis, the galactic shift prior to 2012, and the end of the Ice Age when waters disrupted and divided our world. Her return, rather than being a harbinger of disaster, is one of the wayshower and shaman. In her association with water, winter, and the color black, Sedna rules over human will, ancestral memory, primordial essence, and DNA. She symbolizes shamanic initiation, the dark that allows us to absorb great light and is the prerequisite to rebirth and regeneration, including healing the body's organs and tissues, as metaphor impacts metabolism. Symbolically, she lights the path for us to ignite our own immortality by surrendering to the inner path—the yin way—revealing patterns and pathways for infinite healing potential. By doing so, we are remembering the roots of our ancestry that recognize interconnectivity and unity within all beings—human, nonhuman, and planetary.

Sedna reminds us that we are all part of the Divine Matrix (Mother), who cannot exclude any part of creation. Instead, she helps us remember our primordial essence and multidimensionality and guides us to accept diversity as a necessary part within the fabric of the whole, the Mahakundalini, and the Great Extreme. As if for the first time in history, we are remembering who we are and who we are destined to be: “superconductors” of energy, as are the shaman and the alchemist. And if we can surrender to the initiation process, we may ultimately discover that we are “extraordinary” beings, limited only by our current capacity to perceive and understand our bodies, our world, and our cosmos.