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spiritual evolution

Love—Laughter—Playfulness Under Nevada Fall

Posted on November 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

“Heaven knows that John the Baptist was not more eager to get all his fellow sinners into the Jordan than I to baptize all of mine in the beauty of God’s mountains.” – John Muir

No other naturalist, before or after John Muir has reached his lofty status of being able to decipher and communicate the physical, mental and spiritual essences of Yosemite National Park. He could not have known English poet, W.H. Auden, but by writing, “Yosemite is a place to play and a place to pray,” he clearly understood Auden’s premise that “carnival” (the human world of Laughter and Play) is closely related to the world of Worship and Prayer.

Many of the most sacred moments in Biodesign occurred through laughter. Their laughter was of the highest order, showing no signs of being grubby, pornographic, cruel, or mean-spirited. They laughed easily and often, especially at the intimately embarrassing moments that occurred while traveling, hiking and camping together. Their laughter was contagious and healing.

Typically, on warm autumn days, the nearly 5,000 ft. descent from the top of Half Dome to the base camp in Yosemite Valley produced hot and sweaty hikers. A dip in the snow-melt pool beneath Nevada Fall usually offered refreshing relief.   On one of visits the guys were the first to jump in. The icy-cold water produced yelps and gasps. One of them asked his buddy; “Are you squinching?” Whether they had heard the term or not, all the guys immediately understood and burst into boisterous belly-laughter. The girls looked on with puzzled expressions. One of them finally asked, “What is “squinching?” This produced more laughter, and finally, one of the guys said, “You should ask Mr. Young.”

I remembered a conversation with a teacher-colleague of mine who spent a summer in France. When I asked about the highlight of her trip, she said, “I was standing in the Louvre, admiring Michelangelo’s statue of David, and I suddenly burst into rapturous laughter. It occurred to me that after God created Adam, he said, ‘Oops, I almost forgot! You will need two of these and one of these.’ The people around me must have thought I was a nut.” I shared her story and said she might be right.

The event provided a natural opportunity to describe, but not explain, one of nature’s most intriguing mysteries. Human embryonic male testicles originate in the same area that ovaries originate in females. During gestation they are programmed to migrate down and out of the lower abdomen. In cases where this does not happen, the organs will not function properly. Apparently, the normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees is too warm for sperm production. The problem was solved by moving them out of the body, allowing them to cool slightly. They can, however, become overly cold, and when this happens, males “squinch.” The scrotum shrinks and draws the testicles close to, or even up into, the lower abdomen. It was too much information for some of the girls, but most joined the guys in hilarious laughter.

Although the event was uproariously funny, at a deeper level it pointed to the quintessential mystery of how every human being began his/her journey on Planet Earth. Against unfathomable odds of time and space, each one of us began during an extraordinarily mysterious moment when one sperm (out of approximately 300 million) united with one egg (out of about 400) to emerge as a once-in-a-universe zygote. Lewis Thomas, MD, author of “Lives Of A Cell,” suggests that the biomolecular mysteries of forming a zygote are so vast and complex that they may remain forever beyond human comprehension; ergo, the miracle of life.

Just like the theoretical impossibility of any two snowflakes being alike, no two humans will ever be identical. Even so-called identical twins are not identical because they begin to affect each other’s behavior very early in their respective embryonic development (epigenesis). People who get to know identical twins often regard them as only slightly more alike than sisters or brothers.

Twenty years after the waterfall event, the world-famous Dahm triplets rocked the scientific world. They opted to have their ancestry analyzed to confirm their Nordic heritage. The results confirmed their theory but revealed a blockbuster clue. All three have British/Irish genes as well as French/German genes. That was not so surprising, but what was intriguing was that each had a different percentage of the minority genes.

It is doubtless that the original sperm and ovum that produced the triplets contained latent genetic information that dated back thousands of years. It is likely that the mitotic process that produced them involved replicating over 1 billion nucleotides, some of which were not transcribed identically. This means that the “identical triplets” are not perfectly identical. This closely relates to Charles Darwin’s discovery of genetic variation which is a key component of evolution.

During the evening, after the momentous event, the students were huddled together around the campfire sharing reflections of their day. One of the girls read from her journal, “I have never felt cleaner in my life!”

