Chapter SIXTEEN

Connections And Correspondences


Updated January 2010

With this chapter, I shall make some comparisons, show connections and delineate correspondences between Astrology, Yoga, Psychology, Biorhythms and Neurobiology:


THE POLARITIES OR THE SET OF TWO

Astrology

(+) - usually more objectively oriented and outgoing, assertive and interested in what is going on around them, i.e., focused on external affairs and experience, extroverted; Masculine.

(-) - more likely to be inwardly directed and connected with subjective experience, i.e., focused on internal affairs and experience, introverted; Feminine.

Science

(+) - cations, anode, positive charge, energy fields with clockwise spin, protons and the left brain hemisphere.

(-) - anions, cathode, negative charge, energy fields with counter-clockwise spin, electrons and the right brain hemisphere.

Yoga

Ida- (+, palmer CW spin), lunar, female

Pingala- (-, palmer CCW spin), solar, male

Chi

Yin- (-), female, earth, darkness, moon, passivity

Yang- (+), male, sun, light, heaven, active


THE TRIPLICITIES OR SET OF THREE

Astrology

Fixed - past oriented, achieves results by perseverance and sustained effort, not easily swayed, reliable.

Cardinal - future oriented, likes activity, initiates, acts upon present circumstances by counteraction.

Mutable - present oriented, adapts to exigencies, flexible, deals with the rich variety of experience.

Science - Neuromodulators

Behavioral Maintenance(NE) - reward dependence, conditioned signals for reward or relief from punishment; resistance to extinction.

Behavioral Activation(DA) - novelty seeking, potential reward, potential relief of monotony or punishment; exploratory persuit, appetitive approach, active avoidance, escape.

Behavioral Inhibition(5-HT) - harm avoidance, conditioned signals for punishment, novelty or frustrative non-reward; passive avoidance, extinction.

Biorhythms

Physical-23 Day Cycle

Emotional-28 Day Cycle

Intellectual-33 Day Cycle


THE QUADRAPLICITIES OR SET OF FOUR

Astrology

Fire - seeks to display leadership in some way, aggressive, ardent, creative and masculine in expression.

Earth - primary attribute of practicallity; skill in using and manageing material and financial resources necessary to make the other functions of life possible.

Air - deals with the intellectual capacity of man which includes communication and social interrelationships; manifest strong mental abilities and intellectual attributes.

Water - concerned with the realm of emotiom and feeling; deals with sensitivity, intuition and the deeper psychic aspects of life.

Science

Left Hindbrain = Air

Left Forebrain = Fire

Right Hindbrain = Water

Right Forebrain = Earth


The work of psychological testing other than that of Dr. Cloninger which addresses the above in a behavioral context is that for hemispherical dominance. Read the Raudsepp article and you will recognize his work in the discussion on brain hemispheric dominance in the preceeding discussions.

Another psychological test is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which is based upon the work of Carl Jung, please refer to the biblography. This test utilizes four scales: where you prefer to focus your attention (EI), how you take in information or find out about things (SN), how you make descisions (TF) and how you orient toward the outer world (JP). The test is set up to distinguish 16 types and I am INTJ. My assessment of this test follows and are personal opinions:

The EI scale, Extroversion-Introversion, delineates the Left Hemisphere (E) from the Right Hemisphere (I) orientation. The SN scale, Sensing-Intuition, delineates Left Hindbrain (S) from Right Hindbrain (N) orientation. The TF scale, Thinking-Feeling, delineates Left Forebrain (T) from Right Forebrain (F) and the JP scale, Judging-Perceiving, Left Hemisphere (J) from Right Hemisphere (P). In my opinion, this test is not well thought out conceptually because of the lack of a clear separation of each quadrant and emphasis on hemispherical dominance.

Astrology discusses the Signs which have the Following combinations:

ASTROLOGICAL COMBINATIONS

Sign
Polarity
Quadraplicity
Triplicity

Aries
+
Cardinal
Fire
Taurus
-
Fixed
Earth
Gemini
+
Mutable
Air
Cancer
-
Cardinal
Water
Leo
+
Fixed
Fire
Virgo
-
Mutable
Earth
Libra
+
Cardinal
Air
Scorpio
-
Fixed
Water
Sagitarrius
+
Mutable
Fire
Capricorn
-
Cardinal
Earth
Aquarius
+
Fixed
Air
Pisces
-
Mutable
Water

My hypothesis would make the following correlations:

The polarities do not need one as they are well characterized and self evident. However my thesis is that Masculine refers to Left Brain behavior and Feminine to Right Brain behavior.

The Quadraplicities correspond to the Neuromodulators and Biorhythms as follows:

Cardinal = Dopamine DA = Physical Cycle

Fixed = Norepinephrine NE = Intellectual Cycle

Mutable = Serotonin 5-HT = Emotional Cycle

The Triciplicities correspond to the Brain Systems:

Air = Left Hemisphere Hindbrain

Earth = Right Hemisphere Forebrain

Fire = Left Hemisphere Forebrain

Water = Right Hemisphere Hindbrain

Thus Astrobiology has a firm basis rooted in the traditions of scientific investigation as well as incorporating aspects of popular culture. We all talk about the same things but in different terms!

In further relation to the popular culture of Astrology, British Astrologer/Scientist John M. Addy investigated the role of temporal life-processes within the rhythm and sub-rhythms of the cosmic envrionment. Astrology has a branch called Medical Astrology which attempts to describe disease susceptibility according to Astrological analysis. In his booklet, Mr. Addy demonstrates the relationship between birth date and susceptibility to cancer, cancer and tobacco use and polio. He shows : "that with each and every type of cancer, that when the incidence was considered by age-groups it was the youngest age-group which reached its peak incidence first, and as higher and higher age-groups are considered, the peak incidence occures later and later in time". He shows that peak incidence of any type of cancer is reached, not among all age groups simultaneously, but that it is one particular generation which shows the highest incidence at every age. What is even more interesting was the fact that the susceptibility as to type of cancer was different for each age.

In his work with polio incidence, Mr. Addy demonstrates that harmonic analysis shows peak at the 12th, 24th, 36th and 48th harmonics of the Solar period in relation to amplitude of the waves and the consistency of their phasing. These analyses yield very conclusive evidence for the susceptibility to disease according to the time of birth within the Solar rhythm.

Now that we have a context within which to base our right brain understanding with left brain knowledge, let us discuss next the idea of health and disease using concepts as put forth above in the next chapter.

The Macrocosm Within