On
the surface, modern life seems to operate independent of natural
cycles. Artificial lighting brightens our long winter nights; we
consume out-of-season produce; we order from round-the-clock pizza
delivery and pay for it from 24-hour ATMs. Such modern conveniences can
lull us into thinking we're living in a solar paradise.
But
underneath this cheerful facade of eternal daylight and perpetual
summertime, there lurks a primitive sense of real time. Inside each of
us is a child of nature who can tell it's actually dark, who knows it's
really winter. Scientists have named this internal timepiece the
"biological clock," and they call their study "chronobiology."
The
Seasonal Clock: DNA or Astrology?
A
great deal of scientific research has gone into studying the biological
clocks that monitor cyclical behavior patterns in plants, animals and
humans. This research has proved that we all respond to the rhythmic
cues of seasonal variability.
Numerous
tests have shown that there are seasonal changes in our patterns of
sleep, alertness, appetite, mood, metabolism, energy level, blood
pressure, hormone secretion, sexual activity, sperm count (for men) and
the onset of menstruation (for women). You name it—it's all
affected by the seasonal calendar, which in turn is determined by
celestial rhythms. In other words, human behavior is cyclical, and the
cycles themselves are based on the movement of celestial bodies. Sounds
suspiciously like astrology, doesn't it?
Scientists
say they are not really sure of the mechanism involved. Some claim
there is a genetic basis for the biological clock. Most recently,
scientists have discovered a "clock gene" inside mice, and they suggest
it won't be long before they find a similar gene in humans.
All
of this is hardly news to astrologers. For thousands of years,
astrology has been operating on an understanding that we are connected
to celestial cycles. Long ago, astrologers recognized this
cosmo-biological connection in the essential principle: "As above, so
below." While the scientists busy themselves with gathering data and
devising experiments to find order in the universe, astrology already
has a map of the whole territory.
Let's
look at examples of how science has "discovered" what astrology already
knows. Some chronobiologists have given a new name to the "law" of
rhythms that rule our behavior—the chronome, a composite word
derived from "chronos" (a Greek word meaning time), "nomos" (rule) and
"chromosome" (the structure inside cells that contains DNA). This
naming process was previously established in astrology, which
identifies time, rule and structure as attributes of the planet Saturn.
Seasonal
Affective Disorder
Another
example is a seasonal health problem recognized by the medical
profession as Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). Known to the
layperson as the "winter blues" or the "February blahs," S.A.D. is a
catch-all condition for many symptoms that recur in the winter,
including sleepiness, depression, lethargy and changes in appetite. In
1984, researchers gave winter depression the official name S.A.D. in
the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association.
Astrologically,
this makes perfect sense. In 1984, Saturn, the planet of time, was
located in the sign that rules medicine and the depths of the psyche,
Scorpio.
It was also the year that Pluto,
the master of deep, dark psychology, entered his ruling sign
Scorpio.
The
symptoms of S.A.D. are "blamed" on winter, as if there were something
"wrong" with a perfectly natural cycle. The real trouble arises from
the modern resistance to adapting our behavior to match seasonal
changes. Rather than using the more active nature of daylight or
summertime as the "correct" model for behavior, we should acknowledge
the message of Saturn and Pluto: that darkness and winter are
appropriate times to slow down and focus more internally.
Groundhog
Day
Another
important scientific "finding" involves a mammal commonly used in
chronobiology experiments—the humble woodchuck, or groundhog.
Scientists like to study the groundhog because its biological clock is
so strong that the animal can't be trained to ignore its internal
cycles.
Even
in the laboratory, where scientists attempt to fool groundhogs with
ample food and year-round temperatures of 70 degrees, the animals still
begin hibernating right on schedule with their regular annual rhythm.
And when do they stop hibernating? According to researchers, right
around Groundhog Day in early February.
As
we know from astrology, February 2 is a "cross-quarter" day, the time
when the Sun is
exactly halfway through the winter season and is located at 15 degrees
of Aquarius.
This is the midpoint between
the Winter Solstice (when the Sun is at zero Capricorn)
and the Spring Equinox (when the Sun is at zero Aries.
Numerous
cultures have recognized this mid-winter date as the time to anticipate
spring and make ready for the re-awakening of life. It corresponds to
Chinese New Year, and in Celtic tradition, Candlemas. In the
northeastern United States, it's Groundhog Day and the beginning of
sugaring season, when the sap starts to flow in maple trees.
While
we continue living according to the dictates of modern scheduling, we
also experience demands from our biological clocks. The contradiction
can make us feel pulled apart and alienated. Many of us seek to heal
this split by renewing our connection to natural cycles. One of the
ways to reset our biological clocks is to consult the oldest form of
natural timekeeping on earth - astrology.
Copyright by Valerie Vaughan 2000