Little wonder Muir wanted all of his followers to be baptized in Yosemite’s waterfalls.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

 

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Bio-spirituality, Biodesign Out For A Walk, Nevada Falls, soul medicine, spiritual evolution, spiritual gifts, spiritual growth

Butterflies and Human Existence

Posted on September 1, 2021 Leave a Comment

Greetings valued friends,

We are experiencing an exciting upsurge of readers from around the world. We reckon that some have missed some of our favorite blogs ergo, we will revise and repost a few of them. Thanks for supporting Biodesign Out For A Walk. LY

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou

Never before in human history has there been such a wealth of knowledge that has allowed man to contemplate the great panoply of mysteries and miracles including, the origin of The Universe—Life—Human Spirituality. Anthropologists suggest that the first faint stirrings of human spirituality began about 100,000 years ago. Perhaps this is why anthropologist Loren Eiseley wrote in The Immense Journey:

“The story of Eden is a greater allegory than man has ever guessed. For it was man walking memoryless through bars of sunlight and shade in the morning of the world, sat down and passed a wondering hand across his heavy forehead. Time and darkness, knowledge of good and evil have walked with him ever since.”

Eiseley is tacitly alluding to the origin of human values, consciousness and free will and not so tacitly suggesting that modern men (including scientists) still have very little understanding of their origin. He leaves us with two tantalizing mysteries.

When was the “light” turned on in human beings?
Who were the first humans with a soul?

Is it not logical to assume that, before the emergence of consciousness, our ancestors were totally controlled by instinctive behavior? The mere fact that millions of life forms have succeeded for approximately four billion years by instinctive behavior suggests that there was no need for consciousness or self-awareness. In other words, there was no need for modern man to evolve.

If people are unable to fully appreciate the changes every butterfly must go through, perhaps it is because they simply cannot fathom the billions of cellular/molecular modifications involved. They are not alone. Anthropologists are at a loss to explain the symbolic (and spiritual) importance of the Eden story and trained entomologists are basically clueless about the instinctive biochemical process of butterfly metamorphosis.

In simple terms, after the moth spins a cocoon or the butterfly secrets a chrysalis, the larvae dissolve themselves into a cellular/molecular “soup.” All of the larval structures are dismantled and molecule-by-molecule reassembled into a moth or butterfly. This means that even the larval brain dissolves and is reconfigured into a totally different creation with radically different functions including directing the miracle of flight.

As a biological process this may be extraordinary, but it does not threaten us. However, when metamorphosis is used as a metaphor for spiritual growth, it can become terrifying and reason enough to not welcome the changes necessary to achieve a higher awareness.

It should not surprise us to note that the words metamorphosis and metaphor are similar. Metamorphosis= ‘transform, change shape,’ and metaphor= transfer the meaning of a word into a figure of speech. When people feel internal “butterflies” it is highly likely that they are experiencing spiritual stirrings involving love or fear.

This is fascinating because human childbirth just may be the closest example of metamorphosis, whereby each infant leaves a “saline marine ecosystem” and becomes an air-breathing land mammal. From the infant’s perspective the ordeal of birth must be traumatic and may explain why many newborns scream in protest.

Little wonder it is called, “The Miracle of Life,” and why females all over the world (regardless of race, religion or ethnicity) often share an innate awareness of human spirituality that is associated with motherhood.

Intriguingly, R.W. Emerson (1803), Henry Thoreau (1817), and John Muir (1838) were born within 35 years of each other. They all became literary giants who championed the emergent spiritual philosophy of Human Transcendence. In an interesting paradox, transcendentalism proposes that in order to become fully human, people must “transcend” their physical and mental limitations in order to be “reborn;” metamorphosis!

Emerson, Thoreau and Muir all believed that people contemplating nature, especially wilderness areas, increase their odds of “born again” experiences.

Either that, or perhaps they can take a cue from Maya Angelou’s metaphorical butterflies and muster up the courage to become “spiritual soup” and embrace the changes that they must undergo to become more sensitive and enlightened beings.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

Photo credit: Joseph Lacy, Natalija Mislevicha

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Biodesign Out For A Walk, Butterflies, Henry David Thoreau, Loren Eiseley, Nature, Origin of Human Soul, R.W. Emerson, spiritual evolution, spiritual growth, Spiritual Metamorphosis, wilderness

Audubon Society: Eight-Step Philosophy

Posted on September 21, 2020 2 Comments

When I began teaching environmental biology (1964) it seemed prudent to join The Audubon Society. The society was formed in 1905 probably inspired by John Muir’s creation of the Sierra Club in 1892. The membership included a monthly magazine that contained stunning Nature photos and relevant current event articles. At the beginning of each issue, the editors included: “A Statement of Audubon Philosophy.”

  • We believe in the wisdom of Nature’s design.
  • We know that soil, water, plants and wild creatures depend on each other and are vital to human life.
  • We recognize that each living thing links to many others in the chain of nature.
  • We believe that persistent research into the intricate patterns of outdoor life will help to assure wise use of Earth’s abundance.
  • We condemn no wild creature and work to assure that no living species shall be lost.
  • We believe that every generation should be able to experience spiritual and physical refreshment in places where primitive nature is undisturbed.
  • So we will be vigilant to protect wilderness areas, refuges, and parks and to encourage good use of nature’s storehouse of resources.
  • We dedicate ourselves to the pleasant task of opening the eyes of young and old that all may come to enjoy the beauty of the outdoor world and share in conserving its wonders forever.

– Audubon: March 1954

It is no wonder that the opening line of “The Audubon Philosophy” became part of the title and foundation that The Biodesign Class was built on.

Although I knew the steps by heart, my relationship with “step 6” was purely intellectual and definitely not soul-stirring. That all changed in 1972 when Lettie asked her fateful question (Biodesign Out For A Walk, Page 2) which led to meeting John Muir and hundreds of Naturalists, saints, sinners, sages and poets who were seeking a spirit-filled life.

 

My relationship with students was not unilateral, but reciprocal. I was supremely blessed to see Yosemite, Grand Canyon and California’s Mendocino Coast through the eyes of over 700 students. Mother Nature may have been opening their eyes and in turn, they were opening mine.

This is exactly what the Audubon Society was promoting and it was an honor to identify with and represent their philosophy.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Audubon Society, Biodesign Out For A Walk, Class of '72, Nature, nature inspiration, spiritual evolution, spiritual gifts, wilderness

Cosmic Wonders and Wanderings

Posted on July 8, 2020 2 Comments

About fifty years ago, long before I knew what a Jungian synchronicity was, I experienced one that still resonates with me on every clear night. I was the father of a two-year-old daughter and on a whim one evening, after her bath, I took her out to see the stars. At the tender age of two, she seemed perfectly capable of celebrating the mystery and wonder of the Universe.

After that first encounter, we established a nightly ritual. After her Mom bathed, dried, powdered her and tucked her into her sleeper, she was released. She would bound into the living room and launch her little body into my arms, overflowing with enthusiasm and say, “Show me the stars, Daddy!” And so, on every clear night, father and daughter shared the rapture of the Universe.

At the time, neither one of us knew that, 1600 years earlier, St. Augustine shared our passion for the stars. On one of his cosmic visits he pondered: “What did the Universe look like before time was created?” When asked what time is, he responded, “If you ask me I must reply that I do not know, but if you don’t ask, I know that I know.”

This may have been a beautiful manifestation of a typical dialogue between the human right brain and left brain. The right brain can contain wisdom that the left brain cannot quantify: ergo Mystery.

In spite of many boastful claims by many modern-day scientists, the truth of the matter is that St. Augustine’s query has yet to be answered. Scientists claim that the Universe is 14.5 billion years old, but the number may be arbitrary and meaningless, especially if we don’t know what time is. Some creative scientists suggest that the so-called “Big Bang” might be one of an infinite number of “Big Bang” events with each obliterating the evidence of all previous events. If this is true, we may never know where the Universe came from. Or, if the final stage of cosmic entropy is a “Big Gnab” (Bang in reverse), perhaps the Universe will return to a state of absolute nothingness. How intriguing would that be?

What terms like “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Unified Field Theory” and  “The String Theory” all have in common is that they are all theories that have yet to be proved. And so scientists are still trapped in the conundrum of a Universe that has been created with no known cause. Of course, they cannot scientifically acknowledge a Supreme Being and therefore many of them scoff at religious beliefs.

They have addressed the oxymoronic dilemma of “matter cannot be created or destroyed” by claiming that quantum mechanics allows for the Universe to be so complex that it made itself out of NOTHING! (Stephen Hawking)

Meanwhile, the recent spike in racial strife and disharmony conjured up a distant memory of an event on top of Yosemite’s famous Half Dome. A Biodesign class was snuggled in a circle under a canopy of stars that were so brilliant that it seemed like we could reach out and pick a basket full. The students resonated with the wisdom of the Universe at a level that would make most astronomers blush. Suddenly, a small female voice quietly asked, “Why do people waste so much time and energy hating each other?” I suspect that every heart stopped briefly and the silence that ensued was absolute. No one had an answer.

Photo by Kristal Leonard

I am growing old and 50 years after my first epiphany with my daughter, I go alone on my nightly pilgrimage to commune with the stars.  Sometimes I shiver, not because of the cold, but as the racial violence, vitriol and mayhem continue, I seem to be able to identify with the saddest and shortest line in the Holy Bible: “Jesus wept!”

So, in moments such as those, I am grateful for the reminder I know she would give me now that she has raised her own two children. On some level, it’s all still a mystery. And where there is mystery, there is hope. We in the Biodesign class may not have found the answer to the question of why humans choose to hate rather than to love and focus so on our differences when we are all under the same stars in the Universe, but asking the question, exploring the mysteries, looking for truth, beauty and goodness always starts me on the path to peace and joy.

Lowell H. Young
Author: Biodesign Out For A Walk

young.lowell@gmail.com

Posted in: Reflections | Tagged: Half Dome, soul medicine, spiritual evolution, spirituality, Yosemite Temple

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